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Aya laughed, and Devran picked the clothing he wanted her wearing when she met Kazi.
The shopkeeper smiled. “We will get on it. My whole clan has been waiting, and we should have it sorted in the next two hours.”
Devran nodded. “Very well. Aya will have something to eat and drink, and then we will return.”
Tiffany chortled. “I know just the place. You are a live eater?”
Aya blinked. “How did you know?”
“There is a certain look you will recognize when our sort of folks walk through a food market. It isn’t just delight; it is desperation. Fear that you might never be able to touch fruit or meat again.”
“Oh, yeah. I know I have that look.” Aya chuckled. “I spend hours in the garden, calculating when things will be ready to pick, just like I did at home.”
Tiffany was smiling when they emerged from the design area. “Excellent. Come with me. There is an excellent restaurant next to the temple. They do a version of surf and turf that will make you cry.”
“I do like the sound of that.”
Tiffany smiled. “Walk this way. He wasn’t kidding. He is going to have six of his mates and everyone else engaging all their arms. That’s a lot of arms. It’s mainly two for sewing and the rest for holding the fabric. An-so-ro has a very successful stall, and he has a line of candidates to be his mate. He’s pacing himself, but all candidates must be excellent seamstresses.”
Tiffany didn’t touch anyone. Aya noticed that as she held onto Devran. He was fine with her cuddling up to him, day or night. The avatar was nodded to, waved at, and got all versions of smiles that the locals could provide.
The restaurant had panelled walls, stools, and more cheerful staff. The menus were embedded in the tables, and Tiffany walked Aya through ordering. Devran sat back with a slight smile in his eyes and watched the ladies discuss food and its familiarity to Terran food.
Tiffany looked at him. “Do you have a face?”
Devran grinned. “I do. Aya can confirm. The concealing field around me isn’t by will; it is a circumstance of my situation.”
Aya smiled. “He has a nose and a mouth. Lips and teeth. To know what he is thinking, watch his eyes.”
Tiffany chuckled. “Got it, but do you know how difficult it is actually to look in his eyes?”
Devran chuckled. “And yet, Aya has no problem.”
Aya smiled. “I have skills.”
Tiffany giggled, which was astonishing considering her aggressive appearance. “Do you sing?”
“I play a bit. Fiddle.”
Tiffany grinned. “After you meet with Kazi, we will have to see if we can harmonize.”
Aya nodded. “I brought a fiddle and bow in the shuttle.”
“How many do you have?”
“Every time Devran sees a new one in the Terran archives, it goes into manufacture.”
He snickered and said, “You will want one of these. They are sweet and fluffy. In your favourite profile.” He tapped an item and ordered it for her.
Tiffany snorted. “So it isn’t just Kazi.”
Devran kept looking over the menu. “No, it is not. We were not given the same urge to have companions, but having decided that it is a good idea, we take care of them and learn their habits.”
Tiffany snorted. “You learn a little bit more than that.”
Devran shrugged. “We are old. We need new hobbies.”
Aya smiled, and soon, food was arriving, and she was learning the tastes of another world. This was so much better than the station.
