Donovan wakes slowly, at first wondering why he's naked. But soon the thoughts are replaced with mild panic as neither his bed, nor wardrobe, or anything familiar seem to be present. Bare metal walls loom down from above in the dimly lit room, as his heartbeat races.

 

Then like a flash, the events of the previous day rush through his mind. The teleportation, the Tribunal, then Ka'len in her winged form, the flame-filled room and Tacos. He smiles at the ridiculousness of it all. Then he catches up to now, with Galfa turning into a puddle after giving him the most glorious night of his life. He places a hand next to his chest, but the sleeping figure he last saw there is nowhere to be seen.
 

Donovan's tongue passes over dry lips as he realises that despite the room's agreeable humidity and temperature he feels quite thirsty. It takes a couple attempts to stop falling over his weak knees, but the man eventually stands, surveying the surroundings. The only other items in the room seem to be his clothes, folded neatly in the corner. He checks his inner clock. It had been close to nine earth hours since his last cogent thought.
 

Before he can ask the nanobots in his head about Galfa's location, the door ahead of him opens, revealing the chirpy Guvaan holding his box of nutrient cubes. She sidles over to the man and gives him a hug. "Did you rest well?" She asks, her voice as bouncy as her body as Donovan returns the embrace.
 

Donovan stretches, showing off his muscles inadvertently. "Quite, though not sure if my Back agrees with the floor." He jests. Galfa flings the box over to his clothes then changes the shape of her arms to what look like the wings of a World War II fighter plane. The sheets of blue rubbery goo wrap around the man tightly as she smiles, concentrating. With a firm squeeze and several loud pops his vertebrae slip back into alignment. "Wow!"
 

"Is that better?" Galfa inquires, her grin showing she already knows the answer.
 

"Nobody has ever done that before." He takes a deep breath while swinging his torso left and right. "Much better. Thank you." He leans down, planting a peck of a kiss on Galfa's forehead, causing her to glow slightly in response.
 

"I retrieved some more nutrition for you." As one arm reforms to its usual shape, the other stretches out to grab the box from atop Donovan's clothes. "We Guvaan do not get paid as such, so we can only requisition items from the stores. The Human by the name of Bhatnagar appears to like this flavour," she takes a lime-green coloured cube from the tray and places it on the end of her tongue as she had done the night before. "I thought perhaps-"
 

Donovan knows exactly what Galfa wants, and without hesitation he wraps his arms around her, pulling her into a deep and passionate kiss. Fingers rake along her latex-like back as the two explore the intricacies of each other's tongues, the nutrient cube pushed forth into the man's mouth heightening the sensation even more. The flavour is both meaty and spicy, not unlike a beef vindaloo, except that taste is shared with sweeter hints of mangoes and chestnuts. The heat in Donovan's mouth was being cooled by the temperature of Galfa's probing pseudo-muscle, eliciting a moan from the man as he hugged her tighter.
 

Then with a sigh, Galfa pulls away. "My regular duties have been re-instated. I must return." A look of contented sorrow crosses the Guvaan's face as she turns to the panel on the wall where she had entered the night before. It slides back revealing the transport tube. Donovan grabs her wrist, forcing her back round to face him. "But I must-"
 

"This isn't goodbye." Donovan says seriously before realising what he'd just uttered. Shaking out the pathetically Hollywood scenario that was forming inside his head, he tries again, sighing. "This wasn't a one off." Galfa's smile returns, though it's obvious she doesn't want to leave. "There's still a lot more left to talk about, and do." His cheeky grin cements the fact within Galfa's mind, rotating her gripped wrist to squeeze Donovan's. But her pleading eyes are looking for something else, something more.
 

It takes the man a moment to realise what was missing. Then stepping forward so his naked frame was firmly against the Guvaan, his slowly hardening member rising between her thighs, Donovan leans down to whisper "I will deconstruct you with pleasure again, Djerra Galfa Nolvera; Mark my words." The words cause Galfa's body to ripple, Donovan rightly assuming it was their body's way of shivering with anticipation. Galfa merely flexes her thighs to squeeze the man gently before stepping backwards into the tube.
 

With a wet-sounding plop she is gone.
 

Donovan takes a deep breath. "What is with this society?" He asks nobody in particular. A small info prompt requesting he state specifics appears in his display. He takes a few lumbering steps towards his clothes "What's with the sex? Are all species as sex hungry as Ka'len and Galfa?"
 

The translation software struggles for a moment before responding. 'The H'sha, Shylar, N'Gaa and Kagash were chosen to crew this ship and form the council because their cultural habits are closest to that of humans.' With one leg in his pants the man hops around the room trying to get the other to follow suit as he continues to read. ' Their comparatively heightened sexual instincts are a product of medical advancements preventing the transfer of diseases, the inability to breed cross-species and the notion of the act being for pleasure while deriving no further importance or relationship beyond that of friendship.'
 

'The two Da'Jen on board are siblings, one will not travel without the other, and both are closer to human in visage than most of their species, though it has been noted cultural differences have raised issues with their appearance. Their species rarely partakes in sexual activities, though the individual known as Ka'len appears to be an anomaly.' Donovan rolls his eyes at that, smiling as he pulls on his pyjama top.
 

'The Guvaan are required for ship maintenance. They partake in no sexual activities for reproductive purposes, though feeding off others heightened emotional state is an adapted trait.' Donovan thinks back to what happened last night, and how Galfa had started by seeming to get off on his release, but had eventually sought out ways to please him without instruction. The notion that she was doing that purely so she could feed off more energy brings a smile to the man’s face.
 

Taking a few deep breaths, Donovan calms himself. Thoughts of the Guvaan are pushed to the back of his mind; there are plenty of places he wishes to visit while his orbital stay is still valid, and reminiscing about the mind blowing sex of the day prior would just lose him those precious minutes he has left. "So, where's that shortcut to the Leisure District?"
 

The map in his display begins pulsing with a red line. Throwing his robe on, a container falls upon the floor with a dull thud. Inside the two iridescent berries glisten invitingly. Remembering Ka'len's description of them - and needing a bit of a pick-me-up without his usual morning cup of tea - Donovan opens the jar and fishes out one of the fruits.
 

