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find some makeshift clothing out of a refuse container a few days after I helped that young woman. Near an area of the city where there were many crafters selling clothing, I saw a man throw away a large bag filled with what appeared to be clothing.  
    I shifted into my human form, and as soon as the sun went down, I helped myself to several garments that fit. I kept the bag and the clothing that did not fit as well. I don't know why the man threw the clothing away.
    My first attempt at human interaction ended poorly. I went into a small building that served hot drinks and small baked goods under a green emblem of a woman. She reminded me of the legendary mermaids. A small woman with a green cloth smock became very irate at my entrance and ushered me out. I didn't want to engage in hostility, so I left. I sat on the metal bench outside, in full view of the world, when a young man, also wearing a green smock, brought out a small paper cup filled with a dark beverage. He spoke at me for a minute or two, to no avail, and then offered me the cup. I sipped it, and it was dark, bitter, and flavorful. I pointed at the cup and tilted my head indicating I didn't know what it was. Even after all this time, body language has remained similar.
    He said it was, "Coffee."  
    That was one of the first words taught to me of the language I now know to be called English.
    He then pointed to his chest and said, "Alan. I'm Alan."
    I nodded, pointed to my chest, and told him my name , "Tesser."
    He spoke at me until the small woman came out and yelled at him. He told me her name was "Bitch" before he smiled and went back in to help other people who wanted some of the hot coffee.
    Alan was my first human friend.
    Bitch was not.
    I stayed near the coffee shop for a week. Alan brought me a coffee on the days that he worked, and I was thankful for that. I have since developed a strong affection for the drink, but now I've decided I like mine with cream and sugar. Humans have certainly been ingenious with their foods.
    Alan discovered my lack of English knowledge very quickly, and provided me with the one item that Bitch required me to have to enter their establishment: shoes. Alan gave me an old pair of what appeared to be sandals, which fit perfectly after I readjusted the size of my foot to be a little larger. Sandals on foot, Bitch could no longer kick me out of the coffee shop.
    Today, inside the shop, I sit attentively in front of a magical device called a 'television.' It apparently receives mass messages in both visual and auditory formats. While not truly magical in the ancient, primordial sense, the images that play across the device are remarkable. Alan adjusts the television to play images that are clearly designed for children for several hours a day, and provides me with small books that have only a few pages.  
    I have seen far more complicated books at small shops in the city, so I know that these too are likely made for children to learn. They will be perfect for my first few days of learning.
    At night, I relocate to another food establishment that is open very late into the night. Immersion into the human culture is key. This business serves round, baked food covered in sauce made of tomatoes and topped with cheese and various meats and vegetables. The painted sign on the front of the business calls this food "pizza."
    With my bag of clothing in hand each night, I sit in the far back of the pizza shop, watch more television, and listen to the younger people come and go, buying their pizza. I've noticed that at all of these places where things are served, they exchange small slips of green fabric-paper for the goods and services they want. A strange form of barter. I think I'll try and obtain some of the green slips of paper.
    The owner of the pizza shop, or at least the man that everyone else seems to listen to, has a strange obsession with stories that center around two men. One man is tall, with long blonde hair he wears