Of Men and Spiders

Charlotte watched in fascination as Scott pulled apart plants and weaved them back together into much larger and deeper bowls than the clay ones. Although these obviously wouldn't be able to hold water, so they must serve a different purpose. She moved closer to see how Scott was forming the plants in an attempt to understand, noticing the female did not twitch or pull away as she used to. This was excellent news, as it meant She was making more progress bonding with the tool users.

Scott had made what looked like a web of sticks and reeds, which the tool user then started tightening and pulling upward to get the bowl shape, but rather than stopping at the height of the bowls, Scott kept making the walls higher and higher, weaving in new sticks and reeds as needed. Charlotte could simply ask what this new tool was for, but She was getting some enjoyment out of trying to figure out its use before asking. It was an interesting activity, forcing herself to think like a tool user.

It was likely the porous nature of the walls and bottom that was important since, aside from size, that was the most significant difference between this and the clay bowls. All the holes in the construction would likely allow water to flow through... That may be the point! "Scott. Is this for storing wet things to let them dry?"

Scott looked thoughtful. "You know, it probably would work for that, but I don't have anything that would really need to be dried like that right now. The only thing we seem to get wet with any frequency is our clothes, and it's more efficient to just hang those up!"

Charlotte shifted her head position to try and focus a different set of eyes on the project. She'd included three different pairs of eyes with this appendage, each of which focused on various types of vision. In this case, seeing heat wouldn't be helpful, so she tilted her head so her telescopic eyes could get a better view. This set sacrificed things like peripheral vision and even movement within the ocular socket to see a much greater level of detail to things that were either very small or very far away. However, even seeing a greater degree of detail didn't afford any new insight. Evidently unaware of her attempt to figure out the puzzle for herself, Scott explained. "Thanks to you, we now know what plants around here are safe to eat, but going out and gathering a handful at a time isn't very efficient. This basket will allow us to carry far more plants with ease."

Well, that made sense, but didn't they already have a tool that could be used for that? Charlotte gave up and decided to simply ask. "Why not use your clay bowls for that?"

Scott moved his head in a movement between the indication of yes and no. She'd come to learn this was Scott's way of saying She was close but still a little off as the human spoke. "Well, yes, I suppose that could work, but here, try holding this, and tell me how it's different from the clay bowls." Scott handed Charlotte the basket.

Holding it closely, Charlotte examined the bowl. As before, the first thing that was apparent was it was more porous than the clay bowls, but then She realized it was also thinner. Between the porous nature and the thinness, there was much less matter involved in the construction of the container. That must be the reason! "It's lighter!"

This time, Scott moved his head up and down, indicating approval, so Charlotte continued to extrapolate. "This would greatly aid Alice in carrying the basket because of her life-giving!"

Scott hesitated in a way that meant something She'd said had not made sense. A moment later, he responded quizically. "Life-giving?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, though I'm not sure of your word for it. But in many species, the life giver is smaller and more flashy and energetic to try and attract a partner, while the life receiver is larger to protect the new life and usually more subtle in color and personality for the same reason."

Scott opened and closed his visual receptors rapidly. "Ah, yes... You mean male and female or man and woman... Ummm, I'm guessing, based on what you said, you think Alice is a male...er, life-giver?"

Charlotte moved her head up and down to indicate agreement. "Yes, and Scott is a life receiver...or female."

This time, Scott shook his head much more vehemently. "Uh, no. No, no, no, no... First off, Alice and I are brother and sister, so there's no life-giving between us! Second, I'm male, and Alice is female."

That confused Charlotte. Alice was by far the flashier of the two. "But your size difference indicates otherwise. Is this because you are both still developing?"

Scott shook his head. "Well, our size difference will shrink as Alice ages, and there's a slight chance she'll get taller than me, but generally speaking, men are usually larger than women in humans..."

Charlotte tilted her head to get a better look at him with her telescopic eyes. "But you are definitely the less visually stimulating of the two."

Scott vibrated in the way he'd previously described as laughing, an indication of mirth. "I think you just called me ugly! Though, to be fair, who's more flashy among humans often depends more on the individual rather than their gender. In Alice's case, she'd just got brighter blond hair from our mom, while I got darker brown hair from my dad. While there's some probability based on dominant and recessive genes, ultimately, whose hair you get comes down to luck."

Charlotte looked back at the basket. "So, then, is the basket lighter so Alice can carry it because she's female?"

Scott shook his head again, laughing even more. "I forgot that's what started this! But no, it's for me. However, you're right. The important part is that it's lighter. If I made a clay bowl this deep, it would be so heavy I wouldn't be able to carry it very far, but this is light enough that if I attach a strap to it so I can wear it on my back, I'll barely feel it, making me much more efficient at foraging!"

That made sense to Charlotte. The more significant energy requirements for carrying a large clay bowl would counteract the benefits of the nutrition gained via the food they acquired. However, now she was wondering about something else Scott said. "Why is there no life-giving between brother and sister?"

This time, Scott's eyes bulged, and he seemed to have a coughing fit of some kind before he stammered his answer. "Okay, that was... Listen... Okay... Setting aside the fact that the idea is beyond gross... Like seriously, try to get this because I don't want to discuss it again... When humans who are too closely related...um...procreate, there is a much higher chance of genetic mutation, which often leads to issues with physical and/or mental development. It's called inbreeding, and it's very, very taboo!"

Charlotte tilted her head to focus her telescopic eyes on Alice in the distance while her more mobile eyes stayed focused on Scott. "What's taboo?"

Scott looked slightly ill as he answered. "It's in reference to anything considered so bad, it makes us uncomfortable to even talk about, much like this subject!"

Having said that, Scott stood up and grabbed his basket from Charlotte as he spoke. "Aaaand that's enough teaching for today. Why don't you go hang out with Alice for a bit? I need some time to forget this whole conversation ever happened!"

Charlotte was impressed. She was unaware that humans had the ability to selectively remove memories from their minds. It was quite a feat to have that much direct control over cranial tissue, and She was not aware that humans had that level of bodily control!