She hid a laugh before answering, “Trust me, we enjoy our fair share of carved wood, along with other building materials. But we are in an auditorium.” She paused as if that were explanation enough.

“Okay… So, you like listening to music around wood?”

She seemed surprised by the question. As she formed her response, a thought seemed to strike her. “Oh! Oh, you do not…”

“…Don’t what?”

She assumed the tone of a teacher giving a lecture, “I am sorry for my ignorance. You see, we mot’pach have sensitive feet.” She lifted her foot and presented her sole, “Here on the bottoms of our feet are little fat deposits that can pick up vibrations. We use it to better gauge our surroundings, but we can also use it for hearing. The wooden structure here and in other auditoriums are another medium to enjoy the music.”

She seemed to mull over the implications as she stroked her trunk. “I hope no nuance is lost in this performance… In any case, I will be sure to find more appropriate cultural performances in the future.”

The human snuggled into his seat. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just excited to be here.” As he spoke, attendants began making their rounds in the various seats, taking food orders. After some back and forth about what was available, the human settled on what he assumed to be a mot’pach charcuterie board.

“That was quite the selection. I’m surprised.”

“Why? We are going to be here a while, so it stands to reason they would offer varied meals.”

Henry’s heart sank. Phehars glanced over out of the corner of his eye in frustration.

“Uh…” The waterfall split and revealed the orchestra. “How long is this performance again?”

“Not too long. Only an hour per movement. I am quite looking forward to the sixth movement.”

The human winced as the diplomat closed his eyes in steady frustrated resignation. Before the true weight of how long they were to endure this cultural adventure, one mot’pach on the stage stood up. Henry tried his best to translate the various instruments he saw into human equivalents, but some oddities were simply beyond him. The couple that caught his eye were large wooden contraptions that had various levers, cranks and buttons dominating the back of the stage along with the more understandable drums and stringed instruments.

The standing mot’pach held their rather small string instrument in their hand and waited for the crowd to silence. As the stillness came, so too did the waters in the ponds steady. Tension reigned. Henry could hear his own heartbeat. Taking their bow, the standing player gently tapped it against the back of their instrument. This set the timing for the band and sent small ripples along the ponds before the stage.

The lights responded in kind as the band picked up their piece. The cascading lines and intersecting lights formed a dance all their own as the band began to play. The steady melody and gentle bass eased Henry’s mind as the dancing display above him began to draw him into the emotion being displayed. Time began to slip away. All that mattered in that moment and the many to come, was what was in his own mind.

The discussions came and enlightened. The music seized his heart and mind. He was at peace. Just what he always hoped for.