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Elena hummed as she went to one of the plants decorating the cave walls and plucked several of the leaves. His smile widened as she moved to the next plant and judiciously collected more leaves. The way she flitted from plant to plant almost looked like a graceful little dance. Payim cocked his head in confusion when he noticed her whispering to the plants, making their fronds rustle.

What are you doing, you curious little thing?

Did she consider the plants her friends? Was she giving them thanks for providing nourishment, or was there some other purpose? He’d never really taken care of plants, being gone too often on missions, but she obviously took good care of the ones adding greenery to her cave. Undoubtedly, she had to take them outside to give them light or they wouldn’t be so vibrant.

His curiosity again peaked when she pulled several of the flying insects off the drying line and crushed them up. He wasn’t too keen on eating the same bugs that attacked him, but he’d eaten worse in battle and wasn’t about to dishonor her hard work. She squeezed some sort of fruit juice over the crushed insects and whisked the mixture.

He got lost watching her as she worked, enjoying the bright tune she hummed while performing the little swaying dance, rocking from one foot to the other. With every moment that passed he was more in awe of her. If he’d been stranded here for as long as she had been, he’d be an utter disaster, his hair a tangled mess, covered in filth, his eyes wild, as he crawled about throwing rocks like a feral animal. Elena was a true warrior if he ever saw one. It was humbling.

“It’s not much, but it’s edible,” she commented, pulling him from his musings.

He gaped at the heaping platter and the large bowl of steaming broth that she presented. Somehow, she’d turned what little she had into a feast.

“I hope you don’t mind lizard.” She smiled hesitantly at him.

“This looks and smells amazing.” He pulled in a deep, appreciative breath, then realized she had no clue what he said so he smiled and nodded repeatedly.

“You came at a good time. I don’t often find the lizard nests, but I captured this fat beast yesterday and some eggs, too.” Elena grinned as she sat cross-legged beside him. “Maybe you should try a bite and then we wait a minute. Just in case you’re allergic to something,” she kindly suggested.

He wanted to tell her that the Cadi were a hearty people but nodded instead, appreciating the consideration. Elena adeptly maneuvered the pair of thin sticks in one hand to clasp a mouthful and lifted it to his lips. He opened wide as she poked the bite into his mouth.

“Mmm,” he groaned as a burst of flavors erupted in his mouth.

He hadn’t expected much from the meager offerings available. Yet again, Elena surprised him. Although the leafy greens were rather bland by themselves, the slightly tangy and salty drizzle coating them made them delicious. Add the fatty slivers of reptile meat along with diced citrus and the whole medley was very enjoyable.

“Is it okay?” she asked, then popped a bite into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “The swamp oranges are a little tart but not bad. That’s what I call this fruit, since it’s sort of like an orange but grows on this floppy big-leafed plant in the swamp.” Elena pointed at the citrus bits.

“It is very good,” he said softly with a smile and a big nod, even though she couldn’t understand his words.

“The soup may not be as good. You probably saw me grinding up the wasps and bones into a paste, so you shouldn’t be able to notice them mixed into the broth. Sorry but I end up eating a lot of those damn wasps. It’s protein.” She shrugged. “I can’t really complain. They’re not that bad. They taste a lot like almonds, I guess. The chunks are a starchy root that tastes kinda like a potato after you cook them. Oh, you probably don’t know what a potato is,” she laughed.

He smiled at her in amusement. Now that she was more relaxed, she’d grown rather chatty and her gestures were animated. She was cute explaining the various parts of the meal, but when she smiled, she was downright stunning. He couldn’t help but grin at her, hoping to induce her to smile more as she babbled with her lovely lyrical voice.

Elena

“My abuela taught me how to cook. I’m so grateful to her. The biggest lessons were using what was in the kitchen. She could make magic even when the pantry was bare. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this hellish place, but the pantry is most certainly bare here.”

Payim’s brows rose as he made an incredulous face, easily interpreted as sarcastic disbelief.

“I know! It’s hard to believe a planet full of volcanoes isn’t just teeming with life,” she chuckled.

He laughed and her grin broadened hearing the delightful sound.

I’ve missed this.It didn’t even matter that she couldn’t understand him, just hearing a voice, especially a laugh that wasn’t her own, felt like a warm hug. She sighed happily.

Elena glanced down and realized there was only a swallow of soup left.

“Oh. I’ve been talking this entire time.” She was surprised she hadn’t grown hoarse. “I hope I wasn’t carrying on with food in my mouth.” She covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Payim shook his head, his tail tapping her knee to let her know she was fine.

“Oh, good. You want this last swallow?” She lifted the soup bowl.

He again shook his head, lifting his chin to gesture to her.

“Okay.” She couldn’t blame him. It had been a little awkward trying to give him sips from the bowl while he was laid out flat.

She took the last swallow of broth then grabbed one of the makeshift chopsticks and began chewing the end to separate the wood fibers. Payim watched her, his brows knit together in confusion.