TO didn’t notice the way Snout’s ears once more flicked parallel to the ground as they gave a disheartened sigh while TO coughed and coughed. All they could notice was how that drink burned as they tried to cough up what they had almost inhaled. DH jumped from their chair and hovered next to TO and placed a hand on their shoulder and one on their back.
“That’s it, keep coughing.”
TO tried to say, perhaps a little sharply, that they couldn’t exactly stop but the words couldn’t escape.
“See, this is a bad time.” Flit said as they got up to grab some rags from nearby, “Look, You just mentioned it, and they choked.”
“GiDi’s reaction was worse.” Snout said, “Something you’d know if you had been here to help me with that chat.”
TO coughed once more and held a hand up to Flit. “No need.” They gasped, but the moment they spoke they coughed again.
“I promise, there's a need.” Snout said, “And it’s something that should have gone over long ago.”
Finally, TO felt they had their coughing under control. They took several long, careful breaths before they spoke again. “You said synths don’t have reproductive organs!”
“No.” Snout said, their face one of unreadable neutrality, their ears flicking in mild irritation. “I said most of them are removed. Not all of them.”
“Why not all of them?!” TO demanded.
“King Decon is content to alter and adjust Chilacians to his will, but there are limits.” Snout said. “We remove parts of the organs, but not all of them. It would be too risky an operation and would affect too much in the long run. Besides, what’s the point of a long, risky operation when he can just do a much more simple alteration to the brain to prevent most reproductive systems from functioning in the first place? It’s far more efficient.” They shrugged, “Honestly, the removal of certain organs is probably more intended to facilitate the harvesting of genetic material needed to create more synths. The change to the brain is normally far more effective than-” They sighed, and looked up at Flit. “Flit, you want to sit down?”
TO hadn’t realized that Flit was still up. They had set the rags on the table, over the small puddle of coughed up drink on the table, but now Flit was edging to the door. As soon as Snout called them on it, they headed back to the table with low, blue ears.
Seeing Flit in this new setting, one where they could be free with their affection for Snout, was a little disconcerting as it was. Seeing this level of awkwardness from the former Retiree, who seemed so composed and strong back in the training center was downright disorientating. It felt like Flit should be above this; above feeling awkward about this stuff.
But.. Why should they? Why should TO expect Flit to be any different from themself? TO nearly choked on their drink, and DH, despite their earlier concern for TO, was now quite blue in the ears themself and absolutely silent! Why should Flit have things any more put together than they did?
The only one who seemed to have everything together was Snout, who only seemed mildly annoyed at the surrounding reactions.
TO took a steadying breath, and though their ears were still low and burning they tried to calm themself. The moment they did, a question came to mind.
“... Do you even have information?” TO asked, staring at their mostly empty can of drink on the table, “I mean, back in the training center you were trying to figure out if the genetic material was genetic material, right? So… if you only just confirmed that-”
“I’ve been on Arkane for a while now.” Snout said, their shoulders relaxing a little now that TO had asked a question, and now that some conversation was starting. “And while contact with the Chilacian home species is limited–especially now with the lockdown–I could make a request for information.” the slightest flush colored their ears as they glanced at Flit, “Besides that, I have personal experience.”
Flit seemed like they were going to hide their face in their hands, but stopped themself and settled for clasping their hands before them, their elbows on the table, and resting their chin as their ears glowed.
“Yeah, uh…” DH glanced aside, “We have… We know what we’re doing.” DH muttered, glancing away. “We figured things out-”
“I doubt that.” Snout said. “And unless you feel you want to share every aspect of what you have ‘figured out’ then I think it best to start from the beginning and assume you know nothing.”
“Beginning is good!” TO said, a little too quickly. Yes, this wasn’t a conversation they wanted to get into at all, but seeing Snout so neutral about it calmed them. They also had no interest in telling the two anything of what they and DH had ‘figured out.’ The quiet nights in their ship or in their room, slowly exploring one another first with hands, then eventually with their mouths.
Nope. they didn’t want to talk to them about any of that.
“Good.” Snout said, then glanced at DH, “You?”
“I-I’m good.” TO stammered, looking directly at the table in front of them.
“Good.” Snout said, glancing at Flit. “Now, first, and what you’re most worried about… GiDi is fine.”
TO glanced up at Flit, “That’s what they said.” They muttered, “And I mentioned to Pearla what happened…”
Snout’s ears flicked up, “Oh, you did?” They asked, “And what did she say?”
“.. That GiDi would be fine…” TO glanced at the table which DH found so interesting. At this moment, they could see why. They really didn’t want to think about how stupid they had been in pushing Pearla earlier. “And that it had to do with biology.”
“Well, they are fine.” Snout said. There was a sudden shift in their demeanor. Their ears went absolutely neutral in a way that TO hadn’t seen since the training center, and their eyes narrowed a little. They didn’t seem angry, they just seemed very businesslike. It was like they were in training again. Even so, Snout paused, looking past TO and DH as they collected their thoughts.
