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[Rey just hangs up her device with a groan, sliding her hands over her face while she recuperates at the park.

[Not long after, Elleru arrives as well. She's got a... flower? No. No, it's a fake. Weird. Rey stands up when she realizes that the other woman just asked her a question.]

Oh, um. Not really. [Time flies when you sometimes tend to live inside your own head.

[She blinks down at the package.] What's that for?

[It's not for her, is it? But why.]

[What a question, Rey. Elleru looks just a pinch confused, but smiles regardless.]

It is why you are here, no?

[She offers it to Rey. It's warm to the touch, and unwrapping it will reveal a small, ceramic pot of what appears to be stew.]

Don't know wh--

[Then Rey takes the package. Feels the heat. The weight. The smell. She opens it to discover its warm contents, then looks up at Elleru.]

You, um. Made this?

[Can her cooking skills be trusted?]

[Absolutely not, but the point is that she tried.]

I did! I have been learning so I may start contributing. [As Ami put it.]

[Well, at least it probably won't kill her?]

This wasn't entirely necessary, but...

[But she'll take it. Maybe. Rey glances down at the soup, brows raised.]

What's in it?

The meats and vegetables I found in the kitchen. I did not have all for the recipe, so I was made to improvise.

[And unfortunately, like most stews, it isn't very pretty to look at. The smell of it is hot, sharp to the senses. She might have put a few too many peppers in there.]

[So she did have a recipe, at least. That doesn't always account for much, but moments like these it's best to remain impartial first. It's not like she knows Elleru well enough to judge her culinary skills.]

Oh, well. Okay then. [She pauses, glancing around until she notices the plaza nearby. Rey cants her head in that direction.] Just going to go find a seat and... try this out.

[There. She's not necessarily telling Elleru to buzz off, but she doesn't have to stick around and watch Rey eat soup if she doesn't want to. Sounds like she's had other things going on, anyway.]

Edited 2019-11-27 09:12 (UTC)

[She may have, but apparently they weren't as important as waiting to see Rey try her dish. She claps her hands together.]

Yes, do. I am eager to hear what you think!

[Maybe too eager.]

[Oh, good. Good good good. At least Rey's eaten a little now so she's less likely to start sobbing while in the middle of eating something, but she's still Concerned. People making food for you is supposed to be all important and meaningful, especially when they were thinking about your well-being. Hopefully whatever happens, Elleru won't take offense for any reason or another.]

By all means... [Rey doesn't waste much time fussing over where to sit before she pulls apart the last of the package and takes in another deep breath of the steam, trying to parse what kind of spices might have been thrown into it. There are a lot of things here she's seen that look familiar, but also other things that are... not. And it's a little worrying.]

You have anything, or... want some as well?

[Being the only one eating while the other watches has always been an awkward experience. It's why Rey never bothered to mingle with fellow soldiers on off hours or tried to make companions when she lacked a sense of taste for any of it. Maybe Elleru, given whatever and wherever she really is, doesn't follow the same etiquette that would make that situation rather uncomfortable.]

Oh no, I have had some. I had to make sure it was eatable.

[Or edible. Able to be eaten. She didn't want Rey to find it bland, so she just shoved a lot of peppers in there; unfortunately, her tastes may run a bit hardier than most humans, which is something she absolutely did not consider when loading the dish wish spices.]

[Well, she's close enough that Rey doesn't think to correct her this time.

[On the plus side, Rey is the definition of being "hardier than most humans", so when she takes a first bite of the spicy stew...

[Nothing really happens at first. She just glances to the other woman before she sips the corner of the bowl.

[And then coughs.

[She opens her mouth again, and another fucking cough.]

Well, it-- [wheeze] --it's... er, "eatable".

Edited 2019-11-29 15:04 (UTC)

[Elleru might not be the most knowledgeable about uprights, but she knows how breathing works just fine, and Rey's reaction isn't... encouraging. Her ears dip, her brow furrowing apologetically.]

