rated: R
Sunnie left the empty packages on the one table and then headed for the door.
He would sleep just outside of it, he decided, within calling distance if something
frightening should confront him in that alien place. It was better than committing
yet another sin, breaking yet another taboo.
Opening the door, Sunnie peered outside nervously. He saw the empty hallway
stretch down both sides of the door and curve at the ends until he couldn't
see any longer where they led to. Nothing frightening so far, Sunnie thought,
and felt some relief. He left the door slightly open and sat down on the floor
outside it.
Sunnie's stomach remained contented with his meal. Rested and well now, he found
himself thinking about what lay past the ends of the hallway. He couldn't remember
much of when they had boarded except confusing levels of hallways that seemed
to go on endlessly. They had come down the right hallway, Sunnie recalled. It
was hard to believe that home didn't exist that way somewhere.
"Something wrong?"
Sunnie swiveled around and found himself looking up and up at a tall, dark skinned
man. He was handsome; brown eyes soft and concerned, mouth full and chiseled
ebony, nose flared slightly at the nostrils, and hair a cap of small, black
braids on the top of his head. He wore a long coat of deep crimson, a shirt
of white silk with ruffles at the collar and wrists, black pants, and low soft
soled boots of black. Rohan's one-piece suits had been an outrage on Geranto,
this, the stranger was wearing, was flamboyant vanity that enhanced his good
looks. Sunnie found himself staring dumbly.
The man was staring back with uncertain amusement. "Have you been put out
of your cabin for some reason?"
"No," Sunnie managed to say and then, becoming confused, "I'm
sorry, sir, I don't wish to be disrespectful."
"You're well spoken," the man replied. He held out his hand. It had
very long, fine fingers with several rings. The rings were silver with clear
blue stones. Sunnie was mesmerized by them. "I'm trying to help you up,"
the man prompted. Sunnie came back to himself and took the proffered hand. The
man pulled him to his feet. Sunnie tried to disengage his hand,then, but the
man kept gripping it. His thumb rubbed along the palm of Sunnie's hand.
"My name is Rhani Jhai, Dr. Rhani Jhai to be precise," the man introduced
himself. "I'm traveling to Kevare." Sunnie said nothing. Because of
his small community, he wasn't used to people not knowing his name. "And
your name is?" the man wondered.
"Sunnie of Truheart clan," Sunnie replied, coming back to himself.
The man mouthed the syllables for a moment and then made the attempt. "Sunny-a?
Suh-nih-ee?"
It was a moment before Sunnie realized that the man had pronounced it correctly.
"Yes, that's it."
"Which?" Jhai wondered with a lifted eyebrow.
"The-The last," Sunnie clarified.
"Sunnie?" The man smiled again, saying it quicker and with more confidence.
"Odd accent. I've heard it before though. Are you from Geranto?"
That took Sunnie another moment. He couldn't get used to the past tense, the
idea that he WASN'T on Geranto any longer. "Yes... I am from Geranto."
The man nodded, suspicion confirmed. "I had to intern on many outlying
planets before I received my first position. Geranto was a one month stint at
the port city, but I still remember it being rough."
Jhai seemed to be drinking in Sunnie's face, his soft, brown eyes giving it
minute scrutiny. Sunnie was staring at him as well. The man had a sparkling
jewel in one ear and a small spiral tattoo along his strong neck. The man became
aware of Sunnie's interest. He was pleased.
"Do you have brown men on Geranto?" Jhai wondered. "I saw port
personnel, but I never went into the outlands."
"Yes, but not- not like you," Sunnie replied.
"Not like me?" Jhai chuckled, not taking offense. "I suppose
not. I remember that your people were a boring lot who were inordinately fond
of brown clothing." He smiled engagingly at Sunnie to take out the sting
of criticism.
Sunnie had not smiled in some time. His misery had stifled an expression that
was as unconscious as breathing. Jhai was different, but his manner was comforting
and genial. The man's smile reignited Sunnei's. He responded like a half dead
plant suddenly given water.
