I have almost no time ... so just some general replies.
I'm glad you like Riz. You know, it never actually dawned on me how like Lois she is!!
Tek and Ard - great eye for detail
Vicki! Lois finds out more about Ard later in 16.
Lois's letter to Kal -
Emma - A heartfelt letter being written is only half the story ... surely it needs to be read so there can be completion.
Coffee - Emma said
This is a great example of the wonderful subtleties of your writing, the way some words translate but not quite, just like if we were trying to translate a word into another language by using a dictionary. The word we find may mean pretty much the same thing but sound a little odd to a person fluent in that tongue. Like the way one of their foodstuffs translates simply as 'vegetable' and the coffee (or almost-coffee) comes out as 'beverage.'
Thank you, Iolanthe! What I sent Iolanthe regarding the coffee came back with questions that made me re-think it.
Kal - I love your understanding about how confused Kal is,
Sheila. His feelings are new and incredibly powerful and he's trying to find his way through it with very little to guide him.
Happy Girl said ...
You've made Kal such a complex, fascinating character--a mixture of inexperience, intelligence, curiousity, and determination. It's a joy to watch him bloom.
Thank you.
