Dnrtn
My species was patient. It was a skill we had developed on our home planet. The high temperatures meant we had to limit our predation, to think about our movements and ambushes before we made them, to ensure we weren't needlessly wasting energy on repeated failed attempts. It was what made us so easy to get along with when the others had arrived on our home world. We had waited, and listened, and watched the newcomers and then thought to the Great Mountain about their motives and came to the conclusion they were genuine.
But still, it was a trait all of us jyngt had, and I was just the same as the rest. We waited, we watched, and we thought our words and actions through. We always had and I was fairly certain we always would, even in the fast paced world we currently lived in. And through the hours in her company, I felt that the little human named Rock-sea was genuine.
I had been excited for the first contact, we all had been, I was excited us Jygnt could finally share food with another species and enjoyed her EDM music but I had held my own counsel, reserving myself slightly to watch and learn from her, to see how she was and how much we could trust her.
She was a genuine person. I truly believed, through my observations, that she was excited to meet us, genuine in her want of friendship, and her motives were pure. Well as far as motives could be when one was thrust into a situation there was no preparation for. Still, she seemed to have no hidden agendas, no dangerous undercurrents to her presentation, there was no facade. I was fairly certain that what we saw was the actual person she was. It was nice to see and a bit relieving. I had not wanted to find something untoward that would mean a stop to the budding friendships that I knew were being created in her company.
Us on the council had been forced into close proximity, it was the basics of the job as Ambassador, but we had also been chosen based on how well we could work together. All of us, in some way or another, had things in common. We created friendships and bonds to ensure we worked well together and to show the planets we oversaw that despite our differences, we could all be friends. Sure there were moments when some arguments happened and feelings were hurt or someone got offended, such was life, but we all worked together very well.
I knew the older Ambassadors, the ones who had to step down, still kept in contact with those they had worked on the council with who remained and others who had left. We did our best to showcase why the Galactic Union was the best way to live, that we were worth more, we were better, together than we were apart. So that was why I was fairly certain that our newest little species, our human Rock-sea, would more than likely be appointed as Ambassador to her species.
Once I had determined her to be genuine, I had a feeling that would be what would come next after the excitement and the deluge of information slowed down. She would be offered a seat on the Council and I hoped it was with us on Torin but it was too soon to tell. The Supreme Council had not contacted us yet and there was no doubt in my mind that they had been informed. It would be up to them, and to her, to determine what her place would be in this budding relationship between our species. No doubt they would want more contact with her planet, to talk to others as well to determine the steps they would take to bring the humans into the Galactic Union.
"Did you bring some food?" Rock-sea's voice pitched upwards in what I assumed was excitement and I gave her a slow nod. I had went out and gathered take out from all of our favourite restaurants, knowing that we would be pulling late hours while Rock-sea was with us. Not that I begrudged her for that, I enjoyed the slight change of pace that our Council had taken.
"I have brought food for everyone. I knew I would not be able to pull anyone away from their current objects of interest to arrange a trip to a restaurant so I made the choice to bring food to them instead." I carefully set the bags of take out on the large lunchroom table. We had moved into the large lounge room after Mairaede had connected to Rock-sea's computer and had managed to get a conversion kit to translate her data into usable data for ourselves.
"You did not have to do that, Dnrtn." Lyrs looked at me from where she was sitting next to her partner, Hynt, typing away on her own portable terminal, clearly categorizing the data that had been pulled from Rock-sea's data stores.
"I was unsure of when Rock-sea had eaten last and it has been a long time since her ship landed." I bowed my head in her direction, giving a small smile. We jygnt were not ones to usually smile but there were enough other species that did so that we had adopted the practice.
"Actually, I'm starving!" She pushed back from her place next to Mairaede and moved around the table to stand beside me. "I got so excited I pushed my hunger off to the side and whatever you have smells new, interesting, and also amazing." She smiled up at me and I bowed my head at her again as I carefully pulled out the containers.
Lyrs gave me a toothy grin, "Did you get me-"
"Kyrass soup, with half gynt root and half tarku." I moved the two containers of her favourite soup off to the side. I knew Hynt would eat what she wanted, such was the way of bonded partners on Hygarm. Especially with Lyrs in her moon birth cycle. She was craving the soup and that meant Hynt would order double orders so she could eat his if she wished for more.
"Perfect." Hynt came over and took the two bowls of soup and returned to his mate's side.
Mairaede waved her hand, barely looking at me. "I did not-"
"I got you crushed water spryke with carnage flower syrup and sprinkled with Ga'ty'vot tree seeds. Chilled to your preferred temperature." I lifted the bowl with leafy blues in it that were coated in the green syrup. Rock-sea took the bowl from me with a smile and carried it over to Mairaede who slumped slightly in defeat but nodded and then gave thanks to us both.
"Did you get me my pog'tin hocks?" Gal'rug came over, looking over my shoulder and I lifted a full bag for him. He took it with an elbow knock to my arm that I nodded my acknowledgement of.
"I also got you your fresh, A'gyt'to'vokta'lar'yn beetles." I looked to the K'gtar Ambassador and he bowed his head at me as I slid the box over to him.
