The elderly human was sitting on the porch of their home here on Earth when a shuttle neatly landed on the wide gravel road not far from the garage. They were curious, didn't get many visitors out here on the farm. Once things had settled and were quiet again, the door opened and soon the alien stepped out. The alien, a middle-aged being, smiled and greeted their old friend and went to sit with them for a while. The did promise, as duties permitted, they would visit after all. So, it being a pleasantly sunny day, and duties were light, it was a good time to sit, have some tea, and chat about the past when they were shipmates, and some of the more interesting times from back then. -- DaniAndShali
Even Humans slow down, though it's hard for some species to tell the difference. Even Humans grow old and age. Even the most formidable among them grow frail. Science has made the descent slow and gentle, but it happens nonetheless. It has even happened to Human Dav "Deathwish" Lyonn.
Age has wearied him, but the years have not condemned. Yet. Ze keeps hir livesuit in operational condition and has made a few modifications as concessions to hir declining mobility. As part of hir exercise regime, Human Dav is making apple pie. It's the kneading and rolling that's important. Not the lengths of extravagance that ze's come to perform with the crust.
Humans will add anything to mandatory activity in order to make it more enjoyable simply because it is mandatory activity and therefore boring and uninteresting. This is why Humans invented cheese sauce shortly after they discovered the health benefits of broccoli.
An unfamiliar thrumming came into Dav's awareness, overcoming hir fading senses. Which meant that whatever ship was landing, it was already coming in to the landing pad. There were two kinds of people who came to Dav's little slice of heaven, and one of them were the kind of people who had a grudge. That was why ze went straight for the kind of weaponry that made the unwelcome think twice about the life choices that lead to that one moment.
Unfamiliar ship. No onboard weapons. Well, not the kind of onboard weapons that advertised the generic message of, Don't mess with me, to the universe at large. Not a very ominous boarding ramp, but that could mean literally anything. Dav readied hir weapon, but didn't aim. You didn't aim unless you meant to destroy something. Basic safety and good manners in one simple action.
Amazing how many people still get it wrong after centuries of having point-and-kill technology.
Very familiar figure on the ramp. Dav put the weapon down, safety on, and used its length as an improvised cane. This was the other kind of visitor. The welcome kind. Hir old Companion, also ageing to the point where a little slice of paradise was an option, had come to visit.
"Qex, you old asteroid flakker! Don't ever call ahead, you might give me heart failure." This, for Humans, was an extremely friendly greeting amongst old pack-mates.
"Oh come off it, this is your fifth heart. It won't fail for ten more years, minimum," Qex shouted back. "You said I was welcome any time, and you'd serve me some of your shitty apple pie."
Human Dav laughed, meeting hir old friend halfway between house and landing pad. "Eh, it's getting more than pretty to look at."
"Either that or you're getting used to the horrible taste."
Mutual laughter. Two old farts sharing a repeated joke as they made their way to comfort, shelter, and food. They talked as old friends did, of old friends, of people they once knew, of family additions and partings, of their own discoveries that they may or may not have shared by remote.
Re-establishing pack bonds is important to Humans and, as many have noted, Human pack-bonding is highly contagious.
The pie was grudgingly admitted to be approaching deliciousness.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / badmanproduction]
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