Now the kitteo the buffet, his guide being the first to take her pte and fill it. The you could not reach the top, so they asked their older siblings, and some food was also on the lower shelf where the ptes and cutlery were kept. It was chaos in a very orderly way, and brought back memories of lunchtime at his school on Fallerian. Here and there he had been the alien, but only now being aware of it. But here and there it had not mattered.

  The kittens thahe mother and baheir ptes to their eating pces. The very young ones did so even with their ptes in their mouths, for they were still walking on all fours.

  Most of the older kittens came to Rerra, all but oht. But one came to him, the same one who had spoken to him after the mother. "Hello, I am Patty."

  "Hello, Patty. Thank you for yuidance." Standing, she barely reached his waist. But she sat down immediately, her head lower than his knee. So he could see her ears going in all dires, nervous or embarrassed. Her head was a little too big for her body, screaming cute kitten with every strand of her bd grey striped fur and her big yellow eyes. After a moment she looked up at him again.

  "Why aren't you eating?"

  He looked down at his pte guiltily. He was expected to 'eat first', as the mother said. And the other kittens were chewing happily. He looked at Rerra, who was talking to the other kittens while they ate. So he put some gratin on his fork.

  It was delicious. Not 100% Fallerian, but of all the Krantagratins he had tasted across the gaxy, this was on par with Lnaplo?. "This is great."

  "Too hot to eat," Patty said, "I like Pies D'Artagnan more." Obviously, this was the pie that she had just attacked with her fork. He was not sure how to tribute. Jerka would have certainly known, and she would have enjoyed Petra Catering for sure. But he was so out of his wits, having stayed with the Fallerian cooking whenever possible. While there certainly had been more pces like Petra Catering oations that he had visited, his budget had beeight at the beginning. And after one disaster with the local cuisine, he had stuck with the cheap Fallerian cooking, often mangled beyond imagination. But at least edible to him.

  Patty looked at him, her head tilted. "Too hot for you too?"

  Hastily, he took another bite. "No, very tasty. I like it, so I eat slow."

  "Oh."

  He could see how Patty tried to chew slower. But she just stopped between chews, like a badly programmed kitten toy. It was so funny and cute.

  "Patty, enjoy your food normally," he smiled at her, fighting hard not to ugh out loud.

  Patty looked down and then attacked the food oe again, wolfing down the delicious food like her siblings.

  The sleeping cat was carved from a vegetable soured in an otherwise sweet and chy sad dressing and tasted very different from what he expected. He had to eat slowly, wanting to savour these astes.

  He just notiow that Rerra was bowing with the other adults to the mother. He had missed her getting to the buffet, he had been so taken by the food. Now the mother rose, while Rerra returned with a full pte.

  "This food is so tasty!"

  Rerra walked straighter, smiling. "I told you, Petra Catering is great. The best food you get oation." She stepped lightly over the sitting kittens and sat agaio him on the dais. "You take seds. After the mother, it's everyourn again."

  So he stood up. But first, he went to Eli who was sitting with the other five adults. "Eli, I." He interrupted his literal transtion of a Fallerian phrase. "Thank you, this is very tasty." He bowed a little, as it seemed their normal way of greeting and thanking. He tried hard, the great food required praise.

  All the cats gri him, evewo younger ones who had not been directly involved in preparing the food. Perhaps he had made a faux pas, Standard was his sed nguage. Or maybe the pliment was good for them all, they were probably all skilled chefs in this family business. Seeing all the striped cats together, Rerra was the odd o in this den. Her fur did not match, she was not as tall but much stronger, had hands instead of paws, and she flew spaceships instead of cooking. Suddenly he realised how simir she had been to him, the human child among all the Falleriales.

  Before he dwelled too long ohoughts, he bowed a sed time to the giggling cats ao the buffet trolley to explore more dishes.

  While most of the other cats checked him out from a distance, Patty had no such reservations. Wheten had finished her meal aurned her dirty ptes, she sat dowo his leg and pyed with his trousers. When there came no further protest from him, she leaned on his leg, her snout on his knee which was as high as she could reach. And watched him. Rerra smiled but she also had three kittens arouwo of them nuzzling her bare legs and another lying ohigh with dangling arms a like rexing on a tree branch.

  Now Patty was already bored by just watg. "Do you also fly spaceships?"

  "Yes, I am a pilot." He quickly shoved some sad in his mouth to stall the unication, unsure what to tell the kitten without disturbing a future chef.

  Patty just tilted her head and waited until he swallowed. "So you fly ships like Rerra?"

