In response to Ryan's question, Velneir shook a little bottle of water-soluble pills.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Just a little something I picked up before we left,"</span></span>he said. It was a bottle of aspirin.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"After we get back, I'm going to be busy for weeks learning how to reproduce the medicines you people had. They're scarce now, but gods was there a lot of variety."</span></span><br/><br/>Uriel's eyes smiled at Velneir. Besides being a techie, he was also something of a chemist, and would be helping reproduce earth's medicines when they got back. By the time he and the rest of his division were done, earth wouldn't have a shortage of medicine anymore.<br/><br/>She turned back to Ryan.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">In order: You woo me; we make love, exchanging blood in the process; your blood coagulates here,"</span></span>she pointed to the base of either antenna, just above where they connected to her head,<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Forming dark rings, and that's how others know I'm spoken for."</span></span><br/><br/>Her expression lost some of its amusement and became wistful. All this talk of courting and marriage had lead her back to something strange that had happened.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I suppose I really was worried for you when you were taken away,"</span></span>she said cautiously.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I... could have sworn I heard you in my head..."</span></span>She lowered her head, knowing how ridiculous that sounded.