Extra: Character Q&A
Joseph dropped himself onto one couch between Tel and Pan, cradling Kena in his arms while Jax and Harrow coddled her brother on the other. His little daughter mewed adorably at the disruption of her nap, but instead of complaining, she gleefully welcomed consciousness and butted her tiny snout into his shirt, soaking in the scent of her technically-not-father. Neither of them cared—to him, this fluffball was every bit his child as Violet was, and to Kena, she swam in a den full of scents that signified nothing but love.
Her closed eyes were adorable, but he was excited to see the amber irises whenever she was ready. Her orange face was framed by a black jaw, black tipped ears and digits grabbed at the air playfully. Even if he had to put a pause on most of the day’s events for the meeting, he couldn’t help but smile at her.
Tel tried to play it coolly, but the Blademistress faltered when the kit’s tail found her arm, a warmth to her expression belying her fondness. Maybe it was from the bond, but the grey-furred female was pretty shit at hiding the more subtle displays of her affection—especially when it came to the children Joseph ended up with. And Pan, but that was becoming more overt with time.
Kena’s brother, Rhylin, looked a lot more like his biological father; broader build, primarily black fur with orange colouring his cheeks and tail, and a penchant for nuzzling into the nearest person as he slept—or multiple persons, if he could manage it.
Okay, maybe he somehow took after his human father as well.
The girls were running refreshments to the group while showing zero signs of the urgency they moved with, flowing with the grace afforded by their extensive training and actual experience playing the part of dedicated servants. He didn’t blame them for their stoic performance; Trill and Sunundra were visiting to make their reports on how the settlements were going, and as they were Grand Hunters, his pack wanted to make good impressions.
That was great and all, but Sunny was a friend who visited regularly, and Trill was… Well, they had gotten over their power dispute when Joseph took over, but the guy’s unrestrained glee when he learned of what the Master Hunter was doing when he separated the Wraiths and Blades was…interesting. Apparently, Trill expected him to just transfer everyone into the new training, but it wasn’t quite that simple—some people were just less compatible with how Wraiths operated.
Other people were closer to Tel or Kaslin’s persuasion, and relished the…mechanical side of things. Those people were left to his grey-furred wife.
Regardless, the Wraiths supplied the crowded den with snacks and drinks, pausing every so often to report their progress to Scarlet and Volta—the pair still going about their prolonged game of trying to provoke the other into moving the relationship further as they organized the rest. Annoying, but cute. At least neither seemed upset with the arrangement. If anything, it became something of a competition; Scarlet would take a page out of Tel’s book and try to seduce the blue-furred cleaner while driving her bonkers, and Volta would use weaponized cuteness to poke holes in the Wraith’s armour.
Of course, bets had been placed, and Joseph put a week of brushing fur on Volta winning.
Honestly, they were only gathered because Rob had finally gotten things ready to start on the planet, and that meant Horizon had held a presentation to introduce the concept of Lilhuns to their ranks. Joseph’s involvement was still a highly guarded secret, but some people were trusted to know, so once the overview of his experiences were relayed to the people relocating to A’lena, they were bound to have questions.
Questions that were collected, then organized into something they could actually answer via a video call with his brother—once the assorted fetishistic queries were sorted out, anyway.
Regardless, he had been promoted for owning a continent, Sunny and Trill were given back their former stations, and the hub now had a menagerie of Lilhuns and Atmo piddling about while they waited for Rob’s call.
Violet was talking with Daisy off to the side, the two of them nearing his height by now as they continued to grow into the towering insects he knew they’d one day be. His daughter had been working with the other Queen to expand the tunnel network and help train the Atmo Wraiths; it was working out pretty well, but there were still some hiccups to smooth over before they could do too much. The current ones primarily acted as a royal guard for her, despite Rose and Cobalt both choosing to focus on being a visible deterrent.
