(A/N: Aloha hoa! 🌸 Thank you VERY much for the comments and votes, it motivates me to write more and more 😊. This story is unique to me, because its core is my own idea, which has been in my head for years, and only now I've figured out to write fanfiction for it. I am very happy that there are people who like it and read it with pleasure. For those who are willing, I am adding a link to the playlist created especially for this story. 💚https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qIiHVv20K0rP6ymsNRfIq?si=8feb5c1aafdb4074 💚 Enjoy! )

It was, in a word, a massacre. Ellen lay a few steps from the fire and screamed. Several women circled her; among others aunt Samantha and your mother. The rest of the people were clearly terrified, they crowded around the dying fire, not knowing what to do. Younger children began to cry, and some men, maybe touched by some pattern in their genes, trotted back and forth. As if each of them waited for the birth of their own child. The only things missing were the cigars in their mouths and the puffs of smoke rising above their heads.

Fortunately, Geong was with there. By the time you got to Ellen, you could already see from a distance that Yautja was very comfortable with the situation.

'There are enough people there.' Othiel remarked, striding beside you. A few moments earlier, he had expressed his disapproval of your idea of ​​joining the birthing event. 'Besides, Geong could do it by himself.'

'Has he ever delivered a baby?' You asked doubtfully. 'Are you even viviparous?'

'We are born from eggs. However, this does not mean that Geong will not be able to handle it. He certainly has extensive knowledge of childbirth, he's keenly interested in ... biology, as you call it.'

You stopped, frowning. 'And how do you call it?'

For a moment he wondered how to translate this into your language. 'Life.'

'We also use this term as a substitute for the word biology.'

'Really? ' You truly surprised him. 'I did not know.'

You breathed theatrically. 'Phew, I'm relieved there's something you don't know about Earth. I already thought you were a terrible nerd.'

Othiel frowned, this time utterly puzzled, but before you could explain to him who the nerd is, aunt Samantha stopped you. 'Please go away!' She called as you approached Ellen. 'We don't want onlookers here. It certainly won't help that poor lass.'

'Aunt!' You exclaimed indignantly. 'We wanted to help.'

'We have enough hands to help. If you want to be of any use, you better keep an eye on Lilia's kids. Thank the gods and goddesses that she was once a midwife, now she helps our court medic.' The aunt pointed to Geong and Lila bustling with the giving birth woman.

'Your aunt's right.' Othiel pulled you toward the fire that someone had started again. 'We'll watch the children.'

Lila was married to one of the dead guards. Perhaps it was good that Ellen was giving birth now, thanks to which the former midwife had a moment to distract herself from the grief after the loss of her husband. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her children.

Sebastian and Clarie sat sadly by the fire. The boy was about twelve years old, the girl a year maybe two younger. They were not the only children who lost one of their parents in the attack of the savages on your hideout, also Rose, Mark's five-year-old daughter suffered from it, but at the moment she had her mother, Bea and Elijah with her. Lilia's kids were left to fend for themselves. There was too much turmoil in the camp for anyone to notice.

'Hi, wholelings,' you greeted them softly as you sat down next to them. Once, children heard you call them "halflings" and they didn't like it very much, so you coined a new term. They didn't like it either, but you never can please kids, right?

Othiel also sat on the ground next to you, but he was focused on scanning the area with his eyes. You guessed he was making sure you were safe. After all, you were in a rather dangerous position; Ellen's screams did not help, and Geong devoted his full attention to her and her baby. It was only Othiel's responsibility for your safety.

'It's not funny anymore, (y/n),' said Sebastian, not even looking at you.

'I know, but I'm used to it,' you replied. 'Aren't you cold?'

'No,' they said sadly in choir.

'So maybe you are hungry?' you asked.

'No'

'Thirsty?'

'No.'

Annoyed, you decided to pull the ace out of your sleeve. 'So maybe you want to play with Snouty'

'Nn... with whom?' The children finally came to life. You took a sleepy rat out of your coat and showed him to the kids.

'I changed his name.' You explained. 'Just gently please or he will run away from you.'

Snouty quickly made smiles bloom on the faces of the kids. He climbed their legs and arms, moved from one hand to the other, and searched their pockets, hoping to find some forgotten crumbs.

