'They would learn soon enough anyway. Better to keep the lies to a minimum.' Liem thought as he emboldened himself.
"What do you mean? Her skin? Her hair? Her body? I like it all." Cerez said, trying. Liem laughed. Cerez was so smart, it would probably take him a couple of days to figure it out like him. Kadir was right on the mark as always.
"No, it is her scent. Her pheromones. Is it intentional or natural?" Kadir asked. Cerez walked to their room, and he was hit by her smell again.
"Please tell me it is intentional, because if it is not, then I really feel bad for her." Cerez asked as he got back. He felt a pit of distress ball up into his stomach. He had done things he thought he would never think he would be capable of. He wanted to do those things to her. But if she purposefully exposed him like another unlikable Alphem had done before, it would be something for him to be upset about. No one liked being influenced by any substance without their knowledge.
"It is not intentional or controllable, I have noticed it is strong like this when she ovulates. I would never do that. Never, but it affected me. It was a difficult few months. I am really glad she told me she would choose me. It was a relief, I was able to get to know her well before she healed and started releasing them." Liem said. It was not a lie. It was very hard to cope with at first, and he did have to release himself.
"Poor woman, and medically can they do anything about it." Kadir asked. It could be a problem.
"She does not even know. After the attack. I, I could not tell her. She would blame it on herself. The deaths on herself. I could control myself. Others should be expected to control themselves. Regardless of how she smells or looks." Liem said morosely.
"I see." Kadir said. He felt terrible for her. He could offer her this much protection. It would be hard for anyone to bother her with the three of them around. "Have you tried soaps or any other products?" Kadir asked, desperately wanting to come up with a solution. Liem gave him a look. He had an Allari research team on it, but no one could mask the smell completely. It could be washed out of fabric somewhat. It took four trips through the fabric and textile machines to eliminate the scent with regular soap, and two with the upgraded soap. Luckily, Gimmel were very interested in getting rid of the Alphem pheromone scent. He did not blame them. He accidently let off some of his own musk earlier when he saw Kadir and Cerez move towards her.
"Yes, luckily I was able to use the guise of removing Alphem pheromonal residue of surfaces as the guise. I have rudimentary products. But they are not fool-proof," Liem answered.
"Yes, I noticed something different when I moved closer to her." Cerez said. Liem dropped his hands helplessly. Kadir sighed lowly.
"I trust you both implicitly. She needs to be protected and can offer protection." Liem said his eyes flooded with tears. "I know it seems like I am asking a lot, but she does not wish to hold us back in life. She desires change. She offered to bind me, without expectations, so I could live without restraint without knowing my feelings for her. I knew we could be free," Liem said as he choked with emotion.
"Can I say I can see why you were so reluctant to leave that cramped Delegates Station. So, we can really do this, the factory and safer industries?" Cerez asked.
"She loved Kadir's plans for an autonomous work force. She really liked your Therapeutic Fields project as well, Cerez. She is Northern and her beliefs are more progressive than I originally thought. Ask her outside, out the range of ears, eyes and surveillance, about equality," Liem said.
"Equality?" Kadir asked, puzzled. "Same amounts?" Kadir questioned.
"No. Listen. We will have to be careful. Nora agrees that we should take action carefully since there are only four of us. Since we are under surveillance, we should watch what we say aloud while we are in these premises and in our communications," Liem said. A shocked look crept across Kadir's composed face.
"How far is she really into her education?" Kadir interrupted. His interest piqued.
"She has finished fourth level education and has already started her work on the advanced sciences, that is way beyond my skill set. She is looking for advanced instruction. It would be far better to do it at home," Liem answered. Kadir's eyes widened and he smiled. Cerez's jaw slackened. He was ahead of her.
"That's sixteen years of education? It has not been that long since she was found. How do you know she truly comprehends it?" Cerez asked, that was unbelievable. It was undeniable that she would have had a grasp on a basic education in the North. Albeit the information would be out of date. But it was in a whole other language.
"She's passed the tests you have, Cerez, would you like proof?" Liem said as he switched his interface to viewer mode so he could show him.
"You still have access to this?" Cerez said in disbelief.
"We were just bound. It will likely close access soon. Look," Liem said as he scrolled through the perfect test scores. Kadir set aside the food he had removed from storage and walked up to check.
"Very good. I will have the Advanced Sciences to talk with her about. She will soon be able to help me." Kadir said, smiling at the results. He, the oldest of the three, had a passion for learning. Science, Mathematics, Technology and Engineering were his favorite subjects. He could verify and trust these things. She had the potential to learn anything if she had the will to do so. It made her so much more attractive than that scent of hers could ever have. Kadir smiled, it had been so long since he felt positive about life.
"It must be bewildering to see her learn at a fast pace. I can see why you did not include any of this information in your communications all that time." Kadir smiled. Cerez felt a wave of realization hit him.
"Indeed, there is more than that. She has acquainted herself quickly with the law and privacy laws. As soon as she could read she strictly started to control the use of all the data we had researched about her. I was permitted limited access to her information, even as her proxy. But beyond that, I am not even permitted access to her data. Once her clan registration is completed, her rules will naturally apply to us as well." Liem worded what he said quite carefully.
"Intelligent decision, how did she find a way to extend that privacy to us?" Kadir grinned widely at this. What an intelligent decision that would benefit them all. He would really be able to get started on his work instead of the rough sketches he had done with art supplies.
"She states that the law is technically open to interpretation. I was surprised by the way she took to it. She is quite passionate about finding ways to protect her individual rights and privacy. She may talk about this privacy and personal rights and freedoms from time to time. It was apparently something they were working on as a whole in the North", Liem explained. Kadir could not remember a time that he felt this giddy. He awaited the time when the registration became complete so that he could discuss this with her. She was fascinating. His mother would really like her personality when they went home for the traditional visit. He was interested in seeing how she would speak.