Sunnie's smile broke across his face and it glowed warmly. Jhai's smile dropped
and his hand tightened on Sunnie's as his lips parted in awe. Lost in Sunnie's
sparkling, amber eyes, his heart constricted. It was like being on fire, Jhai
thought, no, struck by lightning. Something overpowering was taking hold of
him and it had to do with the smiling, golden haired young man in front of him.
Sunnie felt Jhai's hand begin to sweat. His sudden silence made him aware of
their touching skin. He pulled away and hid his face in embarrassment when he
realized that and the fact that he was smiling. It didn't matter that the man
had initiated the touch or that he had smiled first. It hadn't mattered with
Rohan either. They were Godless men, after all.
"I'm sorry," Jhai quickly apologized. "I've said the wrong thing,
haven't I?"
Sunnie didn't know what to say to that. Jhai was older than he was and clearly
an elder. Elders didn't apologize. They weren't supposed to be wrong.
Jhai tried to recover ground that he imagined he had lost. He wasn't going to
let Sunnie get away from him because of a misunderstanding. "Instead of
sitting out here, why don't you let me buy you something to eat or drink? We
can go to the upper dinning room. It's a small ship; they only have basic menus
for each world they have a port in, but I'm sure they'll have something to your
liking from Geranto."
Sunnie had the hunger of a young man and he was hungry again. Jhai was easy
to like and trust, even if he was Godless. Jhai also had the automatic authority
of an elder. Sunnie's only hesitation in obeying Jhai was his fear of the ship
itself.
"Sunnie?" Jhai prodded gently. "Come out from behind your hands
and tell me what's wrong."
Sunnie lowered his hands reluctantly, gripping them together. "I'm afraid.
This place is strange to me."
"But you still want to see it, don't you?" Jhai replied as he leaned
over and looked into Sunnie's bowed face. "You look a little ill, Sunnie.
Have you been ill?" Sunnie nodded. "We'll take it easy, I promise
you. There really isn't much to see on a ship like this. The people themselves
are the only excitement. They're very different from people on Geranto, you'll
find." When Sunnie said nothing, Jhai again became afraid of losing his
chance with the young man. He smiled engagingly again. "Don't say no, Sunnie."
Sunnie tensed, hearing an order that Jhai hadn't meant. He nodded respectfully,
ready to obey. "Yes, Master Jhai."
Jhai, pleased, chuckled. "We don't have that honorific out here, Sunnie.
You can call me Dr. Jhai, if you like, but that's very formal. I would much
prefer that you simply call me Rhani, but I remember how the young on your world
are taught respect. Jhai is probably more acceptable to you."
"Jhai, yes," Sunnie replied with relief. It bothered him every time
he called Rohan, Scott. He kept expecting a blow for being disrespectful.
"Come on then," Jhai prompted and led Sunnie through the long hallways
of the ship.
Sunnie kept close to the man and tried not to look at anything. After a time,
he realized that Jhai was right, there wasn't anything to see. The workings
of the ship were kept apart from the passenger sections and machines were at
a minimum. The hallways were blank and bland and the people they passed... Sunnie
found Jhai right once again. They were very interesting and different.
It wasn't just their clothing or hairstyles, which could border on the bizarre,
Sunnie realized, it was the way they spoke in different languages, their odd
accents, and their way of moving and reacting to things based on customs and
habits completely different from Sunnie's. He found it sinful at first and objectional,
but Sunnie didn't see anyone acting blasphemous or shamefully and, after only
a little while, he began to guiltily enjoy their differences. It excited him.
That excitement, usually punished by his elders at once, was, instead, looked
on indulgently by Jhai.
They reached the dinning room. The hum of conversation and the myriad people
eating at tables everywhere took Sunnie back a little. Sunnie stopped walking
and stared. The person behind him, not expecting a sudden roadblock, bumped
into him. A feminine voice apologized. Sunnie turned and went scarlet.
