Woman's Work by Alma T. C. Boykin

Author:Alma T. C. Boykin [Boykin, Alma T. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-24T22:00:00+00:00

Rigi kept quiet about her finds until after Tomás and Kor had eaten. They’d brought with them a new piece of camp furniture for the tent—a Staré seat for Kor. Makana had one of his own, but preferred to crouch-sit when Kor was present. “So, aside from scandalizing my commanding officer by racing through camp as if you were a medic with an emergency call, what news, my dear?”

Rigi sifted through the list as she poured tea. Kor had his own pot, because he added flavorings that made humans’ tongues curl in horror and their tastebuds commit self-murder to avoid being exposed to such terrors. Or so Tomás averred. What Rigi had smelled of the open jar suggested that he was only exaggerating a tiny bit. “Dr. Xian is well. The lawsuit against the discoverers of the Madonna of the Staré is proceeding and I expect to find a deposition demand once we return to NovMerv.” Rigi caught //disgust/impatience// from Kor and agreed heartily. “They still have not located the front half of, ahem, that statue. And Dr. Xian has forbidden any speculation about the meaning of a half-wombow.” If the gleam in Tomás’s eye were a hint, such speculations were best kept private for reasons of dignity, decency, and not endangering his changes of promotion. She carefully did not look at Kor.

“In more local news, Makana and I located evidence of a site beneath us, may have discovered a new medium-sized mammal, and found something truly odd. Enough so that I told Dr. Xian I would not make any reports until you and Kor could look at the site.

“And Slowth is the best known wombow on Shikhari, or so the dawn shift at enclosure number three aver.”

Tomás and Kor both laughed. “And not for his docility and obedience, I take it?” Tomás managed after a long moment.

“Alas, no. It seems the presence of a large, captive audience has only fed his ambitions to become a professional vocalist.”

“At least he does not fancy himself a dancer, dear,” Tomás advised. Rigi covered her face with her hands, hiding from the thought. Creatrix no, please do not strike Slowth with that idea, please, please, please. Her fingers itched to draw a wombow as a court dancer, and she gave up trying to fight the giggles that bubbled out of her.

“This site, Mistress Rigi?” Kor asked once the males had calmed their laughter. She opened her latest sketchbook and turned to the page before setting it on the small table beside his seat. He lifted it from the table and looked, ears twitching. The page turned and his ears moved more, and his lower jaw shifted back and forth just a touch.

“Where is it from here?” Tomás asked as she refilled his tea.

“Up on the mountain overlooking both the settlement and the camp, this side of the road to the pass. Makana also found something odd, a set of what seem to be buried faults. I suspect they are local land slips, nothing truly important, but they have nice ash layers demarcating them.

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