The man turns the berry over in his hand, observing the way the light shimmers and shines off it's strangely coloured exterior. With a shrug he pops the dried fruit into his mouth, chews and swallows. He had guessed right in regards to the texture - that of a dried apricot - while the taste is sweet like a kiwi fruit but it kicks like a mule in the alcohol department, the man reasoning the strong fermentation is probably a by-product of the drying process.
 

He blinks the alcoholic hit away after a few seconds, taking a deep breath in to clear his head. As he steps out into the hallway, a sudden rise in temperature within his crotch convinces the man that his red lover was telling the truth. "Damn, folks back home'd pay stupid amounts for something like this." He mumbled, remembering he was headed to the Leisure District. "Might have to ask about a trade..."
 

It didn't take long to get back into the market. Thak's Thek is still running, Donovan taking a mental note to go visit Ka'len either on or off shift later. The panel once again opens with ease as he steps into the passageway, turning to descend the ladder in the reduced gravity well. And once more he exits onto the busy transparent walkway. Deciding the first door to his left would be as good a place as any to start, he takes a confident breath and steps inside.
 

The room beyond the sliding door smells strongly of raspberries and red wine, almost overpoweringly so. But the man pushes on and into the establishment. Several N'Gaa sit upright around a circular table. The store's owner - a N'Gaa as well - looks curiously at the human as he wanders over to the small booth near the entrance. All four N'Gaa are blue and black, with different patterns on each, though the owner seems more faded than the others. "Welcome, human. I am Ka'Thras and this is my Tolbek parlour."
 

"Good... Morning... I think. Donovan Lane." He extends his hand to shake but the N'Gaa just stares at it. The man withdraws his limb, placing both hands in his pockets as he looks around the room. All eyes are on him. "So, what's Tolbek?"
 

The N'Gaa all seem to smile, amused at the human's question. Ka'Thras motions over to an empty table. "Come, sit." He pulls a metal stool from the side of the room, seemingly unused in some time. It locks into place at the table. Donovan sits down as the owner situates himself opposite. "This is a game of counting and wit." Donovan's eyes focus on the board. It is structured like a hex map where the central hexagon is surrounded by three concentric rings of hexagonal spaces.
 

"The first player activates a tile of their colour anywhere on the board." He taps a spot and it glows a dull blue. "Then the opponent colours a space." He indicates for Donovan to tap the board, and he does; the opposite spot from his opponent lighting up a deep purple. The N'Gaa grins, nodding. "The objective is-" he taps another space "to get exactly twenty seven tiles your colour without going over." The man taps again, a few spaces from his first.
 

"Wait, if that's the case," the man pauses to do some mental arithmetic "there are thirty seven spaces on the board. How do you get past eighteen if you both take turns?" Ka'Thras smiles and taps a spot next to Donovan's last play. The space glows blue, before spreading that colour to Donovan's space. "Ah. Clever."
 

"This used to be played with our shed scales to pass time." He taps a pouch slung to his chest by a small leather strap. "Occasionally I feel nostalgic and play with mine, but this version is much more efficient for faster games." He looks the human up and down. "And other species."
 

Donovan and Ka'Thras play several more moves before the man speaks again. "I suppose the wit comes in by only allowing your opponent to claim a certain number of your tokens per turn?"
 

"You catch on fast, Lane." He hisses in respect, taking three of Donovan's tokens in one go.
 

"So what sort of odds do we have?" Donovan asks, curious. Ka'Thras raises a massive eyebrow at the question. "I mean, how many times does someone win by hitting twenty seven as opposed to forcing an opponent into a situation where they go over, or just simply getting a draw?"
 

"Ah, yes." The owner chuckles, thankful the man wasn't asking what chances he has of beating the seasoned veteran. "More often than not the game will end in a draw or on forcing an opponent over. But as with all competitions, it is easier to defeat your opponent than to defeat the parts of yourself that hold you back. A true victory is getting a Tohn; a twenty seven."
 

The human and N'Gaa sit in concentration, each tapping a space on the board with considerable thought before each move, moreso with each minute that passes. Once again it is up to Donovan to break the silence. "I suppose there are tactics that people use too, opening moves and so on?"
 

One of the observing N'Gaa respond before Ka'Thras is able. "Many tactics, yes. You opened with Ka'Thras' favourite play; the Bol'dai Parry." The owner nods grinning at the mention. "Usually regular opponents will start their first game by playing the other's style, for you it was coincidence, but still amusing."
 

Donovan looks at the few spaces left for him to play, smiling as he realises he's been forced over twenty seven in two more moves regardless, he bows his head but continues to play on, placing his tile to prevent Ka'Thras from getting the Tohn on his next move. "Nicely done."
 

"I have much practice, but you seem to have some... innate... skill too. And much respect for the game to continue playing despite knowing the inevitable." Ka'Thras plays his last move grinning at Donovan. "And for not handing me the easy win." Donovan plays the last space, shooting his tile count to thirty. "There are those who are quick to concede."
 

"Respect the game and the game respects you." Donovan states, trying to remember who originally said that to him, or whether he just made it up over team-speak one drunken night playing some random MMO.
 

"That is a good phrase." Ka'Thras nods in approval. "I must remember that."
 

With perfect timing the display in Donovan's sight flashes with A message from Serazz, asking how his first day had been. He dips his head to the N'Gaa in respect before getting up from the table. Tapping his head he excuses himself, the H'sha massage parlour being just next door and Donovan wanting to surprise the metal-suited being. "Thank you very much for the lesson, I think you'll find me here some more during my stay, assuming I'll still be here. Just got a message, gotta go."
 

"It was a pleasure, Donovan Lane." The N'Gaa hesitantly holds out a hand. Donovan takes it gently and shakes it much less vigorously than Meeka had. Ka'Thras grins broadly "You're more than welcome to come back any time. Unlike most establishments on this ship we never close. Enjoy your stay, however brief."
 

"I'm sure I will." Donovan says before opening the door to the leisure center's busy common area. He waves back at the four still-staring N'Gaa before the door once more shuts behind him.
 

