“Juna told us you make good apple pie, Netta Tati” Moki said. “Do you have some? It sounds delicious.”
Everyone laughed at that, and soon the party was rolling again. Anetta cut the bami a big wedge of pie. “Here you go,” she said.
Moki took a forkful and popped it into his mouth. His skin flared turquoise with delight. “It’s good! Here, Ukatonen, try some.” He handed the plate to the enkar.
Ukatonen was equally pleased. “That was wonderful,” he told Anetta, turning the same’happy shade of blue as Moki.
Anetta smiled. “Here, let me cut you a slice of your own, Ukatonen.”
“A small slice, please. There’s so much here I’ve never eaten before.”
Anetta’s eyebrows rose. “Then let me help you fill your plates.” She took charge of Moki and Ukatonen, giving them a taste of everything, watching to see what they liked. Juna smiled in relief. The two Tendu had clearly won over her aunt. It was an important step in their acceptance by her family.
Juna looked around at the familiar faces of her family, the small tree-shaded yard, and the massive, comforting presence of the house with its massive, laser-cut stone walls, and deep-bosomed porch. A fleeting breeze stirred her hair, and shifted the branches of the big chestnut trees. She took a deep breath, smelling the dusty sun-warmed earth, the hay and manure smells of the barn, the dusty, fruity smell of ripening grapes. It smelled even richer and deeper than she remembered. Home. She was home at last.
Moki watched Eerin with her family. It was uncanny, seeing so many other people with Eerin’s face. Her father was pink-skinned and white-haired, but Moki could see Eerin’s distinctive cheekbones echoed in the faces of her father, and her aunt. Eerin and her brother were even more alike, with their brown skin, long straight noses, thin eyebrows, and big eyes. Toivo was stockier, and his face was leaner, more like his father’s, but despite these differences, Eerin and Toivo were startlingly alike.
The family smelled the same, too. Even Aunt Anetta, under that strange, nose-twisting scent, smelled like Eerin. They seemed as alike as a litter of gudda pups. Moki found it simultaneously confusing and reassuring to be surrounded by so many people who smelled like his sitik.
He watched them clustering around Eerin. She looked so happy, there among her relatives. It made him glad, but he also felt a bit excluded by their closeness.
“Hei, Moki,” Danan said, touching him on the shoulder. “I need to drive the truck out to the field. You want to come with me? I can show you around the farm on the way back.”
“Thank you, Danan, I’d like that,” Moki replied.
He touched Ukatonen on the shoulder. “Danan is going to show me around the farm, en,” he told him in skin speech.
Ukatonen flickered assent.
“Okay,” Moki said. “Let’s go.”
“That’s really solar, the way you make pictures on your skin. How do you do it?” Danan asked.
“That’s skin speech,” he told Danan. “It’s how we Tendu talk.”
Danan opened the door of the truck and got in. Moki started to climb into the back of the truck.
“Hei, Moki, come sit up here, with me,” Danan said, sticking his head out of the truck.
Moki climbed through the open window into the front seat.
Danan laughed. “Moki, you’re weird.”
Blue and green ripples of laughter slid over Mold’s skin. “Of course,” he replied. “I’m a Tendu.”
They drove past a big building called a barn, where something called horses were kept, then another big building, the winery, where grapes were made into wine. Then they drove out into a big field with rows of plants draped over wires that were supported by tall metal frameworks. The vines were heavy with dark purple-black clusters of berries. Moki felt sorry for the plants, they seemed so confined.
“Those are the grapevines,” Danan informed him. “Those metal pipes are part of the irrigation system. We feed the drip lines off them during the summer. If it’s a cold rotation, we put tall sprinkler heads on top, to keep the plants from freezing.”
Moki nodded. He only understood bits and pieces of Danan’s explanation. He had seen irrigation equipment before, on the ship, but he didn^t understand how it kept plants warm. And why would you need to, anyway?
“How does the truck work?” Moki asked, hoping to get onto familiar ground. Machinery fascinated him, and he had forever been pestering the crew of the Homa Darabi to explain things to him.
“That’s kind of complicated,” Danan replied. “There’s an engine that runs on— that is, eats— hydrogen. It makes the power that turns the wheels. I’ll show you sometime. We’ll have to service the truck after the harvest.”
“Is there a fuel cell?” Moki asked. Most of the things on the ship that used hydrogen ran on fuel cells. He didn’t understand how a fuel cell worked, really, but he understood what they did.
“Kind of,” Danan said.
Up ahead, there were people in the fields, and some kind of machine with two large animals tied to it. Danan pulled the truck up to the machine, got out, and handed the keys to a woman sitting on top of the machine.
“Hi, Danan, how’s Juna?” the woman asked.
“Just fine,” Danan said. “She looks really good.”
“You see the aliens?”
Danan nodded. “Hey Moki, come on out and meet one of my mothers.”
Moki climbed out of the truck. “Hello,” he said a bit hesitantly, wondering how Danan could have more than one mother. “It’s good to meet you.”
“Hello Moki. I’m Astrid Fortunati,” the woman said. “How do you like it here?”
“It’s much nicer than the Homa Darabi Maru and Broumas Station,” he said. “There’s more room, and lots of big trees.”
“Well, I’m glad you like our home,” Danan’s mother told him. “We’re nearly done loading the wagon. If you want to wait for a few minutes, I can give you a ride back to the barn.”
“What kind of animals are those?” Moki asked, pointing at the big brown creatures tied to the wagon.
“They’re horses, Moki. The brown one’s Herman and the blue roan is Dusty,” Astrid explained. “Danan, why don’t you introduce him to the horses while we finish loading the wagon?”
“They’re so big!” Moki said as they drew close to the horses. “Is it safe to get so close?”
“Sure. They’re real gentle.” Danan reached over and rummaged in the wagon, pulling out a handful of long orange carrots. “You can give Dusty a carrot. He really likes them. Here, I’ll feed Herman so you know how it’s done.”
Danan broke off a piece of carrot and held it out flat on his palm. The big brown horse reached out with its long nose and gently took the carrot from his hand. There was a crunching sound as the big animal’s massive teeth ground the carrot to pulp.
“What’s that metal thing in the horse’s mouth?” Moki asked.
“That’s a bit. It’s how you control a horse’s speed and direction.” The other horse, whose coat had a grey frosting the color of regret in Tendu skin speech, nudged Danan with his big nose. Danan smiled. “See, Dusty wants a carrot too.” He broke off a piece of carrot and handed it to Moki. “Here, you give him one.”
Danan showed Moki how to hold his hand out. Moki cautiously reached out and gave Dusty a carrot. The horse’s big nose was surprisingly soft and gentle as it nuzzled Mold’s palm. The carrot was gone in a moment. Dusty breathed out a huge, warm puff of air, and nudged him with his nose, asking for another carrot. The horse had a reassuring smell of fermenting vegetation that reminded Moki faintly of the jungles of home. He fed the big animal another piece of carrot.