Adventures of Tash and John Ch. 05

There were only two others waiting at the terminal with her. A man and a woman, both seeming preoccupied and bored respectively. They didn't acknowledge Tash, so she returned the sentiment, opting to lean back against one of the pillars as she waited. She shouldn't be waiting long, the display told her that a vehicle was on the way and should be arriving shortly. It was turning out to be a fairly mild morning, pretty standard for this time of year. A cool breeze and the bushy clouds of the inclement arrival of more rain on the horizon. Prompting Tashaiea to be determined to make it home before it decided to start. She wasn't sure what it was about her homeland, but the valley seemed to always capture more moisture than the surrounding regions. Not that she was complaining. Tashaiea grew up in this climate and certainly preferred it to most others.

It made her wonder about how it compared to John's homeland climate. She remembered him telling her that it was drier than most, although not quite Kerpzu'avi dry. It was flat and mostly mired in yellows and browns. Farmland for the most part, quite different than the valley she assumed. Tashaiea would certainly love to visit it one day, and really just Earth in general. She had already read so much and watched so much that she could picture it in her mind. Green rolling hills, majestic mountains, mega-cities reaching towards the sky... so in reality it probably wasn't all that different from Kai, however she didn't let that little probable truth disrupt her fantasizing. The transit vehicle rolling up did that pretty well enough on it's own.

Tash waited to board behind the other two, who were themselves were waiting for a couple to disembark. When it finally came to her turn to board she placed her hand on the registry screen just behind the embarkation area and awaited her confirmation. The screen registered her transit exception and informed her to take a seat. Tash picked a random seat near the rear of the vehicle and sat down. The driver-less transit vehicle departed and accelerated away from the terminal shortly afterwards. It would take about half of an hour for the vehicle to reach the station closest to her parents place, so with that in mind Tash set a reminder and closed her eyes, stretching out as much as she could in the confines of her seat. She must have dozed off because before she realized it a small alarm was going off informing her that she was about to reach her intended destination.

She acknowledged it and waited for the vehicle to come to a stop before standing back up. She placed her hand back on the registry screen to confirm her departure and exited the transit vehicle which sped off to it's next destination not ten seconds later. Tashaiea was now standing alone at the small transit stop adjacent to an equally small market plaza, a different one to the one she and John had arrived from the previous day. It was only about a five minute walk from the stop to her old house, so the young woman decided she could afford to spend a couple of minutes looking around the market. The main plaza was deserted, which made sense for this time of year. The market wouldn't start putting stalls up outside for a few more months yet, or until the harvest season at least. A light sprinkling of rain was just starting up as she walked in the main building's front door.

It was quiet inside. Only the low hum of the showcase stasis units and the light shuffling of one of the market employees was all Tashaiea could hear. It was a little different than she remembered. Tashaiea use to come here quite a bit in her youth, it was the only store around that sold some of these particular fruit candies that she adored. It must have been a local thing. Curious she decided to take a look for them. After a few minutes of browsing she found them hanging from a rack surrounded by several different types of treats and candies. The packaging was a little different, but it was them for sure. Tash decided to grab two packs, one for herself and one for maybe her and John to share. Satisfied with her reasoning she headed towards the pay terminal.

Her personal stipend from her family account should have enough left in it for these she figured. She knew that she had mostly drained it when she left, but she doubted that her mother would have ceased the regular pay-ins from the family while she was away. Sure enough as she arrived at the pay terminal and placed her hand on the reader she was happy to discover that she had at least seventy thousand Dhao to her name. She paid five hundred for the candies and an additional one hundred and fifty for a fruity drink that caught her eye and left the market.