Soon, however, the night air was ripped apart by another series of screams of woman in labour, which made you shiver. You turned to Othiel. 'Perhaps we should put up a guards on the edge of the forest? I'm beginning to worry that Ellen's screams will draw us in uninvited company.'

'It's possible, but what if the Yautja shows up?' He asked consciously. 'Trust me, (y/n) you are safer in a tight group.'

He was right, but you were very anxious. You waited impatiently for the sun to come up as you watched Lilia's kids and every now and then exchanging a few words with Othiel.

None of you fell asleep that night, except maybe the youngest children. Your beloved one, of course, urged you to lie down and tried to fall asleep, after all in your state, sleep was essential. But you didn't think you could fall asleep listening to Ellen giving birth, and you didn't feel like sleeping anyway.

Fortunately, because Othiel was right. It was not the savages that were attracted to you by screaming, but Yautja.

He was alone and came from the leeward, so Othiel only sensed him when he got really close. He stiffened all over and at the speed of light, in literally two leaps, reached the edge of the forest. After a while you noticed, blended into the background the Yautja, whom you had never seen before. He stood a few meters away from Othiel. Venomously yellow, massive, even stocky, but not as tall as Othiel.

For a long moment, they both stood in a ready-to-attack position, snarling at each other in their native language. Some people had already seen them and panicked voices started to rise.

'(Y / n)...' Sebastian began, taking Snouty in his arms and with his sister moving closer to you. 'Othiel won't let him attack us, will he?'

'Relax, we're safe,' you assured, though deep down you weren't so sure. What if that Yautja attacks Othiel ...?

Suddenly you reminded yourself that the Yautja have their sacred principles. Maybe you could help ease the tension with your presence.

You got up, trying not to overload the side in which you earned the bullet.

'Stay here, I'll be right back,' you turned to the children, then slowly moved towards the two aliens.

'Leave it, (y/n)...' Bea hissed at you as you walked past her. She was trying to stop you, but you passed her quickly, without saying a word. She was too panicked to wrestle with you.

You came closer and the yellow Yautja hissed loudly at you and lunged. You stopped mid-step, but before you could do anything else, Othiel leapt at him, knocking him literally at your feet. The opponent tried to fight back, but Othiel's iron grip prevented him from moving.

'Take it easy, guys!' You cried, feeling your pulse accelerate noticeably. You felt dizzy and you saw spots in front of your eyes, but you ignored that. 'Othiel, please let him go.'

'He wanted to attack you. He deserves to die!' Your lover growled. You didn't like it. In addition, you felt very bad, you did not feel like polemics.

'I don't mean to be mean, but did I need to remind you who's in charge here?'

Othiel looked at you with his eyes wide open, clearly surprised at your words. You didn't want to be like that... but you didn't have the strength to be polite now. He released the yellow Yautja, who immediately stood up and hissed menacingly at him, then said something in their language.

'He doesn't know your language,' Othiel explained.

'Translate then.'

'He just said he will kill me when I won't expect it.'

This time it was you who widened your eyes, terrified by this turn of events. You started wishing you hadn't cut in, but it was too late now. You stood between the stranger Yautja and Othiel, and carefully measuring the former with your eyes, you said. 'You're not gonna kill anybody if you follow your own rules, okay? Othiel, translate.' You turned to your beloved one, who quickly blurted out a few words in his native language. 'Othiel is in my care, he is my partner. Do you understand what that means? I won't let you kill him or any of my people. ' You pointed at the group sitting around the fire, most of which probably already had a pre-infarction condition. There was perfect acoustics in the clearing you were camping in, so they probably heard every word. Though some might have drowned in the hustle and bustle of the labour that was still going on.

Othiel translated everything, and the yellow Yautja seemed to suddenly lose heart, though the angry frown on his forehead was very eloquent. He grunted quickly.

'He's sorry he didn't find out sooner,' Othiel translated.

The stranger bowed slightly, then disappeared without a word into the bushes. You looked uncertainly at Othiel.

'He's not gonna hurt us. He's gone.'

When he said that, you breathed out loud with relief. And not only you, but similar sounds were also coming from the side of the fire.

'We're safe?' someone asked.

'Yes!' You replied.

'I don't know what got into you, but it was wonderful,' Othiel whispered, leaning over you.

'Wonderful? I was just mean... now I feel stupid.'

'Unnecessarily. You weren't mean, rather very firm. I liked it. I suspected it a long time ago, but now I know for sure that you are the perfect queen for Yautja. I was especially struck by how boldly you defended me.'

