“Yup.”
“The whole time?”
“The whole time.Went from natural winter to permanent winter.”She smiled but knew Harwin couldn’t see her.“We were there with Trin and her grandfather.”
“Oh, Trin just got a Hmrain of her own.”
Ra sighed but smiled.“We are not the collectible ones, Harwin.You are.”
Harwin waved it off.
Skylar went to wash her hands and looked at the fingers that looked like claws in a certain light.She was still changing.She couldn’t fight it.
She sighed and returned to her cousin and family.They moved to the main hall and walked to the buffet that two humans were curating.Her taste buds weren’t human anymore.She craved a heat level that was obscene, but she could make do.
They sat on low couches, and she took the baby while Ra filled two plates for Harwin.
Skylar chuckled.“He’s not as terrifying as I thought an ancient Hmrain would be.”
Harwin smiled.“First of his kind.He linked his mind to mine, and since mine was already messed up from theaccidentwith the wrong healing unit, we blended pretty thoroughly.Plus, he knows a lot about the Children of Geb.Us.”
Harwin had her baby on her shoulder.“What do you think your own future will bring?”
“A lot of silk gauze.The compulsion to keep hidden is overwhelming.”
“Why?What happens if you are out as your new self?”
“I don’t know.Maybe someone is hunting Dyturans for ivory or something.”
“I will ask Ra.He knows a lot of weird stuff.We ought to have a trivia night.”
“He would clean up on ancient history.”
“And modern.My brain and his, remember.”
“Right.Well, he’s coming back, so I am going to get snacks.”She got to her feet and asked the attendants, “What is the spiciest thing you have?”
They pointed to a few dishes and a pile of extra chillies, raw and pickled.
She got her meal, walked back to the couch, and laughed.Harwin was feeding the baby, and Ra was feeding her.Skylar tucked her plate under her covering and ate.
The spicy food was okay, but it wasn’t the kind of thing she had on her shuttle.
They sat around and talked for a few more hours.Skylar tried to hold the baby, and to her surprise, he fell asleep.Harwin couldn’t see it, but Skylar had a huge smile on her face.Wicked canines and all.
She held the baby, “So, Ra, when are the next round of Terrans being brought down here?”
Ra nodded as he said, “Tomorrow.They are all physically fit, and their homes are available and ready, so they will come here, be assigned a township and be transported out there.”
“There are a few ghosts that wish to speak to them, and once that is done, I will be on my way.”
Harwin gasped.“No.”
“Huggy bear, I am already dead.Just because I came back doesn’t change the fact.Human me is dead, and there are those without closure who never knew what happened to their families.”
Harwin blinked.“You are dead?”
“My human clock is dead.Now I have the Dyturan one, and it is way different.”She smiled.“But I should be able to swing by here every few years for several centuries.”