hip. The women didn’t seem like much of a threat but the guard on the other hand, was a different story entirely. Her fingers itched for the protection of her metal rod.
The woman who looked to be the older of the two cleared her throat or maybe she spoke, either way it forced Dallas to focus on the females. While the women possessed similar coloring and both had the intimidating looking ridges in the middle of their foreheads they didn’t have the same sharp edges carved in their faces as the males. Dallas found their appearance to be softer. The expression ‘the gentler sex’ was never truer than within this alien species.
Silence ensued as the female trio stared at each other for several long seconds.
Now what ? Dallas couldn’t help but think.
The younger woman approached her first, holding what looked like a thin gold bracelet in her outstretched hand. She spoke slowly as she came closer. Dallas could tell by her tentative movements and gentle tone she was trying to appear reassuring. She could only assume the offering was meant as a gift.
“Thank you,” she bowed slightly accepting the offered jewelry.
The girl giggled, at least that’s what it sounded like, and returned her bow awkwardly before resuming her position next to the other woman.
Dallas felt a little simple as she stood staring at the bracelet for so long the girl signaled for her to put it on her wrist.
“Of course you want me to wear this.” She smiled, slipping the metal on and holding it up for inspection. It was an intricate, thin band width - “What the hell?”
Her arm flinched in response to several sharp needle pricks drilling into her skin where the metal touched. The sensation was over in seconds. Dallas made a move to jerk the band off her arm. Diplomacy be damned.
In response the bracelet tightened around her.
The two women shook their heads simultaneously while repeating a noise which sounded more like chittering and grunting than and actual language, but Dallas caught their meaning.
“Alright, so hands off the bracelet, but I have to say as gifts goes this one really bites, literally.”
She dropped her arm to her side and was grateful when the band loosened.
Her arm tingled at the insertion points and at first she thought it was in reaction to the blood flow returning to the area but as the sensitivity crawled its way up her arm she knew there was a very different reason. The feeling wove its way up her shoulder and neck. A wave of vertigo assailed her. She could only assume she wobbled because in an instant the women were at her side holding her elbows to steady her. Dallas was happy for the support and even more grateful when they settled her on the high standing round cushion poised in the center of the room. Her head buzzed, as if a swarm of bees had been set free inside it.
She was going to be sick. Or at least she thought so until the buzzing suddenly stopped and the room recovered from swaying around her.
“Better?” A feminine voice asked.
“Hell yes, I thought my head was about to….” Dallas trailed off but turned her head in the direction of the woman who’d asked.
For several moments she could only blink at the older woman. “Wait a minute. I can understand you?”
“That is of course the idea behind the translator,” the woman replied.
“How does it feel?” The younger woman asked eagerly on her opposite side.
“Now that I’m not about to pass out it actually feels fine,” She said holding her arm out to make sure it was still attached.
“I was afraid it would not work,” the older woman explained. “These devices have only ever been used on Chezarians for instructional learning of your language. Those who have mastered your speech do not wear them. Those who are still in the learning stages wear them.”
Dallas confirmed that the two females wore matching bracelets, while the guard wore a simple single manacle.
“The male’s look different,” the older woman commented after
The woman who looked to be the older of the two cleared her throat or maybe she spoke, either way it forced Dallas to focus on the females. While the women possessed similar coloring and both had the intimidating looking ridges in the middle of their foreheads they didn’t have the same sharp edges carved in their faces as the males. Dallas found their appearance to be softer. The expression ‘the gentler sex’ was never truer than within this alien species.
Silence ensued as the female trio stared at each other for several long seconds.
Now what ? Dallas couldn’t help but think.
The younger woman approached her first, holding what looked like a thin gold bracelet in her outstretched hand. She spoke slowly as she came closer. Dallas could tell by her tentative movements and gentle tone she was trying to appear reassuring. She could only assume the offering was meant as a gift.
“Thank you,” she bowed slightly accepting the offered jewelry.
The girl giggled, at least that’s what it sounded like, and returned her bow awkwardly before resuming her position next to the other woman.
Dallas felt a little simple as she stood staring at the bracelet for so long the girl signaled for her to put it on her wrist.
“Of course you want me to wear this.” She smiled, slipping the metal on and holding it up for inspection. It was an intricate, thin band width - “What the hell?”
Her arm flinched in response to several sharp needle pricks drilling into her skin where the metal touched. The sensation was over in seconds. Dallas made a move to jerk the band off her arm. Diplomacy be damned.
In response the bracelet tightened around her.
The two women shook their heads simultaneously while repeating a noise which sounded more like chittering and grunting than and actual language, but Dallas caught their meaning.
“Alright, so hands off the bracelet, but I have to say as gifts goes this one really bites, literally.”
She dropped her arm to her side and was grateful when the band loosened.
Her arm tingled at the insertion points and at first she thought it was in reaction to the blood flow returning to the area but as the sensitivity crawled its way up her arm she knew there was a very different reason. The feeling wove its way up her shoulder and neck. A wave of vertigo assailed her. She could only assume she wobbled because in an instant the women were at her side holding her elbows to steady her. Dallas was happy for the support and even more grateful when they settled her on the high standing round cushion poised in the center of the room. Her head buzzed, as if a swarm of bees had been set free inside it.
She was going to be sick. Or at least she thought so until the buzzing suddenly stopped and the room recovered from swaying around her.
“Better?” A feminine voice asked.
“Hell yes, I thought my head was about to….” Dallas trailed off but turned her head in the direction of the woman who’d asked.
For several moments she could only blink at the older woman. “Wait a minute. I can understand you?”
“That is of course the idea behind the translator,” the woman replied.
“How does it feel?” The younger woman asked eagerly on her opposite side.
“Now that I’m not about to pass out it actually feels fine,” She said holding her arm out to make sure it was still attached.
“I was afraid it would not work,” the older woman explained. “These devices have only ever been used on Chezarians for instructional learning of your language. Those who have mastered your speech do not wear them. Those who are still in the learning stages wear them.”
Dallas confirmed that the two females wore matching bracelets, while the guard wore a simple single manacle.
“The male’s look different,” the older woman commented after
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