By the time I am done, the others are returning.
Did Vari signal them to say we were done?
They greet him. There are the usual tells of silent conversation. Head tilts, hand movements, and laughter. Vari hands the whisperer to Hrad.
I pull together some enthusiasm, knowing it will be best if I choose him or Yva.
“Looks like I have another date.” I hand the cup back to Sabine.
“Good luck.”
I’m going to need it if I’m going to find a solution.
Hrad walks over, chin up as though I’ve already chosen him. I like his confidence, but he could easily become cocky.
“Is there something you wish to do with me?” His voice is rough, and I think it’s from only talking silently. Or perhaps he talks silently because his voice is rough.
“There is…however my socks are drying.” They really needed washing.
“I can carry you.”
I have no doubt that he can. “On your back?”
He gives a single nod. “Where are we going?”
“I want to take a look around, and find something that can be…” The word for knitted didn’t translate for Vari. “Turned into socks.”
“You are a sock maker?”
“No, I am an engineer. I build villages.”
His mouth opens as he considers me for several heartbeats. “We do not need a village, but we all need socks.”
Sabine laughs. “I’m going to agree with Hrad on that one. At least in the short term. You want a plant that can be split into fibers…kind of like what they use for rope.”
Hrad is quiet as he considers this.
“Are you really going to try to make socks?” Mia is frowning as though she thinks that is impossible.
“Maybe not straight away. A spare top?” On the ship, in our free time, we could learn other skills than what our job required. My father taught me how to knit and crochet. He liked his hands to be busy when he was contemplating equations, and I learned to do the same. Often what was made was unraveled, as there was a limited amount of supplies.
Hrad frowns. “I know what to look for, but you can’t use it as it. You must soak it and then separate the fibers. Then you must make the twine. We do not use it for clothing.”
“Is there a reason?” If it’s rough, it will rub and be worse than no socks.
“We use wool.” He says, as though that should be obvious.
“I don’t see any wooly animals.”
He gives me that look again, as though I am on a foolish quest. “Very well. Climb on.”
He drops to one knee and for a moment, I question the wisdom of this adventure. I’m leaving the camp with an alien I don’t know.
Hrad tilts his head. “Vari says to gather the younger, blacker stalks as they are more flexible and will be more suitable. Once they turn red, they make good strong rope.”
I glance at him, but he is looking at his net.
As soon as I climb on to his back, Hrad starts off, following the river as if to head back the way I arrived yesterday.
