Upon seeing the local selection of food outlets, Sarena had a lost and underwhelmed look, until taking a second glance and spotting something she liked. "Oh... skewers. Skewers are good." She made a beeline for the 'Meat On A Stick' shop, a franchise also known for selling meat that was not on a stick, despite its name.
Zoia had barely a moment to react to the girl running to the shop, being left confused. After blinking a few times, she sighed, walking over to take a look at what was being offered. When she got there, she eyed the various meats, scowling a little at how 'brilliantly' cooked it all was. Waste...
She looked at the man running the shop, pointing at the various things. "Uhm... I'm sure people love your food tremendously... But would it be possible for me to get something... Not... Cooked..." She asked.
With a garbled sound much unlike a dog sneezing, the man looked around his wares and back to the Vekimen and said, "I can do raw this, raw that, what is it you want?"
"Something from an animal. Or a person. I'm really not picky as to where my food comes from" She explained, leaning over a little to examine the various foods.
"Anything goes for you," he said to Zoia, "good. I'll give you what we've got for a fair price." Directing his attention to the Nepleslian next to Zoia, he asked after another fit of spastic sounds, "You?"
Sarena looked at Zoia incredulously, sighed inwardly halfway to the point of collapse, then managed to squeak out, "Two orders of skewers, please. One chicken, one beef." She drew out her wallet to complete the order. It was almost an effort to retain her appetite, but man could not live on melons alone.
The man became more pleasant and affable upon seeing the wallet open, and brought out two serving trays and numbered stands with an air of hospitality he had not yet shown. He exchanged the money with her politely, and then handed her the tray and stand, looking to Zoia to do the same as her companion had done.
Zoia looked at herself, and then realized a critical mistake. She wasn't wearing her uniform. Thus, no Datapad. Or money. Or anything. She looked at Sarena with an odd frown like look. "Oh dear" She muttered, slapping her hips as if she had pockets in her skin. "The critical issue of coming from a race that doesn't have physical objects, currency, or clothes for that matter. Can I pay you back when we get to the room?" She asked.
"It's only a few minutes away," Sarena complained. Her reluctance had more to do with a desire to avoid being complicit in the exchange. "Maybe you could get a bag to wear, too."
Running the shop was tiring and the man leaned on one elbow as he watched the conversation unfold.
"So you want me to go back to the school, get my stuff, to come back when you are done eating? My stuff is in the room, you watched me take it off" She huffed, crossing her arms. "I have all my things, I can give you exact worth without an issue. I'll... I'll buy you an apple, too, or... Or something..." She mumbled.
Sarena swallows hard and looks back and forth between Zoia and the cashier. "How much is... that?" She gave a wave toward Zoia's order number, though it was more like a gesture one might make to shoo a fly.
"That'll be 15 GS total, thank you," he said as he took the money, and began the easy task of taking the meat straight out of the wrapper for Zoia's meal, followed by the more painstaking one of preparing the raw chicken and beef over an open flame, on their skewers. Once grilled, he grunted an apology at the time it took for them to wait, and handed Sarena and Zoia their respective meals.
They sat down at a table with their orders, and Zoia looked at her food, playing with it. Her face carried a perplexed look as she tried to decipher exactly what she was supposed to do with it. "I... I think I can eat it without my oral bacteria..." She commented. "It is already cut nicely" She added, examining it.
"...Okay." Sarena was nonplussed, and unaware of the conundrum. She demonstrated the masticative abilities of her species by biting off the top quarter of one of her beef skewers, and chewing the meat with her mouth closed. Though, she wasn't sure how much this would impress the alien. "It's good," she commented with her mouth half full.
Zoia sighed. "I can't taste, but I will take your word for it" She said, looking at the skewer. Finally, she opened her muzzle, flashing her razor tooth filled mouth and clamped it down on the skewer with a sharp /snap/ as the wood broke.
