Falcorans' Faith (16 page)

Faith felt Jon’s sincerity, and knew that if she said no, she would hurt his feelings.  She’d hurt all three of them.  A week earlier she wouldn’t have cared.  Today she did.  “All right, all right, one gift.  But that’s all.”

“Thank you, Faith,” Jon said, smiling.

An hour later they left the Jasani spaceport and headed into Badia’s shopping district on foot, Faith walking beside Tristan, with Jon and Gray flanking them.  They spent the entire morning going from shop to shop, and Faith had to admit that she was having a very good time with the Falcorans.  She filled out her wardrobe and got all of the items on her list, letting the Falcorans pay for about half of what she selected, plus one outfit that she’d tried on and loved, but would not have purchased herself.  It wasn’t easy for her to let them buy so much for her, but their obvious enjoyment helped.  The Falcorans had all of the purchases sent ahead to the spaceport to be loaded onto their private shuttle, and then they went to lunch.

“Wow, I’m tired,” Faith said as she sipped her juice.  She’d already finished her meal and was enjoying watching the guys put away what seemed to her to be an amazing quantity of food, even for them.  “I’m glad we’re finished.”

“Faith, have you ever had a pet?” Jon asked.

“Yes, once,” Faith replied.  “Grace and I had a cat when we were little.  She was the sweetest thing.  Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” Jonathan said.  “And we’re not quite finished yet, either.  Don’t forget, you said we could get you a gift.”

“Oh yeah,” she said.  She wondered if they meant to get her a cat, and decided that would be fine with her.  She liked cats.

After the guys finished eating and paid the bill they went back out onto the street.  “Which way?” Tristan asked Jon.  Jonathan gave him directions and they set out.  A few blocks away from the main shopping district they stopped in front of a small building with no signs out front, and shade covered windows.  Jonathan pushed a button and Faith heard a bell ring faintly from inside the building.

“Yes?” a tinny voice said over a speaker next to the button.

“It’s Jonathan Falcoran, Mr. Fray,” he said.  “We have an appointment.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Mr. Fray replied.  “Please come in.”  The lock on the door clicked and Jon opened it and stepped inside.  Tristan guided Faith in behind Jon, with Gray bringing up the rear.

Once Faith’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting after the bright afternoon sunshine, she was surprised to see that they were in what appeared to be an average living room.  There were chairs grouped around small tables, two sofas, photos on the walls, even a bookshelf with a dozen or so real books on it.  She’d half expected a pet store, but clearly she’d guessed wrong about the cat.  In fact, this wasn’t a store at all.  What sort of gift were they planning on giving her, anyway?

A small, rotund man with merry eyes and a balding head entered the room.  “Welcome, welcome,” he said, smiling.  “I’m so happy to be able to accommodate you kind folks today.  I’m planning to leave on an extended trip tomorrow, you see.”

Faith listened as the man continued to ramble, more curious than ever as to why they were there.  Jon had made an appointment with him for this meeting, but she couldn’t imagine why.

“Mr. Fray,” Jon said when he could get a word in edgewise, “these are my brothers Tristan and Gray, and our friend, Faith.”

“Oh, it’s good to meet you, yes, good to meet all of you,” Mr. Fray said, bobbing his head up and down.  He walked over to a chair and lowered himself into it, gesturing for them to be seated as well.  Faith and Tristan sat on a sofa, while Gray and Jon stood behind them.

“Now, which of you wish to bond with a
raktsasa
today?” he asked.

“Faith is unfamiliar with
raktsasa
,” Tristan said.  “We’d like her to have one, but only if she agrees after seeing them, and learning about them.  In the event she agrees, she will bond, but we must form a companion link at the same time.”

“Yes, yes, quite wise, actually, quite wise,” Mr. Fray said, bobbing his head again.  “I always recommend that a companion link be made, but my advice is not always well received.  Most people who want a
raktsasa
are interested in personal protection only, so a companion link is not an idea to their liking.”

