Page 38 of Emerald

Zha raises one brow, giving my collection of shiny rocks a skeptical look. "Right… and you're sure those rocks are the rarest and most valuable?"

I flicker briefly to a faint shade of purple before I catch myself. "They are the beginnings of my new hoard," I say defensively. "It will grow in time. Soon there will be many stories here. The best so far is that stalactite," I tell zha, pointing with a claw.

Zha looks over, brows low, then one flicks up higher. “How?”

“The layers, Olivia,” I prompt, my skin lighting up blue in my consternation about how little zha seems to notice. “The passing of time as creatures such as us shift around it. Living, dying, breathing, fighting. Each drip another striation of glow and variation.”

Olivia clicks, clearly unimpressed. "Well, if that's what you enjoy, more power to you, I guess. I don’t see the appeal or the entertainment value. OnEarth, we have different ways of having fun. Like, we have food. Really good food. Something that is one hundred percent missing right now, I might add."

After a quick glance at all of the layers of food surrounding us, I decide this must be another example of zha being odd.

I flash white when I think of there being other options, curiosity piqued. "Food? What kind of food?"

Zha uses zha’s orange-like widened mouth, clearly pleased to have my attention. "Lots of things. We've gotburgers,pizza,sushi…you name it. My favorite?Pizza, hands down. You have no idea what you're missing out on. What about you? What kind of food do you eat?"

I pause, considering how to explain my species' dietary habits. "We zhasie primarily consume a variety of bioluminescent fungi and small cave creatures. The fungi provide necessary nutrients and help maintain our bioluminescence, while the creatures offer protein."

Olivia wrinkles zha’s nose. "Fungi and… small creatures? Like bugs?"

I move my head up and down in zha’s human movement, not entirely understanding zha’s reaction. "Yes. They are a vital part of our ecosystem. We also have large fungi that grow deep in the caves. They are rare, but when found, they can sustain us for weeks."

Zha makes an odd face. "I don't think I could survive on a diet of mushrooms and bugs. No offense, but that sounds gross, which is saying a lot because I’m starving right now."

The blue of my confusion gains flickers of dark purple irritation. "Gross? You call our sacred fungi gross? They have sustained my species for millennia."

Zha raises zha hands in a placating gesture. "No offense meant. I'm just saying, it's not exactly my idea of a good meal."

I huff, my skin flickering from dark purple to blue again as I begrudgingly accept zha’s apology. "Humans have strange tastes."

Olivia’s orange signal lips widen. "You're not wrong there. But if you ever get a chance to trypizza, I bet you'd like it."

I snort, dismissing the idea. "I highly doubt that. But perhaps one day, you will have the chance to prove me wrong. In the meantime, you are surrounded by food."

Olivia doesn’t respond, just wrinkles zha’s nose again.

We lapse into silence for a few moments, the sound of dripping water from the cave walls and the flow of the stream the only noise. I find myself glancing at zha, studying the way zha moves, and the subtle expressions on zha's face. Zha is so different from anything I've ever encountered, yet… there's something oddly compelling about zha's presence. Something that draws me in, despite my better judgment.

Eventually, Olivia breaks the silence. "So… what other customs do you zhasie have? Besides treasure hunting and eating mushrooms?"

I pause, considering how to explain my culture to zha. "We have many traditions. The hoarding of treasures is one of the most important, but we also place great value on our connection to the caves. We believe that the caves are alive, that they protect us and guide us. We honor the caves by caring for them, ensuring that they remain strong and unyielding."

Olivia nods, listening intently. "That's… actually kind of cool. So, you guys are like, cave guardians?"

I blink, the term unfamiliar. "Guardians? Perhaps. We see ourselves as caretakers, ensuring that the balance of the caves is maintained. If the caves thrive, so do we."

Zha seems to consider this, and then zha smiles. "You know, humans have some traditions like that too. Like, we have Earth Day, where we focus on taking care of our planet. It's not quite the same, but it's similar, I guess."

I tilt my head, intrigued. "Earth Day? What is this day?"

Zha shrugs. "It's a day where people try to be more environmentally conscious—recycling, planting trees, stuff like that. Not everyone takes it seriously, but it's supposed to be a day to remind us that we need to take care of the planet."

I nod slowly, seeing the parallels. "Perhaps your species is not so different after all. Though I imagine your Earth Day is far less significant than our cave rituals."

Zha laughs. "Probably. We humans aren't always the best at sticking to our traditions. But we try."

I flicker briefly to orange. "I doubt anything with such a weak constitution as yours could do more than that.”

Zha lets out a long breath and zha’s features suddenly become different. Far more.. neutral.

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