She looked up from her crystal glass of water with that still dreamy look and murmured in agreement. With a hint of slight irony, she chuckled.
"I have it exactly backwards, Mister Doe."
"My parents love me as their daughter and perhaps more or less spoil me. But it was my maternal uncle and aunt who began to provoke and develop my intellect with appropriate questions about culture and philosophy. This is not to say that my parents are uncultured barbarians - quite the opposite - they like art but do not know much about it. Their main interests are politics and business, and they have only what limited time they have left for their art studies after their main interests and family."
"This is not the case with my uncle and my aunt, who have their residence turned into a gallery - their political and business ambitions are limited - they devote themselves solely to culture. They study it, they develop their talents, they create their own pieces. They inspire each other."
A slight smile appeared on her dreamy face as she delved further into memories of her uncle and aunt. She was looking directly into his face, but her eyes were gazing into an imaginary infinity somewhere behind his head. She lowered her voice to a half-whisper.
"An extensive library with digital and rare paper volumes, a small concert hall, a sculpture and painting studio with landscaped gardens surrounding the residence. I love spending time there when I can, it is like a whole other world compared to how Sirius feels in space. An oasis of calmness."
After a brief moment she came out of her reverie and her gaze sharpened, this time she was looking at him with her eyes slightly downcast and asked him a question.
"What is your peaceful oasis in this wild universe, Mister Doe?"
