<The rest of them went inside to eat. Most of them are humans like you.>

"Oh.

I'm not having the best day, could I trouble you to to - break getting out of this tree into steps for me -"

<I don't know very much about tree climbing for humans. Do you know what fall distance would injure you?>

"It'd depend how I landed. The lowest branch might be all right."

<Hmm. Perhaps I should just get the magic-using humans, who can magically remove you from the tree.

There is a human stuck in the tree,> he informs the people in the house.

"- oh, that'll be mine, probably. Back in a moment." Out she goes. "There you are! You all right?"

"I think so. Help?"

Ismat squints at the tree. "See that branch, grab it - left hand - then scoot your left foot off the branch you're on and step on that one - then if you reach down I think I'll be able to reach your hand and you can jump down."

They execute this procedure.

He watches bemusedly.

"Thanks for letting us know," Ismat says, "he freezes up sometimes. Come on inside, there's food."

"It's not a good day."

"Left foot," Ismat says agreeably, "right foot, follow me, left foot, right foot -"

In they go.

His tail swishes unhappily.

"This is Khalil, everybody," says Ismat. "Khalil, most of these people are alien versions of you and me and Merenre, we don't know why. That one's a sneak peek of my and Merenre's first kid, I guess?" And she introduces everyone else too.

"Hi!" says Kimli.

"How many children do your parents have?" he asks Hala.

"Three," she says. "Mom's rich, even at green credit prices before the invention of FTL she was going to afford five easy and a few extra for her parents too. - my species has population control and a color-coded caste system. Lemme find a picture - here, this is me and Kaloa and Sisheka and my parents and Aunt Klimati."

"All girls," he says, sounding like he has complicated feelings about this.

"It doesn't matter for Amentans. And your version of Aunt Klimati's a man. And so are the Khazad over there, both of them. Eskillimi, do you have a sister or a brother -"

<Sister.> Chocolate!!! Covered!!! Almonds!!!!!!!!!

"We don't, actually, do that thing where we tell everyone we know if we can get pregnant or not. We've all got beards, I'm told that's how other races guess."

"Oh, huh," says Hala. "We don't think it's important but we can look at each other and tell, it matters so we know who to date since most people have a preference."

"We don't unless we are in fact trying to have children," says Isun. "I suppose it could be an obscure kink."

"I don't mind girls, it's just going to be a while before the pharaoh's got an heir, at this rate. Does Timothy have children?"

"Nah. Aitim does, though."

"Four of them. They're here actually, so nobody can target them, and so are their other dad and the moms," says Ana.

"Karen is Timothy's girlfriend," says Hala.

"Yes. I am."

"- you don't look exactly like any of the pharaoh's wives but the rest of us don't match either."

"He has a bunch of wives?"