It was dark outside. The sky was occasionally dotted by falling snowflakes, illuminated by the street lamps behind the park bench.

Vastist, the lone genofex, enjoyed moments like these. Although the temperature was nippy outside, bundling up in warm clothes and a puffy human-made parka with four sleeves not only kept her comfortable, but very fashionable. Genofexians in human clothing seemed to be all the rage these days. Perhaps it was out of necessity, but it still felt nice.

The tranquil setting allowed her to peruse her thoughts in peace. It had been about a year since her kind first met and been accepted by humanity, but it still felt impossible to be totally comfortable in such an unfathomably foreign world.

She could just barely hear some soft music playing behind her - jazz, if she remembered human music genres correctly. It was a late night restaurant with one or two patrons relaxing inside. Merry Leaf Cafe, the sign read. Below it was a subtitle written in Tanmor-an: "Dzinovex cessi liseneli," translating to "all genofexians welcome."

Vast wished she had the biology to eat and drink food. She'd thought about visiting the cafe, but ultimate decided she'd just feel strange going into a human establishment without being able to indulge in what they had to offer.

Nevertheless, it was a comforting gesture by the humans - a reminder of how lucky she and the remainder of her species was. They could have entered the orbit of a planet containing a horrible, militant race hell-bent on conquering everything. Instead, she was sitting safely on alien soil, in an alien civilization, welcomed as one of their own.

By all means, she was grateful. But she couldn't help but feel sad about the circumstances that led her kind into such extraordinary lives.

There weren't many genofexians left, in comparison to their former glory. 98% of her people were gone, and the fate of the last 2% were entirely in the humans' hands.

Humbling is the word that came to her mind.

It was easy to get lost in those pessimistic thoughts. However, she swiftly reminded herself that the Grand Devotion was not even a day's trip away, where her culture and society had been preserved to the best of the queen's ability.

We'll be okay, Vastist told herself. I can return to the mothership any time.

Something caught her eye. Off to the left, a human had entered the park, bundled up in similarly warm clothes. Vastist became stiff and nervous - although humans had publicly welcomed genofexians, she didn't really know how to interact with humans yet.

The human looked over to her. Beneath their jacket's hood was a dark skinned, presumably female human.

Vastist awkwardly returned eye contact. Oh no. It's happening.

"Hello!" the human said with a smile on her face. Her body language seemed friendly, but Vast couldn't get a good read due to all the layers of clothing.

Vastist waved back; she hadn't worn her Ruxvy - or, her Voice - that night, so she had no way of speaking aloud.

"D-do you speak English?" the human asked.

The genofex's spirits sank. She was somewhat fluent, but without a Ruxvy, her only option was Tanmor-an sign language. She signed "yes, a little bit," not expecting much of a response.

"Ah," the human said. She took her hands out of her pockets and pushed her sleeves up.

Vastist watched in awe as the human started signing back, roughly saying "I have been learning Tanmor-an sign language."

The genofex held her hands on her head. There was no way. She couldn't believe it. A human knew Tanmor-an signing?

In an instant, tears welled up in Vastist's eyes. A human had taken the time to learn genofexian language. She couldn't believe it!

"You understand me?" Vastist signed before wiping her eyes.

The human raised her left hand up beside her head, meaning "yes." She looked worried after seeing Vast's reaction.

Again, Vastist briefly placed a hand on her head. "I can't believe this! I have never seen a human talk like this!"

Glancing to the side, the human asked her to repeat what she'd just said. Vast realized she was probably signing very quickly out of sheer excitement, which would probably be tough for a newbie to keep up with.

"Sorry, I will slow down," Vastist said before repeating her last sentences.

The lady smiled again before replying "I didn't think it would make you so happy!"

"I'm so happy!" Vastist quickly replied, remembering slightly too late that she was supposed to sign slower. Thankfully, the human seemed to have caught on.

"May I have a seat?" The human asked, pointing to the empty side of the bench.

Vast gave the lady an enthusiastic "yes," wiggling her hand beside her head. Until she sat down, Vastist hadn't remembered just how tall she was in comparison to humans - while the woman was standing, they were about eye level, but after she sat down, Vast had to look down to meet her new acquaintance's gaze.

They both quickly introduced each other, spelling their names out - V-A-S-T-I-S-T, and A-R-I-E. Such a simple, casual interaction relaxed Vast's nerves in an instant. It wasn't genofex and human - it was two ordinary people, meeting each other like one of their own kind. No longer did Vastist feel like such an outsider.

Admittedly, the human's grasp on genofexian sign language was rough, given that it was a language born from creatures with four arms, not two. Nevertheless, Vastist was still able to understand most of what the woman was saying, and she had to work extra hard to hold back her amazement with every sentence the human signed to her.

They exchanged some small talk, occasionally interrupted by breaks in the chatter as the two enjoyed the picturesque setting. Conversation came surprisingly naturally between them; if she's was learning Tanmor-an, she must have an active interest in us, Vast thought.

"Genofexians are so cool. Do you breathe air?" Arie would ask, and Vast would answer "we breathe through our skin."

"Was it weird meeting us?" Vast would ask, and Arie would answer "no way, it's amazing!" That one made Vastist happy. She agreed with the sentiment.

