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Rocky is at my door before class, like always, to walk me there as if I don’t know the way.
I do know the way, and he knows I know the way. My memory is not that bad and I can practically see the classroom from my house in the biodome.
I’ve settled back into teaching so fast and so easily, like putting on a pair of old jeans.
I miss my old jeans.
The kids are just like the kids back on earth. At the point in their life where they’re learning their place in the universe and they’re hungry for knowledge.
I try not to use that kind of phrasing out loud, but it always gets a laugh from the kids. Like making fart jokes infront of human kids, I guess.
“I have a gift for you,” Rocky says as I open the door, his voice sweet and high. Not his usual hello or chastising me for making him wait. As fluent as I’ve become in Eridian the tones are still hard for me to distinguish. Although I have trouble with this in English too. Maybe I’m just bad at that…
He sounds… either concerned or nervous. I can’t quite tell which.
“Lay it on me, bud,” I reply, keeping a soft smile on my face in the hopes it’ll make him worry less.
Rocky produces a box from behind him.
It’s a little box, a 5 or 6 inch cube.
“Is there a reason for this?” I ask, taking the box from him. It’s, unsurprisingly, surprisingly heavy. Most things on Erid are, you'd think I’d be used to it by now, but I’m somehow not.
“You say your biodome is perfect now, so I made a gift to celebrate. I am happy you are happy.” He tilts towards me a little, a deliberate Eridian smile.
“Oh,” I say, my voice pitching slightly, “Thankyou, Rock.”
I open the box, and inside is a thin and oddly textured wire bracelet, kind of like a bangle, with a small sphere at either end. It kind of reminds me of the Petrova lines that linked so many planets to their suns.
One sphere was a darker brown colour, not metal but some kind of polished rock, the other a pale yellowish pink, I think it’s sandstone?
Maybe it is meant to be a Petrova line? Eridians aren’t too good with colours, maybe it’s meant to be Venus and Sol?
I don’t want to ruin the moment with questions, so I hold them back.
I’ll ask later.
“Oh, this is so beautiful. I love it.” I smile at him and put the bracelet on my wrist. “I’ll wear it all the time.”
I suddenly remember that, just like on Earth, some items are meant for special occasions only. Would wearing this all the time be like wearing a corsage as a daily accessory?
“It’s not weird if I wear it all the time, is it?”
Rocky gives a little trill of a laugh. “No, it’s fine to wear all the time.”
It’s got to be so annoying for him to explain all these little cultural things to me. I’ve accidentally made so many social faux pas.
And now that I have asked a question the ones I was holding back come tumbling out too.
“Is it meant to be a Petrova line? Is it meant to be Sol and Venus?”
Another little trill leaves him, he’s bobbing around excited.
“No, it’s me and you.” He stretches out a hand to tap the brown sphere with his suit. “Rocky.” He moves his hand to tap the pale sphere, “Grace.”
I let out a small breath. “That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I put my hand against the body of his suit, and he tilts up to press himself against the xenonite separating us.
“Thankyou so much Rocky. Really.”
I look at the bracelet again, at the sphere that’s supposed to represent me. “Is this meant to be my skin colour? This is the colour you think I am?”
“You won’t let me point the camera at you. So I had to estimate.”
Yeah that thing still creeps me out. It looks too much like a gun for my liking.
“It’s pretty close,” I lie.
Rocky titters again and pulls away from my hand. “I can fix.”
I shake my head and hold my bracelet-laden wrist to my chest. “No, I just said I’m never taking it off.”
I look down at it one more time, grin on my face, then let out a breath. “We should get going, I’m going to be late.”
We walk toward the classroom, Rocky nattering about Adrian’s work as we go. They’re apparently moving on now that my biodome is complete. Obviously I’m still their top priority, but they have more free time to work on other not-as-important things now that nothing in my biodome needs changing.
It feels kind of selfish to admit but I’ve liked being the centre of Rocky and Adrian’s life. I’ve seen them almost every day. Actually, not almost, every day. There hasn’t been a day since I got here that I haven’t seen at least one of them.
For a handful of Eridian years my routine has been the same. The fact that it’s changing doesn’t fill me with many positive emotions.
“I’ll still visit every day,” Rocky assures me.
I didn’t realise it but I think I’d gone quiet.
I smile. I didn’t realise I had stopped smiling. “Yeah, of course.”
Obviously Rocky can sense my upset.
