Gleas thought about refusing my offer, then she saw the large cooking area in the kitchen and accepted. Little did she know about my style of cooking and that it didn't matter how much room you had to work with. I excused myself for a moment and ran to my room, grabbed one of my bags of holding, and ran back to the kitchen. I started pulling things out of the cupboards and asked Gleas for specific things, like mixing bowls and stirring instruments.
As I gathered things, she gathered what I asked for and I intentionally crossed her path several times and brushed my arms, my chest, and my hands across her back, her arms, and in one particular jostling, rubbed my hip on her hip. She took my blatant teasing in stride and didn't blush like I suspected she would. When I started to actually cook and pulled a few special things from my bag of holding, she started making suggestions and grabbed other things to add and turned the tables on me as she rubbed her hands on my arms, across my back, and in one particularly bold move, rubbed her hand across the top of my backside when she pretended to stumble.
By this point, we both had big smiles on our faces, because our mutual teasing put us in good moods, and the actual cooking went particularly quickly. It always seemed to go faster when you had happy and competent help. By the time the food was ready to be served and we had gathered everything together, we turned to look at our audience and were met by several sets of applause and one slightly scowling face on Luxea.
I didn't need to hear Luxea's thoughts to know that she wasn't happy with the show I had just performed for everyone. Simone on the other hand, had a blank face because she really wanted it to be her that had helped me cook and was trying to hide it.
“Thank you, thank you.” I said and bowed a couple of times, then took Gleas' hand and had her bow, too. She laughed, as did a couple of the others. “Let's go to the dining room and we can all enjoy the great food that I and my mostly useful assistant prepared.”
“Mostly!” Gleas swatted my shoulder. Everyone else chuckled and walked towards the dining room.
“Shh! I'm trying to downplay your role.” I said and picked up several dishes with Presence Hands. “This was supposed to be my cooking debut, not a cooking duet.”
Gleas rolled her eyes and picked up the last dish. “You asked me to help, smart ass.”
“Shh! You're not supposed to tell them that!” I said and we followed everyone out of the kitchen.
They sat down at the large table and I saw that Rhubin, Luxea, and Simone sat together near the end and the others were spread out around the table. I placed the large dishes in the center of the table and then quickly put plates and silverware in front of everyone.
“Don't be shy, now.” I said and took my own plate and took some of each dish. “It's going to be the most delicious meal you've ever tasted.”
I got a lot of disbelieving thoughts in return and tried not to keep spouting about how good it was going to be. I sat down and waited for everyone to serve themselves. Both Luxea and Simone only took token amounts from one of the dishes and then almost as one, everyone used a spoon and tasted something.
“Oh, goddess.” Deborah whispered as surprised and shocked thoughts came from everyone.
“What... how...” Gleas took another taste. “I helped make this and... oh... mmm!” She moaned as she took another mouthful.
“It's delicious!” Sandy exclaimed and scooped up some food. “Beatrice! Try this pink stuff!” She said and held out the spoon to her. Beatrice hadn't quite recovered from her own taste and still opened her mouth to try it. She gasped and covered her mouth.
“Oh, my.” Beatrice managed to say.
Luxea and Simone both had shocked expressions and looked down at their mostly empty plates and felt regret.
“There's lots to go around.” I said and used a slightly blue Presence Hand to pick up each dish and gave a bit more to both Luxea and Simone, then did it with each dish to make sure everyone had some of it. “Thanks to Gleas... I mean... my anonymous helper that I won't mention...” I said and several people chuckled. “...we made a bit more than I had intended.”
They didn't need any more encouragement and ate the offered food, then took seconds. It was light and tasted great, so they ended up eating quite a lot and they all sat back with sighs and contented thoughts.
“I am so full it's not funny!” Beatrice rubbed her slightly distended belly.
“That's because somebody kept eating my food.” Sandy said with a smile.
“You kept feeding it to me!” Beatrice said.
