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We hurry back down, and I really need to secure the roof way since there are flying people. Reiley starts to plan which food we will serve, while I make sure important stuff is still in the hut and hide it. We don't have another high backed chair, but Xuela have wings so she might be happier with a stool. We at least have enough pottery, plates and spoons and so on. Actually, it might be a very good idea to move the most precious pottery away from ground floor and potential combat area, and maybe prepare a couple of hidden knives or axes just in case. Under the table is a good spot for a knife or two, and I hide a bow and a few easy to draw arrows under the storage roof outside, and far more arrows by the roof access. Just in case. Which Reiley agree is a good idea. I've tried to make sure Xuela isn't circling high and watching me do it. This day have not gone as I hoped. Well, it's not even noon, so it can become far worse. Maybe even murder and death. And that might be mine or Reiley's death. And there is the whole issue about tomorrows Pillars of light and vision. Shit.

Preparations hardly take any time, so we try to make something productive of our time. Beside surprise sign tests from Reiley, we start to pre-heat the kiln and make that map. Xuela will have seen all of it before, so no real secret, and she might use it to point out things she have seen.

Signs have made me contemplate about a way to create a written language. Everyone talks a different language and those that do have a written language and can read, will have their own way to do that. So any unified written language can't match sound, but have to be glyphs that represent objects, abstract notions and concepts. We could basically use stick figures and easy to understand symbols plus try to tweak the signs we practise into a written form. It will be a heck of a lot of work and hard to do, and I don't know how much practical use it will have, but we will have time, especially during the evenings. The fastest way to write will be coal on one of those big dried leafs, but carving and such will work. One way to make books might be to burn symbols into slats and tie the slats together into a roll. To make carving or burning symbols more effective, going runes style and just using short straight lines will help. Curved lines of different types should be avoided. A sun can be a regular octagon with lines radiating out.

This will take time, and everyone will have to be taught the same system, but we will have time and the nights are long. It's something to do by a fire.

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I hear a "Hello!" in that weird Swedish from outside the front and we carefully peek down and find Xuela waiting below where the ladder usually is, and she is carrying something fairly big wrapped in a big leaf with grass tied around. She is very early and we see no-one else. Show time. We lower the ladder and Xuela awkwardly climbs up. I guess she isn't used to this and I offer my hand as help, which she takes. She can't have much grip strength. As she reach the top and stands in front of the hut, she quickly adjust her dress again, and she have a couple of fancy jewellery around her neck and wrists that she didn't have before. Looks like Xuela really is trying to make an impression, and probably not here to fight. Her knife is also decorated and match her dress with the belt attached to the dress, so I guess she had that when she woke up here. That dress have seen better days and there are a few tears in the fabric. Well, she might have been wearing it for two weeks, and 'durable' was unlikely to be a design criteria. And I realise that screeching bird is very quiet and not in the usual tree. If the bird sees Xuela as a big flying predator, I guess the bird is very quiet and hiding. Figures. Screeching bird, you had one job. Oh, well, time to say hello.

"Welcome."

"Thank you." Xuela offers her hand to Reiley: "Hello. I am Xuela Yge no Zhara, but you can call me Xuela."

Reiley presents herself: "Reiley of Clan Tomol, and call me Reiley." As she takes her hand and they have a very awkward handshake since neither of their cultures do it. I show Xuela inside, and she seems very curious.

"I apologize for sneaking a peek when you were away, but I just peeked in through the window, and I'm curious to see the inside. This is a lovely home you have made."

"It was hard work, but considering the time, tools and options, we're happy to have it."

"You should be proud."

Xuela poke at the standing support beams. This feels so very weird, as this could happen at home in my native country with some kind of acquaintance social norms dictate we invite home. But this is freaking Dinosaur planet, with two Aliens. With damn alien bastards listening and looking on through our on eyes and ears. Can't forget the bloody DAB's. I bet they're having fun and eating their equivalent to popcorn.

"We thought a stool might be better considering your wings. We obviously wasn't prepared for guests."

