"Good Morning, Lady Biechta, I'm Ashima. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ashima said as she nodded a greeting when Biechta opened the door to her dwelling to greet the alien.

"Thank you, it is a pleasure to meet you as well." Biechta nodded in return.

"I hope you don't mind that we asked you to join us so early."

"That is quite alright, I am used to rising early. Please, come in."

"Oh, good." Ashima breathed in relief. "I had to work myself up to that, honestly. I was never a morning person so it took years of self-discipline."

"Oh." Was all Biechta said in response as they sat across from each other in the armchairs within Biechta's living room.

"I hope you don't mind, I asked Kietnan if I could come meet you alone at first." "Oh?" Biechta asked in confusion. She had been wondering if the male was no longer joining them and was a bit worried for their safety. She had never spent any time in the woods and was nervous enough as it was.

"I hope you don't mind, but I was told you hadn't spent much time outside and I wanted to see if you needed anything before we departed." Ashima glanced down at Biechta's dress and shoes. "I had a very dear friend during college that had grown up in the city and never spent any time outdoors. She agreed to go on a hike in the woods with me one day and I hadn't thought to speak with her about what to wear."

Biechta glanced down at her attire and then looked back up to Ashima in confusion.

"My friend, Tammy, she wore these ridiculous stiletto heels and short skirts practically all of the time. I honestly wondered if she didn't sleep in them too." Ashima chuckled but then cleared her throat at Biechta's confused expression. "Stilettos are very tall, skinny heels that many women on my home planet wear. They are made to look pretty but are entirely impractical for most functions. Anyway, I assumed she knew that her typical attire was fine for the city but wouldn't be appropriate on a hike. We met at the trail and she had on her typical skirt but had exchanged her stilettos for a pair of boots."

Ashima began to laugh and Biechta just stared at her, not sure what to make of the strange female.

"The boots that she insisted were perfectly acceptable for a hike had 3" wedge heels. Definitely better than stilettos, but still..." When Biechta still held her face of confusion, Ashima sighed. "Anyway, she had insisted on doing the hike despite my concern over her well being. So we did it and as soon as we finished and made it back to our cars she finally admitted that her feet were in terrible pain. We took a break and she removed her shoes. I was horrified to learn she wasn't even wearing socks with her shoes so I wasn't at all surprised to learn that she had developed blisters and they were starting to bleed. I had to drive her to the nearest urgent care to get treatment."

At the look of pure terror on Biechta's face, Ashima continued. "I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to scare you. I don't know why I told you all of that." Ashima rubbed her forehead before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is, I sincerely dislike trying to tell anyone else what they should and shouldn't wear so this makes me nervous but I wanted to make sure you are wearing the appropriate shoes and clothing before we depart. As long as you're dressed adequately, I promise this will be an enjoyable experience."

"Oh! Um..." Biechta looked back down at her feet again. "I imagine what I'm wearing isn't exactly ideal?"

Ashima shook her head slightly. "But it's an easy fix. I can come look at what else you have, if that would be alright?"

"I'm afraid I don't have anything that would be considered appropriate."

"Ah, I see."

"I apologize, I should not have agreed to this, I regret to have wasted your time."

"No! Don't say that. Can I propose something?"

Biechta nodded.

"I will go find you some footwear and we will go on this hike."

Biechta opened her mouth but Ashima continued before she could protest. "We do this one hike, which I promise is very simple and will not take long. And then you can give me your honest opinion as to whether or not it's something that you enjoyed and would like to consider doing again. But you have to promise me, if it's not something you enjoy, you have to tell me. We can always find other activities to do."

"I don't wish to be a burden. I'm sure you and Lord Kietnan would rather not have to worry about me."

"Nonsense. Kietnan is extremely patient and a natural caretaker. Afterall, he took care of me when we couldn't even speak the same language. But if you would be more comfortable with it only being the two of us, I'm sure he can find something else to do this morning."

"Aren't you afraid to go into the wilderness on your own?"

"Without a male?" Ashima smiled. "I've been an explorer since I could walk. Male or no male, companion or no, nothing will keep me cooped up."

