Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
After a few nibbles, Lili passed the rest of her kelp and ink-meat sandwich covertly to Dark. He didn’t seem to mind the flavor and ate it in a few bites.
“Better than garn,” he remarked, when Lili raised her eyebrows at his appetite.
“Garn is a flavorless, colorless substance we eat on the Dark Kindred home world,” Light explained for him. “It’s a form of complete nutrition and can be eaten as a solid or drunk as a liquid.”
“But no matter what it looks like, it doesn’t taste like anything,” Dark added. “Which never bothered me before I got emotions. But now—I like flavor!”
Lili grinned at him. She couldn’t help loving the Dark Twin’s unbridled enthusiasm for life. He might be blunt at times, but it was fun to watch him trying out his new emotions.
Light, on the other hand, was more subtle but also extremely thoughtful and sweet. And both of them were so protective, which was nice.
It occurred to her that even though they had known each other such a short time, she was getting really attached to them. It was a shame that they were going to have to go their separate ways once they all got back to the Mother Ship. If only they could join together to bond with her!
Wait a minute—are you seriously considering a life-long commitment when you haven’t even known them a week? whispered a little voice in her head. Don’t be crazy, Lili! What happened to Single for Life? I thought you were happy on your own.
Yes, she was happy enough and she’d been content to stay single when all the men she met were just like Mitch, her ex, Lili thought. But Dark and Light were so completely different from what she was used to. They were a breath of fresh air and the idea of never seeing them again after this trip was over filled her with a deep sadness.
After their meal break, the tour went on. They viewed art from so many different cultures and planets that Lili’s head was spinning.
She saw paintings done in purple and blue blood and an entire house that was woven out of hair. There was even a two-story tower made of living bizla beetles from Orbarth Nine. It was enclosed in a vast, clear plasti-pyramid and the shiny pink, gold, and orange beetles trundled tirelessly over each others’ backs, making endless shifting patterns that were mesmerizing to look at.
Lili could have stayed on some floors for days, but f’loon had a strict schedule and would only allow them a certain length of time at each exhibit. They also assured Lili that what was on display was only a fraction of their collection. According to them, there were many more art works stored in several vast, underground caverns which had been dug out under The Golden Tower.
“Oh, I wish I could see them all!” Lili said wistfully.
“Alas, a thousand lifetimes would not be enough to appreciate our entire collection,” f’loon murmured. “We are constantly adding to it and changing the exhibits. By next solar month this time, everything in The Golden Tower will be completely different.”
“That’s amazing!” Lili exclaimed. “I just can’t thank you enough for allowing me to come visit and see all the beautiful art you’ve collected.”
“Of course we allowed it—we are happy to make this bargain with you,” f’loon murmured.
Lili wasn’t sure what they meant by “bargain” but she only nodded and smiled and thanked their host again.
At last they reached the next to last level. This one was set up quite differently from the others, Lili noticed. Instead of being filled with art or artifacts, there was a large, round, padded platform in the center of the room. It was white and looked like it might be covered in some kind of velvet.
Around the perimeter of the room there were many empty black pedestals. Lili wondered if this level was in a state of transition. Maybe the empty pedestals would soon be filled with art to exhibit.
“This is our own art,” f’loon announced, surprising her. They pointed to the empty pedestals with one long tentacle.
“Oh, uh…” Lili wanted to say something nice, but what could she say? Did f’loon mean the pedestals themselves were their art? Because they looked completely ordinary—nothing special at all.
“Would you like to see it?” f’loon asked in their soft, androgynous voice.
“Well, sure!” Lili said brightly. Even if f’loon asked her to look at empty pedestals, she would be polite about it. That was how she had been raised.
Dark, however, hadn’t had her upbringing.
“What the fuck is there to see?” he demanded, frowning. “I don’t see anything but a bunch of empty platforms!”
“That is because we have not yet displayed our art for you,” f’loon murmured. They nodded at their spouse and es’plendio reached across the room with one long, branch-like arm and pressed a silver button mounted on the wall.