"How lovely and thoughtful. This will do very fine. Thank you. This is my gift to the both of you."

Xuela place the big leaf wrapped package on the stone table she caressed, and it is very obviously a wrapped gift. She actually took her time with that. Reiley signals to me to open it, so I do by untying the cord and carefully unfolding the leaf. It might be something dangerous. The package contain ... Camouflage? Coveralls? Two of them? Thick fabric that feels weird and a bit heavy. Colour-wise they are close to my crossbow and our machetes, but there is a sand colour too and the pattern is blotchy and completely different.

"I found them in a red glowing egg that had fallen from the sky several days ago. It's full covering clothes and neither of them are meant for someone with wings, and they are in ground colours which really doesn't suit me. I though they might fit you two as they seems to be adjustable, and would be easier to hide in instead of using leaves and grass."

Right. If Xuela haven't talked with anyone she don't know. "That falling lights that glow on the ground are called Star Fall, and the colour gives a hint about the content."

"It did look like a red star gently falling."

I catch Reiley's eyes and she too wonder why this was in a red Star Fall. The fabric behaves a bit like our shoes in being some kind of velcro in the overlap for adjustments and for getting into the coverall, without feeling like velcro. They are in camouflage, but I bet they do more than that, and I think they might be cut and puncture resistant, which would be very useful, and it is new clothes to wear. If they're as good as the boots they will be very nice. They even have a couple of pockets, and there is a belt through some kind of multi height option loops for that belt, or attaching other stuff on the outside. Yay! This is a heck of a gift, but I wonder if Xuela really understands that. If this is Xuela playing nice, well - I'll take it!

"Xuela, I thank you for this very thoughtful and considerate gift."

Reiley hurry to do the same, and Xuela seems pleased that her gift was good. Honestly, to have Xuela just being able to scout and quickly fetch Star Falls will be a major boon, and she really seem serious about our alliance and making a living here, so yeah. Might as well do a proper alliance. Fuck, I'm gonna have to build another hut in a probably harder to reach spot. That will suck. Guess I know what I will be doing next week and probably more, and we had planned to do exploration and visit Reiley's old camp. Although Xuela could probably look in on that camp. Oh, well. Time to be nice. I sign 'Friend' to Reiley, and Reiley just nods, probably having come to the same conclusion that I have.

"Xuela, I must say that is a pretty dress you are wearing. It really highlight and match your eyes and feathers."

Xuela had not expected that compliment, but she sure appreciate it. "You flatterer, you. The last thing I remember before waking up here was being on my way to a Gala."

"I assume you would have had everyone's attention." Yes, Xuela is a sucker for flattery. "Xuela, you should also know that different people have different eye sight, and that applies to colours, sharpness, field of view, focus on far or close and night sensitivity."

"Really?"

Xuela looks at Reiley that is nodding and continue: "Arne sees far more shades of blue and green than I do, and see colours when I see dark or black. I see more red. It was a very interesting subject and tests. Arne is very knowledgable in a lot of subjects, and have taught me much. His culture is very technologically advanced."

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"My culture is also very sophisticated." Xuela seems proud, but since that really isn't the same thing, I bet it translated wrong or she misunderstood. Lack of words and concepts tend to do that if Reiley is a good indication, and Reiley have learned a heck of a lot of new words and concepts since arriving in this world.

"We can talk about that later. Lets have something to eat. We forgot to ask if you can eat well cooked food or you need it more raw - different stomachs and all that."

"I prefer very lightly cooked, but can eat well cooked or salted - after all, meat doesn't keep very well, and there is no ice close by."