Sarena did her best to ignore it, and keep chewing, looking well over Zoia's shoulder. After she swallowed, she still had a question, though. "If you can't taste food, how can you tell if it's cooked or not?"
"I can tell, because I have ey-gah!" She started, lurching as she choked on the skewer, her body making a horrid sound as she tried to reject the peice of wood that was trying to crawl down her throat.
"Maybe the... wood... isn't good to eat," Sarena hazarded. She wasn't about to stick her fingers in there, but remained sitting quietly while thinking thoughts of running to find the nurse/school principal.
Zoia finally reached her hands into her mouth, pulling the skewer out of her mouth, still with the chunks of meat. She dropped it back down on her plate with a scowl. "Well... I will try to remember that next time I have a piece of wood in my throat" She mumbled, sitting down with a pout.
Sarena didn't seem to have words for this. She pulled about a third of the remaining meat on her first skewer off the end with her teeth, and resumed chewing, and eyed Zoia worriedly.
Zoia looked at her food with a frown. "I think I will save this for later" She mumbled, closing up the container the food came in. "Would you like to go back to the room? I've suddenly grown bored of this place" She sighed, hugging the back of the chair.
Sarena swallowed and shook her head. "I'm here for the food... I'm going to stay here a while. This isn't really a meal, it's just a bunch of meat... I can get you a to-go box?"
"You are still eating? You just ate a ration worth of food!" She huffed, pointing at her 'bunch of meat,' the remaining five and a half skewers.
Sarena blinked in surprise, and took a moment to gather her thoughts. She also took the moment to tear some more meat off her skewer. "...I'm not on rations. And I eat about this much meat every day; I only had eggs this morning... maybe you don't need to eat as much."
Zoia's mouth worked slowly, her teeth clicking a little. "Is food really that abundant?" She asked.
Sarena remained silent for another moment... so, she finished the skewer. "It is until my allowance runs out... I'm not sure what I'll do then. I hope it's free, somewhere." Her voice grew even quieter than normal.
Zoia looked at the girl with a confused look. "Vekimen don't need to eat often... But we eat a lot. You sound like you eat pounds of food every day" She stated, looking a but annoyed. "I envy the fact some can get food whenever they want" She explained, an off smell starting to accumulate.
"Well, um... we have cities and farms." The conversation was getting too academic for Sarena's taste. "You're studying biology, right? I think that includes things like this." She wrinkled her nose.
Zoia rolled her eyes. "Yes... But as I said in the room. Classes haven't started yet, and I've been focused on your form of physics. There is stuff I need to translate with it" she said in an annoyed tone. "What's with the look?" She asked.
"I'm... I'm not the person to talk to about this. I know cyborgs don't eat much, and some need to eat special things. But some use food to power their weapons, so they need to eat more than I do. I don't know people." She was speaking quickly, but commenting on the odor seemed impolite.
"What... is with... The look" She asked, noticing how the girl seemed uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," Sarena said, bowing her head. "You smell bad."
Zoia blinked, looking at the girl before looking at herself. "Vekimen don't smell... Other than our breath, but I took my..." She started, before looking at the food. It seemed to be... Melting. "Oh... That would be the issue" She said, pointing at the skewer she almost killed herself on.
Sarena abruptly stands up, tripping over her chair and knocking it down. After a moment of indecision, she leaves it, picks up her food, and starts walking to another table, with better air, away from the disaster area, stiff-backed and stone-faced.
Zoia just blunk, sighing a little. She took it, paper plate and all, and dropped it into her muzzle with a bored look. She then stood up, walking over. Without opening her mouth, she was able to speak. "I need to go outside before I cause a biological hazard. My bacteria is growing in again" She said, her voice muffled. "Meet me out there?" She asked.
Sarena shook her head anxiously, she wanted to be more firm than she could manage. "I don't know, not now. Please, just go."
