Page 38 of Golden Darkness
She frowned. “Oh. When they restarted me?”
“Correct. That moment severed your original bond. You came to me free of bond or connection to any other world aside from your memories.”
“So, our bond ends at death?”
He chuckled. “A Hmrain consort has to want to die. If they have only one child, it is more frequent that this will be the situation when that child passes, but I am going to try and coax you into having more than a single child. Bribe you if necessary.”
She braced herself on his back and looked around until he bounced her with a snicker.
“I have been watching your entertainment vids.” He chuckled. “I can’t understand them yet, but they are interesting.”
She turned sideways, but all she saw were wings. “What did they look like?”
“There were Terrans coupling, and they were naked and writhing together.”
She grunted. “Porn. You were watching porn.”
“What is the purpose of it? It was very interesting.”
“The purpose is to generate arousal in those that have limited imagination.” She snorted. He entered his quarters and carried her to the shower.
“I just had a shower.”
“You have quite a bit of blood on you, my little terror. None of it yours.”
She smirked as he set her down in the shower area, and she removed her clothing. The water sprayed, and she watched the water run pink. She scrubbed herself quickly and then had to submit to an inspection. He put her back in the spray, and she had to do it again.
She was clean, and her previous outfit was gone when she was standing on the dryer. Her hair floofed out, and she went to get her brush. She straightened her hair and entered the huge room where they slept, digging into the dresser for a dress similar to the one she had just been wearing.
Kethen’s hand draped a dress over her arm. “This is suitable for your first walk on a new world.”
She whipped around and stared up at him. “Today?”
“Today, Pet. I thought it best to get my penance over and speak with my sibling. This dress is appropriate, but wear your boots. I have no idea if we are going to have tea on a mountaintop or in her home.”
“Female Hmrain?”
“Yes. Each of my siblings is an experiment. A different formula to see which can live and thrive and which is substandard.”
She looked at the dark gold with black trim that was nearly a liquid in her hands. She pulled the fabric over her head, and it had a low cowl neck and long sleeves that were open until the wrist.
The boots were tightly fitted to her calves, and they were shown by the slits in the dress when she took steps. She looked like a molten waterfall.
A crewwoman came in with a smile. “Lady? Please, have a seat, so I can do your hair.”
“Oh. Um, so this is a formal thing?”
“Very. You represent the overlord and the Kethic today.”
“All right. Where do I sit?”
The crewperson went to the wall and touched two panels, and a small table and chair slid out. Another tap brought out a mirror, and the ordeal began.
“Holy shit. How much did you weave in?”
The stylist grinned. “One pound. Overlord Kethen got them from his personal stash.”
Janessa looked in the mirror and saw the gold chains swinging when she moved. She was gold in different shades from head to toe. Even the eye makeup that another crewperson had applied was in shades of gold.