"I'm sorry," she said between loud and wet sniffles. "It's just that … I've had a very bad day today. And it's not just my purse getting stolen; that was just the last straw. You really have no idea how bad it's been!"
"Well, like I said, I've had a bad day too," he reminded her, "so I think I can understand a little bit."
The elf snapped his fingers as inspiration hit. Quickly, he stood up. "I have an idea! And wouldn't you know it; it's just the thing to make both of us feel better." He leaned forward and took the android by her hand. "Come with me!"
"Where are we going?"
"To the gardens. They have the best cider there. Magically brewed, it's guaranteed to take a bad day go away. How about it?"
"I …can't afford that," she protested weakly.
"And who said that you had to pay for it?" the elf said, amused. He paused momentarily to help put the android's personal belongings back into the hip satchel. "It'll be my treat. Oh, by the way, I hadn't introduced myself, had I? I'm Aldrecliis."
"Al..dre..clees?" The android stammered over the unusual sounding name. "All …drah …cleese?"
He did not want to embarrass her, but the way the android fumbled with his name even more so than other humans, brought up a laugh that almost hurt to suppress. At last, he took pity on her.
"It's pronounced 'All-druh-cleess.'" He unintentionally released a small guffaw. "But just call me 'Aldrec'; it's much easier to say."
"Oh, thank you," the android said, relieved. "That's much better. And my name is Mericlou."