Zork’ak reached Wren’ quarters just before the agreed sunlight. Xe had been reguarly meeting with Wren and walking with her even though xe now knew were the room was. Xe interpreted it as a bonding experience, and xe wanted to be part of their pack, partially to learn more about the species and partially because xe was beginning to grow fond of the humans. It was an unusual emotion for Klyls to experience.
Wren was running around the room, clothes thrown everywhere, throwing more around the space when she noticed Zork’ak standing there.
“Hold on! I can’t find my other shoe.” She continued to dig through one of the piles. “Where is the damn thing!” She tripped over something on the ground falling over.
“Wren,” Zork’ak asked from where xe stood, “why does your quarters not have organized bins?”
She was under the bed now. “Don’t need ‘em.”
“I would be happy to help you label bins for this so you could find each item.”
“Nah. I can find it.” Zork’ak was about to offer xer help again when Wren popped out from under the bed. “Found it!” She held up her shoe before pulling it onto her foot. Zork’ak could not comprehend out Wren found anything in her quarters, but xe understood little of humans. They were not the most efficient species, far from it. Their decision did not match the evolutionary process in the slightest.
Zork’ak turned away to leave the quarters when xe caught a glimpse a small table in the corner. The table had a piece one leg missing and books stacked underneath the table to level it out. “Wren, if your table is broke, we can provide a replacement.”
She slipped passed Zork’ak. “Nah. I fixed it. Let’s go.”
“I do not believe you have ‘fixed it.’” Zork’ak was not sure if this was how humans improved objects.
“Well, it works doesn’t it?”
Zork’ak thought about that one. “I suppose it must.” Wren grinned wildly, and Zork’ak remembered the other part of xer confusion over Wren’s room. “Wren?” She looked back at xem, a smirk still on her face. “Why is it that you own so many covering devices?”
“You mean clothes?” Zork’ak “shrugged.” Xe had learned how to move xer upper body in the human-like gesture. “Well, I can’t wear the same ones every day.”
“And why is that?”
“Well, they get dirty.”
“Do you often partake in activities that stain and soil your coverings?”
Wren was staring up at Zork’ak now quite confused. “Well, no, but there’s sweat and dirt and oil. So we wear different clothes every day to be clean.”
“I do not see how you secrete these fluids and they cause your clothes to become unwearable.”
“I guess. Well, you know how humans secrete oils and sweat?” Zork’ak nodded. This the Klyls did know about humans. “It gets on our clothes and so we want fresh ones instead of piling the oils and sweat on top of more.”
“And why is it you need these coverings? Would it not be more efficient to not cover your body instead of catching the secretions and trapping them on your skin?”
“Well, on Earth, it is not allowed to be naked. Humans believe we should cover certain parts. They say it is not acceptable to see the entirety of another person if you are not like, well, kind of really good friends with them.”
Zork’ak looked down at xer body. Xe were covered in protective scales and did not see a reason to cover the body. Earth customs did make little sense. “Is it because your body is easily harmed?”
“Partly. We protect our body from cold or the sun or the rain. Different things.”
“I suppose you would need coverings considering your, um,” Zork’ak looked down at Wren,“ your skin is not particularly effective at defense.”
Wren giggled at that, for some unknown reason, and stopped in the hallway, turning left. Zork’ak followed her into the “grappling room,” where Faradae was standing in the center of the room, using his hands to fight with another individual. It was an interesting and interesting movement. When they finished and invited them in, Faradae approached Zork’ak to discuss a new tactic to introduce this class. Zork’ak quickly relayed the information, focusing on Faradae’s hands.
"Are you hurt?” Zork’ak asked after finishing his report.
Faradae looked down at his hands. There was a thin, white material wrapped around several of his fingers. “Eh. I had to tape my fingers. Hurt a few of them when I was boxing.”
“And you continue to practice with your extremities damaged?”
“I mean, it’s not that bad. It’ll heal.” Zork’ak began to wonder how all of their bones seemed to heal.
After the class, the group went to third meal, sitting at a table with Zork’ak. Carrie took a bite into her mixed spices and grains, making a face that looked quite unpleasant.
“Oh, that smells terrible.”
Adam leaned over breathing it in deeply. “You’re right.” He proceeded to take a bite. “Pretty bad, too.”
Several of the other humans passed the bowl around to smell and taste the food, each announcing what the others had already claimed: that it both smelled and tasted bad.
“If the food is unpleasant, xe can find you something more suitable.”
Carrie shook her head, reclaiming her bowl, and continued to eat the substance. “It’s not that bad.”
“Did you not all agree that the food was not to your liking?”
Carrie shrugged, shoveling more in her mouth. “The more you eat, the better it gets.” Adam leaned over to steal another spoonful and agreed that it did taste better the second time.
“Why is it that you all feel the need to smell and eat the food. Do you not trust Carrie’s opinion?”
Steve laughed. “We just like to also experience it.”
“You like to experience something you know you will not enjoy.”
Steve and Adam looked at each. “Well, yeah.” Adam said.
Zork’ak was continuing to learn that the Klyl’s knew nothing about these humans.
Original Author - nonbinarygaymergirl