The Penumbra Paradox - ONC 2023

Chapter-5, Over a poorman's stew.

The supper was served in a large cave which served as the tribe's community hall. A flat earthen vessel was handed to all members, each one waiting patiently until their turn came to receive the bowl of food.

The food as such was simple, a stew of some kind containing a lots of leafy greens and flour with some bits of pulled meat. Benji squeezed the meat and examined every bit of the stew. He smelled it, earning some death stares from surrounding tribesmen.

The shadow girl sat right across them, occasionally scowling at them. She sat with a cautious demeanor, like she would attack anybody any moment now, slurping the gruel.

Arya squirmed in her place, though the food tasted heavenly on their hungry mouths. "That girl makes me uncomfortable. I don't know what's with her?"

"Relax." Benji checked over his shoulder to find Oja's face in the crowd. "Even if you think it's odd, don't show it. Got to get along, remember?"

"Uh huh." Arya nodded.

The tribe was a little okay to let AVAH be around them now, after spending some time with her holographic self. The children especially, found her rather fascinating. They would poke at her blue projection, but she would react as if she had been really poked.

"The meat's composition is suggestive of a reptile's musculoskeletal system, the results show 92.57 percentage similarity with a Elm's desert lizard." AVAH's analysis of the meal was read into Arya's ear piece.

Arya's eyes balled out. The meat seemed to get stuck midway in her throat. "A lizard?"

"A what?" Benji turned his head slightly, his hand animatedly paused with a chunk of pulled meat on an earthen spoon.

"The meat, it's Elm's poison lizard and the greens, well they are a mixture of cactus and microgreens from the garden." Arya honestly updated AVAH's report to Benji.

"Hmm." Benji shrugged his shoulders indifferently and slurped the stew in. "At the least, it's not human meat. All my doubts have been clarified by AVAH. I'm gonna get another serving, do you want some?"

"Nope." Arya set her platter aside and wiped her mouth clean. Her appetite had long gone.

The shadow girl's eyes shifted slightly to Benji as he woke up, but immediately came back to focus on Arya again.

In a couple of minutes, Oja walked back with Benji. "I hope the poorman's stew is not too unappealing for your city-mouths. Trust me, the taste really needs a bit of adaptation to find it pleasant."

"I'm happy and full." Benji acknowledged showing his second filling of the bowl. Whereas Arya pushed a smile.

AVAH buzzed back to Arya's location and hovered at just a meter's distance from her. Oja cocked her head studying the bizarre orb. "I guess your authority is eager to study all about us. To get into our tribe itself is certainly an achievement for your authority, isn't it?"

Arya could feel the flushing on her cheeks and temples. This woman was obviously clever, gritty and cautious. There was no fooling around with her, not a chance.

"It sure is an achievement, but also an apportunity for me -us, and for you too." Arya began with her clumsy, diplomatic speech.

"Tell me, girl. What is that you bring new to my tribe? Give me one reason, to not kill you both?"

"The same reason, for which you didn't kill us on our arrival." Arya stood up. The atmosphere surrounding had grown awkwardly silent.

It was comical when Benji's slurp and some random desert insect screeching were the only sounds that emanated across the cave.

Elderly women had started gathering up the children and leading them to their sleeping chambers of the mudhouses inside. There were only handful of important people surrounding them now.

The shadow girl stood up backing Oja. Syf, the burly man with crossbow seconded her. It was a stand off. Arya and Benji were locked in.

"Warning - Noticing stress hormone surge in Oja, imminent danger detected, Arya. Activating stealth mode according to protocols." AVAH retreated away to some dim lit pocket where they couldn't see her anymore.

"Our nano clay doesn't seem to be working. We have tried a hundred other formulas, the one we deemed would work has showed unsatisfactory results. Am I allowed to collect the silt from the canals of your hydroponic garden?"

"You could. But the valley here is a little fertile than elsewhere. Less polluted. Harsh, yes, but not sterile. I don't see the point." Oja blatantly rejected the request.

"There is a point. All I'm asking is for you to let me collect a sample of silt. We could reformulate it, this could save us from starvation."

Oja mulled the thought over, confusion lacing her stern facade of an expression.
"Okay."

Whispers and hushes started growing within the tribesmen. Arya could gauge that they were not okay with Oja's decision. There it was, more than apparent that there was indeed some sort of tension within the tribe. She could see how subtly, yet openly Oja had to face these challenges of disagreement from the important tribesman.

Finally an old, crackling voice spoke. "The garden is sacred. You cannot let a stranger touch its water or soil. Joshin -the saint, be my witness."

After saying that the old man drew a circle on his chest with his index and touched his forehead with the same hand.

Some religious gesture, Arya and Benji fathomed. There was more than one factor at play for the survival of this tribe.

Oja reciprocated the same religious gesture and went ahead to speak. "While I'm aware of Saint Joshin's precept and don't intend to question it, pastor, I also understand that the basis of Zoramaic way nowhere forbids me from helping humanity fight against starvation."

The oldman grunted, almost opened his mouth to debate with her. But shut his mouth for reasons unknown. He held his worn out buckles on his trousers and sighed after nodding to Oja in agreement.

Oja returned her gaze back to Arya. "What's my end of the bargain in this?"

Benji came forward, "we...I mean the government is happy to provide education under the scheme of Augmented Education Program to some of your children. Also, we could supply you with clothes, medicines, sanitary products, regular health check ups..."

"What medicines?" Oja impatiently cut Benji off of his words.

"Flu medicines... You know for fever, pain? Hah! And antibiotics and numbing agents for safe conduct of deliveries of babies as well." Benji smiled, a little bit
of pride pooling at the corners of his lips.

"I don't need any of them."

Arya bit her lip, now was the chance to either negotiate or die. She mustered up the courage to finally go with the flow. "Ask."

"Excuse me." Oja wondered, her thick brows frowning.

"What is that you need from us, you could just ask for it? May be we can help each other out?"

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Wc- 1110