Serazz stands before him, metallic hands on hips. "Having fun?"
 

Donovan blinks in amazement as the H'sha is waiting outside for him. Recovering quickly he tries to pass it off cool. "Why wouldn't I?"
 

"A being of my own sensibility." Somehow Donovan knew the translation wasn't exact, but he got the gist.
 

"I'm one of only a handful of humans who have left the atmosphere of our home planet and survived, and fewer still who have done so and spoken with beings from another world." He motions to the ship around him "I have good company, good conversation and all I need to do is be respectful of others, which I would do regardless." Serazz nods in agreement. "Once in a lifetime an opportunity like this comes along, and if you don't grab that bull by the horns, you'll always regret never having tried." His grin turns sheepish near the end. "Okay, mixed metaphor, I know. But-"
 

"I got the point, it's okay." She places a metal claw on Donovan's shoulders. "And it is good to see your view on respecting those around you, it is a very different view than most." She pulls at him, directing the man towards a door not too far away. "Come, talk, I wish to know you."
 

Considering how friendly most of the beings on this craft have been so far, Donovan doesn't hesitate to be led by this completely alien being back to her business. Even so, after stepping through he cannot help but to look around the room and figure out how best to leave if he required doing so.
 

"You've no need to concern yourself so." Serazz says almost disappointedly.
 

Realising what he'd just been thinking and feeling, he relaxes though slightly worried at having offended the H'sha. "Sorry, it's just..." he tries to find the right words, and fails.
 

"I understand," Serazz smiles "it is somewhat a natural instinct to be distrustful of those who are unfamiliar. Just know if anything were to happen to you on this ship, the resulting incident would be massive."
 

Donovan nods in agreement. "Yeah, I can't imagine how hard shit would hit the fan if something happened to one of the council, but me? I shouldn't be here in the first place, no-one would know." He looks around the room, trying to think of how best to change the topic. The room is actually quite small, and seems to be more of a coat-room than anything else. A small bay on one wall has a sign indicating clothing storage, while another indicates for the H'sha suits to be removed behind a separate panel. The atmosphere smells mostly of chocolate, and the walls are almost exactly like those outside, except giving off a yellowy glow. The only other major difference between here and the rest of the ship is how humid it feels to the man.
 

Serazz chooses not to indulge the man's escapism just yet. "You are different from the rest, I can feel it. There must be some reason you were brought on board." She motions for the man towards the clothing bay. "For now, I wish to show you my family's spa."
 

Donovan gulps, readying himself to remove his clothing in a much more public capacity. "You're right about me being different." He mumbles, sliding himself out of the bathrobe. "I doubt many of the Council would want to strip naked for an alien spa."
 

"And yet you do." Serazz just grins at the man with her beautiful, supermodel like face. It takes a moment for Donovan to snap out of it. After removing his top and placing it in the opening he freezes as she asks him a question he'd hoped to avoid. "Why such feelings towards me? We have barely spoken."
 

"It's like I told Ka'len; humans can be very shallow." Donovan wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this, but it seemed a good a place as any to start. "Back on Earth there are standards of beauty to which the majority of the populace represent, and I know I fit in that category." Donovan remembers Serazz can pick up on his feelings behind the words, and decides to keep the self-depreciation to a minimum. "And then there are those people who are deemed so beautiful as to be regarded as models- no, Supermodels. They have bodies and features the rest of us can only dream of."
 

Serazz ponders this. "So your attraction towards myself is related to my appearance being similar to that of your 'Super Models'?" The tone in her voice leads Donovan to believe she feels almost hurt by the notion that her looks are what's important.
 

"Attraction?" Donovan knows the ice he is treading is quite thin, but decides to go all out, especially given how transparent he must be to someone with such empathic abilities as the H'sha. "Physical, maybe, to some extent. But I don't even know you, how can I know whether I click with someone until I get to know them more than 'Hiya, I'm being dragged around by a red winged woman, have a nice day, Bye..."
 

The rant managed to catch both of them off guard, leading to a combined chuckle. "That's all I needed to know." Serazz watches the blushing man take off his pants. "Follow me." She waves for Donovan to join her in the atmospheric suit removal chamber, and he does so. As a door slides shut behind them, the room fills with vapour and the smell of dark chocolate grows more intense. Donovan takes a deep breath with a grin. "It's a muscle relaxant and humidifying agent." She says matter-of-factly, bringing the man's attention back to her barely-visible form.
"Have you done any research on my people?" The inquiry feels more like someone asking if they've been surprised lately while hiding a party-popper behind their back.
 

Donovan shakes his head. "Was gonna have a read up on many things after turning down for the night, but so far it's been pretty hectic."
 

"Well then, please don't be too shocked, as I am definitely no Super Model." The line is in jest, but altogether true as with a hiss Serazz removes her glass helm to reveal the H'sha body. With grace and care, the being shifts her weight, pulling a small green-gold torso from the suit, just barely wider than her head and built similar to that of a pre-teen human except the frills starting at her jaw-line are now seen to run down either side of her chest, across to where the nipples would be and then down towards four slender tentacles. Where a human would have their shoulders, four more tentacles rotate into view having been shifted behind the body to allow removal from the suit. Both upper and lower sets of tentacles seem to have similar construction, being almost slug-like in appearance, as wide as a sausage and a couple feet long. At their tips, each one splits into three smaller tendrils that the man guesses would be used for actually handling things. And behind the set of ‘legs’ a small, stumpy tail twitches.
 

Serazz manoeuvres herself down from the suit and stands just below chest height to the man. "There are many feelings inside you, but fear or disgust aren't amongst them. That is good." She places her 'hand' in his and pulls him towards a now opening doorway. Her skin feels almost entirely different from what Donovan was expecting; given her body's similarity to an earthen gastropod he thought there would be an abundance of slime or some slickness to it, instead it just felt like moist skin. "Come." She says, grinning as her eye-stalks focus on where she intends to go, while the two black orbs continue to stare at the slightly confused man.
 