The two Atmo had graduated from ironwood and iron metal plates, and now frequently wore a lightweight alloy that was typically found on tanks. It was interesting to see the layers of material be assembled in the workshop by engineers of multiple species, but it was intimidating to see up close. The only part of them that didn’t look like a mobile fortress was their blades, and that was only because anything they could have tossed on them would actually be detrimental to their ability to cut things in half. Toss on the storage attached to their arachnid abdomen, and you could do major surgery on their backs while dealing with incoming fire. So, yeah. Violet and Daisy had escort tanks… And escort shadow guards… Actually, now that he thought about it, so did he…
His mild frown was broken by Kena grabbing at his fingers and cooing when she succeeded in capturing them. He smiled down at the playful little thing, Pan on his right all but vibrating in joy that the kit was being cute. And that she got to spoil it. And that there was a kit at all.
“Incoming transmission from Horizon, sir.”
He blinked as he remembered that Eris could bypass the need for him to accept her transmission. It was for the best, really—his arms were occupied by a child, and his wives’ tails locked him in place. He glanced at one of the cameras and nodded.
A flexible display rolled down from the ceiling, prompting everyone who was meandering around to gather near the couches, Sunny pulling a chair up to Jax and Harrow to join in on smiling at the bundle of energy in his mother’s arms. Sahari and Nalah directed Mi’low and Idee to grab some extra seats from storage—which neither complained about doing, surprisingly. He was sure the crimson-furred female would at least sigh or something. He supposed that she had mellowed out a bit since her promotion back to Grand Huntress and setting up a settlement around the pod.
He visited it not too long ago too; it was still small, but everything looked to be going well. There were even Blades stationed there to help out until their animal husbandry and agriculture was fully running. At some point both would expand enough to effectively re-join again, but whenever that was, it would probably be underground. He never really wanted to take up too much space on the surface, and with the increase in Atmo—either from Sunny’s settlement, or just the occasional group found in the wilds—the ‘nest’ below his territory was expanding rapidly.
Between the ‘bunker’—a compound that functioned as Avalon’s training centre and the bulk of his operations—the hatcheries, and the general pack living situation down there, it was a few levels deep already. They were pretty close to implementing a proper transit system between the settlements that didn’t rely on shuttles, too.
Mi’low and Idee brought back a chair each for themselves, with the girls supplying any extras that were needed for the curious of the pack who wanted to join in the call. They promised to sit outside of view, and as long as they didn’t cause a fuss, he wasn’t going to complain. It did make things a little cramped, but everyone seemed alright with it.
The screen flickered in time for Rob to catch a glance of him accepting an energy drink from Scarlet—an arduous thing to achieve when you have a fluffy bundle of curiosity that decided the hissing object was a new toy. He quickly untangled his arm from the tails restraining it before he had to spend the next three hours un-sticky-ing fur.
“Am I interrupting?” the Martian asked while suppressing his laughter. Joseph took a drink and relinquished the can to Pan so that she could keep it away from prying tiny tails.
“No, we’re good here. Is there anything I should keep in mind while we do this?”
Rob checked over a stack of printed notes, shaking his head. “Only that this is being recorded and that no one needs to answer a question if they don’t want to.”
After checking with the occupants of the hub, Joseph adjusted his hold on Kena, making sure she wasn’t going to get at anything she shouldn’t before gesturing to his brother that they were good to go. Robert cleared his throat.
“Alright then. We have questions directed at quite a few people, so I had my assistant randomize them. This first one is directed at...Grand Hunter, was it? Grand Hunter Trill. Is he… Yes, he is. Trill, one of our members heard about the organization and wanted to ask: ‘Is the word ‘Avalon’ a translation? There is an Avalon within human culture, documented in the Legend of King Arthur. Specifically, Avalon is the magic island where the King's blade Excalibur was forged.’”
Rob raised a brow. “So I suppose they’re asking if ‘Avalon’ is a byproduct of translation, or if it has any particular meaning in your language.”
The Blade maintained his friendly smile, shrugging noncommittally. “I am afraid I was not the one who named it—such was before my tenure. Avalon itself predates the expansion of our species off of Iras, and the meaning behind such a designation has been lost to time. As for if it has some relation to a human work of fiction or history? No.”
The Martian nodded in understanding. “Yes, it seemed quite a bit of your people’s history in general suffered the wars.”
Trill hummed flatly. “Ours is more a byproduct of the secrecy in which we operate, but yes.”
“Interesting,” Rob commented, glancing at Joseph. When all he got for the implied query was an uninterested shrug, he returned to his notes. “This is from someone in our research division, and they would like to know a little more about Tel. ‘You felt the bond the night you and Joe ended Hasen; is that still as strong, or does it only flare with strong emotions?’”
