44

It feels somewhat strange, but nice, for Tamru to be confiding in you once again. You didn't realize just how much you had missed it. You just smile pleasantly, trying not to let your own hang-ups dominate the conversation.

"Well, it's something that's been bothering me for a while," Tamru says haltingly. "For this mission to the human world, at first everyone thought Tephra was perfect. Then they whispered about how maybe you would have been better. Nobody ever even considered me." His voice cracks. "Me. The human. That was my only chance to see the surface, and I was never even considered."

Your heart sinks. It's true. If that's not a situation that would have allowed him to return, then there will never be such a situation. He's trapped here forever.