The meal is hardly anything special, but it feels like a civilized lunch, and Xuela absolutely enjoy it, especially the fish as that is exotic in her culture. And she likes to talk about herself. With my limited knowledge, I would say her culture is more Roman in style with a triumvir of three powerful people in control of another case of a City state, and Xuela is one of several consort to one of those three. Their lands or city doesn't seem that populous though, but as mostly meat eaters that is of course an issue. It's far easier to grow, store and transport a lot of grain, wheat and vegetables to feed a large population, than to raise animals and hunt to feed the population on meat. Some kind of big rabbit is the primary source of meat. Her kind don't really fish, and they only have rafts. It's obvious that Xuela have not really worked a day in her life, and her life is basically that of being a child giving trophy, and I assume she is very pretty for a female of her kind, although she is 'old' with adult children, and not planning to have more. She have done her duty.

There is another days per year and hours per day conversion, and Xuela seems used to shorter days than Earth and fewer days per year although she actually never bothered to remember exactly how many as there isn't much seasonal difference where she lived, but she think about 310, and she isn't sure, but that the days here feels too long. Although that can be from her change in daily life. Her kind can live long lives and closer to a modern human lifespan, and she is 53 years, which I guess is something like 37 human years, but it really don't translate into human years as her kind grow up faster and she is a grandmother. Although technically I could have been a grandfather. So, it might not actually be much difference.

Xuela's kind live on towns on huge cliffs, and obviously the higher up, the more important you are. So, it's no wonder that Xuela want to live at the top of her own cliff, and it is of course a far better starting point for flying, and here there are both the sea wind, uplift and thermals to make flying easier, compared to the inland. Which along with slightly cooler temperature are reasons why she want to live here. This world have a slightly higher gravity than Xuela is used to, so she feels heavy and ungraceful. I manage to win some points for actually knowing and understanding words pertaining to flying, but the whole subject of making contraptions to fly and engines are way above Xuela's tech level, and she seems to dislike the whole subject of using any form of help to fly, so I let it go. I don't want to be a cultural blasphemer in her eyes.

The word we heard her use - Nirojue - is her God of misfortune, and often used as a swear word. She planned to introduce herself but landing on the other side of the cliff and sneaking over the top, but lost her footing. It's probably a whole lot of social posturing to look down upon 'the lesser beings' but Xuela avoid saying that. Me and Reiley agree that Xuela seem mentally frayed and desperate after 'roughing it' in the wild and having to feed herself for two week. Xuela really really wants to feel civilized, sleep under a proper roof and get some kind of normalcy back into her life. This lunch in a proper hut high up on a cliff, on proper pottery and furniture and good conversation seems to have made a huge impact on Xuela. I have earned huge points for building the hut high on a cliff and for using stone as a roofing material, since airy open stone constructions with pillars and so on seems to be a mark of her cultures proper buildings. Very Greek-Roman. The stone table is another win for me. They do use wood for building furniture and simple buildings, but understandably her kind avoids forests since they feel trapped under the canopy and can't fly in there, and forests makes it hard to hunt. So open grass land and rocky cliffs and mountains is the preferred terrain.

An alliance is kind of a given, but we have a stronger position and Xuela agree to help with some chores instead of just keeping watch from above. Things like flying down and checking the fish traps is work Xuela agree is not hard, and it is far safer and quicker for her than us. Same with collecting salt from the Salt Boon or maybe collecting bird eggs from sea cliffs, or collecting Star Falls and maybe contact newly awoken people after Pillars of light, or just warn them of the Dinosaurs and this world. Xuela absolutely agree that she will make detours and not lead people here unless we all agree on that. Just going high will make most loose sight of her, and she can make a high loop out to sea or up in mountains. Xuela warns that she have seen big shapes in the sea, but not close to the shore and she don't know if they're dangerous or not. There is also fairly easy work that just takes someone being there, like feeding the kiln with wood, and Xuela really wants to learn pottery, as beside being very useful, it can also be artistic. Being artistic and making things pretty is important for Xuela. That I actually fixed edges, shaped and planed a lot of the wood is more points for me, and we have started to decorate pots. Admittedly, that is because we could and Reiley also likes pretty things.

