Page 20 of Purring, Presents, and Parties

“I welcome more information on Old Earth human culture as it becomes available, but this has given us excellent insight into humans,” Bazium said. “I have some information to share also. Apparently during this Christmas celebration, humans would pluck trees from the ground and decorate them for indoor display.”

“They must have been small trees,” Hesarium commented.

“Or trees with weak root systems,” Tarrian pointed out.

“Was it a single communal tree or did each human require a separate tree?” Danisal asked.

“It’s unclear from what I overheard, but the tree should be dripping with color,” he said.

“Dripping with color?” Tarrian echoed with a curious rumble. “I suppose we could use the spray bulbs that integrity inspectors use to mark damaged sections of ships and stations.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Hesarium praised. “They come in different colors to indicate which bot should be used for assessment and repair.”

As they talked, Bazium was busy ordering all the colors offered in the inspector’s spray bulbs. The moment he finished that task, he checked on the progress of the gastronomic expert he’d hired to recreate Old Earth flavors. There was a progress report: he had something called cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes and was still working on the rest.

“I’m determined this will be perfect,” Bazium murmured before looking to Tarrian. “What was it you needed to tell me?”

Ari

Holding a steaming cup with both hands, Ari sat on a stone bench outside the cottage and watched a havanak look for the exact perfect leaf. The bird was searching through the brush at the base of the only tall tree nearby and had picked up and discarded several already. When she finally found the right one, she stretched her neck up high to show to her mate in the tree above her.

These colorful birds couldn’t fly, but they fluttered well enough to get into tall-ish trees. Her mate jumped from the half-finished nest, collected the leaf, and jump/fluttered back up to incorporate the new material into the nest.

They’d been at this for a while, and Ari thought she could sit there for the rest of the day, content to watch them. It felt nice to be interested in something. Ari couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted todosomething other than sleep. Observing the havanak couple build their nest was fascinating, and if she was lucky, she might even get to see some chicks in the future.

“Human Ari?”

Startled, Ari spilled some of the tea; thankfully the hot liquid hit the ground and not her. Looking to her left, she found Rossimun standing a respectful distance away.

Smiling, she stood up. “I didn’t think I’d see you again today.”

“Why are you sitting out here by yourself?” Rossimun asked with a concerned rumble.

Ari pointed to the havanak on the ground, searching for another perfect leaf. “They’re building a nest. I didn’t think birds that big could build nests, but I guess they do.”

Rossimun sounded a rumble of agreement as she turned her attention to the havanak in the tree. “They’re an interesting species. I can show you where to find more information on them on the Unibase if you’d like. In the south, where they’re rarer, some households even feed them to keep them close.”

“Can I feed these ones?” Ari asked.

“I’ll send a request for the feed they consume,” Rossimun said with a soothing rumble. “I’m happy to see you interested in something. You spoke of so much numbness earlier, I was concerned. I wanted to see if the medication I compounded is affecting you.”

“It must be,” Ari said, dropping back down on the bench.

Rossimun remained standing a respectful distance away. “Does that mean you’re feeling better?”

Ari nodded her head. She didn’t feel back to her old self yet, but she didn’t feel like she was drowning in gray anymore. “Back on Old Earth, it took them almost six months to get Aubrey’s medication situated. They kept having to try things, see how she felt, then change it a little until she was doing better consistently. I feel better, and it’s only been about four or five marks since you gave me that first dose. I didn’t think it could work that fast.”

Rossimun let out a rattle of pride. “Your medical staff couldn’t possibly have had access to the technology we do.”

Ari frowned. “We didn’t have a lot that other species were interested in, so it was hard to trade for tech or knowledge. When we did get tech, it was usually for industrial processes, not medical advancement.”

“That’s a poor choice. If a people are not healthy, how can a species become successful?”

Ari shrugged. “Who knows? It wasn’t like I was in charge. Anyway, thanks for checking on me. I’m feeling better.”

Rossimun looked around, sounding a curious rumble. “Where is Bazium?”

That single question managed to undo a lot of the contented happiness Ari had started to feel after visiting Rossimun.

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