"Beetles?" Rock-sea looked a little pale as she said it and A'tkat'vo nodded his head.
"Common food dish for my people. Most of our food is insect based and this is a treat to have fresh but it is not uncommon to find across the Galactic Union as the beetles are easy to raise." He picked up his box and moved for the door.
"You don't have to leave. I didn't mean to offend you!" Rock-sea looked stricken at the thought and A'tkat'vo paused, his head tilting. I found myself chuffing slightly in amusement. I had never seen my friend look so shocked before.
"I am not offended, Raw'si." The click in her name had almost gentled and I nodded at the soft tone he took. He was shocked at her concern but was happy for it. "My people only eat alone or, if we must, in the presence of brood mates. Eating is not social for us. I will return later, there is much data to go over." With another click of his mandibles he left the room and Rock-sea still looked troubled.
"You did not offend him." I said it slowly and she looked up at me. "The k'gtar do not eat in front of others. It makes them uncomfortable and in some cases distresses them enough they will moult. He was happy you cared though." I could only imagine how pleased he was that she worried for him. The biggest showing of affection and camaraderie a k'gtar could give was being worried, it more than likely let him know that she was accepting him despite how different he looked.
"Oh, okay. That's good to know." She nodded and I carefully pulled out the various small containers I had gotten from my favourite eatery. I had talked to Bav'ka about which one of my people's dishes would affect Rock-sea the least. I did not wish to give her a stomach ache and Bav'ka had laughed at me and let me know that if she paced herself nothing would distress Rock-sea because she 'had the stomach strength of a winged horror' but to perhaps not feed her the foods daily.
"I brought you some samples of various foods from my planet. I knew I could not take you out to an eatery so I hope this works." At my words she nodded quickly and pulled out a chair, sitting on it as she adjusted some of the containers in front of her. I phased out my holding bag and then sat beside her. "I hope you enjoy it." I grabbed a container and cracked the lid and the smell of roasted ktytyn wafted out and I hummed my enjoyment. "This is roasted ktytyn. It is a staple on my planet." I gently pushed the bowl towards her, watching intently.
"Before I eat anything. What is considered rude table manners?" She looked at me, glancing between the container and me, her stomach grumbling it's hunger.
I gave a small hum, "Do not eat with your feet on the table and do not spit on the floor." Those were the main rules, not that the feet one matter much with a table. That was more when we ate around the pots at home. The table was a low platform and to put your feet too close was considered rude and ill mannered. Plus the spitting was just bad form all around.
"Sensible manners." She nodded at that, her strange hair swaying slightly. I had to agree with Mairaede, it looked so lifeless in how it moved. Then again it was similar to the grog's hair, if a lot thinner.
"And yours?" I looked at her and she grinned up at me.
"Don't put your feet on the table and don't spit on the floor. Also no double dipping." She nodded firmly at that and I paused, wondering what that meant before she chuckled. "Double dipping is if you have sauces or dips, don't dip, then take a bite and then dip again. Also if you put your fingers in your mouth, don't reach into the communal bowl and grab more." At the explanation I nodded. That was more than fair, although us jygnt didn't eat with our fingers in most company. Just with other jygnt because it was seen as rude to others like the Ilthi, hant, and krent.
"I heard you brought food!" Lorilyee called it out and I shifted in my spot, lifting the rather hefty container I had picked up for her.
"A full roast tarku for you." I held it out and she bounced over, her wings fluttering rapidly.
"Perfect! I will take this back to the other room." She grabbed the large container from my hands, giving me a sharp smile. "Your engine is fascinating!" She breathed it out at Rock-sea before with a flutter of her wings she was gone.
"Here." I held out a fork for Rock-sea and she took it with thanks before looking at the container of roasted ktytyn. I gestured her to go ahead. "By the Great Mountain, silence that angry rumbling in your stomach before it shakes the whole of Torin." I gave her a smile and she chuckled before stabbing one of the roots. She took a bite and I watched her intently, wanting to see what she thought. This was a very first for any jygnt, seeing another species eat our food.
She chewed, her expression hard to read before she paused and looked at the root on her fork. "That tastes like beef but it's a vegetable isn't it?" She glanced at me and I nodded.
"It is a root. Do you like it?" I wanted her to like it, it would be nice to have another species be able to dine with the jygnt.
"Well after I got over the shock of it tasting like beef, it's rather good. The texture takes a bit to get used to because it's a bit gritty but it's definitely not bad." She finished off what was on her fork and I chuffed, happy she enjoyed it.
"Here. This is tngny. A type of herbivore on Jy." I opened the container and slid it over to her. "It has been stewed and spiced to perfection." It was one of my favourite meals. It made me think of the great mountain and home
She speared a chunk of the meat and ate it before her eyes went wide and she coughed. "Ho shit that's spicy." She waved her hand in front of her mouth, her face turning red.
"Are you alright?" I felt a little alarmed as she gave another cough but waved me off as she blew out a breath waving her hand in her face with an almost pained look.
"That's fucking spicy. Like holy shit." She coughed again, patting her chest and I realized the issue and quickly grabbed the container of ymrt.
