that if you want to kill someone.'
The game ended in a draw but only because they both cheated. Dep started it, letting her hair creep up Chris's thigh, distracting him as he prepared to take his next shot. He retaliated during her next round, placing the tip of one finger on the sensitive spot between her shoulder blades, just below the point of her hairline. Dep tried to concentrate on the shot but her dress, symbiotically linked to her treacherous subconscious, started opening down the back. As Chris's finger traced a line down her spine Dep gave up trying to aim at the birds and waited to see how far he was willing to go. When he reached the base of her spine she fired off the gun at nothing, just for the look of the thing.
They went out onto the balcony, looking for some privacy. They leaned against the railing, facing each other. Chris's hands were restless. Dep could tell he was nervous, frightened even. It was intriguing. Gently she took his hand and placed it on her hip, the dress melting away beneath his palm. Then just to make sure he was getting the idea she leaned forward and brushed her nose against his. It was a good nose, large and firm, the touch sending a trail of shivers down her neck. Boldly, she put her arms around his neck and moved in for a really good rub. It went a bit wrong; Chris kept on trying to touch her lips with his own. Dep pulled her head back in confusion and saw it mirrored in Chris's face.
'Why,' she asked, 'are you doing that?'
'Doing what?' asked Chris nervously.
'The thing with the lips?'
'It's what we call kissing,' said Chris. 'Don't you kiss?'
'Of course we do, just not on the mouth.'
'Oh.'
'Does it feel nice?'
'Um,' said Chris, 'I think so.'
'All right,' said Dep, 'let's do some of that then. I'll try anything once.'
It felt very strange but they reached a compromise so that they kissed and rubbed noses at the same time. When he slipped his tongue between her lips she tried to take her cues from Chris and respond. Unfortunately a stray memory from a biology lesson surfaced suddenly in her mind and she had to break away again.
Her laughter seemed to worry Chris, which only made it worse. 'I'm sorry,' she said, 'it's just that I was reminded of the way birds feed their young.'
'Thanks a lot,' said Chris, but he was smiling.
'I want you,' said Dep.
Chris looked around the balcony. 'What, here?'
'Why not?'
'People can see us.'
'Where then?'
Chris peered into the darkness beyond the railing, searching for something in the distance. 'I think I've got an idea.'
Once she was sure that there was no danger of feLixi's head suddenly exploding Roz began to relax. He was easy to talk to, displaying none of the smugness that characterized the rest of the sphere's inhabitants. He felt more solid too; even his costume, a simple one-piece shipsuit, had a sense of reality to it.
'That's because it is real,' said feLixi. 'I picked it up during a mission.'
'When you were working for xrinig ?'
'XR(N)IG,' feLixi corrected her. 'Xeno Relations (Normalization) Interest Group and we don't work for interest groups here, we work with them.'
'Does that make a difference?'
'Well, it means everyone's much politer at the mission briefings.'
'Don't take this the wrong way,' said Roz, 'but I can't imagine you people fighting a war.'
'Neither could we, to be honest,' said feLixi. 'It's amazing how fast it all came back to us. Burn, rape, pillage. Burn anyway, after that rape and pillage was too much like hard work.'
'How bad did it get?'
'Depended on where you were,' said feLixi. 'If I'd stayed on the sphere I'd have hardly noticed there was a war on at all. I volunteered for XR(N)IG, worked as a secret agent in some of the proxy wars. Saw some stuff that I'd rather not have seen, did some things –'
'Yeah,' said Roz. 'Goddess, yeah.'
'Stupid, isn't it,' said feLixi. 'This is my people, remember, so I could have stopped any time I liked. Just said "It's been fun, guys, but I think
The game ended in a draw but only because they both cheated. Dep started it, letting her hair creep up Chris's thigh, distracting him as he prepared to take his next shot. He retaliated during her next round, placing the tip of one finger on the sensitive spot between her shoulder blades, just below the point of her hairline. Dep tried to concentrate on the shot but her dress, symbiotically linked to her treacherous subconscious, started opening down the back. As Chris's finger traced a line down her spine Dep gave up trying to aim at the birds and waited to see how far he was willing to go. When he reached the base of her spine she fired off the gun at nothing, just for the look of the thing.
They went out onto the balcony, looking for some privacy. They leaned against the railing, facing each other. Chris's hands were restless. Dep could tell he was nervous, frightened even. It was intriguing. Gently she took his hand and placed it on her hip, the dress melting away beneath his palm. Then just to make sure he was getting the idea she leaned forward and brushed her nose against his. It was a good nose, large and firm, the touch sending a trail of shivers down her neck. Boldly, she put her arms around his neck and moved in for a really good rub. It went a bit wrong; Chris kept on trying to touch her lips with his own. Dep pulled her head back in confusion and saw it mirrored in Chris's face.
'Why,' she asked, 'are you doing that?'
'Doing what?' asked Chris nervously.
'The thing with the lips?'
'It's what we call kissing,' said Chris. 'Don't you kiss?'
'Of course we do, just not on the mouth.'
'Oh.'
'Does it feel nice?'
'Um,' said Chris, 'I think so.'
'All right,' said Dep, 'let's do some of that then. I'll try anything once.'
It felt very strange but they reached a compromise so that they kissed and rubbed noses at the same time. When he slipped his tongue between her lips she tried to take her cues from Chris and respond. Unfortunately a stray memory from a biology lesson surfaced suddenly in her mind and she had to break away again.
Her laughter seemed to worry Chris, which only made it worse. 'I'm sorry,' she said, 'it's just that I was reminded of the way birds feed their young.'
'Thanks a lot,' said Chris, but he was smiling.
'I want you,' said Dep.
Chris looked around the balcony. 'What, here?'
'Why not?'
'People can see us.'
'Where then?'
Chris peered into the darkness beyond the railing, searching for something in the distance. 'I think I've got an idea.'
Once she was sure that there was no danger of feLixi's head suddenly exploding Roz began to relax. He was easy to talk to, displaying none of the smugness that characterized the rest of the sphere's inhabitants. He felt more solid too; even his costume, a simple one-piece shipsuit, had a sense of reality to it.
'That's because it is real,' said feLixi. 'I picked it up during a mission.'
'When you were working for xrinig ?'
'XR(N)IG,' feLixi corrected her. 'Xeno Relations (Normalization) Interest Group and we don't work for interest groups here, we work with them.'
'Does that make a difference?'
'Well, it means everyone's much politer at the mission briefings.'
'Don't take this the wrong way,' said Roz, 'but I can't imagine you people fighting a war.'
'Neither could we, to be honest,' said feLixi. 'It's amazing how fast it all came back to us. Burn, rape, pillage. Burn anyway, after that rape and pillage was too much like hard work.'
'How bad did it get?'
'Depended on where you were,' said feLixi. 'If I'd stayed on the sphere I'd have hardly noticed there was a war on at all. I volunteered for XR(N)IG, worked as a secret agent in some of the proxy wars. Saw some stuff that I'd rather not have seen, did some things –'
'Yeah,' said Roz. 'Goddess, yeah.'
'Stupid, isn't it,' said feLixi. 'This is my people, remember, so I could have stopped any time I liked. Just said "It's been fun, guys, but I think
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