Mark ZuckerHamster’s burrow office buzzed as Elon Mouse paced in tiny half-circles, tail twitching beneath his flight jacket.

“Did I ever tell you my worst fear, Mark?” he squeaked. “Well, it’s of meeting—*for the first time*—the father of my future bride. I’m not sure who I’m going to marry, but I want to make sure they have the right dad.”

Mark sipped an energy drink. “That’s specific, bro. Who’s the lucky candidate?”

Elon sighed. “Six days into being a father with an administrator at my neuro-company, I realized she wouldn’t be the right one. For one, we never really had a relationship. And for two, she said she didn’t get along with her dad—and I was really hoping for a father-in-law who gets along well with his daughter.”

Panda Wise, glanced up. “Fear is only a rehearsal for failure,” he rumbled.

Priscilla—Mark’s wife—set a fresh plate of cookies on the desk. “So what now, Elon?”

“I’d like to meet her father anyway,” Elon said, straightening his aviator cap. “I don’t think I have much shot at getting along well with a father-in-law if I’m too afraid to talk to one. He might be upset with me—maybe he should be—but I’m still going to talk to him and see if I learn anything. He does have a grandson, so I could approach it on a normal level instead of an audition for my future bride.”

Mark raised a whisker. “Field trip?”

“Field trip,” Elon confirmed.

Panda Wise toggled the comm panel. “Road map set."
Elon chuckled. “Adaptation, my friends. One family meeting at a time.”

Mark clinked his carrot-cookie against Elon’s espresso cup. “To fearless introductions!”