Over do it? Ara scowled. He might have his own way of operating, but she knew men were simple. They would hardly blink an eye at her if she were just another pretty little airhead. If they thought she was trying to outsmart them, there would be hell to pay.
It was the only reason she held her tongue as they were escorted to the elevator. She tried to keep her composure in her embarrassment, letting her āhusbandā do the talking. At least it would be easy enough to escape from the cargo hold.
Melinda? She wrinkled her nose at the name, though she supposed she couldnāt be too ungrateful for the new identity she had been giving. And it was a small blessing that the other woman was from earth as well. Ara wasnāt exactly as cultured as she would care to be.
She opened her mouth to respond just as the doors to the elevator began to glide open. She gave a haughty sniffle before offering the other a rather bitter smile. She hoped he would be leading her back to their room. She didnāt appreciate having to be reliant on a stranger, nor did she want to have to be thrown into the fray without so little information.
But if he were offering her a way to get through the trip undetected, there wasnāt much more she could do than follow his directives.
āAre we heading to bed, dear? Iām getting tired.āĀ
āSoon, soon, ma chĆ©ri,ā he gave her an affectionate pat on the hand. His Southern Martian accent was passable. Heād fabricated a story about being born and raised near the border to dismiss the tones of the North that slipped in. His French was likewise passableĀ as long as no one actively tried to strike up a conversation of any depth with him. Having hisĀ āwifeā there would help. An easy excuse to speak the Trade Language instead. She was learning French, but still far from fully fluent. (and by saying this, he could avoid his own ineptitude being exposed)Ā
An elderly man with an equally aged woman on his arm passed by them in the hall. The woman brightened when she sawĀ āMelindaā at his side.Ā
āMrs. Sykora! So glad to see you are feeling better. It would be such a shame to miss the whole cruise.āĀ
As naturally as if heād known her forĀ yearsĀ rather than minutes, Kale introduced,Ā āMel, this is Mr. and Mrs. Gadhavi.ā He would rather avoid the chit chat altogether, but heād been friendly with the other passengers so-far. Suddenly turning a cold shoulder would be strange behavior and he wanted to avoidĀ strange behavior.
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