"Blue and grey, not overly complicated." Holmes nods agreement from where he's been semi-lurking behind Watson.

"Can do! How come you're living together if you're not married?"

"We're from very far away. It's good to have someone else there who speaks our first language. Also, we lived together before we came here because " groping for concepts, then groping for words " there weren't enough houses."

"Why didn't people build more houses?"

"It's complicated . . . people are harder to make, there, and harder to make for specific things like building houses, and also it's very hard to get from one round to a different round, so hard to find enough space."

"Oh! And so you live with people even though you aren't married. All right."

Nod nod.

"You look so married! I wonder why."

He wrinkles his forehead. "I don't understand either."

"Maybe it's just that you've lived together so long."

Shrug. "Maybe."

"My husband and I didn't move in together for months after we got married! We were on different wake cycles at the time and didn't have many opportunities to work out the details and pick out places."

"That sounds unpleasant. I'm glad you got it worked out!"

"Oh, we laugh about it. It's about time I got to sleep, you two enjoy your cookies and your new home!"

"We will, thank you! We'll bring the plate back tomorrow."

Once they're both back inside and eating cookies, Watson remarks, "How odd to think that if we were inverts, we could get married here and nobody would so much as find it surprising. We aren't, of course--just a strange fact."

"Yes. We aren't inverts, so it is of no importance, but all data is worth having."

"Just so."

Cookie-eating. Silent, contemplative cookie-eating.