It had begun with glances .

Walking thru the Library stacks , putting books back or taking them , respectively . There weren't many devils at the school Fuche worked at . Kri , she thought they were called . Most of those who did wore masks , covering up distinctive mouth parts . It was a small planet , and people still stared at what they didn't see much of .

Fuche was a human woman , from the post-MaSeRa Era where humans came in binary gender and the Females were expected to carry the roles of Nobles and Babushkas , and was a Librarian at a University Library the size of a small village . They had recently managed to upgrade their 3D Printer studio , and were set to begin expanding the cafe on the main floor into a food court . Her hair was black and wavy , with skin the colour of rich amber . It was a quiet life , without very much excitement , and the constant--reassuring warmth of books still printed on wood .

Hn was a Kri Noble , an exchange student on the first Colony Ark to arrive from a modest planet in a nearby system . Parma was a temperate planet , with a few small , highly technological cities that dotted its mostly-wild landscape , and xer people had migrated there via another planet in the same system . Until just recently , xe had been living on an Ark Ship the size of a space station , and people had only just recently begun to exfil from orbit to planetfall . The reentry had felt like being thrown thru plate glass .

"Excuse me ," Hn asked the local Librarian , xer accent clicking and chiping , "where the 3D Printers are do you know ? ."

Fuche tried not to stare . There weren't many Kri at their school , and nearly all of them wore face masks . Before they were allowed to touch landfall , the Councils had had to agree on whether or not their natural mandibles counted as weapons . For the purposes of safe schools , at airports , for determining who would or would not be allowed to enter courtrooms . When they had arrived , or , left? , the topic of Retrocausation was only spoken about in occult circles , yet the ro- , the , pra- , the Kri -- she was careful not to think in slurs -- treated it like a game , laughed about talking to their cerci antennae on their hindquarters , not to stare at their faces . Yet she was curious .

She knew that the parts of mantid-type mouths were the Labrum, the Mandibles, the Maxillae, the Labium, the Hypopharynx . The Labrum and Labium were broad, hard fusions of chitin , their taste buds on the insides of their lips . The mandibles were the part that had everyone so up in arms about , and more than once she'd had to tear down posters of hate graffiti in her role at work . Behind the snipping and crushing Mandibles were the Maxillae , the part she could never see , the part that was always concealed . And they had tongues , small, cylindrical ones , with salivatory glands at their base . So , did they secrete lubricant , like humans do ? . Goodness gosh , to think such thoughts .

"Um , yeah . Yes . I mean . Yes , they're right over here ."

Fuche showed Hn to the 3D Printer studio , where anything smaller than a fist -- or , Tersus? or , Pulvillus? -- could be printed for free , and they had larger machine lathes where you either had to provide the metal yourself or pay a modest fee .

"Did you have anything in mind that you wanted to print ?" , she asked , dutifully .

"Kind of just curious i am ," Hn admitted , click chirp . "On our station these dd different we have ."

The first thing Fuche thought of was to see if xe'd be able to use the console , glanced at xer hands . It looked like , xe had three fingers , and a thumb on each side . Moreover , she was concerned if their software would be able to track xer hands . Hn saw her look , waited , tilted xer head . She looked up , at the ceiling , something moving , the mantid's antennae . Whipping up and down , tasting the air .

"Well , here , let's get you started . Do you have a library card ? ."

"Right here , yes ."

Fuche took the card and scanned it , looked at the back , made sure all the details lined up . Most of the humans had had RFID chips installed in the backs of their hands , but it was difficult to find a doctor who could work around the hard chitin . Secretly , she kind of enjoyed doing things the old-fashioned way . I mean , why keep books if we're just going to...

Hn's thorax made a chirping sound as xe breathed , something that sounded not-human , that came from xer midsection instead of xer throat .

"Does the sound bother you ?" , Hn asked , intuiting her distress .

"No , of course not ," she said , lying .

"I apologize if i sound congested . Some of the atmospheric aerosols are rather thick ."

"It's fine , i wasn't ," she backpedaled .