“Rocky love Grace,” Rocky says, his voice oddly formal.
I let out a soft breath. It’s nice to hear him trying so hard to comfort me.
“I love you too, bud,” I reply, putting my hand on his suit again.
He presses against my hand again for a few seconds, then pulls away. “Go to class,” he orders.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I watch as he begins to scamper away.
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
I can’t help noticing the hollow feeling that’s come to my chest as I begin to set up my class.
I look down at the bracelet. It feels almost like an apology gift. Like someone giving their dog a big bone before they spend the day out.
I’ll save these emotions for later.
I have a class to teach.
I sit down at the organ and play out a few notes.
“Teaching teaching I am a teacher.”
I’m not even thinking about the huge change to my daily routine anymore.
It’s fine.
I’m thinking about teaching.
Today I’m teaching about distribution by osmosis. It’s pretty simple but the kids find any lesson involving water fascinating, so I know they’ll love this one. They always ask if processes involving water are different on my side of the wall.
‘Not different, just slower’ is my usual answer.
I think it has something to do with the beautiful seascape they can see behind me. They love watching the perfectly curated earth-sea waves. Or listening to them, I mean.
I do too. It’s so calming to watch.
After a short while the Eridian side of the classroom fills with the chittering and chattering of the pebbles.
And, my gosh, they are rowdy today.
I wait the customary 5 minutes before I tell them to settle.
They don’t.
“1, 2, 3, eyes on me,” I play.
They don’t have eyes but that usually works.
Not today, though.
What has gotten into them?
I step away from the keyboard and start speaking English.
They don’t really understand it yet, but the ‘fun strange alien noises’ are enough of a novelty that it usually gets their attention.
“One hand up,” I say loudly as I raise a hand.
A few of the students raise a hand. None of them stop chattering.
“Two hands up!” I say louder, almost shouting, raising my second arm as I speak.
A few more of the students raise their hands, not many of them stop talking.
I would say less than 40% of them have stilled.
“Three hands up!” I crouch slightly on one leg, lifting my other as high as I can without falling.
Ow, my knee…
I have never had a class where that didn’t get their attention.
Until this one, apparently.
“Kids, that is enough!” I shout across the class, standing again. “I have been teaching for 120 years, I have taught on two different planets, and this is the worst I have ever had a class behave!”
The pebbles finally fall silent. A few of them letting out the long low hums of remorse and apology.
I move back to the organ.
“What is up with you guys today? Has something happened, question?”
I give my foot a few little taps to indicate a genuine question.
I shouldn’t have asked- the classroom explodes into a din of sound again.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I yell, deafened.
“Hands up to speak.” I remind them.
I’m now looking at a sea of little Eridian hands.
I point at one of them. One I’ve named Dewey both due to their colour and proclivity with numbers.
Dewey is pointing at me frantically as they talk, “Saviour-grace is courting!” they sing, loud and inquisitive.
Again the class erupts into sound.
“I need you all to be quiet!”
The class turns quiet.
“Hands up to talk. Please.” I remind them yet again.
“What do you mean ‘Saviour-Grace is courting’,” I ask.
Dewey points at me again, more forcefully this time.
I look down at myself. “What… what do you mean..?” I’m talking almost to myself but the pebbles don’t know that.
“Saviour-grace has courting gift.”
Courting gift..?
My eyes come to rest on the bracelet Rocky gave me.
“Who gave Saviour-grace courting gift, question?” Dewey asks.
“It was Saviour-Rocky,” another pebble volunteers. The one I’ve named Debbie.
“Hey,” I snap out before everyone starts yelling again, putting my finger on my lips.
“Fingers on lips,” I play.
The class collectively put a finger on their vents. I guess that’s how that translates.
“Hands up to talk. Make me say that again and I will tell your parents.”
A soft ripple of concerned noises echoes through the room.
Finally they stay quiet.
I hate having to threaten to talk to kids' parents about their behaviour. I can only do it a few times before it loses effect, and it makes me seem less authoritative generally.
“Who can tell me what a courting gift is, question?” I ask.
Again I see a sea of hands.
I pick one at random. A black and white pebble named Oreo.
“When two Eridians love each other very much they give each other a ♬♬♭. Then when they become mates they have the carapace piece implanted on them.”
It’s been a while since I’ve come across a word I don’t know…
“Very good, Oreo. Can you describe to me what a ♬♬♭ is, question?”
