Xenice sits across from Xen politely, anticipating anything that could happen. The Chinese restaurant is tight and narrow but crowded with bodies radiating heat. She has never been pressed so close to so many humans. The air feels thick, viscous, coating her skin with an oily residue that reminds her of the lubricant Mizi uses on its propeller gears, yet warmer. More alive. It clings to her nasal membranes, heavy and insistent.
Xen is too busy studying the food menu to focus on her, letting his stomach decide. Xenice stays patient. Not having Mizi around for the first time in a while makes her feel lonely again, untethered. But she glances at the six bags roughly settled next to Xen. He got those for her. Something about that makes her feel warm inside, a sensation unrelated to the restaurant's humidity. He is going out of his way for her, which no one has ever done for Xenice before.
A server approaches, holding a small notepad and a glass cylinder filled with dark liquid. Tea. Xenice watches the liquid cling to the glass walls, viscous and staining, as the server sets it down. It looks like hydraulic fluid but smells… sharp. Volatile. Like ozone before a plasma storm, yet it triggers something in her saliva glands. Her mouth floods with moisture. Strange. Her nutrient reserves are full. Why does her body prepare to consume?
Xen chats with the server while pointing at the menu. Xenice listens carefully. He mentions words that fail in her built in translation. Dumplings? Fried rice? Chicken? She understands the sounds as "matter to be thermally degraded" but not why Xen desires this chemical breakdown.
After ordering, the server leaves small items on their table.
Xenice feels the pressure of the crowd pressing in, the clatter of metal against ceramic vibrating through the table legs into her bones. She does not know what to do with her hands. The oily air is coating her throat now, making it hard to access her voice.
She pleads with a sad pouting expression, "Xen… Help me."
"Ah, sorry."
Xen holds a thin material.
"This is a napkin. We use it to clean our mouth and hands after eating."
Xenice immediately wipes her clean face with it.
"Not now, Xenice. After we eat."
She places the napkin down, cheeks flushing.
Xen holds a metal tool.
"This is a spoon. We will use it to eat our food later."
Xenice observes it. A miniature shovel. Scooping matter into an orifice. How strangely inefficient compared to nutrient absorption. Yet the weight of it in her hand feels solid. Real.
Xen holds a wooden stick. He snaps it perfectly in half.
"This is a pair of chopsticks. I will show you how to use them later."
Xenice picks up her unsnapped chopsticks. She peeks at Xen, seeking his permission.
"Go ahead and try."
She replays her vision of him snapping the chopsticks, studying the exact angle of his wrists and the precise pressure of his fingers against the wood. Then she tries to replicate his movements. Snap. The wood splits cleanly, fibers separating under her fingers.
"That was fun," she says, showing him the result. "Chopsticks are fun."
The same waiter walks over again but this time holding a circular object. The waiter places the dish on the middle of the table.
"Your dumplings are here first, please enjoy!"
The warm substance on the glossy disk must be the dumplings. It smelled similar to the whole scent of the restaurant. Xen grabs his chopsticks and holds it in a unique way that Xenice has never seen before. He effortlessly picks up one of the dumplings and drops it in his mouth. Xenice remains heedful while watching Xen munch on the dumplings.
"Mm! Delicious," Xen muffles as he grabs another with his chopsticks. "Go for it, Xenice."
She picks up her chopsticks with both her hands. She replays Xen's method of holding the chopsticks. Still unsure.
"You can use your hands if you want."
"Okay."
She carefully picks up the dumpling, worried it might randomly explode. It has a rough texture. She analyzes it first. Barely any nutrients. Filled with calories. Nothing compared to what she is familiar with. She is more used to consuming tasteless paste that contains enough nutrients to last a week.
Xen gets worried. "Is it edible?"
"I cannot last very long with just this. I am concerned."
Xen is unaware what she meant. "Uhm… same. So I got more food, do not worry."
Xenice reluctantly bites the dumpling.
Instant ecstasy.
She jolts up. Intense sparkles ignite in her eyes.
"MMF!!! WHAT IS THIS FOOD, XEN!!! IT IS… IT IS…"
Xen, startled by her reaction, answers, "Delicious…?"
"YES!!! THAT IS THE WORD!!! DELICIOUS!!!"
The whole restaurant notices. Including the chef from the back.
He shouts, "Ahaha… Is my cooking that delicious, young lady?" He smiles bright, giving her a thumbs up.
She returns the gesture. "Yes!!!"
She sits back down and gobbles the rest. Grabs multiple at once with her hands. Stuffs them in her mouth, childish and desperate. Xen barely manages to grab a few before the glutton in front of him takes them all.
✮⋆ ̇
Xenice stares down at the empty dish, hoping more dumplings might materialize. Xen rests his chin on his hand, staring at the same dish for different reasons. They were just dumplings. Why did she overreact like that?
"Hey, Xenice?"
She startles. "Y-yes…?"
"What do you usually eat?"
"Uhm… We do not usually eat. We consume nutrients that help us last around a week."
