| |
––––––––
“Yes, tomorrow at three still works. See you in the Kasykelan Realm. Bye.”
Armando wrapped his arms around Izdahl’s waist. “Who was that?”
Izdahl turned in Armando’s arms. “I was talking to Deyn.”
Armando let go of him. “Deyn?”
“Yeah. We’re going to try fire dueling.”
“You’re doing that again? Already? I thought you’d take a longer break.”
“Don’t worry.” Izdahl held up his hands. “We won’t actually do full dueling. We’ll just spar.”
When Armando nodded and looked away, Izdahl moved to catch his attention again. “None of our launches will even hit each other. We just don’t want to lose our skills.”
“All right.” Armando gave him a small smile. “I heard you say something about a Kasykelan Realm. What’s that?”
Izdahl explained, asking the house VI to show Armando images and footage of the Kasykelas and their realm. Armando studied the information, nodding and murmuring in fascination.
“Is that really them?” he asked.
“Yes. They can live for up to 700 years. Bet you wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Armando laughed, sounding mystified. “They’re so small to be that powerful.” He pointed to one of the images. “These little ones look like leopard geckos with wings.” He motioned to another image. “And the larger ones are basically axolotl with wings.”
Izdahl asked the VI to display images of the creatures Armando mentioned. He began laughing. “You’re right! Are leopard geckos and axolotl telepathic too?”
“No.” Armando stroked his jaw. “At least, not as far as I know. I’ve never heard of them trying to communicate with humans. Is it strange having creatures talk to you in your mind?”
“Yes.” Izdahl grimaced. “Some Nitelvosa get used to it quickly, but it’s still weird.”
“There must be a good story behind that look on your face. I want to hear more about the Kasykelas. But for now, I came to find you because I believe we have a date.”
Izdahl placed a kiss on Armando’s lips. “I believe we do. Let’s head out.”
A short while later, they were at one of their favorite cafes. They’d planned to eat and then shop for flight gear. Their meals arrived and Izdahl slipped Armando a charming smile, before pointedly staring at Armando’s plate.
“Here it comes,” Armando said. “You’re staring at my sandwich. Soon you’ll say...”
“Maybe ‘I should have gotten that one. Let’s do half of each’.”
“And I have to say ‘No’. You always like what I get and want to share.”
“Come on.” Izdahl laughed. “What’s wrong with that?”
“I’m not sharing.”
“But I thought our love was unshakable.”
Armando dramatically rolled his eyes and cut his sandwich in half. He exchanged portions with Izdahl. “There. Happy?”
“Yes, I feel so cherished. And maybe later, I can—”
“Isn’t this cozy?”
Izdahl looked up to find Rasmun a short distance away. Seeing the oldest son of Balvan Terada never failed to annoy Izdahl. The tall Nitelvosa, with light-brown skin tone and prominent cheekbones, had been Izdahl’s rival in the fire dueling tournaments ever since their teens.
“What a surprise seeing you two here,” Rasmun said, with an obnoxious glint in his gray eyes.
Izdahl glanced at Armando before looking back at Rasmun. He remained silent.
“Looks like you’re all healed from that tournament.” Rasmun moved closer and patted Izdahl’s shoulder several times. “It was a farce of an Elite Tournament. They should have let others take yours and Deyn’s place. It’s too bad we never got a winner.”
Izdahl barely avoided gritting his teeth. “They seem to think it was in bad form to continue the competition. I understand you wouldn’t know anything about decorum and grace.”
“Is that how you see it?” Rasmun grinned. “I mean, I understand avoiding competition, but dropping dead is a new way.”
Armando stood up. “He wasn’t avoiding anything. He was advancing in the Elite Fire Dueling.”
“Only because his competitors weren’t a real challenge. Not due to any real talent.”
“You couldn’t even enter the competition.”
Izdahl motioned to Armando. “Let’s not do this. It’s not worth it.”
Rasmun peered at Izdahl, derision etched on his face. “Typical Amasi. Always so arrogant. The Teradas would have more influence with all of our territories.”
Izdahl raised an eyebrow. “Does it still hurt that the Amasis took three of them? It’s not my fault your family can’t negotiate.” He rose and stepped close to Rasmun. “Or fight as well as the Ziyads. Did you forget my mother’s family also kicked your asses?”
Armando touched Izdahl’s arm. “I thought we weren’t doing this. We’re attracting attention.”