There was a silence that hadn't been there before .

"Here , the printers are over here ."

They approached the terminal , which alighted in response to their presence , a recent feature that Fuche was somewhat proud of . There were things in this world that you could get by planning , and there were options one could only find by actually spending time with the interface . The Library wasn't always busy , and there were lots of times when she had the ability to sit and go thru every menu and option , personalizing it exactly to her liking .

The software made a cute jingle as it turned on , the holographic light-box activating from the bottom up , sloshing from side to side in an imitation of water pouring into an aquarium . There was an options menu on the left side of the field , a colour picker below that , a list of shapes and curves along the right , and a layers menu that allowed the user to see the various components thru the item's outer shell .

"We'll need to start with a synchronization test ," Fuche began . "See the two(2)deux hands here , on the display ? . Just place your hands inside the light box so that they overlap ." .

Hn did as xe was told , reaching in and overlaying xer hands .

"And then follow the motions in the prompts . First , with your left hand , touch any colour here on the colour picker ." .

There were helpful animations that pantomimed the actions necessary . How different from their own technology , which had skill tests built in instead of tutorials .

"And then with your right hand , reach over to the shapes menu and pick up any of the templates , as if you were picking up the object ." .

Hn did as xe was told , reached over , and picked up a cylinder . As xe carried it back to the centre of the field , however , it started rotating on its own , glitching from palms-up to palms-down .

Fuche frowned . "I was worried about that . Your hands are different from ours ." .

"wait ," Hn requested , "maybe if i my outer thumb hold t straight k dd with my inner pick it up ." Xe attempted to do so and was delighted to see it work . Fuche tried to keep up with xer thick accent , not yet used to the grammar of their language .

Fuche smiled . "Oh , great . Okay , well . Did you have an idea in mind of what you wanted to create ? ." .

Hn tilted xer head to one side . "i hadn't . just walking by i was and the studio i saw and to see what it was like came in . can interface t this k textures import ? . if something on your Internet i look up , can i into the machine put it ? ." .

"Mm ," Fuche nodded , "the Internet is designed for flat screen , which is the screen to your left . Look something up ," she began .

Hn was tapping on menus like xe already knew how to use them . They must have similar interfaces on their space station . "wait , idea i have ." . Xe looked up the city map , and the surrounding countryside , with elevation lines . "now what ?" .

"Now press and hold the image , and as the menu populates , click Send To Printer ." .

Hn made an expression that Fuche thought was probably akin to squinting one's eyes . Xe read and reread the menu , looking at all the options .

"This one , here ," she helpfully interceded , pointing to the correct option .

Xe clicked the Send To Printer button , and saw the map port to the centre of the light-box . "oh!" , xe remarked with delight , as the software automatically intuited the elevation map and turned the 2D image into a 3D sculpture . "convenient ga ." .

Fuche smiled internally , pleased with her cleverness .

"and then , should be able to i am..." Hn reached for the shapes menu , picked up a cylinder again with both thumbs , fumbled it , made an irritated chirping sound , and tried again . Xe had almost gotten the object to the centre of the field when it glitched again and dropped the object .

"Do you want me to--"

"can you do it ?" , they both asked simultaneously .

They laughed , bashfully , Hn putting une(1) hand behind xer head in a universal expression of embarrassment . Fuche smiled . This Kri wasn't a devil at all .

They changed places . "Now , what were you trying to do ?" , Fuche began .

"cylinder t this dd here k take." There was a brief pause as Fuche translated , and then Hn watched as she did so . "and then , it compress you can , right ? . into a coin shape ." .

Fuche followed the directions , enjoying herself , and pleased to get to participate in her own job description of helper and finder .

"bigger . wider... yes , right there . and then , to surface of coin can you elevation grid map ?" .

Immaculately pedicured hands manipulated the interface with an expert's grace .

"perfect ! . and , then , to flatten it you should be able , right ? . so that a medallion makes ."

Fuche held the coin in place with one hand , and pinched the elevation map , coarsely at first , and then finely , slowly .

"there . have text it does ?" .

