pondering that orb

Adrian did have to admit that, now that they had properly worked out its nutritional needs, Grace seemed much more comfortable.

When it was first brought down to the planet’s surface, it had been unclear whether or not it would even survive in its frail state, or if its starvation was too advanced. They had all been desperate to save it...and none more desperate than Adrian. Grace had returned its mate to it, and it was plain to it that said mate would likely not survive without Grace.

It was only too easy to love Grace as Rocky did. For Rocky’s sake, and for Grace’s own.

Even if Rocky’s love was a little...strange.

Watching Grace eat for the first time had been shocking. Of course Adrian had seen it eat while it was still in recovery; that was different. There was no shame in needing assistance with various needs while unwell, and Grace had been deeply unwell. Sickness had a way of negating privacy. But this was once it was strong enough to feed itself in privacy and had been for some time, even if it remained weak and spent much of its time in its bed.

Adrian had been brought by Rocky. It had been unaware until they arrived what the purpose of this visit was, but it remained. It was a biologist. It should observe this. Rocky said eating was a social activity for humans, which was fantastically, intriguingly bizarre.

Rocky had brought food. It spent most of the meal crouched on Grace’s bed, encouraging it to eat more of this, of that, it had worked with the nutritionists on this specifically, Grace needed it…

Grace spoke. Adrian was not yet fluent then, so its voice was filtered through the computer program it and Rocky had apparently used to communicate in the beginning, pops and cracks and hisses coalescing near-magically into broken speech. “Not look disgust when Grace eat anymore, question?”

“It is different now,” Rocky said in that stubborn tone Adrian had thought it used only for it, and reached out to put a claw on Grace’s abdomen, something the new, better-articulated suit allowed. “Keep eating.”

Once Rocky was finally satisfied, Grace settled back into the soft bedding its fragile body required with a huffing groan, and Adrian listened to it critically as it dozed, hearing around where Rocky’s claw remained on it.

“I think you overfed it,” it told Rocky. “Its abdomen is swollen. We should call a doctor.”

“Humans need to eat more than Eridians,” Rocky explained. “The stomach expands for a reason.” And that did actually make sense. Grace seemed more than happy to eat.

Rocky took the feeding of its alien very seriously, and Adrian followed its example. It had, after all, had years to become an expert. Grace did not ask for food or express hunger often, but according to Rocky, this was ordinary; when it had just been the two of them, Grace had often forgotten to eat and sleep. Seeing the zealousness with which it threw itself into its projects (which so mirrored its own), Adrian could believe it...and understand what, beyond mere loneliness, had so drawn Rocky to it in the first place. Adrian, too, felt a great desire to care for Grace, and was pleased that their efforts were bearing fruit.

Eridians did not grow once they reached maturity, or change shape outside of catastrophic injury. Humans, having an endoskeleton and being from a much lower-pressure environment, were not the same. Starvation was outwardly obvious in their shape. When Adrian first met it, Grace had been so weak and in such pain it could barely remain awake, let alone walk or speak; its tissue had been wasted tight against its bone, its soft, velvety carapace pitted with weeping sores, the light organs and oral cavity in its skull swollen. Even its organs had sounded diseased inside it, soft slushy noises to cardiac and pulmonary systems, silence from its digestive tract – which became extremely frightening when Rocky explained how noisy it was supposed to be.

But now the sores were healed, its digestive system had recovered, and its shape had become, as Rocky said it was meant to be, full and broad. And its recovery obviously continued, as it continued to grow. Rocky was insistent that the much-lauded but ever-suffering hive in charge of Grace’s food continue to increase the caloric content even as they varied flavor, texture, and variety.

Adrian rested in the sand of Grace’s beach or the floor of the house Rocky had designed for it, and arranged its limbs to hold Grace as it ate. As Rocky fed it. The perversity of the act was shocking, dulled by its repetition. With frequent admonitions that it wasn’t eating enough, Rocky touched Grace’s abdomen, its belly, and so did Adrian, feeling its stomach swell to capacity beneath its claws. It found it enjoyed the many noises it made, not unlike Eridian emotional declarations, although they were not actual words. Grunts, groans, sighs, moans, whimpers...something very like a purr, once it was properly fed. When Rocky or, eventually, Adrian rubbed its inflated belly, or stroked its hair. Very gently, of course. It was fragile.

Grace grew soft and round, exactly the opposite of an Eridian. There was something thrilling about its sheer alienness. Its clothing fit it properly again, tight to its carapace. It often seemed sleepy, content in its perpetual fullness; it had nothing to fear, watched over by Rocky and Adrian. Its gait changed as its lower limbs thickened, becoming wider, rolling; it reminded Adrian of how hatchlings walked, even steadied by the cane Rocky made for it as the gravity wreaked havoc on its joints, and perhaps that contributed to its protectiveness of it.

“It eats like it’s preparing for eggs,” Adrian overheard one of the lab assistants muttering to another once. They both jumped upon realizing, when Adrian moved from behind a counter with an angry burst of sound, that it had heard them.

“Don’t be vulgar,” it scolded. “If you believe Grace deserves none of your respect, you should not be caring for it.” It was, of course, very aware of the fact that caring for and communicating with their first and only alien was the most coveted position on the planet. “Its species doesn’t even lay eggs.”

Much to Rocky’s dismay, it added silently and wryly to itself, thinking of Rocky cooing and chirping over Grace. It surprised it sometimes it felt no jealousy, but...the situation was so very unique. And so was Grace.

Adrian often visited it alone now, always with food. As it approached one day, Grace’s heartrate rose and its posture changed when it saw it, and it met it in the sand, sinking down immediately with a grunt to settle against Adrian. It felt cool through the panels of its suit, its flesh folding forgivingly against and around its limbs.

“Hello, Grace.” Adrian wrapped a limb over the near-liquid spread of its belly, feeling the wonderful give of it. Definitely not full anymore.

“Time to eat again already, huh?”

“Yes, dear one.” Adrian began removing items, carefully wrapped, from the bags slung around its suit. “I brought more this time; Rocky says you need it.”

“Yeah, I just bet he does.” Grace stretched luxuriantly, then grimaced. Adrian heard it tug its shirt, ridden up with the movement, back down. “I might have to talk to the food science team one of these days about what they’re feeding me. The stuff they’re making now tastes great. Don’t get me wrong. And don’t tell them I said anything yet, but. I’m really getting kinda -/--./.”

Voiceless labiodental fricative, short cardinal vowel sound, linguolabial plosive (Adrian had been spending too much time with the linguists lately). A new word. Those were rare these days. “What are you becoming?”

“Oh, I tried to explain it to Rocky...it’s really not a concept you guys have. Can’t happen to you. Lucky.”

“Grace…” Its name meant something not unlike “soft” or “gentle,” which was quite fitting. Adrian admitted, “Your people are obviously very accomplished, but I do not understand how you get anything done, with how much you need to eat.” Six or seven meals over the course of its day-night cycle, and it often ate in between, too. “And how much time you spend digesting. Do you exist in a perpetual state of starvation? Do you cycle out who is allowed to eat properly by group or caste?” Are we the first ones to take care of you properly?

“Oh, yeah, no, that’s...that’s really not how it works.” Grace made its gesture for an emphatic no, head turning side to side. Adrian heard the blood flow to its face increase: embarrassment, self-consciousness. “We, uh...we don’t actually eat this much, usually. I’ve kind of been making a -//.- of myself lately.”