Donovan does as he's told and follows the diminutive being through the doorway and into the sauna proper. Close to a dozen H'sha were happily laying back along the mesh chairs; appearing much the same way as the other beanbag like chairs except made from what appears to the man to be almost like fly screen material and no visible filling, yet able to maintain their shape. The floor feels soft but firm, like a kitchen sponge glued to a concrete floor, only this felt as smooth as plastic. Blinking those thoughts from his mind, Donovan tries to focus on the now. The H'sha all look predominantly identical, with only the occasional marking across the body differing any one from another, and subtle variations in their hues possibly indicating age if size was anything to go by. Not a one of them turned their heads to observe the human, and he felt somewhat comforted by this.
 

The man is led into a back room with two other H'sha of the same size as Serazz flicking through a hologram of geometric shapes. The room itself is the same as the one outside, and most likely just a private chamber of sorts. The two H'sha stop what they're doing to acknowledge Donovan's entry. "Sisters, this is Donovan Lane." Serazz stands back to let the two siblings see him fully. "Mr. Lane, this is Jessail the Searcher and Zua the Unrelenting." She indicates with a waved arm to each one respectively.
 

With all three individuals beside each other it was easier to pick out the minor differences between them. Serazz had by far the shortest eye-stalks and also the largest body, while Zua's colouring included a darker blotch across the upper part of her face; like a superhero's mask. Jessail was visibly more green but otherwise had near-identical markings of shimmering gold-brown along her back like Serazz. But he had to concede that in a rush, he'd be unable to tell the difference between them.
 

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The man bows politely, attempting to show some decorum despite being naked. He counted his blessings that the humid environment was doing him many favours in the size department, and as such he did not feel quite so embarrassed.
 

"An interesting phrase." Jessail contemplates as Zua shrugs. "Please, sit." The greener sibling motions to one of those mesh-like chairs to her right, and Donovan complies without hesitation. It feels almost exactly the same as the other chairs he's sat in, only the texture feels less like satin and more like a metal gauze. Serazz takes up the rooms last chair on his right and on the opposite side of the room to Zua.
 

"So," Zua says, her tone of voice higher and more chirpy than the others "what river brings you to us?" Donovan's concentration to translate the phrase is immediately picked up by the three, and while each opens their mouth to speak, Zua is first in. "By River it is meant Cause." She seems to do her own concentration of sorts, but Donovan puts her mind at rest.
 

"Immediately, I am here because I am fascinated by all of the new people I have met in the last day or so, and want to find out more about them before I have to go home. As to why I'm on this ship?..." He shrugs, sighing the next few words. "I wish I knew. I don't think anyone but the ship knows why I'm here."
 

The sisters share a knowing look, and upon sensing Donovan's intrigue Jessail breaks his thought process with another question. "Are you enjoying your stay?"
 

"Quite!" The exclamation was barely formed before the man realised his eagerness to reply. A little red in the face, and to smiles from the others, he continues. "There are so many interesting people, and foods, and... and... just so much to do." He grins, reclining his head and closing his eyes to take in the warm wet air. "I could spend all day in the Arboretum, not to mention the market. I've had a game of Tolbek - I lost, but apparently lost well..." His face shrugs this time just prior to being interrupted by Zua.
 

"And you seem to have made many friends too." A soft trio of tendrils are placed on the man's leg as he mentally tries to force his erection to stay down before it even begins to rise. "The Da'Jen were quite worried about their similarities to your 'Dee-Monz'" a subtle squeeze on his thigh enough to drive home the point "Though you seem to have no troubles."
 

"'Demons' are very much a religious and spiritual construct," Donovan hopes talking about serious matters will deter his rising arousal from Serazz's touch "and I tend to take a more scientific view of the world. When I arrived on this ship I was met by a creature some believe whose sole purpose is to suck a person into them and dissolve them slowly over days while feeding off the nutrients. But turns out the Guuvan are pretty nice." He sits forward in the chair, getting into his little speech a little more. "And the Kagash strongly resemble a mythical creature known for being physically brutal and attacking mountain climbers with its bare-" he pauses a moment, thinking. "Might be a good idea for someone to check if there is already a Kagash on Earth, because things do kinda line up there." The three sisters smile with raised eyebrows.
 

"My point is, I've been given a golden opportunity, and I'm not about to turn it down because someone looks like something I'm supposed to be scared of." He realises the rant got kinda strong and visibly backs down a bit in his chair. "Sorry, kinda got away from me. I just really hate it when people make assumptions on what I would do or say, or even worse, what I would feel." He looks at the somewhat shocked trio. "And it's not as though any of you did that intentionally , it's just, the whole Demon thing..."
 

Jessail's tentacular hand rests upon his shoulder, showing Donovan for the first time the slime-like substance Ka'len was referring to before. "It's okay." Her voice cracks, and now that the man looks closer, he thinks he can see her blushing; the H'sha's face taking on a slightly more emerald hue. Looking around, it's not just her.
 

"Are you okay? I haven't upset you have I?" The worry on Donovan's voice elicits a prompt response.
 

"We are fine," Zua says, almost panting. "Serazz mentioned our empathic state, correct?" He nods slowly. "Well, heightened emotions feel quite intense to us. Our suits have inhibitors which cap the intensity while we are inside, but..."
 

"Out here," Serazz interjects "we are more susceptible to emotion. So try to keep it inside, for a while at least." Another squeeze - albeit considerably more trembly - and a side wards puppy-dog glance from Serazz almost confirms what Donovan was suspecting and to some degree, hoping might happen.
 

Deciding to play it out, and calm the room a little, the man pipes up. "So, any more questions?"

"Do you have a question for us?" Jessail asks, her many deep breaths helping to relax her oily green form.
 

"I've had a lot of moments where I've been lost in translation, and have had to explain some human sayings - which I'm more than happy to do if you want me to,  just say - but I was wondering out of interest about that 'river' saying. I got the gist of it, I was just wondering what it means to you." The three seemed rather impressed with the question and looking between each other it seems they decide Zua should be the one to explain.
 

"Worlds our species occupy generally have large areas of swamp or marsh, which is where we prefer to nest." Zua speaks as if she was dreaming of being there in that moment. "We do so on whatever large stable object is available, though our nests are generally woven from delicate fabrics or items. If a flood were to occur while one was sleeping, they may awaken to discover they were quite a distance from their family territory." She grins almost sheepishly while trying not to look Donovan in the eye. "But we do not return to our homes because it's considered a will of the gods to be moved."
 

