"You seem to be glowing lately," said Leandra, hiding a smirk under the pretext of chewing her sandwich.

"Yeah, I am turning radioactive this year," replied Aria and returned back to thoughts of a tempting vajran ravaging her dreams.

"And who might be the source of this radioactivity? I wonder." Leandra licked the stubborn crumbs sticking to her thumb, while staring straight at Aria. "Does a tall and exotic new roommate, with all the allure of a supermodel, have anything to do with it?"

A smile, genuine and uncontested, bloomed across Aria's face at the implied reference to Astra.

"So how long has it been? Three? Four months?" Leandra prodded. "Even my Abuela is showing signs of impatience. Give us the details."

Was it really that long? Did time flew faster in Astra's presence?

"No, we are just sharing an apartment. Nothing else happened between us." Aria then took a huge bite out of her falafel wrap, betting that her occupied mouth would make Leandra reconsider sending a barrage of questions her way.

But, Leandra proved to be someone unshackled by such considerations. "Nothing? Really? Come on. Everyone noticed the change in your pattern. Even the HR noticed it. Next they will ask you to join the diversity panel. You show all the symptoms of lesbian nesting pattern."

"Lesbian nesting pattern?"

"Yeah. Lesbians with a stable partners, not hanging out with friends much. Avoid all socialisations. Can't wait to get home from their job." Leandra playfully jabbed Aria in the arm. "You, Aria, are exhibiting all those symptoms."

True, that Aria could not wait to get home, to gaze and bask in the presence of Astra, to breathe the same air, all those stolen touches, and subtle soft whispers and lusty stares. She was more than aware of her body screaming for attention. There was no denying, even without the direct physical sex, the intimacy and intensity that permeated their relationship.

Yet, those were not the sole reasons. Ever since Phaedra crashed her grandmother's party, Aria could not shrug off the subtle encroaching feeling of being stalked. Almost as if Phaedra waited to threaten their social circle.

"Aria, do you know you are a terrible liar?"

"I am a lovely and honest person."

"You could be a liar and still be honest, and you could swear to only speak the truth and still be dishonest. Truth and honesty are not mutually exclusive."

"Alright Miss.Philosophy, your point being?"

"My point being, we are all tired of waiting for an update. It has been three months since you took Astra to meet your parents, and then all we got was a post in your mastodon profile, and then nothing."

"If you want juicy gossip, go bother Hallie."

"No, she is always guarded, all clenched and tight like a conservative homophobe's bum."

"Can't you strive to provide another mental image. I am eating, you know."

"But seriously, what should I tell Abuela? She could be relentless once she starts pestering." Leandra stared at Aria with puppy dog eyes.

For a fleetingly brief second, Aria flirted with the idea of spinning the same version as at her family reunion, and soon scoffed at the naivete of the plan. Unlike her pretentious family -- everyone assured of their self-righteousness -- Leandra would not be distracted by her self-importance. She would do a phenomenal job of unravelling every fibre in her lie.

When facing Leandra, half-truths were the way to go.

"You know, this is all very new territory for both of us."

Leandra's eyes lit up, and her ears perked, undivided attention on the juicy bit of drama she would get to embellish to her Abuela.

"We haven't gotten physically." What happens in the VBrane words, stays in VBrane world, justified Aria.

All those heated kisses and twinning of limbs, groping and exploring each other's bodies, promises to devour the other that materialised only in the simulated world. Those were simply too deliciously enticing to not indulge in.

Every time when Aria stared at Astra, she had to work through bouts of guilt, of withholding those affections from the real Astra, only to lavish them on a simulated and fake version of her. She could only justify that instead with the real Astra, it was their playful banter that grew more into a more satisfying part, something that was equally tangible as sex for them to hold.

"Girl, I could give my gynaecologist number, if you need any assistance in that department. Get your hormone levels checked and all. Don't worry, the practice is very queer-friendly."

"What? No? I am perfectly fine. Nothing hormonal or bodily. We have agreed to work on our emotions and resolve all tensions before taking the next step."