“You didn't have to eat it.” Sandy said as her smile grew into a grin, then she and Beatrice laughed.
“Is everyone done?” I asked and looked at all of their faces. “Well, it looks like we're having leftovers for the next few days.”
“Is it healthy to eat such rich and delicious food all the time?” Deborah asked.
“Why do you think I waited so long before springing this on you?” I smiled.
“You wanted to wait until we were all comfortable around each other and settled in.” Gleas said and everyone looked at her. “That's true, right?” She asked me.
“Yes.” I said. “It wouldn't have the same meaning if I had done this after the first few days.”
“I don't know.” Kalina said and she touched her own belly. “It's pretty meaningful in its own right.”
I chuckled and brought out several empty dishes and then split what was left in half.
“What are you doing?” Deborah asked.
“I'm making sure that no matter what ship we're on, we can all have another meal or two.” I said and put the new dishes in front of Rhubin and Luxea.
“H-Hunter...” Luxea started to say.
“Thank you everyone for sharing this meal with me.” I said. “I'm glad you liked it.”
“Liked it?” Sandy asked, then laughed as she rubbed Beatrice's belly. “We loved it!”
“S-stop.” Beatrice blushed and halfheartedly tried to push Sandy's hand away.
Sandy took that hand and kissed it. “We need to pack if we're going on the other ship for seven weeks.”
“G-give me... a few...” Beatrice looked down at her belly. “...half an hour to recover.”
Sandy and a few others laughed, mainly because they agreed. I took the first set of dishes, covered them, and brought them into the kitchen stored them. I took covers for the dishes I gave to Rhubin and Luxea and sealed them, then I cleaned off the table.
“Why aren't you sluggish like the rest of us?” Gleas asked me.
“I used Presence to help digest the...”
“Quick! Do me!” Gleas exclaimed and interrupted me.
“I could make a joke about...” Sandy started to whisper and Beatrice covered her mouth to stop her.
I laughed and made my finger glow slightly, then I touched Gleas' belly to ease her bloated feeling, and she sighed in relief. “Anyone else?”
Nearly everyone lifted their hands and I walked to each one and touched their bellies. They each sighed in relief, just like Gleas had, and I saw Luxea give me a forlorn look. I assumed that she didn't want to admit that she wanted me to help her too, so as I walked by her, I pat her shoulder and helped her. I poked Simone's belly next and that was everyone taken care of.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I need a shower and nap!” I said loudly and a few people laughed.
“Me, too.” Deborah said and stood up with a groan. “I'm skipping the shower and going right for the nap, though.”
“That's a great idea.” Kalina said and stood, then let out a huge yawn.
“I almost felt the pull of that vacuum!” Sandy said and everyone laughed.
“Make sure you set your alarms! There's another movie on tonight.” Gleas said as everyone stood.
“Don't tell us what it is.” Beatrice said. “I want it to be a surprise.”
“I claim the control position.” I said and made them laugh, because even though I sat in the middle last time and was supposed to control what we watched, I hadn't controlled anything. I looked at Rhubin, Luxea and Simone. “You guys are welcome to come. The living room is huge.”
“I don't know.” Luxea said.
“It's at seven sharp.” Gleas warned her, then refrained from telling her to show up early to claim a good seat near me, which was her plan. She had a fifty-fifty shot to get on either side of me and she intended to give herself the best odds by being there first. I could tell from her thoughts that she just wanted to sit beside me, like she had twice before. She didn't have any other motives besides that, so I didn't try to discourage her.
“I'll think about it.” Luxea said and we all heard the doubt in her voice.
Gleas laughed. “It's not like we're all committed to watch it together. We're just spending some of our off time doing the same thing.” She started to walk away. “Why not just do it together?”
Luxea couldn't refute that logic, especially since she, Simone, and Rhubin had done it a few times themselves.
We all split up and I went to my room and did what I said. I took a shower and then went to bed for a quick nap. The full morning of meetings and discussing logistics and plans was just as tiring as harvesting salvage for the same amount of time. I chuckled at the comparison and tucked myself under the blanket and drifted off to sleep.
