Salix is particularly interested in the mention of alien technology, and the presence of the Primordial, but he seems to have returned to silence for now, and he does not speak his thoughts aloud.
I wonder who it was that died in orbit. My people knew of others out there...was it one of them? Or was it my people themselves? My people...my people come for me...did they die there, so close to me? The thought did strange things to his body. His leaves and foliage drooped visibly, the scents swirling around him shifting rapidly. No. The Trust would have told me if it was my people. Another people... I am not certain that is better.
The Primordial. Why is he here? Was he stranded, like me, or sent here, or did he come here of his own accord? Are his people, like mine, gone? And if he is kept from them, or if they are gone...does he weep for them, as I did for my people? Is this place, Earth, his home now, or does his heart still yearn for the light of some distant star?
He very nearly asks these questions of the only other true nonhuman he has met in decades, but he hesitates, and the opportunity is gone before long.
When the discussion about the living situation arises, Salix says to Ms. White, "I should like to live here full-time, if I may. There is little reason for me to return to the city, except for a single return trip to gather my few belongings and my plants. Not that I do not appreciate these you have provided for me, but I have bonded with my own."
And, finally, he quietly adds, "I will join you for the interrogation. It is unlikely I will be of much assistance in the matter, but in case there is trouble, I would like to be there."