Page 27

"Those are looking healthy," O'li observed, meaning the row of Whisper Vines displayed at another stall. They grew in spirals around metal frames, their leaves rustling with sounds. The vendor, recognizing O'li, raised four of their six fingers in greeting, and O'li nodded back with the easy familiarity of someone well-known in botanical circles.

The crowd thickened as we moved deeper into the market. Other Aconchians pushed past, some barely noticing me, others pausing to look at me fondly, as they did with every other pet out there. When a particularly large group approached, O'li's grip on my neck tightened slightly, steering me to the side. I let myself be guided, trusting his navigation completely.

Before we reached the handcraft section, O'li stopped at a produce stall and placed something small and flat into my palm.

I looked down. His credit token. My head snapped up.

"Really?"

"You wanted to help with the shopping."

I closed my fingers around it before he could reconsider.

"Yes. Very much."

The vendor had arranged their produce in glowing tiers: long silver roots coiled like sleeping snakes, clusters of translucent red pods, blue-green bulbs with feathery tops, and several things that appeared to be breathing.

O'li pointed to the display.

"We need two sunroot bundles, one cluster of red vesper pods, and something green for the evening meal. You may choose the last item."

"Anything green?"

"Edible green."

"You always add conditions after making things sound fun."

"Experience has taught me to."

I laughed and took the assignment seriously anyway.

The sunroots were easy. I picked two bundles that looked nearly identical, then remembered how O'li always checked the cut ends before buying anything. I turned them over. One had a dark spot. I put it back immediately. O'li said nothing, but I could feel him watching. The vesper pods were harder because every cluster looked perfect to me. I squeezed one experimentally. The vendor made an alarmed sound.

"Gentle," O'li said.

"I was being gentle."

"Be gentler."

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I said. I selected a cluster without further assaulting the merchandise. For my green choice, I found a stack of round fruits covered in soft little spikes.

"Those."

O'li examined them. "Why?"

"They look angry."

Daddy laughed and I felt proud.

The vendor watched me make the selections without reaching in to fix anything for me. That alone felt strangely adult. Most Aconchians saw a human holding produce and immediately assumed either incompetence or impending disaster.

I tucked the sunroots into the little basket O'li had handed me and balanced the vesper pods on top. The angry green fruit went in last. The vendor passed me the final bundle rather than handing it over my head to O'li. I liked that too. At the payment panel, I hesitated. Aconchian numerals still looked like someone had invented mathematics during a fever dream.

O'li did not take the token back. Instead, he leaned down slightly.

"The total is highlighted in blue. Match the token field to the same symbol group."

I found it. Probably. I looked at him.