It was easy to follow the transfer student's instructions , and pleasurable to do so . She clicked the option for text and an input window came up , featuring an audio spectrum analyzer . "When i click the button , you say what you want to appear on the screen ." . She made a small flourish with her hand and pressed the button conspicuously .

"oh! , um , how about , Memories Of Talon V ." .

Hn made a noise that sounded like scowling as the software interpreted xer words literally , including the Ohs and Ums . Fuche's shoulders shrugged in a sort of half-laugh , a polite laugh honed by centuries of working with beginners and dealing with surprises . Holding the text like it were a greeting card , she pressed and held and drew her finger across a few accidental words , then clicked on a trashcan icon , leaving the title in slightly-raised 3D text .

"Is this the font you want ?" , she asked , opening a menu . The names of the fonts were all displayed in the font itself , so the user could easily see what each of them would look like .

"oh . well , wait..."

"And i can scroll down , too ."

"slowly ,"

Fuche pointed at the slider on the side of the menu and slowly moved down the list .

"yes , there ."

"Here ?" , she asked .

"wait , just above it . there . yes ."

Fuche selected a mildly-cursive typewriter font with serifs . The words changed shape to match .

"and then , mountains over here on top ," xe instructed , pointing .

Fuche pinched the corner of the text to pick it up , rotated it so that it matched the angle of the coin , and placed it on top . Pinching the screen with both fingers and opening her hands , the coin zoomed in so they could make out every detail . Fuche got distracted for a moment , looked up , saw Hn's antennae flicking and flicking the air around her . Did xe just taste her ? . Was that how antennae worked ? .

If it did , Hn made no indication of such . Xer glossy black eyes were as mysterious to Fuche as a pair of mirrored sunglasses .

"and then , flat enough a medallion for ." .

Shaking it off , Fuche pinched the mountains flat , and then the text , overlaying all of them with precision , positioning the text in the most-harmonious alignment with the mountains around it .

The Kri made a chirping noise that sounded like cheering , clapping xer hands excitedly . "great !" .

"Anything else ?" , Fuche asked approvingly .

"how you say , rippling the outer edge of the coin along ? can you add ?" .

"We can ," Fuche agreed , smiling . She reached over to the shapes menu , clicked a tab , and opened a whole menu of textures . Clicking on ridging , she reverse-pinched the coin to zoom it in with her left hand while she pinched the ridging card with her right to pick it up and apply it to the rim . It auto-populated , and she pinched the top and bottom of the ridges to flatten them into something that looked more like a coin than a cog , opening another menu with her right and raising the slider so that lots of ridges appeared instead of only a few .

Hn chirped again , a noise that Fuche was beginning to delight in .

"How's that--"

"perfect !" , they spoke in unison .

"Do you want it in plastic or metal ?" , Fuche asked . "The plastic is free , the metal has a small cost ." .

"metal ," Hn agreed firmly . Xe opened xer leather satchel and produced xer library card . Handing it over trustingly , and intuiting Fuche's next question , xe added , "there should on there plenty be ." .

Fuche took the card and swiped the scanner at the base of the terminal . It beeped and populated a menu with a grey checkmark and the word OK . With her left hand she opened the file menu option at the top-left corner and pressed a button with a picture of a printer next to it . The metal lathe on the other side of the room hummed to life , whirring with its warm-up exercises .

"You have these kinds of printers as well , is that right ? . How are they different ?" , Fuche asked . "If i may ask ."

"this light-box interface i like . yours , you together the parts in the hologram put , and then it a machine prints . ours , phase matter t small batch of k charges up , with our hands shape , elekroenchephalogram the finer details shape ," Hn revealed . Fuche mused silently at how xe tripped over the word electroencephalogram . "fun it has been . This time enjoyed i have ."

Fuche felt sad , for a moment . Distracting her .

"can it print we watch ?" , Hn asked .

"Of course we can ," Fuche agreed .

Making a hmm-ing noise that sounded like scowling , Hn looked at the clock on the wall . "almost closing time fa . should we stay ?" .

