Serix looked at the machine with new interest. It played music? Of course, it didn’t surprise him that the humans would listen to music. They seemed similar enough to the Lunairans that he would have been more shocked if they didn’t have it. What really piqued his interest was the question of what human music sounded like. Would it be the same as what he was familiar with, or would it be completely foreign to his ears?

He got up and followed Cassie to the robot hangar, eager to hear what the machine would play. She plugged the CD player into a wall and started it up. After a moment, the sound of lilting music filled the room. Serix crouched next to the little machine, listening intently. The music was definitely strange compared to what his people created, but when he focused a bit harder, he could hear some similar patterns. The song carried a steady four-count beneath layers of polyrhythmic harmonies.

He thought back to what Cassie said about her mother’s love of song and dance. It was a very typical passion among Lunairan females. All children were given lessons in dance as part of their schooling, but he remembered how his female peers were especially fond of twirling about with their partners. They were eager to master the art to impress their future mates during courting rituals.

The fleeting thought of courting set Serix’s heart to pounding again. Looking back, he and Cassie had already gone through with many of the rituals without even meaning to. They had spent plenty of time alone, they had exchanged stories of their pasts, they had held hands and embraced each other, and they had –briefly– shared a telepathic link. He hadn’t realized just how far their relationship had progressed.

Serix glanced at Cassie. She looked like she was still pretty shaken up after being locked in that small room for so long. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. He wanted to do something to help her recover, but he wasn’t sure what. He looked back at the CD player, with its steady stream of music. Maybe there was something he could do.

“Dance with me,” Serix said, standing up and holding out a hand to Cassie. He looked down at the ground, fidgeting bashfully. “The style is a little different than what I’m used to, but I can cope. So… will you dance with me?”