11253.107.5 - Watching Me Sleep

As I woke this day, I was surprised to see Drlprl quietly waiting for me. I am unsure how long he was standing there waiting. Was he there all night? The more I think about it, the less I really want to know how long he was watching me sleep. As I sat up, he said he had some questions about humans that he didn't quite understand and was hoping for some clarity. 

Drlprl first asked why humans eat meals together. I told him that humans use meal time to socialize and talk with one another. 

He then immediately asked why humans talk so much about things that are not immediately pertinent or actionable. I replied that humans are a very social species and it is in our nature to want to speak with others. And sometimes we socialize for the only reason of sharing company or entertainment.

He nodded and walked away. I started my day befuddled.

11253.107.4 - Still Human

Today I tried to mend the rift that seems to have come between Alleria and I. My reaction to learning she was a Lunameba symbiote caught me off-guard and I was sure she picked up on my nervousness. I found her in the lounge with Mo and I asked them if I could speak with Alleria in private.

I apologized to Alleria for my reaction to our first encounter and explained that she was the first Lunameba I had met in person and I wasn't ready for my old biases to show up. Alleria assured me that she is used to odd encounters with humans when they notice she is a Lunameba and that most humans are afraid of things they do not understand. Alleria said the main things that humans forget is that Lunamebas are still human. They are both Lunameba and human. It's symbiosis, not parasitism or a hijacking. 

I continued to listen as she told me the struggles she had internally when she found out a symbiote chose her as a host. I find it interesting she used the word "chose". Most humans view the Lunameba as a sickness or something you catch at random like the common cold. But instead to be chosen, frames the symbioses in a different perspective.

She continued to talk about how she became outcast from her family and her life-long friends because of something she had no control over. She said she was still the same girl that they all knew and grew-up with, but the tension was too great and the interactions often awkward, so she turned to space and any work it afforded her. 

Alleria is as human as any of us.

11253.107.3 - A Budding Friendship

We continue to safely burn towards Progress. The beauty of green space is the lack of danger but boredom is something that must be overcome on longer trips. Drlprl seems to enjoy being alone while Mo loves to hang out in the lounge and tell stories and jokes. Many of their jokes fall flat with me as I don't understand the alien references but Mo tells them with enough flair to make them entertaining. I usually find Alleria and Mo together during meal times or breaks in the lounge. Perhaps we have a budding friendship aboard the ship.