The clouds were threatening full on rain now. Tucking her purchases in her bag, Tash began to speed walk and eventually jog up the slight incline to her parents place. She should have figured it would rain today, although it didn't really matter as she was three quarters up the path before it decided to come down in earnest. Quickly she placed her hand on the door handle and waited for it to register who she was. A soft click informed her that she was allowed to enter the home. Tash hastily pushed the door in and closed it behind her. She had only got a little wet, much to her relief. Not enough to warrant new clothing so she would just have to air dry. She removed her shoes and placed them near the door, not wanting to put them away just yet as they were still wet, and began to make her way towards the kitchen.

John awoke with a bit of a hangover. Not really surprising seeing as how he had downed more alien alcohol in one night than he had ever had in his whole life. It was a small price to pay however. Bonding (or at least trying to) with Tash's father was more important to him than being a little uncomfortable. All he really needed was some water anyways. Just flush his system of any lingering alcohol and he would be one hundred percent ready to go. Or something like that, he figured. Slowly he made his way out of Tash's bed. It was a bit small for the both of them, but John didn't mind, he had slept in worse conditions anyways. Tash herself was already gone. The only evidence of her former presence being some crumpled and pushed over blankets and her open bag.

Before fully getting out of the bed, John scouted the room for his leg braces. He didn't remember taking them off the previous night, so Tash must have. Hopefully she put them somewhere close. He eventually spied them on a small table parallel to the bed. Now for a normal person this wouldn't seem like a huge feat, just a few steps to get over to the table. For John however, it could either turn out to be a piece of cake or a paraplegics worst nightmare. And John wasn't sure what kind of day he was having yet. Cautiously he slid his legs over the side of the bed, probing at the floor with his foot. He could only just barely feel it, which didn't really surprise him very much.

On his best days John could only feel about a quarter of his feet and roughly about the same for his legs. Everything felt solid though. The texture of the floor felt like a kind of soft plastic. There was a little elasticity in it and it certainly didn't seem as solid as wood or metal. John let the thought linger while he swung his other foot off the bed and onto the floor. Refocusing his thoughts from speculation about what kind of wondrous alien polymer Tash's family used for their floors to the more immediate matter of attempting to stand up, John rose and took his first step. The first one was alright, but by the time he was bringing his other leg around to continue his motion, his first leg failed.

John collapsed on the floor with an unceremonious 'thump'. He sighed internally. It seemed like today was going to be just one of those days. The floor was fairly soft though, now that he was feeling it with his hands and face. Gathering his strength, John crawled along the floor the few feet that still remained between the table and himself and sat up when he was next to it. The table was a little tall for him in a sitting position, but thankfully his arms were long enough to reach as he pulled his leg braces down. John had to admit that he was sort of glad that Tash wasn't here to see him fall. It wouldn't have been the first time, but any time he could limit her exposure to his disability he was grateful for. He knew that in her culture it was perfectly alright and acceptable to be weaker as a man, both socially and biologically, because Tash was just supposed to be the taller and the stronger one. That's just how things were.

However John wasn't a part of Kai'ani culture. His Human masculinity demanded that he not be the weaker one. While Tash certainly had him beat in height, he had her beat in strength, endurance and maneuverability. Well, maybe maneuverability was more of a tie. Even with his crippled legs, when he had his braces on he could still move quickly. However, Tash was faster than him in a straight line. It was most definitely thanks to those damn long, skinny, sexy legs of hers. And the double knee joints probably didn't hurt either. She for sure had more push off and go than he did. Also her smaller mass meant less drag and she could feint him out pretty good if she wanted to. Overall long, tall and skinny did have its advantages. John wouldn't have wanted her any other way.

He finished securing the last buckle on his leg braces and stood up, giving a confident few strides around the room before heading to his bag to fetch some fresh clothing. After dressing himself in the most generic dull white long sleeved shirt and beige pants he could find, John scooped up his translator and cautiously made his way out of Tash's bedroom. He wasn't quite sure what time it was, if it really even mattered. There was nothing he saw while he walked down the hall looked like a clock, and he hadn't bothered to program his translator readout with the local time conversion. But the sun of Kai was out and shining so it must at least be morning. He couldn't fathom that he had slept so long that it was any later in the day.

