If Eli didn't know better, he'd swear the bat was trying to talk back. Lots of animals were chatty like that. Or maybe Thrawn had stumbled onto an unusually smart species of bat.

"I play a little guitar. Didn't think it would actually come in handy for a mission." Guitars weren't a common instrument where he'd been, but it was close enough to a lute, he supposed. "And unlike Thrawn, I didn't need to put on any fake ears to blend in."

Opening his drawer, he pulled out a small brush. Really, it was a spare toothbrush, which he made a mental note to replace. Gently, he ran the bristles through the bat's curls, then onto his back.

"We have bats on Lysatra, my home planet, but I've never seen one quite like you."