*
Rhubin refused to go on the basis that he wasn't going to enjoy it. He didn't want to tell them that he might enjoy it a little too much, especially if he got to sit near Kalina. He had only barely hidden how much he enjoyed staring at her for almost half an hour as she ate Hunter's delicious food. He was sure that he couldn't possibly stop himself from staring at her again if he had to be in the same room with her for quite a bit longer than that.
Luxea seriously thought about refusing the invitation, then Simone said she was going, just for the experience. So, they both changed and put on casual and practical clothing, which consisted of loose pants and shirts with a t-shirt underneath. It was as if they had coordinated it, because when they came out of their rooms, they looked like twins, except for the slightly different colors of the clothing.
Hunter was right. Simone thought in surprise and in slight embarrassment. I really have been subconsciously aligning myself to Luxea. She couldn't go back and change, so she unbuttoned the shirt and let it flop to the sides. She bent over and ran her fingers through her black hair and fluffed it out, then stood up. At least now we don't look exactly alike.
Luxea and Simone went to the main hatch of the ship and was surprised that both were still open, considering they had remained closed the night before. When they reached the large living room, they were greeted as friends, which was also a surprise.
“Hey, there you are!” Deborah said with a smile. “I'm glad you decided to come.”
“We're all glad you made it.” Gleas said from beside Hunter. “We even moved another couch over so we could all sit together.”
“I don't know if I'm looking forward to having a butt-free lap this time or not.” Sandy chuckled from the end of that couch.
“You said you wouldn't bring that up.” Beatrice said from beside her.
“It's not my fault that I like cuddling you in public.” Sandy said, completely serious.
“Are you saying it's mine?” Beatrice asked, and we all heard the teasing tone.
“Oh, no! You're not at fault at all!” Sandy wrapped her arm around her and whispered something into her ear. Beatrice's face flushed red from it and she fell silent, then she put her arm around Sandy and wiggled even closer to her.
“We think there's enough room for the two of you there.” Kalina said from beside Beatrice and pointed to the empty part of the couch beside Hunter. “At least, we had two people squeezed in there the last time, so you should fit.”
Gleas laughed. “I'm still surprised we had six people on this thing and it was still comfortable.”
“Speak for yourself.” Sandy said.
Beatrice started to open her mouth and Sandy kept speaking.
“I loved it.” Sandy said and squeezed Beatrice's shoulders.
Simone kicked off her shoes and walked over to the couch and sat beside Hunter. Luxea gave her a look that clearly said that she shouldn't have done that, and Simone pat the couch beside her.
“Get over here and stop delaying.” Simone said. “We're here to enjoy ourselves, not cause you and Hunter to be anxious.”
Luxea sighed, quite loudly in fact, then she kicked off her own shoes and walked over to the couch and sat down. It actually was pretty comfortable and in the back of her mind, she had to thank Simone for creating a buffer between her and Hunter. She would never thank her out loud, though. She had taken away her chance to be physically close to him after being apart for over a month, and in two days, they would be apart again for seven weeks.
Gleas turned on the screen and flicked through the channels to find the movie she wanted to watch.
“Who has the snacks?” Simone asked and a few of the others looked at her. “What? No snacks?”
“We had a delicious meal for lunch and none of us are hungry, even hours later.” Beatrice said. “We should be having supper right now and the thought of ruining the memory of lunch is almost painful!”
The others chuckled and Hunter looked like he wanted to burst out laughing.
“I knew you liked it a lot; but, I didn't think I'd ruin all other food for you.” Hunter said.
“You didn't ruin it. It's just... no other food can compare to it.” Beatrice said.
“That's what he meant by ruining it, sweetheart.” Sandy said.
“Oh.” Beatrice said and looked at Hunter. “Then yes, you ruined it.”
Hunter laughed, as did the other women. Simone shivered at the strong emotions and Luxea wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't say anything.