It is... too hot?

[For Rey, it doesn't take much longer for her to compose herself. Her throat is dry and she hasn't had much to eat besides the occasional drink of water to stave off dehydration, so diving right into spicy territory might not be the best plan.]

Nope! No, no no no. Mean, ah, it's fine. Just... [She glances down at the contents of the stew before taking a deep whiff.] Peppers, right? And spices? How much did you put in...?

[There's half a second where Elleru's eyes narrow as she's trying to determine whether or not Rey is lying to her. She'd be insulted if so, as her people value the truth highly, but... she also knows that, perhaps, Rey is trying to avoid hurting her feelings. That is certainly a thing uprights are known to do, and from what she knows, it's not meant out of malice. It is a "white lie." Why it's white, she can't say. Maybe that's something she should ask.

Later, of course.]

All of them?

All of them...?

[Okay, Rey can't say she knows what kinds of peppers grow in this place, but she's definitely feeling something strong sticking to the back of her throat. For her it's not entirely unpleasant. Something of a rush, really. But she knows that's not necessarily the norm...]

So, um. [How to put this lightly.] It's fine? Might want to be careful who you feed something like this to -- a normal person might think you're trying to kill them.

[At least Rey isn't normal by any stretch.]

[Her ears dip lower as she looks quietly horrified.]

Oh no! I did not know, Rrey! Will you be all right? Shall I take you to the medbay?

[And oh no, she looks like she's about to just hoist Rey up right then and there to do just that.]

NOPE.

[Rey says it again, this time throwing her hands up defensively in front of her to illustrate just how much she doesn't need to go to the medbay right now, even.]

Just said, "normal person". Am not normal. Lucky you. [She hiccups, a puff of smoke bursting passed her lips. This time her hand flies to her mouth as she stifles her next cough.

[Yup, totally not a normal person.]

[Elleru looks even more concerned at that puff of smoke. It's like a dragon in a fantasy novel, except Rey isn't a dragon.

... or is she? After all, Elleru isn't the upright she seems to be, either.]

Not normal? How so?

[Nope, definitely not a dragon. Rey normally doesn't puff like that unless she's pissed, so whatever peppers Elleru dumped into her soup must be extremely potent.]

As in, not human. So, am not normal.

[Spoken like it should be so easy.

[...Well, why wouldn't it be? It's not like Elleru is human, herself.]

[She might not be human, but she's doing her best to pretend she is -- or at least that she's an upright, however nebulous the actual definition may be. Her ears prick up with visible interest.]

You are not human? But what are you, then?

[Maybe most people would take offense to bring asked that question, but to Rey it's a fair one after what she just said. She chews on the inside of her lip as she thinks, picking at the stew before she decides to give it another try. Now that she knows what to expect, it's easier to brace herself for the spicy inevitable; she barely flinches this time.]

Just... something else. Not born, but made. [She shrugs like it's nothing. To her, it isn't. Why bother trying to hide it anymore -- she knows she's not human. That she doesn't have a home, anyway.]

[With only an adequate grasp on the common tongue and no real basis of comparison for someone who is made rather than born, Elleru struggles to understand exactly what it is Rey is saying. Her head tilts, her brow knitting tighter.]

Are all beings not 'made'? As in making babies? Or making love to make babies?

[Should've figured that someone like Elleru would have easily misinterpreted those words. Rey sighs, setting down the stew to rub her forehead as she wrestles with her thoughts for a second.]

That's... not... [Okay she can feel her face flush a little bit. Hiding that as well.] Was put together. Given different bodies and different lives to live and die, over and over.

[She doesn't understand a lot of that, having next to no basis for comparison; that doesn't stop her from trying, though.]

That sounds... so tragic. But you are still you, are you not?

For the most part, yeah. Am all of them too, in a way.

[The last thing Rey ever wants to do is turn her back on her past selves. Their pain and experiences are her own, after all.]

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