WIP Wednesday – Clans of Kalquor 9: Alien Indiscretions

                Tasha wiggled her perfectly trimmed eyebrows. “I’m confirming my date with a clan tomorrow.”

                “Oh, you’re getting going right away too.  Shall we double?”

                “I doubt it.” Tasha made her snooty face, the one she used when she played at being above Cissy’s antics. “This is a more mature clan than the one you picked for a first date.  My guess is their tastes would run more operatic than that crazy tribal music concert you’re going to.  Dinner and a live theater show.”

                Cissy yawned. “How very exciting.  Are they at least cute?” She waved to forestall Tasha’s answer. “No, you wouldn’t want cute. Adorable isn’t your thing. Are they handsome, I mean?”

                Tasha closed out the computer program. “Does it matter? Looks aren’t nearly as important as what’s inside.”

                “No, it doesn’t matter.  I was just curious.”

                Tasha touched her hair, making sure it was still in its bun. “Actually, the Dramok is insanely handsome, almost the equal of Jessica’s Bevau.  He was at the party last night.  The one you were so rude to ... Councilman Diltan.”

                Cissy bit her lower lip. She remembered the dismissive look on the Dramok’s face as he eyed her clothing. I bet he’d be impressed with how I look now, the shallow jerk.

                She said, “Oh boy.  Tasha, Lindsey told me we should be careful of that one.”

                Tasha shrugged. “I thought he was quite nice.  Besides, I checked with Jessica, and she thinks Diltan is wonderful.  He often supports the measures the Imperial Clan wants, but when he doesn’t, he lets them know under no uncertain terms.”

                That didn’t sound much like the man Lindsey had described. But then, Lindsey had also admitted Diltan had changed since she'd first met him.

                He still has a thing for outward appearances. Heaven forbid he look beyond the packaging like Tasha prefers to do.

                Cissy knew she didn’t present herself as well as her twin. Most of the time, she didn’t care. However, something about the way Diltan had looked at her rankled.  Like the way he almost seemed pained by her clothing.

                She didn’t share that with her twin. Instead, she said, “I don’t know.  You and a smarmy politician?  What do his clanmates do?”

                “The Nobek is the head of their prison system.  He’s a fierce looking one, downright scary, in fact. Not pretty like his Dramok. The Imdiko is a judge of Kalquor’s highest court.”

                It was the kind of match Jessica might have wrangled for Tasha. Cissy rolled her eyes and stuck her pinky out in a pseudo-sophisticated pose. “Well, lah-dee-dah.”

                Tasha made her own snobbish face. “Lah-dee-dah is right.  While I dine on caviar and champagne or whatever the Kalquorian equivalent is, you can have the alien version of chicken wings and beer.  Let me hear you grunt, you animal.”

No release date set.