Afternoon sun [Dais]
It was a Wednesday, so Jemmily headed to the Enoch Building in the School of Political Science. She met Dumais and Dais in their joint office. Dumais was sitting at the desk, typing away on his home screen. Jemmily couldn't see what he was writing, but she could see that only one of the 6 panels was in use, so they must have remembered she was coming. Dais was lounging on his giant dog bed on the east side of the room, basking in the sunlight.
"Ah Jem, take a seat for a minute, I just need to finish writing this wave," Dumais said. Jemmily nodded and sat down on their soft brown leather couch, well worn with waiting students, but still soft as if newly bought. Her eyes gravitated towards the sunlight and Dais' rhythmic breathing. She couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. Then a ripple moved through his fur, moving from behind his left ear and down his back with the speed of an efficient wind, but there was no breeze. "Ah, he's awake then," Jemmily thought, "He had an itch."
Jem always felt a strange sense of misleading comfort when she was with Dais. It was only misleading though because he appeared as a dog and she knew he wasn't. Dais was the only alien that Jemmily, or anyone else for that matter, knew of, at least to her knowledge. She always had a strong urge to go pet him because of his welcoming face and well-kept fur, but she was far too respectful to consider giving him a belly rub... unless she knew she'd earned it. Dais, on the other hand, was very clearly its own entity, once decided that you were intended to know it. She thought of Dais as male because he appeared as a male dog, but she had no idea his true gender. It made sense to her that if one chose to appear as a dog, that they would appear as a male dog in order to avoid any unintentional mountings, but then again Jemmily was pretty sure she'd never fully understand why Dais chose to appear as a golden retriever. He gave explanations of course; it made communication with humans easier since he didn't have to conform with cultural norms; it kept him closer to nature which to him seemed safer than the billions of human buildings he'd seen rise and fall at most unexpected and inopportune moments; it also meant if he didn't like someone he could pee on their perceived space with no repercussions. The best reason though, from Jemmily's perspective, was how it broadened his ability to teaching humans. Dais taught by impression. What Dais wanted you to see or feel, you would experience, at least to the extend that you were able to understand. Lessons with Dais were gentle, but persistent. Class with Dumais and Dais was not only historic, due to the human-alien duo (though Jem suspected that Dumais was also partly Dais' mouthpiece at times), but also unforgettable as auditory, visual and emotional memory solidified as one for most students almost immediately. Deep understanding and processing of their lessons could come later, but no one fell asleep in that class. At least, not unless Dais decided they were too tired to be worth his effort anyway. Dais' impressionistic communication and overall pleasant personality was also why first meeting him he seemed like a dog - when meeting new people, his initial impression was always one of friendly curiosity that, when coming paired with a happy dog face, seemed entirely canine. It was simple, quiet moments, like watching Dais scratch himself with a controlled twitch of his fur were what reminded Jemmily that he was far more than his canine "persona" could portray, just as he intended.
It still amused Jemmily that the introductory course at Channtor University in political science was taught by a human from Channtor and an alien from a planet no one could pronounce. At least from a perspective of backgrounds, there couldn't be a more unbiased perspective than from this particular duo. Dais could have easily taught history of humans, as he'd seen a very significant chunk of it himself, but by turning his talents to political science, many of his students had become far-reaching politicians with a foresight beyond their years. And to be a politician who spent any significant time on Channtor and not met Dais.... well that wasn't really done. With that in mind Jemmily closed her eyes and exhaled, enjoying the warmth of the reflected afternoon light. She knew Dais didn't often get time to himself, and she knew they was taking time out of their schedule to continue teaching her. She hoped a few still moments of glow and warmth gave him a similar peace that it gave her.