'Oh, yes?' You thought it was worth taking advantage of. 'So, maybe I deserve some reward?'

You got an award. He kissed you. But what a kiss it was! You felt dizzy... literally. And then you saw darkness.

You passed out from the effort. Only for a moment, but Othiel got so scared that you were afraid he would never kiss you again.

***

Little Nina came into the world at dawn, with a piercing scream informing about her presence. After the mother and daughter enjoyed each other for a while, and the midwife and Geong had brought them to relative order, the rest of the group was allowed to see the baby. Nina was tiny and cute. Pressed against Ellen's chest she slept sweetly. Despite your fears, the mother seemed pleased and would not let anyone touch her baby. You were all unanimously delighted and you wanted to dance with happiness that everything worked out so well. But, to tell the truth, most people, especially those who helped with the birth, were staggering with fatigue. Additional stress was added by the appearance of the stranger Yautja, which did not go unnoticed by Geong.

As you were eating a quick canned breakfast, he revealed to you that he was watching the situation, and if it got out of hand, he would certainly intervene. 'However, no Yautja in his right mind will ever violate our principles, so I stayed calm seeing that you were going to Othiel's relief,' he concluded, clicking his fangs.

'It was terrible...' Bea, sitting next to you, shook her head. 'I was sure we were all going to die.'

'We need to move somewhere else, even nearby,' said Patrick. 'We're not safe here.'

'Why don't we get some rest first? Most people will need a little sleep.' Your cousin remarked.

You were slowly losing the ability to listen to the conversation. You were getting more and more tired. Your eyes caught Sebastian, who managed to stay awake. He was sitting nearby and sharing his breakfast with Snouty, who was sitting on his shoulder. The rat seemed to be attracted to the children after all, as long as they did not try to confine him to the cage.

'(Y/n), why don't you eat more?' Othiel's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Yautja reached into the basket for another canned food.

'I can't eat more,' you stopped him quickly.

'You need to gain strength.'

'Othiel, overeating rather takes away my strength.'

'Watch out, man, or she'll remind you again who's in charge here," said Patrick. Almost everyone heard your speech at night and now in the light of day, it has become the subject of jokes. The party laughed loudly, but Othiel did not seem irritated. On the contrary, his eyes were laughing as if he were the happiest being on Earth.

***

You shivered a little from the cold. You stood completely naked in the wind, not counting the dressing on your left side, but you nevertheless entered the lake, holding a cube of aunt Sarmatian's vegetable soap in your hand.

On the evening of the previous day, you stopped at a devastated marina, where you could once rent a boat or canoe and go swimming on the lake. Young people often occupied this place, camping and partying until dawn. But now there was no living spirit here, except for a few cats that looked at you distrustfully and made a wide circle around you.

You've been on the road for a few days, you lost count of exactly how many, but you knew you couldn't take the dirt any longer without even a cursory rinse. Several women, including Ellen, who had done quite well after giving birth, thought it was a good idea to wash in the lake, till they checked how cold the water was. They retreated immediately, but not you. You were stubborn and used to cold water. More than once, when you did not want to wait for the water in the pot to heat up, you washed yourself in the one that came from the pipes in your destroyed hideout cold as hell... or maybe as ice. Anyway, it was May ... probably ... you weren't sure. Actually, no one was, because you didn't use any calendars. Nevertheless, it was getting warmer every day, the sun stayed longer in the sky, and everything around was covered with greenery and flowers. The water only seems cold to be sure...

You were wrong. As you stepped into the lake, you felt a chill reach your bones. You grimaced painfully but went on deeper.

'Indeed, it looks like a dream come true.' Othiel scoffed. He was standing on the shore with a warm blanket that you wanted to wrap yourself with after you got out of the water. He made sure that no one unexpected came while you were performing ablution. He objected to your idea of ​​a bath, to which you told him that you do not dream of anything else at the moment, for what he was referring to now.

You found a quite secluded place, away from the marina, and sheltered with lots of plants. Only someone who came here by the same route as you would see you, but in this situation Othiel would intervene. Alternatively, someone could circle the lake and stand on the opposite shore, but you did not think that anyone would have the strength for such walks after your several days' walk. The lake was too long to stroll around.

