As related by Prince Cüinn Cleary, Skarsian Minister of Science and Director of Research at RR-2 Labs
Ace told me about what happened with the explosive. Now they’re headed up north to go after the mecha. I’m glad I could do something to help. We’re pretty much sitting on our mulch here, waiting for the invaders to attack the park. Marius says they’re out there, but they haven’t made a move yet. We’re all on edge. We just want it to be over.
Ellery comes up behind me. « Thanks, » he says, « for helping me earlier. »
« No problem, » I say, ruffling his hair. « What are branches for? »
« I need a favor, » he says, looking shyly at his feet.
« Sure. You can trust me, Ellery. »
« I need you to talk to Ailann. »
« About you and him? What could I say? I mean, shouldn’t you just talk to him directly? Or do you need me to tell him to get it together, that he’s been neglecting you since, well, since…but maybe Aran should do that? Aran should say that if Ailann doesn’t wise up, he’s going to steal the sweetest little branch since…»
« Aran doesn’t want me, » says Ellery. « Aran wants Ailann. But Aran will never know the right words to say to make anything better. »
« Oh. »
« And I can’t make anything better either, not now. But this isn’t about that, not exactly. All I want you to do is to tell Ailann what Beat and Harsh were talking about. To explain it. »
« You want me to tell him that? » I can feel my leaves turning red as a Japanese maple. « But why? And the way he’s feeling now…I mean, what good would that do? It isn’t important. He’ll probably tell me to get stuffed. »
« It was important enough to fulfil achievement #50, “Overhear an important conversation.” »
« Oh. Um. »
« Just do it. You might not understand, but Ailann will. »
« Okay. Okay. »
Ellery smiles at me. I take a walk around the perimeter of the park. I really wish that the invaders would attack. Right now. But there’s no avoiding it.
Ailann is alone. He’s drunk. He keeps sneaking back to the Oktoberfest tent when he thinks no one is looking, but of course, we all know. All of the reconnected ones, at least.
We never knew what to do about his drinking before, when he’d do it just to escape the stress of his job as Archon. What are we supposed to say now that he’s lost his dearest companion – next to Tara, of course? I don’t have another branch that close to me. I wish I did. But this is kind of the downside of it. No, the only one who could really talk to him is Tara, and she won’t, because she can’t let herself believe that Cillian is really gone.
Here goes nothing.
« Um, Ailann. »
« What? »
« Nothing. Just wanted to say hello. Just wanted to check on how you’re doing. »
« I’m a grieving alcoholic. How do you think I’m doing? »
This isn’t exactly going well.
« Um, Ailann, there’s something I want to tell you. I overheard Beat talking to Harsh. He said, “Remember what you did for me on my emanation day?” And Harsh kind of looked at him like he was in shock, and then Beat said, “Go for it. It’s totally okay.” »
« I don’t understand. What did Harsh do for Beat on his emanation day? »
« I was kind of afraid you were gonna ask that. Well, I, um, I kinda know because I was sorta there. If you want, you can look in my branch. »
I can’t believe I’m showing this to the Living God of Skarsia. Well, until all of this went down, he could’ve looked for himself at any time. Tarlach sure as hell fucking did. But we all peep sometimes. We just kind of know who minds and who doesn’t, and what things are kind of sensitive, and what we wouldn’t want a particular branch to know but don’t care if others do, and, well, it’s just polite to pretend you haven’t looked under those circumstances. So if Ailann had looked, but pretended he hadn’t, I’d be fine with this.
But showing him? How humiliating. The kid owes me a big one.
Ailann looks in my branch.
*****
Harsh shows up at my lab. « I want to invite you to a little emanation day celebration for Beat, » he says.
