L.E.N.A.

Chapter Two

Miu's condominium was a two-bedroom apartment, her extra bedroom long since converted into a computer and video gaming room. The living room was dominated by a couch which extended into a matching chair and end table, the path to the kitchen just beyond. On the opposite side lay a massive credenza. It took up the bulk of the wall space, and stood parallel to the couch. An entertainment center took up what remained, extending into the adjoining wall which led to the hallway.

The house was clean because Miu preferred to keep it that way, and not because of any ridiculous and unnecessary social desires to entertain guests from time to time. Her laundry was the only exception, her clothes carefully laid out on the furniture which served as imperfect hangers.

Annoyed at the slight mess, but not embarrassed, Miu gathered up clothing on her way to the hall closet, Lena trailing along behind her. Her mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to ask Lena about the secret to faster-than-light travel without giving herself away. With no answer forthcoming, she decided to focus on where Lena was going to sleep, instead.

The thought occurred to her to let Lena stay in her own bed, but even knowing Lena wasn't human and discarding the social implications, the idea seemed like a bad one. Besides, she'd never convince Lena it was ordinary, acceptable behavior.

After hanging up the clothes she'd gathered, Miu reached up to the higher shelves to pull down spare bedding and a pillow. She carried the bundle to the couch and dropped it in the middle.

"Do you have to sleep?" Miu asked, internally wincing as soon as she asked the question.

Have to sleep? What kind of a stupid question was that? If she was going to find out more about Lena and her purpose here, she needed to be more careful. She couldn't afford to give any hints she already suspected what Lena truly was. Learning more about Lena without giving herself away was going to take time and delicacy.

Fortunately, Lena didn't notice her slip. "Naturally. Everyone requires sleep."

Miu suppressed a sigh of relief. "Good. You can sleep on the couch."

"Isn't sleeping normally accomplished on a bed?"

"I thought about that, but I only have one bed. Only couples sleep in the same bed."

"A couple in this context is defined as two people, romantically involved?"

The question brought Miu up short. She realized then that she'd been assuming Lena possessed a complete familiarity with Earth culture, but that didn't appear to be the case. The alien knew the language and the words, but it was entirely possible she'd never seen examples of what they meant.

Perhaps Lena knew how to put on pants, and hadn't needed a demonstration, after all? Miu tried to remember her exact words. Did she ask Lena to put them on? Or had she simply handed them over and assumed Lena knew she wanted her to put them on?

It stood to reason that Lena couldn't be that well-informed. After all, if she'd started out with full knowledge of Earth's languages and customs, even Miu with her inquisitive mind would never have spotted her.

"That's right," Miu confirmed.

"I knew this as well. I had temporarily forgotten."

Which meant, Lena made a guess. Now she was glad she hadn't volunteered the bed. She didn't need Lena getting the wrong idea.

"You can get yourself set up here," she said. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Lena didn't reply. She picked up one of the sheets and began unfolding it, holding it at arm's length. She shook it out.