Izdahl surveyed the cafe. The place had grown quiet. Some Nitelvosa stood, having shifted into their second form, their eyes lit with aggression. Given his position in the Amasi and Ziyad Families, Izdahl knew he had to deescalate the situation. He raised his left hand, palm facing out, and then closed it. The Nitelvosa who’d been on edge changed back to their usual form and took a seat.
Izdahl glanced at Armando and winked. “Apologies. Sometimes, my blood gets hot.”
“Oh, I know.” Armando grinned, before looking back at Rasmun. “This conversation is over.”
Izdahl nodded, with a small smile on his face. “You heard him. Leave.”
They returned to their meal. Rasmun leaned down, moving his hand as if he were about to touch Armando.
Izdahl grabbed Rasmun’s arm, squeezing it hard. “You don’t want the Clan Liaisons involved. You might get banned from all Amasi and Ziyad Territories.”
Based on an agreement between the families five millennia ago, each family employed one hundred Clan Liaisons. These highly respected individuals helped the Velzos manage rising animosity between the seven main groups. If a Clan Liaison appeared at an inter-family dispute site, they automatically took command. Any conflict was to cease immediately or the offenders, if they weren’t executed on the spot, would be taken to the Velzos to account for their actions.
“You’re doing it again,” Rasmun said. “Overreacting. I was merely going to brush some lint off Armando’s shoulder.”
Izdahl laughed. “Don’t insult our intelligence.” He stood again to face Rasmun. “Look around you. You’re agitating others and you’re doing it in the main Amasi Territory. You should be grateful for my restraint. Leave. Now.”
His eyes filled with malice, Rasmun turned and left the cafe. Izdahl watched him go, his temper still heated. Armando softly called to him and Izdahl sat again.
“Sorry, ‘Mando.”
“It’s all right. Don’t let him ruin our day.”
Izdahl smiled and nodded, prepared to focus again on Armando.
***
Armando took the last bite of his sandwich, before patting his stomach. Satisfied with his lunch, he was ready for the next part of his day.
“Still up for looking at flight gear?” Izdahl asked.
Armando nodded, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Did you think I’d change my mind.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you checking because you’re up to something?”
“What? No! Anyway, before we go on our long flight, we’ll test things.” Izdahl pulled up a few places on his mobile, projected them, and scrolled through images as he spoke. “This open field first. Then that park. Last, the Genzi Forest.”
“I get the first two places, but why do we need to fly through the forest?”
“It will be fun. That’s one of your favorite places.”
“Yes, for riding our horses or walking. Trees as obstacles, with me attached to you. No. Absolutely not. And why is there that gleam in your eyes?”
“Come on, ‘Mando. It will be a good challenge.”
“I don’t want to be part of your ‘good challenge.’ If you crash with me, I swear—”
“You wanted to fly with me. Now you’re insulting my skills.”
Armando laughed, as he rose from his seat. “Come on. Let’s go get the gear. I’ll consider your flight plans.”
“Just say yes and save us time. You know I’ll be able to talk you into it.”
Armando shook his head at Izdahl’s light arrogance, as he led the way out the cafe. The weather was a little warmer than when they’d began lunch, but the day was still pleasant.
“Want to drive?” Izdahl asked.
“Let’s walk. We’ll call the car to us, when we’re ready.”
They made their way to the gear store, which was ten blocks away. Armando reached for Izdahl’s hand, linking their fingers together.
“I’m usually not in this part of the city,” Armando said. “Seeing it now reminds me of just how massive Tesha is.”
The capital of the Amasi territories was the largest and most populous city of all three planets. While Armando had been born in Tesha, he’d spent most of his time on the eastern side of the metropolis.
“Maybe we should explore more,” Izdahl said. “We can take some time during a few weekends.”
Armando nodded. “I’d like that.”
He and Izdahl continued to chat, as the two made their way to the destination. Izdahl tipped his head toward the entrance of the sporting goods store. It took up two city blocks. The first part of the store was seven floors. The second portion of the complex was also the same height. Four of those floors were sectioned off into ten rooms for customers to test the gear. The top floor was glass covered and allowed customers to see aerial demonstrations of flight gear, as well as allowed guests to test equipment.
Armando and Izdahl crossed the street to the store. Two massive glass and metal doors slid aside for them. An attendant greeted them with a wide smile.
“Welcome, Mr. Amasi.”
Izdahl glanced at Armando with a subtle smirk. “I messaged them that we’d be arriving.”
