Yao liked the press of people around him. He had lived in far more cramped conditions, but always enjoyed the presence of others. Too often here he found himself alone, but now to be mere footsteps away from another comforted him. He liked meeting the guests. Some of them spoke a language that reminded him of his own, which made him smile.

There was a grayscale woman draped on a stone. He almost didn't see that she was there if it weren't for the telltale shifts of her body. His tail raised and began to wag as he approached her, smiling. Mambo! How are you?