Sanders’ sunburn brought two major things to light. The first was that they needed to adjust to a nocturnal schedule. The second was that they didn’t have the first clue about the monetary standard here and were dead broke. The third came from breakfast. Food was a lot different here and they needed to research it thoroughly.

“We need to figure out our jobs before they stop thinking of us as unfortunate children and start thinking of us as worthless nuisances,” Natalie announced.

“It doesn’t have to be permanent, but we need some sort of goal to work towards,” James agreed, “What is something we can offer without toeing the line of their unknown laws?”

“It would probably bite us later to offer fighting prowess and weapons,” Leon muttered, and glanced at Jonathan, “He could be useful in a lot of ways but…”

“We should avoid using Jonathan’s expertise if at all possible,” Natalie stated.

“How about food?” Miranda suggested, “Some of us know how to cook, and even if it might not pass for a restaurant on Earth our food might be completely different. Plus we could double our focus on finding edible and similar ingredients to what we know here.”

“Not a bad idea,” Leon complimented.

“It’s a start,” Natalie agreed, “What do you think, Howard? We would likely end up being the cooks at least part of the time.”

“Cooking is better than dealing with people,” he said, “and we don’t necessarily have to do a common fast-food style. It could be more of a relaxing cafe.”

“True. We could also present it like a bakery or a store,” Natalie agreed, “Our first goal should be discovering what kinds of food they commonly eat here so we can surprise them with our cuisine without forcing them to leave their comfort zones just to take a bite.”

“That would also be the easiest way to find out if a place like a restaurant even exists here at all,” Leon mused.

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“I’ll try to figure out the hunting laws and see if Howard and I can supply meat,” James said.

“There wasn’t any meat with breakfast was there,” Miranda realized, “Do you think they are herbivores?”

“Sanders could have just been being careful,” Natalie noted, “We understand very little about their culture so it is a wise idea not to push our boundaries.”

“Shall we do something exhausting so we can go back to sleep?” Jonathan suggested, “The night is still a long way off.”

“We probably should go back to sleep, but I am against using whatever method Jonathan is proposing,” Selina spoke up.

“I am against playing any more games to pass the time,” Natalie added, “The last one didn’t end well.”

“We could start by making a list of the things we need from the shuttle,” James suggested, “Just in case I should be among the group who grabs things.” He placed a hand on his most accessible handgun.

They spent the next few hours making a list and discussing the best way to transport things with a certain number of people and who would figure out how to ask for one of the locals to steer the gondolas they would need. In the end, the group decided on was Leon, Natalie, and James.

After that mentally draining discussion, Howard felt that he might be able to take a nap, but ended up just laying in his hammock until night came, too stubborn to get up even though sleep would not come.

Once night fell the natives began to wake and go about their lives. While Natalie, James, and Leon left to get supplies from the shuttle, Howard headed out to research the food that was common here with Selina tagging along with obvious excitement.

Howard somehow managed to communicate his desire to eat some of their local cuisines and was directed to something like a food stall. It was not something unique but the common food just prepared for those who could not cook or had no time. There wasn’t too much variety, but Howard was able to see that there was meat included in their diet.

When he actually tried it he was slightly shocked.

Selina nearly choked beside him. “Hot! How is this so spicy?! It tastes good but I might die!”

It was definitely very spicy but Howard thought she was exaggerating things. The spice had a steady heat rather than a buildup, and it was a full flavor that made Howard feel very satisfied after eating it. The main issue was that every single dish offered at the stall was spicy. When he asked he was informed that it was actually on the mild side compared to the majority of dishes commonly eaten there.

“At least we don’t have to worry about scaring them off with spices,” Howard muttered, his mouth still burning from their tasting session.

“Should we bring some of this back to the others?” Selina asked, wrinkling her nose at the prospect of finishing what was before them.

“Probably,” Howard replied, “It will be difficult to properly describe this and they may notice things we didn’t.”

After making sure they were allowed to take the dishes home they returned and shared the food with the others. It was immediately clear where everyone’s spice tolerances were and the majority of them could only handle one bite.

James, on the other hand, took a large portion when he returned and wolfed it down happily. Howard was glad he was not the only one who could handle spice, but he couldn’t handle it nearly as well as James.