Oreo trills before he replies, like I’ve asked a stupid question, which I probably have.
“A ♬♬♭ is what Saviour-grace is wearing. It is a small jewellery with a carapace piece on it. For future mate.”
I nod slowly. “Right…”
So the small piece of polished rock, meant to represent Rocky, was actually a piece of his carapace?
A little piece of him to keep with me.
“Like an engagement ring.”
Oh fudge…
I almost involuntarily begin to explain human courting rituals.
“On Earth humans usually spend time together, have a conversation about being in a relationship, then give each other an engagement ring. Which is a pretty rock on a piece of metal.”
Much like what I am wearing…
“And then we have a ceremony with our friends and family where we say we’ll be mates.”
The class chittered happily as I explain.
A few more hands go up.
I point to one. Azure. I’m running out of shades of blue, there are so many blue and green Eridians.
“Do humans eat at ceremony, question?”
A ripple of laughter echoes the room.
I smirk. Then play back the single note for ‘yes’.
The laughter peaks instantly. A few of them yelling out ‘disgust’.
I nod, holding up my hand after a moment to attempt to stop the laughter.
Thankfully it works.
“I will allow one more question.”
Some more hands go up.
I point at Oreo again. Oreo is a great kid.
I miss oreos.
“Who gave Saviour-grace an engagement ring?”
I let out a small huff. “I don’t think he meant it as an engagement ring. But it was Rocky.”
The class bursts into a cheer again.
I quickly hold up a hand.
“Ok, ok.”
I’m so sure that this is going to create a rumour. All these pebbles are going to go home and tell everyone they come across that Rocky and Grace are engaged when that’s not the case.
I don’t think that’s the case.
No, I’m sure it’s not.
It’s just a miscommunication.
Rocky wouldn’t give me an engagement ring without telling me that’s what it was. It was just a gift. Because he felt bad about leaving me alone. He wanted me to feel like he’s close even though he and Adrian won’t be around as much anymore.
Oh, there’s my out. Adrian.
“Rocky already has a mate, class. This can’t be an engagement ring because Eridian’s only have one life-mate. Isn’t that right.”
A ripple of chittering spreads through the class. They seem to agree.
Debbie raises their hand, quite frantically.
I let out a soft huff. And point at them to talk.
“Eridian’s not always have only one mate. My parent’s clutchmate has three mates.”
Ok. So apparently Eridian’s have polyamory. Didn’t know that.
The noise level in the class rises again.
“That’s an outlier. Rocky is very traditional. I don’t think he’d be interested in that.”
I hold my hand up to stop them chatting again. “But that’s enough talk about my personal life. We’re meant to be learning about osmosis today. I didn’t do a lesson plan for nothing.”
I try not to think about the ambiguity of Rocky’s gift through the rest of the lesson.
I’m thinking about teaching.
But every time I move my hand my bracelet knocks the keys of the organ. I can feel the extra pressure against the skin of my left wrist, the new weight keeps drawing my attention.
For a moment I consider taking it off.
But I don’t want to.
The idea of taking it off actually hurts, kind of? It’s weird.
I like it.
I've got a little piece of Rocky with me.
My eyes keep drifting to it.
It’s making me smile even though I don’t mean to.
I need to talk to Rocky about it.
I need to get an answer on what this really is.
After class ends, with the pebbles insufficiently educated on osmosis, instead of cleaning up my classroom like I usually do, I head to the airlock hatch that Rocky usually enters and exits from.
I press the little com button and wait for a response from the control room.
One of the Eridians who monitors my biodome, Perry, answers almost immediately.
“Is everything ok, Saviour-grace?”
“Hi, Perry. Everything’s fine. Could you go and find Rocky for me? It’s not urgent but I need to talk with him.”
There's a long pause before I get a response. I assume she’s checking Rocky’s schedule.
He keeps the biodome team updated with his whereabouts as a ‘just in case’.
“Saviour-Rocky is on his way.”
“Oh, ok. Great. I’ll meet him at home.”
“No need. He will be with you soon.”
I feel my gut clench slightly with confusion. What did she mean soon?
“What, do I just wait here, then?”
As I speak I hear the airlock click and hiss, then smell the strong ammonia scent of Eridian atmosphere dissipation.
“Oh,” I almost yelp, surprised. “Uh.”
I feel myself frown as Rocky appears from the airlock.
“Hi?” I say, confused.
