Babble - Beyond Dimensions

Chapter 3: The one where you offer bananas

So maybe, looking back on it you overreacted back in the probably hostel a little bit, but the group had tried to leave you behind. And from what you had seen the chances of your survival in this weird dream world were if you stuck with the travelers. So that's what you willfully enforced. Maybe, you were not sure, they would be a little sour about that, but they would get over it. You were sure of that, at least.

Especially because they invited you for lunch. That was really nice of them.

But, you inwardly reasoned, you did look like you could be one of them right now. You had felt the change of the shape of your ears and despite being weirded out about that tiny detail of your dream, you decided to ignore it for now.

They pulled you into their friendly little circle and handed you a spoon and a bowl filled with soup which their cook had prepared for them. The cook, a person with long blonde hair and fair scars on the side of the face wearing a blue shirt whose gender you could not clearly tell for they could be both in your opinion (which by the way counted for the smallest and by far most colorful member of their group, too – the others were clearly all male, but for these two you really couldn’t tell and you knew someone who would kill you if they ever learned that you misgendered someone accident or not), seemed pretty good from what you had seen in the other’s reactions, though you couldn’t help but wonder about how hygienic your current situation was…

Anyway, it didn’t matter much since this was a dream and so you shrugged to yourself, told yourself you only live once after all and then you took a mighty spoon of soup.

There was your proof that this was only a dream, for the taste of the soup alone was one.

You practically inhaled it in one big swoop.

Giving Cook your best puppy eyes you held out your bowl for a second swoop. Cook just blinked at you, while the rest of the party burst into loud laugher. Wolfshide, who was an edgy looking guy wearing a wolf’s hide, said something to Cook, which was probably teasing and Cook stammers something back, before quickly refilling your soup bowl which you emptied just as fast under the amused glances of the other travelers.

The second bowl was as much heaven as the first.

Once the big soup pot was empty and the stomachs of the group and yours were filled, you desperately searched through your backpack in hope of finding something to share with the strangers in hope of repaying their kindness. And lo and behold, your lucky stars shone bright upon you this day: In the things you had bought for your parents yesterday you found exactly ten beautiful and brightly yellow bananas.

Mentally you momentarily tried to remember why exactly your parents wanted that many bananas again, but then you gave yourself a mentally shrug and decided not to question this happy event.

You had something to share with your companions after all!

Grinning you pulled the bananas out and offered them to the group.

For a moment, there was shocked silence. Ha, you thought, that surprises you, doesn’t it? I have something nice to give you, too!

Then Cook makes a strangled sound, and suddenly everyone tensed, watching your every move, some reach for probably hidden weapons on them.

…okay…?

That was not good, probably. What did you do wrong this time? Maybe it was a social faux pas to offer others bananas in this land? Gosh, you hoped you hadn’t mortally offended them. What if they’re now after your blood, because you insulted them that bad?

No, wait, scratch that. Think brain, think.

We’re in a hostile environment if measuring by the monsters. They’re probably simply paranoid that you’ve poisoned the bananas. That’s it. Show them, the bananas are to be trusted.

Taking a deep breath to steady yourself you slowly move, not daring to make eye contact in case they saw it as a hostile action and slowly and carefully broke one banana out of the lot. Out of the edge of your eyes you can see Cook twitch at the sound.

Then you start skinning the banana as carefully and slowly as you can, before slowly biting a piece of, chewed it demonstrating thoroughly and swallowed extra loud.

A beat of silence passed in which you carefully kept your head down.

Then suddenly Scar (Leaderguy) threw his head back and laughs loudly, everyone but Cook quickly joined in. Cook meanwhile started going red from the tip of his ears down to their shirt and quickly looked away, the teasing comments of their companions probably making the situation only worse.

Babey (the small blue sunshine who listened to you despite not understanding a word) quickly took the first banana out of your bunch und munched it, grinning and teasing and necking, the others quickly followed suit, leaving exactly one banana for Cook, who still hadn’t moved or even stopped blushing. Was it even healthy to blush for such a long time?

You were unsure why their companions reacted the way they did or what was so damn funny about it, but you were going to give your best shot at giving that kindness they all showed despite not understanding you and being total strangers.

Standing up, you grabbed the last banana and carefully made your way over to Cook. Smiling, you cleared your throat to get their attention. Wide blue eyes on still tomato red background caused your smile to widen. And then, still smiling kindly you held the banana out for Cook to take.

For a moment Cook glanced from the offered banana to you, back to the banana, to the group watching the exchange and then back to the offered banana and then, carefully, they took the banana. A slight smile made it upon their lips and then they looked at you and said: “Ha hy.”

It was sincere and real, and it didn’t need a translation. Feeling warm you answered in kind: “You’re welcome.”

And it was in that moment that you, surrounded by all of them knew: Dream or no dream, if all of them were just like that - and from what you had seen so far they were - you would find a way to drag them into your home and make your parents adopt them. They deserved all the love and the hugs in the world and this world was apparently simply too cruel to give it to them.

If you would ever get your hands on the one responsible you would beat the sh*t out of them, legality be damned. Nor the fact that this was just a dream.