Joseph’s expression darkened for a moment, but Kena’s delighted mewling sidetracked any train of thought as she captured the newest intruder she could touch: Pan’s tail. Tel smiled at the interaction, turning her attention back to the screen after a moment.
“My bond is as it was: when I am needed, I am driven by it. When I am not, I am not, yet I feel it just the same.”
His brother waited a beat, but accepted that she had given as much as she was going to. “Alright then. We have a question that cropped up a few times, so I’ll just throw these two out for Pan. This comes from someone who works... It’ll be pretty obvious. The first question is: ‘Why are you so fluffy?’”
Pan blinked as Kena ‘attacked’ her tail, pawing and mauling it playfully with dull claws. “I assume they are struggling with maintaining their fur?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. This just kept showing up after we showed them a picture of the pack.”
She placed her fist to her chin, her ear flopping at the tilt of her head. “Well, I am thorough when I wash myself; I prefer to brush it before getting it wet, then rinse after both soap and conditioner—though I find leaving the conditioner in for some time assists. After that, it is just drying while being mindful to brush it.”
“Sounds tedious,” Rob commented absently.
She glanced at Tel before returning to teasing the kit. “I am given assistance on occasion.”
“Fair enough. The second question is: ‘How would you feel if ‘stuffies’ of you were sold?’ I’m not sure if they mean you specifically or Lilhuns in general, but it was directed at you, so...”
The Paw doubled down on distracting Kena as Joseph grabbed his energy drink from her. “What is a ‘stuffie?’”
“Stuffed toy,” Joe supplied. “Also called ‘plushies,’ I think.”
She thought for a moment. “Ah, I recall you mentioning such. Our people have never particularly had those; claws would make the longevity of such toys rather short, and kits tend to have poor control over if they are extended or not.” Pan captured Kena’s paw, turning it for a moment to demonstrate. Two claws were partially out, while the other two were retracted. “As for how I would feel about ones of myself? Would that not defeat the secrecy we seek?”
Joseph chuckled. “I’m pretty sure they mean to make them for themselves, or maybe sell them if things ever smooth over. We have Puff plushies on Earth, and I think a few other species too.”
The white-furred female smiled softly. “I can think of many others who would perhaps deserve the privilege more, but I suppose it would be flattering.”
Robert smirked. “Next is for Joe. ‘With Lilhuns doing most of the cooking, how much hair gets in the food?’”
“The food? Surprisingly, pretty much none. Everything else? Well...”
“That bad?”
Joseph shook his head. “Nah. The bed is the worst, but that’s just because of how many people are in it. Once you get used to picking fur off yourself in the morning, it isn’t awful.”
“Alright then. Next is Harrow. ‘When Eris is ‘otherwise engaged,’ do you become tech support?’” The orange-furred female paused in corralling her excitable kit, smiling when Jax took over ‘cuddle duty.’ Rob sighed. “I’m not sure why puns are included, but you don’t need to answer that. We’ll skip to the next one for you, which is... Ah. ‘What was the most fun you had dismantling or fixing a device? Why, and what did it do?’”
“Most fun?” she mused aloud, rolling her eyes in thought. “Probably Joe’s terminal—I wasn’t ‘fixing’ it, but I did have to figure out the programming to hook up the public address system, so I’ll count it. It was pretty fun figuring out how everything was set up and tinkering with it. Plus, Joe had a lot of interesting videos—“
“—Harrow,” Joseph warned.
“What?” she countered with a shrug. “Don’t put it in front of me and expect not to have everything looked at. It’s alien technology!” Her smirk turned sly. “Besides, you were the one who collected them. Can’t fault me for being curious.”
He groaned, lamenting the inability to facepalm with his hands full. Robert furrowed his brow in concern.
“Right... Well, moving on. Joe, ‘Do you feel guilty about what you did to that rock-worm when you first landed?’”
“The one I scratched my name on?” It was Harrow’s turn to groan. He ignored it. “Not really. The little guy is with the others in their pen now, and he seems to be doing alright. Ferra?”
The darker blond-furred female perked up from the sidelines, looking at Astra before nodding her agreement.
