11:34 12/05/2587 –(8734/683/46/98)

Kuruja had not lied; Volotri was a charming village, small and quiet, that took no significant part in the tourism industry. The place was for people to live, and Gabriel found it refreshing.

“I hope you all enjoyed your hike,” Kuruja said as they entered the village square, a sizable patch of land with a fountain and sundial in the centre.

“Oh, it was lovely; I especially loved the cave; I’ve never felt so snug in my life,” Risoti replied. Gabriel agreed; it was astounding how perfect the temperature had been without any technological aids whatsoever.

Portul cave was carved by water over thousands upon thousands of years. Leaving behind a beautiful display of stalactites and stalagmites.

Gabriel was drawn from the pleasant memories by a large group of people moving in his peripheral vision. They had cameras and microphones, and Gabriel immediately knew what had happened; someone had been recording his stand-off with the Otoru and posted it on the internet.

“Oh fuck this shit,” Gabriel hissed. No one else understood him, but they could make an educated guess based on his context and tone.

He eyed the nearest alleyway; he could outrun them easily, especially those weighed down by their cameras. They were no doubt rolling, though, and the sight of him running away with his nonexistent tail between his leg would probably make him look pathetic.

“Could be worth it,” Gabriel mumbled as the crowd got closer and the sweat trickled down his neck. Rather than leg it, Gabriel took a deep breath and steeled himself for the barrage of questions he was about to receive.

“Come on, let’s go,” Nish said, grabbing hold of Gabriel’s arm and pulling him away from the oncoming hoard.

“Go, I’ve got this,” Risoti said as Nish pulled Gabriel into a side alley and through a crowd of locals.

The last thing Gabriel heard Risoti say was, “tired and will not be taking any questions at this time.”

“Do you think Risoti used to be in public relations? She seems very good at this,” Gabriel asked as Nish let go of his hand.

“No, she just keeps on top of local politics; she’s seen hundreds of politicians say the same thing,” Nish replied.

“How do you know that?” Gabriel inquired; he could not recall Risoti saying anything like that.

“She told me during our day at the spa,” Nish explained. “I do feel bad for ditching Kuruja like that,” she added.

“We’ll give him five stars; he’ll be fine,” Gabriel replied. “What about Risoti? Should we go back for her?” Gabriel asked.

“No, she’ll be fine; they’re not interested in her,” Nish answered, “I would imagine they already dispersed.”

“How did they even know we would be here? That’s what I want to know,” Nish questioned, keeping her eyes peeled for any bothersome reporters.

“This is the V.I.P. route's endpoint; there was nowhere else we could be,” Gabriel explained. “Got any ideas? Cause I do not want to be looking over my shoulder every five seconds,” he asked, looking behind him.

Pista was having fun, hiding behind some decorative shrubbery, pretending to be a secret agent.

“There!” Nish said, pointing towards a modest building with the word library written on it.

“You sure? Not exactly the most secure place,” Gabriel pointed out.

“True, but it’s a library. They won’t be able to Hyohyo you with questions, or they’ll be kicked out,” Nish explained.

“I have got nothing else; let’s do it. Come on, Pista, I’ll read you a story,” Gabriel said. Pista trilled in delight and followed them.

***

“And so the woodsman cut the Big Bad Wolf’s belly open and pulled Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother out,” Gabriel said, miming an axe coming. Pista’s attention was utterly focused on the tale, and she yelled, “yeah, get him.”

No one shushed them; they were currently in the children's sections and therefore given more leeway. Gabriel told her to keep it down; however, Pista would only be able to get away with so much.

“The woodsman and Red Riding Hood then filled the wolf’s belly with stones and sewed him back up, and when the wolf awoke, he was scared by the woodsman, ran into a river and drowned,” Gabriel said, finishing the story.

“Was that really a children’s story?” asked Nish. When Gabriel had first suggested that he tell Pista a human story, she had been just as interested as her daughter. Now she wondered if this might explain human recklessness. In Nish's opinion, being told from a young age that running at a problem with a weapon was the answer to most of life’s problems was not the healthiest approach.

“Yeah, pretty much every kid heard it, it think, don’t quote me on that,” Gabriel replied. “Why mythology?” Gabriel asked, focusing all his attention on Nish.

“Sorry?” Nish asked, confused by the sudden shift in subject.

“Why mythology? Out of all xenopological studies, why mythology?” Gabriel explained, “also, why is it called xenopology? Xeno means stranger or alien, yet xenopology includes your own species.

“Xeno was decided on because we are all strangers to one another, even to ourselves,” Nish explained, answering his last question first. "Bit pretentious that last bit, I know, but that's the reason I was given."

