“Were you going to show me?” T’kri asks, and Eyrin blinks, brought out of his thoughts. The alien’s gaze is directed towards Eyrin’s legs. 

Oh, right. Well. Eyrin pulls up and extends his left leg on the bench, towards where T’kri is sitting. The smooth plastic casing gleams in the morning light from the windows, the black seams a stark contrast. After a moment of pause, he mentally activates the glow of the seams, making them glow a white light briefly before fading back to black.  

T’kri blinks, seemingly surprised at the sight. “You are capable of luminescence as well?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Eyrin says. “Well, the prosthetics are. My cousin wanted to give me the ‘coolest legs I’ve ever had,’ and I suppose it is pretty neat. Especially at night, or when I’m swimming.”

“Hmm.” T’kri reaches forward and grips Eyrin lightly at the calf. Eyrin tenses slightly, not expecting the touch, and T’kri glances up and tilts their head.

“Ah, keep going,” Eyrin says. “I’m good.”

“Very well.” T’kri then draws their other hand down from Eyrin’s knee to his ankle, and Eyrin can’t help but give a slight shiver at the feeling. 

No one’s really… touched his legs like this. Silas’s touch is always clinical, efficient, purposeful, but T’kri’s is… exploratory. They run their fingers across the seams of the chassis, which provides an interesting sensation that Eyrin isn’t sure how to describe. It doesn’t feel bad, at least. 

T’kri moves to Eyrin’s toes, bending each one. Eyrin wiggles his toes and is rewarded with an almost birdlike head tilt. “You receive sensations from this, yes?” they ask.

“Yes,” Eyrin confirms. “I have a neural chip that lets me control and feel them.” 

T’kri looks up curiously at that. “You have neurally integrated technology as well, I see. Where is it?”

Eyrin pauses a moment before pulling his leg away from T’kri—they let it go easily—and turning to show his back to them. He places his fingers on the back of his neck, feeling out the part that tingles the most. There’s no scar or any indication it’s there; that would probably negatively impact Anima’s marketing, ha. “Right here,” Eyrin says softly. 

Since he isn’t looking at T’kri, he doesn’t expect the touch at his neck. It sends an electric feeling down his entire spine—his neck’s sensitive, especially when he’s not expecting it—and he can’t help jumping slightly and giving a small squeak. 

“My apologies.” T’kri withdraws their hand. “I did not mean to startle you.” 

“It’s—it’s okay,” Eyrin says, turning back around. “I just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”

T’kri hums. “Fair enough.” 

Eyrin hugs a knee to his chest, giving T’kri another look. The alien is sitting in a perfect posture, hands folded in his lap, back straight. “So,” Eyrin says, “You have neural technology, too?” 

“We have artificial constructs much like your concept of ‘nanites’ that communicate directly with our nervous systems. Nothing surgically implanted, as our forms can change significantly.” 

“That makes sense,” Eyrin says. “How does that work, anyway? The shapeshifting thing? It seemed like it wasn’t that comfortable.”  

“The process is not comfortable, no,” T’kri confirms dryly. “Though it was more so with my imitation of your form, as I was injured and disoriented. We can mimic the forms, neural structures, biology, and language of other creatures by sampling their genetic material and linking briefly to their minds. A simple touch is usually enough for that.” 

Interesting. “Is it uncomfortable to stay in a different form?”

T’kri hums. “Somewhat. Some tolerate it better than others. I would prefer my natural form, but I am perfectly capable of staying like this for many Earth years without too much issue.”

“I see.” Eyrin pulls up his other leg to hug to his chest. “So… what now? Didn’t you have to see if your ship’s self-repair function was working, or something?”

T’kri shakes their head. “It is too risky at the moment to go outside and find an area large enough to accommodate my ship. The authorities of your planet seem to be investigating the area, judging by your encounter earlier.” 

“Oh. Then… are you just going to… stay here?” 

T’kri laces their hands together. “That would be the most optimal option. Though I could last for some time without sustenance or housing.” 

“That sounds uncomfortable,” Eyrin mutters. “How long do you think you’ll be stuck here?” 

At that, T’kri frowns and looks away. “It is difficult to say. Depending on the degree of damage, it could take weeks, months, or even years to fully repair. However,” they lift their hand, and the skin turns black with a blue circle on the palm. The circle glows and a holographic projection appears, floating above their hand. It looks like their ship, before it zooms in on one area to display something like an orb floating over a platform on three prongs. “If I simply focus on restoring communications, that would likely take a month at most. Longer if I need to reinitialize the self-repair…” 

“Will anyone be… looking for you?” Eyrin asks. 

T’kri closes their hand, and the hologram disappears at the same time their skin returns to a human color. “Not for a few of your months.” 

So they’ll be stuck here a while, regardless of what happens. 

“I will not stay if you do not wish it, Eyrin,” T’kri says, and Eyrin looks up. “I will not revoke my promise, either. You did assist me and hide my presence, and whether you continue to offer your hospitality will not affect my offer.” 

“You can stay,” Eyrin says quickly. “I’m not—going to kick you out or anything. That’d be… well, not really great of me, I guess.” 

T’kri blinks, with an expression Eyrin is fairly sure is surprise. 

“I, uh, have a spare bedroom you can use, too,” he adds. “It’d be better than the couch, at least. I can show you where the food and stuff is, too… Do you know how to cook? I can teach a few things. Or, I could show you how to use the internet—” 

“Thank you,” T’kri interrupts Eyrin’s rambling. “You are very kind, Eyrin,” they say, bowing their head. “A place to stay is enough. It is not necessary for you to do more.”

“If we’re going to live together for a month or more, I can at least show you how things work.” Eyrin shrugs a single shoulder. “And… I have a lot of free time. It’s okay.”

T’kri lifts their head, giving Eyrin a searching look before nodding. “Very well. Thank you, again.” 

“Right.” Eyrin stands up. “Well, if you like, I can show you the guest room now?” 

T’kri nods and stands up as well. 

“Okay,” Eyrin says. “Follow me, then.”