"You were in our attic the day before!" Alan's sister exclaims quite animatedly, "The explosion was so loud I thought the roof was going to cave in on top of my head! Jesus, man! What were you thinking flying that tin can around Roswell like that?"

"I apologize deeply for the suffering I brought upon you and Alan and for misleading you both," I reply and tremble, hoping that Alan's sister would grant me forgiveness at this point. "I just didn't want to land in a more conspicuous spot and bring attention to myself."

"You really had us going for a minute there, especially with the purple makeup and sparkly contacts," Alan's sister says, much to my utter confusion as she goes on. "And kudos for staying in character for so long; Alan seriously thought we were being invaded by little green men last night. He even ran outside to chase you down and everything."

I could not believe what I was hearing. 

This female human seemed to believe that I was wearing face paint and a costume and had no idea that I was from another planet. To be quite honest, though, every human I had met and interacted with up until this point either did not appear to care or was in complete denial of what I was except for Alan, which was equally puzzling.

I tilt my head to the side and ask, "Do you honestly think that I am pretending to be an alien?"

"Yeah, but don't worry.  Your secret's safe with me," Kiki replies, and she appears to blink one eye in my direction as if she had something painful lodged in her retina. "I was part of a furry club in high school, so I know how mean people can be when you look and act differently from the norm."

Tears spring to my eyes at that, because I'd never met someone who related to me in that way. Even if Alan's sister believed I was in full costume and living a complete and total lie, she accepted me for who I was and my differences.

I had no idea how long I would be working at Roswell Sweets or if I would be able to make a home on planet Earth, but for now, Alan and Kiki were the closest things I had to being actual friends, and I wanted to learn as much as I could from them about the world and being human.

I eventually join Alan in the kitchen while Kiki busies herself up front, arranging the glass case with all the pastries inside. "You called for me, Alan?" I ask when I see him coming out of a room carrying what looks like a massive yellow mountain and several white containers. 

"This is the cake we're supposed to frost first for the Lam family. Their daughter's wedding's tomorrow." Alan explains and grunts when he sets the mountain down on a metal table with a bang. "It's a banana chip pound cake with chocolate filling in between the layers, but they want it frosted to look like it has planets and stuff on it since she and her husband are big Star Wars fans."

I approach the "cake" and ogle it from where I stand, marveling at the sheer size of the thing.

"I do not know what weddings are or what this Star Wars is that you're referring to, but I am willing to tackle this mountain of lard for you and frost it," I tell Alan. "Where are your knives?"

"Wait," Alan frowns. "Knives? We usually just use a pastry spatula."

"I need weapons of mass devastation," I answer simply. "That's the only way to defeat this cake."

Alan hesitates, and then he goes to grab me a block of very sharp knives from one of the shelves, glancing back nervously at me. When he finally does come back over, he slides them towards me, his eyes opening a little wider when I slide one out and examine the blade. It wasn't as sharp as a Tau sword forged in the fires of a volcano, but the blade was light and flexible enough to frost Alan's cake.

"Are you sure about this?" Alan asks me, "I can grab the cake decorating kit from the back."

"Prepare to feast your eyes and weep, Alan!" I scream, spin the blade around in my hand, and swipe it through the air before plunging it into a container of white frosting. 

Alan dives for cover when I slap the cake with the first layer, using all the knowledge and anger I had gathered during my warrior training to manipulate the blade, like cutting through the water. My movements are swift and fierce, like a deadly dance, and Alan provides me with the next color and the next, sliding over containers and decorations until it is finally over, and the table trembles beneath me.

"It is done." I drop my knife with a shakey hand and pant a little in exhaustion.

Alan peeks over the edge of the table and slowly stands up, marveling at the now stunning blue cake with purple galaxy swirls running through it. Alan had wanted me to use chocolate spheres cut in half to represent the planets, and I splattered white and gold paint to look like stars all around the sides. 

"I've never seen anything like what you just did with those knives, Luna!" Alan breathes, pushing his hair back with one hand and smiling as wide as he can. "You're fucking incredible!"

I duck my head a little when he smiles over at me, my star stuttering in my chest under his gaze. For some reason, seeing Alan excited made me happy, and I was willing to help him frost his cakes as long as he needed my assistance.

"Why don't you take a five-minute break while I package this wedding cake up, and then we can move on to the next one?" He asks me, "Kiki made fresh chocolate chip cookies, and we have sodas in the mini-fridge in the back if you want to grab a snack."

I had yet to have breakfast and decided to take Alan up on his offer while I had the chance. The whole atmosphere of this "job" that he worked at seemed very relaxed compared to some of the career choices on Tau, which occasionally had me crying on the floor in pain and defeat.

Still in a happy daze from Alan's praise, I make my way back through the kitchen and marvel at the silver racks full of warm pastries. They smelled of burnt sugar and spices and wafted an intoxicating scent that would have driven even the strongest Tau warrior to stop and eat until they exploded or passed out from sheer overindulgence. 

Alan had mentioned cookies earlier, but I did not know what those were, and I was growing quite hungry at this point as the sweet treats grew in number around me. Unfortunately, my resolve quickly breaks when I catch sight of some sort of pastry covered in chocolate and bright red berries.

I adored berries.

I glance around cautiously and then dip my fingers into one of the little containers to sample the fluffy white frosting. For a moment, it makes my tongue tingle, and I smile in delight, then proceed to eat the whole tray in large scoops. The occasional giggle escapes me as I feast on the berries and cream, unable to help myself at this point.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" A voice speaks up as I'm licking frosting off my hands. "You're supposed to be one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy! Now look at you, covered in cream filling!"

I look up sharply and scan the room before my eyes fall on a familiar face.

"Yan-Yan!" I cry, stunned to see my adorable companion sitting there. "You're alive! And you can speak!"