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“In the Chilacian homeworld, there’s a saying.” Snout said, “Now, the language they use today has split off from our synth-speak. Synth-speak is like Archaic Chilacian; it hasn't changed since Decon stole it. Still, the saying translates out to something like ‘Friendship is the seed of love.’ This basically means that without Friendship. No romantic love can exist between two individuals.”
This was an easier topic than TO expected at least. “You mean like in shows when the main character in a show realizes that their best friend was best for them all along?” They asked.
“No.” Snout said, “I mean literally and chemically. All romantic feelings stem from friendship in Chilacian society. Flit and I were good friends before any kind of romantic feelings really formed, or could form.”
“Do you have to talk about us?” Flit grumbled.
“Yes, I do.” Snout said, “Basically, when a Chilacian becomes friends with someone, their bodies adapt, to get used to one another. Affection and friendship among any social animal triggers the production of a hormone that makes the person feel happy. It’s a simple evolutionary trait to encourage socialization in species that need it to survive.”
Flit stifled a groan, “If you’re doing this, can you do it without going through a theory of general evolution across the galaxy?”
“Right. Well.” Snout cleared their throat, “In Chilacians a similar hormone exists, but it’s more specialized. Without getting into too many details the body learns to tell who is triggering the production of this hormone, and adapts to react best to the individual who triggers the highest levels of those hormones, essentially by playing off the other’s hormonal scent signature.”
Embarrassment over the frankly awkward topic faded away as curiosity took over for TO. Curiosity had always been such a problematic thing for TO, getting them into more trouble than they needed. At this moment though, it was breaking through the mortification. “So…” they pulled on their basic knowledge of general biology. “So.. I’m guessing we have scent glands somewhere then.”
“Yes.” Snout said, “Well, technically there are scent markers in your sweat, but there are scent glands behind the ears.”
TO’s preoccupation with ears suddenly made so much more sense, and that realization came with a flash of embarrassment. Still, that wasn’t their crucial question, and they still had to work out their thoughts. Their words came out slowly as they tried to figure things out while battling their desire to disappear. “And… Perhaps the hormones from one bind to the other… no, that wouldn't work.” They frowned, considering for another moment before they snapped their fingers, “If that hormone is produced in the presence of friends, and the body ends up being able to identify one person who it gets the most of this hormone from, then it would adapt and save its energy to use this person to get the most, while getting a little less from others! It’s basic respondent conditioning for the endocrine system!”
“That’s a basic enough explanation.” Snout said, their ears twitching in the slightest pride. “Good.”
“They pick up quickly.” Flit muttered as their ears perked up.
“Faster than you.” Snout said with a smirk and a flick of their ears. “Anyway, when the body gets very efficient at producing that hormone, you basically hit a moment of saturation.” They leaned forward, their posture becoming casual, the cold neutrality of their visage lifting slightly. “The body produces more of this hormone than it can actually use. This moment is… well, it’s sudden. Most individuals describe it as a time stop. A glance at the eyes that drags on.”
TO’s ears dipped once more, as they looked at the table again. That moment when they caught DH’s eyes in the showers, the first moment when DH said they wanted to kiss them, that was this ‘moment of saturation’?
“The moment of saturation is called a soft bond.” Snout continued, “Basically, that’s when one Chilacian body recognizes another as a potential mate, and prepares for that… and that takes a long time in good circumstances. In poor ones where food is scarce, or in high-stress situations, it can take longer.” They twirled a hand in the air, as though pulling together their thoughts, “Basically, this hormone, and it’s excess, triggers reproductive hormones. The more you have, the faster the body adapts and develops, and the sooner a reproductive cycle can occur. In high stress environments, there’s less of this hormone derived from other sources, so it takes longer.”
“Wait.” TO put up a hand to stop Snout as pieces fell together, “Your phrasing there; reproductive cycle. Does that imply that… the individuals-” It was easier to look at this from a scientific standpoint, as Snout seemed to do. Talking about the whole situation as though they were talking of a different species was absolutely easier. “-That individuals go into seasons?”
Snout pursed their lips, “... not quite, but something like that.” They said, “They go into a ‘mating phase’ but saying a ‘season’ implies that it’s all individuals all at the same time; in the same season. For Chilacians, it’s much more individualized.” There was another swirl of their hand. They spoke a lot more with their hands than normal, TO noted. “As a general rule once the cycles start they can average around once every two galactic spans. Well, Technically it’s four ‘months’ on Apoikia-”
“They don’t know that time frame.” Flit said.
“Well, that’s why I converted it.” Snout said, and though their ears pinned just slightly at Flit’s interruption, they were otherwise high up and pleased.
“So, individuals have a mating cycle.” TO said firmly, the certainty at their conclusion growing stronger, “And many species with a mating cycle get more aggressive during the….” They paused, their ears growing hot once more, “During the… active part of the cycle.”
“Wait.” DH finally spoke, their realization of the situation breaking through their mortification that the entire conversation was happening in the first place. They looked wide-eyed at TO, “You’re suggesting that GiDi was so angry and aggressive because of a mating… thing?”
“The Chilacians call it Enkavma.” Snout continued, their voice still as cool as possible, “And yes, that’s exactly correct.”