"How are you settling in?" Arie asked. "I hope it's not too hard."

That one caught Vast off guard - she didn't have a quick answer to that question. "I sometimes wonder that myself. I consider myself very lucky just to be alive. But it's still scary."

"I'm sorry." Arie signed. "Karma's Gateway is a welcoming place. You will find many humans who accept you here."

Vast looked back at Merry Leaf Cafe's sign. All genofexians welcome.

"You're right. I just don't know if I'll ever get used to meeting real, live aliens, let alone live on their home world. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Your species is very pious."

Arie questioned the last word in Vast's sentence, not sure what that hand gesture meant. The genofex gave a quick explanation, and Arie nodded in agreement.

"...You have met other aliens before, yes?" the human asked, hesitant in her hand motions.

"Yes. You call them 'volons,'" Vast answered, spelling out the word V-O-L-O-N-S.

"Yes... I heard they chased you off your planet." Arie frowned.

Vast paused, forcing back a wave of anxiety, trying to think of the right words. "Volons almost exterminated us. They are a disease."

The human looked down and sighed. "We have defence against them here. You, and all genofexians, are safe in Karma's Gateway."

Vastist tilted her head, wondering how much to trust Arie's last sentence.

"Again... I'm so sorry," Arie signed.

"It's okay. Thank you," Vast responded. "We owe you our lives."

Arie flashed a solemn smile.

It was never an easy topic to breach. Vastist wasn't sure if it would ever be.

There was a lengthy pause in the conversation. Vast leaned back on the bench, looking at the sky, prompting Arie to settle in as well.

At the very least... it's peaceful now. And we still have our queen. And perhaps... if other humans are just as friendly as Arie... maybe we can thrive here too.

In the dark sky above, Vast looked at the twinkling stars, one by one, imagining the constellations between the bright little dots. After traveling through subspace to planet Hallow, she couldn't help but wonder how far away Ytti - or, Ternion, as the humans had named it - really was.

She wondered how her home planet was faring. She wondered if the remaining genofexians on Ytti were still alive against the insurmountable volon threat. Were any of those cities still standing? Was anything left of her old life?

Vastist suddenly felt something warm on one of her hands. She squinted and looked over to Arie - the lady had placed her hand on top of Vast's. Without speaking in any signs, Arie simply pointed to her eyes.

Vast shut her eyes and wiped them with one of her forearms. This time, the tears weren't exactly from elation.

"Do you want a hug?" Arie asked, visibly worried.

Vastist immediately wrapped all four of her arms around Arie, who gently returned the embrace. The human was soft. Warm. Comforting.

I'm sorry. I'm very emotional. Thank you. I'm so sorry, Vast would have said were she wearing her Ruxvy.

"It's okay," Arie spoke aloud. "I can't imagine what you're going through, but it's going to be okay. We're all here for you."

Vast didn't understand everything the human said, but she picked up "it's okay" and "we're here for you," which was all she needed.

Vast released Arie and signed, "thank you. I don't usually cry so much. These are unusual and frightening times. I know humans tend to keep to themselves, so... I'm sorry for being so emotional at you."

Arie smiled softly. "Some humans keep to themselves. But I think genofexians are fascinating. I've only met one or two before... so these are very special moments for me. If I can help you feel more comfortable on Hallow in any way, it would be my pleasure. Even if you just need a shoulder to cry on."

Vastist looked down and squinted her eyes shut. She blinked a few times before once again signing the words "thank you."

"Do you want some space? Or would you like it if I stayed?" Arie asked.

The answer was an easy one. "I've never met a human face to face before. But your company has been wonderful. It's been lonely lately."

"Then I will stay," the human signed with another friendly grin on her face.

"Thank you," Vast responded.

"You're welcome."

Although she still felt somewhat awkward crying twice at her first human acquaintance, it was a pleasant surprise seeing the human show the same level of compassion she was used to in genofexian society. It gave her a sense of belonging - something she missed dearly ever since she lost everything back on Ytti.

Without warning, anxious thoughts swiftly invaded her head - how would she keep in touch with Arie? Would she even want to be friends? Were other humans this friendly, or did she just get lucky? But she forced herself to focus on the present; there was no telling how long this comfortable moment would last, and she was determined to see it through without succumbing to needless stress.

"Do you live in Karma's Gateway?" Vastist asked.

"I do," Arie said.

"I want to explore and learn about this place. I only know a little bit about this area. Maybe you would like to come with me on a walk someday?"

"Sure!" The human's face was beaming.

"I don't have any electronics right now. I don't know how to keep in touch with you," Vast explained.

Arie thought for a few seconds. "Maybe we can meet here tomorrow night."

"Yes, I like this place," Vast commented.

Over the course of their encounter, the snow had gradually stopped falling, leaving a chilly breeze in its wake. With the temperature dropping further, Vastist told Arie she was going to go home to Grand Devotion's landing site for the night.

"Okay. I'm very glad I got to meet you!" Arie enthusiastically signed.

"You have given me a wonderful first impression of humanity. I'll be here tomorrow." Vastist stood up and brushed some of the snow off her parka. Arie followed suit,

"Goodbye!" Arie said aloud.

Vast waved back to her.