The woman had very short brown hair. Her face was young and her eyes were narrowed
irritably. Barely coming to Sunnie's chest, she put hands on hips and waited,
as if she were expecting Sunnie to shout at her. Sunnie didn't have any such
intention. He was staring down at her clothes. She wore a skin tight outfit
made out of a material that, though opaque, showed every line and bump on her
body. Her breasts, especially, were large, rounded globes with prominent nipples.
Sunnie could just see past them to the obvious cleft between her legs.
Sunnie felt a buzzing rush in his head. His skin burned with shame even as his
body began to respond to the visual stimulation. Just as quickly, as had happened
on his wedding day, the memory of lashing pain across his groin brought Sunnie
to flinching impotence. He bowed over as if Jhas's cane had truly struck him,
the memory that clear and present.
The woman thought that Sunnie was being gallant. She smiled impishly and passed
him by. Jhai saw the pain in Sunnie's face. "What is it, Sunnie?"
He asked, taking hold of Sunnie's elbow in concern.
With the woman gone, the pain receded. Sunnie breathed again and slowly straightened.
He looked at the floor to keep from seeing another such sight. "Why...,"
Sunnie couldn't even form a question. Why would a woman be allowed to walk about
like that? He couldn't begin to comprehend it.
"Styles of dress differ," Jhai replied, guessing Sunnie's distress.
"She was wearing an outfit that was proper for where she comes from. You'll
see a lot worse than that, Sunnie." He added, "You're a young man,
though. You should be enjoying the free show." He said it with false humor.
In reality, the words were a veiled question.
Sunnie went as pale as a ghost now, staring at Jhai in disbelief that an elder
would suggest such a thing.
Jhai searched his memory and then looked contrite, even as his heart sank. "Forgive
me, Sunnie. Of course you wouldn't do such a thing. You're people don't interact
with anyone but your mother and sisters until you're properly married, right?
At your age, you must have a wife and several children already."
Sunnie didn't think the pain that caused could be worse than the last, but it
was. He replied very quietly, so that Jhai had to lean close to hear it. "No,
I couldn't- I wasn't able to have a wife." The shame of having to say it
was intense, magnified by the crowd all about them who might hear as well.
Jhai patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sunnie. I keep having to say that.
We're not getting off to a good start." But at least he knew he could start
now, Jhai thought to himself with relief as he guided Sunnie to the counter
to order.
The smell of food was intense. Sunnie took a deep breath and felt his stomach
growl demandingly.
"Ask for something basic," Jhai told him as they faced a bored looking
man in a white apron behind the counter. "If you're traveling far, you
had best enjoy the fresh food now. They change to ration packs pretty early
on in the trip."
Sunnie thought of the food Rohan had served him. It had been very good. He began
to ask for that, but Jhai put a hand on his sleeve and looked concerned. "That's
a Terra dish. Are you used to eating that sort of food? There are a lot of spices.
I used to get native patients on Geranto constantly who couldn't handle the
port city food. Artificial gravity can be a terror on your stomach as well."
Sunnie timidly ordered the Geranto staple foods; grain and beans. It was already
prepared. The man behind the counter quickly brought him a plateful of it and
directed him to a water dispenser. Jhai ordered a white meat that looked strange
to Sunnie and grain as well.
"Fish," Jhai told Sunnie as they sat down. "I'm from a very warm
world with water as far as you can see. Fish live in the water. We catch them
with nets. It's very good." He took a bite and then made a face. "At
least its supposed to be. Maybe I should stick to grain and beans as well?"
Sunnie found himself smiling again as he ate his food. It was plain and good.
He wouldn't have had anything better at home. The water, though, tasted flat
and warm.
"I could order you a drink," Jhai suggested.
"No, sir," Sunnie replied quickly. "I'm not allowed such things.
It is only for elders."
"Sounds very wise," Jhai agreed. He was quiet as he ate, but he kept
glancing at Sunnie, drinking in his beauty, admiring his shyness, and wondering
how far to take things. "Tell me about yourself, Sunnie," he said
to gain time. "What brings you so far away from your farm?"
Sunnie took on the soulful, sad expression of a kicked dog. He trembled, on
the verge of tears. "Mr. Rohan brought me here."
