M0m-E & Me

"Mommy, what's adoption?"

M0m-E stood with a wine glass in her hand. The algae water--her favorite stimulant--bounced lightly and left a green stain where she tipped the cup to meet her filter gills. The size and shape of the glass amused her; in her palm it was like a little porcelain egg, resting on a bed of cactus spines. She pondered the image, and took a sip,

"Adoption," she cleared her throats, "is when a person, in want of a biological child but left without, decides to take another's as if it were their own. And that child is loved all the same."

Timmy326 looked up at her from where he sat on the metallic tile floor. He leaned against her lower appendage, comforted by the warmth of her exoskeleton against his skin. A bowl of "Protein of Bovine, Edible Angiosperms, and Refined Carbohydrate" balanced on his knees. It was still half full, but there was only "meat" left and M0m-E, once again, had forgotten that he was bone-intolerant. She tried her best.

"Is that how you got me?" he smiled.

Timmy326 knew that he wasn't a blood relative of M0m-e. His hair was blonde and hers was pink; his skin tanned brown under the UV light simulator while hers went up in flames; his eyes were a deep green while hers came out of her back. Diversity is a beautiful thing.

M0m-E laughed. "Close, very close, but I did not adopt you. I abducted you. We'll talk about that later. Now finish your human meal. I worked very hard to make it."