Tail fins wriggling out of sheer nerves, Tai glanced up from the bit of paper she’d been reading. Only a few feet away from her lay the stone bank. And for one brief moment, she considered bolting. Then, sense reasserted itself and actually helped her to move a few steps closer.Calm down, idiot, she silently berated herself. The fact that she was looking for what amounted to an almost random hook-up didn’t matter. They had people come through all the time who were part of temporary arrangements. Or even those who had no arrangements at all. No one was going to judge her for making a temporary alliance for the sake of having a child of her own.
A few more steps and the hybrid was within touching distance of the door. For a moment, she re-considered her own reasoning for doing this. She wanted children, yes. She was certainly old enough for it and well off. And the option of asking the bank for a randomly imbued stone to add her own touch to was tempting. But no. She wanted to at least have a face and name to attach to the other party. Her children would know both parents, on that she was determined. Feeling galvanized, she grasped the handle and opened the door before stepping inside and marching resolutely to the front desk.
“Hello,” she said to the attendant. “I made an appointment to see about finding a partner to help me imbue some stones.”
There was no turning back now.