Donovan shifts in his seat as he realises there may be implications from his earlier statements. He's about to explain when a squeeze from Serazz silences him. "The phrase 'What River brings you to us?' Is just a traditional way to ask where you've come from, and what will you do now you've arrived."
 

Donovan nods in understanding, and not being held back by Serazz, he responds to the story in the best way he can. "In that case, I am from Australia. It's a land of good people, bad politicians and strange animals." He smiles, hoping the others sense his combination of truth and joviality. "I plan on meeting people, forging friendships, experiencing new things and in general getting away with whatever fun I can before I get booted back down planet side." The thought of having to abandon all this flew through his mind. He dismissed it, but not before the others noticed.
 

Without warning or any indication, all three siblings move to comfort Donovan. Serazz grasping his right arm and legs with her respective appendages, and Jessail doing the same to the man's left. Zua on the other hand climbs right into the man's lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. Initially the shock turned to arousal but after a moment with the four embraced in a massive wet hug, Donovan begins to feel comforted as though a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He leans his head into Zua's while manoeuvring his hands to grip the legs of the other two and squeeze slightly to show his appreciation.
 

"Thank you, I needed this." He admits tearfully. "I think I'm just trying to overload myself with new experiences so when I do have to go home, I won't have wasted any time." His heartbeat skips for a moment before the three squeeze a little tighter, reaffirming their comforting presence. Donovan sighs, allowing his fear and worry to escape with his breath, replacing them with the sensation of peace and comfort from these three. "You have no idea what this means to me."
 

"We have a basic feeling of it." Serazz offers as she gives him another squeeze, Donovan mentally face palming as he remembers what species he's talking to. The three relax at his mental process and grin up at him. That's when the physical sensation pushes past the emotional one, with a very warm and somewhat slimy Zua planted directly in the man's lap. Even Serazz and Jessail had become somewhat slimy, having produced some sort of secretion that helped them grab ahold of him so strongly. The warm, moist and quite still air was also not helping with his arousal.
 

Unable to just shift his position to hide the physicality of his emotional state, Donovan opts to instead just roll with it. He hoped perhaps only Zua would notice, and she would not wish the others to know. He knew that was a nigh-impossible chance, but he assured himself they wouldn't be insulted because they had to know this was a possibility. It was obviously Zua that noticed first, the physical manifestation of his arousal cementing the vague notion that was hanging around his mind like a fog.
 

"Serazz mentioned she saw Ka'len go rushing off somewhere earlier." Donovan hopes this is about the Da'Jen going to the Taco restaurant, and not from it. He is wrong. "Apparently she got a whole lot bigger than the last time she was down this way." The smile is more of curiosity than wickedness, which is only mildly comforting to the increasingly aroused man. "Did she take you past the Capacitors and have a taste?"
 

The other two's silence and keen eyes drove Donovan over the breaking point. He sighs "Apparently," words cycle through the man's mind as he tries to phrase it as unassumingly as possible "certain emotional responses of mine trigger a surge of energy from her realm." The concept of an explanation was forming in his mind until he realised the trio would be likely unaware of recent blockbuster films from his planet, and as such he reshapes the idea into something more universal. "it warrants further investigation, but I think perhaps to some small degree, humans are capable of absorbing and storing some of that energy. We just never knew we did until," he looks to the three somewhat sheepishly "until now."
 

"It certainly does warrant investigation," Jessail says, her voice more syrupy than before "though I would recommend not spreading that information about too much, Da'Jen may start to come to Earth to claim 'pets'.
 

"Mister Lane," Serazz begins.
 

"Please, just call me Donovan." The man interrupts, hoping the formalities can end.
 

"Donovan," her voice alters to a softer tone. "You need not be so guarded with us. We do not judge you in ways we feel your human friends might." A slender tendril raises up to slide against his stubbled cheek. "Who you have fun with and how is your business. But we are beings of emotion, and anyone capable of changing someone as much as you did Ka'len, is someone we have a great interest in."
 

"Only about half of the species encountered by the Tribunal enjoy the sensation of Mating," Jessail says, not waiting a second for Donovan to respond "and even fewer wish to do so outside their own species. Given that number includes most races on this ship, I'd say you're in good company."
 

Zua shifts her weight in Donovan's lap, no subtlety in her action. "Very good company."
 

"But," Serazz says, the other two H'sha freezing at the abrupt tone "you are the master of your own body, only you can choose to continue down the path you no doubt realise you are travelling."
 

"We understand some humans may be... disgusted... by our form." Zua sighs, releasing her grip of the man. "And we understand if that would prevent you from spending time here. Status appears to be an important thing in human culture."
 

The three of them shift, visibly disappointed albeit confused as Donovan digs his arms out of the embrace. But before Zua can climb down off the man's lap he states softly but firmly "This is how I feel about that!" Sweeping his arms around all three sisters, he pulls them in close for a tight embrace, their spongy bodies almost popping out of the hug as his eyes clench shut from the effort. Opening them he is met with three sets of very excited eyes, which despite being entirely black, the man was not creeped out by at all.
 

Zua is the first to act, being in the right position and all. Her legs wrap around Donovan's thighs as she works her way closer to his pelvis. Serazz leans in to the man's ear and whispers of all things, biological facts. "The H'sha are a penetrative-intercourse-species,  and are hermaphroditic by nature." A mild amount of concern popped into the man's head but was quickly quelled by more science. "We normally wrestle to determine the dominant partner, and it is they who are penetrated." Donovan blinks in surprise. "Is it different on your world? Interesting." All three sisters pause to think about that fact, before Zua regains her slow movements towards Donovan's ever-hardening erection.
 

"So for the purpose of our actions tonight, you have been dominated." A tongue licks up to flick the man's ear on both sides, Donovan not having noticed Jessails movements due to the other two sisters drawing his attention. The slime is coming on thicker now as two of the H'sha grip the man's arms and pull him into a more reclined position as the third slithers her way up the man's legs. He can feel the heat of Zua's body on his balls as she finally comes to a halt.
 