John made his way to the kitchen area. The glass of water he had thought about earlier was beginning to become a priority. A very subtle noise, like someone talking at a low volume, seemed to be emanating from the kitchen. He turned the final corner and saw Tash's father leaning against one of the kitchens counters, looking out of a window at the forest of trees that lay just on the other side of the hill. The sound was indeed someone talking, although John's translator was unable to make anything out. It also appeared to be coming from the ceiling. Neire seemed to sense his presence and turned to face him. A warming smile appeared on his face.

"Ah John! I was wondering if you were going to get up. I was worrying that I may have overdone it with the alcohol last night." The elder Kai'ani said, greeting him.

"I'm a little hazy this morning, but alright." John replied. "I haven't drank that much alcohol in a long time. My tolerance is a little lower than I remember."

Neire laughed and gestured towards the table. "Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water would be nice." John said as he sat down. "Thank you."

"Of course, it will just be a moment." Neire said, walking over to a display and tapping a few commands.

A moment later a compartment opened up and the Kai'ani retrieved a white oval shaped cup. He walked over and placed it on the table in front of him. Neire tapped something on the table that John couldn't see and the sounds from the ceiling ceased, taking a seat opposite of him after it had done so. John took a sip from the cup and let the room temperature water run down his throat. He supposed he could have asked for cold water, but when it came to re-hydrating it really didn't matter. He took a couple more gulps and set the cup on the table, realizing after he did that he had already drank about three quarters of the water. Neire was looking at him with an amused look.

"Thirsty I see." The man mused.

John let out a small laugh and replied. "Yeah, I forgot how much I get dehydrated after a night of drinking. Thank you again."

"Not to worry, there's plenty more where that came from." Neire responded. "Are you hungry perhaps?" He added a moment later. "I was planning on making something for myself and Kesse, whenever he decides to get up, and since you're up as well we might as well make it a meal."

"Yes please, that would be much appreciated, thank you." John said, suddenly aware of how hungry he was.

"You are quite the well mannered one." The other man chuckled. "I wish my children were as polite as you."

John smiled. "It's just how my parents raised me. It's in our culture to be polite and respectful to people." He explained. "Especially to those who's daughter we're in a relationship with." He hastily added.

"You had wise parents." Neire said, letting a small silence fall between them before speaking back up. "I recall you saying you cooked. Would you like to make the meal with me?"

"Um, yeah, sure." John replied, gulping down the rest of his water.

"Excellent! I'll admit I'm curious to see how you cook." Neire said, standing up. "Come, I'll show you what we have."

The two men walked the short distance over to the food prep area. Neire pushed on a small corner of the counter top and a drawer opened up just beneath it. It was filled with different sized containers, each labeled something different. John didn't recognize any of them.

"This is where I keep the dry ingredients." Neire explained. "The wet ingredients are kept in refrigerated stasis over here." He pointed just behind John at a rectangular object with a display screen built right into the counter. "So, how would you like to begin?"

"Well this is your kitchen. Would you like me to just follow your directions?" The Human asked.

"No." The older Kai'ani said after a moments pause. "Why don't we both make something different. Something simple and quick to make. We can compare afterwards. What do you think?"

"That sounds like fun." John replied, already fairly sure about what he was going to make. He took another look at the dry ingredient containers, allowing his translator to read and overlay the names of the ingredients into something he could read. He still didn't recognize any. "I may need some help with the ingredients." He said as he looked back up at Neire.

Tash's father chuckled. "Ah, yes of course. What are you looking for?"

"I need flour." John stated.

"Flowers?" Neire asked with a curious tone.

"Oh, no no. I suppose that doesn't translate well." John attempted to correct, now trying to think of another way to say it. "Do you have any milled or ground grains? I need it as a base."

"Yes of course." Neire said, removing a container that translated phonetically as Carht. He opened it up revealing a slightly off white powder like substance. "I use this for baking. Will it do?" He asked.