“As for why I chose myths and legends,” Nish said, thinking about it for a moment.

“I like stories; I like imagination; I just feel like it gets to the heart of people if you know what people believed and all that,” Nish answered. It was not the most in-depth answer, but Gabriel felt he understood.

“What about you? Why gardening?” Nish asked as Gabriel’s P.D.A. buzzed.

Gabriel was about to answer when he realised who it was from, “Risoti, she says the "Newolur" have dispersed, and she thinks it’s best that we meet up at the train station… and that I should prepare a statement,” Gabriel explained, making air quotes at the unfamiliar word.

“What like a politician's statement, why?” asked Gabriel, looking from the message to Nish.

“To keep the press off you, remember what Erilur told you “We” tend to accept the first logical answer we are given,” Nish replied, forming fists with her four hands and rotating her wrist; Gabriel supposed those were Tufanda air quotes.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Gabriel rapped his fingers against his forehead, sighed and said, “I am woefully underqualified for this.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” Nish said, tapping Gabriel's head with her antenna.

“Yeah,” Pista added, copying her mother’s actions.

***

“Not quite how I imagined spending my afternoon,” Gabriel commented as he hit send and delivered his statement to every major news outlet on the planet. To cut a long story short, what Gabriel had written was that the safety standards of Minagerad were not to blame for what happened and that you should never antagonise the animals.

“Well, it’s better than prepping for an interview,” Risoti added, though Nish’s P.D.A.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Gabriel replied, shaking his head.

“Hold on, some of the news crews are checking their equipment,” Risoti said; she was currently scoping out some of the bigger group, ready to inform Gabriel if they got close to the library.

“I think they’re leaving,” Risoti noted.

“That was fast,” Nish said, “not that I’m complaining; I do love books but not more than a full belly.”

“I’d give it a half hour, but if you’re that hungry, I won’t tell you what to do,” Risoti said, giving her two cents.

Gabriel stood up and walked to the nearest window, he could see anything of interest, but he had not expected to. “Where do you want to meet up?” Gabriel asked.

“There’s a lovely little spot by the river, and they make just the best Fretisa cake,” Risoti explained.

Gabriel slumped his head, a faint smile on his face, and asked, “just how much cake have you been eating?”

“I’m not going to answer that; just walk along the west side of the river; you see me sitting outside,” Risoti replied and hung up.

Gabriel was about to make a bad joke when his and Nish’s P.D.A. vibrated. “What now!” Gabriel complained.

His mood shifted quickly from annoyance to excitement; Erilur had sent him a message, he glanced up at Nish, and he knew she had gotten one as well.

***

Gabriel smiled; Erilur had not used galactic standard messaging format but rather translated it from the Ponut’kild norm. Meaning it sounded far more intimate and formal than it really was. If that was the game she wanted to play, then he would do the same in his reply.

The message read.

For my most intimate companion Gabriel.

Even though it has been but a few scant weeks since our separation, I miss you greatly. I hope you are well and that your time on Minagerad is most enjoyable. My family has been bombarding me with questions about you since I first arrived, you have become quite famous on the galactic scene, and I hope this newfound popularity will not go to your head.

Gabriel rolled his eyes; Erilur knew precisely what she was doing.

I am already planning to move to Xorko; though I am facing some difficulties, I am not worried, and I hope to meet with Risoti a month after she returns home.

My family are sad to see me go but happy that I have found someone. On that topic, how has your relationship with Nish progressed? I do hope that you are not circling the toilet bowl of that will they won't they Nabshit.

Gabriel nearly choked on his own laughter and garnered some looks from Nish and Pista.

“What?” Pista asked; she had never heard Gabriel make that noise before.

“Nothing, Erilur just told a joke in her letter, that’s all,” Gabriel replied, regaining control of himself and returning to the message. It seemed that the real Erilur would always shine through no matter how hard she tried.

On a similar note, I hope that you will take the advice I gave you to heart; I am not asking you to act now but to simply keep it in your head.

I have also sent you a package that will arrive about one week after receiving this email; I will not spoil the surprise and hope you will enjoy it.

From your true and eternal friend, Erilur.

Gabriel chuckled; he enjoyed that, as pompous as it may have been, it had obviously taken some effort on Erilur’s part, and effort was always appreciated.

Looking back up, Gabriel saw Nish reading aloud to Pista; it seemed that Erilur had written four letters, even giving Pista one of her own. Gabriel smiled even more, “I love that woman,” he mumbled.

Erilur’s letter to Pista was the polar opposite of Gabriel’s; the language simple, the tone light and filled with tame jokes that Pista loved.

With the messages read, Gabriel said that they should get something to eat. He also preemptively removed Pista's reluctance to leave by telling her she could tell Risoti about her letter.

