Page 23 of Invasion of Sorority Z

We all begin eating in silence. The food is bland and strangely soft, but it is not disgusting by any means. This challenge set by the hu-nim huntress could not be easier. Many times I have eaten foods that have made liquid seep from my eyes as a young Aprixian. This canned pa’sta does not make my stomach protest, nor my body shiver in pain. It is a fine meal.

“Is all of your food in cans?” Drak asks, breaking the heavy silence.

Stee-vee shakes her head. “No, we have some plants. I maintain the garden here, it’s not much but it helps a lot. We have an apple tree too but I didn’t plant that. It’s been here for ages. You might have seen it before, it’s not far from the ship.”

“What is ap-pul?” Terum asks before I can do so myself.

“It’s a fruit,” she explains. “It’s my favorite one actually.” Stee-vee looks almost shy while admitting this. “Do you know the word fruit? I mean, like does it translate?”

“We have fruit,” I tell her. “We know this word.” It is much like plant blossom meat.

“Okay,” she whispers. “Well, apples are pretty big in this part of the planet. They’re typically round, and red or sometimes green. We have over a hundred different varieties commonly grown here. Like our tree? It grows Stayman apples. I like them well enough, but my favorite are Empire apples.”

At our confused looks, she bites her lip.

“They all taste a little different. Some are crisper than others, some are better cooked than raw, some are sweeter…” A pleading look is sent my way. She does not know what to say next, I gather.

“How do you eat your tree ap-puls?”

She smiles thankfully. “These are good raw. Just pick it off the tree and bite into it, I suppose. I do like to cut mine up, though.”

This of course interests Drak, and forces Stee-vee to explain how she cuts her fruit without a knife or the fruit to demonstrate. Luckily, she is very clever in using her hands to show what her words mean. And now I know how to prepare her fruits.

There is some more silence before I speak again.

“You spent many minutes with Rem in his chambers,” I comment, pushing around the last of the hu-nim food on my plate.

Stee-vee chokes on her beverage at my side. I nearly jump to my feet to help her, but she coughs away the struggle quickly. “We were talking. Was I not supposed to be in there? He invited me in… so—”

I grunt, interrupting her thought. “What did you speak of?”

She blushes and my fork nearly snaps in my hand. I am angered by the thought of Rem putting redness in her cheeks. I am the one to do this to her. I do not want any other male to give her that sweet emotion to make her heart race and her eyes twinkle.

“Can I tell you after dinner?” Her eyes dart to my fellow Aprixian. “It’s a secret.”

She has secrets with him? I will throttle Rem when he returns. Perhaps I will hunt him down and do it before he comes back. I—

“Calm down,” Terum demands, grabbing my shoulder firmly. “She is not interested in Rem.”

Stee-vee chokes again, this time on her food. “Oh my gosh, no,” she says, eyes wide. “It was about Sarah.”

Relief sinks into my ribs. “And you will tell me after dinner?”

“Yeah.” She shrugs. “Who else would I tell?”

I wait impatiently as she nourishes her small body, only remaining in place so that she does not feel rushed. More troubling than the thought of Stee-vee in my friend’s chamber is the thought of her going hungry because of my doing. It is painful to even imagine.

When she is finished, we move to sit privately. I lower myself onto the end of the seating bench, in case she wishes to sit further from my body. She does not.

“So,” she says, sinking down beside me. “Sarah told me that Rem is mated to her?”

“This is true,” I agree.

“She said something about going on a de-mating journey with him to end it, and I just thought… Maybe ending it wouldn’t be the best thing for her. She’s kind of bummed out a lot nowadays, and Rem could be a good thing for her. He’s very bright and happy.”

This surprises me. “You wish for your friend to stay as Rem’s mate?”

I did not think that any of the hu-nims would be too fond of this idea. They see us as strength and safety, but could they recognize that we are more? That we have soul seeds worthy of cherishing? And hearts worth sharing?

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