Dron listened for what seemed to be ages. By the time he’d looked back up the second moon was already midway through the sky. He’d been gone all day.

The only thing that set his mind at ease was he’d shown Tempest how to work the fabricator before he left. At least he didn’t have to worry about her starving.

He did have to worry about her going out on her own.

Or someone breaking into the house.

Or she’s calling someone to tell them that he’d abandoned her.

It was a million and one things that could go wrong, but Dron was honestly just so consumed with the information that Clik had. The man seemed to have a never ending supply of tidbits and knowledge. He wondered why more people weren’t asking him about Earth and Earth culture, but he figured it was because of the man’s mannerisms.

Clik was a bit quirky.

Still, it seemed as if the man had no ill will toward Dron. In fact, he didn’t seem to have any ill will toward anyone. His main objective in life seemed to be wanting to acquire more knowledge and to impart that knowledge to the people around him.

The only problem with that was, according to Clik, no one took him seriously because they all thought he was touched. Crazy.

Dron didn’t know if that was a godsend or if the masses were true.

Still he decided to take the strange academic at his word.

It was a very interesting day. Dron learned about many earth customs including what marriage meant on that planet. He was surprised to find out that marriage was supposed to be a lifelong practice, but more times than not it ended with the two parties separated. When he asked Clik where he’d gotten all this information, Clik made the mistake in telling him that the Thai people had recently figured out how to link to the earth satellite system. He was learning all he could through what the humans called the world wide web.

It was a mistake for Clik to tell him this for more than one reason. The most glaring was the fact that the high royals were adamant that they had no way of getting any further information from the so-called primitive star system.

They were being lied to.

Dron suspected it wasn’t the first lie that the high royals of being deceitful when it came to what they knew about Tempest’s planet.

Dron also learned about some of the habits of the humans when it came to courting. They liked to cuddle. Hold each other while they slept. Clik told him about the kissing, though Tempest had brought it up before. When Clik explained it Dron was sure that it was a lot more clinical than she’d explained.

He said along with the fluid transfer there were hormones and the intensity of desire. It was a chemical exchange.

Dron couldn’t understand how it was possible but at least he knew that Tempest wasn’t lying about it.

He also learned about the practice of gift giving. It was different on earth. Sure it still was linked to the suitors financial ability but it was also a way for one or the other to show the other that they cared or that they were sorry.

Dron knew he had quite a bit to be sorry for.

The most recent slip up would be leaving her alone for so long. She was probably extra angry with him.

Dron left Clik with promises to return and ran back the same way he’d come. He picked as many of the sunflowers as he could and made his way back to his home.

When he walked through the door a familiar scent struck him.

It put him at ease.

It took Dron a few moments to realize that it wasn’t a scent that was native to his land. It was Tempest. Just knowing that she was near was enough to put his mind at ease.

Dron hid the small bouquet of flowers behind his back as he went to search for Tempest. She wasn’t in any of the common areas. He walked to her room and knocked on the door.

"What?" Tempest snapped at him through the thick material.

Yeah...she was mad.

"May I enter?"

"Do I have a choice? As if I could keep you out of here if you wanted to get in." Tempest scoffed.

Dron couldn’t see her face, and he wished that he could. Slowly he pushed the door open to find Tempest sitting in the chair, staring out of the large windows on the side of her room. The room was a wreck. Her linens and several items were strewn all over the floor.

"What happened?" Dron started as he walked in the room.

"Nothing. It was too clean. It felt like a jail cell. Now it just feels like my jail cell." She shrugged her shoulders, still not looking in Dron’s direction.

"You’re not in a jail cell. You can leave this room whenever you wish." Dron tried to smooth things over. He knew that she was only mad because of what he’d done.

"And go where? If I go for a walk I’m liable to be mauled by some animal. If I try to call someone they are just going to want to check in on their experiment. There’s no TV. There are no books I can read. There’s nothing for me to do here but wait to die or go home. Luckily I can do both sitting right here in this chair."

