Both Mark and Palanth looked up with a start to see the exquisite oval face with the serious, limpid hazel eyes of Doctor Fortun, in her purple scientist tunic. Palanth rose instantly and bowed, Mark was but a fraction of a second behind him.
"It's a rare honor for Spacers to enjoy socially the company of a Scientist," Mark said gravely, but his eyes were dancing.
"Probably just as well, if you express such unorthodox opinions freely," she replied sitting between them at the table. "However, we have a long journey ahead, might as well begin to know each ... as we really are." Her smile was an adventure, and when she turned her head to survey Palanth with frank curiosity, Mark noted that her hair escaping the tight-fitting kepis was almost the color of dark honey in the sun.
"A long journey...." Palanth murmured as he picked absorbedly at something on his plate that resembled purple pop-corn. "A long journey, where ... how, and to what end?"
"What are you eating?" Doctor Fortun asked almost too casually, instead of replying.
"These? Oh, candied violets," Palanth's languid pose had returned aware that many eyes were upon him in the crowded energy center.
"Don't you have enough perfume as it is without eating it too?" Mark growled.
"Peace, O spawn of unthinkable misfortune!" Palanth said grandly and filled his mouth with the delicacy.
Doctor Fortun laughed aloud, it was like the tintinnabulation of clustered silver bells.