"Ah." Biechta said and looked down as if in deep thought.

Ashima stood. "I will go get you some footwear and Kietnan and I will return to fetch you in just a few minutes. I will take good care of you, I promise."

Biechta watched as the small alien smiled and exited her dwelling, leaving no room for argument. What had she gotten herself into?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later Biechta sat on a blanket beside Ashima and Kietnan. She had seen the youngest brother but hadn't had any direct interaction with him before this morning. Ashima had proven herself correct. The male hadn't said much but he had remained within arms reach of her the entire walk to this spot.

When they had left the grand hall and entered the woods, the sky was still dark and Biechta had been terrified at every sound. Even though Qarthans could see fairly well in the dark, it was still something she had never experienced before. She had grasped onto his arm when a shrill sound erupted from high up in the trees and instead of scolding her, he had simply rested his palm on top of her hand and gently explained that the sound was a bird calling out to wake up her younglings. They stood still and listened as the younglings' cries could be heard.

Biechta wondered if Ashima had warned him about her and asked him to treat her so kindly, but she wasn't going to openly question it. She was too afraid to reject their help. After several similar instances, she slowly began to relax and become more comfortable.

"You're probably wondering why we're sitting here." Ashima said quietly from beside her.

Biechta had in fact wondered that exact thing but she wouldn't dare question the couple.

"When we learned this was your first visit to the homeland, we knew we had to show you this exact view. Nothing less would do. It's one of my favorite's actually. And you simply have to see it at first light. It's magnificent."

"I do apologize for Ashima's eagerness, I hope the walk here wasn't too scary for you." Kietnan added.

"You both have been very helpful, thank you." Biechta said quietly. She would never admit how truly terrified she had been and how she had wanted to turn around and head back with every step they'd taken.

"Just remember you promised me when we returned that you will be honest about the experience. If you never wish to go walking through the woods again, you do not have to. It will not offend us in any way. You see, everyone must find what activities are enjoyful for them. And it won't be the same for everyone. Kietnan and I enjoy exploring the wilderness, Othen enjoys his music, and... you know, I'm not sure what exactly the other two enjoy."

"Kahal enjoys puzzles. Problem solving." Kietnan offered. "And Joreth doesn't enjoy anything."

"Ki!" Ashima elbowed the male beside her. "I'm sure that's not true. Afterall, how would he land a female like Halan otherwise?"

Kietnan chuckled. "That has always been a mystery. I'm not sure even Joreth understands what Halan sees in him sometimes."

Biechta watched the two continue to banter and talk about his family, chuckling and smiling all the while. It was a truly strange interaction, one she had never really witnessed before. A knot formed in her chest and she rubbed it to soothe the sensation.

"He's a bit rough around the edges, but once you get to know him, or once he allows himself to get to know you, he can be quite the lovely individual." Ashima countered. "Besides, he needs someone like Halan to balance him out and she needs someone stable and reserved like your brother to balance her out. They're the perfect pairing."

"If you say so." Kietnan chuckled again.

Biechta was only vaguely aware of them speaking as her entire consciousness was now tuned into the scene before her. The sun had just begun to crest over the mountain to their left, causing streaks of orange, red, and yellow to cover the sky. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen anything more beautiful.

"Bi." Ashima whispered to her, catching her attention as she pointed to their right. Biechta's mouth opened in a gasp as the Grand Hall came into view. She had no idea they had gotten so far away from it. Fear gripped her and she tensed. But after a moment the fear was erased by awe as the sun's rays shone light across the exterior of the Grand Hall. The deep green stone practically glittered in the light. The three of them sat in silence as the streaks of light grew and made their way further down the mountains. When the entire side of the Grand Hall was covered in light Biechta turned and noticed Ashima had both arms circled around Kietnan's arm and her head leaning against his shoulder. She watched as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her strange, fur covered head.

The knot in Biechta's chest grew tighter and she stood. "I'd like to return now." When Ashima and Kietnan turned she gently added "I..If that is alright." As she looked down at her feet.

"Of course." Ashima said gently as Kietnan picked up the blanket and stuffed it under his arm.