'At least I won't stink. It will make it easier for you to carry me,' you said, plunging deeper and deeper. The water was now up to your waist, and although everything in you opposed it, you bent your legs violently and plunged up to your neck, gasping loudly.

'You don't stink, (y/n),' Othiel said, watching how you wash your body with quick movements.

'I appreciate your tact,' Shivering like an aspen, you arched back to dip your hair in and wash it too.

'If I had helped you, it would have been faster,' he reminded. He had expressed a wish to accompany you in the water before, but you couldn't agree to it. You don't want anyone to accidentally run into you in this situation. You preferred him to be on the watch. Anyway, you couldn't count on love excesses anyway. You were still weak, as Othiel himself reminded you constantly. 'Another time, dear.' You dismissed him, rinsing the soap out of your hair.

'(Y / n) ... taking the opportunity that we have a moment of privacy ... I'd like to talk to you.'

'Oh, that sounded serious.'

And it was serious indeed. His words completely detonate you.

'Tell me, are you sure of your feelings for me?'

You froze looking at him in amazement. 'Are you crazy? Of course, I am! If I wasn't, do you think you'd be standing here looking at my bare ass?'

He chuckled but didn't get caught off guard. 'I know that you are somehow infatuated with me, it is normal with people. Anyway, I feel your emotions at every moment, the way my closeness affects you is very clear ... However, it is only physical. On my part physicality wasn't important when I chose you ... And I did not even give you a chance to choose. I just..., I just forced myself on you...'

'Ah, I think I understand ...' You rinsed off the remaining soap and broke out of the water briskly. 'You are afraid that I want to be with you just because I don't have a better offer?' You smiled indulgently.

He wrapped a blanket around you and began rubbing your arms and legs to keep you warm. 'No! I would never accuse you of being calculating. I'm just not sure you really want me? Out of all the other people and Yautja of the Universe?'

'I'll think about it and let you know,' you laughed.

'Please, do not joke, I am asking you quite seriously.'

'Othiel ... I am only human, I would like to tell you yes, that I will love you till the end of my days ...

'I'm not asking for that. I just want to know what are you feeling now? In this moment.'

'Right now, I'm bloody cold and feel like my dressing needs to be replaced.'

Othiel let out a martyred groan. 'You can't talk seriously.'

'And that's only your merit.' You laughed. 'Since you appeared, I am in good mood always and everywhere. I do not know if it was supposed to be like that or not ... I do not know what will happen in a year, in two or even a month, everything changes, but I do not lose a certain feeling, that tells me that I have known you for not a few months, but since forever ... That I had been waiting for you all my life and I'm very happy you finally here... ' You smiled at him warmly, putting your whole heart into that smile.

He sighed softly, placing his hand over his heart, clearly delighted with your words. It was one of those special moments; if you were starring in a movie, you would surely kiss each other passionately then, and walk towards the rising sun. Cut and credits.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a movie, it was real life. Othiel didn't even have time to answer you, because his gaze was drawn to something above your head on the other side of the lake. He frowned angrily and pulled out his blades while moving you behind his back.

'What is it?' Surprised, trying to keep your balance, you looked in the direction he was looking and you froze.

There were two dark-clad people standing there, both armed and aming at you. You couldn't recognize the faces at this distance, but looking at the costumes and weapons, you were sure it was none of your group.

'The savages?' You whispered.

'I don't know ... probably not,' Othiel whispered back.

Suddenly, the dressed in black duo, as on command, lowered their weapons and started to run away. Othiel aimed his shoulder strap weapon at them, but you stopped him before he could shoot. 'No! They didn't hurt us.'

He looked at you meaningfully. 'They wanted to do so.'

'You do not know that. Maybe they weren't the savages at all, and even if... they didn't attack us.'

'If you were here alone, they wouldn't hesitate.'

'Luckily, I wasn't.' You wrapped yourself with the blanket tightly and took your clothes from the bush on which you hung them. 'Now hide this contraption before you hurt someone and come quickly. We have to inform the rest; if it's not the savages, it could mean that there is a random people's hiding place somewhere nearby.

***

Othiel jumped off the high voltage tower and headed your way. You and the rest of the group were hiding in the bushes. Following the two fleeing people who had saw you, you reached a huge shopping mall on the outskirts. It seemed to be their hideout.

'Twelve armed men on the roof, probably more inside,' Othiel reported, standing beside you. You sat leaning against a tree trunk. Although you felt reasonably well, especially after a refreshing bath, you preferred not to overload your body when there was no such need.