"Are you sure that will fit sister?" Jessail asks, her breath electric against Donovan's neck.
"No, but there's only one way to find out." She gently reaches down to place a hand under the man's rock hard cock, the slime from her tendrils more wet than sticky as she pulls it upright to a better position. "I will make you fit inside me, understand?" Donovan could only nod in response as the sensation almost overwhelmed him. At the back of his mind, the man is starting to wish he'd consumed both of the berries, unsure he now had the stamina to do what is being asked of him.
 

And then she pushes. With the aid of a pair of legs wrapped around Donovan's waist, Zua pulls herself onto his member with great force. Halfway down she stops with a lust-fuelled scream. Donovan is nearly blinded by the sensation of such a tight orifice. He could feel the skin of his member pull back to almost painful limits with that first thrust, and he knew it would take a fair amount of willpower to go another one, if not more. Zua's passageway was incredibly slick, but obviously not used to coping with a phallus so large; a fact that Donovan was taking great pride in.
 

Jessail and Serazz reached out to help their sister, but we're swatted away by flailing tentacles. "This is my conquest, I need no aid." The high pitched nature of Zua's voice just made the whole scene that much more adorable and surreal to Donovan, and her squirming caused him to throb inside her. "Gah!" She yelps, almost losing balance "It grows bigger." She is firmly astride the man now, his cock a full ninety degrees to his body as she wraps her two pairs of arms around the areas her legs already had purchase. Then in one huge pull and with what Donovan assumed to be an H'sha trick, she sucks almost the rest of his cock inside her. He feels himself land deep inside, the tip pressing hard against her insides.
 

Then he felt something move. "No..." Zua moaned, voice dropping to a quieter tone. "Must, be deeper."
 

"Don't hurt yourself," Serazz warns, half in jest and half seriously.
 

"You feel incredible..." Donovan prompts, hoping his input may prevent the H'sha from doing something she would regret.
 

"Must be deeper..." She repeats before pushing one last time. Donovan felt the same thing move again and just as he came to the right conclusion as to what it was, he had slipped past it; Zua's cervix opening far enough for her concerted strength to push the man inside. Hot, wet skin now presses against the man's balls as he feels every inch of himself tightly crammed into the tiny green and gold being. "Yeeeeeesssss....." She screams as Donovan throbs inside her. "So gooooood..."
 

Donovan can barely feel his cock under so much pressure, but due to the berry and the wondrous situation he is in, his staff remains firm. However, he notices the sisters either side of him looking on with hungry stares, tendrils disappearing inside their own holes. Deciding he needs to take action, Donovan slides a hand down each of their sides until fingers find the right spot. Both look confused and in Serazz's case a little worried. That is until without warning, the man pushes two fingers in up to the Palm. The sensation of how tight they felt even around just a couple of fingers is  enough to quicken his heart and cause his cock to pulse with excitement. 

 

All three sisters squeal in unison.
 

A probing thumb seems unable to find anything remotely clitoral, which doesn't so much as confuse the man as it does annoy him for not giving him something to increase Serazz and Jessail's pleasure. He tries for three fingers but fails, so continues to pump the two figures with just two.
 

Donovan looks up to see an impatient Zua. "Why will you not be claimed?" She huffs in frustration, bouncing a little despite not moving his cock a fraction of an inch.
 

"Wait," he pauses, thinking "how long does it take for your species to mate?" He stops moving his fingers and tries to focus on not letting the head of his cock throb until he can get an answer. The three sisters pause, looking more confused to the reasoning behind the question than the question itself.
 

"The wrestling can take hours, sometimes days." Jessail offers, almost breathless from the tyranny of Donovan's left hand.
 

"After that, a matter of seconds." Serazz states. Donovan breaks into hysterics. "What's so funny?"
 

If he had a hand free, Donovan would have wiped a tear from his eye. Instead he calmed himself and answered "Five Earth minutes is considered being 'too short' a time by most, while ten to twenty is the average. Normally I go for thirty or more." The math finally gets sorted by their translation software, causing Zua to recoil in panic.
 

"You mean You will be in there for that long?"
 

Donovan shrugs the comment off, uderstanding Zua's meaning. "If you want me to cum, just say so."
 

"Cum?" The translation system works off Donovan's previous description to Ka'len and after a moment uploads it to the three sisters, who almost in synch nod their heads in understanding. "Yes," Zua continues. "That is what I need. I need to feel that 'cum' deep inside me..."
 

"Then excuse me ladies," Donovan says politely as he gently removes his fingers from the sisters tight passages, only to place them upon Zua's slimey hips. He takes a firm grip as Zua looks down confused. Her expressions soon changes to mildly horrified as she is pressed hard down upon his pelvis by strong arms.
 

"Donovaaaaaaaan...." She screams his name in ecstasy as her body can take no more pleasure. With the force of a thousand vices her pussy clamps down on her lovers cock, forcing even more of the member into her womb. As Donovan feels himself hit the very back wall he pulls Zua up again. Such a tight grip really only moves her insides a little rather than actually shifting his cock within her passageway, but it's enough that when he slams her back down again - tongue lolling from the overdose of pleasure - that his cock pushes once more against that back wall, the grouped sensation too much for his member as it pulses with need.
 

Holding her down against him, Donovan's mind fills in a blank he seemed to be missing. "Claim me..." He breathlessly whispers before firing the first hot load of cum straight into Zua's waiting womb. She screams as another orgasm does its best to wipe consciousness from her, as do the others as Donovan's own orgasmic rush bleeds over to their impressionable senses. His body shakes with need as he holds back his second load.
 

Given how hungry the other two look, and how out of it Zua currently is, Donovan motions for Serazz and Jessail to help pull their now unconscious sister off of him. Almost cumming a second time as Jessail inserts a tendril alongside his still-hard member, the air-tight seal is finally broken and he is able to - very slowly - slide out of his lovers embrace. Serazz places her sister gently back onto the chair she once occupied, where Zua is now more easily observed to be asleep.
 

