<span style="font-family:Arapey"><span style="font-size: 15px">His smile coaxed an answering expression from her lips. They both looked sheepish, awkward, slightly uncomfortable at the exchange. They shared small, nervous chuckles and neither could quite look the other in her eye. <i>Alright</i>, she thought, <i>I'm going to start dating an alien.</i> No one would ever believe her if she told them that, though. No one would believe her when she got back home after spending time on the alien ship and told everyone that all they wanted was to see her and Valinor share a romantic dinner, maybe even engage in some sloppy PDA. It still sounded so ludicrous to her own mind, even after Valinor's perfectly sensible explanation. <br/>
<br/>
This was officially going to be the weirdest story she had ever written in her journalistic career.<br/>
<br/>
At his offer to see more of the ship, Allison nodded eagerly. The whole structure of this place had fascinated everyone. Aerial views had shown it to be large and expansive, topped with tower-like spires, a bit like the Manhattan skyline. No one could see beyond that hazy outline, perhaps an effect of the force field they had erected around their ship. Now she was actually going to be seeing the inner workings of this city-ship, move beyond this (admittedly) beautiful garden. She would take out her notebook to take notes and her phone to take some pictures this time, provided Valinor didn't object to his ship being photographed.<br/>
<br/>
She made to spin and march in the opposite direction around the pond when the alien before her gave pause. He reached into a pocket of his jumpsuit and pulled out a handful of simple metal bands, winking in the diffused sunlight. She had put her hand out almost immediately, not even waiting for him to finish his explanation. So it worked a bit like a stamp on your hand at an all ages club, or a fastpass at Disney World. The bracelet would gain her access to other perks of the "park". His last word caught her off guard, though, and she withdrew her arm slowly. She shot him a skeptical glance. "Personal servant?" She repeated, her tone carrying a drop of skepticism as well. "That's kind of a far cry from 'hey let's start a relationship and make everyone jealous'. Isn't there, I don't know, a special guest pass, given the circumstances?"</span></span>