There was anger in her voice but Dron didn’t miss the sadness. He’d known sadness in his life for too long not to know the sound of it.

"I thought we could...talk." He’d gotten the information from Clik. The strange man told Dron that humans had a habit of just sitting for long stretches of time talking to each other about the most mundane things. Out of all the customs this didn’t sound too strenuous.

"You want to talk?" Tempest raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, if that’s okay with you?"

"Is there something wrong?" Tempest turned fully in the large chair that she was sitting in. Her fingers starting to shake subtly.

"No, there’s nothing wrong. I just realize it was very poor of me to leave you here for such a long period of time without any entertainment. At least not any entertainment that you might be aware of."

Dron took a step forward, and pulled the flowers from behind his back to show her.

Tempest’s eyes lit up and she gasped when she saw the small batch of flowers.

"Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?"

"It is my attempt to apologize. I haven’t been the best companion. I wish to make amends. The academic in town said that these were called sunflowers. They are supposed to be native to your planet." Dron swallowed hard. It was the first time that he’d had to apologize to a woman for something he did not just because of who he was.

"They are." Tempest rushed over and took the flowers from him. She looked down and sniffed at the bright yellow leaves before looking up to him. There were tears in her eyes.

This wasn’t the reaction that he was going for. "Why are you upset. I thought you would like them."

She smiled, and a single tear fell down her cheek, "I do. They’re beautiful. These are happy tears."

"Happy tears?" Dron questioned. That didn’t seem right but if she was saying she was happy he wasn’t going to press the issue any further.

"I can’t believe you found these for me. Is that what you were doing all day? Are there more?"

"Yes." It was only partly a lie. In reality, he was out trying to stay away from her, finding the sunflowers was just a coincidence.

"I’d love to see them." Tempest sighed and looked around her room. "I’d offer you a place to sit but there’s only the one area." She turned her eyes to the bed before she shivered slightly and looked back to Dron.

"I can rectify that." He pulled up the device on his wrist and pressed a few indicators. Seconds later the floor pulsed and a new couch formed near where the two of them were standing.

"That is quite convenient." Tempest said as she walked over to the couch and took a seat. Dron watched her for a second. She had so much grace about her. The more Dron was in her presence, the harder it was becoming for him to believe that she could have any part in the attempt to ruin him. That didn’t change the fact that he truly believed that someone was definitely trying to do just that.

Tempest patted the space next to her on the couch indicating that Dron should take a seat near her.

He walked over and sat at the very far edge. He flinched a little when Tempest scooted over and lifted her knee onto the cushion next to him. She was fully clothed but the mere closeness of her put him on edge.

If he reached out just then, he would be able to touch her.

"So what would you like to discuss?" Tempest asked.

Dron opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. There were a million and one questions that he could ask her, but all of them would make it seem like he thought she was some sort of spy. He’d already learned that she didn’t take kindly to that line of questioning.

Tempest smiled and laid the flowers on the couch beside her, "How about we play a game or something of that nature?"

"A game? I don’t play games." Dron shook his head.

"Tell me about it. I guess that’s why you’re such a fun guy to hang around." She rolled her eyes but chuckled all the same. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Sarcasm.

Thraqens weren’t a very emotionally open people. Which meant they usually always said what they meant, or they straight out lied. Sarcasm was a skill Dron didn’t really have much experience with.

"What game do you wish to play? What is it about?" Dron asked.

"How about two truths and a lie? One person states three facts, and the other person has to figure out which of the three facts are lies."

It seemed simple enough.

"And if I guess correctly?"

Tempest shrugged her shoulders, "Then I guess you could ask me anything you wanted, and I have to be truthful."

"And if you don’t answer the question I ask?"

"Then the game is over, and we both go our separate ways, one forever being known as the loser. I have to tell you I have a bit of a competitive side. I don’t like to lose."

Dron nodded his head. She was right; it did seem simple enough and it might be a good way to get more information out of her without making her too upset. He’d play this game.

He’d play, and he’d win.