I walk to him. “You’re still here?”
“Wanted to do some checks before I sleep,” he informs.
“Oh. Did you want me to watch you sleep?” I offer.
I’ve not known him to stick around after walking me to class. He usually has a packed schedule. Although he said he has time now that he’s not working on the whole ‘making it so I don’t die’ thing.
Did he stay behind to watch my class?
Oh nuts…
If he did then he knows why I want to talk to him.
Rocky lets out a small happy squeak. “No. Adrian will watch me sleep.”
My eyes drift to the bracelet on my wrist, I give it a small shake. The weight of it is comforting.
I can feel my heart in my throat as I force myself to speak.
“Is this bracelet made from your carapace?” I ask.
Rocky lets out a couple of clicks. “I had to… make adjustments to it so it wouldn’t burn up in your crazy atmosphere.”
He twists one of his legs to show a small hole in his carapace. It looks like someone has taken a melon baller to him.
“Why would you do that to yourself?” I hear myself ask. I don’t mean to sound mad but I do.
I’m just shocked.
Rocky hums apprehensively. “It’s Eridian custom, so you have a piece of me with you.”
“Yeah, the pebbles told me about the Eridian custom.” I put my hands on my hips, “Wanna explain that to me?”
Rocky chitters out a weak laugh.
“No, don’t laugh,” I say with a shake of my head. I can feel my pulse in my ears, adrenaline running through my veins for no good reason. “Is this an engagement ring?”
“The pebbles have explained it too literally, I think,” Rocky states.
“Then why don’t you explain it to me, Rocky. Instead of letting me walk into class wearing a dang engagement ring.”
“Ok, ok.” Rocky wiggles his carapace, amused. “Engagement ring is not just for mates. Although it’s used most for mates. Engagement ring indicates life bond.” His words turned more formal again, “Rocky loves Grace the same as Rocky loves Adrian. Together for life.”
“Like a soulmate..?”
The phrase leaves me without me thinking. I wish I could stop myself from saying such stupid-
“Yes,” Rocky responds almost instantly, cutting through my spiraling thoughts.
“So you were just going to let me accept a soul-bond proposal without telling me what it was?”
“Yes.”
“Why??”
“I thought it would be funny.” Rocky tilted himself inquisitively, happily, “Do you not accept, question?”
I stare down at the bracelet, twisting my hand to see the little spheres. Feeling the pressure of Rocky’s carapace on my pulse point.
“You know I can’t give you a piece of myself back, right?”
“That’s ok. Could make from your hair. Grace answer my question.”
I put my fingers on the sphere made of Rocky’s flesh, rubbing it between my thumb and forefinger. It’s smooth and cool to the touch. The closest I’ll ever get to actually touching him again.
“I… I do. I think.”
“Grace need time to think, question?” Rocky asks.
The question actually makes my heart ache.
I don’t need time to think.
“No. I do.”
Rocky chirps in confusion. “Yes, no? No, yes?”
I snort. “Not this again…” I shake my head. “No, I don’t need time to think. Yes, I accept.”
Rocky trills happily and throws himself forward. I feel the wind fly from my lungs as I fall back to the ground, Rocky pinning himself to my chest in a painfully tight hug.
“Rocky, Rocky, ow!” I yelp, breathlessly, as I’m crushed underneath him.
“Apology, apology,” Rocky squeaks, pulling himself away slightly. He trills softly and presses into my chest, holding me in a tight hug.
I run my hand over his suit, wishing I could touch him for real before realising that I totally can now. I wrap my arms around him and hold the sphere between my thumb and forefinger again, rubbing it softly.
I let out a small laugh, letting myself relax under Rocky’s weight. He’s warm and comforting and heavy.
I lift my head to press my lips against his suit. He flinches away.
“Are you trying to eat me, question?” he squeaks, his tone still filled with glee.
I shake my head. “What? No. It’s a kiss. Human expression of affection.”
“Oh. Understand, understand. Like in your movies.” Rocky leans himself forward, pressing himself down against the spot where I’d pressed my lips. “Do it again.”
I press my lips to his suit again, and Rocky hums softly, letting out a click that sounded like a cartoon ‘chu’ kissing noise.
I laugh softly. “Yeah, exactly like that.”
“Rocky loves Grace,” Rocky repeats, his voice formal again.
“Grace loves Rocky too,” I say back, feeling the weight behind the words this time.