Leandra gave Aria the this-is-pure-bullshit look of disapproval. Luckily, for Aria, the look did not last long. Leandra's mobile beeped, a chorus of five pings in rapid succession pulled her to the notifications on the display.

"Ah, sorry Aria. Slack notifications. Some runner jobs failed in pipelines. Have to run."

"No probs, Leandra. Take care."

Unwillingly, Leandra extracted herself.

Liberated, Aria breathed a sigh of relief. Her respite lasted for less than a minute, when the true veracity of Leandra's statement stuck.

Little less than eight months, was all that separated their time together. Then, despite her growing attraction to Astra pleading her to stop, she must relieve Astra of her oath.

Aria stared at her mobile and a laconic frown marred her face. A bunch of missed calls from Travis. A dozen unanswered messages stared back. It only consolidated her belief further, to relieve Astra. Astra deserved freedom, to be with her mothers, and with her people. With every three letter agency hunting her, Astra would be safe, anywhere except on earth. If not today, then tomorrow or even a day after, anytime, they would corner Astra, and her own selfishness and short-sightedness would spell the doom for the one she loves.

A little more than seven months, and my Astra would be safe.

With resolve, Aria finished the rest of her lunch and returned back to work. Shortly, after Hallie approached her with Leandra trailing behind her, an expression of unease pasted on her face.

Aria raised a single eyebrow in question.

"Leandra could not boot her laptop. She enabled full disc encryption, and the USB stick that unlocks got corrupted," said Hallie.

Aria understood the implication. Without the decryption code in the USB, it would be impossible to retrieve the data, even if the hard disc was physically removed from the device. That is how the security was designed for full disc encryption, to protect the data even if the device got stolen or dismantled.

"All my deployment keys are in laptop. It would take perhaps weeks, even a month or two to procure and set up everything again," added Leandra.

"What about the backup USB stick to unlock the LUKS?" asked Aria.

"Yeah about that." Leandra gave a nervous laugh. "Bertram is away at a conference and wanted something of mine to remember."

Aria rolled her eyes. Even Hallie chortled a snort, earning a burning stare from Leandra.

"Can you not stick to giving him a piece of your lingerie, like normal couples?" Hallie chuckled, and then pulled Aria aside, out of earshot from Leandra. "Phaedra mentioned that Astra has some assistive A.I. technology embedded in her. So can you ask Astra for help?"

Grabbing her mobile, Aria called. "Hey Astra."

The dazzling brightness that bloomed across Aria's face did not escape both her friends' notice.

Leandra gave a barely visible smile, perceivable only to Hallie. In return, Hallie smirked.

"So I was wondering, if you could drop by my work, that is, if you are not preoccupied." Aria knew Astra's answer. Nothing was more important to the Covenant Captain than her.

"Ah Vlahari, miss me that much?"

"Actually, it is Sidra's help that I need."

"Love, how cruel can you get? Would you really force me to fight with my own A.I. for my wife's affection?"

Aria twisted her head from the mouthpiece and sent a heated glare at her two friends, giggling. "Bitches, please. It is a basic etiquette to provide a bit of privacy."

"A bit of privacy?" Leandra fanned herself with overly exaggerated gestures. "To talk to a roommate?"

"With whom you have a perfectly non-sexual and purely platonic love?" Hallie teased, eyes twinkling mischievously, her inner demon feeding off of Aria's delightful unease.

Aria's voice turned all business-like and imperious. "So Astra says, she is too busy, unless it is an emergency and looking at the two of you chitter-chatter, it doesn't look like an emergency situation. Does it?"

"Oh, please, Aria." Leandra looked as if she would kiss Aria's heels. "I would like, totally, cook a romantic dinner for the two of you. Please help."

"And I could be the sommelier," volunteered Hallie.

"No, thanks, I am perfectly capable of fucking up my sex-life without the two of you meddling." Then, Aria ended the call with Astra, and ordered. "Better get Jorge to remove the hard disc. Astra should be here soon."

---

When Aria returned, extracting an overly priced can of iced-tea from the vending machine, she found Astra in the company of an exhilarated crowd, with Leandra thanking her profusely and Nguyen, with a bewildered look on his face. Jorge who stood a few distances away, had donned an expression of a man who started to question everything about reality.

