Admiral's Honor [ThrawnXReader][Arranged Marriage]

Chapter 23

Author's note: LOL, And now watch me pull even more Chiss culture out of my a$$.

"Would you like something to eat?" Thrawn asked you offering you his hand. 

"Sure." you said with a slight nod. You took his hand and unfolded your legs, Thrawn giving a slight tug to help you to your feet. He let go of your hand offered you his arm again, and walked towards the door of his quarters, stiff as always. It opened and he stepped through, you following behind him. The two of you walked towards the turbo-lift that was nearby, went down a few levels, and finally walked into the Officers Mess Hall. 

There were only a few other officers in the room, It must be somewhere about mid-shift right now, not really a high traffic time for the mess halls. The few who were there, moved to jump to attention, but Thrawn, or you supposed, the Admiral, barked a quick "At ease." and they all slid back into their seats. You released his arm as you approached the food bar, and after the two of you had made a few selections and gotten your drinks you moved to one of the empty tables. 

"So is the food here anything like the food on Csilla?" you asked him before taking a bite of food.

"It is not all that different I suppose. Csilla is covered in ice and my people had to adapt to survive the climate. Our more traditional meals almost always contain meat, and usually a source of carbohydrates. The digestion of those foods increases the metabolism, which in turn heats the body, providing an extra source of warmth."

"Is it usually spicy, or more bland?" you asked, surprised at the length of his answer. He finished swallowing his next bite before answering. 

"It depends on the dish, but in my experience there does tend to be more spices in the food. Although I believe that has less to do with tradition and more to do with taste."

"What do you mean by that?" you asked, then took a bite waiting for his answer.

"Well when the climate changed on Csilla, my people had yet to learn the art of space travel. We were driven underground for adequate shelter, and there was not much opportunity to grow any spices that we may have had. It wasn't until we were able to start colonizing other worlds that our taste for spices really became apparent."

"Cool." you said with a smile. "So do you like spicy food? Or do you prefer yours more plain?"

"I would not say that I enjoy the flavor of some of the more 'hot' spices, but I would rather a bit more flavor than most of your dishes contain."

You hummed, "I'll keep that in mind." 

Thrawn seemed at a loss for words for a moment, and then he returned your question, but it came out, sounding a little disjointed. "Do you... like.. spicy foods?"

You smirked, understanding his dilemma. "You only asked that to be nice. You probably already know the answer." 

His shoulders seemed to sag a bit in relief. "I do. You don't." 

"You're right. But out of curiosity, how did you come to that conclusion?" you asked, taking a quick drink of your flavored water.

"You grew up on Naboo. And you lived on the streets. You probably had to forage for your food or eat whatever was available to you. And while Naboo does boast some rather decadent spices, you would not have had easy access to them. And since beings tend to grow up enjoying only those things that they are exposed to at a young age, It stands to reason that you do still prefer your food without the heat of extra spice."

You grimaced at his blunt description of your life, but shrugged it off. "Makes sense to me."

The two of you ate in silence for a few moments before Thrawn spoke again. "Is there anything else you would like to know about me, or my people? Usually I would not give this information out, but since we agreed to make some effort, and our purpose today is to get to know one another better, I am inclined to be more open."

You scrunched your nose a bit in thought. "There is one thing I guess I was wondering about." Thrawn nodded for you to continue. "You said the Chiss are pretty much required to make a marriage work, but what is a Chiss wedding normally like?" 

Thrawn's eyebrows raised in appreciation, honestly he had expected you to ask him more questions along the lines of what his favorite color was. But he prepared to answer you all the same. "Ceremonies aren't usually very big affairs. Some family officials will attend, from both sides. They are the ones who do most of the official work, like signing as the witness to contracts and such things. Usually there will also be several close family members in attendance as well, and is some cases close friends but that is not quite as common. There is a short ceremony where the person joining the family is given something symbolic in that families color, and their hands are tied with a ribbon of the same color. Promises are exchanged, and then it is over."

"Hmmm." you nodded, pausing. Then you sent him a wry smile, "Unfortunately ours is gonna be really big."

Author's note: And here is chapter 23, done by tonight as promised :D keep commenting Ya'll, I'm on a dopamine high right now because of you guys and I'm loving it!