Harwin grinned.“Really?”
“Really.The scales don’t crack.”She smiled.“There will be more of them, and I may lose my ability to wear boots, but I am not going to die any time soon, if at all.”
Ra paused.“Another Dyturan hasn’t trained you?”
“Nope.I woke up, got dressed, found the shuttle ID that was in my robes, and got moving.No idea how I know how to fly the shuttle, but once I was on there, the download kicked in, and the transformation started.”
Ra’s eyes were wide.“That isn’t supposed to happen.”
“I know, but Grandma told me to get up and get moving, so I did.”
Harwin laughed.“Why do I think that you ruined someone’s plans?”
“Duh.You have met me.”
Harwin chuckled, and the baby started to squeak for his mother.Skylar handed him over, and he settled right away.
Harwin smiled.“I am getting the hang of this.”
“Do you have a nanny lined up?”
Ra nodded.“There is a woman in the village.We need only to call.She has been a child minder before.”
Harwin tucked the baby in the sling and smiled.“That is so cool.”
“There is also a wrap for when he gets bigger, but right now, he’s nice and compact.Enjoy the scrunch.”
“I will.Do you need to rest or something?”
“Yes, I think I could do with an hour or two in my shuttle.”
Harwin said, “We have guestrooms here.”
“No, I need a more regenerative environment once a week or so.It seems today is that day.I will be back before dinner.”
She reached out and touched Harwin’s cheek, nodded to Ra, and left.Skylar really needed a nap.
* * * *
Harwin asked, “Do youknow what that was about?”
“I believe she needs to absorb life.Her shuttle will have a device to provide it.”
“Ah.Is someone going to come after her?”
He shrugged.“Dyturan isn’t predictable, and he is not Hmrain.”
“Wait, so it isn’t just a species?There is a being?”
“Of course.The designers looked to satisfy a number of aspects of the people who survive to thrive.There are also those who spur lust, but they are few and far between.”
Harwin blinked.“Have you run into any of those?”
“Not in the last several thousand years.Hmrain don’t need them, but their populations sometimes do.”
“Uh-huh.What do they look like?”
“Amorphous.They become what you need to see to stir lust.For me, it would be you.”