'We don't stand a chance,' groaned Patrick.

'But they don't have to be the savages,' said Bea consciously. 'If that were the case, they would surely start shooting at (y/n) and Othiel. Maybe we could join forces with them?'

'How do you want to do this?' growled uncle Julius, who seemed to regain his temper recently. At least, he was no longer wandering about you and every now and then he emphatically voiced his thoughts, which nobody wanted to listen to. 'As soon as we get close, they'll blow our heads off.'

Geong appeared. He went on a closer look around the building. Othiel, of course, did not want to distance himself so much from you. His overprotection was getting irritating. 

'Barricaded entrances.' The green Yautja said. 'Only the side one is open, guarded by two guards. They're not savages, just ordinary people like you.' 

'Where do you get that confidence?' Patrick asked.

Geong glared at him, to what the man clearly lost his heart, but Yautja only replied, 'I took it on my senses.' As if it were obvious.

'Fourteen humans on guard in total ..." muttered Othiel and looked at you.  'What do you suggest?' He asked as if you had the final word on the matter. Well, to tell you the truth, you probably had, in his opinion.

'We have to go to them in a small group, so that they do not see the danger in us,' you began. 'We will explain the situation to them and ask for help.'

'I wonder how you explain us to them.'  Geong laughed. You liked his sense of humour. Othiel was still sure Yautja had feelings for you, but you doubted it. He behaved quite normally towards you, rather, with Othiel he lost all his spirit and made himself official. There was a hint in your head that maybe it is you who should be jealous, but you haven't shared it with your loved one yet.

'Gradually,'  you replied. 'At first, you will have to hide somewhere ... Maybe we will manage to hide the fact that you are accompanying us ...'

'If you think that I will leave you even for a moment, you are wrong.' Othiel folded his arms over his chest, looking hard at you. 'It never happened .' 

You ignored him and continued. 'We'll explain everything to them anyway if they turn out to be friendly, but it's better not to overwhelm anyone with too much information at first.'

'It sounds lovely in your mouth, but they saw you fondling with your... friend in the lake," uncle interrupted again. 'Don't you think they already know there is at least one Yautja with us?"

'We will see what they know.'

'And I wonder who will go to them first to expose his ass?'

'I'll do it,' you replied without hesitating. 'I feel much better now, I can walk, I can manage.'

 Fortunately, Othiel was speechless at your words, so he didn't interrupt. 

'You won't go alone,' Bea said. 'I'm also down to it. I don't think we'll seem threatening to anyone.'

'What?!' Patrick moaned.

'And I will go with you,' added your father, who had been silent so far, ignoring Patrick's horror face. 'Three people, not too few, but not too many.'

'You're crazy, you are completely crazy,' said your uncle.

'I must admit that I agree with Julius exceptionally this time,' Othiel finally spoke.  'I don't know what to say. (Y/n) you can't go ... you're still too weak. What if you pass out? If they take you as a prisoner ...?'

'Then you will surely do a little fuck up there, but until then I ask you not to act on your own. If you want to be absolutely sure about my safety, I suggest that you accompany us, only with the camouflage on.'

Othiel blinked in surprise. He didn't figure it out himself. 'Hmm,  it's probably not such a bad idea after all.' 

'We don't have any better yet.' You looked at the faces of your comrades for any sign of opposition, but you saw nothing of it. 'Okay, we're leaving in half an hour. The rest will stay here with Geong and wait for things to unfold.'

Bloodshed and intimidation using the Yautja were out of the question. You wanted to gain the trust of these people, so that they would help you on their own and not under duress. You weren't going to force anyone to do anything. The world may have collapsed around you, but in your opinion, morality had to be respected. After all, if the morality of the individual can only be appealed to in the civilized world, then who needs morality and universal values ​​such as altruism at all. You didn't believe in common good and love or any other fairy tales, you knew they existed. Since there was such a wonderful alien, like Othiel, there was probably much more good in the universe than anyone could have imagined. You did not take note of the other options.

The four of you went as agreed; you, your father, Bea, and Othiel, invisible to the untrained eye. The mall was only a ten-minute walk from your current position. Othiel wanted to carry you, but you firmly refused. You felt like you could do it, yet you couldn't let anyone see you floating in the air.