“We are pleased to hear any advice you may wish to offer us concerning
raktsasa
,” Tristan said.  “You are the expert, not we.”

“Quite wise, quite wise indeed,’ Mr. Fray said, his round cheeks turning pink with pleasure.  “Now, if I might suggest, it would be best to bring in those
raktsasa
that are currently available.  I have only six, mind you, which is why I must make my trip tomorrow.  This way, they will have time to relax while I speak.”

“Of course, Mr. Fray,” Tristan agreed.

Mr. Fray bobbed his head some more, then excused himself and left the room.  Faith’s curiosity was raging, but she refused to ask the Falcorans any questions since they so obviously wanted her to.  She would wait until Mr. Fray returned and explained, as he’d promised. 

“You are no fun,” Gray complained from behind her, sensing her curiosity and her determination to hold it in check.

“You, on the other hand, are a great deal of fun,” Faith replied.  “And so easy to tease.”  The Falcorans chuckled softly, and she grinned, pleased with herself. 

Mr. Fray returned with a large, clear plastic box containing what looked like six brightly colored balls of fur not much larger than Faith’s fist.  One was bright yellow, one bright red, one turquoise, one purple, one lime green and one hot pink.  Mr. Fray set the box gently on the low table directly in front of Faith and Tristan.

“Now, Miss Faith, if you would be so kind, please place one hand over those little holes on the side of the box, just for a moment.”

Faith did as Mr. Fray asked, though none of the little balls of fur inside the box moved.

“That will do, thank you,” he said.  Faith withdrew her hand and Mr. Fray returned to his chair. 

“They are a little shy so, if you would, please do not make any sudden loud noises,” he said.  “If you do, it will take that much longer for them to relax.”

“We’ll be careful,” Tristan said, smiling at Faith’s obvious curiosity as she studied the brightly colored balls.

“Now, to begin,
raktsasa
are, of course, shape shifters,” Mr. Fray said.  “Their intelligence is perhaps twice that of the average Earth canine, though of course that varies as it does in all creatures. 
Raktsasa
are also symbiotic.  They evolved in tandem with their sentient counterparts on Kolusin, a world on the far edge of our galaxy.  Unfortunately, the Kolusians very nearly exterminated themselves in internecine wars, leaving many
raktsasa
without a bonder.  Many tens of thousands of
raktsasa
died as a result, since they must have a bonder by the time they reach adulthood.  It is unfortunate as they are truly delightful creatures, but their evolution has brought them to this point and it cannot be changed any more than we can suddenly breathe water instead of air.”

Faith listened, fascinated by what Mr. Fray was telling them.  It had the feel of a speech designed to answer commonly asked questions, but that was fine with her.  Considering the way he’d rambled earlier, this was probably the most effective way for him to get information across to people.

“A
raktsasa
is, as you can see, quite small and sweet looking with their bright colors and furry bodies.  However, it must be remembered that they can be quite deadly if not properly trained and cared for.”

Faith caught the strong note of warning and caution in the man’s voice and tore her eyes from the brightly colored balls.  She met Mr. Fray’s gaze, and saw that he was very serious.

“Those six are the only ones I have that are in the optimum bonding stage of between eight and eighteen months of age,” he said.  “They are taking this time to determine for themselves whether they would like to bond with you, Miss Faith.  That’s why I had you place your hand there, so they could get your scent, you see.  Now, if more than one of them wants to make a bond with you, they will decide among themselves which of them has the strongest desire, and is therefore the best choice for you.  Please understand, you cannot pick and choose. 
They
must make the choice.  You may then agree, or disagree, with their decision if you wish.  If none of them want to make the bond, I’m afraid that there is nothing to be done about it other than to wait until I have more
raktsasa
on hand.”

Mr. Fray was looking at Faith with a question in his eyes, so she smiled at him.  “I like that they get to make the choice,” she said.  “I like it a lot, actually.”

“Very good, very good,” Mr. Fray said smiling and bobbing his head.