"She'll be out for a while." Jessail says, smiling.
 

"She's been bugging us to go first for so very long, I think she may have gone a little far." Serazz giggles.
 

"You take it in turns then?" Donovan asks, intrigued and trying to lead them back to him.
 

"Yes and no. Most beings finish once and they are done, which is why the term 'finish'. So it's not as though we can have multiple sessions in one sitting... Why are you smiling?" Serazz is lost in thought and misses the opportunity her still-conscious sister manages to grasp.
 

Still slick with Zua's juices, Jessail virtually impales herself on Donovan's cock. With what he assumes is practiced ease she shimmies down his pole until through gravity alone she fully encases his length. Once again Donovan feels the familiar twitch of an alien cervix, but as Jessail is down to the hilt, it would take a very large push from him to get through, not that he'd need to. "Soooo, goooooood..."
 

"Shasha' lishah shem! I found him and yet I go last?" Serazz pouts from beside the two. Donovan manages to build enough strength in his post-orgasmic haze to grab the H'sha and pull her up to his chest. "Gah! What are you-"
 

Her words are cut short by a finger pressed against her mouth. "Foreplay." Is all the man says before lifting the tiny body up to his face. With a second to inspect the hole closer, Donovan is not surprised how he thought her sister felt so tight, the barely stretched opening looking like it would struggle to fit one of his fingers, let alone the three he attempted before. But it wasn't a finger he had in store for Serazz. Lowering her down over his mouth the man reaches out with his tongue.
 

He readies himself for the gag reflex to kick in due to the copious amounts of slime, but in and around her alien passage, the liquid is sweet and syrupy, like watered down honey. Tasting much like the chocolate he could smell walking in, the first trepidatious lick is replaced by a hearty suck, taking Serazz entirely by surprise.
 

"You like movement?" Jessail asks, her own orgasm approaching fast. Donovan bucks in response, his mouth full. "Good." Is all the response he gets as she lifts herself up about halfway off his cock before slamming back down. An act which while driving Donovan wild, caused Jessail to instantly lose her grip. "Nnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuhhh..." She moans as her walls clamp down on his shaft. "Tooooo sooon..."
 

Donovan thrusts his tongue into Serazz, who elicits a passionate squeal as he withdraws. Licking his lips he pushes Serazz away far enough to speak. "Stay there and cum again..." He suggests, somewhat selfishly. Secretly he wanted his last and hopefully biggest orgasm to be with Serazz, but he did not want to leave Jessail without the experience and was not yet ready to cum again; though he was quite close.
 

Jessail's spirits pick up, sliding her arms and legs over to wrap around the man's waist and thighs like her sister had done only minutes earlier. "Like this?" She begins gyrating on his member, too weak to pull herself up full like before. Donovan moans in pleasure into Serazz's pussy as he plunges his tongue back inside.
 

"Y-eeeeeh-sss..." Serazz manages to stutter out as Donovan licks her pussy clean, only for her arousal to slicken it once more. He feels himself building to another orgasm, and the two conscious siblings can sense the approaching wave.
 

They double their efforts grinding and pushing onto the man as his moan becomes a groan, then a pussy muffled growl as he fires a load of cum against Jessail's cervix. But she is not done with the man. As he tries to hold back another load she instead forces herself down into him with all her might, pushing his cock head through her cervix to paint her inner walls with his seed. And unable to hold back against such a sensation that's exactly what the man does. Bucking upwards he lets loose another blast of cum deep inside Jessail.
 

He can feel his cock softening, and starts muttering 'no no no' into Serazz's chocolatey alien mound. She senses his despair and calls her sister out on it. "That was for me!"
 

"Maybe next time..." Jessail says, not trying to be mean, but like Zua, almost unconscious in post-orgasmic bliss.
 

"No," says a somewhat desperate Serazz "No this just won't do."
 

"I'm sorry, I tried."
 

Serazz turns to Donovan and looks him in the eye, "I know, those two can be such hoarders."
 

"You can have me all to yourself next time." He offers, then adds "We could wait a little while and I should be okay to go agai-"
 

"No, I'm claiming you now."
 

"Sister..." A fuzzy sounding Jessail calls from the floor. "We don't know if the human can take it."
 

"One way to find out..." Serazz repeating her sisters prior statement was not what made the man uncomfortable. Her leaning in to what he assumed would be a blowjob, but instead stinging him with something inside her mouth. The pain was sudden, but very brief.
 

"Fuck!" By the time the word was spoken, the initial pain was gone, but the warm sensation in his nethers was growing rapidly. "What was that?!"
 

Serazz slides up his legs and onto his belly. "If the defeated is too badly injured from the wrestling to procreate, then there are ways to... 'Maintain their status'."
 

"You drugged me?" He asks, hurt.
 

Serazz realises her action and what it was putting Donovan through emotionally. "You are right, you have your own cultural limits, and I have crossed them." She turns to get off the man, but before she can a strong arm appears from nowhere.
 

"I would've liked being asked first." He chides the green-gold being. "But that doesn't change how I feel right now." He smiles wickedly, causing Serazz to smile back. "That said, if I have a heart attack, I'm relying on you to get me to Medbay."
 

"What's a heart attack?" She asks, a little concerned at the feeling Donovan gave off while saying it.

 

“What’s a Medbay?” came a mutter from the floor.
 

"Oh, just get over here!" He lifts Serazz up and back onto his face, thrusting his tongue deep inside to make her squeal in pleasure. His tongue explores the tight passageway as her tentacles go from gripping his head tightly, to pushing away, then back to almost suffocating him with alien pussy. Eventually she manages to get the thought out, pushing herself out of Donovan's grip just prior to a climax.
 

"What's wrong?" He asks, concerned. Serazz is slowly turning a dark shade of green. "No, really, what is it?" The warm sensation in his nether region had mostly faded to a tingle, and he could feel his rock-hard erection resting against the H'sha's rear.
 

"How do humans do it?" She asks cautiously.
 

Donovan smiles. "In a very similar way, though the positions can often change."
 

"Positions?"
 

"Seriously?" He asks bemused at the notion of only one position in the entirety of H'sha culture. "Do you only have the one way to have sex?"
 