As they left the book-filled room, his P.D.A. vibrated again; he checked it, assuming it was another message from Erilur. He opened it and then scowled.

It was not from her but from Howard Smith; Gabriel immediately hit delete.

***

That little surprise had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he tried his hardest to wipe the knowledge from his mind. He spotted a few journalists off in the distance, Gabriel believed they knew he was there, but they did not approach, Gabriel’s earlier statement having made any interview irrelevant.

“If only human journalists worked like that,” he thought as they descended a set of wide limestone steps to the river bank.

“Lovely,” Gabriel said with utter sincerity admiring the trees, riverbank plants and works of art that dotted the area. Small flying creatures, some like birds, others similar to insects, darted about the place.

Gabriel peered through the railing; he was too small to look over it and saw some aquatic creatures swimming below.

He could have spent quite some time just watching the wildlife had Pista not kept tugging on his arm and telling him to go. Reluctantly Gabriel allowed Pista to lead him down the walkway, admiring the view as best he could.

“There she is,” Pista cried, letting go of Gabriel’s hand and running to Risoti.

“You would think she had not seen her in weeks,” Gabriel noted as Pista leapt into Risoti’s lap, nearly spilling her drink.

“She’s a kid; they do that,” Nish responded, fluttering her wings.

"Yeah, they do," responded Gabriel.

“What did your message contain?” Nish asked, sitting down opposite Risoti.

“Knowing Erilur, it was undoubtedly filthy,” Gabriel added, sitting beside Nish.

“Sometimes, I think your mind spends more time in the gutter than Erilur’s does,” Risoti replied defensively as she turned off her screen and placed her P.D.A. on the table upside down.

“Uh, huh,” Gabriel responded with a nod, noticing what Risoti did and not commenting on it.

“We can’t stay here long; we’ve got to be at the station by 70 to catch the train and then catch the plane,” Nish noted, checking the time as she perused the menu. “Might have to get something to go,” she added.

***

As they waited for the maglev, Gabriel was browsing the internet when he noticed what had happened, someone had indeed been filming him, and much like last time, it had exploded. The only difference was that there was only one rather than dozens of separate videos.

That video was currently sitting at fourteen million views and climbing. Gabriel would have probably just ignored it had his eyes not been drawn to the comment section and found that most of them were commenting on how colossal his genitals must be.

“You’ve found it, I see,” Risoti said, leaning over his shoulder.

“Yep,” Gabriel replied with a sigh.

“That one’s my favourite,” Risoti said, pointing to a comment.

“That Fajoneuy must have some massive cubes to charge a man with such massive cubes,” the comment read.

“Would humans have made more eloquent comments?” Risoti asked; from her tone, you would have thought it was sarcasm, but no, it was a genuine question.

“Nope,” replied Gabriel, “you know something; deep down, we are all the same.” "Wait, I thought it was called an Otoru," he added.

"I think Fajoney means animal or beast; it's not referring to the species," Risoti explained. She scrolled up and hit replay, “you were quite impressive.”

“Careful; if Erilur ever hears about you talking about me like that, she might get jealous,” Gabriel noted.

“She’s not that fragile,” countered Risoti.

Pista began climbing on Gabriel’s back and asked, “what ya doing?” She saw the video and said, “you’re very brave.”

Gabriel reached behind and tickled Pista’s antennae, she trilled, and he said, “thank you, that means a lot.”

Nish scooted up near them, a little upset to be left out and watched the scene unfold. It was odd watching it again from a different angle; she was even in the frame at specific points.

“How do you do it? Just act like that?” Nish inquired.

“You're not so different; if that fence had not been in the way and the keeper had not held you back, you would have jumped into that enclosure just like I did,” Gabriel reminded her.

“Yeah,” Nish said, holding her words for a moment before adding, “But Pista is my daughter; to you, she was a total stranger. I’m eternally grateful you did, but how did you?”

It was Gabriel's turn to be silent, and he recalled Erilur’s letter before saying, “I know what it is like, to lose someone close to you; I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”

Everyone went quiet at this small but weighty revelation. Nish had suspected something, of course, and Risoti had naturally talked to Erilur. Erilur had respected Gabriel’s privacy and had not told Risoti of everything she deduced, but enough to let Risoti know not to ask about Gabriel’s family.

Even Pista held her tongue, she did not truly grasp what was being said, only that it was something sad, and she was not happy anymore. Pista hugged Gabriel’s head and began stroking it with her antennae.

“Are you ok?” Nish asked, feeling a little guilty that she had brought this up, even if she had no way of knowing her question would lead to it.

“Trains here,” Gabriel said, standing up and walking to the maglev.