Home for Lydia and Xsirh was inland somewhat, near the edge of the habitable tidal flat, where the thick slurry of mud began to dry, heights where seawater rose only during storms (Kziznvxrz lacked a moon), where amphibious creatures ventured to tread. There, at the edge of Kziznvxrz society, she and her father lived, their house one of the few structures with a dry floor, its above-water elevation making it difficult to access for the Kzizn, except with great effort. Fortunately, Xsirh was a young Kzizn, only a thousand years old, still vigorous with youth.
The wrong side of town, as the Homo sapiens said. Xsirh"s choice of abode had been a cross product of social pressures and practicability. Members of his pod had disapproved of his decision to take on the care of the Homo sapiens waif
