“Madam, I would like to offer you my apologies,” Kell said.
The old woman glared at him. Her lips were curled into a sneer.
“I don’t want them,” she spat.
“Very well.” Kell turned to walk away.
“Wait, Kell.” Urle looked to the woman. “Madam, I know you are not happy to see us, but I hope that soon you’ll feel differently. My friend here, despite his mannerisms, is truly sorry, but he is from a very isolated society that has very different norms than ours. I assure you that he means what he says – his people do not lie.”
The old woman’s face might have changed slightly, but she finally nodded. “If it’ll get you to stop darkening my doorstep, then fine.”
Kell had been watching Urle curiously as he spoke, but he again now looked to the old woman.
“What I said to you before was hurtful and shocking to you. That was not my intention, and I apologize for that. My people often do not consider other beings, and it is something I would like to change.”
The woman stared at him for a long moment. “You said my fluffs were fake, too. You should apologize for that.”
Kell’s eyebrow arched and he smiled slightly. For once, Urle thought, it was not a disturbing smile, but a slightly wry one.
“To be fair about that, madam, you were trying to trick my friend here. But I do not think you even need to pretend that they are living – they are, on their own merits, quite appealing.”
Kell reached into the open top of the box and picked up one of the fluffs, a green one. It writhed until he put it on his hand where it calmed. He began to stroke it and it let out a soft coo.
“They behave much like a real animal would to a human,” Kell said.
Urle almost snorted a breath half out of amusement and horror.
“Like a human?” the old woman asked.
“Strange culture,” Urle said to her, hoping to kill the subject. “But I agree with the Ambassador. I could tell they weren’t alive but that also means that my daughters don’t have to watch them grow old and die. As important a lesson as that is, I think we could all stand to have a little less such pain in life, don’t you think?”
Something seemed to crack in the old woman’s face. Her suspicious, angry expression evaporated, and she suddenly was just a woman – aged, tired. But hopeful.
“Yes,” she agreed.
Kell put his trade card down onto the old woman’s reader. It pinged, and he turned to leave with his green fluff.
Urle bought two, then set down a white card in front of the woman before gesturing to the large medical tent that the staff of the Craton had set up.
“If you go over there with this card, Dr. Y will have a look at you. He is one of the top experts in the galaxy on treating human medical conditions, and I trust him more than any other doctor I have ever known. I am certain that he can help you.”
The old woman said nothing, and Urle moved away, pushing hard to catch up with Kell, who was still holding his fluff.
“You didn’t have to buy one,” he noted. “But it was kind of you.”
“It is a novelty,” Kell replied. “It is only an object, but it creates a facsimile of being happy when I touch it.”
“Actually, it’s true. She did a really good job making and programming these with what she had to work with.”
Kell did not reply as he and Urle went back into the ship.
Other Terrestrial 