Quills

This would be the first time in a hundred years that an Allari male had proposed to a Matriarch first. His Father was surprised, but helped him prepare thoroughly. He was doing this in an old-fashioned manner according to Northern customs. His approach was gleaned off from that and what she had told him. She would be receptive to an individual approach as she was raised by her biological father mostly. He had taken weeks to research and perfect his plan to make it personal and memorable. Liem had requested very traditional jewelry to offer himself to her personally instead of Allurai making the arrangement. He waited to show his interest and intent on her until she had shown some signs of recovering from trauma. Their time in the tower was almost done, and he did not know if he could take it emotionally if she chose her mates without knowing he had feelings for her too. He did not want to make her feel uncertain.

He was nervous about his upcoming conversation with her. Mother wanted to take her into the complex first. The security was far better than this facility. He knew everyone there and could trust them more than unknown hired staff. The construction and repairs were almost done with her living space. He was getting worried about moving her because rumors were bound to spread about her. It was time to go home, regardless of whether he succeeded or failed tonight. He missed his fathers and his siblings. It had been over five years since he left home to study. He was anxious. He may have another excuse to delay the return. He accepted deliveries while Nora was having her sessions. Liem straightened up the room further due to his nerves. He opened the windows and patio doors to air out the room. She was safe with Janel. He knew that he sometimes felt sensitive and anxious after his morning sessions with Janel. "Pfffffffff." Liem let out a nervous sigh and smacked his lips, making popping noises.

'It would be really awkward if I judged this incorrectly or if it was too soon. It is not like I could ask Janel.' Liem thought.

Liem had been a bundle of nerves this morning when it had arrived at the door with the delivery. He reached into his pocket and palmed the jewelry case in his hand nervously. He withdrew his hand and got up and moved to the kitchen. Liem prepared fresh Liotte to settle both their nerves. He muddled the herbs in the bottom of a jug with cane juice. Liotte was great for releasing some tension, both making it and drinking it. He, however, had made them into a fine paste, rather than bruising the leaves. Liem frowned. He took a nervous breath and restarted the task, focusing on it. Once he was satisfied, he added some hot water to allow the mixture to steep.

On the conductive counter, he prepared their meal featuring some of her favorites; Simas stalks, Mashed Roots and Herbed Fawl. For dessert, he had a bowl of cut-up fruit ready for them to eat in cane syrup. He sighed nervously to himself, looking at the clock on his Interface, waiting for the session to be done and over with. Liem eyed the door nervously as he felt a knot form in his chest. It seemed like time was passing too slowly and too quickly at the same time. In the sleeping chamber where Nora and Janel were near the end of their weekly counseling session.

Janel had to format his counseling to fit her particular needs. This kind of thing happened among males, and rarely to women. People were people fundamentally the same, trauma was trauma. She was different from other Matriarchs that Janel had worked with. Nora talked about her trauma honestly, she was open about how she felt. She needed medication to sleep and for the anxiety, but she was well past the acute stage of her trauma. Her body language was less guarded, she had been able to leave the building with both Liem and himself. She showed signs of physical and hormonal stress around groups of Bitas-level workers.

"I wish I was able to give him some privacy, but I do not feel safe without him and especially on my own." Nora said.

"Liem, seems to be happy with it? After a traumatizing event, it is normal to feel insecure about having people around you and about your relationships. To address your fears so that you can start to feel safe again, I got the approval to add a new tool to your interface software. This will change once you pass your final testing and Bind with your spouses," Janel said.

"I do not understand why I have such a basic version without defensive tools? I should not have to wait to have Calloran or other men around me to have full access to the same tools other adults have." Nora said and sighed, thinking about the mess awaiting her in the future.

"Do I really have to have three of them?" Nora whined. She would have to start with three men. Nora's thoughts briefly went to the awkward sexual education she was learning as a young unbound woman, as Janel explained.

"Janel, you have not seen the learning materials. Some of them have up to six men in the pages and ways to position yourself. Do you want to see" Nora asked with a serious tone.

"Show me? I could get used to that." Janel said and laughed seeing her shocked face.

" You must be kidding? That would be overwhelming every cycle." Nora answered back.

"I bet. I do not understand the intention of the Matriarch Elite in making the decision about your tools. Juvenile Interface's are more easy to modify. Perhaps it was because they needed a place for the translation program?" Janel said, and hummed a little. "Three seems a little overwhelming. I find even having a relationship with one man difficult. I do not envy you, Nora," Janel said.

"Have you seen a Matriarch's sexual education program? The illustrations on the positions are insane. It could be summed up succinctly by just writing, "use oil and go limp"." Nora said sarcastically. Janel laughed. "We should probably go over this, it smells like he's cooking already." Nora said.

"So, it activates when it detects that you are in distress. When you are scared, your body releases stress hormones and your internal hardware can detect them. Your interface will open up in private mode and a red box will appear. All you need to do is one of two things. Use your confirmation word." Janel explained. This was to prevent the tools being used as an offensive weapon."Or you can close your eyes fully," Janel explained. A look of shock crossed Nora's face, causing Janel to briefly pause.

"Does it hurt?" Nora asked. Janel's face went through a series of expressions that it normally did when she said something outside cultural normalcy. Nora was shocked to see that he was surprised that she would care. Janel usually smiled kindly afterward. She decided long ago not to discuss that she respected and empathized with men. She could only prove that through her actions and hopefully retain Janel as a friend afterward. Whether one was an ally was never a single person's decision.

"No. When you say that word or close your eyes, anyone in your vicinity will fall unconscious. You, your Bind or the Peacekeepers can release them like this," Janel said and gripped the back of his neck. "Or you can use the options in the tool to rouse them. Some people share the same name, but their designation number is different, so you have to be careful when waking them. It is best to wait for a Peacekeeper to rouse them should you need to use the tool." Janel explained. 

"This is a very sufficient tool. I know that there are more, but they are not necessary. If someone is bad at their job, use bureaucratic discipline. If there are problems in the family, talk it out.' Nora said. Janel got the processing look on his face. She was more worthy of Matriarch Prime tools than Allurai. This tool was for unbound Juvenile Matriarchs. In his opinion, they should have been enabled right away instead of giving her the tools of a small child. If she knew the real truth she would probably be offended. The Hudai were far too cautious.

'How could someone, removed from society for so long, with no implants, or knowledge of them, corrupt the software?' Janel thought.

He truly liked Nora, she was different from the other females he had worked with, she was very independent and even a little masculine. She was very smart and grounded. She did not treat him like others did. She seemed to admire him and complimented him. Nora had become a friend. Her profile did not do her justice. She was more than the illiterate outcast she was presented as. She did not need to rely on the slow translation tool they had downloaded to the Interface before he departed for him to use. She was educated and worked on sections in the instructional educational database that the most erudite Alphem would find boring. She was very resilient, and he hoped that the enhancement normally reserved for enforcement officers would give her a sense of security again. Under Allurai's guidance, more options would open up for her, but that would come in the future. She had a bright future. He looked at the goofy smile on her face. Nora had smiled as she thought what she would use, It was a pity nobody would think it was as funny as she did.