"How did she do it?" Jorge repeated, like a mantra. "How did she break the encryption? They were not meant to be broken."

"You should publish a research paper on it? Or at least present your method at a conference," said Nguyen.

"How about we let Astra and her secrets alone," said Hallie. Her tone came out louder than she expected.

Aria gave a sigh of relief at Hallie's intervention, and a silent thankful gaze passed between both the friends.

"So, now that the crisis is averted, I propose we unwind a bit for the evening." Leandra suggested. In fact, she insisted. The manner of her delivery left very little room for denial. "Come on. It has been a while since we went out as a team. Besides, Bertram is at a fancy conference, so I have some my time. Please. Pretty please, with a lot of sparkly sugar sprinkled on top, please."

---

Aria expected a simple bar-hopping when Leandra proposed unwinding a bit. A clubbing experience, in an upscale nightclub, did not factor into her calculations. She stood inside, dazed by the lush red carpets, the tasteful works of modern art beautifying the walls and the foyer, and the subtle mist dusting from above, the dreamy haze amplified by proficiently placed lighting soaking the interior in a rich cerise.

The heavy-set bouncers and their stringent and extremely scrutinizing gaze for admittance made the interior of the nightclub, less crowded and more manageable.

Leandra weaved through the club, leading them to an empty counter with ease and practised familiarity.

"Someone seems extremely confident with the layout," smirked Hallie.

"When you are married to a professor husband," said Leandra, shrugging off the comment. "Running into his students in a normal club makes for a very awkward moment."

Aria glanced around the crowd and found most to be a sprinkling of upper middle-class and the higher echelon of the society, with most of the men in their impeccably well-tailored suits, and the women in their designer pumps and handbags, clustered mostly around in their intimate groups. Only a handful of the clubbers sprawled their limbs on the dance floor.

A wide spectrum of emotions ranging from sheer enjoyment and glee, jubilation, passion, intimacy, ecstasy, rapture and lust roamed clubbing space. But Astra held Aria's singular attention. Those captivating gaze lingered on Aria, capturing the fleeting moments of carefree smile on her wife's face.

Astra's finger, bare and slender, touched Aria with infinite gentleness. Her regal figure, poised in confidence, knelt before Aria. "Would you indulge me with a dance?"

For once, in an utterly pleasant surprise, Aria didn't hesitate for a second. Tugged by an unseen ethereal hand, Aria leaned over and placed a kiss on Astra's knuckles. The velvety feel of Astra's skin felt as if they belonged there, as if they were destined to be there, grazing Aria's lips. The music slowed, but did not fade away. All seemed to swirl around Astra, just like Aria's soul.

Astra's arms slowly snaked around Aria's waist, fluidly guiding her to the dance floor, every movement of their combined forms matching to the rhythm of the music.

Astra led Aria across the dance floor with the grace of a cat landing on its paws, the splendour of a condor with outstretched wings soaring, and an unrestrained gale liberating freedom in its wake. With an innate sense of body positioning, Astra held Aria securely against her body. She did not speak, her delicate movements danced through Aria's veins, fluttering with every beat of the music.

No words, no language needed, for none would suffice.

And the beats to the music changed.

Astra, the hunter became the hunted. No longer the dominated, she became the coy partner. The change intrigued Aria, as she continued to adapt, following Astra across the dance floor. A sweet, tormenting pain blossomed in her stomach as Astra slipped her with every move, near and yet not in hold. Closer and closer, the gap shrunk. The beat remained in steady tempo, but lessened in volume, almost a soft whisper now. And somehow, everything around disappeared, everything but the two of them dancing, leaving Aria with nothing else but the sensation of being connected with Astra.

Their heads angled towards each other. Their souls entwined.

Every cell of Astra's body embraced and possessed Aria's.

"Vlahari, you have no idea how long I have dreamt of this moment." Astra whispered, voice thick with desire.

"Of what?"

"Just this. Us together, like this."

