She grunted in agreement and nodded her head slightly about their future meeting on the planet Manhattan. She fixed her wet hair and gave him a brief look.
"Then it is settled."
She lifted her glass of ice water from the table by the window and gestured toward the decor of their presidential suite.
"I lack a testosterone level high enough to appreciate these trophies, Mister Doe. Trophies and swags are mostly a male thing, are they not? We women can only appreciate them to the extent that we can be proud of our stronger counterparts."
She turned slowly toward the window and motioned with her glass in a vague direction toward the streets and houses before them.
"I was referring to the culture and art of this world and its inhabitants. You see, while I was waiting for you at the starport, I had the privilege of seeing some interesting graffiti - apparently the work of young and boisterous artists venting their strong inner feelings outwardly. Frustration, anger and hope were overflowing, even their techniques were not bad. But there were only a few that were worth anything - two, three and no more."
"I would like to know what you, Mister Doe, can tell me about the way the local people express their feelings and emotions. Are there any interesting customs or traditions? What is the most popular art form here?"
A slight smile appeared on her face and she turned her grey-blue gaze on him. Her look was not particularly unpleasant, but rather full of questions. There was something else in it, something she was hiding.
