Avishraa Reloaded

Some vigils passed as Einriss settled into his new quarters. Dlyss had not yet put in another appearance, though the quartermaster - who seemed far more willing to talk to either Einriss or Puugwol than most of the other inhabitants of Oghiras were - mentioned that she had important business in the Citadel.

The gently rotting wood that Einriss had helped Puugwol collect had been placed in an alcove that had been built into the latter's quarters, where she had seeded it with spores from her bilaak-tesh fungus. Though it was still rather early, the emergence of tiny gray half-circles from the bark seemed to be a relief to Puugwol - at least they were growing, even if it was not yet possible to say that they would have the properties she intended.

When the set of rooms that was to be the laboratory had been substantially finished, both of them went to have a look around at the results. They were spacious, certainly; there were holding pens, tables with restraints, bins and other storage for various materials, though these last had yet to be filled.

“It is not the kind of environment in which I am used to working,” Puugwol felt moved to comment as they looked around, “but I feel that we could accomplish much here.”

Einriss was wandering slowly around the lab, opening some cupboards and empty containers to inspect how much space they could contain. He found himself verifying the ventilation - it would be important that air could come and go very freely if they wanted to keep live creatures in here in any number, and it would be desirable that this same circulation could be stopped if they were ever going to work on biological weapons that might disperse through the air. He nodded a little to himself, then, as if afterthought, extended it to be a nod to Puugwol. “I won't be able to spend all of my time here, either,” he observed, for the first time in a long time showing something like empathy rather than a purely literal understanding of Puugwol's words. “But it's remarkably well-equipped.”

Puugwol nodded agreeably. It was far beyond anything she'd ever had access to; she'd been lucky, before leaving home, to even have enough room indoors to host a patient without having to sleep outside her own hut, and that was usually when it was a child. Not that people had been eager to bring their children to her, by the end.

“I wonder how busy Dlyss will want to keep us,” she mused. “It could be convenient to use this space for other experiments of our own, if there is the time for them.”

At this, Einriss tilted his head with some curiosity. It wasn't that he hadn't had personal projects before - his wing was a perfect example of it - but he'd so taken to his recent work that he'd practically forgotten that it was an option. What would it even mean to use this space for personal experiments? It was so far from his mind right now that he had to stop and think about it. And yet, his curiosity was kindled. “Did you have any in mind?” he asked.

“Oh, I don't know,” she replied absently. “The Paagdil-shennai are more concerned that changes are made than what the changes are.” By this point, Einriss had heard her use the term several times; he was under the impression that they were deities of some kind. “Maybe if I could capture another one of those bright local beasts, I could modify its intelligence to the point of being able to communicate. It might be interesting to learn the perspective of an alien being.”

Puugwol mused on the subject, and added, “Or I suppose I would greatly like the chance to continue my developmental studies on the takma body, but I do not think that the people around here would be any more willing to provide me with an egg than those back home were.”

Einriss was considering her first comment when her second punctured through it. He glanced across at her, for a moment not sure he heard right - markedly less because of what she was proposing, and more because she was speaking of logistical problems, and it made no sense to him. And so he asked the kind of question only Einriss would ever ask: “Couldn't you use your own?”

Puugwol felt her train of thought hit a rock, and blinked. “…er.”

She considered the question for a moment, with an uncharacteristically awkward look on her face. “I, er. I suppose I could,” she responded, appearing to pick her words cautiously. “Dlyss has told me that lifegivers are… fruitful, so I assume I would not have a shortage of experimental material. But I have no mate, and it has seemed to me that learning how to acquire one would be more difficult than persuading someone else to provide an egg.”

For Puugwol even to mention the necessity of a mate in the process was somewhat surprising - not so much for its factual nature, because lifegivers of any sex tended to become aware of how reproduction worked whether someone explained it or not, but most still would not discuss it in polite company.

Einriss's stare just continued to anchor on her with mild incomprehension at her hurdles. When that didn't yield any response, though, he said: “It doesn't need to be a permanent arrangement for this purpose, surely you can find someone you find non-repulsive for this project who would be happy to indulge in the associated pleasure, if nothing else? I for one would certainly not object.” He said it with such a tonal shrug that it was mercifully clear that he wasn't being lewd or lecherous about it, but it was still a very crass sequence of words to come out of anyone's mouth in this context, regardless.