"I didn't mean now... But ok" She stated, turning and walking away. She wandered outside, sitting away from the entrance by a garden that was scarcely populated. She sat there... Alone... While her weakened bacteria made the long process of digesting everything in her mouth.
Zoia had barely a moment to react to the girl running to the shop, being left confused. After blinking a few times, she sighed, walking over to take a look at what was being offered. When she got there, she eyed the various meats, scowling a little at how 'brilliantly' cooked it all was. Waste...
She looked at the man running the shop, pointing at the various things. "Uhm... I'm sure people love your food tremendously... But would it be possible for me to get something... Not... Cooked..." She asked.
With a garbled sound much unlike a dog sneezing, the man looked around his wares and back to the Vekimen and said, "I can do raw this, raw that, what is it you want?"
"Something from an animal. Or a person. I'm really not picky as to where my food comes from" She explained, leaning over a little to examine the various foods.
"Anything goes for you," he said to Zoia, "good. I'll give you what we've got for a fair price." Directing his attention to the Nepleslian next to Zoia, he asked after another fit of spastic sounds, "You?"
Sarena looked at Zoia incredulously, sighed inwardly halfway to the point of collapse, then managed to squeak out, "Two orders of skewers, please. One chicken, one beef." She drew out her wallet to complete the order. It was almost an effort to retain her appetite, but man could not live on melons alone.
The man became more pleasant and affable upon seeing the wallet open, and brought out two serving trays and numbered stands with an air of hospitality he had not yet shown. He exchanged the money with her politely, and then handed her the tray and stand, looking to Zoia to do the same as her companion had done.
Zoia looked at herself, and then realized a critical mistake. She wasn't wearing her uniform. Thus, no Datapad. Or money. Or anything. She looked at Sarena with an odd frown like look. "Oh dear" She muttered, slapping her hips as if she had pockets in her skin. "The critical issue of coming from a race that doesn't have physical objects, currency, or clothes for that matter. Can I pay you back when we get to the room?" She asked.
"It's only a few minutes away," Sarena complained. Her reluctance had more to do with a desire to avoid being complicit in the exchange. "Maybe you could get a bag to wear, too."
Running the shop was tiring and the man leaned on one elbow as he watched the conversation unfold.
"So you want me to go back to the school, get my stuff, to come back when you are done eating? My stuff is in the room, you watched me take it off" She huffed, crossing her arms. "I have all my things, I can give you exact worth without an issue. I'll... I'll buy you an apple, too, or... Or something..." She mumbled.
Sarena swallows hard and looks back and forth between Zoia and the cashier. "How much is... that?" She gave a wave toward Zoia's order number, though it was more like a gesture one might make to shoo a fly.
"That'll be 15 GS total, thank you," he said as he took the money, and began the easy task of taking the meat straight out of the wrapper for Zoia's meal, followed by the more painstaking one of preparing the raw chicken and beef over an open flame, on their skewers. Once grilled, he grunted an apology at the time it took for them to wait, and handed Sarena and Zoia their respective meals.
They sat down at a table with their orders, and Zoia looked at her food, playing with it. Her face carried a perplexed look as she tried to decipher exactly what she was supposed to do with it. "I... I think I can eat it without my oral bacteria..." She commented. "It is already cut nicely" She added, examining it.
"...Okay." Sarena was nonplussed, and unaware of the conundrum. She demonstrated the masticative abilities of her species by biting off the top quarter of one of her beef skewers, and chewing the meat with her mouth closed. Though, she wasn't sure how much this would impress the alien. "It's good," she commented with her mouth half full.
Zoia sighed. "I can't taste, but I will take your word for it" She said, looking at the skewer. Finally, she opened her muzzle, flashing her razor tooth filled mouth and clamped it down on the skewer with a sharp /snap/ as the wood broke.
Sarena did her best to ignore it, and keep chewing, looking well over Zoia's shoulder. After she swallowed, she still had a question, though. "If you can't taste food, how can you tell if it's cooked or not?"
