POV: Lyra
I was shocked to hear that Emperor Lucas's bonded match had terminated herself after being rejected. After taking in my stunned expression, Orion said, "Now do you see why all of us keep telling you that you're stronger than you give yourself credit for? Mind you, she was a Lyrokan. So she was supposed to be biologically stronger than a Kaelari to withstand the bond severance."
I started consuming slowly again and shook my head sadly. "It's just... sad." I sipped my hydration solution before continuing. "It's sad that she might have lacked the psychological and emotional support that I have. Without my friends and Juan's family, I don't know where I'd be."
"Hm... I guess I never thought of it that way." Orion's pathways pulsed thoughtfully.
"You should." I insisted. "The severance is painful unlike anything imaginable, especially the first severance because of the unfamiliarity with the pain. Before experiencing one, a mere thought of rejection would be painful but after feeling an actual severance, the pain from that thought becomes bearable. It gets worse when the rejection comes after one falls in love with the other being. Because it would feel like having two things broken and shattered into pieces at once, the psychic bond and your consciousness core."
Orion completely agreed with what I said about the pain from merely thinking about rejection. The first night we met, there was excruciating pain channeling to his primary neural cluster when I raised the matter of rejection. He was angry but he was also in great anguish.
And when he thought that I was going to reject him after he yelled at me at the Jewel Station, it became insanely painful because he had already fallen in love with me by then.
By far, the worst pain came from the previous night, when he was left uncertain whether I knew that he loved me, only me. He knew that if I didn't believe him, I would drift away before ultimately rejecting him. Not that he would ever accept it. But the mere thought of the possibility that I would say those words to sever our bond could bring his entire being to his knees and cause his optical fluid to leak.
"You okay?" I asked in concern after putting a piece of synthetic protein into my mouth.
Orion was brought out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I just..." He looked at me in awe and disbelief, his pathways shifting through admiration colors. "It's amazing how you do it. Get through one rejection after another, I mean. I get that you had a whole squadron of friends and family supporting you but the fact that you chose to listen to them, and let them help you move on and continue functioning is just... it takes so much will and strength on your own part as well."
I smiled and said humbly, "It does." I got lost in my own thoughts for a brief moment before saying, "I have a lot to live for. I'm glad I didn't give up."
He reached for my hand when I put down my consumption implement to reach for my hydration cylinder, and pressed his lips to it before saying, "Me too. I love you."
My lips curved up and I said what Orion was waiting to hear. "I know. Thank you." His smile broadened at those words, his pathways blazing bright purple, and he let me take back my hand.
We continued consuming until our plates were empty. Orion refilled my hydration cylinder and admired my profile in silence. When I was done, I told Orion that I wanted to pay for our meal.
Orion looked at me sternly, his pathways darkening. "No. This is a date..."
I retorted instantly, "Orion, it's my date, too! You can't just expect me to tag along like an accessory. I have the credits..."
"Sweetheart, you're not an accessory..."
"Then let me pay for one meal. You're already paying for my data modules. You've paid for morning consumption. I was hoping we could split the cost of our evening nutrients later but knowing you, you'd refuse. Come on, Orion. It's just one transaction. It's just one meal."
Orion looked at me showing him those large multifaceted eyes again, their surfaces catching the light as I waited for his response.
He groaned, pathways flickering with resignation. "One meal. That's it."
My eyes lit up, skin shifting to excited gold. "Great! Thank you. I wonder if I can work my way up to one and a half."
He took my hand from the table and kissed it. "Don't push this, sweetheart."
I narrowed my eyes. "I have the credits to pay, Orion. I'm not going to have you pay for everything for our date just because I'm a female. That's very archaic."
He played with my fingers on the table, neural sparks dancing between our skin. "I just want to spoil you for a bit. Why can't you just let me?"
Without missing a beat, I said, "Orion, you're paying for my data modules. Do you have any idea how many credits you have to transfer already? And I'm not even done looking yet."
Orion immediately responded, pathways flaring bright, "I take back what I said. I don't want to spoil you a bit. I want to spoil you extensively, to the extreme, if I were honest."
"Spoiling me means giving in to what I want. And I want to share the cost of our date. Since you're giving me what I ask for, you are spoiling me." I reasoned with my large eyes reflecting multiple images of his face.
Orion sighed in frustration before kissing my hand again. "I have to find someone to teach me how to win an argument against you. Any recommendations? There must be someone among the Kaelari who can."
I smirked, skin shifting to mischievous bronze. "Like I would tell you."
After I settled the transaction, we left the level. A bald being with optical enhancers a few tables away looked up from his data pad. Then, he clicked on his black stylus and noted the time in an opened digital notebook on his table.