"Of course we should ."

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The next time Fuche saw Hn was in the cafeteria . She was sitting with the teachers at the staff table in the corner , eating a tuna salad sandwich with curried quinoa . Megacities were expensive places to live , and although Fuche's salary wasn't meagre , she could rarely afford more than a coffee in the morning and a soda at lunch . A few tables over , Hn was sitting with a clutch of other Kri , laughing and joking . Her , or , xer , she thought it was , friend group was one of the few Kri who dined in the open , most of them preferring private cubicles including but not limited to washroom stalls .

In between modest bites of tuna and green onion on whole wheat with mayonnaise , Fuche watched Hn eat a bowl of udon noodles with a pair of sticks , holding them in one hand somehow , mostly listening , and sometimes laughing , the quiet one of the group . Every time Hn would pick up another sheaf of noodles , xe would lift up xer face mask with xer other hand , and for a moment , she'd get a chance to study her mandibles , xer maxillae . And then , careful not to stare , she'd survey the room again , which she really should be doing anyway , studying the construction crew working on the food court around them , most of the students too mature to act out . And then she'd -- wait , no , not yet , she shouldn't be so obvious -- but it really was hard to not want to look .

Budget cuts were on her mind , as international tensions were raising prices on basic materials , now , after they'd begun renovating . She'd managed to argue for the in-house production of some of the components and materials in the Digital Innovation Hub , and another teacher had come to her defense by suggesting they could make some class projects utilizing the 3D Printing technology . This would give the students a finer sense of community engagement ,

She knew she shouldn't stare . But when the mask came up , for that moment , she wanted to look . She'd look to either side , watching from the peripheries of her vision . Hn would feed the noodles into xer mouth , and then xer maxillae would pick them up , like playing cat's cradle . What would it be like to have jaws that could bite thru a copper pipe , and fingers inside your mouth ? .

while creating an environment that is visually , and , this was brought up at the last all-staff meeting , sonically as well , appealing , and creatively stimulating .

She watched a student tag graffiti on the side of a table in felt-tip marker . She scowled .

The tuna salad was okay . Maybe she'd add some hot sauce tomorrow . Or , something . Patiently eating une(1) tidy bite at a time , washing it down with soda . Some apple slices in lime juice and a scarce dusting of sugar for dessert . She'd eat trois(3) bites of sandwich , a sip of soda , and an apple slice . Trois(3) bites of sandwich , a sip of soda , and an apple slice . Day after day , she repeated this pattern , watching the students , watching the construction , watching Hn . How xe grapples with noodles, fruit, snacks, drinks, the way xer labium and labrum force her to hold xer head back and pour the bottle into her , or , xer , open mouth . How xe bites off chunks of things with xer mandibles and then reaches for them with xer maxillae . Catching each glimpse , each candid moment , each time xer mask was up .

Months went by . Seasons changed . There was always so much work to do , and never enough time , and yet looking back it had always already been so many weeks since this happened , so many months since that went by . Hn had been by the Digital Innovation Hub a few times , and had surprised Fuche with xer creativity and willingness to test the limits of the hardware , designing plastic and metal parts designed to lock together , inlays for computer components , and several trinkets which made xer housework easier . Each time , Fuche would lead with her hands , and Hn would dictate what she wanted done . Each time , they'd retrieve the items , laughing and joking , and then Hn would put them together .

There came a day when Fuche saw Hn outside of the University . Xe was at the Public Library , in the Cafe downstairs . On the nearby monitor was a news broadcast about protests happening elsewhere in the world over Kri/Human tensions . Coffee didn't seem to notice the difference . There wasn't any sound , but the closed captions were on . Xe looked worried , in a way that Fuche never saw at the school , an expression which added a depth to xer character that she hadn't noticed before . Xer antennae , usually gesticulating wildly in patterns that looked like sign language , were eerily still , xer trois(3) doigts drumming on the table pensively . Taptaptap . Taptaptap . Taptaptap . Sip .