"Here! Have some, quickly!" I held out the white paste, tucking a spoon into it and she quickly took a spoonful. I watched carefully, feeling a bit upset at her reaction and how I did not realize it might have been a bit more spice than she was used to.
She swallowed before wiping at her eyes and giving a laugh. "Jesus we need to get some of that spice back on earth." She grinned at me. "Don't look so upset, Dunnerton. I'm usually not so much of a wimp with spice but that was like a kick to the teeth." She gestured to the tngny. "That is actually really tasty but I would need it taken back about six notches before I could eat it." At the words I felt a bit better and I set the container of ymrt on the table. "What was that?"
"Oh, it is ymrt, milk of the Great Mountain. It's made out of milk sap from the same plant we get our spices from." I glanced at her and she was nodding as she looked over the other containers. "I take it you will not want more?" I gestured to the tngny and she nodded so I slid the container back over to my side before sliding another over to her as I took off the lid. "Salted and smoked ryn-bk." I watched as she picked up her fork and took a thin slice before taking a bite.
"Bacon!" She nearly squealed as she quickly ate the rest. "That's exactly like bacon!" She grinned at me and I smiled back, happy she liked it.
"You have a food like that?" I gestured to it and she took another slice and nodded quickly.
"It's made from an animal's, we call a pig, belly and we brine it in like this salt water for days and then smoke it. Then, after it's sliced you fry it and honestly it's delicious." She ate the second slice quickly before grabbing another one.
"We brine and smoke lots of our meat as well!" I was so pleased to hear that. The grog smoked a lot of their meats but they didn't use brine like we did. So having someone that liked to use the brineing process was amazing.
"I do not know how you can handle that. Sodium is so... angry and bitter in your mouth." Mairaede made a slight face as she ate her salad. She wrinkled her nose slightly and Rock-sea waved her off.
"You're seriously missing out. Fry some eggs and some potatoes and you have yourself a breakfast of champions." She wiggled slightly in her spot as she grabbed another slice. "I haven't had non-space faring food in over a month. This is great!" I was happy she was enjoying the food. This was going far better than I thought, minus my misjudgment on the spice level on the tngny.
"Try some of the ryn-bk cyn." I opened the right container and set it in front of her and she took a small cube from it and ate it.
"That's ham." She smiled as she took another piece. "Only thing that would make it better is some apple sauce to dip it in."
"And this. It is roasted gynt wrapped in water spryke." I opened another container and she took one of the rolls and bit into it.
She chewed it for a moment before nodding. "That is like a cabbage roll. Ten out of ten." She blinked a single eye at me as she held up her hand in a strange formation, her thumb and her one finger making a circle and the other three fingers standing straight up. I shook it off before offering her some more dishes and each one she seemed to enjoy, except for the pshnty, which I did not blame her for, it was a very acquired taste.
"Honestly, your food is great. I definitely have a metallic aftertaste but nothing serious. Just like if I ate some liver back on earth." She patted her stomach and I chuffed my enjoyment at her. I was happy she liked my people's foods, that meant more humans would be able to share our cuisine and they could even share theirs with us. With the exception of the poisonous ones that I still had a hard time believing she would eat.
"What is an apple?" I asked it as she took another small chunk of ryn-bk cyn and ate it before pushing the container away, muttering about how she couldn't eat another bite or she would explode.
"It's a fruit that grows on a tree. You have different varieties, some can be super sweet and others can be sour." She said it evenly and moved her shoulders as if unbothered.
Lyrs grunted slightly. "It is a fruit that contains cyanide." At the words I immediately stared at Rock-sea in horror.
"You would want to eat ryn-bk cyn with cyanide?" I could fathom how she could eat that but not the spicy tngny.
"The seeds contain a cyanide compound, not the fruit." Rock-sea stressed the word. "We don't go around eating the seeds, we eat the flesh they are inside." She waved the words away, completely unbothered.
"That is still too close to poison, what if you accidentally eat one?" I was slightly horrified at the thought.
"It won't kill a human. You have to eat a lot to get poisoned." She sounded a bit defensive but I couldn't help it. Humans seemed to actively eat poison and that was something that would take a bit to get used to.
"How utterly horrifying." I shook my head as I said it. She couldn't handle the spice of the stew but could eat tiny bits of poison with no ill effects.
"I just watched you both eat enough sodium that it would melt a hole in my stomach, you do not get to say it is horrifying." Mairaede said it with a bit of a huff. "Just be glad she can eat your food rather than be upset she wants to spice it up with some cyanide." She muttered it out and Rock-sea chuckled at the words, shaking her head.
"Seriously. It's not a big deal." She looked up at me and I had to nod, trying hard to hide my horror at the thought of just what types of food she ate on her own planet. Bav'ka had warned us but to actually hear her want to add some poison, as a spice, was hard to wrap my head around.
She might be genuine, but at the same time, she was just a tiny bit terrifying.
I glanced at her as she reached over and snagged another strip of ryn-bk, muttering about how her poisonous fruit was not that poisonous.
Only just a little.