"Those are bottles." Inanimate objects don't count as friends, as far as Icheb is aware. And one of them is spilling. Setting his telescope down, he reaches for the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and rights it before placing it back where it was.

Sandoval's question puzzles him. He frowns. (Of course, Icheb is almost always frowning--it's his default expression--but now it means "confusion," not just "looking at something new.") "Why would I require assistance?"