LutherVKane

Roger often referred to Leslie as a "living contradiction." She had an outlandishly outgoing and unabashed personality that was far too large for a woman who seemed so delicate and petite in every other way. Her bright, playful smile and twinkling blue eyes only served to add to her air of impishness. Her oversized attitude had been the second thing that had drawn Roger to her; he’d always had a thing for redheads.
Roger had first met her through his old buddy Harry. Harry and his girlfriend Belinda were planning a surprise birthday party and had invited just about everyone they knew. Leslie was a friend of Belinda’s.
When Roger walked in, Leslie was showing off how well she could blow up balloons. Much to the embarrassment of several men she’d goaded into competing with her, she was easily outpacing everyone. They all watched in disbelief as she picked up one of the brightly colored balloons and blew it up with ease. She took in a deep breath, and it almost looked as

Muscle and bone, heart and lungs, what a cumbersome way to construct a life form. Namunk chided himself for such thoughts almost as quickly as they occurred to him. His training had taught him better than that. If his people had learned nothing else from a hundred generations of exploration, it was that the universe had a certain order to it, and even the most bizarre life had an elegance that often wasn't apparent at first. Even the children of Araphon had their roots in embarrassingly humble ancestors. And if Namunk and his kind could rise up from such lowly beginnings, who knew what these humans could become, given time? All of this seemingly pointless complexity had to serve some purpose. And stranded or not, Namunk was an Explorer, and it was his duty and privilege to discover. Fortunately, his probes were functioning without mishap. Although they hadn't scattered very far yet, he was sure they would eventually provide data as valuable as what he was gathering here.
Julia