Humans Are Encountered

Homesick

"You good?" Adam asked Kai as he and Zork'ak reentered the labratory through the window. She shook her head without looking. "Alright," he patted her shoulder, "I'll see you in the morning."

She touched his hand gently, looking up at him. "Goodnight."

He kissed the top of her head and left.

Zork'ak sat on the bench next to where Kai was working, watching as she ground up a substance. The pods in the container broke apart, mostly empty except for the crusty chunks of the outside shell.

"What the hell? I've tried so many different things, and I just can't get it." She threw down the tool that was in her hand.

"Kai, it will be okay. Maybe you need a break."

"No! I have to get this."

"Why must you achieve this at this moment? It could wait until after your restorative cycle."

"Because!" She dropped her head into her hands. "I miss the food back home."

"We can speak to our nutrition scientists. They could attempt to help you."

She looked up, tears on her cheeks. "I don't miss the food. Well, I do, but I miss my mom's food. I miss my mom." She sighed, dropping her hands in her lap. "I'm just homesick, and no matter how many things I re-create, it doesn't make it feel any more like my family is here."

Zork'ak was unsure what to say. Instead, xe moved closer to her and patted her on her back.

She propped one elbow on the counter, catching her chin in that hand. "At home, my mom made a lot of great things. Like the cupcakes? My brother's a vegan, but he loves chocolate so Mom made a cupcake recipe that was totally vegan and gluten free so he could have chocolate. And we used to make our own jam and pies. She'd make so many fruit pies, but I just can't get the flour right so I can't make pastry dough." She slammed her hand into the bench. "I just don't know why it's not working!"

"It's not about the pies."

Kai looked up at xem. "What?"

"You said it yourself. You keep getting angry because it's not working, but you're not actually angry. Humans show anger when they are sad to hide vulnerability. And right now, you are sad. You want the food to work so that you feel like you're at home, but it doesn't change how you feel." Zork'ak climbed off the counter, crouching to be eye level with Kai. "You can't make this planet your home. It's not the same. But you do have your family here."

Kai's eyes were gathering tears in the corners, and she lurched forward, wrapping herself around Zork'ak. Xe could feel the wetness on xer scales as Kai succumbed to her sadness, and Zork'ak just held her.

She eventually pulled back, wiping at her nose. "How did you know that?"

Zork'ak smiled. "I'm a behavioral analyst, Kai. You humans behave more systematically than you think."