The therapy for Ami comprises close proximity with a series of Lan. Close enough to kiss. Eye contact established and held.

The elLan 'first' (the first elLan to show emotion to Ami) holds her head to Ami's torso throughout each test. Both 'first' and 'second' record Ami's vital signals by hugging her during the tests.

Ami knows about the long IDs the Lans each have. But without communication systems, she must identify them with visual clues. The irises of the eyes are unique for each one.

Ami is sent away after the sessions. There would be no evaluation or attempts to push Ami until they collected all the data.

After the first therapy, elLan "first" left the apartment of "second" by the door and walks in a causal manner back to her apartment. It was a lovely sunny day with a path to walk on.

"first" had gotten an inexpensive apartment away from the center of town. It was three miles to where she found a job.

She had been expecting to find work near the apartment (work that would have been mostly physical labor). It was the curiosity about what kind of work most other Lans were doing, which led her to apply for the job in town.

During her application, they asked her to leave the data connector behind and to spend only two hours solving six problems. In a room with glass on three sides, she quickly solved two. The other four would need access to data or might not even be solvable at all.

"first" divided the unsolved problems into equal time slots. She looked and considered the problems against everything she knew. She gave the problem descriptions a second and third pass to make sure she knew what was being asked. One after the other, she considered, reviewed, and moved to the next problem.

When the time was over, she brought everything back. They gave her back her data connector and told she was hired. The [business unit lead] had not even asked to see the answers. At the job, "first" was doing mostly simple research to see if the problems were already solved. Pleased it was a job she had gotten based (maybe) on her intellect. She had gotten little encouragement for that type of career in her life.

There was a peace, on a world with paths and sun lit days. A life in a ship or a life on a terraformed planet with artificial orbiting light arrays; just was not the same. "first" remembered fondly her first time on the Lan home world; ground, real gravity, natural air, and sunlight.

Hours after getting back to her apartment, "first" got a message from "second". Could she come right away to take part in a data collection 'basis' test?

"first" left her apartment and by sighting transported herself down the road a few jumps made fast progress. Few Lans would rely on just one transport field, but "first" was quite young (hardly 200 years old and only recently a full citizen). "first" was not at all worried about risking possibly 2000 years of life to save time.

She finished the trip to "second"'s apartment and entered by the door. She found "second" on the couch.

"second" sits concerned about Ami being unsettled during the initial meetings. Ami can pass out unexpectedly.

"second" also does not have enough data points to let her understand the 'fleeing reaction' that Ami had on the couch days earlier. Ami had been very cooperative in kissing and touching with her.

"second" has only ever had one reaction to people being afraid. They would freeze. Sometimes "second" would need to leave the room, so they could unfreeze. Ami was not the same.

"second" would like "first" to be a test subject. They would share a nerve signal that generally evokes fear. It was a signal that was from "second"'s life, but she did not recall how she got it. That signal was reliable to making other fearful.

"first" takes a resting kneel on the floor, and "second" embraces her. "second" leans into "first" with a hug from behind. The mutually shared signal starts.

"first" recognizes it. It is not her way of it. She remembers others, how they had just this effect on some. A feeling like a slather across the back, it dries in a film on the back and generates a warm light that shoots forward through the body (chest, head, eyes, hands). Beautiful, connecting.

"first" has not known of any to practice this in a very, very long time. "second" was a part, somehow, of family or practitioners of it. She immediately wants more sympathetic contact and draws "second"'s arms to tighten the hug. She wiggles backward to secure a greater hug connection.

"second" is completely unsure. No one had ever reacted that way before. After a few minutes, she sends "first" away again.

"first" leaves and gets to the path. She is happy and unsteadily joyous. Family somewhere (at some time) has met "second". She sprints that three miles back to her apartment in under eight minutes. Showing off would get her a rebuke from those that took care of her. She was, though, selected for a visa to Wroug based on physical arts. She leaps to the tall balcony rail of her apartment and then steps down. With a hidden, "forbidden" public smile, she lets herself into her apartment.