Challenge #04070-K052: Pack Bonding Pays

The Human's Companion is having... what the humans would cal... a bad day. A very bad one.
It's not always the companions that are acting as the therapists, sometimes the humans they work with are the ones that help them the most, with warm hugs, soft blankets, soothing tones, snacks, and an ear to listen. -- Anon Guest

Things had been going wrong, and there was little to blame about it. Bad timing, unpreventable accidents; a case of, as Human Nour would say, "the gremlins".

It had been a long week, and it was only Twosday[1].

Nevertheless, Companion Kaan kept a pleasant demeanour up like a mask between hirself and Human Nour. Who took one look at hir and said, "Okay. You need time in the soft room." Without any further warning, he scooped Kaan up in a gentle grasp and carried hir to the relaxation zone in question.

"But my duties," protested Kaan.

"Your duties are to keep me company and make sure I don't find trouble before it's lost," said Nour. He set Kaan down in a seat that was more of a stuffed sack, then busied himself with the nearby food printer.

Creating Kaan's favourite snacks and best soothing drinks. Which arrived to Kaan on a small table for the purpose.

"What is this?" said Kaan.

"Today," Nour flopped into a neighbouring sack. "I am making your work day into a doddle. Sit. Relax. Eat, drink, and tell me your sad story. Today... it's my job to look after you."

"You Humans are crazy..."

"Crazy like a fox," said Nour. "Listen. The gremlins have got you. Which means you need time to chill and degauss and let them get bored of playing with you. When you're calm and collected, the gremlins go away."

"This is superstition, not truth."

"If it's superstition and it works," said Nour with a smirk, "then maybe it should become science."

Kaan hated to admit it, but Nour had a point.

[1] The Galactic Standard Calendar has four hundred days, ten-day weeks, four-week months, and a surprising lack of imagination regarding names.

[Photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh on Unsplash]

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