#guang

“Human, correct?” she repeated, then spouted out, “Hei is a powerful space fae that was born on earth but left as its magic grew," she inhaled, obviously making an effort to slow her speech.

Guang blinked. It appreciated her effort, but why was she telling it about its own partner?

The human continued, “this is common for fae. Did you know space fae are understudied due to the fact that they are extremely powerful and hard to approach? It’s theorized their power comes from dark matter.”

“Right,” Guang replied, “well-”

“Light aliens are a species often used for service for the ultra wealthy,” the human interrupted. “They are treated as living lamps due to their ability to produce both bioluminescent and electrical light extremely efficiently, as well as their ability to stay still for long periods of time.” 

Humans did like to talk, but Guang was unsure if this is what they usually talked about. 

“That’s correct,” it replied. It sat down and held out its hand, which the human grabbed and studied. “I was also on a ship from hatching until Hei approached me and I was given to it as a gift. But it treated me as a being, and I learned to think of myself as a being as well.”

“I’m a being as well,” the human said, dropping Guang’s hand and turning to the door. Guang followed their line of sight to see Hei walking in. It had taken a smaller, humanoid form, as Guang had asked it to.

“Hello Fern,” xi said, speaking xir native tongue.

“Hello Fern,” Fern repeated in the same language, approaching Hei. Xi squinted at her.

“Pardon, do you understand what I am saying?” xi asked. The human didn’t reply. She gazed at Hei’s translucent wings, and xi turned so she could touch them.

“She’s been repeating what I say as well,” Guang explained.

“Call the agency and ask. The human should have been told how to introduce itself.” Hei handed Guang a communicator. The human mumbled something about aerodynamics.

“In the broader universe, convergent evolution meant that wings…” Fern started to explain.

With the human telling bits of information in the background, Guang called the agency. It was referred to a specialist that told it that human neurology varied greatly. The human’s behavior was not worrisome, but it may socialize differently than typical humans. If that’s a problem, it could be returned. Guang assured them it was not a problem.

At the end of the fostering period, Hei and Guang had learned much about their visitor. They learned to avoid certain textures, loud noises, and flashing lights. They learned that the human could tell them about almost any alien they wished. They learned that not every human would fight anything, and definitely wouldn’t eat anything. 

“Fern,” Guang’s chest had been feeling tighter and tighter as the day to return her grew closer, “we were wondering if you would like to stay?”

Fern was outside with Hei, tending to the various lower species that she had befriended during her time on xir planet. She didn’t turn toward Guang, but she did repeat its words.

“Like to stay.”

“Right,” Guang agreed, “I don’t want to treat you as a belonging to borrow and return. Being once one myself, and knowing you so well… I want you to stay, but I want it to be your own choice.” Hei looked up at that, then pulled out a translation device and placed it in Fern's hands. She shook it a little, then turned it on. 

"I also want this to be your choice. It is a pleasure to have you here, but I will ensure whatever path you want to pursue is available to you." 

Fern watched symbols form on the screen: Hei's tongue changed to UIPL for her benifit.

“Humans have a rich history on their planet," she replied. "They fought each other in countless wars. Some wars were for resources; others were for freedom.”

“I didn’t know that.” Guang was silent for a bit.