“She’s out of view, but she said yes.”
The Martian chuckled. “Whatever, Joe. Next is for Sunundra. ‘What role do you have? Will you be in charge of health and welfare in any capacity?”
The pale-furred female looked to Joseph for clarification, getting back about the same level of confusion. “I am the Grand Huntress of my pack under Master Hunter Joseph. As for the other station, I am afraid I lack the training or experience required.”
“Unhealthcare, maybe,” Joseph quipped, frowning when nobody got his reference. “Remind me to show you guys something later.”
Rob rolled his eyes. “Jax. ‘Are you keeping the eye patch? It's actually a useful thing to keep an eye in darkness, then to switch it so one doesn't have to spend time to regain night vision—for humans anyway.’”
Jax looked up from his son, grinning from ear to ear—which was impressive, considering the orientations involved. He adjusted his hold on the kit to flip up the patch, showing off the silver iris of the mismatched eye before covering it again. “I am required to limit the light exposure for some time until it will be considered healed. I see no need to maintain it after the fact. In addition, I believe your doctors have concluded that our eyes adjust more quickly than your own.”
The black-furred male paused. “I could see the utility in an environment where flashing might occur, but that would be all.”
“Why is it silver?” Robert asked curiously. The Master Hunter sighed in defeat as Jax’s expression became softer.
“It is through Joseph’s request that I have regained sight at all. I felt it appropriate to symbolize such.”
“He’s a stubborn ass,” Joseph corrected. “He asked for a camera patch-through so his sight could ‘belong’ to me too, but the hospital didn’t have the resources on hand.”
“Working on it,” Eris chipped in over the speakers playfully.
“Don’t you have things to be doing?”
“Actually,” Rob interjected. “Eris, mind answering a few questions?”
“...If I can,” she replied cautiously.
“’On a scale from one to neutron star, how dense would you say Leader was before he finally realized his feelings?’”
“Neutron star,” she deadpanned. A quiet noise of disapproval droned in the background.
Joseph raised a finger accusingly at a camera. “Are you... Eris, why are you with Leader?”
“...Work?”
Rob waited for his brother to finish frowning. “That’s convenient, actually. I have a question for him after this, but we’ll get through you first. Two questions: ‘How do you feel about Joe and all he's done with the pack?’ and ‘Did you know he might save you when you raided all the data from the military?’”
“We are so fucked if this gets out,” Joseph commented lazily.
“It won’t. Eris?”
She hummed for a moment. “The master has created an interesting society around him. It’s fun. As for before? Well, I figured the UM were going to...overreact and I collected what I would need to fix myself up, regardless of what broke. Did I think he would be the one to do it?” She cycled a breath—not that her modulator needed it, so she was just being dramatic. “I had a readout of everything failing one by one—lungs, kidney, liver, heart... I think it was about the fifth organ frying that I had to just hope someone could do something about it. I wasn’t happy about it, but the master was the only one who could help. I didn’t really think I’d wake up again, to be honest… I was scared…”
The Martian’s expression fell, his tone apologetic. “I’m sorry to bring it up.”
“It’s fine. It worked out.”
He nodded. “We’re glad it did. Could you pass a question on to Leader?” She agreed. “Alright. ‘Knowing now what Joe did, would you have left the UM to join the pack if it had been an option?’”
Eris relayed the question, a few seconds passing before she replied. “He said that although things happened that he wished didn’t, he would rather focus on the future he was given.”
“Thank you, Eris.” Rob flipped through his pages, his finger hovering over it until it tapped on a particular question. “Idee, would you mind?”
The seamstress nodded with a smile.
“’Will you eventually make a new company?’”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The brown and black-furred female considered it. “Pelz Luxus was satisfying to watch grow, but I dislike what often becomes of success; profits outweigh freedom of expression after a certain point. I would not be opposed to employing Huntress Pan—and perhaps a few others—in a smaller or more focused endeavour, but I have had my fill of anything beyond such.”
Rob raised his brows in agreement. “It’s a little more clear-cut with my industry, but I know what you mean. Thank you for answering. Next is Tel. ‘What is your favourite firearm or engagement distance in a full on gunfight?’”
