I had this little thought that Grace made himself a bracelet while on The Hail Mary and Rocky asked him what it was. Cue this silly post.
“What is that, question?”
Grace stopped typing on his laptop and looked over at Rocky. “What’s what?”
“Grace put something on his wrist.” Rocky pointed at his bracelet. It was a bracelet he’d made from string that he found in Ilyunkhina’s bag. He assumed bracelet-making or weaving may have been a hobby of hers.
“Oh, this? It’s a friendship bracelet.”
“Earth jewelry, question?”
“Sort of, it’s something you wear around your wrist,” Grace shook his wrist to annunciate his point. “You can make it for yourself or your friends.”
“A bracelet that is made of friendship?”
“No,” Grace chuckled. “It’s usually made out of string.”
Rocky tilted his carapace to the side in curiosity. “Why, question?”
Grace shrugged. “It’s fun.”
Rocky was quiet for a moment. Then, he rolled closer until he was right next to Grace. “How do I obtain bracelet of friendship, question?”
Grace looked at him. “You want one?”
“I want bracelet of friendship.” He clacked two of his hands against each other. “How do I obtain bracelet of friendship, question?”
Grace chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s friendship bracelet, and I can make you one.”
“Out of...need Eridian word…”
“String,” Grace said. “We use it a lot on Earth. But for you, I’ll probably have to make it out of something else.
"I make Eridian word for ♪♩.” Rocky nodded to himself. Then, he looked sheepish. “Humans exchange friendship bracelets?”
"And it means they are friends?"
"Yeah! You make them for people you care about."
Rocky tapped his hand on the xenonite. “Okay. Stay here.”
He rolled away quickly, leaving Grace to stare at where he exited. He shook his head, turning back to his laptop to type. About twenty minutes later, Rocky rounded the corner to the lab, pushing a geometrical sphere container in front of him.
Grace looked at the Eridian and set aside his laptop. "What's this?" He grabbed the container. It was heavy, about the size of a basketball, and made from solid xenonite.
"A collection of traditional Eridian jewelry parts. Crew and I brought it with just in case."
Grace twisted the top--lefty tighty righty loosy, he reminded himself--and opened the container. Knowing Grace's aversion to ammonia, like Rocky's own aversion to oxygen, the Eridian was nice enough to cleanse the ammonia from the container in advance. Inside was a bundle of loose parts. Crystals, chain links, even clear xenonite materials similar to the chemical bond models Rocky gave Grace when they first met.
The crystals were what caught Grace's attention the most. He's seen Rocky's traditional clothing, but he didn't know the crystals came in so many different colors. Blues, pinks, yellows, greens, oranges, and even black. He picked up a yellow-and-orange swirled crystal. "Wow, Rocky, these are beautiful."
"Thank," Rocky was bobbing up and down in excitement. "Crew each had celebration clothing. I am sad they never got to wear them. But crew would love that Grace use them!"
Grace lowered the crystal. "Oh, Rocky, I couldn't. These were your crewmates'!"
"I insist," Rocky chittered earnestly. He pointed at the container. "Only spare parts. Grace teach Rocky how to make friendship bracelet now, question?"
Grace smiled softly. Only Rocky could rival his excitement and divine mission to learn everything he could about his alien roommate. He supposed that was one of the reasons why Rocky was his best friend.
It took a few tries, but Rocky was a very fast learner. Grace used the chain links and crystals to make a small bracelet for one of Rocky's legs that wouldn't interfere with his ability to move around. He decided to use a small yellow and green crystal connected by the links. Yellow was Grace's favorite color, and he thought green suited Rocky well. Even though it made no difference to the Eridian--he was blind, after all--Grace would know. He smiled to himself, feeling like he was back in class making bracelets with some of his students during recess.
He explained his thought process to Rocky, and he fully assumed the Eridian wouldn't care less and go about his day. After all, Eridians have no concept of color. Instead, he was surprised when Rocky set down his unfinished bracelet, which was only a few chain links at the moment. "Grace pick out more crystals that are same light waves, question?"
"So I can make matching bracelet for Grace."
When they had finished, they exchanged the bracelets through the small airlock tunnel in Rocky's dome. Rocky squealed in delight as he held the bracelet Grace made for him. Grace chuckled, admiring his own gift. The bracelets were almost identical, only Rocky added something to Grace's. There was a tiny charm between the two crystals. Grace adjusted his glasses so they were properly on his face and squinted at it. It was made from solid xenonite, and shaped like a miniature version of Rocky's human model. Only this time, the tiny human was holding the hand of a tiny Eridian.
Grace gaped at the charm. "When did you make this?"
"I make over time." Rocky answered simply. He tapped his hands together sheepishly. "I make a second one to put on the one Grace make for me. Does Grace like, question?"
Grace swallowed thickly, tears brimming in his eyes. "Yeah, buddy. I love it."
Rocky stood up tall. "Happy."
Rocky put the bracelet on one of his front arms. He jingled it around excitedly. "I like human friendship custom."
Grace put on his own bracelet. It was a little loose, but it wouldn't fall off even if he tried to pull it. The little charm, barely the size of his fingernail, dangled when he moved his wrist. It was lightweight and comfortable.
Rocky rolled his ball around, feeling restless. "Grace and Rocky closest of friends now!"
"We always were," Grace chuckled, patting Rocky's xenonite ball.
"But now Grace and Rocky extra close."
"Yes," Grace smiled. "I suppose we are."
"Amaze amaze," Rocky gave his jazz hands.
"Amaze amaze," Grace returned.
Rocky never took off the bracelet Grace made for him, and in turn Grace never took off his. He got used to it very quickly and often found himself staring at the tiny human and Eridian charm. The first human and alien friendship in recorded Earth and Eridian history, reinforced by a couple of friendship bracelets.