"I can tell, because I have ey-gah!" She started, lurching as she choked on the skewer, her body making a horrid sound as she tried to reject the peice of wood that was trying to crawl down her throat.
"Maybe the... wood... isn't good to eat," Sarena hazarded. She wasn't about to stick her fingers in there, but remained sitting quietly while thinking thoughts of running to find the nurse/school principal.
Zoia finally reached her hands into her mouth, pulling the skewer out of her mouth, still with the chunks of meat. She dropped it back down on her plate with a scowl. "Well... I will try to remember that next time I have a piece of wood in my throat" She mumbled, sitting down with a pout.
Sarena didn't seem to have words for this. She pulled about a third of the remaining meat on her first skewer off the end with her teeth, and resumed chewing, and eyed Zoia worriedly.
Zoia looked at her food with a frown. "I think I will save this for later" She mumbled, closing up the container the food came in. "Would you like to go back to the room? I've suddenly grown bored of this place" She sighed, hugging the back of the chair.
Sarena swallowed and shook her head. "I'm here for the food... I'm going to stay here a while. This isn't really a meal, it's just a bunch of meat... I can get you a to-go box?"
"You are still eating? You just ate a ration worth of food!" She huffed, pointing at her 'bunch of meat,' the remaining five and a half skewers.
Sarena blinked in surprise, and took a moment to gather her thoughts. She also took the moment to tear some more meat off her skewer. "...I'm not on rations. And I eat about this much meat every day; I only had eggs this morning... maybe you don't need to eat as much."
Zoia's mouth worked slowly, her teeth clicking a little. "Is food really that abundant?" She asked.
Sarena remained silent for another moment... so, she finished the skewer. "It is until my allowance runs out... I'm not sure what I'll do then. I hope it's free, somewhere." Her voice grew even quieter than normal.
Zoia looked at the girl with a confused look. "Vekimen don't need to eat often... But we eat a lot. You sound like you eat pounds of food every day" She stated, looking a but annoyed. "I envy the fact some can get food whenever they want" She explained, an off smell starting to accumulate.
"Well, um... we have cities and farms." The conversation was getting too academic for Sarena's taste. "You're studying biology, right? I think that includes things like this." She wrinkled her nose.
Zoia rolled her eyes. "Yes... But as I said in the room. Classes haven't started yet, and I've been focused on your form of physics. There is stuff I need to translate with it" she said in an annoyed tone. "What's with the look?" She asked.
"I'm... I'm not the person to talk to about this. I know cyborgs don't eat much, and some need to eat special things. But some use food to power their weapons, so they need to eat more than I do. I don't know people." She was speaking quickly, but commenting on the odor seemed impolite.
"What... is with... The look" She asked, noticing how the girl seemed uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," Sarena said, bowing her head. "You smell bad."
Zoia blinked, looking at the girl before looking at herself. "Vekimen don't smell... Other than our breath, but I took my..." She started, before looking at the food. It seemed to be... Melting. "Oh... That would be the issue" She said, pointing at the skewer she almost killed herself on.
Sarena abruptly stands up, tripping over her chair and knocking it down. After a moment of indecision, she leaves it, picks up her food, and starts walking to another table, with better air, away from the disaster area, stiff-backed and stone-faced.
Zoia just blunk, sighing a little. She took it, paper plate and all, and dropped it into her muzzle with a bored look. She then stood up, walking over. Without opening her mouth, she was able to speak. "I need to go outside before I cause a biological hazard. My bacteria is growing in again" She said, her voice muffled. "Meet me out there?" She asked.
Sarena shook her head anxiously, she wanted to be more firm than she could manage. "I don't know, not now. Please, just go."
"I didn't mean now... But ok" She stated, turning and walking away. She wandered outside, sitting away from the entrance by a garden that was scarcely populated. She sat there... Alone... While her weakened bacteria made the long process of digesting everything in her mouth.