On the table in front of xer was an open laptop , her homework , or , xer, or , and , an open binder , pencil , h- xer , phone , come on , it's not that hard , and a coffee and pastry always a credit too expensive . In the coffee cup was a stainless steel collapsible straw xe had printed at The Hub . They had gone over the design template over and over again , getting the sheer and tensile strengths of steel , porting it to a simulator and running a few thousand brief iterations . Today , tho , xe looked busy . Fuche left xer to xer solitude that day , understanding the body language of care and attention .

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The next time Hn came in to the Digital Innovation Hub , xe was quieter , but seemed okay . Maybe xe had seen her that day , maybe not . A single glace was the only expression they shared on the topic . Fuche had been studying Kri-Human relations , Kri anatomy , about their sensitive cerci antennae on the hindparts above their hips . Noticed how , at times , it did seem like xer hips were the ones leading . The thought was strange and alien to her , but , we were talking about , well , literal aliens . Was it anything different from Salsa Dancing class at the Core Pilates Studio ? .

"the laser cutter today can we use ? ."

"Yes of course ," Fuche replied automatically , so privileged to work in a place that lets her say yes to so many people .

Hn clapped xer hands excitedly . "yay . is better at photonics your species is ." .

They walked around the main table where several desktop terminals were set up to several medium-grade 3D printers the library had collected over the years . The arts students liked to keep the older stuff because they liked the kinds of compression artifacts and design constraints the vintage equipment provided . The lightbox was also in the middle of the room , in its own isle , and the laser tools were in the far corner .

"Cutting or engraving ?" , Fuche asked .

"both . can we do ? . i my own materials brought ."

It was always nice to see students with such an aptitude and passion for academic achievement . "Which one shall we do first ?" .

Hn plunged a hand into a leather satchel and rummaged around , xer usually-flitting antennae standing mostly still as xe focused on xer hands . Showing curious and un-self-conscious facial expressions that seemed exaggerated in a way that came across as playful and silly , xe perked up , pulled out xer hand , identified a scrap of leather , and handed it to her . "ah , the cutting , please ." .

Fuche took the scrap of leather and turned , opened the hatch , and placed the item inside the cutter . "Do you have a template ?" .

"mmhm ," Hn agreed , producing a data chip in a plastic case . Xe opened the case with deft fingers , trois(3)-fingered hands with quatre(4) knuckles each , long fingers that made Fuche think a thought that made her blush , and handed over the chip .

Fuche plugged the data stick in , hoping that Hn didn't notice , and opened the image file . It was an image of a Kri from behind , showing off her-- or , their , or-- cerci , with the words TALK TO THE HORNS written on two(2)deux lines in the bottom-left corner . She laught , a sharp pip of a laugh that conveyed surprise . Hn was such a well-behaved student .

It was hard enough to tell when Kri were smiling without masks on , but Fuche was learning how to read all of Hn's tics and tells . Kri had such expressive body language , communicating with mouth , with antennae , with hands , with hips . And , pheromones , too , she had read . Xe smelled -- sniff , sniff -- fine . Well , kind of nice , actually . Hn tilted xer head and narrowed xer glossy, black eyes , a multicultural charm that denoted amusement . And once in awhile she would look up , at Hn's antennae doing their dances , tasting the air . Were they both smelling each other ? . Fuche blushed , again , and focused on the task at hand .

Hn was watching patiently as Fuche set everything up , so used were they at this point to her being the hands and xer being the driver . She hit the calibrate button and a thin red line scanned the leather from top to bottom , causing Hn to jump slightly with surprise , and then a red rectangle calibrated the size . Once centred , she hit the Print button , and they both stood back and watched . Hn's eyes seemed brighter than she'd seen them before , like there were a lot more that Hn was seeing than Fuche .

"so bright!" , Hn enthused , watching the empty space between the lens and the leather .

Fuche spent lots of time studying Kri anatomy , knew that they saw in different colour spectra from one another . "Can you see that ?" , she asked .

"quite bright is , yes ." , click chirp clack , "in deep infrared We see . on fire all the time everyone is ." , click chirp clack , "movies t your k i've seen , only the flesh you see , the spirit not ."

