After a few moments the flap was opened by an older female, who announced that her son had gone off visiting his former schoolmate. She projected a picture of a lovely black haired, black skinned Linyaari with a white blaze from her horn down the center other mane/hair to the middle other back. Also in the thought was that the girl’s full coloring, her long face, very down-turned, slightly flared nose, and curveless arms and legs were far more beautiful than Acorna’s pallid coloring and somewhat shorter jaw line and nose.
“I’m happy to hear that, ma’am,” Acorna replied. “I simply wanted to apologize for my social error at the reception. Where I was raised, baring one’s teeth is often a sign of friendliness and welcome rather than hostility, as it is here.”
“You must have been raised by rather strange people,” the woman said with a lift of her brow.
“Very good people, actually but, well, I’m glad your son is enjoying time with his friend and not-”
“Not in space?” she asked dryly. “He serves a vital plantside function as a communications officer. Our people do not c)o space given a choice. It is good of you to apologize, but quite unnecessary. We were all very fond of your parents, of course, and Neeva is a fine lady, so when we heard you were returning, we were anxious that our son meet a girl from such distinguished stock. We hoped he would find in you some of those qualities that make the rest of your family so admirable. But with your, shall we say, unusual, background, I fear you just aren’t really suitable for our son. So you needn’t bother to call again. Now, if you‘11 excuse me, I have much to do. Good day.” Acorna was glad tent flaps could not be slammed.
Other than that, no one was actually rude to her but, as the pavilions all had both a front and back flap, and the people Acorna was going to visit could undoutedly hear her coming long before she arrived, it simply appeared that everyone she wanted to see was extremely busy that day, each going about his or her typical Linyaari day, whatever that was like. From what Acorna could tell, it seemed to consist of grazing. Far away. She sighed and nibbled on the handful of grasses she had. Making friends was going to take a while.
Somehow, she decided, as irrational as it was, because her arrival coincided with the crisis, she was being held responsible for it.
Grandam Naadiina was busy with the council and often came home late. She briefed Acorna on what developments there were, but actually, there weren’t that many. The main thing that took time was the Linyaari desire to reach consensus in decisions, which required a great many discussions and much trying out (at least hypothetically) of different tacks until one they all agreed on worked. Of course/in this case, without more input from the persons off planet, not much could be decided. Grandam Naadiina was a bit disgusted. “It’s a wonder we ever got off planet before the Khieevi arrived,” she said. “I’ll bet it took them less time to invade our world and turn it to rubble than it did for the council to decide what we would call this world.”
Maati was exhausted when she came home at night, after running errands and carrying messages all day long.
Acorna spent much of her time visiting with the technoartisans, who didn’t seem to mind if she watched them work or asked questions. Daytimes not spent -with them were difficult for Acorna, who nevertheless tried very hard to learn all she could of the rest other people.
Linyaari always seemed to be walking in pairs or larger social groups, and when she approached, they were always heavily engaged in intense conversations about matters she had too little knowledge of to even ask an intelligent question. On the rare, desperate occasions when she tried to interrupt, people would politely but pointedly excuse themselves and turn their backs to continue their conversations. Even the business establishments seemed to be closing just as she approached.
“Is there no school I could attend, no class to take, no tutor on Linyaari culture to teach me what I need to know? ” Acorna asked Grandam Naadiina.