The area around the shop centre was covered with thick, tall grass. Here and there the roots of the bushes had burst sidewalks, but the main paths were still in good condition. Stepping out onto one of them, leading to the side entrance, which Geong had indicated as the only active ones, you raised your hands to show that you had no evil intentions.

'Stop!' A loud voice screamed as you approached. At the top of the steps leading to the glass, planked doors stood a large man with a completely bald head, pointing his rifle at you. 

You all stood still immediately, scared. You felt Othiel's arm pressing against you as if at any moment he was ready to shield you from a possible attack. Neither father nor Bea were in a hurry to talk, so it fell on you.

'Easy, ' you called. 'We have no bad intentions!'

You noticed movement on the roof. It was the other guards who were already in positions ready to fire.

'Yeah, sure! It was you, who our people saw in the morning! You've got Yautja by your side.'

You looked at each other with your father and Bea. So much for keeping Othiel and Geong's company a secret.

'They helped us in times of trouble, and now ...' you started, but the guard wouldn't let you finish. 

'We don't want them here! Get out!'

'One of our women has just given birth, she needs a rest. We have been wandering for many days, our hideout has been attacked by savages, they have burned it and killed many people, we have nowhere to go... ' your father said timidly.

'Let your reptiles help you!' The man spat violently, but the other guard, or rather the guard-girl, came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

'Wait, Octavian, let's just let them explain it all. Since, as you say, they have Yautja at their service, why didn't they send them here to us, but they came alone?'

'To confuse our eyes!'

'And I suppose they did so to not scare us ... Henk! Henk!' She shouted at the open door. 'Run to the elders!'

'We came to ask for help, shelter and joining your community,' you assured.

'We'll see what we can do,' the guard-girl replied, looking at you carefully. 

'The elders will decide what to do with you,' muttered Octavian angrily.

A moment later, a young boy, about fifteen years old, ran out of the building.

'The elders tell to bring them in,' he panted. Apparently, he was indeed running. 

You began frantically wondering whether to reveal Othiel's presence or not. You did not want to look insincere when it came out that Yaujta is with you. It would squander everything.

The guard named Octavian has already approached you, and by his rifle pushing you towards the door.

'Wait!' you said. ' We're not alone. My friend Yautja is with us. Can he also come in, or should I ask him to go away?'

They got scared, like really scared. 

'Where?!' Octavian yelled, brandishing his rifle and looking around. 'Where the fuck is he ?!'

'His camouflage is on ... I'll tell him to turn it on, but I have to be sure you won't hurt him.'

'IT IS NOT YOU WHO IMPOSE CONDITIONS HERE!' He yelled in your ear.

'Knock it off!' Guard-girl boomed, coming closer to you. 'Calm down! You are not helping this way. I'm surprised this Yautja hasn't torn your head off yet.'

You were also surprised at it. You smiled slightly at the girl. You were starting to like her.

'Where is he?' She asked.

'I don't know if I can say...' You glanced uncertainly at the guard. 

The girl approached him and simply snatched the rifle from his hands as if he were a recalcitrant little child.

'Hey!' He protested.

'I'll give it back when you cool down. Okay, where's that monster of yours?'

'Othiel ...' you whispered. A second later, Yautja materialized next to you. The guard-girl gasped loudly, Octavian leapt backwards violently, and Hank screamed shrilly. You noticed the guards on the roof flexing their muscles and you stood as a precautionary measure on a possible line of fire.

'Relax, they won't shoot without an order.' The guard-girl calmed you down. 

'What a big guy ... how did you tame him?'

'It just so happens that I was already tame before' Othiel snorted. It didn't sound haughty, but rather he was enjoying the situation.

Everyone's jaws dropped again. 

'Can he speak humanly?' Octavian gasped. 

'Yes, quite good actually.' Othiel nodded. "I can prioritize very well too, so listen: I'm harmless to you unless someone tries to hurt these people."

'What if someone tries to hurt you?' The guard asked ominously.

Yautja pointed at you. 'I have a defender here for such cases.' The amusement sounded very clearly in his voice this time. If the situation had been tenser, you would have been irritated by his ease, however, much to say, you also felt at ease in the company of these people. Othiel, who sensed their emotions, had to be sure they wouldn't hurt you.

The guard-girl frowned. 'Is there something between you two?' 

'Maybe let's leave the details for the time when the elders will be listening?' you suggested. 'So, can Othiel come in?'