The Blademistress didn’t even blink, grinning as the words poured out seductively. “Anti-Material Rifles beyond the seventh revision—preferably with an adjustable optic and modified condenser—and either on the edge of its effective range, or close enough that the last they see is the satisfaction in my eyes. Instant, or one blissful last moment as the realization of their end comes only fractions before it.”
The Martian cleared his throat. “I-I see... Moving on... Mi’low, may I? Alright. ‘How do you really feel about everything with Joseph now?’”
The crimson-furred female glared at the Master Hunter through the corner of her eye, a slow exhale preceding her answer. “The Guardian determines our path. There is little more worth saying.”
“That’s... Okay then. For the ‘girls’: ‘Will—or can—the Wraiths ever retire from duty? What if they are too ill or old?’”
Scarlet paused in passing out drinks, the others letting her speak for them as usual. “As Blades, we were to serve until we either found our Sheaths, or completed our contracts.”
“And now?”
She looked at Joseph for a second. “Until the grasp of the Void pulls too strongly, and even then, we will crawl to serve our master.”
The Master Hunter frowned. “I never said—“
“—My brother is a slave driver, got it,” Rob interrupted with a smirk. “Nalah, If you would. ‘What has been the most complicated building project?’ and ‘How do you refine Joe's half-assed ideas?’”
“I don’t know why everyone is picking on me,” Joseph grumbled. Nalah stopped her chuckling, leaning a little further into her mate.
“The most complex construction was the Hall, followed by any infrastructure upgrades. Joseph’s guidance when we were still establishing ourselves was invaluable, regardless of what he claims.” She motioned for Rob to move on as the Master Hunter kept complaining.
“Pan, you’re next. This has a few parts, and I understand if you don’t want to answer them. Anyway, ‘If medical technology evolved enough that you were able to have kits, would you do it? Who would be the sire? If Joe could have a child and science made a hybrid possible, would you and him try?’”
Pan stopped playing with Kena as a somewhat sorrowful expression was erased by a wistful smile. “If I was able to bear my mate’s kit, I would, but I would wish no other’s.”
The mood of the room dropped, Tel scowling at Rob for the question. He was quick to give an apologetic look that was dismissed with an understanding shake of Pan’s head.
“Next, I guess. Sahari, ‘If you and Nalah had the option, would you adopt or help raise orphaned kits? You know Joe would take them in like lost kittens.’”
The mated females shared a glance. “I doubt any young we provided for would be ours alone,” the black-furred female answered. “I would assume any kits who are lacking a den would find no issue being cared for by any number of the pack.”
“If Joseph didn’t get to them first,” Nalah added teasingly. Sahari continued over the male’s mock outrage.
“We assist in caring for Harrow’s kits when needed. I see little difference between the question and our current arrangement. More would pose no change.”
“So, yes,” Robert surmised. “Alright. Next is directed at Faye, but it seems fairly open. ‘Do Lilhuns keep pets? If so, what are they like?’”
The gold-furred female blinked. “Typically, no—unless one were to include livestock. I admit my experience with such is limited to the moss-wolves under my care, however. I am operating under the assumption you are referring to companion animals?”
“Yes, but you pretty much covered it. Thank you. Next is Mi’low again, if that’s okay? ‘Do you follow Joseph because you respect him as a leader, or is it more of what he represents and what he inspires others to do that earns your loyalty?’”
The Grand Huntress exhaled slowly. “Many seem curious in that which does not concern them, it appears.”
“You don’t have to answer,” Robert reminded her gently. She waved it off.
“I follow for the same reason many do; though his methods are strange, they’ve proven their effectiveness. As he learned his role, his pack benefited. It is merely the results of his oddities that await us.”
The Martian nodded slowly. “...Thank you. Jax, ‘Where did your family relocate? Did you consider bringing them to meet Joe or possibly join the pack instead?’”
The black-furred male shook his head. “I do not know their exact location, unfortunately—it would be a security risk. Rey’zel has assured me that I might visit them again, but at such time it would be done without being aware of where I am. As for having them join here…? No. They wish to do what they can to help our people rebuild. I do not fault them for it.”
“Thank you, Jax. Tel, then. ‘What's been your favourite thing to cook so far? The least?’
