“I must say,” Bahena was saying in perfect, untranslated English. “It is absolutely wonderful to be back here on the Enclave! You have absolutely no idea what the atmosphere of the homeworld does to my scales. It’s disgusting.”

“Oh my!” Stella went dramatically, clapping her hands together. “How do you take care of your feathers? They look so shiny! Most of your kind I see have much duller feathers- yours are so smooth, so shiny!”

“Ah!” the dinosaur flipped her long, muscular tail in what Dassah assumed was a playful manner - much like a dog. “The secret is in an organic lotion that my brother makes—he’s shockingly talented for such an ugly creature!”

Dassah stared.

She’d reluctantly helped with the boxes under Stella’s strict glare, but once that was settled, she quickly and quietly returned to the safety of the nearest corner. Biting at her fingers, she tried not to stare at the rudely while pretending to be part of the conversation—and what a conversation it was.

Stella laughed, taking to the conversation like a fish in water. Dassah, on the other hand, wasn’t sure at what she should be appalled at first. Who just outright calls their brother ‘ugly’? Thought Dassah, leaving the garule bit out. But... What do garule even define as ‘ugly’?

She had very much hoped that the only interaction she would with the garule would be limited to passing them on the street, or accidently bumping them on the train. But this? This was far outside the scope of her nightmares.

Bahena had come in with six huge boxes filled with books and things that she was currently taking out gingerly and putting into place as she talked. Stella hadn’t been joking about her feathers; they were a shining bronze that gleamed in the light. Tall, lean, and muscular, Bahena was intimidating in a beautiful, deadly sort of way.

But the conversation happening in the room was just flat out bizarre.

“I must say—Stella, was it?—that dress looks absolutely fantastic on you,” Bahena put her clawed hands to her cheeks and pouted. Dassah’s stomach turned as the dinosaur woman continued, “I find it to be such a pity that I can’t get away with wearing something like that. I do envy the sleek looks of your kinds of legs. Mine are so bulky...”

“Oh, thank you!” Stella went. “It’s new—isoli-valkyrian fashion is simply fantastic. Really though, I envy your legs! They’re so strong and powerful! I simply adore the fact that women are such complete badasses in garuli culture!”

It was Bahena’s turn to clap her hands together. “I have seen what your males think they can get away with. The treatment they give you females! You all simply must learn to show them who's boss! If there is anything you want to learn, just ask! Breaking their brittle bones is like pie!”

Oh my God. They are birds of a feather. Dassah thought with a cringe.

Stella let out a squeal, “That would be so amazing. We can have apartment bonding time! What do you think, Dassah?”

Dassah blinked and looked at her. “Uh,” she started, wondering if her lack of enthusiasm for the idea was going to be given away in her voice. “Yeah, sounds great.”

“Excellent!” Bahena nodded her long head as she got up and walked over to fetch another box.

What an unrealistic conversation. Quite happy that the overly large bed was between her and the dinosaur woman, she was able to relax a little bit. Still, an outgoing woman like Bahena seemed to be wasn’t liable to simply allow her to exist. They would have to be roommates for at least eleven more months unless something serious happened.

Though she was apprehensive of the presence of the dinosaur in the room, Dassah couldn’t help watching her. It was really the first time that she had ever had direct contact with the garule species in a private space.

As Bahena was putting her books into the bookcase behind her desk, Dassah watched with wide eyed fascination as the muscles rippled in the areas the dinosaur woman’s sleeveless white blouse and tight charcoal grey pants couldn’t hide. Her claws clicked lightly on the floor as she went back and forth as she moved things from her boxes to the appropriate destinations.

“Is this the first time you’ve been around a garule?” Bahena asked in an amused tone, catching Dassah’s stare before she could react. Looking away quickly and biting her lip, Dassah gave a single, hesitant nod. The dinosaur woman laughed. “It’s all right, really! I don’t bite... usually.” She gave a toothy grin.

Frozen in place, her eyes were starting to hurt from how wide they were.

Bahena burst out laughing, “It’s a joke, girly! A joke—an old one at that. I can’t speak for the rest of my kind, mind you, but I am mostly harmless!” Her tail curled over her shoulder as she posed with a wink from her double eyelids.

Sure, that’s what they all say, thought Dassah fiddling with her fingers in her lap.

“Don’t mind her,” Stella’s voice rang out. “She’ll be all meek and awkward for a couple of days, but she gets over things fast.”

“I hope so!” Bahena said, her husky voice holding a pleasant tone. “I’ve worked with quite a few humans like that before; scared stiff till they realize that I won’t bite their heads off. I do like to think that I am an expert on making them all hate us a little less,” she said, then added: “Not that I am a fantastic example of a garule, I guess.”

Stella laughed, “My first garule was a meek little male in a game. He was a really nice guy, really, claws and all. Garuli males are adorable. Maybe TheirWorld is just what you need after all, Dassah,” she said. “You'll meet so many different kinds of scary monsters that the garule will be the least of your worries!”

“Leave it alone,” Dassah muttered, wanting to throw something at her.

“Have you guys gotten to play yet?” Bahena asked them.

“Of course!” Stella said. “We were playing just before you came.”

Stella filled the silence by talking about their characters and the gatekeeper that had gotten in their way.

“Oh,” Dassah said. “I forgot to tell you. I figured it out.”

“What?” Stella asked.

“The gatekeeper. I got in.”