Their bodies glided across the floor, their voices mingled as they drifted closer together. The rhythmic beat and undulating notes spun around them further, enveloping them in a very private vortex of seclusion.

"You dance well," said Aria. "Don't tell me this is your first time dancing? Like your first time cooking?"

"Love, no. I am not a prodigy."

"So is dancing a part of your Fleet's Captain training, or was a requirement due to your family background?"

"Neither." Astra shook her head, but the flare in her eyes still remained. "I took lessons on my own."

"You must love dancing, then," said Astra.

"No, I do not. In fact, I hated dancing," said Astra, then with a wink added. "Until now."

"Liar," replied Aria, making no attempt to hide the blatant smugness dripping from her voice.

"I tried to imitate my mothers." Astra paused, summoning truths in the midst of their ardour. "My mothers. Lovely beings. Beautiful, elegant, gracious. Almost to a perfection."

Aria felt Astra pull, her body sinking into her companions. Her warm breath weaving through her hair and her brilliant electric orbs boring deep into her core.

"And, I was jealous of my mothers." Astra continued. "You know, when I was young, I walked out of an official dinner because my mothers started dancing with each other. I wanted my mothers to love me the most, which they did, but I was too immature to realise that love has different forms. The look they gave each other while dancing... that was the look of a lover not reserved for me. At that age, I could not factor it out and grew angry and jealous."

"But Astra, you were really young."

"So I took dancing to rival both my mothers. My mothers interpreted that as my love for dancing, and so, they did indulge me, but not with the same passion and look or moves, as when they partnered with each other. So in the end, I could not stop taking dancing lessons." Astra stifled a snort. "You know, not even ma Vierna would get this confession out of me. I vow never to bare this open to another living soul."

"And here you are, effortlessly breaking it to me." Aria smirked, a playful and mirthful expression.

"Love." Astra's fingers dug into Aria, gentle, featherlight with the weight of gravity behind it. "You are my soul."

They clung to each other. Each wrapped in comfort, sharing something precious, cherished and loved.

Aria, her forehead pressed to Astra, her lips slowly aching, seeking something of Astra, asked. "Do you trust me?" Then, she felt the kiss on the crest of her head.

"More than life itself." Astra's hands ran up and down Aria's back.

To anyone watching, they appeared like two girls caught in each other's embrace. But Hallie saw beyond, a vajran woman and a human girl, forging themselves into one. And she sulked, with a heavy sigh.

"So did you pursue anything because of your parents, sweet Aria?"

It was true that her parents did not approve of her choice of course or the university, but Aria did not pursue IT to spite her parents. "I was not much into dancing. Not when you have the agility of jabba the hut, but I liked to play music."

"Producing vibrations to calm the mind is a noble vacation."

"Unlike you, I did not succeed. My mother insisted on piano or violin. Claimed those were respectable for women."

"And where did your heart lie?"

"Sax, but my mother vetoed against it. Something about the lips on the reed being lewd, and entertained all manner of perverted desires. Actually, my mother was partly right, but missed the mark."

"How?"

"I liked sax for its complex fingering." Aria wiggled her brows suggestively.

"But playing a violin requires skilled finger movements."

"I wanted to be ambidextrous, okay."

"But piano makes you ambidextrous too."

"I wanted to plug tiny holes by pressing my fingers, while working my mouth," said Aria, but the tone came out louder than she anticipated.

Everyone stopped to stare. First-hand embarrassment coloured Aria crimson. She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. No sound came out. It is funny how the mouths seem to become sealed shut when most needed. There would be no graceful exit from the ignominy. The realisation was enough to snap her back to the present.

Astra guided Aria back to Leandra and Hallie, minus Nguyen.

Closer to the DJ, in front of them, a dark-haired woman in a tight-fitting black dress, with sleek high heels and a slender waist highlighted by hips accented by a petite, but not undersized bosom, flirted with Nguyen. Beads of sweat framed Nguyen's forehead and were promptly wiped by the back of his sleeves. His upper body hopped as if his torso were made of spring, while his legs stood rooted firmly to the ground.

"He's not going to make it," said Hallie.