“That reminds me.” Hunter said and looked at Luxea. “Could you get another 'special order' from the restaurant when you come back?”
“Hunter, you can't just...”
Hunter held out a ten thousand credit chip to her and she stared at it. “Please.”
“You can't waste your money like this.” Luxea said.
“Is it a waste, though?” Hunter asked. “Good food. Good friends. Good feelings.” He said and wagged the chip in front of her. “We'll have lots of money soon, even after this one shipment.”
Luxea took a breath and let it out, then reluctantly took the chip.
“Hey, it's starting!” Gleas said.
“Please tell me it's not a drama about the first fish people meeting humanity.” Hunter said.
“I thought you said you hated it when people lied to you?” Gleas said with a gleam in her eye.
“Oh, geez.” Hunter groaned and everyone laughed. “Why did I come here again?”
“You enjoy spending time with friends more than you're embarrassed at what's going on.” Simone said and everyone turned to look at her, except Hunter, because he thought he had hidden that from her. “Hey, it's true.” She said. “Once, he even let me take a shower with him when I accidentally walked in on him, then he washed me all over.”
Everyone except Luxea had their mouths open in surprise at the admission.
“I'm not sure why you're all acting shocked. I told you it happened and that I was a little drunk at the time.” Hunter said.
“Making excuses?” Gleas asked.
“No, I'm explaining.” Hunter said. “Apparently, when I'm drinking, my perception drops to almost nothing and I forget to use certain techniques that even though I have them going constantly, they still falter when I'm mentally impaired by alcohol.”
“Sounds like an excuse to me.” Kalina said with a smile. “You must have done something besides washing her... all... over.”
Sandy chuckled and winked at Beatrice, who blushed.
“Noth...” Hunter started to say automatically, then stopped himself and sighed. “Well, I guess...”
“Ooo, that sounds like gossip.” Deborah smiled and looked at Simone. “Did the big drunk man take advantage of you when you were all vulnerable and naked in the shower?”
Simone could hear their thoughts about what they thought... and hoped... had happened, and she shivered from the intensity. “I... well, he...”
“So you did do something.” Kalina said with a laugh.
“We're missing the movie.” Hunter said.
“No distractions during the inquiry.” Gleas said and turned down the sound on the screen, then she reached across Hunter and took Simone's hand. “It's okay. We're all friends here. You can tell us what he did.”
Everyone's attention turned to Simone and she shivered again, especially in direct contact with Gleas. She glanced at Hunter and he gave her a nod. Thank you. She thought to him and saw his smile, then she looked at the women around her and told the whole sordid tale.
The funny thing was, none of them vilified Hunter as they heard the story. Ever since they had gotten snippets of the shower incident, each and everyone one of them had constructed their own fantasy about what had happened... then they quickly substituted themselves into that fantasy. The only ones who had tried it out for themselves were Sandy and Beatrice, however. They relived it with each other a lot, liked it a whole lot, and secretly thanked Hunter and Simone for the idea.
Hearing about it firsthand just clarified the details for them. They all went quiet after hearing the whole thing, even about the hand holding in bed afterwards to share thoughts, and it took them several minutes to go through it all and process what they heard.
Gleas was the first to catch on to the relevant point. “Oh, goddess. You're supposed to have extra arms.”
The others gasped at that, then suddenly Simone was surrounded and several hands reached out and touched her. “We're so sorry.”
Simone burst out crying at the intense sorrow she felt from them and then they all tried to hug her at once. They held her and let her cry for quite some time, then the crying eased to a stop. Without saying a word, they each gave her another little hug and went back to their seats. She didn't even have to tell them the story about how she had lost them, because it didn't matter to them. They shared in her loss and had given her their sympathy and understanding, and that was that. The sharing moment was over.
“You're... all amazing.” Simone managed to say as she wiped off her face.
Hunter put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in close and accepted his comfort. They spent the rest of the evening like that and watched the worst movie they had ever seen.