Memory Transcription Subject: Junior Hunter Viath
Date [standardized human time]: 5 November 2136
Another day had come and gone, having helped gods know how many Human survivors and having identified gods know how many more bodies. The venlil and zurulians have helped, undoubtedly, but there’s still that lingering judgment against me and my kind… Not undeservedly so. I’ve eaten the flesh of many of their species time and time again.
…Damn, ever since that one incident weeks ago, I can’t eat ‘sapient’ flesh without thinking back to that one human. After having half of his entire body in a larger predator’s mouth, when he woke up, he was… strangely unphased by that. When I was asked to apologize to that human, I would’ve expected he would’ve been far more troubled than my superior was. Granted, immediately before, he was caught in a literal hill of rubble, and those precious seconds could very well have determined his fate… Still, the quickness with which that human wanted to maintain contact with him…
…My phone pinged in his vest pocket beside my mat. Him again. Jonah. At times, I’ve regretted giving him my contact details, with how he seemed to spray me with his conversation. After a while, we’d have agreed to keeping it to larger blocks that he would send at day’s end, full of questions I would answer in kind and offer my own. Of course, this would lead to further discussion, but he didn’t mind, so long as it didn’t interrupt daytime work. Overall, despite… that, he was, altogether, somewhat pleasant to talk to.
Sure enough, here was an answer to a question about his recovery.
> “Doc says it’ll be a month or two before the leg and rib are fixed. Will need to be gentle on them for a while after, too. It’s a shame, I’d want to meet with you again in person to more properly thank you, as well as talk about some more… ‘personal’ stuff.”
>
> “I assure you, I was more acting on instinct than anything-“
>
> “It’s not-! …That’s a complicated matter that I think is better left for our in-person meeting. You’ll probably be busy for a bit, so-“
>
> “I’ll have to see later. We can still keep in touch.”
>
> “Cool. Good night.”
>
> “Good night.”
Off the phone went and off to sleep I went.
- - - - -
Date [standardized human time]: 2 January 2137
When Jonah described this “Waffle House” as making even the strongest wills feel chills run through their spines, I thought he was exaggerating. Turns out, he was downplaying it significantly. Even merely looking at it from across this parking lot, something about the building emanated some malicious aura that haunted me. And I was a big guy for his kind, too. Not a lot to be scared of in that department.
I approached the building, opening the door and stepping in. The smell of hot oils and human body odors instantly assailed my sensitive snout, which didn’t help his case as people started looking at me… Was it because I was a larger predator or was it because I was just an alien?
Whatever the case, Jonah was quick to make his position known, frantically waving with a smile on his face in a booth by the window. If I were to be honest, I was a little happy to see him on his own feet. “I helped do that!” I mused in my mind.
I made my way to the seat across from him, which was a bit awkward on account of my tail. Had to… sorta sit at an angle to let that rest on the rest of the bench. Jonah chuckled a tiny bit, which initially soured my mood, but then I realized that he was probably just amused.
> “Ah, there’s the arxur who saved my life!”
>
> “Yes, I’ve, uh… had to save quite a few.”
>
> “Oh, totally! Gotta appreciate our heroes… Do check out the menu, they got steak and eggs, ham and eggs, chicken and eggs, pork chops and eggs – oh, and don’t worry about the sides, I can take care of them.”
>
> “…Sounds like a plan… I’m sorry, I know you humans like to converse a lot, but this matter is just going to be weighing on me until it’s addressed.”
>
> This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
>
> “Hoo boy! Well, uh… to be honest, it’s a bit of a layered answer, one more personal than another. Look, the whole… ‘mouth’ thing was not a problem in the slightest, jarring at worst-“
Interrupting this conversation was one of the establishment’s waitstaff, a darker-skinned Human, notepad in hand.
> “Hi, welcome to Waffle House! My name is Tory, I’ll be your server this morning! Can I start you two off with some drinks?”
I, somewhat incensed by the interruption, started to complain, but found myself halted by Jonah raising his hand in dismissal.
> “Hi, Tory! I’ll have some water and a coffee, milk and two Splendas. You want something to drink, Viath?”
>
> “I… I’ll just have some water, thank you… I’m sorry, still sort of new to ‘restaurants’ as a concept, do we order the meal now, or-?”
Tory was quick with an answer.
> “Oh, don’t worry! If you’re ready to order, then I’ll be happy to take it!”
>
> “I’ll have the pork chops and eggs, please. What about you, Jonah?”
>
> “Cheesesteak omelette, two eggs, with hashbrowns and biscuit, please.”
