Dal pressed his lips together to keep his smile in check. At Gabriel's question, he bobbed his head in a few little nods. "I wasn't allowed. My parents didn't want 'em." But Dal always dreamed of having some small pet, some kind of mammal that would be warm and cuddly.

He sat there a moment before holding up his hand to gesture for Gabriel to wait. He got up and skittered over to his things for his notebook. When he came back, he flopped down beside Gabriel and started flipping through the pages. Face after face moved by, some drawings of that diner he spends his time in and the people who work there, too. Then he found what he was looking for: a drawing of a sugar glider. He didn't know what they were called in English.

"This."