“What do you do for fun?” you ask Avallala. “You said that about half of your day was filled with ‘fun’, and I am interested in knowing what this entails.”
“In order to do this properly, you must excuse me for a minute,” Avallala starts. “I was not necessarily planning on being here a long time, although I do enjoy talking with humans. However, now that we will be staying here, I do not believe there is a reason for me to stay in my formal robes. Is it alright if I leave for a minute to get changed into my normal clothes?”
“Of course,” you allow. “I would not want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you,” she graciously states before leaving for a minute. When Avallala returns, she is wearing an outfit like a human bikini, with her stomach and legs exposed to you. “This is more typical of what Erimosi wear on a normal basis. We wore the formal robes because the research stated that you would respond better to that. However, now that you are the first human scout who will explore the universe, I figure that you should know the true Erimosi. How do you like it?”
“It looks really good on you,” you respond, looking over the Erimosi form.
“Well, I guess we should get back to your question now that I am comfortable,” Avallala declares. “When we have breaks, this is one of the rooms that my coworkers and I usually come to. With the couches providing a very comfortable place, we find it easy to relax and let go of stress. However, the real fun comes if someone falls asleep and does not wake up before we have to end the break. This has happened to me a few times and different colleagues several times. Please take off your shoes; as you can see, we don’t wear them. After that, I want you to lay down on the couch and close your eyes, and I will show you what happens.”
You do as Avallala has instructed, and she leaves you alone for a minute or so, allowing you to really relax and start to fall asleep. Then it comes. The first thing you feel is a feather tip coming up onto the side of your belly, and then another touches the sole of your foot. “HEHEHEHEHE,” you giggle at the light tickles. The feathers progress to the center of your stomach and up to your toes, simply covering your ticklish spots as they go. Realizing that Avallala has put you in a very ticklish situation, you begin to laugh harder. “HAHAHAHA!” Avallala moves the feathers back and forth over your belly and up and down your feet, causing you to break out in hysterical laughter for fifteen minutes. When she finally lets you out of the tickling, you gasp for air for a minute. You look up and Avallala is holding two of the feathers from the vases in the corner. “So you use the feathers to tickle anyone who falls asleep?” you ask her.
“Correct,” Avallala affirms. “The Erimosi are very ticklish on our bellies and feet, and apparently, humans are too. I understand that our space experts did not introduce you to the tickling custom, but we Erimosi very much enjoy tickling, both giving it out and receiving it. There is one more option that we sometimes choose with the sleepers, and this is also done to conscious Erimosi fairly often. Would you like me to show it to you?”
“Sure,” you offer the tickling-obsessed Erimosi.
“Please stand up and place your hands in the air,” Avallala commands. You do as she says, and the Erimosi continues, “These feathers are very flexible, and we will frequently take advantage of that fact.” She wraps the feather around you, and then she starts to press on certain parts of your body.
As the different parts are enclosed, the feather touches them and waves around in small circles, giving a strong tickling feeling. “OAHAHOAHAHAHAHOHOHA!” you exclaim as the different parts of your body are tickled. Avallala takes advantage of your bound state to use the feather to tickle your armpits, chest, ribcage, belly, sides, back, legs, knees, thighs, and feet. With each of these, your laughter’s intensity corresponds to how ticklish that body part is. The hardest laughter occurs at the armpits, belly, and feet, as these are your most ticklish spots. Following the tickling, Avallala unwraps the feather, freeing you. “That tickled quite a bit.”
“Yes, that is a common way for determining someone’s tickle spots,” Avallala notifies you. “We have more ways of tickling each other. Would you like me to show you the different ways and places that we tickle each other, or would you like to tickle me with the ways I have shown you?”