Quills

It had been eight weeks since the incident and Nora was still struggling. Trauma in the wake of attacks was normal and took time to address appropriately, or it would negatively impact a person for life. Nora knew that there was no such thing as a perfect utopia. This world was definitely as far off as her Earth was. It was just a pretty looking facade. Crime still existed, even in the fiction of Star Trek. She was told that sexual assaults had not happened in centuries, but that was a lie. That was only women. Men and even small boys were assaulted every day. Nora believed in rehabilitation of criminals. This changed for her. She was glad they were dead. However, a new-found anxiety grew and gnawed within her, she became more acutely aware of how outnumbered she was. The leers, side eyes and dazed staring started to bother her immensely, although it was a little more cramped with the two of them. She preferred to stay with Liem. 

The relationship she had with her from the start was a relationship of mutual respect. He had respected her boundaries, gave her space, and treated her with a friendly professionalism to start with. They warmed to each other before the attack in a friendly manner. He never crossed any lines, nor had she caught any inappropriate glances. Nora trusted him more now than anyone on this planet. There did not seem to be any ulterior motives hidden. She did not feel like he was hiding anything from her anymore. He had secured the whole floor and prepared her old suite for her return. However, she had panic attacks when she tried to stay in the room alone. She broke down and asked to stay with him again with Janel's help after a horrible night by herself. The room was secure, that was a fact. That did not stop them before.

She was not ready to live alone again. Liem was accommodating enough to allow her presence week after week. There was not a multi-room delegate suite in this building. Liem slept on a piece of couch like furniture from the living room area, right in front of the door to the bedroom she was occupying. He did not complain about the arrangements and insisted that he was comfortable enough. He had shared spaces before, but she knew that he was probably making excuses for her benefit. He was a child of a powerful and rich company. She was glad that he was there and very appreciative of him. Especially with her future being so overwhelming, there was a cultural expectation of her. She hoped that Liem would want to be a part of that. It all seemed so out of her control now, and it fueled her anxiety further.

Although it was smaller than the room she initially stayed in it was much larger than her apartment in Boston. It differed from the suite she was initially living in having an actual kitchen in it. The kitchen was not big, but it brought comfort. It looked somewhat similar to earth equipment; pots and pans, a griddle top, refrigeration, oven, ceramics, glass, cutlery and knives. Although the temperatures and times were different, Nora believed she could bake in the future now that she knew her measurements and ratios. Distracting herself with food science helped her keep it together. Identifying plants, finding food that was familiar to her was a comfort in itself. 

She felt better once she was completely finished with all the basic coursework. There were more advanced physics and science courses to go through, even with her eidetic memory, she would require actual guidance to teach her the formulas. She at least had displayed that she had received basic education, which left her with six fewer cycles that she would have to be stuck in this godforsaken tower. The Matriarch courses would be done with Allurai Allari.

Liem's mother was a powerful woman. She had shown it in her generosity and her power in various scary ways. Callor was huge from the maps she viewed, and she ruled over the territory as a primary. Nora did her best to not offend her by being on her best behavior with Liem. She knew the arrangement was something that was kept secret for now, but if Allurai found out, she might force her savior into a relationship he did not want. Nora could not hurt him that way. She learned that Liem had an interest in anthropology and once she was done with her lessons they would discuss the early societies on the planet. His knowledge would help her build a better cover story, so she listened intently. 

'She is just a mixture of the best parts of them. I really think they would get along.' Liem thought. Nora reminded Liem of his best friends from Education Instruction. She used learning to escape from herself. Liem stayed in school and was allowed by his fairly open-minded mother to pursue any subject that he wanted to. He had already completed the courses needed to rule a clan's many businesses. It was beneficial to his clan while he was unbound and made him an attractive spousal candidate. Liem used education to stay away from home under that guise. It kept him out of the Matriarch's circle, there were plenty of men vying for the attention that he dreaded.

After he contacted his mother about the incident, she allowed Janel to work with them. Liem felt immensely lucky to be able to see Janel again. He did not look like he had aged at all. He was the reason Liem and his brothers were able to study in cities across the globe. Janel could be mistaken as a female and many Matriarchs felt comfortable speaking with him due to that fact. There were few that earned all their specialties, like Janel. He was more a father figure to him than his own, and made him passionate about class rights. Janel had the ability to build a rapport with anyone and guide the most stubborn people into healing their own psychological disorders. Liem had used some of the calming techniques he learned from Janel. He could breathe and dispel his own panic. 

Fortunately, Nora felt at ease with him, which was important to Liem. She opened up to him so easily, the two actually had similar characters and mannerisms. Nora was coping better thanks to Janel, and had noticeable effects on easing her acclimation. They became friends so quickly, had never laughed with Janel like Nora did. Liem and he were close already. Janel often stuck around after sessions to socialize with them for meals and even to help them clean. His discretion allowed for much more than work. Janel was a champion of personal privacy. He had learned his rights from him, boundary setting and to be assertive from him. If anyone could help her cope with what happened to her, it was him.

Over the months with her, he had made sure he had fallen in love with Nora, and it was not just a physical instinctual response to her. He had made certain of it, he did not want to hurt her. He had not shared his feelings with her verbally. He was certain she would return his feelings, but a lingering anxiety that she was not ready to hear it nagged at him. Allurai had opted to offer him to Nora from the start. It was just another request that he was going to get out of in the beginning. He never thought he would fall in love with a woman, since he did not find their personalities attractive. They were sexist and often abusive. Men were sold off either by their own mothers or by the very women who chose them. There was a Right of Refusal. But the tales of men that exercised that right were few due to the immense intimidation from both their own clans. 

He felt disgusted with the process. For the first time in a long time, he did not loathe his parents' suggestions entirely. The relationship with his mother had started to become less formal after his personal messages and requests after the attack. They had gone a long time communicating about everything but themselves and their feelings. He knew he had a lot to face when he returned home with her. Leilanna, his own brothers and fathers could all target her for various reasons.

'I am not wearing this outfit. Why did Father send it along? Does it seem a bit tight? Is this really a Northern clothing article?' Liem thought as he unpacked the shipment he received from home. He rolled his eyes and continued to work. His father's family was from a Northern province. His father reportedly had paler skin in his maternal home during the snowy season. He loved to be outdoors though and had tanned skin. His ancestry was a reason why Liem was interested in Northern cultures. His father barely spoke about his maternal family, he was curious as to their history.