« Oh, the thing at Sloane’s place? I was already invited, but I don’t really hang with that crowd. I think I’d be a like a tire on a hovercar. »
« No, this is different. A private celebration. »
There’s something about Harsh’s tone of voice that makes me look twice. I’m pretty dense about this kind of thing, but there’s something about Harsh’s tone of voice that makes me think, well, ahem… « Are you sure you’ve got the right emanation? Because I never get asked to that sort of, uh…»
« The emanation who is the embodiment of pleasure is inviting the emanation with the gift of the perfection of sensual enjoyment to a private celebration consisting of them, his lover, and Constantine. »
« Constantine?!? You mean the, the…»
« The great slut of the pleroma, » he finishes. He leans in close, whispering in my ear. I can feel every molecule of his hot breath as he says, « Ross is emanated. If we time this right, Constantine, as his brother, will go into pollen-receptivity. »
I wasn’t hallucinating. Sexy-sleazy little Harsh is inviting me to a pollination orgy.
This sort of thing never happens to me. Never.
I show up at Beat’s place at the appointed time. The plan is that Harsh will bring him home from the party at Sloane’s and his surprise will be waiting for him. I’d forgotten that Beat has an enormous round waterbed in the center of his gorgeous apartment. In the center of the huge, round waterbed is gorgeous Constantine, who is already naked and ready to go. My eye immediately travels to his right hipbone, where I’d placed a small dot. It’s supposed to be a boson, but I suppose it’s hard to tell from a fermion unless you’ve got really good eyes. So my mark was on him; that meant that Tara said I could have him at any time.
« Take off your lab coat and get comfortable, » he says.
I really feel naked without it. The next thing you know, he’ll be asking me to take off my glasses.
« Take off your glasses, » he says.
Naked, completely naked, I ease myself into the bed next to him. « I’d like to get started », he says, running a fingertip from my navel to the base of my neck, « but we’d better wait for the party-boy. »
It’s a raw, burning shock of pleasure the length of my torso, and I can’t help but moan. Constantine laughs. « You’re just as much of a slut as I am, » he says. « Or maybe not. For you, the pleasure is physical. For me, the pleasure is in letting myself be taken. »
The door opens. Beat spots us and gapes. « What the hell? » he says.
« Happy emanation day, » says Harsh. « Remember how we first got together, at that foursome with Wynne and Tara? I thought it might be fun to do something like that again. »
He’s right. It’s fun.
It’s fun.
It’s so much fun.
Beat is sweet-hearted, but rough sexually, and Constantine loves it. Harsh, on the other branch, is playing me.
Playing me.
He’s a master and he’s oh, oh, oh…
« Tara, » Beat gasps. « She’s…»
« She’s in bed with Ross, » Constantine moans. « Please take me, please…»
Beat is fucking him, and Harsh goes down on him, and I feel left out, not knowing what to do with myself. Then Constantine cries out, « I need the taste of pollen in my mouth! »
Oh.
Oh, oh.
*****
« I think I get the idea, » says Ailann. He’s grinning at me. It’s the first time he’s smiled since, you know.
« I honestly don’t know why Ellery wanted me to show that to you, » I say miserably.
« I understand perfectly, » says Ailann, placing his hand upon my shoulder. « Thank you. »
The awkward moment is interrupted by: “Sir James Maonach. White Knight of the Arbor; Imperial Gardener of Sideria. 9th to emanate, 24 in the color scale, resonates to 89. 1.882 meters tall, cock size 16.51 cm when erect, apparent age 22. Botanist. Totem is Salix alba, the white willow, fixed star is Lingua Hydri, the tongue of the hydra, also known as Liǔ Sù Yī, first star of willow. Esoteric symbol is the geomantic glyph Amissio, loss. Dessert is fresh nau’gsh with honey-ginger sauce. Function is creative initiation, proto-conscious tendency is empathy, designated Healing. Blazon is ivory, within an orle sable, a nau’gsh branch, proper.”
« Oh, he must’ve finished the crocheting project, » I babble to Ailann. « I’m going to see what he made. »
That got me out of there quickly. What a relief!
Jamey is displaying his creation to a ring of emanations. It’s a penguin jumper.
No one really wears anything crocheted, he signs. I thought of making a puppet for Davy, but he likes to make his own.
« Look out! » Ross yells. Recognized emanations grab the others quickly, ducking back towards the buildings as a grenade flies over the wall, exploding a few seconds after impact.
« It’s on! » yells Callum, vaulting over a picnic table.
« Oh compost, » says Balin, grabbing the plasma cannon and following.