She pondered it for a moment, watching as Pan fully took Kena from their mate to coddle and allow him to drink without worrying about an emergency bath. “I rather enjoy all cooking; It allows mechanical execution which my body may follow while thoughts roam. If I were required to say, then preparing meals which need little input from myself are perhaps my least preferred—if only for failing to meet the prior criteria.”
“I can see that,” Rob agreed loosely. “You enjoy the time to think while still being productive. I’m the same way for a lot of things. Okay, next. This is for Pan and Idee: ‘What other materials do you make clothing—cloth, in particular—from?’”
Idee gestured for Pan to take the reins for this question. “The cloth is typically large fronds that have been degraded down to the base structure in a chemical solution, dried, condensed, spun, then woven,” the Paw provided. “I know not what the solution is now—Toril was kind enough to distill and modify it for efficiency—but the previous was natural salts and acids, followed by a conditioning bath. Besides such, the fabricator is able to provide a wide variety of textiles.”
“We also use leathers of our various hunts,” Idee added. “Though some are more suited for particular applications.”
“Interesting,” Robert commented, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Next we have... Pan, Joseph, and Tel: ‘Have you sound-proofed the rooms yet?’”
Joseph raised a brow, his answer cut short by Harrow.
“Nope,” she stated flatly. He glared at the orange-furred female as she smiled innocently back at him. “What?”
Rob cleared his throat, the laugh only barely cracking through his attempt to be professional. “’No’ it is. Next, while you two are flirting.”
The Master Hunter gave a deadpan stare. “We’re not—“
“—Joseph! ‘What would be the risks if you actually agreed to Harrow and Jax’s offer out of the blue?’”
He waited a moment for anyone to bark out an answer as a joke, sibling hatred burning into the man on the screen as several curious gazes focus on Joseph. “I wouldn’t. I’ve never thought about them that way.”
A snort of doubt from Sahari and Nalah paired with a look of challenge from Jax and Harrow. Pan was pointedly keeping her attention on her bundle of kit as Tel placed a paw on his lap, her claws biting into his pants. He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
“I hate you all.”
“Moving on,” Rob redirected, likely seeing the bout of playful banter about to break out. “Jax, ‘Hotdogs or hamburgers?’”
“They can’t do grains,” Joseph clarified in his exasperation. “Not much, anyway.”
Jax nodded his agreement, adjusting his hold on his son. “Assuming we are to speak of only the meat? I have had the privilege of trying...’beef,’ was it? I found that enjoyable.”
The Martian gave a curious glance to his brother. Joseph shrugged. “Someone brought it from the ship.”
Robert gave a facial shrug. “Hamburgers it is, I suppose. Next is...Violet. ‘As the Queen, do you have future plans for Atmo relations with humanity and Lilhuns once things with the Union settle?’
The purple insect perked upon hearing her name, pausing her gossiping with her sister to think. She scratched out her answer, slowing every so often to translate whatever she had to something Rob and Joseph could read. [There is too much to consider to give an answer right now, but we are using A’lena as a sign that cooperation is possible. I’m hopeful.]
Joseph craned his neck to read her tablet, stuck between a frown and a smile at it. Settling things with the Union could be a long way out, and he wasn’t sure what that might look like. Hopefully, all of them were still around to be friends.
Rob shared the same expression, but nodded his thanks at his brother’s daughter. “We are too, Violet. Alright, next. Tel, ‘What was your hardest kill?’”
Any mirth on the grey-furred female’s face evaporated. “That would depend on how one defines ‘hard.’ Complexity? Most precise? The greatest odds beaten? Perhaps...the most difficult to commit...” Her voice came out strained. “There are many that were ‘hard,’ but I’m afraid that the one which I am inclined to reply with shall remain unspoken.”
The Master Hunter placed a hand on her paw, sharing a glance with Pan as the white-furred female’s tail found her other’s. Tel smiled a little, but she kept quiet. Robert cleared his throat with a guilty expression.
“You don’t need to answer; we have more here. Like this one for... Actually, this is just asking me to do something.” The screen changed over to a picture of a woman wearing a french maid outfit for a few seconds. “They wanted me to show Tel and the girls this.”
Joseph tilted his head. “Why?”