"Mr. Rohan?" Jhai's hand tensed on his fork. "Who is Mr. Rohan?"
That was a strange question and very difficult to answer. Sunnie struggled with
it as he tried to regain control of his grief. "He is like you, a foreigner."
"That's not saying much," Jhai said in surprise. "Don't you know
anything else about him? How did you come to be with him?
Sunnie looked down at his half finished beans and grain. He suddenly dropped
his fork and covered his face with his hands.
Jhai raised eyebrows in exasperation. "Sunnie, please tell me something."
Sunnie said from behind his hands, his shame completely overwhelming him. "When
I committed a s-sin, I was given into his care and banished."
"A sin? What sin?"
"I-I don't know. I wasn't told," Sunnie explained in anguish. He stood,
expecting Jhai to reject him now. "May I- May I return to-"
"Wait!" Jhai said and stood up as well. When Sunnie obediently stood
still, Jhai took a breath and gave the room a self conscious, darting glance.
"Why do you have to go now? Is this Rohan so strict? Is he - Is he your
Legal Companion?"
There, he had asked it. Jhai's heart went into his throat as he waited for Sunnie's
reply. The boy lowered his hands, confused. His amber eyes were full of tears.
He looked very young just then and very lost.
"You don't know what that is, do you?" Jhai guessed. He reached out
and pushed Sunnie back into his chair. "Sit down. Don't make everyone gawk
at us."
Sunnie sat stiffly and Jhai reclaimed his seat as well. His hands were tense
on the chair arms as he leaned toward's Sunnie and re-worded his question. "Are
you mates? Paired? Lovers?"
"I don't understand," Sunnie replied.
He didn't, Jhai could see it. He felt beads of sweat on his dark brow. There
was only one other way to ask his question. He made a circle with the slender
fingers of one hand and then held a finger straight out with his other. He pushed
the stiffened finger through the hole.
Sunnie went bloodless. He recognized the gesture from Jhas's demonstration of
what a man did with a woman. How could the man have made such a terrible mistake?
"Mr. Rohan is an elder! He isn't a woman, Jhai!"
Jhai curled up his fingers in his lap, dumbfounded. He thought that he had read
the boy right. Now, he was as confused as Sunnie. The only other explanation
was that the boy was an innocent. That wasn't so hard to believe.
"Of course, Sunnie," Jhai apologized yet again. "Foolish of me,
wasn't it? You've already told me that...you can't do that with women. Mr. Rohan
is your guardian then?"
"My elder, yes," Sunnie replied, but he was turning red with shame
again and he was beginning to feel worn to the bone from stress. He didn't reaffirm
what Jhai wanted to hear. It wasn't right to be speaking of it at all. "May
I go, Jhai? Mr. Rohan will be angry if he doesn't find me when he wakes."
"Where is he taking you?" Jhai persisted. "Why did he take you
at all?"
"To Kevare, he said," Sunnie replied. "I was given to him,"
he repeated.
"For committing a sin," Jhai finished. "By why this man?"
"He was from the Godless places," Sunnie replied and he wanted to
weep again. "I was being sent there because of the sin."
"Convenient," Jhai muttered suspiciously and then asked, "Why
was he in your village to begin with?"
"I don't know," Sunnie replied and found himself standing again. Jhai
had made him happy and relaxed for a time, almost forgetting his troubles. Now
the man was tormenting him with sinful conversation and questions that were
for Rohan, not a man as young as himself. He bowed respectfully to Jhai, an
automatic plea to not take offense at his next words. "Please, speak with
Mr. Rohan. He is my elder. I am too young to hear your words or to know what
you are asking."
"Do you think that I am so old?" Jhai retorted, but he wasn't angry,
only sad. The situation was complicated now and Sunnie had become too much of
an unknown. Still, he was going to Kevare as well. There was ample time to stalk
his quarry, find out more about him, and maybe discover more about the mysterious
Mr. Rohan as well. An irrepressible optimist, Jhai wasn't willing to give up
just yet.