Alien Boyfriend: Crikos (special preview)

The music hall is empty around this time of day, a fact you discovered by accident. You enjoy coming here when you can, just so you can practice in peace. Ever since you got assigned to this station, you’ve been trying to find ways to spend your free time. After all, you basically work and live in your home, the Serena Station, so free time is a strange thing to learn here.

The large space station serves as a rest station for many planets in the Galactic Front, you see many types come and go on a daily basis. You work for medical, but the worse you see on the regular is food poisoning or motion sick individuals coming out of warp speeds.

Music was always your first passion, so you’ve found practicing your violin skills helps take you away from the fact you’re on a station in deep space. You’re able to focus on the music, concentrate, and as you pay, you’re able to escape and even forget the world around you.

One day as you’re melting away with the music, the piano begins playing. Stopping suddenly you see there is someone behind the piano playing, you can’t see them as the lid is opened.

“Aww, why did you stop?” The voice sounds strange, heavily accented, and sort of echoing and vibrating at the same time.

You stand from your seat. “You surprised me. I’m not used to others being here.”

The person taps a few keys then rises so you can see them. Tentacles wrap around the legs and side of the piano, then they emerge out. It’s a Elmmerrick species of alien, a sort of amphibious race that had recently joined the Galactic Front. They were shiny gray in color, but with slight rainbow sheen as they moved. Their long tentacles made up the lower half of their body with a train of them in the back. They narrowed at the waist, almost looked cinched. Their chest was barreled out, and they were wearing a dark green uniform top that had a collar that rose up around their very long neck and touched their cheeks. Their jaws were sharp and angular, but very narrow, with mandibles tipped in sharp silver fangs. The cheeks were angled as well, sharp and jutting out with hollow eyes inside. A second set of smaller eyes set above them with nostrils holes above between them. The rest of the face was smooth and nondescript, aside from the holographic like sheen to the skin. The back of the head swoops out in two smaller tentacles that kept pressed to the back of the neck.

“I heard music as I was making my way to my new quarters, and I decided to have a peek.” They shrug, tentacles coiling and releasing. “It’s been quite a while, but I still remember how this odd thing works.” Several tentacles hit keys to sounds like ‘Singing in the Rain’.

You smile shyly and hold your violin close. “Where did you learn to play?”

“I took classes at an integrated Galactic blah blah bah school,” they huff. “Horribly boring, but I did take up a fancy to the music scene there. Made an Earthling chum who taught me about earth music and showed me the piano.” They tap a few more keys.

“You said something about new quarters, are you just joining the Serena Station?” You ask.

“I did say that.” He bobs his head. “For the time being I will be here to finish up my curriculum, then I will be able to become a professor of alien relations for the Galatic Front.”

You smile. “That’s very impressive. Where will you be teaching?”

They lift a hand and wave it around. “Who the hell knows? All this degree does is assure me I can teach, legally. It does not guarantee I get a job in my field, let alone any job.” He sighs heavily and sits down behind the piano again. His long slender fingers barely have to move to reach keys as he plays.

“By the way, I am Crikos.”

“Nice to meet you,” you introduce yourself. “I’m part of the medical team here. I’m one of the oncall emergency doctors, as well as a student. I’m part of training study, i get taught about alien medicine, I teach about Earthling medicine.”

Crikos’ dark eyes widen and you can see a hint of red to them. “How horrible for you, Earthling medicine is awful.”

You grimace then nod. “Kind of. It’s a bit behind compared to some of my colleagues’ worlds, but it’s still a wealth of information for those who wish to broaden their horizons.”

The communicator in your ear chimes. “I’m sorry, Crikos, I just got called. It was nice meeting you though.”

“Perhaps we can make music together again,” Crikos bows as you leave the room.