"Ah ," Fuche mused .

They watched the laser burn the design into the leather .

"What does blue look like ?" , Hn asked .

"It- um , well , it's cool , it feels cool , and pleasant . The sky is blue , the wide open sky ."

Hn chirped , something that sounded like giggling . "ultraviolet the sky is ."

When it was done , bright lights lit up the outline of the patch , singeing away the edges .

The light flicked off with a satisfying ding . They both reached for the hatch at the same time .

"Do you wanna--" .

"can i...?" .

They both blushed . Hn reached forward , opened the door , and retrieved the patch . The noise xe made was distinctly alien , a high-pitched chirping sound with xer thorax , oddly bass-y from the resonance of xer body cavity and exoskeleton .

"Shall we use the--" .

"now the engraver...?" .

They both laughed , and blushed again . Hn rubbed the back of xer head in a universal gesture of mild embarrassment .

The laser engraver was right next to the laser cutter , tho the two(2)deux devices looked different from one another . The cutter , which could do card stock and leather , was an older model , from newer days when people were more careful about safety features , while the engraver was newer , made by people who had grown up on the technology . Hn fished the next object out of xer satchel , a panel of metal that looked like it fell off a radiator somewhere . At first Fuche wanted to ask where it came from , in case it was school property , but she decided that Hn wasn't the kind of person to strip essential library and/or school components .

"And then , place it inside the printer ," Fuche directed , first letting Hn place it and then making sure the edges lined up just-so . The panel placed , and locked in place , the two(2)deux turned their attention to a computer screen . The screen was rudimentary , but it didn't need a whole holographic interface for a small app that selected fonts, input text , and lined up the laser sighter . "What would you like it to say ?" .

Hn studied the interface , xer antennae flicking the edges of it . Fuche wondered what it tasted like . "text only is ka ," click chirp clack , "or pictures too can it do ?" .

Fuche paused for a moment . Ah... that was a good question . She clicked on the menus at the top , looked thru the options , Hn watching intently . File , Edit , View , Options... Input options... Pictoral! . She clicked on the option and the input interface switched to a paint palette .

"okay , yes ," Hn followed along with every movement . "and then , okay , here point i will . vertical line t left side dd top to bottom k ." , and then , pointing , "from the left top , dramatic swoosh , like an N in cursive fa ." .

Fuche had been studying their language , how the vowels and accents worked . But Hn seemed to read her mind .

"no vowel ne ." click chirp clack , "vertical line t right side dd top to bottom k ."

Fuche seemed to do the glyph justice .

"yes , perfect . print ."

Smiling inwardly to herself , and enjoying her job , Fuche fussed with the various lenses and adjustors , making sure the image would take up the whole of the metal panel . To her , all she could see was a red rectangle around the edge of the metal . A lens snapped , recording the colour of the metal , calculating how bright the beam would need to be to carve into it . To Hn , it would look like a steep, rectangular prism .

Fuche looked at Hn . Hn nodded . Fuche hit print .

A bright, white light lit up the surface of the metal , which immediately began smoking . Inching quickly across the plate , the white light vapourized the metal . In a few moments , the lights went out , leaving behind a metal widget with Hn's name written on it in LoHaFaRexi .

"perfect!" , xe chirped . Xe reached excitedly for the plate , paused , looked to Fuche for the Oll-Klear , and then carefully wrested it out of its vice . Xe turned to Fuche . "thank you sa ! right now to sew it on i go !" .

Fuche almost hesitated , for a moment , but something caused her to reach out and touch the student's elbow . "Wait !" .

"Hn?" , the Kri made a noise similar to xer own name , tilting xer head in genuine surprise and curiosity .

"You could sew it here ," she offered . And then , "It is the rendering suite , anyway ." .

Kri couldn't smile in the same way humans could , and their black, glossy eyes often seemed devoid of emotion . Yet somehow , just by the way xe tilted xer head , Fuche could feel that Hn was beaming .

[To be continued...]

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