John dipped his finger in the powder and scooped up a small amount. Putting it in his mouth he was pleased to discover that it was fairly similar in consistency and taste to at least some kind of flour he was familiar with. It did leave a bit of a bitter aftertaste, but John figured he could balance it out.

"Yes, this will do perfect, thank you." He thanked Neire.

Over the course of what John estimated was about half an hour (half an Earth hour that was) the two men cooked their separate dishes. John had to frequently stop to ask Neire about the ingredients, and the Kai'ani seemed eager, almost thrilled to answer all the Human's questions. John did run into a few roadblocks. One being that the Kai'ani didn't exactly drink milk, at least most didn't. It had something to do with that after a certain age Kai'ani infants begin to reject their mothers breast milk and that it was a signal that they were ready to consume solid foods. So it wasn't so much that Kai'ani couldn't drink milk, as Neire explained, it was more of a cultural thing that after infancy you didn't need to drink milk anymore. So most didn't.

Neire did show him however that they did have dairy-like products. A liquid kind of cream that was used in some dishes that had a very subtle nutty taste to it. The Kai'ani explained that it came from a mammal native to Kai that was normally domesticated and harvested for wool. However one of the northern cultures had used it's milk to create a cream in which they used for baking. A practice going back hundreds of years, Neire explained. Regardless of the reasoning's, it worked for what John needed it for. Sugar was another one. Apparently the Kai'ani had many different types of sugars, all with different flavor profiles. In fact sugars had played an important part in their development as a society. Much like how spices had played one in Human development. A kind of sugar fruit was considered to be the first crop ever cultivated on Kai, spurring an agricultural revolution. So out of the twelve different kinds of sugar Neire showed him, John chose the one that tasted most like the sugar he knew.

So combining those with some very small domesticated bird eggs, a 'pinch' of sterilized salt and some other spices that John had never tasted anything like before, he whipped it all together to created a batter for one of the biggest staples of Human breakfast foods there was, the pancake. Everything went very smoothly after that. Neire showed him how to use the 'hot top' cooking plate and John was able to produce several very tasty looking vaguely round shaped, fluffy pancakes. He topped it all off by telling Neire that it was normally eaten with a topping of syrup and with or without fruit. Neire had become slightly enthralled by what John had made. The older Kai'ani went out of his way to create a simple fruit syrup using some kind of gelatin along with cutting a type of fruit that John thought looked vaguely like an apple, except with a hard coating that you had to break off, thinly slicing it and adding it on top of the pancakes.

When all was said and done John was left with a breakfast he honestly had to admit he was proud of. Neire had made a kind of steamed vegetable medley that, as John had seen, had been quite easy to make and smelled quite alluring. They set both their dishes down on the table and took a seat, each having a separate portion of what they had made and what the other had made. John eagerly tasted his dish, using a two pronged fork like utensil to cut off a piece and shove it in his mouth. It was pretty good, much to his relief. The sweetness of the syrup flowed nicely with the tartness of the fruit and the slight nutty taste of the pancake. It was a little more dense than he would have liked and he could still taste the bitterness of the flour slightly, but it wasn't bad for a first try. He made a mental note of what could be changed and started into what Neire had made.

It was good, really good.. He wasn't sure if it was the spices or the vegetables themselves but something created a flavor sensation in his mouth that left him wanting more. The vegetables were still slightly crunchy, but with enough softness that they bent easily. The spices seemed to accent everything and magnify the flavor whenever he bit into something. In the end, John ended up devouring all of his portion of Neire's dish before even thinking about going back to his. When he finally looked up he saw that Neire had almost done the same thing with John's dish. Eating the majority of it before even looking at his own. Neire caught John's gaze and smiled.

"I think I may have to take this recipe from you John." He said, still smiling. "It reminds me of a pastry I ate quite a bit as a child."

"Well you're welcome to it." John said, now starting on his own dish. "There are a couple things that could be improved upon, so feel free."