>
> “Alright, how do you want your eggs and what sides for you, Mr. Viath?”“The, uh… I mean, I’ll probably just give the sides to you, Jonah, so-“
>
> “Hashbrowns and biscuit as well, then. The eggs come over easy, sunny side up, scrambled-”
>
> “Scrambled, then.”
With a final scribble in her notepad, Tory jotted down the order.
> “Alright, your orders will be ready shortly! I’ll be back with them in a bit!”
>
> “Thank you, ma’am.”
>
> “Thank you, Mrs. human lady.”
Tory went off to submit the order, and the human and I were back in conversation.
> “…Anyway, as I was saying, jarring at worst. Though, to veer off onto another topic… God, it feels so weird asking this!”“That’s not stopped you from asking weird questions before.”
>
> “…Fair. Fair. So… how does ‘romance’ work with you guys?”
>
> “…’Romance?’”
>
> “Yeah like… oh, crap, right, you guys do that… eugenics thing or whatever.”
>
> “…So what is ‘romance?’”
>
> “Oh, you know, like… how on an individual basis you find someone you want to ‘do the ‘do’’ with.”
>
> “I… I mean, we file applications and whatnot.”
>
> “Oh, geez, bureaucracy! One of the few things that actively make me less sexually stimulated!”
>
> “Ha! You know, I do actually like some of your… you called them ‘one-liners?’”
>
> “Ah, sounds like a bit of my charm is working!”
>
> “…I don’t follow.”
>
> “…Ah, okay, so…”
Jonah gave a quick visual sweep, checking for eavesdroppers, before leaning into the table to whisper.
> “So… okay, I imagine all species have something like homosexuality, but, like, how’s that stuff for you guys?”
>
> “If you’re found engaging in it, you get processed.”
>
> “Ugh! …But, like, what if – hypothetically speaking, of course – like, an entire company or platoon or whatnot was found doing it and the ones supposed to enforce orderliness were in the minority?”
>
> “…That… doesn’t really happen?”
>
> “I mean, yeah, but what if?”
>
> “I… don’t know. …If I may, is this line of questioning supposed to lead to something?”
>
> “Does it have to?”
>
> “Not necessarily, but this one feels like it does.”
>
> “…I suppose you’re right in a way. I mean… I guess us coming to this place technically counts as a ‘date,’ but I’d’ve probably wanted to pitch the idea as such if I wanted it to count.”
>
> “…’Date?’”
>
> “Right, so us humans, when we want to judge a potential ‘partner,’ we set time aside from our lives to do something ‘fun’ with them, or share a meal, or something along those lines. And that’s a ‘date.’”
>
> “…I… …Okay, so… I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but with Chief Hunter Isif working as closely as he has been with your government… and the venlil and zurulian governments… I’ve noticed a sharp increase in… ‘executive laxity?’”
>
> “Hmm?”
>
> “Like-“
>
> “Oop! Sorry to interrupt!”
Tory had returned, tray in hand, carrying their meals. She gingerly laid them down in front of them, mine first, then Jonah’s.
> “Thank you.”
>
> “No problem, sir! Thank you for your service!”
Tory left again to tend to other customers as Jonah and I started attacking our meals ferociously.
> “Mmm, you know? You humans’ concept of smaller meals throughout the day… I could get used to this!”
>
> “I know, right? Lets you keep it varied, yeah?”
>
> “Mmm hmm. Anyway… given that we… well, to tell you the truth, we’ve just implemented some ‘personal off-time’ for our service members. They say it’s to help us get acquainted with our new allies.”
>
> “Oh, that’s fun!”
>
> “So… I mean… Argh, I don’t know how to communicate this!”
>
> “Did you… want to find a work-around?”
>
> “…Look, you’re weird as hell-“
>
> “That obvious?”
>
> “…But, you know, in a… ‘weird’… weirdly weird kinda way. Like, where we are now, this is definitely the best relationship I’ve had with someone that was in my mouth.”
>
> “Oh, ho, ho~! Want to rephrase that?!”
>
> “…No? You were in my- …Oh, you!”
I leaned in and flicked Jonah’s forehead with his claws. The human nursed it as he continued laughing at the unintentional innuendo.
> “Ha, ha, ha…! Ah, come on, that was funny!”
>
> “…It was a little.”
>
> “There we go! …Sorry to interrupt that, you were saying?”
>
> “I was saying that… you know what? You’ve got me interested enough that I… might want to try it.”
>
> “Yes!!! Thank you! …So, do we count this, or do we want to arrange a different one?”
>
> “Well, if we do, we have to make sure that it’s not obvious what we’re doing.”
>
> “We can write it off as ‘cultural exchange.’ Showing off what we like to do for fun and stuff. And since I brought us here and am paying for our meals, do you have any ideas?”
>
> “…Well…”