Meereo
Dinner was fantastic. The establishment had opted for a Human/Gaoian fusion experience and incorporated some of the dinner theatrics from both, and done so with resounding success. The presentation and preparation was a combination of Human Teppanyaki and Gaoian Ziaomei, both flashy styles of cuisine, and the chefs, Human and Gaoian, were masters. One used claws and speed and precise, impressive movements, while the other wielded knives and food with an almost lazy and natural grace. The Human would casually and with unerring accuracy toss food behind him, which the Gaoian would slash at precisely the right instant, and onto the griddle would fall a perfectly flayed meat or vegetable.
They also adopted the Human tradition of self-effacing humor, which was a delightful modification of a traditional Ziaomei performance. Both would crack jokes at each other’s expense with a deep and obvious fondness for each other; they must have been very good friends!
They would need to be; the Human’s nickname was “Fugly Ken” and the Gaoian’s was “Panda Express.”
They began with a Human-style fried rice with Gaoian embellishments; instead of soy sauce they used sooba paste, and instead of chicken eggs they used Kwek roe, which had a saltier taste to counter sooba’s sweetness. The meat, however, was chicken and beef. The vegetables were prepared with showmanship and humor and everyone around the table was laughing and chittering along, even when “Panda Express” didn’t cleanly slash through a green Earth vegetable; it stuck to his paw and he made a show of confusion and amusement prying it loose. Meereo didn’t know if it was a genuine accident, a stunt for show, or a happy little mistake.
He made a mental note to tip them very generously before he left.
In either case his date had chosen the evening’s activity well. This was a very good idea! He indulged his favorite pastime of people-watching, both his date and the others at the table with him. It was delightfully educational and entertaining! One thing he noticed straight away was that the Humans’ toothy smiles weren’t always scary. One just needed to get a feel for their tone and the set of their eyes, and once that was understood their intent became clear, even if their smiles never stopped being aggressive. And their intent was almost always one of happiness and good humor. Oddly disarming!
Niral was the real treasure. She was wonderfully talkative and expressive and had everyone at the table charmed before the second course began. He listened, rapt. But the food had his attention as well; he found he couldn’t work up the willpower to turn away from the feast on offer and converse! The second dish was a small serving of nigiri-zushi with young tuna from the Cimbrean waters. He found the fish to be flavorful and rich though the Humans commented it wasn’t like real tuna, at least not yet. “Give it a decade,” they said. “When the ecosystem is more firmly established…”
Meereo wasn’t much concerned. He ate, and he listened, and he was content.
Alas, all good things must eventually end. The meal wound to its natural conclusion and Meereo had a nice little bulge where the rich food was slowly digesting away. Already he was feeling a bit lethargic from the heavy intake. Time for a walk! They stood, thanked their hosts, answered one last question from the Human cub (“Yes, I do like a good ear scritch!”) followed by a scandalized look and another naughty pinch from Niral, then they said their goodbyes and headed out into the cool night.
The Cimbrean rains were threatening and that meant they needed to get back to shelter quickly. This didn’t concern Meereo overmuch; he was naturally short-furred and wore it even shorter. His Clan’s ancestral Fathers broke off from professional divers, fisherman, and longshoreman long ago and while they no longer performed such duties, they retained their lithe builds and genetic fascination with water. By Gaoian standards that made them a bit strange but what Clan wasn’t strange in their own way? Meereo found he liked the rain.
Niral was most decidedly not happy about it. They hurried towards cover and nimbly dodged until they were safe at the gate, and Niral could walk to her destination in the Alien Quarter without fear of a soaking. Meereo stuck to the streets and splashed the puddles playfully while she looked on, chittering.
“The rain doesn’t bother you?”
“Only a little! It’s a bit cold but I’ll be fine.” He stepped under cover and slicked some of the moisture off his body. “Also, it comes right out of my fur.”
“Neat! So, um…I really enjoyed tonight.” She moved closer, suddenly a bit embarrassed. “I think maybe I was a bit of a ‘motor mouth’ as the Humans say.”
“I liked it!” He said it genuinely. “You’ve got fascinating stories. I wanna meet this Human ‘Rylee’ someday, she sounds fascinating!”
“You don’t know the half of it,” she muttered to herself, then snapped back to the present. “She’s wonderful! She visits Cimbrean sometimes but I don’t know if we’ll meet anytime soon…”
“Too bad. I’d love to hear more stories!”
“Really?”
He seemed bemused and drew even closer. They stood almost nose-to-nose. “Really. You’re one of the most interesting females I’ve ever met. Most…they do important work, and I love them for it. All us silly males do! But not many females explore the galaxy like you have. Three diplomatic postings in less than ten years?” He flicked his ears, “That’s very impressive! The only reason you don’t have more is you’ve raised cubs, too. You’re a very impressive female.” He hesitated for a moment, then darted in and lightly nipped her ear.
It was a very forward and affectionate gesture and it caught her entirely by surprise. She stood, shocked, while he pulled back and panted friendly-like. “Message me? I wanna plan the next date!”
“Oh! Oh…okay.”
He beamed happily, said his goodbyes, and splashed off into the rain.
Niral considered, suddenly filled with a silly, happy energy. She rushed into the warmth of the Commune and headed towards her private little space, and immediately called Melissa.
“Melissa! …Yes! Let me tell you…”
Champion Genshi was there outside his hotel, waiting for him. How the Whitecrest kept his fur perfectly dry and fluffy in the humid air was a genuine mystery. Not that Meereo was happy to see him.
“What now, Champion?”
Genshi gave him a very serious look. From around the corner emerged two Humans, one very tall and stately, another much shorter and who looked as if he were hewn from a block of solid granite.
“You meet my friends, Cousin. And you, too, learn the meaning of Revelation.”