"...Well... I don't know exactly how it might apply to you in particular, but I suppose it could well be said to be in the same vein as 'kiddo', yes," she said. She'd heard that term before, thankfully! "The humans, where I'm from, use the word to simply mean child, as a pet name, but it's... more than simply that, among my kind.

"You see, among my kind... there is a practice. A way to create others. But to do so is a deliberate act. It is an effort of love; the resulting being must be wanted, and cared for, to successfully be.

"And so, the meaning is rightfully 'beloved', more than simply 'child'.

"I swear, I meant no disrespect. It's... a habit of mine."