Chapter 4

“So what is next on the tour?” Rin asks as the two dress themselves.

“I don’t,” Ashe answers, her tone suggesting that she hadn’t thought much about it. “But we do need to make a public appearance so that your father doesn’t begin to get suspicious.”

Rin laughs. “What? Do you really think he’s gonna wonder if we’ve been...”

“No. No,” Ashe quickly interrupts, shaking her head. “I don’t think that. I just meant that he may begin to think that you’ve conned me not to take you on a tour.”

“Oh!” More laughter follows. “Then I suppose we need do something then.”

“Right,” Ashe says. “I think you may need to endure a little bit of a tour to keep up appearances.”

Rin bites her bottom lip and sort pouts. “I guess. If we have to.”

“You just suggested we do something,” Ashe says quizzically.

The green alien grins devilishly. “Yeah, I meant something naughty.”

“Well, I don’t know just how naughty you’re thinking, but I can only go so far,” Ashe warns.

The Grell’s devilish grin turns into an evasive smile. “I wouldn’t think of trying to push you past your comfort zone.”

Ashe thinks to throw a retort back at the girl, but instead just smiles and gives her a nod. “I think the best place to start is intake.”

Ashe takes the young Grell woman to the bottom floor of the building where the Resource Department site along with many of the company’s other business related offices are located. The VR of Production makes it a point to be seen on every camera that she knows of while spinning off information about this or that that Rin just follows along to. The young alien is bored out of her mind and ready to scream when she notices someone with greater importance than her father.

“What is she doing here?” Rin asks with a sneer as she stops and stares at a figure across the atrium.

Ashe isn’t aware that the alien girl stopped and was only half paying attention to her. She is so wrapped up in her own tour and bored out her mind that she almost just leaves Rin behind to continue with her tour. “Who?” she asks, glad for the break in monotony.

“Her.” Rin points. “The Grenn woman.”

Ashe follows the girl’s finger and easily spots the one she is speaking off. “Well she certainly is beautiful,” Ashe remarks as she gazes upon the alien cousin of the Grell.

The woman in question is none other than Lusha, Captain of the Royal Guard for the Grenn Empire. Ashe is slightly more surprised to see a Grenn than Rin appears to be. They aren’t as popular as the Grell and tend to stay away from human affairs. The Grell and Grenn are cousins to each other sharing many similarities in terms of physical features. Both races have the purple hair and pointed ears, but Grenn tails are longer and instead of the green skin of a Grell, the other has white skin like the driven snow. Their horns are also longer and two sets of tendrils drop down from behind the ears. These tendrils are fully function appendages and though many do not know their purpose, many have offered up ideas.

“She is,” Rin continues to sneer. “And the pompous bitch uses that too to her advantage.”

Ashe looks at the young girl with fixed curiosity. She finds this girl fascinating and ever secretive and evolving. “What has you wound so tight that you are ready to unravel at the sight of one Grenn?” she asks.

Rin peels her hate-filled eyes from the Grenn woman only to cast them upon Ashe. For only just a moment she pierces Ashe with her look as if looking into the woman, seeking out her soul. Then in that same instant, her eyes soften and the sweet girl that Ashe has come to known is there again. “That woman is the reason my mother left my father,” she simply says. Her eyes drop to the ground and she kicks at the air like a little child would when embarrassed or in trouble.

“But I thought...” Ashe begins to say before being cut off.

“That is what Daddy would like everyone to believe,” Rin says, looking right back at the human. This time her eyes carry something far deeper than hate—sorrow. “The affairs of Grell are of no concern to humans, as Daddy always says. He’d rather have everyone believe that she died rather than be faced with shame and ridicule.”

Ashe is perplexed now and she lets it show all over her face. “Why the hell would that be a problem? We humans do shit like that all the time.”

“Pride,” Rin answers quickly. “For you it is any everyday thing. It’s in your nature. But for the Grell, it isn’t something that happens or supposed to. The Grell take on one partner for life and never stray.”

“Then...” Ashe doesn’t get to finish when her comm unit suddenly goes off. She pulls it from her pocket and looks at the caller’s name. “It’s your father,” she groans. A little bit of dread seeps into her, though she knows he doesn’t know any of the activities the two have done outside the normal tour that she is supposed to be giving Rin. She answers it.

The conversation is short and to the point. When Ashe finally hangs up, she has a smile on her face. “Well, that should cheer you up a little,” she says.

“We get to end this ho hum tour and get back to doing something fun?” Rin questions, batting her eyes at the human. “Maybe something involving a sweet drink afterward?”

Ashe laughs for a moment. “No actually. It’s something a little better.”

“What could be better than sex?” Rin asks, now the one perplexed.

It draws out another short laugh from Ashe. “Well, now that you put it that way. There isn’t anything better than sex.” They both get another laugh before the woman continues. “No, your father says he needs to cancel your lunch and wants be to take you instead. The reservation is already set and the lunch is paid for.”

Rin scowls and turns to look back at the Grenn woman that is now gone. “Yeah, and I know exactly why he cancelled too.”

Ashe’s face turns into a look of concern and worry. “Hey,” she says putting her arm around the young girl and pulling her in close. “Don’t let it eat you up inside. You know what? Let’s just forget we ever saw her and go get something to eat. I mean, your father is paying for it, right?”

Rin’s scowl softens before being replaced with a smile. “Yeah,” she says. “He’s paying and we’re buying!”

Ashe feels a little out of her element in the restaurant while Rin sits perfect in it. This place is classy and full of Grell as it primarily caters to the alien race. There are, however, a few humans scattered here and there. Ashe makes plenty of money herself to afford a place like this, but neither she nor Molly is into places like this. Because of this, she doesn’t look like she belongs.

Rin is dressed in a pink stretch tube dress that contrasts against her skin nicely. She has on high heels that show of her long, smooth green legs that make Ashe’s thoughts stray toward the dirty side. She is dressed like many of the other patrons, if not a little more on the slutty side. Ashe on the other hand stands out even more with her dress slacks and button down blouse. Since she didn’t have a dress available, she had to wear the next best thing—her backup work clothes.