"Can't blame her either, she is sending him all the correct signs," added Leandra. Sensing Nguyen, make an excuse to strode in their direction, she added. "Hallie, he needs help."

"Why are you here? Go back." Leandra shooed Nguyen. "The girl is clearly interested in you."

"About that," said Nguyen, licking his dry lips. "I don't know what to say. Conversation is so difficult."

"Dude, she is literally coming onto you pretty hard. Look at all those hairbrushes, playing with loose strands, batting eyelids and ..." Leandra huffed.

"Yeah, I know, just not sure what I am expected to do in this situation."

"Flirt back with her." Hallie limpidly cocked a knowing eyebrow at Aria and Astra. "Take a hint from these two."

"Oh, we are not flirting," denied Aria.

"No, you are not." Hallie rolled her eyes. "And we were all too blind not to notice the dance floor, a few minutes ago."

"Well, we weren't like what you implied," argued Astra. "We were just trying to find some... bonding activity that does not require... getting immediately intimate."

"And that is precisely why they are flirting," said Leandra.

Aria fidgeted, as she searched for a good excuse.

However, Hallie offered an easier alternative. She turned the attention back to Nguyen. "Just compliment her features."

"I did tell her that her breasts are cute and her ass looks nice."

"And she still stayed there? With you? Must be serious," said Leandra.

"Or desperate," added Hallie. "You see that bracelet on her arms, just ask her about it. keep the conversation flowing."

"But I am not interested in girly bracelets or any bracelets as for that matter," replied Nguyen.

"Just ask her, dude! When she answers, reply saying that its elegance matches the slenderness of her wrist. Be subtle about your flirting," advised Hallie, revealing a new side of her.

Aria wondered if Hallie secretly enjoyed Leilah's stories too, just like her.

"Look, Nguyen, here is how you go about subtle flirting. Guaranteed success, I assure you." Hallie unlocked her mobile, pulling a picture of an adorable kitten with mesmerizing green eyes. "This is my pet cat. When I show the picture of my adorable cat, the other party says, 'cute', because, what else would anyone say? Then I reply with, 'but not cuter than you.' And just like that. Bam. I have a scored a flirt point."

"Really?" Even if Nguyen did not mean for it, the disbelief oozed in his words.

"How about I prove it? Just to hoist my challenged honour, I will flirt with the next single person to enter the club."

And in a sudden invading stillness, and oppressive silence, sending even the hardened army of bouncers scuttling away, entered Phaedra.

The crowd stirred away from her path. Every eye shifted towards Phaedra, but none dared to meet her diamond-sharp silvery gaze.

Only Aria fisted her hand in the empty air, accompanied by jubilation from within. "Karma, you might be a bitch. But you are a lovely bitch."

Everyone, patrons and staff, darted away from Phaedra's path as she glided over to their table.

Leandra elbowed Hallie, suggestively.

Nguyen elbowed Hallie too, teasingly.

Hallie elbowed herself too, frustratingly.

"Hi Phaedra, want to look at a picture of my cat?" Hallie tossed her mobile, electronic pixels lit up before Phaedra.

"No, you don't have a cat," said Phaedra.

"It's my grandma's, okay."

"You don't have a grandma either," muttered Aria under her breath.

"Look, it's a neighbourly grandma's cat that I adopted, okay." Hallie harrumphed. "Take a look at her. What do you say, Phaedra?"

"I say too small to fill the belly, won't last a single meal."

"You...You... You heartless monster." Hallie stomped her foot with righteous indignation on behalf of all fur covered felines and strode towards the exit, then she turned and screamed. "Don't you ever let me catch you even petting any stray kittens."

For the briefest of moments, perhaps it was a dim lighting of the interior, but Aria thought she imagined the faintest of smirks tug at the corner of Phaedra's lips, and then it vanished without a trace to the stoic exterior of the sentinel.

Standing at the exit, Hallie turned and shouted one more time. "Is anyone going to walk me to safety, or am I expected to brave the night alone?"

In a move that surprised Astra more than anyone else, Phaedra volunteered for the knightly chivalrous task.