Shooting Star Flower Essence

Resetarits checked on Lottatna. She was sleeping deeply. He kissed her forehead then dressed. He made sure he had his keys before he left the apartment. He was just stepping into the lobby when a man stepped up to the door with purpose.

"Resetarits?" he called through the door.

Resetarits let him in. "You must be Jason."

"Yes." Jason held out his hand.

"It's best if you don't touch me."

"Alright."

Resetarits led him up the stairs to his apartment.

"Best if you can help Lottatna without touching her either," he said, as he unlocked his apartment door.

"Why?" Jason followed him inside.

Resetarits let his mask fall. "You will become as we are, if you touch us."

Jason looked at Resetarits confused.

Lottatna moaned.

Resetarits stepped to her side, making sure she was covered. Jason stepped to where he could see her face.

"What's happened to her?" Jason asked, seeing the same sea lion muzzle on her as Resetarits had.

"Wednesday, she asked me out to get to know me better. We had gone to the Snow Dragon. We ate. We talked. I told her my touch changes people. We left. We were walking side by side when someone knocked her against me." His sea lion muzzle twitched. "She wasn't going to touch me. She just wanted to be friends. But the contact changed her to be as I am. She's slept much, struggling to accept she's changed."

Jason knelt beside the beanbag. "And it is because of the change that she wants to commit suicide."

Resetarits nodded.

"What has she said or done to indicate that is what she wants?"

Tears filled Resetarits eyes. "It's a smell."

"Smell?"

"A horrible smell. Usually only the old put it off before they take their last breaths."

"And because Lottatna's not old, you're thinking suicide."

"I know it is."

Jason studied Resetarits expression then nodded. He swept his eyes over Lottatna. "…She's not giving me permission to work on her," he said after a moment.

"What prevents someone from getting worked on?" Resetarits asked.

"Could be several things. Too much processing, dehydration. For women, it can also be because of pregnancy."

Resetarits frowned.

Jason's jaw hardened. "She's pregnant?!"

"Yes," Resetarits said softly. "She initiated it."

"What?"

"She brought our mating tails together. I…."

"Tails?"

Resetarits sighed. He took his clothes off so Jason could see everything.

"So, Lottatna looks exactly as you do now?"

"She has more tails than I do, but yes."

Jason closed his eyes and covered his mouth. He took a couple shaky breaths. His hand came back down. "That would be a lot to accept. But why would she add a pregnancy to that?"

"That's what I was wondering."

Jason turned his eyes back to Lottatna. He seemed to stare at her longer this time. "Do you have Lottatna's keys?" he asked.

"They are in her bag."

"Will you get them for me?"

Resetarits nodded then shifted through her small handbag for her keys. He tossed them to Jason. Jason caught them.

"I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Jason left the apartment. He unlocked and entered Lottatna's. He came back later with several small boxes. He opened them. He picked up one.

"Can you open her mouth for me, Resetarits?" Jason asked.

Resetarits very gently drew her jaw open.

Jason gave her four drops. Lottatna's energy shifted a little and the death smell decreased a little.

"What is that?" Resetarits asked.

"Shooting Star flower essence."

"What does that do?"

"Helps the soul feel at home where it's at."

Resetarits nodded.

Jason held the bottle in his hand as he studied Lottatna. Then he set the bottle on the floor closer to Resetarits. "You want to give that to her three times a day."

"The four drops each time?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What of her clients?"

"Does she have appointments today?"

"No. I called those she had this weekend and told them she would be out for a while."

"Well, hopefully the shooting star will help stabilize her enough that she can talk to her clients. She'll know what to do."

Resetarits nodded, his expression conveying mild disbelief.

"Call me in a couple days if nothing changes."

"I will. Thank you for coming over, Jason."

He nodded then left.

Resetarits climbed under the blanket next to Lottatna. He was grateful she had enough strength of will to keep living. He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. A smile lifted her lips and she purred. Waves of happiness moved through her tails, shifted the blankets just a little. She wrapped one of her arms around to his back. He purred with her, relaxing in the love he felt emanating from his mate. It was enough for him to set aside notice of the death smell for now.

Lottatna stirred and touched their noses together.

"Are you feeling better, Lottatna?" he asked.

"More at peace," she replied.

"Are you feeling well enough to eat?"

"A little something."

"Green smoothie sound good?"

"Fine."

Resetarits left her on the beanbag while he blended everything together. His slightly hunched form only shifting slightly as he moved his tails every once in a while. He could feel Lottatna watching him. It was several minutes before she approached him. She set her hands on his shoulders and he straightened. His tails shifted and created ripples in his shirt.

"Divide your tails in half," she instructed.

His shirt moved, bulging more noticeably on the sides. She dragged her fingers down to the center of his back. Then she pulled the waistband of his pants back to leave room for his tails to pass.

"Send them down each pant leg."

The bulges left his shirt and hid nicely in his jeans. She wrapped her arms around to his chest and worked the muscle on the front of his rib cage. Resetarits took a deep breath then let it out.

"Thank you, my shoulders feel better." He gave her a side hug.

"You're welcome." She hugged him back.

Resetarits finished cutting up the vegetables and blended them all together. He handed her a glass then they sat together on the couch.

"Thank you, Resetarits," Lottatna said, fingering the lip of her glass.

"You're welcome, Lottatna." He kissed her cheek.

She slowly and thoughtfully drank the smoothie.

"Will you tell me what's on your mind?" Resetarits asked about half way through.

"I don't know where to start."

"Do you want to go back to your apartment?"

Lottatna grimaced. "There would be no point," she said.

"We can bring your things here, if you feel okay with that?"

She nodded slightly.

"Alright. We'll go when we're done."

"Okay," she whispered.

Resetarits scooted closer to her and pulled her to lean against him. They finished their drinks. Resetartis handed her the bottle of Shooting Star. Lottatna took it from him and looked at him curiously.

"Jason said you needed it. Four drops three times a day."

"When did you call Jason?" she asked.

"This morning."

"Alright." She took it and sighed deeply.

Then they went over to Lottatna's apartment to gather her things.

Resetarits pushed her plastic dresser across the hall to their apartment before boxing up all the utensils and dishes and taking them over. Lottatna emptied her bathroom, the fridge and freezer. She didn't have much. So by evening, all of Lottatna's things were in Resetarits' apartment. They ate together, read a couple chapters of a Hi-Fantasy novel together before falling asleep on the couch.