She pulls out a familiar item. It looks like a toothpaste tube. Xen can only assume her "nutrients" are some stale paste like substance.
"So… no food? Just that?"
"No food. We never needed food. This is enough."
She cannot hold it much longer. She looks at him with eager eyes.
"Uhm… Dumplings…"
He stutters. Manages an awkward smile. "That was all we ordered. Do not worry though, we got more food coming."
"Okay."
She is unsure what "order" means. For now, she assumes there will be no more dumplings.
The proud chef storms to their table.
"Here is your fried rice and orange chicken!!!"
He places two bigger dishes in front of them. She drools, imagining the tastes. But something else catches her attention. The chef still holds one more dish. A familiar scent.
"And for you, beautiful lady, another side of dumplings on the house!!!"
He shouts like an announcement for the whole restaurant. She gasps gleefully over the glistening dumplings finally before her.
She shows him a thumbs up. "Thank you!!! Thank you!!!"
"Hahaha! Enjoy!"
The chef stomps back to his kitchen with pride.
Xen takes his spoon to scoop rice and chicken onto his plate. Beside him, Xenice juggles hot dumplings, stuffing them into her mouth with both hands. An alien girl eating dumplings. What a strange experience.
Xen has so many questions, but he knows not to interrupt this moment. It is the first time he has seen her smile without self consciousness. She has completely relaxed her guard.
He takes a bite of orange chicken, grains of fried rice sticking to it. Mm. Just as he remembers. Tangy, greasy, addicting. One bite turns to two. He grabs the sriracha from the table and squirts a generous amount onto his plate.
"Hey Xenice. You should try this too. It is also delicious."
She pouts at her two remaining dumplings, sets them down, and takes her spoon. She scoops rice and chicken onto her plate the way he did, then peeks at him for instructions. She had not paid attention earlier because dumplings were more important. Xen scoops rice into his mouth to demonstrate.
She repeats his movements, scooping up the rice.
Instant ecstasy.
It tastes just as delicious but so different from the dumplings. The dumplings were crispy, the insides so juicy with infused oil. But the rice. The textures are just so different. She could feel every grain of rice in her mouth trying their best not to get bitten. The strange captivating taste of the chicken has her instantly hooked.
What is this?
She tries to study the chemistry behind this mind blowing gem on her plate. Xen could read it on her face. She is trying her best not to scream out loud.
"Is it good?"
"Xen. I... I... More than good. What can I say when it is more than good?"
"How about 'delicious'?"
"Delicious... This is delicious. The fried rice, orange chicken, and dumplings... they are all delicious. Is every food like this on Earth?"
"Yeah. I would say most foods are delicious. Some are more delicious than others. Preference."
"Preference."
"Yeah. Out of the three, what do you like better?"
She looks at them, debating what she thinks is more delicious.
"It is hard to choose but... dumplings. They are all good."
"Really? I like fried rice more. They taste the best here."
"They do taste good. I love it."
Xen smiles.
"Please enjoy your meal."
✮⋆ ̇
Xen walks ahead, still holding onto the five bags of new clothes. Xenice is trudging behind him, one heavy step at a time, her hand pressed against her stomach.
Xenice whimpers, "Full… full… full…"
A new word she learns from Xen after finishing her meal as well as another plate of dumplings she begged Xen for.
"Yes, Xenice. Full. I told you that you will be 'full' after eating even more dumplings."
"But I can usually consume a week's worth of nutrients."
"Not Earth's food. We eat only enough to last us half a day."
"Hmph. Inefficient. So inefficient."
"So be it."
Xenice has experienced too many new things today. Everything felt strange and unknown. Yet it feels like true exploration. Something she has craved her entire life without realizing it. Besides the discomfort of being full, of course. But even that discomfort feels like discovery. She enjoyed everything.
"Hold on tight, Xenice. We're almost home."
Home. She wonders if she can call his personal area her home. Then she starts thinking about her actual home. Her teammates. Her commander. Her missions. She remembers the tablet showing only her name still ongoing on the mission. How she was always the last one to complete it. Even there, she did not feel like she belonged.
She looks back. The Chinese restaurant is now far behind them, just glowing windows in the distance. She remembers the way the chef smiled at her. Heartwarming. She then remembers her commander and the hug he gave her. Heartwarming as well. However, neither felt like home.
She looks forward at Xen in front of her, carrying bags meant for her. Her Earth's Guide. No one besides Mizi has ever willingly asked her to go on an adventure. She does not feel alone thanks to him. He is the only one she can rely on in this strange unknown world. She is too scared to lose him. She does not want to.
She creeps closer. Her fingers find the fabric of his shirt. She clutches it tightly and does not let go.
Xen stops walking. He looks down at her hand gripping his shirt, then back at her face.
"X-Xenice...? Are you okay?"
"May I hold onto you?"
"S-sure."
He continues walking, slower now. She stays attached to his shirt the entire way home, her fist balled in the material. Xen walks the rest of the way in a state of quiet panic, wondering what has caused her to cling to him so tightly, and his heart beats faster.