***

The interior of the department store looked like a city rather than a shop. It has been adapted in such a way as to best serve the people living in it. A bit like your factory, but with even more ingenuity.

The apartments were arranged in individual stores, people leaned out through the doors or shop windows to look at you. When they saw Othiel, most of them made terrified faces, shouted or, in the case of children, cried loudly. The guards calmed the inhabitants, even though they themselves had very bad faces, maybe except for the guard-girl.

'I'm Rita,' she introduced herself as you went through the hall. 

'(Y/n) you nodded. 'This is my father Benjamin and my cousin Bea. And Othiel...'

'Your boyfriend?' Rita laughed. There was a strange, desperate echo in her laughter.

'Don't be familiar! A bit of professionalism.' Octavian scolded her.

'I'll remind you this the next time you start to scream so wild,' she snorted.

'And this is your boyfriend?' you asked.

'No, but he would like to,' she replied in a theatrical whisper.

You began to feel more and more at ease, and as you were brought before the elders, you felt that you had found the perfect place for you.

Three old people were sitting at a small table in a separate space at the junction of three corridors; two women and one man. They looked at you from the mugs of tea or some other infusion, showing no fear, on the contrary, their faces were cheerful. They dismissed the guards who reluctantly left, only Rita and Octavian remained.

'Welcome in our home,' one of the women spoke to you. Dressed in a long orange robe, which made you think of her as a Buddist. 'Sit down and tell us what brings you here?'

You took your seats on the bench opposite them. 'How about a drink? Maybe coffee?' The Buddist asked. 

'Do you have coffee?' Bea asked, surprised. She loved coffee.

'Yes. It is true that we have to limit it because it would be over after a month, but for the guests, there is always an extra portion, especially since we do not take guests often.'

You smiled broadly. 'Thank you, maybe later. It is not appropriate for us to drink coffee now, while the rest of our group is waiting in the forest for the result of this conversation.

'You're perfectly right. Speak then, we turn into the hearing.' 

'My name's (y/n) and this is my father Ben and cousin Bea, also our Yautja friend Othel...' You started your story. You were mostly talking, actually. You described your hideout, how long you lived in it, and how you met Othiel, how he helped you. From time to time father or Bea cut in a few words, but Othiel was silent. 

You also mentioned that you will be queen any minute and you will be able to stop Yautja and send them back. You didn't want to hide anything from them. You felt that honesty would be the key to your success right now, especially since only three elders and two guards were listening. You let them decide if and how to share details with the rest of the community. 

After some time you finished your story, and asked for a place for your people in this community.

Old man, wrinkled, like a raisin, who was sitting in the middle, between two women, asked only how many of you are there.

'Over forty people,' you said. 'And two Yautja.'

The big three looked at each other and nodded in agreement. 'We will gladly welcome all of you,' the woman in the orange robe said. 'We need hands for help, nobody likes to overwork. As for Yautja ... hmm ... our people may react nervously to them at first, so maybe it's better they would not carry weapons with them ... If you can vouch for them, well, I guess we have no reason not to trust you ...'

'It remains to be seen,' Octavian whispered.

'Oh, son, if they had impure intentions, would they be  doing this that way? I think they would just order Yautja to attack us at night and then take over our hideout.' The old man smiled good-naturedly at the guard. 'Our faith in people has led us so far and never failed,  you probably know it best.'

Octavian suddenly started to look as if the air had escaped him. He lowered his eyes and fell silent, clearly ashamed.

'Your father and friend can go get the rest of your people, and you girls might just stay with us." The other old woman suggested; plump and with a very pleasant physiognomy.

Othiel stiffened at the words. You reacted before he could put in his three cents. 'I think it will be better if dad and Bea stay, or we will all go ... Othiel does not want to part with me for the moment, he thinks that I am ailing ...'

'You almost died!' Yautja reminded you and, to your horror, told of the shot and Geong's last-minute rescue. This part of the story you eagerly left out of your monologue, not wanting to make anyone feel sorry for you. 'She could still faint if she strained herself.'

'Right.' The elders nodded, clearly moved by his words. They were like one organism.

'I'll go alone.' Your father said suddenly. 'The girls and Othiel can stay.'

'We'll send Octavian to escort you, just in case,' suggested the Buddist. It was hard to tell who looked more displeased, the guard, or your father.