There is the issue with Xuela's living arrangement and hut. Xuela just blinks several times after I ask her how we will be able to build a hut on a cliff specifically chosen so only someone flying can reach it. She really didn't consider that. We also need to be able to reach each others huts, just if something happens or she becomes sick or injured and we need to get her food or water, and it should be a good path, with stairs and guard rails more than climbing or ladders. We also need some kind of simple communication between the huts, even if it is just a long string with rattlers in the end and certain patterns have certain meanings. So it would be far better to build something on this cliff, just higher up. I don't mind Xuela feeling above us, as long as she do her part of the work.

Our stairs and roof access is narrow for Xuela, but we all make it up to where we spoke earlier this morning. We've already decided to do a lot of work here, but Xuela doesn't need to know that, so we talk and 'with a lot of work' it should be possible to make a stair and paths up from here and so on, but it might be better from the cliff work area, and it will be easier to get logs and other material up that way since there isn't a hut in the way, but still very hard. It was hard enough building the hut. Xuela who have thin arms are really impressed that I carried all those heavy logs up by myself and got them into place. And then carried all the stone up too, and that extremely heavy stone table. It would take several of her kind to do something like that, and Xuela really liked the stone table and wants one. Bricks and wood ash cement is a possibility for walls, and maybe roof tiles, which is a very attractive option for Xuela even though it will take much more than a week to do, but we need to get up on the highest cliff and look closer and decide before committing to building something. Xuela tries to cosy up and hold my arm as we talk and discuss her hut options, and Reiley is getting jealous and annoyed for not really being included. Eventually Xuela notice, and try to comfort Reiley:

"Gods no, don't worry about that. Arne is a walker." I feel like I just been insulted, and Xuela realise what she have said, and stutters. "Not like there is anything wrong with that as you're both walkers. I mean you are not even my kind. Not that it's bad..." Xuela decide to shut her mouth.

"I'm not insulted, but I assume there is prejudice against those that can not fly in your society."

"Of course. You have to be a good flier to live high."

Which also means to be important in her society. High status is a literal thing for her. Yeah, Xuela is a laugh, and it's probably a lot of prejudice that she tries to hide. She probably wouldn't be caught dead associating with 'walkers' in her old society. Another issue is that Xuela 'have to' live with us until she get her own hut, or to at least finished enough to live there during completion. And Reiley had planned to use sexy lingerie tonight. Both of us was looking forward to it. The steep and quite narrow loft stair is an issue for Xuela's wings, so we will dismantle and carry the first bed down and place it in the back where it was before the loft was built. At least Xuela agree that a temporary hut over at the cliff work area will be sufficient during construction, so it might be a good idea to build something solid there.

Plenty of water and heating doesn't seem important for her, but her kind is flying through cold air and seem adapted, and the inland heat is an issue for her. If Xuela doesn't care about her own shower it's less work for us, so we will probably do a more community toilet-shower-washing place at the cliff work area. We might as well start that project on really improving the area since it is safer than in the jungle, and we can work when it rains, which it seems to do a lot. Beside actually being a roofed work area, it can be used by future new group members. It's kind of hard to decide what and how to build in the work area. For the hut I could jam the logs up between or against the cliff sides, but I can't really do that in the work area without getting a really tall and heavy tree and being creative. And it still wouldn't cover a lot of the surface, although it would be larger than the hut. And there is that issue with roofing material.

Xuela say goodbye and leave to collect her things before returning later today. She has been gone for a couple of minutes and we can see her gaining height in the distance. I hug Reiley and she whispers:

"I don't like Xuela, and she will draw attention to us, be she will also be very useful and make our lives safer."

"I couldn't have summed it up better. But we're going to be in danger sooner or later, and being a few more people would really help and improve safety, and she can fly. Having her doing some craft while sitting at the future lookout and watching isn't a bad deal, but don't tell her that. We need to contact other people, and try to find good people to join us here, and there will always be compromises and culture clashes. Come on, let us try the new coveralls, and do a trip to the creek and fish traps. We might as well get clay or slate when we're there. We have that kiln to take care of too. It's soon noon, so I need to make a sun height reading."

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