“So you would protect Earthlings if we chose to travel, too?”
Jago pursed his lips. “I suppose. I don’t know of any such request, though.”
The food arrived on plates. The amber fish was very similar to salmon and dusted with herbs. The rice grains were twice the length of those on Earth, but equally fluffy and delicious. She savored every mouthful, sighing after she swallowed.
Kriss prodded his fish for a while, sticking the fork here and there, before taking a mouthful. His face lit up, as did Jago’s.
“Why don’t we eat fish more often?” Kriss smacked his lips. “This is like... I can’t describe it.” He tucked in, quickly demolishing the plateful until only tiny morsels were left. Jago was equally enthusiastic.
Shayla took her time. She didn’t know if and when they might return to the eatery. Vouchers were hard to come by. The water cleared her palate, but she wanted something more complimentary to go with the fish. Nieve wandered close by and Shayla waved at her.
“Hi. Don’t you have wine?” she asked.
Nieve groaned. “Oh, if we did. It’s not that alcohol is forbidden, it’s just here there are no grapes. The soil is nutritious around the lakes, the sunshine plentiful. If we could cultivate grapes, I’m sure investors would help build a winery.”
Shayla hadn’t thought about the commercial side of life on Odesta. With food being free, how was everything paid for? “There would be interest in such an enterprise?”
Nieve nodded. “Oh, yes. Hezara are learning about it from other worlds. They don’t have a concept of money as we do on Earth. If they invest, they take a share of the product, and take it somewhere else, like another Hezara world, and swap it for something there. It’s like a barter system. Nothing has an actual value. It keeps basic food plentiful, cheap... and,” Nieve lowered her voice again, “ghastly.”
Shayla laughed, and to her surprise, Jago and Kriss joined in.
“Er, do you mind, but where’s the bathroom?” Shayla glanced around the room.
“Oh, come this way, I’ll show you.”
Shayla followed Nieve to the back of the eatery.
“Mostly men here, so I suggest you use this, it’s for me and the Gotti women.” Nieve gestured to an unmarked door.
Just before Shayla reached it, Nieve caught her sleeve. “I wasn’t being entirely honest with you about why I stayed,” she said.
“Oh?”
Nieve stared past Shayla to the tables, to Shayla’s nestors. The hubbub of the room drowned out their conversation, even though nobody would understand them as they spoke in English.
“Yes, you see, I had three nestors, and I formed a close relationship with one in particular.”
Shayla’s ears pricked up. “You fell in love?”
“I suppose I saw it that way. I’m not sure they did. They don’t really get it, do they?”
Shayla shook her head.
“But,” Nieve said, her cheeks flushed by the memories, “I became attached to him. Then, they were called to action. Sent off to a distant world to fight the Violence, and sadly, he was killed.”
A lump formed in Shayla’s throat. It wasn’t the outcome she was expecting. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it was a long time ago. But I didn’t want to forget him, and staying here, where we lived in the city, helped keep him alive for me. Starting the restaurant, offering human-style food, gave me a good way of getting a backer, the investment was paid back through offering free meals. It’s how things are done...” Her sad voice trailed away. “It’s very different, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And the Hunger?” Shayla tilted forward onto the balls of her feet. Nieve was tall.
Nieve rolled her eyes. “The Hunger. If only it wasn’t so critical, so lauded by them, then it would be so much easier to encourage cooperation between us and them.”
“I’m hoping to meet a queen.”
“You are? That’s impossible.”
“There are things she knows, I’m sure of it, that the nestors don’t, like why are there no females? Why—”