The questions had been simple enough at first. Name, age, race. Basic stuff really. Then they had gotten harder. One had literally tell me about yourself. I had managed to finish it though. I had returned the tablet to the receptionist and retaken my seat. Now I felt my anticipation rising every time the doors opened and a name was called. I wanted so badly for them to call my name. I had no way of knowing which Cupion was going to be handling my case. It did not help that every single one that came out would glance at me. It was strange to me but I did not really care. I had been waiting to find someone for me for years. I had tried to do so among my own. As was expected of me. No doubt my Mother would have something to say about this when she found out.
I nearly squealed when a brightly colored Cupion came out and stared right at me with a smile as he gestured towards me to come. I rushed toward him as fast as I could without being improper. He lead me into his interview room with a chuckle. I could feel the judgmental stares but I could not have cared less.
"I was worried my turn would never come," I told him without thinking.
"Truth be told it was not your turn yet, Ms..." he trailed off clearly unwear of my name.
"Luana Oleander," I supplied. But if as he had said it was not my turn yet why had I been invited into this bear bones room. There was no more than a desk and two chairs.
"As I said, it was not your turn yet. The depth of your enthusiasm was to hard to keep ignoring. I could hardly concentrate on other candidates even with the door closed. I expect my colleagues felt the same. My curiosity got the best of me faster than them it seems."
I felt my checks heat with embarrassment. My complexion was lighter than the rest of my people. It had never caused a problem for me around my people. Other than how much I stood out against our environment. With the winter time just ending I was mixing the tan that would deepen the color to a more typical Trident Native. I was absolutely mortified as I said, "I am so so so sorry!"
He laughed while shaking his head. His mannerisms were very Human. A fact I found odd as he was very much not Human. The majority of his feathers were a pale pink with dark pink tips and white highlights popping up at random spots. "Do not be," he said, " It is nice having a canidate happy to see me for a change. Most are depressed, dejected, or outright bitter about having to come to us to be matched. So many need a lot of convincing."
"No convincing needed with me... Mr?"
It was only now I relized I did not yet know this Cupion's name. How rude of me. I should have asked before now.
"Apologies it seems I did not introduce myself. I am Fytin Almitdo. I hope we may call each other by our first names?" He asked.
"Of course Fytin," I said carefully. Names could be tricky for me. As every race tended to pronounce each letter a bit differently. I laughed nervously.
"Now then I can I help you Luana?" he asked me. He was smiling now. Really smiling. If my Tribe saw me like this I would never live it down. His fingers began to fly over a keyboard. That I found impressive. No doubt he was bringing up my file on the holographic screen beside him.
I tucked my hair behind my ears. A nervous habit I had not worried about until now. Since I typically had my hair up in warrior ranks it was not a problem when I left the house. I had left it down while coming here. A sign as much as everything else how much I wanted to leave my Warrior's life behind me. "I have read everything I could find on successful matches and Prime Brides and likewise the Cupion Race has the highest rates. I do not necessarily want to start a family right away but I am hoping you can provide the same magical thing for me?" It was a rehearsed line. One he had probably heard hundreds of times. The end coming out more as a question. When had I ever been this unsure of myself?
"That is always the goal," he replied to me gently. "But what are you looking for?"
His question confused me for a second. "A monster. At least by human standards. I like males who are big and weird," I knew the second I lost my filter, "Scales or fur would be my first choice. I am not opposed to feathers."
His eye brows rose, or rather seemed to as I did not think he had actual eye brows to raise. "Opposed to?" he parroted.
I blushed again, "I do not mean that in an offensive way." I rushed out the words. "I'm sorry if it came out that way. My filters need some work. By that I mean I have no filters." Most the time that was true. Filters were pretty rare among all Trident Natives.
"I know," he told me. "I was not offended just fascinated. I can feel your emotions so do go on."
I grinned and followed his instructions, "Tenacles would be cool. A tail would be great. Horns and claws are hot. Fangs would be fantastic, more so if he is a biter." Oh yeah my filter had officially left the building. I wondered ever so briefly if he could feel my emotions in the same way I felt Tempest. I doubted it. "Personality wise broody. Broody is sexy but he has to like cuddles. So I guess like grumpy but also cuddly?"
Fytin stared at me for a second and did a slow blink. It was a look my techers had given me when I had said something odd. "Grumpy... And cuddly?" his tone implied I had said something bizarre. I was bizarre so that was pretty easy to believe.
I nodded my head and pressed on, "Intimidating would be a plus but like not to me. I do not mind if he is a jerk to everyone else he just can not be that way with me. No way am I gonna take that. No need to be wealthy, fancy technology, or have a house filled with things. I do not need all that material stuff. As long as there is a roof over our heads, I do not have to starve, and I am not constantly worried about dying I will be fine."
His wings shifted as he leaned back in his chair and looked at me. I knew that look. I had gotten similar looks my whole life. Looks that said I was either lying or did not have a fucking clue. Still I played along with the smile on his face because he was probably right. I had never left Trident. I had seen a few Aliens that had come to the planet for one reason or another but they were all at least vaguely Human shaped. Like wise many of the photos I had found online mostly displayed cute, terrifying, or just ugly alien creatures. Most of the Human like aliens shown and pictures were hot to me. That did not mean there was something out there far too weird even for me. Then again according to history nothing was off limits to Humans when someone was odd enough.
His expression then shifted to amassment. "If only only everyone was like you. Normally Human females request the exact opposite. Which means I have to ask why do you want the unusual?"
Nothing about his tone was accusing but even so I bristled. "Frankly It is because I am a proud Monster lover." I had never wanted a good man. Despite having grown up in a very loving Tribe none of the males that I saw everyday did it for me. No I wanted something... else. Monster Fucker. The stunned silence and shocked look on his face were enough for me to know he had not expected that. "I get that it is crude of me since that seems very superficial but I do not mean it that way. I, like some others out there, simply prefer the unusual... at least by Human standards."
He got a spark in his pink eyes that I recognized. Oh joy he he was gonna see if I was truly this out there. "I fully support open-mindedness and weird is easy to come by." I narrowed my eyes as he began to pull up something. "Have you heard of the Targen?" I shook my head and he smiled. "They are definitely unusual. They are social and peaceful. They do not talk much, but instead just prefer the company of others."
I nodded, "Okay what is the catch?" They sounded nice enough. Admittedly the peaceful would take some getting used to. I figured I could adjust easily enough.
"Hang on," he laughed. "Let me finish the selling points. So to speak. They live in mulitple drewllings, which is odd given how few children they have. They love nature, good food, and playing in water."
"I would have to get used to the water play," I mumbled. He looked up at me. I cleared my throat embarrassed. "I can swim but I am part of the Saruki, we normally stay in the trees or air."
"You are a Trident Native born then?" he asked and I nodded. "The waters on the Tragen home world are safe. Shall I continue?"
I nodded. So he pushed on but typed something into the keyboard. "They tend to have a very steep libido." I had to stop myself from shifting in my seat but my own eye brows raised at that.
"That would be fine. Preferred even," I said as nonchalantly as I could. My family tended to have higher sex drives than average. I was not sex starved but I had a past of partners complaining I wanted it too much. "So what do they look like?"