"What was that she threatened?"
"She's going to cut off your manhood!" JP said as he gestured to his waist.
"Surely not!" If Viper hadn't been holding two plates, he would've cupped his crotch.
"Don't worry she wouldn't do that, she'd just kill you." JP reassured him.
"I don't plan on hurting Hope, but I'd much prefer the killing. Thank you!"
"You and I agree on that one." JP grimaced then looked serious. "I agree with Tara, don't hurt Hope. But she doesn't seem traumatized by whatever happened, so as long as she's okay, I'm okay. I say live and let live. I'm a bit more understanding than Tara. I imagine we're going to have a few cultural mishaps before this is all over." The male said with a sympathetic smile.
"True." Viper agreed, but there are mishaps and then there are disasters. He'd sadly crossed that line.
Hope
The large arboretum, filled with lush greenery and sporting an exceptional view of space, was a great place for such a gathering. Hope wondered why they didn't take all their meals here, it was lovely.
Besides Acris this was her first chance to sit and really study the Anguis and how they interacted. Many of the males greeted Viper as they had when they walked the hall but now they took more time to converse. There were at least a handful of women, all with men. Hope noted Acris was at the buffet with who she assumed was Basilisk from the way Acris cast goo-goo eyes at him and smiled. Hope smiled at the couple.
Her eyes drifted back to Viper as he helped Tara and JP. Their conversation the night before had been relaxed. Not once had he made a move for her, even refusing to share the bed. Hope appreciated that. It gave her time to sort out her thoughts. Hope kept circling around to the same thing. She didn't want Viper to be stricken limp if she rejected him and she was attracted to him, but for forever? He had aggressive tendencies. How deep did that run? Hope had a so many questions. They didn't know each other, and that was something that took time. Was that so much to ask for? To want more than just a physical relationship, to want love. She shouldn't be forced to settle.
Hope sat next to Ophidian as Viper and her friends got food. It was a good opportunity to get to know another Anguis and maybe learn a little about what the future had in store for her.
Ophidian was every bit the soldier, sitting up straight, ready for action. Now that she'd seen him a few different times Hope could tell him apart from the others. His dreadlocks were shorter than Viper's and he was a bit tanner. Ophidian's eyes were a pale blue compared to Viper's green. He wasn't nearly as tall or wide as Viper though he still out stripped every human man she'd ever come into contact with.
"I am sorry you are injured." Ophidian said politely.
"I'm not really injured. I'm fine."
"But I can smell that you are bleeding!"
"Ugh, not you too!" Hope decided to change the subject to something far more interesting. "So how did you meet Viper?"
"My sire was Adder Rex's Imperator, I think your people would call him a General." Ophidian explained. "When my sire was lost in the battle against the Morbo, Adder Rex raised me as his own."
"I'm sorry you lost your father." Hope frowned.
A week ago she would've never thought she'd ever meet an alien let alone have such a tragedy in common with them.
"He was a good male." Ophidian said proudly.
"I lost my parents to a car crash several years ago. It's not easy no matter how old you are." Hope sympathized.
"I am sorry for your loss Uxorem."
"So you and Viper are like brothers. Got any juicy stories?"
"We were young together so I have many stories, but none of them have anything to do with juice."
Hope groaned. The language implant translated a lot, but was absolute shit when it came to figures of speech or slang.
"I meant if you had any embarrassing tales you could share."
"Prognatus Viper isn't that pleased with me at the moment, so I better not."
Ophidian was no fun. Hope noticed him studying the room and followed his gaze. He seemed intrigued by Tara.
"This is nice." She waved to the banquet.
"It is not everyday the Prognatus is mated."
"Oh crap! So this is like a freaking wedding reception. Just great!" Hope mused to herself.
"Yes, congratulations Uxorem." Another man said as he approached. He was dressed similar to Ophidian. "It must be an unexpected delight to find yourself so well mated."
The male seemed to be implying something not so nice, like she was some sort of usurping gold digger. It was odd since this whole mating was supposed to be a pheromone thing. Hope ignored her chagrin and just smile pleasantly. Maybe he wasn't intentionally being a dick. The Anguis were so different, she had to learn to forgive certain things till she understood them better.