“Now, once it is agreed that one will bond with you, you will allow it to sit upon your shoulder and it will make the bond. It is not a physical bond, mind you.  The
raktsasa
will sense your particular and specific brainwaves and lock onto them, merging it’s own brainwaves with yours.  It won’t know what you are thinking, but it will know what you are feeling.  The Falcorans wish to be accepted by the
raktsasa
as companions, so they will remain near to you during the process so that the
raktsasa
can form a lesser bond with them at the same time.  If anything should happen to you, this will allow the
raktsasa
to live on with one of them, or to be cared for by them should you become ill.”

“Wait,” Faith interrupted.  “Do you mean that if I get sick, or hurt, or die, that the
raktsasa
would die?”

“Oh yes, yes,” Mr. Fray said gravely, bobbing his head again.  “You must never abandon it, or leave it alone for any length of time beyond a few hours.  As I said, it is a symbiotic creature.  Once bonded to you, it will perish without you.  Unless it has a companion bond.”

Faith looked at Tristan, then turned around to look at Gray, and Jon.  “You guys are all going to do this, right?” she asked.  “I don’t want this creature to die just because something might happen to me.”

“We will each form a companion bond,” Tristan assured her.  “You have our word that we will always care for the
raktsasa
in your absence.”

“All right, thank you,” Faith said, relaxing.  She turned back around to face Mr. Fray.  “I apologize, I just had be sure.”

Mr. Fray was looking at her in mild surprise.  Then he beamed at her.  “Very good, very good,” he said.  “Now, you must understand that where you go, your
raktsasa
must also go.  They generally prefer to ride upon one’s shoulder.  They are very lightweight and have good balance.  You will not need to worry about them falling, or ruining your clothing or anything of that nature.  There will, of course, be times when you will wish to be alone, without the
raktsasa
present.  In those instances it is best if they have a small space of their own.  A bed, a protective box such as this one, or other suitable area.  Just remember that they will become distressed if left alone for more than a few hours.

“Now, this is the reason that most people wish to bond with a
raktsasa
,” Mr. Fray said.  “As I said at the beginning, they are shape shifters.  Through your bond, it will know if you are angry or afraid.  If you, or the
raktsasa
is threatened, it will shift into a creature of great size, formidable power, and potentially vicious temperament.  It will never, ever harm those it is bonded to, nor will it ever harm a child, even if greatly provoked.  Aside from that, it will absolutely destroy anyone or anything that seriously threatens you.

“You can train your
raktsasa
to refrain from shifting without your express approval.  You can learn to modulate your moods and reactions so that the
raktsasa
does not overreact at inappropriate times.  As I said they are quite intelligent, and they are motivated by a desire to please their bonder.  But once they shift, once they release themselves to the fury of their protective instincts, it can be difficult to control them.”

Mr. Fray cleared his throat.  “If you are in full understanding of the risks and responsibilities involved in forming a bond with a
raktsasa
, then we may continue.”

Faith sat very still, shocked to her toes as understanding hit her.  This was why the Falcorans had brought her here.  This was why they wanted to give her this gift.  Somehow, even without asking her for details, they knew that she was afraid.  How did they know? she wondered.  She
tsked
silently to herself.  Of course they knew.  She could feel their emotions.  Why shouldn’t they be able to feel hers just as clearly?

So, the question was, did she want one of these protective little fur-balls?  She gazed at the
raktsasa
for a long moment, then looked up, meeting Mr. Fray’s gaze once more. 

 “Absolutely,” she said firmly, excitement racing through her.  Protection riding on her shoulder.  A living, breathing being who would put her first at all times, in all things.  Who would look after her and fight for her if necessary.  As it would protect her, so too would she protect it, she promised herself.  Best of all, she wouldn’t be alone any more.  She would have a constant companion.  She couldn’t wait.

“If I may say,” Mr. Fray said, smiling at Faith, “rarely have I been so happy to see a bond form.  You will be a perfect bonder and companion for a
raktsasa
, Miss Faith.”