“What do you mean? Like marriage?”
“I don’t know the term.”
“Do I get to stay with him forever?”
“That doesn’t happen.”
“Why?”
“Masters have no need for a bearer beyond the point of delivering the egg.”
“I thought so, too.”
“But master Xana can help you identify what you may like to do after. He will provide for everything.”
“That’s good to know,” Riordan mumbled, his head now filled with new information.
“Young master Tasha coming through,” the bot said.
The redhead’s face appeared on display. He looked a bit disheveled, but his eyes were shining.
“Look who got fucked first thing in the morning,” Riordan joked.
Tasha grinned. “Yeah. Marn likes it best when he wakes up.”
“Mine is apparently an earlier riser.”
“So, how are you?”
“Heeding your advice. Now, Tasha, Kyle here tells me some interesting stuff.”
“Who’s Kyle?” Tasha asked, confused.
“Mister robot over here,” Riordan joked. “Really, he needed a name.”
“He? It’s a machine.” Tasha shrugged, but smiled.
“Kyle, buddy, don’t worry, mate.” Riordan looked up, where the bot’s sensor was supposed to be located. The lights blinked in sympathy. “Allow me to educate this ignorant fool.”
The bot’s lights flicked and looked like it wanted to ask something, but politely remained silent.
“So, Tasha, Kyle here tells me that we won’t be able to leave this planet after we’re done with carrying the egg.”
Tasha looked away. Riordan’s eyes thinned.
“You knew.”
“Well, there was no need to piss you off even more,” Tasha mumbled. “I suppose it’s not good news for you. If it makes you feel better, I had no idea about this until I got here.”
Both remained quiet for a little while.
“So, what’s your plan after you’re done?” Riordan asked.
“Not sure. Marn says I should run a local business.”
The redhead was clearly unhappy.
“Ah, and what could that local business may be?” Riordan asked.
“You know.” Tasha unconsciously began biting his fingernails.
“A whorehouse?” Riordan chose to be blunt.
Tasha’s eyes flicked over to him, with hurt. “Yeah. He says I’m too much of a natural to let such talents go to waste.”
“What a bastard.” Riordan grimaced.
“No!” Tasha protested. “You see, they have a different… Moral compass so to speak. He’s complimenting me, actually.”
“Kyle,” Riordan called sternly.
“Yes, young master,” the bot dutifully replied.
“Are you recording this conversation?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Riordan,” Tasha intervened. “Maybe you should keep your rebellious streak in check.”
The redhead’s warm eyes were warning him.
“I won’t get you into trouble. So let’s just talk again when we meet,” Riordan chose to say.
“I’m telling you the truth. There’s no reason for me to hide. I know my place,” Tasha said.
“C’mon, I can tell you’re unhappy.”
“I am, but that doesn’t change anything.”
“Crap,” Riordan murmured. “Now I have no idea which place is shittier: Earth or this?”
“I don’t have that many regrets if you’re asking me,” Tasha replied. “I was a good for nothing back home, anyway. At least now I have a purpose.”
Riordan seemed to ponder for a few seconds. “Then I suppose I need some career counseling.”
“Isn’t it a bit too early for that?” Tasha smiled.
“Well, seeing how much of an idiot I was when I got here, I should compensate and have a bulletproof plan. I might choose to become a whore, too,” he said.
“You must be joking.” Tasha pursed his lips.
“Well, seeing that humans around here are good for only one thing…” Riordan retorted.
“If you’re not brain dead, you could pick some administrative work.”
“Nah, too boring. At least, being a whore has its perks. Never a dull moment.”
“I thought you hated to be fucked.”
“One gets used to it.” Riordan shrugged. “I’m being practical here, nothing else. Anyways, I won’t keep you. You must have stuff to do.”
“Not at all. You know what? Let’s go shopping!” Tasha slapped his hands together.
It was not like he had anything else to do, either.
“Kyle, is it okay for me to go out?”
“Of course, young master. Master Xana will be happy to hear that you didn’t spend the entire day cooped up in here. I am accompanying you. No harm would come your way.”
“Wow, I even get a chaperone.”
“You won’t even know I’m there,” Kyle promised.
“Did you almost make a joke, Kyle?” Riordan frowned.
“No. I will move behind you, at exactly 2.3 feet. You will not see me most of the time. Anytime you need me, for purchases, or anything else, I will help you.”
“Convenient,” Riordan agreed. “So, Tasha, let’s do it. I’m not crazy about shopping, but at least I won’t get busy counting bed bugs.”
“We don’t have bed bugs, young master. I see. It was a joke.”
“Good job, Kyle.” Riordan gave the robot a thumbs up and smiled.
“You’re killimg me with all this talk you do with your bot. Mine is completely silent. It just flicks and buzzes. I think,” Tasha complained. “Marn never thought about upgrading it with a speech module.”
“Well, maybe it can be trained. Kyle, can we train another bot?”
“Only with clearance from its master.”
“See, Tasha?” Riordan grinned. “Next time you rock your boyfriend’s world, maybe you could ask for that.”
Tasha laughed. “I’m so glad you’re here, Riordan. You’re tons of fun.”
“How do we meet, then?”
“Have Kyle deliver you two by my door in twenty. I need to freshen up a little. It won’t do to walk around looking like this.” Tasha stretched and yawned.
“Your fuck hair is not that bad,” Riordan joked.
“Now let me be the one to educate you, darling.” Tasha leaned in to get closer to the screen. “When in public, a bearer needs a little decorum. If we happen to meet Xenos, especially the younger crowd, we must not entice them by any means.”
“What are you saying?” Riordan quirked an eyebrow. “At that party, we all looked like nothing but whores.”
“That was a party. In public, without the masters, we need to be much more decent.”
“Eh, and I thought their moral compass was way fucked up.”
“It is. That is why we need to avoid risks.”
“C’mon, man. Spit it out. How should I dress, and why are you making such a fuss?”
“Kyle knows how to dress you up. Let me tell you just this. That there were cases of bearers getting gangbanged when unattended. Of course, laws have been getting tighter since then, but it’s not like Xenos could be punished too dearly if they were to fuck a bearer who doesn’t belong to them.”
“What the fuck? You say we’re going to get jumped while buying bread and cigarettes or something?”
Tasha sighed. “It’s so complicated, my head hurts just trying to explain it to you. It’s like this. You’re some Xeno’s property. That’s fine. But Xenos are worse than horny teenagers. Before they get to their so called adulthood, they are allowed a bit too much leeway. Marn and Xana are highly educated, well behaved and all that.”
“Tell it to my ass,” Riordan said dryly.
“Young Xenos are not entitled to bearers. But they are part of their species, and their attraction to humans is no different. So they ogle a lot. Also, they are the number one clients of human populated brothels.”
“Aren’t they like minors or something?”
“They are considered young adults as soon as their first sexual instincts kick in. But, since their hormonal upheaval is so powerful, they are not allowed to perform more than low entry tasks and they occupy insignificant positions. In a few years, they become adults with full rights. That’s when they are entitled to their own bearers. By the way, your Xana is one of the youngest counselors right now. He’s smart, your guy.”