There she stood. Middle-aged, very healthy looking. Bright. Nicely dressed. I thought I saw something of a poet in her.
She gasped. (It's the kind of response I often get, especially when I'm in a new place.) But she did not panic. She sized up her position, backed out of the Office, and disappeared. Very quickly.
"Wait," I cried, in my best Human-sounding voice.
"I won't hurt you, I just want to chat," I called. Not a great pick-up line; more of a simple truth. A simple, desperate truth.
By time I got to the door, she was gone. Could not see her anywhere.
She knew the community better than I. She new how to hide in it, as well as how to negotiate it.
Once again, I was alone. Disappointed.
