Pushy Doe is pushy; most demi-humans are; Empress Aurelia’s father being a huge exception, and as you’ll know when you read Irrational Pai, Fusions can be dangerous.

Rather than spit-swapping magic rocks, this was a much faster way to convey information, even if it hurt Doe.

And, just for y’all: some pictures below the fold.

The newcomer pushed her way in and went right to where she’d tried to cover Paethos.  Blanket up, they stared at one another for a quarter minute before the Anglo held out her hand.  He touched it with his claw and immediately pulled it back with a hiss.

“Who are you!  What are you doing, barging into my room!” Aleja demanded.

“I already introduced myself,” the other replied, taking steps back from the alien.  She slid off her small backpack onto the bench and took out two Coke bottles.  “Here, have one.  These are much better with real sugar.”  She uncapped them both with a bottle opener from her shorts’ pocket. 

“I’ve been in this area doing some surveying.  C’mon, take your Coke.  It’s not poisoned.  And because of what I am, I saw both the crash and y’all’s escape.” A drink and a shrug.  “Given what I am, I thought I could help.”

“What are you?” Aleja was increasingly lost.

The other took off her sunglasses.  Her eyes were completely black; no white, no color.  She took off her hat; shoulder-length black hair with a hint of blue.  There was a silver halo over her head.  From nowhere, two translucent crystalline butterfly wings appeared behind her; two meters from tip to tip.

“I…I prayed to Jesus, Holy Mary, for a miracle,” Aleja began to tear up.  “You are the angel they sent?”

“Me?  Naah.  In fact, I can be a bit of a jerk.  My race is called Fusions.  There are very few of us, but we are well connected.” Another drink.  “If you and Paethos want my, well, our help, it is yours.”

“How do you know his name?”

“We touched.  We explored one another’s minds.  Seems it did spook him, just a little.  He is just a kid, as I think you know.”

“You…You’re not an angel?  But you look like one.”

“Just how things worked out.  I apologize if I confused you.  And, if you don’t drink that, I will.”

Aleja picked up her bottle.  “Th…thank you.”

Her new arrival continued to talk at a breakneck speed, making Aleja more and more confused, which made her more and more tired.

“Right,” Doe said, “get us something to eat and we’ll to bed.  The floor is fine for me and Paethos.  He is still a bit hungry after nothing but fruit.  Is there a chicken he could eat?”

“My uncle would kill me if I took one of their chickens!” she replied.

“Fine.  Get something for us, and I’ll be back in less than an hour with something for our visitor.”  She put her sombrero back on, and her wings vanished.

“Wait,” Aleja called, as Doe was about to open the door.  “How do you know all this?  Why are you helping us?”

The wings flared.  “I told you:  there are only a few of us Fusions.  We are aliens, too, in a way.  I was meant to be here at this place and this time.  Deus vult.”  The door swung shut behind her.

“Kaah?”

“I don’t know either, Paethos.  I don’t know anything anymore.”

With her aunt wondering why she was so hungry, she shuffled back to the outbuilding in the encroaching dark.  Almost bumping into Doe as she did.  What was that smell?

“Got a bag full of offal!” The Anglo smiled.  “Pae will love it!  What do you have?  Beans and rice?  Oh, well, I shan’t be churlish; thank you, Alejandra.”

After their dinner, Doe beckoned the alien to come closer.  Then she held out her left hand.  Still a bit unsure after that first time, he hesitated before extending his claw.

“Ah fonted…” Doe coughed and tried again.  “I wanted to thank you, human girl, for rescuing me and taking care of me.”

Wait.  Who’s talking?

“I have been selfish and may have placed you in danger, if the thoughts of this odd human are to go by,” Doe continued, trying hard to not lisp or slur like an alien lizard.  “I have learned much from Odd Human and think when my family tries to find me, there can be some peaceful resolution to my selfish act.”

Can I talk back?  “I hope so, too, Paethos.”

“This Odd Human has some ideas.  For me.  For you.  She thinks we should leave in the darkness of the next night, once she has made plans.”  Aleja noticed Doe was starting to sweat and shake a little.  Was this hurting her?

“Then, then that is what we’ll do,” she decided.  “I’ll fake being unwell tomorrow so I don’t have to go on patrol.  Miss Doe will do what she needs, and we will begin to find a way for you to go home.”

“You are too nisssth…nice to me, human friend,” Paethos-through-Doe concluded.  The Fusion fell over onto the dirty wooden floor; her halo made her head bounce when it hit.

“Doe!  Are you…!”

“God, that hurt,” the Anglo muttered, rolling onto her back.  “Tricky enough with humans; none of us ever with an alien, though.  Kinda fun, seeing things in the back of his mind.  They have an interesting civilization that may be related both to the Martian Crabbies and my research of Nazca, here, too.  A blanket would be nice.”

Her eyes shut, and breathing slowed.  While she got an old, scratchy blanket, Paethos retreated to a corner and lay down, his neck and head curled about the rest of his body.  Just in case – he’s a lizard after all – she took her blanket off her cot to cover him.  I’ll use some of the paint tarps.  That’s fine.

She knelt first, praying, but not sure what for.  Pushing herself up, she looked at the two kinds of aliens in her little room. 

“Good night.”

*****