I am defeated!

She surfaces and makes a dramatic show of lamentation, but she's grinning inside and leaking some of that out.

A bet is a bet. But in the ocean you could never, ever catch me!

"Probably not," agrees the yellow kid, grinning.

"Could too!" cries a purple.

I'll show you just how fast I can swim if you clear the middle of the pool. My short name is River, and I flow like one!

To just Mahkemiken, Sorry to just go ahead without asking, but I had a fun idea and I flew with it. I hope it won't be a problem...?

It's fine! Mahkemiken assures her. The kids herd themselves back to the stairs with their families.

That was fun. The tumbled amethyst wasn't even enough to make an even bet considering that concert places turn into money. It'd count as one, maybe two, Shiny Things. But that was fun and I feel like I've learned something and I've got an unusually casual relationship with my things for a Draak.

I think going to the hotel now would be good.

All right. Mahkemiken thanks everyone at the pool and shows River out and to the hotel building. The elevator is rated for lots of people to board at once and should be able to handle one River-sized Draak, if it doesn't seem like this street is a good place to take off.

She's kind of scared to try flying in the middle of a city after thinking about it some more, to be honest. If she tumbles it's concrete and glass, not tree branches, that'd catch her. Elevators make her nervous too, but less so.

Then they can go up in the elevator, separately because River's cutting it a little close on the weight limit, but Mahkemiken can follow in the very next car. Here is the top floor of the hotel! And here is River's room, which is spacious as Amentan rooms go and has a bed she will actually fit on if she wants.

This is good. It's quiet. Thank you for showing me all around today! I think I will finish picking music and then message you the list and then sleep. I'm looking forward to doing the concert!

I'll wake up when the sun rises, please don't let anyone in, it would be really alarming to have someone have been near me while I was asleep.

I'll put up the do not disturb sign and tell hotel security. I'm in the room right across from you, please feel free to knock and wake me up if you need anything! Do you want me to show you how the plumbing works, and the lights?

Sure! Everything is shiny and unfamiliar, you might as well explain anything that's more complicated than the window curtains.

The window curtains are actually also controlled with buttons, it turns out; Mahkemiken explains them and the plumbing and the lights.

It doesn't smell like rainwater coming down from the roof, how do you push water all the way to the top??

Pumps, I think? I don't know a lot about plumbing.

It all seems like magic to me sometimes. I guess our best things do too.

The telepathy seems like magic to me!

It seems a little like magic to me too. Life's kind of like magic. Any matter existing at all is kind of like magic.

I wonder how many approves the pictures of me swimming with those kids got? Probably a lot. That was kind of the point. Or one of the points. Being a nice and exciting alien who wants to play with you, not a scary alien who might want to eat you.

Do you want me to check?

The number will be just a number, it won't feel like anything. So, no thanks. I think I'm good and I'll come find you if I need anything.

Okay, see you in the morning! She lets herself out and goes to the next room.

River... Chooses music and continues to outline her story in her head. It doesn't have to be a long story, since she's going to pad it out with her memories of wandering and alien animals. She manages to curl up on the sooooft bed and even gets off it in the morning without puncturing it. She dreams nervous but hopeful dreams.

She wakes up when the sun intrudes through the curtains and stretches in the relatively spacious room and manages to use the plumbing without breaking anything worse than a little scratch in the countertop. The room's door is opened by careful application of her grabstick, still hanging around her neck, and she knocks on the next door over with the stick too.

Mahkemiken opens up. "Good morning!"

Hello! It will be I hope! I'm excited for the concert. Picked out all the music and I know what story I'll be telling even if I've never done something like this or even practiced before.

Can you let me know what songs and I can send them to the theater?

They're my favorites list on the music taste app! Typing is hard. They're in the right order though. I think they are probably not exactly an hour?

She hands over the pocket everything. (The favorites list totals to an hour twelve minutes.)