Stella suddenly fell onto the bed and looked at Dassah with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you lead with that!”

“I was... distracted,” Dassah said, giving Bahena a sheepish look.

“Tell me, tell me!” Stella whined as Bahena winked at Dassah and went back to putting her things away.

So Dassah told them both what she had done to garner the attention of the gatekeeper and the success she’d had. Stella snapped her fingers and grumbled about how she should have just seduced him. Bahena, offended by the idea, said she should have just beat him up instead.

“Sounds like a horrible creature,” Behana said. “Why would you want to seduce that?”

Stella tsk-ed and said, “It’s not like I actually want to have sex with the man. I just want to... loosen him up a little.”

“You know,” Dassah said, narrowing her eyes at her friend. “There are times when I have some serious doubts about you.

Slamming her hand on the bed, Stella pointed at Dassah with a smile. “There you are! Welcome back!”

Dassah snorted and sat on the bed with her, pulling a pillow into her lap.

“Well,” Bahena said, joining them on the bed. “For what it’s worth, if anyone does anything stupid to you guys, you just come to me. I’ll handle it. Legally.”

“You need to specify?” Stella asked.

“Well,” the garuli woman started. “My brother is always reminding me that I can’t start fights in the street, so. Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Ha!” Stella went and flipped over onto her back. “What’s one example of something you did ‘legally.’”

“I joined a ‘Burg Tournament once,” Bahana said. “Not to win, but because I needed an excuse to rip the head off some jackass who insulted my brother. I didn’t, by the way—rip his head off, I mean—I just roughed him up a bit. It was completely legal and there was very little blood. If it makes you feel any better, my brother—who was the one I trying to defend, the jerk—was spitting mad about me doing it in the first place. I’m still quite bitter about that. I dropped out after I finished my... work.”

Dassah blinked a few times, then allowed herself to chuckle at the stupidly detailed account Bahena gave in her own defense. Both Stella and Bahena joined her for the laugh before Stella turned back to Dassah, snapping her fingers.

“I have a brilliant idea!”

Oh boy...

Dassah raised her hand, “I refuse.”

“You don’t even know what you are refusing,” Stella pouted.

“Mmm, don’t care,” Dassah answered.

“Look! You need to work better with the other people in this place, and with Bahena here, it's a sterling opportunity!” Stella told her, walking over quickly and sitting on Dassah’s desk again.

Bahena looked confused. “...Should I be upset that it sounds like I’m being offered up as a sacrifice here?” she asked.

“Ms. Sul, meet Stella Morgan,” Dassah sighed, putting up her hands to present her friend. This girl is more dangerous than the garule...

Bahena chuckled. “Please, just call me Bahena.”

“We should totally form our own combat team! Think about it! We could be ‘The Cute Girl’s Team! Or... The Sparkling Ladies Team! Or... Well, I’m bad at names—Dassah’s better in that department—but let’s just do it! We are together for a year; let’s make it fun!”

“...Are you serious?” Dassah asked, giving a side glance to Bahena. “We literally just met twenty minutes ago.”

“Come on, Das!” Stella exclaimed. “Where‘s your sense of adventure?”

“I like your enthusiasm,” Bahena said, the sound of her claw tapping the desk grating on Dassah’s nerves further. “Not that I am against it, but it’s not quite that simple. Combat teams, as they are, are min-maxers; we would have a long way to go to be a real combat team.”

“Call it a goal,” Stella shrugged. “The important part is us working together to form that team. Sure, it might take all year, but imagine what we could do, putting our minds into it!”

Dassah’s eyes flickered to where Bahena was sitting, looking over at them uncertainly. “Let’s say that I agree to this—ridiculous—plan. Putting the whole stranger thing behind us for now, just what the hell am I supposed to do? Thousands of video game hours and few classes of self defense don’t make me an acutal fighter,” Dassah said, in a voice that Bahena could hear. She had never intended to play a combat class in the game - there were so many other things that she could do!

“Obviously, you’re the brains,” Stella told her, probably able to read into Dassah’s intent. “That video game experience makes you a lot more valuable than you might think.”

“A-As flattering as that is...” Dassah stuttered, trying to not let Stella manipulate her so easily.

“Plus,” Stella said before Dassah could form a coherent argument. “This is TheirWorld we are talking about, and we live in an Iceburg City! There are all sorts of opportunities here. You could learn to fight. Plus, if you haven’t offended Bahena to death by then, she’s already offered to help teach us how to make brain pudding!”

“It may be best if you don’t pressure the girl to work with me,” Bahena said, her voice sounding a little like she had started to understand the danger that was Stella. Her words wouldn’t mean much, but Dassah genuinely appreciated the effort.

Stella waved her hand in the air again, “No worries. This is how you have to be with Dassah or she’ll never do anything.”

“...Thanks,” Dassah twitched.

“You’re welcome,” Stella said happily.

“Regardless, what you are suggesting is—” Dassah started

“Totally and completely harmless!” Stella finished with a wink. “Let’s talk more about it at coffee tomorrow?”

“Well, it’s not something any of us need to make a choice about right the second. I haven’t even finished moving in...” Bahena looked at her boxes dismally.

“I’ll help you!” Stella said in her singsong voice and skipped over, then turned and asked. “Dassah?”

Admitting her defeat with a sigh, Dassah stood. “Coming,” she said, and forced herself to take a more active role in helping out.