"Yes. For us it is the dominant who is on top. Other species have ways which their bodies force them to be in certain positions. But how do humans do it?"
 

Donovan was for the first time, speechless. He just sat here, trying to form words. Every position he knew would require lengthy explanation, and their titular meanings would be all but lost given the differences in anatomy. He had no idea how to proceed. Until, "How about I show you the stock standard, most basic, arguably most human way of having sex to start with. And next time we can work through different positions." Serazz grinned widely, hugging the man's chest. "But I must warn you, regardless of the position, most men require a fair amount of movement down there to reach climax." He could almost see the translation software running as it informed Serazz of his meaning.
 

"You will hopefully find me a better fit than my sisters." The H'sha's tone made Donovan wonder if perhaps her increased body size translated to other measurements. He plans to find out as soon as possible, lifting Serazz off him as he himself stands. With a grunt he places her on the floor face up as he kneels between her tentacular thighs, the almost spongy floor helping to cushion his knees from the workout they were about to get.
 

"Given our anatomical differences," Donovan teases his lover by sliding forward, prodding her opening with an enlarged cock head "the two of us sliding about May prove this position problematic. However," he tenderly grabs one of Serazz's right hands and places it on his left wrist "if you grab ahold of my wrists and knees, it might just work." The H'sha does as instructed, the man's already swollen cock throbbing from the sensation of having his limbs bound to a small extent. "Perfect." He smiles, lining up his member with the tight alien hole before him.
 

Without another word, Donovan presses forward. It takes a fair amount of effort but once the purple helm pushes past Serazz's waiting lips he can feel the difference she alluded to. It is still very tight and requires the two stop for a moment now and then, but he soon bottoms out. "How do you humans," she sighs already breathless and on the verge of orgasm "last so long?" A pleasure-filled gaze stares blankly at the ceiling as Donovan pulls backwards. "This is..." Donovan observes the other two H'sha squirm, moaning as he feels Serazz's pussy clamp down in the throes of orgasm.
 

"We're not done yet..." Donovan warns, a mischievous grin spreading from ear to ear. "Hold on tight." Once he feels Serazz's grip on his limbs strengthen, the man pushes himself to the next gear, working his cock like a finely tuned piston in the tight passageway. The perfect seal caused by the vaginal walls prevent him from pulling more than halfway out, and for fear of causing damage he makes sure to keep that as his maximum distance, not that his lover seems to mind.
 

With tongue hanging out and panting heavily, the H'sha slowly builds to Donovan's rhythm; pulling herself into his thrusts and out. As she does so, the other two become more and more reactive, tendrils reaching down to stimulate both their vaginas as well as the frilled skin flap running down their bodies. At first only vaguely aware of their Movement, Donovan turns to get a better look. His pace slowing as he takes in the sight, Serazz tries to explain.
 

"I've not stopped..." The pause is partly for breath and partly due to the waves of pleasure assaulting her body "climaxing... And it is... getting bigger..." Donovan can feel Serazz's grip slowly faltering and decides if he is going to make a dash for the finish, now is the best time.
 

With teeth clenching, the man slams his cock into the alien mound, each thrust driving faster and harder as her sexual-secretions splatter from the violently shaken body upwards and across Donovan's chest. He can feel the pussy try to clamp down harder as all three H'sha moan in unison from his efforts. His cock throbs, the man close to his own climax as Serazz finally loses her grip. "Noooooo..." The three squeak almost inaudibly, but Donovan thinks fast. Taking a tentacular arm in each of his hands, he leans down to place his elbows just behind Serazz's golden brown shoulders, bracing her for the last round of pounding.
 

The extra body contact pushes Donovan over the edge, as a slimy torso slides beneath his sweat-laden form, completely unable to stop his budding orgasm from flooding her insides. If he was not so preoccupied with pleasing his partner, the man may have thought more about the tingling in his loins, and whether he would have anything left to give the H'sha after her sisters so greedily cut in line. But such thoughts are both dismissed and quickly answered, as the drug worked its intended magic long before, leading to the man's shuddering exclamation. "Claim Me!"
 

Donovan's eyesight goes bright and blurry for the briefest of moments as he slams his member deep within Serazz's boneless form. She screams silently in pleasure alongside her sisters as with an almighty spurt the man paints her inner walls with his seed. But unlike before, he neither pulls out, nor stops; instead squeezing his lovers tentacles as though he would have gripped a human hand. Looking deep into her large, black eyes he looses another jet of cum inside Serazz.
 

She looks up at him, her face a mix of unadulterated shock and bliss. With a massive intake of air she finally starts breathing again as Donovan pulses yet more of his seed within her tight pussy. She can feel the pressure build, allowing her cervix to open just enough to spray her womb with a mixture of their combined juices. The sensation pushes her even further into the strongest climax of her existence. And from the moment his cum touched her inner sanctum, she knew what she wanted.
 

"Push..." She begs, almost whimpering beneath the man. He understands immediately after feeling the pressure ahead of his cock lessen, and with his last ounce of strength he pulls back. As he does so, two sets of tentacular legs wrap themselves around his thighs, readying for a combined effort.
 

Dizzy and barely able to coordinate himself, Donovan drives his cock home; blinding him once more with sensation as his cock - with renewed vigour - slides easily past her open cervix to deliver a massive load straight to Serazz's already cum-coated womb.
 

Not moving an inch, the man pulses every last drop of his seed within his partner, collapsing sideways as his arms give out. With his last ounce of willpower he rolls in such a way as to have Serazz land atop his chest, her form collapsing onto his as she revels in the sensation of his slowly softening member still being too tight a fit to pop free.
 

All four figures slide into and out of consciousness over the next hour, exhausted from their exertions. It wasn't until Serazz's shifting form causes Donovan's cock to finally slide free of her cum-soaked passage that the man returns to his senses. He looks around the room. Zua is still fast asleep, as is Jessail despite being curled up between two chairs on the floor. Serazz is barely awake and staring dreamily at him with those large black eyes of hers.
 

"You are special, I'll give you that." She sighs, wrapping her arms around the man as they just lay back and hold each other for a while.