Gerax was silent the rest of the progression.
Tempest on the other hand, was stewing in her own thoughts. She was so sure when she pressed the button that it was the right decision, but from the moment he lifted his head and looked at her, Tempest has been plagued with second thoughts.
"Is it really that bad that I picked him? What's his name anyway?"
"Yes, it really is that bad. Society won't understand it."
Tempest shrugged; she'd never really cared too much about what society thought about her. It was always Sam who would make a big deal about what everyone else thought about them. She went along with it simply because she didn't want to piss him off.
"That's not a problem for me. I don't care about anyone else."
"You should. Society can make this process a lot harder than it has to be. Those on the outside of your marriage may not be as…nice as your husband will be forced to be."
"You're saying they are going to tease us?" Tempest thought about it for a minute. It might actually be better for her. Maybe her husband will want to end the six-month term earlier than usual to get away from her. Not many people can deal with the constant ridicule from their peers.
"So what's next? Do I just meet him at the house?" Tempest focused on Gerax, doing her best to ignore the others behind her who were whispering and laughing. They were probably judging her choice.
"No, that would be ridiculous. You have to test him first."
Tempest's eyebrows raised. "Test him? What the hell does that mean? You want me to sample a man. How would I pull something like that off?"
Finally the platform stopped at the end of the route, allowing Tempest and Gerax to step off.
The heat seriously felt like it was baking Tempest. She was near desperate to get out of the dress that she'd put on. Learning that she'd have to go through another step before this whole ordeal would be over wasn't something that she wanted to hear.
"You are brought to a viewing room with your betrothed, and you will be able to test the subject." Gerax spoke as if he were talking about an item or product that they were selling. More and more, Tempest felt bad for the man she'd chosen.
"Alright, let's get this over with." Tempest followed behind Gerax as he led her into another large building.
She hoped that she would be greeted by an arctic blast of cold air from air conditioning, but she had no such luck.
It wasn't as stiflingly hot as it had been outside, but it was still hot.
"How do you expect anyone to focus in this heat?" Tempest pulled at the fabric on her side, but it didn't budge.
"Heat?" Gerax narrowed his eyes on Tempest. "Are you over heating?"
"I've been broiling since we started." Tempest exclaimed.
"Then adjust on your device."
Tempest blinked a few times. "What do you mean…adjust?" Surely I wouldn't be that easy.
Gerax gestured for her to lift her arm to show him her wrist. She activated it, and the floating tablet appeared in front of her. Gerax swiped a few things. For a moment Tempest worried that she would wind up naked in front of him, but instead she felt the cloth on her body become lighter as if it were a different fabric altogether. When she looked down, she was happy that the dress remained intact.
It didn't matter how long she was on this planet; Tempest didn't think she'd ever get used to how advanced they were.
Tempest felt better as they made their way into the next facility. She expected more cold metal, as it was in the facility where she did her transition, but she was mistaken.
She gasped as she looked out around her.
The floor was transparent; under her feet looked like clear white sand, but as she continued to take steps, she realized there was a hard coating, something like plastic or another clear, hard material.
Chandeliers hung from the high ceiling every few feet. It created rainbows that streaks along the walls.
None of the crowd that was watching them outside was in the massive building. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a massive crowd inside.
"Bow and don't cut them off." Gerax quickly spat out.
Tempest was so focused on the decor of the place that she didn't even realize that there were people coming in her direction.
"Don't stare." Gerax whispered harshly.
"What? What are you talking about?" I tried to catch his gaze, but he was already looking at the floor.
Tempest focused in front of her; she blinked a few times, but the alien that she saw in front of her caused her to gasp.
The alien male was tall, too tall, at least eight feet tall. He had gems on his horns; his horns curved around his head like a crown. There was gold gild plating coming down from his hairline to his sideburns. Even his eyes glittered like gold.
Tempest was absolutely mesmerized. "Holy…" She whispered and then quickly clamped her mouth shut to keep from embarrassing herself. She didn't need Gerax to tell her that the man in front of her was royalty.
"No, though many in the society think the golden ones are holy, I assure you I sin just as much as the average person." The man reached his hand out as if to shake Tempest's. She wasn't sure what to do. She did what she thought was right. She lifted her hand and went to shake the man in front of her.
Gerax audibly whimpered, and she dropped her hand before she could make contact with the royal in front of her.
"It's quite alright, Gerax. We've been studying human culture. This is how they say hello where this lovely Omega is from."
Tempest looked to Gerax for a second before she raised her hand a second time. This time she shook the royal's hand.
There was a short silence before the crowd began talking and whispering among themselves once again.
"It'll be a pleasure to see how you adapt to your time here on Ustea. I'm rooting for you." The man nodded once before he walked off. A line of what looked like servers followed the man.
"Who was that?" Tempest asked as the man walked out of earshot.
"That was Prince Jaqen. He is next to be king. He doesn't usually come to the selections, but when the royal court heard that a human was actually going through the entire process, he made it his business to come and see it through to the end. You are highly favored, though I'm sure he was disappointed by your choice of husband."
Tempest started to get annoyed by all this judgment. "I'll be fine."
Tempest put on a good front; she wanted to appear strong and in control, but on the inside, Tempest felt like she was going out of her mind.
"Come, it's time for you to proceed with the testing portion of the ceremony." Gerax led Tempest down another hall. It was just as grandiose as the entrance.
There was a long hallway of doors. "Yours is that one." Tempest looked at a dark metal door. It looked like it was made for a warehouse. It didn't match the rest of the decor at all.
"He's in there?" Tempest asked, her voice back to a whisper.
"Yes, he's in there. You are allowed to do whatever you want with him as long as it doesn't leave a scar."
Tempest's head whipped in Gerax's direction. What did he think that she was going to do in there? Maim the man.
Tempest took an unsteady step forward and put her hand up to activate the panel that she knew would open the door.
"What do I call him? You never told me his name."
Gerax sighed, "He's the cursed one. He is called Dron."