Rob dismissed the image. “To screw with you, apparently. I’m not sure, but I can see where they got the idea—you did match the uniform to a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop.”
“I liked it there; They were on the way to work, and the baristas were nice. I think it suits them.”
“Which is why maids wouldn’t be much of a stretch—they’re already in aprons,” the man mumbled. “Next question.”
“I heard that.”
“Next question!” He squinted at the page. “These I can ask quickly. Joe, ‘We know that whatever they use to hide their scent smells—to you—like mint. Well, there's a relative of the mint family that I am wondering if you have ever considered what its effects on Lilhuns would be. What about a laser pointer?’”
Joseph took a drink from his can, staring at the ceiling in thought. “Wait, catnip is related to mint? Weird. Uh, no. Never tried it, and never really considered it. Lasers though?” He scratched at his cheek, returning his hand to Tel’s paw as his eyes flicked to a few of the attendees. “Sudden movement distracts them at times. I can see it screwing with them if they’re doing something focus-heavy.”
Robert frowned pensively. “Is it racist if I thought they’d chase it? Probably. Moving on. This says it’s for both Pan and Joe, but seems more like it’s just for Joe. ‘Are the Lilhuns able to drink caffeine, and if so, has Pan become addicted? What are the consequences?’”
The Master Hunter stared blankly at the screen, his lips pursed. The question was enough to get Tel’s attention back, and it came with a mischievous smirk. He was doing a good job of not letting it show on his face, but Pan’s bright blush ruined it. “Uh... Well, I mean they...can. I...wouldn’t...exactly recommend it. Usually.”
The Martian lowered the papers with a questioning look. “Because? They never sent me the results of that testing, I genuinely don’t know how it affects them.”
Sahari joined the cluster of people suddenly being rather quiet, though her accusatory glare let everyone know it was due to her bond. Joseph cleared his throat while trying not to look at the grey-furred female. “You know how Tel...is?”
Robert closed his mouth, the breath he was going to use to ask something being exhaled as he made the connection. “You mean... Ah. Wait, really?”
Tel leaned a little bit heavier into her mate, her claws tracing up his thigh as he subtly shifted the energy drink out of her reach. Rob took the silent plea to drop it as the response, chuckling to himself.
“That’s a thing, I guess. Anyway, one here is asking Rey’zel something, but I had to submit it prior to this. For the sake of keeping everyone in the loop, I’ll read out both the question and her response.” He cleared his throat. “To Rey’zel: ‘Will you reform the UM to be less intrusive to the civilian side?” To which she replied ‘With the assistance of our allies, we are able to diversify our focus and become more than we were forced to be. The impending return of the Union was what bound us to such decisions—now we may truly heal from the wounds we have sustained.’”
“Sounds like a politician,” Joseph commented flatly.
Rob shrugged. “She is, in a way. I’d probably answer about the same; credit the people who are helping you, then follow up with some generic answer saying things are getting better. I don’t doubt her—things have been looking up since we got them settled away—it’s just a matter of building now. Anyway, the rest are directed at either Lilhuns or Atmo in general.”
“Shoot.”
“Alright. Atmo first. ‘What was it like being a hexapedal living tank when you saved the settlement, or when escorting Joe into the wilds?’”
Joseph frowned. Thankfully, Violet was too busy transcribing responses to notice. [They were scared, but if they didn’t face their fears, they would have nothing left to be brave for.]
The Martian’s expression fell. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry to bring it up. Shall we move on to the general Lilhun questions?”
Joseph checked with both the Queens before nodding.
“’Will the Lilhun ever start a fishing industry on A'lena?’” Most heads turned towards the human in the room.
“We’re looking into it, but there’s things we want to shore up first,” the Master Hunter answered, pausing to take a drink. “Once we get a settlement actually on the water, we can explore it. We’ll want the infrastructure for making and maintaining the boats, unloading them, processing the catch, storing the catch, then distributing it. That doesn’t include any adjustments made to the type of catch—which could require pots, nets, rakes, or plain ol’ rotating where you fish by season—and those each have their own considerations.”
Rob blinked. “I wasn’t expecting you to know much about it.”
He shrugged. “A coworker I spent long shifts with used to live in a fishing town. Spend ten hours doing menial shit in one spot and anything can be a good enough conversation to pass the time.”
