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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Characters: Jupiter Jones (Jupiter Ascending), Caine Wise, Stinger Apini, Kiza Apini
Additional Tags: Humor, Bees, Language Barrier, Honeybee waggle dance
Summary: What are the characteristics of bee splices, anyway? Alternative version of the scene in Stinger's house, wherein Stinger and Kiza display some of their more bee-like traits...like honeybee communication.
Jupiter sipped her lemonade, still reeling from recent events. Something about it tasted just slightly off—it didn't taste bad, but not quite the expected flavor. She took another cautious sip. Oh. Honey. It was sweetened with honey, instead of sugar. That should not have been a surprise, considering the honeycombs everywhere. Stinger's bees appeared to have free run of the house as well as the yard.
Although, if Stinger actually harvested the honey and there was still this much honeycomb hanging off of every wall in the house, the number of bees he actually had must be staggering. Where did they find enough flowers to support a population that large? Was Stinger hiding massive fields of flowers behind the house or something? How would he find the time to keep up a flower farm and be a space cop?
Caine was still brooding on the other side of the room. Maybe not a good time to ask about space cop gardening. Was that why he was pissed off? Was she asking too many questions? He had obviously expected the questions about aliens, and he seemed to enjoy explaining the gravity boots. On the other hand, by the time they'd arrived at Stinger's door, his explanations been really terse...perhaps she had used up his patience with “Terrsie” ignorance.
Kiza might be willing to explain. She seemed nice. And so far, the only other person present not to have immediately waded into a fistfight over some undisclosed history, which was moderately reassuring as far as temperament. Actually, maybe Kiza was the gardener of the family.
Jupiter frowned. It was awfully quiet in here. Obviously Caine was glowering quietly out the window, but Stinger and Kiza had looked like they were stepping aside for a discussion, yet Jupiter couldn't hear anyone talking. She glanced behind her, over the back of the couch.
Her jaw dropped. Stinger and Kiza were indeed just in the next room. And they weren't talking.
Kiza had scooped up reusable shopping bags with her left hand. Her right hand fluttered rapidly at her side as she paced slowly across the kitchen. She looped around to her right and headed back in the other direction, her hand moving across her body to flutter near her left hip. Stinger was silently watching this performance with measured consideration, like a judge on a reality TV dancing competition.
The hand holding Jupiter's forgotten lemonade glass dropped to her knee, making the ice cubes rattle softly. In her peripheral vision, Jupiter vaguely noticed Caine's head turn in her direction at the sound. So much for not bugging Caine with more questions. This was way too bizarre to just ignore. One of his eyebrows was raised quizzically at her.
She shot one more surreptitious glance over her shoulder before quietly hissing “What are they doing?!”
Caine's focus moved past her to take in the action in the next room. His brow furrowed as he watched, and his lips moved slightly as if he was mentally sounding something out.
“Kiza says...she's going to the store 5.4 miles into town to the northeast instead of the usual one 2.3 miles due north, because they're having a good sale on...” Caine paused, squinting fiercely at Kiza's odd dance for a solid 10 seconds, “some kind of poultry, I think...” He shrugged. “Sorry, there's more to it, but my Apian is a little rusty—you'd have to ask Stinger.”
