Two children have been good friends since the time they were in the same daycare together. They grew up as neighbors and even go to a mixed school. One child is a havenworlder, one child is a human. The human child is having a birthday party and has invited their best friend to the party. The parents need to have a long talk so it is fun and safe for all. -- Anon Guest
When you grow up with something, that's what normal is. Tan knew Lith as a friend who was always there. They had been in each other's lives forever. Lith had learned how to be gentle with Tan before ze began to form permanent memories. Tan learned that Lith was strong before she could properly talk.
They were neighbours, and shared a backyard with nature, and it was always Lith who watched out for Tan, and Tan who found the really interesting and cool things they could both wonder at. They had fun together and enjoyed each other's company. It was when they entered school that things changed. Havenworlders like Tan were kept apart from Deathworlders like Lith. It was a safety issue, since not everybody got to grow with a cool friend and neighbour like Tan.
When both friends wanted to share a party, some intense preparation had to come into play. Starting with a fortnight for the class, learning how to behave around Havenworlders, and the repeated phrase, "It's hard to have fun when a friend is hurt." Lith talked about hir friend and how they had fun together, and the entire class learned about Havenworlders and what they could tolerate.
Level five Havenworlders are the most fragile, just as level five Deathworlders are the toughest. Fortunately for all concerned, Tan and her friends were Level Two Havenworlders. Opposites could meet and interact with a minimum of trouble, though balloons were something of a bone of contention. To Deathworlders, balloons are fun and some even enjoy making them pop. To a Havenworlder, the sudden, unexpected explosion could be something deadly. For many of them, the shock alone could put them into a dangerous spiral.
Lith rook care not to invite the kids who treated it all as a joke. They knew there would not be balloons, but there would be other things to enjoy. The food would be simpler, and so would some of the games, but there would be fun for everyone. Streamers, after all, were things that everyone could enjoy. The same was true of sugar and simple proteins, music, and silly jokes.
Parental figures attended to make certain the party was safe for all, though something interesting happened during the event.
The kids were better at it than the adults. The party proceeded in its usual chaos and everything seemed to be going well until one of the Human parentals thought it might be funny to inflate a paper bag and then pop it.
Three of the Human kids stopped their hands, holding the adult's hands away. "No, no, no," said a spokeskid. "Havenworlders are here. You can't. They might not know the breathing."
Some of the Havenworlder kids stepped in to tell their parental that Humans didn't always like insects.
It was amazing to watch, and the very spirit of co-operation between intelligent species.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / volodyar]
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