gave it a critical eye.
She’d found a cutting instrument in the apartment, a blade she could retract, and she was sure she could use it to cut the fabric the way she wanted. But there was still the issue of finding a needle and thread—or at least something similar.
Eyeing the fabric, Evren sighed. She supposed she could make some sort of sew-less clothes. She could tie the cloth in a certain way to make it look good.
As long as it didn’t make her look like a potato and it covered her privates, she was down for it.
She was just about to begin cutting the material when the chime for her door sounded.
Evren lifted her head and looked towards the entrance, her hair falling over her face.
She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Maybe it was Kyro. He had said he was going to visit to update her translator.
Her heart skipped a little beat and she straightened her potato sack dress nervously.
Why was she even nervous? As she shuffled to the door, the answer to that question didn’t arrive.
The door chimed once more just as Evren depressed the panel to the side that made it slide open, a smile on her face in greeting.
“Sweet human.”
Evren’s smile froze as she glanced behind the merchant, not believing that he was there.
His large body blocked her view of the street below. “M’Agunt, how, uh, very nice to see you. How did you—how did you know where I live?”
“It brings me pleasure to see you too, sweet human.” His eyes moved over her body and Evren stiffened a little. “You seem to think your residence is a secret. Everyone knows where you live.”
His voice sounded pleasant, but his words made alarm bells ring in her head.
It was funny. Without Kyro hovering behind her, M’Agunt’s smile suddenly seemed very, very threatening.
She’d had no idea she’d been taking comfort in Kyro’s presence.
She put that in a folder to think about later.
“What are you doing here?” She made an effort to keep her tone pleasant and not let her unease seep through.
“I brought you a gift,” the alien said. From behind his back, a tentacle moved toward her. It was gripping a small box.
As he handed the box to her, M’Agunt’s grin didn’t falter. “Open it.” His tentacle jerked the box toward her. “Please,” he added.
Taking the box, Evren glanced at him warily as she lifted the lid. Eyes widening in surprise, she stared at the contents of the box before raising her gaze to the grinning alien.
“Needle and thread?! How did you—”
“Anything for my new friend,” M’Agunt replied. “I had it made, just for you.”
“This was very thoughtful of you. But you didn’t have to. You’ve already given me the fabric—”
M’Agunt raised a tentacle. “It’s a gift, between friends.”
“Friends?”
M’Agunt’s face dropped in the same way she’d seen it drop before. His entire countenance drooped.
“Are we not friends?”
When Evren opened her mouth to speak again, he continued. “I see. I thought we had a connection back in my shop.”
“A connection?” Suddenly, she wished she’d taken the cutting instrument with her when she’d come to answer the door. He was getting creepy again.
“In a base as big as this you’d be surprised that I don’t have many friends.” His facial skin drooped further. “I was just hoping... It can get lonely here.”
The way his face drooped made the tension that was growing in her shoulders relax.
He was just lonely?
She knew how that felt.
Was that why he was behaving so much like a creep?
“I could help you create your clothes. As you can imagine, I am very versed in this respect.”
“That would be helpful but...maybe another time.” She smiled at him, trying to make it as genuine and sweet as possible.
“Why not now?”
Opening her mouth to reply, a voice to M’Agunt’s right surprised them both.
“She has company now.”
M’Agunt turned and she saw his shoulders slump when he saw Kyro standing behind him. The sigh of relief that left her body came out as she said his name.
“Kyro, you’re here!”
Stepping around the merchant, Kyro came to stand beside her in the doorway.
M’Agunt’s large eyes blinked, opening and closing.
“I see you already scheduled company,” he said, eyeing Kyro before he turned to her with a smile. “I will see you later then, sweet human.”
She hoped not, but she was careful not to let that thought slip into the stiff smile that she gave the merchant.
As M’Agunt sauntered away, she looked up at Kyro.
“You always seem to be bailing me out of awkward situations.”
“I am happy to