"- no, normal people can do that. We're normal! There's more of us, even."

"Hmmm...but you haven't been around as long!"

"Well, if you write superhero stories you can put regular Amentans in them but growing doesn't let us fight bad guys very well."

"What're bad guys and why'd you need to fight them?"

"Well Oahkar imperials were bad because they tried to take over the world and they were mean to everybody they ruled over. Then the empire collapsed but if nobody fought them it would have been way worse!"

"How'd fighting them help? It just sounds like it'd be sorta bad for every-one."

"It made it harder from them to take everyone over."

"Oh. I guess that sorta makes sense if the bad guys are like monsters and your haven't figured out how to live with them yet."

This does not seem to successfully explain anything to Kota but he turns the page and resumes reading her the book.

Fika doesn't really get lots of bits about the book but Kota seems to like it and she likes Kota so it's a fun time.

He doesn't finish the book before it's his bedtime.

Fika isn't ac-tually tired yet! She climbs out in search for something fun to do, bringing her Amentan food maker toy with her.

There's Amentans lining up for a concert! Is that fun?

Sure! Fika follows the night people to the concert.

They're checking tickets, but somebody in line says, "oh, is that an amalien? She can sit in my lap if she wants."

Fika is okay with that, other-wise she would have to see if the food toy was enough to get in but she likes it and doesn't wanna give it away.

The somebody in line leads her to his seat and plops her in his lap and the concert starts. It's a chamber orchestra.

"What's that?" she asks, pointing to a big shiny thing. 

"Shh - it's a cello - ask after they're done, okay?"

"Oh, okay!" she whispers. She has some friends who do music and like it when people are quiet so they can lis-ten.

The concert is an hour and a half long. Her seat-Amentan puts her on her feet at the end. "If you have more questions now's fine," he says.

Fika spends a bunch of the concert on the Amenta's shoulders and head but manages to sit still and listen - it's a much longer concert than she's used to but maybe if more amaliens were patient like her they have concerts like this too. 

"What's that?" she asks, pointing to the same bit.

"- still a cello. It's a string instrument."

She'd forgotten the name, but maybe she'll remember next time.

"Can I try it?"

"Maybe, but we'd have to ask the person who played it! We can go toward the stage and see if they're taking comments and questions."