Vreta did find it surprising that Freyr would want to order a dish as meat-heavy as his. He had been under the impression that Humans tended to enjoy more balanced meals, while he had a collection of finely-cut steaks sampled from exotic creatures on three different worlds. The wine, though, was a local vintage, and one he thought she would enjoy. Although, something meant for a Rothian could be strong for her, if she was not careful.

In any case, Vreta smiled at Freyr’s description of her husband. While it likely simplified his personality, it did paint a clear picture of the person they were trying to save. Even just imagining such a man being a victim of the Cradle was heartbreaking to Vreta; he could only imagine what it must have felt like to her. These medical trials Vreta was suggesting would further build Rothian knowledge of the Cradle, and that would certainly be why his government would approve them, but Vreta did genuinely hope that Freyr’s family could be healed. After all she had been through, she deserved that. 

Despite his somber thoughts, Vreta tried to keep a more upbeat, conversational tone. “I…don’t quite understand your expression, but I think I understand your meaning, regardless. When we heal him, I will look forward to hearing what he has to say about you. As for my relationships…there are quite a few to talk about. My people do not mate for life as you do, and we are not entirely monogamous, but we do occasionally have long-term mates. We also do not marry as you do, but “husband” or “wife” would probably be the closest words to describe such mates. If I am just talking about those, my first wife that I mentioned earlier was actually one of my longest relationships. It was eighty or ninety years that I was with her, and we experienced a lot of firsts together. She was an adventurous sort. We met when I was trying to become an artist, and even after I moved on from that, we still liked to vacation among the stars, taking in new sights and experiences. We eventually grew apart some time after I took on a more stable career.”

Vreta leaned back somewhat in his chair, looking across at the void star lowering on the horizon as his mind was now caught up in reminiscing. “My absolute longest relationship I think was my second husband. Just over a century by the time we parted ways. The way you describe your husband does actually remind me of him. He too was very kind, and quite a generous person. He was also what you might call a ‘hopeless romantic’. He just loved all the little romantic gestures I liked to do for him. I remember it was not too long after we established trade relations with Humanity, and there were these little sweet Human candies that he just could not get enough of. So, I bought up a hoard of the things and started carefully hiding them in places where I thought he might find them throughout the day, so he would get a little treat and a reminder of me at random times during the day. A few times, I even managed to sneak them into hiding places at his workplace.”