Lan is distracted for the rest of the day, thinking about the discussion with Marf. After class, the teacher reminds Lan about the human presentation, interrupting when Lan asks about including music and animation. In a flash, the teacher turns serious, insisting Lan’s presentation be strictly educational, and the entire way home, Lan puzzles over the exchange.

Marf comes to Lan’s house, where she makes a proposal. She wants to buy episodes of Earth television shows, but she swears Lan to secrecy because anything designed to cause emotion is illegal on Choom. Lan declines, afraid that the humans will get kicked off Choom if the shows are discovered. Marf understands and invites Lan’s family to her house for dinner and to get medicine for Lan’s dad’s wound. Lan agrees, and though the situation on Choom is still scary, Lan feels more optimistic having a “superintelligent” ally.

Marf takes Lan’s family to her house in a pod with a comfortable purple interior and technology that allows them to travel very fast without feeling negative effects. On the way, Marf explains that she sells robots she makes and that