“Uh huh... Next question... ‘What do humans smell like?’”
A few of the pack exchanged glances, Harrow eventually raising a paw.
“Yes, Harrow?”
“What do you mean?”
Robert glanced at the page. “...No, I read it right. They want to know what we smell like to you, since you have more sensitive noses.”
“Humans,” she answered blankly. “You smell like humans.”
He waited a moment before gesturing for her to continue. “And that is most similar to...”
She turned her focus to Joseph, pouting as she considered it. A huff of exasperation escaped her. “Well, if you’re far enough away, then it just smells like really strong pheromones. Up close, it’s that, but more. We’re used to it now, but it’s pretty jarring at first.”
A few murmured agreements came from the pack.
“Other than that? I’m not sure,” she admitted in a defeated tone. “Joe smells like Joe, and you smell like Joe, but different. Ryan and Steve smell like themselves, but not like each other. Does that make sense?”
Robert bobbed his head side to side, a pensive expression on his face. “So you don’t smell anything particularly ‘human,’ just the individuals?”
She shrugged. “I guess. It’s different from us, but the same. I could tell a new human from a new Lilhun, but I couldn’t tell you why.”
He hummed his passing interest. “Fair enough. Next question. ‘Will there be an extended underground railway system in the future to connect all new founded cities and important facilities on the continent, as well as nearby islands or continents?’”
Sunny took the opportunity to speak, getting a nod when she looked to Joseph for permission. “Such is the eventual goal, yes. Due to our positioning within ‘Union aligned’ territory, it is in our best interests to avoid surface transport on any wide scale.”
“Thank you, Sunundra. This last question is for Atmo and Lilhuns. ‘Will both species accept A’lena as a homeworld in the future?’”
Several expressions of contemplation were broken by Violet enthusiastically displaying her tablet. [Home is where father is!]
Joseph burst, barely restraining the laughter that caught him off guard through a somewhat painful snort. “I think he means all of the Atmo.”
His daughter deflated. [I hope so, but if they find somewhere else to live, that would be okay too.]
Pan looked heartbroken, shifting the kit in her arms to reach out and stroke Violet soothingly. Trill, surprisingly, decided to answer for his species.
“As a homeworld? Only in the most dire of circumstances where A’lena is yet to fall, and all else has. I do not foresee it occurring otherwise.”
Joseph caught himself nodding. “Yeah, I think we have potential to be a hub for the species, but I doubt they’d want anything more. A lot of them who come here learn about the bonding thing with humans and are...less than enthused by it.”
Rob stared for a moment too long for his interest to be casual. “How so?”
“They don’t want the ‘Hunt Mother’s Gift’ to favour you,” Eris supplied over the speakers. “I...was of the same mind, for a time.”
Robert cycled a breath. “That’s something we’re hoping to address soon enough, I guess. Alright, the last thing we have here is... Nalah, share Sahari’s opinion on a video I’m about to show...apparently.”
The blond-furred female nodded, looking at her mate. “I can do that...”
The screen flicked to a black image. “One second... I need to find... Here it is.”
A recording of a woman crushing a watermelon between her thighs played, the violent crack and spilled flesh of the fruit reverberating through the hub. Rob came back to a crowd displaying a variety of opinions—confusion and curiosity being the main ones.
“So, her reaction, Nalah?”
The Head planner snapped her eyes from her mate’s legs. “Hmm? Oh. Um.” Her cheeks coloured as she glanced back to see Sahari giving her a cocky side-eye. “Nothing of note.”
An amused chuckle came from the man on the screen. “That’s everything. I do have other things to do after this, unfortunately, so I’ll take my leave here. Thank you all for answering.”
Joseph waved it off, resting his arms on his knees. “Not a problem, Rob. We’ll be in touch.”
The few of the pack who were on friendly terms said their goodbyes, freezing as Tel stole her mate’s drink when he was about to take a sip. She poured it into her mouth as she grabbed him by the collar, swallowing purposefully and dragging him off the couch towards the dormitory wing.
Pan blinked, watching them leave before she noticed Harrow holding out her arms with a flat smirk. With a sheepish smile, she deposited Kena into the mother’s arms, blushed bright pink, then politely excused herself to go after them.