The attendant’s smile widened. “We’re prepared to meet your needs.”
Izdahl elbowed Armando. “Did you catch that? You hear the influence I have?”
Armando smiled at the attendant. “Please don’t indulge him.”
The attendant laughed and motioned to the interior of the store. “Would you like a tour or do you prefer to peruse by yourselves?”
“I’d like to look around a bit first. I know I’ll have questions though.” Armando glanced at Izdahl. “What about you?”
“I’m heading to the next building to see the demonstrations.”
“I want to see them too.”
“You’re supposed to be checking out the gear.”
“And you’re just going to abandon me?”
Izdahl laughed. “No. Okay. Fine. How about I stay in this building, but I’ll check out some other stuff? The flight supplement section’s on the other side. I won’t be far.”
Armando nodded. “Good. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Soon, Armando was focused on the wide range of harnesses. He was examining a selection, when he felt the presence of someone beside him. He smiled, picking up the scent of Izdahl’s woodsy cologne.
“Sir, I hope I’m not being bold,” Izdahl said. “I saw you and had to come over.”
Armando looked him up and down, deciding to pretend with Izdahl. “That’s not a bad opening line, but something tells me you could do better. Want to give it another try?”
“That was a bit harsh, but I’ll rise to the challenge. I’ve been told I have incredible charisma.”
“Fascinating.” Armando turned to fully face him. “Charisma has the word ‘crash’ in it. I sense that, no matter what, we’re going to crash and burn.”
“Oh come on. Be optimistic here.”
“Sir, I don’t want to get your hopes up. To be clear, I can tell you wouldn’t be good for me.”
Izdahl flashed a charming grin that made Armando’s stomach tighten with need. “But you’re willing to try. I see the curiosity in your eyes.”
“Yes, I suppose I would take a chance.”
Izdahl leaned in, whispering salaciously. “I promise it will be worth it.”
“When you put it like that, how can I resist?”
Laughing, they returned to shopping for flight gear. Over the course of the next hour, they considered a flight pod to keep Armando warm, several types of harnesses, and goggles to protect Armando’s eyes, as well as other equipment.
“Seeing all of this reminds me how hearty Nitelvosa are,” Armando said. “You can fly so high and not need all this protective gear.”
“Being this robust is quite a privilege. It also might make it easy for me to overlook what you need. So, let’s be careful with what we choose. I’d never forgive myself for dropping you.”
Armando laughed. “I’m truly glad you care. I don’t want to end up flattened in some valley.”
Izdahl examined a set of goggles. “I want to make sure your soulful eyes are protected.” He checked a holographic display with a set of flight gear, adding, “There’s a special ear piece set, so we can talk and not be affected by the rush of air.” He glanced at Armando. “I’m going to say such nasty things, right in your ears. Let’s check your hearing now.” He leaned in to ask. “Did you enjoy how I pounded into you last night?”
Armando laughed. “I did and I want a repeat performance.”
“Great answer.”
They continued teasing each other, as Armando narrowed down the harnesses he liked. He stood in front of a mirror, telling the program to cycle through different setups. Izdahl stood behind him, reviewing how Armando looked in the mirror.
“I like this one on you the most,” Izdahl said “It’s making it hard to keep my hands off you.”
Armando laughed and playfully frowned at him. “Sir, please show some restraint. We’re in public.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t—” Someone touched Izdahl’s arm. He looked to his left to find the attendant from earlier smiling at him.
“I think I heard you two talking about restraints. My cousin has a wonderful kink shop just a few streets over. It’s called The Crimson Vault.”
“I wasn’t...We weren’t...” Izdahl cleared his throat. “Thank you. We’ll save The Crimson Vault for another trip.”
The attendant stared at Izdahl, obvious desire in their eyes. Armando grinned and looked at the floor, finding the open admiration to be entertaining.
The clerk nodded. “Of course, Mr. Amasi. Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”
Armando raised his head at the attendant’s obvious and bold offer. They winked at him. “Don’t worry. The same goes for you.”
The attendant walked away and Armando chuckled. “I think they like us. But I hope I have a chance with you. So let me know if you need anything, sir.” He dropped his voice to a seductive whisper. “Anything at all.”
“Home. Right now. Buy the stuff and let’s go.”
“Wait. I wanted to actually try on the gear.”
“We’ll come back another time.”
Armando laughed as he followed Izdahl out the store.