  He nodded and took another bite. A mistake, now Patty khat she would get an answer even while he had his mouth full.

  "Did you see more aliens?" Nodding. "Do you have your own ship?" He shook his head. Patty paused, maybe she had run out of yes and no questions. "I want to be like Rerra."

  He swallowed. That deserved a real answer, one he wished he had heard before he had turned 10. "It is not so easy to be a pilot. It is a lot of work. And you often work for others. I mean, it is not well paid. You do not get much money." Finally, she seems to have uood something.

  "You mean like catering?"

  This answer surprised him. Were they poor? Being naked seemed to be their choice. And to buy this expensive food, there must be a good margin. "Less than catering, perhaps. And you could be away for long times."

  "Yes. Rerra was also gone for more than," Patty closed her eyes and ted on her paws, her muzzle moving silently, "34 days," she beamed at him.

  "Oh, it easily be years."

  Her eyes grew wide.

  "And you are an alien everywhere but at home. And aliens are often not treated kindly."

  She moved closer, her muzzle sliding up his thighs. "Not like a guest?"

  He sighed. "No, almost never like a guest. You are very kind to me."

  Patty had closed her eyes for a moment, her ears turning in random dires. "I still want to meet aliens. See big trees. See stars in the sky. See a moon."

  He was moved and fused. "You haven't been to the p?"

  "I, I am only three." Patty looked at him as if he was stupid. Maybe going down was not so easy in their society. He tapped Rerra slightly on the shoulder, who immediately turo him. "It is difficult to go to the p?" he whispered in Fallerian, "And you have no trees down there?"

  "There are ten trees at the Samul residehe only ones on the p. I have seen them. Remains from Hopkins II times," she replied in Standard. "Going to the p is expensive. Only the mother, Eli, and Fieta," she poio the other older cat, "have been on the p."

  "But I will go when I am a pilot!" added Patty with all the security of a three-year-old.

  "Dear, yes, but you have to get good in school and then you may be able to bee a pilot." Rerra smiled at her. "A pilot must uand space very well. And be very good at mathematics. I mean ting."

  "I t to 100. And I will go to school year." Patty stood as high as she could, her paws on her hips. It was very cute. "And school is closed."

  That i remark brought back the harsh outside of this peaceful isnd of normality, even with his presence disturbing them. He g Rerra. She looked tired, but so was he. They had e out of jump half a day ago and this had been their first real meal. Even if it was a feast, their bodies had suffered without food so long after a jump and then walking through the station. And their mind too, with the corpses.

  Patty looked at him. "It is true, closed."

  He had fotten about her. "Yes, I, sorry, distracted. I am a bit tired."

  "Oh, you sleep. I will watch over you."

  That made him smile, cute Patty was exactly the distra he needed. He looked at Rerra. " we really sleep here?"

  "Go, ask the mother. You are the guest."

  "I e with you." Patty grabbed his finger with her tiny paw and tugged him towards the mother who watched them with a smile.

  He bowed to the best of his ability. "mother, may I rest a little in the den?"

  "Yes, please," peeped Patty with her cutest kitten voice.

  "You have a strong supporter. Rest, but just this oime. You will leave with Rerra ter."

  He bent fain. "That, mother, is my iion. Thank you so much."

  "Sweet dreams and thank yuardian."

  He kneeled down to Patty. "Thank you, little one."

  Patty almost exploded with pride, she pushed her chest out and stood as tall as she could be. "I will protect you."

  He smiled again and together they returo Rerra.

  "He stay this time," Patty shouted to Rerra, jumping over a very young and again sleepy kitten. "I am his guard!"

  "I am sure you will guard him well," she smiled, no, grinned.

  Which meant of course no cuddling. He uood it, his st alone had brought the adult cats on the edge, even with the suppressant.

  Patty was dragging a rug towards him. "My favourite!" she decred when he looked.

  The rug was not thick but then, Fallerian sleeping mats were not known to be soft either. "I o go to the bathroom," he excused himself ahrough the lively den to the door to the lobby. It was dark and cold, his breath made clouds. He went to the bathroom which was standard human design aurned quickly to the warm den. Now even more tired than before.

  " I keep watch from your belly?" Patty asked as soon as he y down.

  "Hmm," he answered, which was enough for the kitten. She jumped on his belly. She was lighter thahought, and her warmth was weled. She y down and folded her arms under her breast. He put his hand on her and stroked the soft fine fur. The kitten urring silently, just her body vibrating. He rested his hand on her bad closed his eyes.