Dhivael thought the idea of humans creating a television show where there were extraterrestrials who valued logic over emotions sounded interesting, but she wondered if humans who felt emotions so much could really understand what it was like not to feel them? The Rihan decided she would have to watch a few episodes of the show to discover what she thought about it.
It was obvious to the alien that Kay must have felt something more than lust for the man of whom she spoke. After all, she had seen the emotion called regret in action many times. It seemed strange that people could not logically deduce that they would regret a deed before they acted on it. Then again, Earthlings and their emotions were incredibly illogical and unpredictable. It was plain to Dhivael that even those who were born on this planet didn’t always understand why they did what they did or how another would react to what they did. However, she was determined to find patterns in these actions to better understand things.
“How do you know how they want to feel?” Dhivael asked in response to Kay’s telling her that she used her voice to make them feel that way and not a way she wanted them to feel. If she hadn’t known the man she had seduced would want to be seduced, it seemed strange that she would know how another being would want to feel.
“Is lust not simple a hormonal reaction while love is an emotion? Logically, such an idea would lead one to assume that you do not have an emotional connection when you are simple obeying your biological nature because you want to feel the physical pleasure such an action brings. I do not require the act of sex to understand emotions. I am here to study culture and emotion, not to study Earthling physiology.” There was no reproach in her voice, for there was no emotion at all. She was simply stating her opinion.
“Was Alden University the closest university to your island, or was it simply your desire to attend this one?” Dhivael asked Kaydence. Resort islands were difficult to understand in the Rihan’s mind. Earthlings often traveled to them in the hopes of relaxation, but they proceeded to lead more active lifestyles when they weren’t lying in the sun. They would play games and run around the beach and swim. If Rihannsu wished to relax, they meditated or slept. That was what relaxation was, right? Perhaps on Earth, it held a different meaning. She would have to consult a dictionary again. While she had a good grasp of the English language, words had a tendency to have many meanings other than the obvious one.
Dhivael’s dark eyes moved over Britta’s face as the other studied her. She had received a studious look like this from many of the Earthlings though there were many variations of it. It was as if people were attempting to better understand her through visual observation alone.
“Yes. Earthlings comprise all humanoids of this planet. I was simply going to study the humans, but I have found great difficulty in maintaining contact with them. I am specializing my studies in cultures and emotions, not everything there is to know about all the humanoids of Earth. However, Rihannsu do live longer than the average human of Earth. Our oldest live to an age of two hundred Earth years.”
Dhivael considered the marsh nymph’s words. “Does being here make you… home sick as many others feel?” The Rihan asked. She was curious if it was an emotional epidemic of sorts, and it made her curious. She assumed that Tennessee was out of the question for the simple fact that it was land locked and for no other reason.
“Fun? As in an activity that brings enjoyment? I have found my studies to be fulfilling if not more challenging than I had originally anticipated.” In a sense, learning what she desired most to learn brought her satisfaction that any “fun” activities of Earthlings may bring.