Page 38 of Tis the Season for Tentacles
He notices me studying his food. “This meat is probably safe for human consumption.”
“I’d rather not take too many chances,” I say. “Food poisoning is no fun and meat tends to be riskier than a lot of other things.”
And I don’t want to contemplate alien meat-borne parasites…
Focusing on my own snack, I take a bite of my gooey cheese baguette, moaning with pleasure. The bread is crispy on the outside and wonderfully fluffy on the inside, and the accompanying cheese reminds me a bit of a mix of brie and gouda.
“This is delicious. It would be great with some sautéed mushrooms and onions.”
“Much the same as some places on Earth, there are limited fruits and vegetables grown in this region due to the constant winter climate. As a consequence, the diet of most inhabitants leans to mostly meat and fish along with dairy and heartier grains.”
“Don’t they do any greenhouse cultivation?”
“From what I understand, they do cultivate some vegetables that way, but it’s expensive and difficult. Instead, they focus on the few durable kinds of produce they can raise naturally. Some arctic greens, root vegetables, and one natural fruit that grows year-round in the winter climate.”
My eyebrows arch with interest. “What is it?”
He flashes a brief but genuine smile. “Let’s see if we can find someone selling it here.”
We wander around until Najar spies what he’s looking for and leads me to a yeti-like vendor selling candied frost plums.
“This is a local delicacy,” the vendor explains.
“Is it safe for human consumption?” I ask.
He nods. “There are no species we are aware of that cannot eat this fruit.”
We buy a bag full of the berry-sized treats to share.
Taking a modest gamble, I remove my glove and pluck out one of the delicacies from the bag, then pop it in my mouth and pray it doesn’t make me sick.
It’s sweet and a little tart, reminding me of a cross between a cherry and a cranberry, with a hint of red grape. As I crunch on it, it releases a final burst of refreshing juice flavor.
“Mmmm. I can see why these are so famous here.” I hold the bag out to Najar. “Try one. They’re delicious.”
Najar fishes one out of the bag and pops it in his mouth. “Mmm, yes. Quite lovely.”
“We should save some for the others.” I close the bag with only a bit of reluctance.
Najar nods and his lips quirk. “They will, no doubt, enjoy them—especially Luna. She has a rather significant sweet tooth, as you Earthlings like to say.”
I laugh. “Good to know if I ever need to bribe her.”
We stroll through the streets, enjoying the festival-like atmosphere of the winter market, and I’m relieved that Najar and I have finally found a comfortable vibe. My hopes for us kindling a friendship are growing, and I’m pleased to discover that we manage to converse with greater ease as time goes by.
Najar is not the most talkative of men, but I also don’t need to fill every moment with conversation. I’m perfectly all right with sharing companionable silence while we walk arm in arm.
It’s getting closer to the time when we are scheduled to meet up with our group and head back to the ship for the night. Already, the sun is starting to set amidst a sudden onslaught of snow flurries.
When we finally reconnect with the others, the weather has taken a rapid turn for the worse, and all the festival vendors are packing up and retreating.
“This isn’t good,” Najar says, lines of worry on his face.
“Let’s hurry to the carriage station so we can get back to the Sleigh Belle,” Khephren suggests.
We hasten in that direction but when we arrive, we find they’re closing up shop as well.
“I’m afraid there will be no more carriage service to the landing site today,” the hairy bear-like manager says. “We have a sudden snow squall coming on. I suggest you seek shelter quickly.”
