I tried to watch what piece of fabric went where, and how many times a certain section was wrapped around a limb, but I got confused and gave up early on. It took Surkah ten minutes until I was ready. She had to measure, cut away a lot of fabric, and sew new hems until it fit me perfectly.
“Where did you learn to sew like that, Surkah?” I asked in amazement. “You measured the fabric, cut it, and sewed it before I even knew what you were doing.”
Surkah blushed. “My mother taught me and so did my aunt-in-mate. We spend a lot of time together, and sewing is an activity females enjoy. You get pretty good at something when you’ve been doing it for so long.”
I had no doubt.
“Could you maybe, if you wanted to, teach me?” I asked, shyly. “I’d love to know how to make my own clothing. I could barely sew on a patch while mending my clothing back on Earth. If I’m being honest, it was a real pain in the ass.”
Surkah smiled so wide, and her eyes lit up with joy.
“I would love to teach you. It would be my pleasure.”
“Great.” I smiled back. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I watched as Surkah picked up the black sparkled body jewellery and held still as she adjusted it over my neck and around my waist and hips. When she was done, she moved behind me and got to work on my hair. She liked the colour of my hair and wanted to leave most of it down, so she braided the top section of my hair back and used a small black device that automatically tangled itself around my hair when placed on my head.
“What the fuck is that on my head?” I asked in a panic.
Surkah blinked. “There is no direct translation, but it is a small device that wraps around your hair, gets hot then after few seconds it untangles, and your hair falls in nice big waves. The longer you leave it on, the curler your hair gets.”
“What in God’s name can do such a thing?” I demanded, terrified of the object on my head.
Surkah was amused. “You didn’t have devices on Earth for your hair?”
“None that I could afford,” I said as Surkah reached for the device and lifted it from my head.
I waited for pain, but none came.
“It didn’t hurt,” I said, surprised.
“Of course, it doesn’t hurt. Why would we use something that would hurt?”
I shrugged. Surkah snorted.
“Sera says your Earthly haircare products are not as advanced as ours.”
I shrugged again. “I can’t say if she is right or not. I’ve never had anything put on my hair other than cheap scissors to control the length. I lived in poverty on a war ridded world, remember?”
Surkah frowned. “I didn’t forget. I just can’t imagine how awful things were for you.”
I didn’t mean for the happy atmosphere to turn sour, so I gestured to my body with a smile.
“Am I ready?”
Surkah instantly perked up. “Yes, and you’re even more beautiful.”
Before I could reply, she called for Nero, who entered the room with his hands over his eyes not a second later.
“My Princess,” he began. “Kol will cut my eyes from my head if I see his mate naked.”
I smiled. Surkah giggled.
“All is well, Nero,” she assured him.
He didn’t move a muscle. “Is this a test, Princess? I am not very good with tests.”
At that, I laughed. “I’m fully clothed, Nero. I promise.”
He slowly lowered his hands and opened one eye to a slit. When he saw I was clothed, he lowered his hands fully and opened his eyes. Then he surprised me by placing his fist over his chest and bowing.
“You’re a sight to behold, Princess Nova.”
When he stood right and smiled at me, I couldn’t help but blush.
“That is very sweet of you, Nero. Thank you.”
He nodded once. “Are you both ready to be escorted from the Ebony? The humans have nearly fully disembarked, and festivities are already underway.”
“Festivities?” I questioned. “What kind of festivities?”
“A grand welcoming feast followed by song and dance, of course,” Surkah answered me. “Tables will line the streets with mountains of food for Maji and our new human citizens. The people are very excited about our new additions. The feast will not be until dusk, but the people are all very excited.”
That seemed a little too much too soon to me, but I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Instead, I smiled and brought the attention back to my outfit.
“Do you think Kol will like the clothing?”
Nero snorted. “You could be covered in tree leaves, and he would still find you the most attractive being in the cosmos. You’re his mate, so he will only every see beauty in you, Princess.”
I placed my hand on my chest. “Nero, that’s so sweet of you to say.”
He shrugged, but his lips twitched.
“Nero’s future mate is lucky to have a male that has a way with words,” Surkah commented.
“I agree.” I nodded. “You’re quite the catch, Nero.”
He scuffed his boot against the floor. “Princesses, I have no interest in a mate. My duty is to the Guard.”
Surkah rolled her eyes. “You can be mated and still have a duty to the Guard.”
Nero scowled at her, and it made me laugh.
I watched the exchange. “You’re the only male, besides Mikoh and Kol, who backtalks Surkah.”
Nero smiled wide. “I am her kinsperson, so I can get away with annoying her.”
Kinsperson?
I looked at Surkah. “He is your what?”
She was silent for a moment as she thought then she said, “It is another way to say blood relative. Nero is my cousin. Like the cousins that you once had.”
I nodded in understanding. “Whose son is he?”
“My uncle and aunt-in-mate,” she answered. “Nero is a very special member of our family. He is the only son born to my uncle and aunt-in-mate.”
I blinked. “The only one? But I thought a female’s uva—”
“My aunt-in-mate became very sick not long after she birthed Nero.” Surkah cut me off. “It is a miracle she did not die, Father says. She recovered, thank Thanas, but the mysterious sickness affected her body… her reproductive system to be exact. Her uva never contracted after the sickness; she never had another monthly bleed, and she never bore another young one. Nero is greatly spoiled because of this. His mothe
r and father love him very much.”
“By love me very much, she means they suffocate me with emotion and question me at every turn to see when I will take a mate and make them grand-offspring,” Nero said with a teasing grin.
I raised a brow. “What kind of son are you to keep them waiting?”
“Ha!” Surkah giggled. “Nova agrees with the family. You should take a mate and produce little ones!”
Nero groaned. “You females always stick together.”
I snickered and bumped my fist with Surkah, but she looked down at her hand, then to mine, with furrowed brows.
“Why did you hit me?” she asked, baffled.
I laughed. “I didn’t hit you; I bumped you.”
She stared at me blankly, and so did Nero. I laughed harder.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have to explain what a fist bump is.” I smiled as I shook my head. “It’s kind of like a high five.”
I was met with more blank stares.
“Oh, my Almighty.” I giggled.
Surkah looked at Nero. “She is amused at us not knowing what she is talking about.”
Nero smirked. “I can tell.”
“A fist bump, what I did to you, Surkah,” I said, regaining her attention, “is just a gesture of greeting or affirmation.”
Surkah nodded slowly. “And the highest of fives that you mentioned?”
I cackled. “Just ‘high five’, not highest of fives.”
“Okay,” Surkah said, her lips twitching. “What is a high five?”
I lifted my hand in the air with my palm facing Surkah.
“Mirror my action,” I asked. “Then clap your hand against mine.”
After our hands had clapped together, I said, “That’s a high five. I used to do them with my father, uncle, and cousins whenever one of us brought down a nicely sized buck or caught some juicy fish. It kind of a celebratory gesture.”
“Is my hand supposed to sting?” Surkah questioned, staring at her palm.
“Sometimes.” I grinned.
“And this is a custom with all humans?” Nero asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it, but yeah, I guess so.”
Nero looked like he made a mental note of that information, and I made a note myself to talk to him about it just so he didn’t scare a human woman half to death by shoving his big hand in her face waiting for a high five.