Inter-Galactic Relations

[Silence]

There was a slight creak in the floorboard of the house and Stetzon turned slightly to see that Noelle was walking up behind him. Stetzon moved over and made way for her to get into the kitchen. Noelle was wearing some odd little flowy type pants with rabbits on them. Regardless of his attempt not to smile he couldn't help it. Only children wore those kinds of things at home. It was just funny to see a grown woman indulge herself in wearing something reserved for the little ones. When she started to speak he lifted his gaze from her feet and pant legs to her face. "Mmm...I think it will good."

A roast was something he knew about and he could feel his mouth watering already. Noelle passed by him and stepped into the kitchen. Almost as soon as she was there she offered tea and he nodded, but she wasn't anywhere near done with her list. "Tea, yes I uh...I like tea very much." Stepping into the kitchen with her the Chippequoti stuck one large brown arm out of the blanket. "I can help yes?" Surely there was something that he could help her with. Instead of being offered a job the woman started to stare at his cheek and Stetzon shrugged. "Yes, I burn my cheek. A benefit of sleeping too close to the heater eh?" The woman was still trying to be excessively accommodating and Stetzon turned a little pink at the tips of his ears again. "No, I don't need anything for the burn." Why would he? It would heal itself mostly overnight as long as he didn't burn it again.

It felt like his back was getting sore much faster than it had earlier and he rolled his shoulders a little before he moved to the dining room to see how she prepared the food. She was roasting the vegetables too and that was good. Vegetables always tasted better when they were cooked with the meat and he got a little closer again to see the meat juices in the pan. Glancing back to the table he saw real plates and silverware. She knew he was a convict and she wasn't treating him like one. It was a bit of a mystery in itself.

Once the plates were served he waited to see where she would sit before he sat down in the other chair. Like most of the furniture on earth it creaked a little when he very first sat on it. Picking up the fork and knife he cut a few bites off the meat and swirled it juices on the plate before taking the first bite. "It's very good." Nodding to her slightly he managed a small smirk before taking the next bite. Halfway through the meal he noticed that he hadn't really said anything and he wondered if that was polite here. "Do you speak during meals at home here on earth?" Nodding to her answer he thought for a moment before posing his final question. "After we eat you would like it if I clean? Chippequoti share in all tasks at home. Maybe on earth it is the same?"

 

[Missvibes]

It seemed the Chippequoti was moving a little stiffly. Though it could've been the blanket wrapped around him not allowing her to see how he was moving. Maybe the tea would help. Noelle actually went to a specialty shop for her teas and had a specific black tea planned to go with the meal. It was actually a bit of a fiery taste, hopefully Stetzon wouldn't mind. She especially liked it with a meat and potato type meal to liven it up a little. "Hope you don't mind drinking tea from a coffee cup.. the typical cups are just too small." Noelle laughed as she poured it into two mugs and set them at the table.

The place settings were across from each other. It seemed that would be the most comfortable. Noelle made her own plate first, she wasn't sure how much of an appetite he had and wanted to make sure she got some. "Go ahead and grab a plate, serve yourself." After, she took a seat and waited for Stetzon to come and take his own seat. At least a few bites in he seemed to be enjoying the food and Noelle just nodded with a slight smile. The TV was still on in the other room for some noise, otherwise it was just the clinking of silverware and general other eating and drinking sounds. Until Stetzon asked if that was normal. Noelle finished her bite before responding. "If there is something to talk about or worth mentioning." She said, "We pretty much had the day together, so not really anything to share specifically." The lady shrugged and ate some of the vegetables.

Seemed Stetzon wanted to help out around the home. Noelle thought for a few moments as she stared at the plate. "Well..." She took a drink of her tea and swallowed. "Just depends on the living situation." Noelle chewed on her lower lip, "We can work something out if you want to help around the house. However, you are still my guest and I want to make sure your back heals up properly before putting too much on you." That seemed an appropriate enough answer to her anyway and took another bite of the tender meat.

 

[Silence]

Oddly enough the woman seemed to think he was a guest and that was not at all what he considered himself. A guest often times had earned some sort of favor with the person that chose to host them. He hadn't won any particular favor as a friend, or otherwise. "I am strong, I can work to help pay for the trouble of keeping me here. Then when you need me to go I'll leave." That was about as simple as he could put it for now. Shifting on the chair he heard it squeak again and he tried not to think about the fact that he'd probably have to sit still. Right now sitting was uncomfortable and so he shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth quickly and then stood up to sip at his tea. "You like more food?" When she indicated that she had enough he served another portion onto his plate and ate that while he was standing before he finished his tea.

As soon as the meal was over Stetzon started to clear the table off and he began organizing the dishes carefully in an order that would be logical to wash them in. Before he got started he remembered that many homes in this part of earth had dish washers in them. He would only have to wash a little. "You have a dish washer?" Nodding a little he followed her instructions and got the dirty dishes set to be washed and then moved on with running the hot soapy sink.

It only took Stetzon a little over 20 minutes to get the counters, table, stove top, and the dishes that didn't go in the dish washer all washed up, dried and set out on the counter so she could tell him where they went. One of the larger pieces that didn't fit in the dishwasher required him to bend over and it was easier to just get on his knees rather than bend his back. Stetzon was still more than tall enough to see over the edge of the counter and comfortably grab the dish even while he was on his knees. While trying to keep his back straight he lowered the dish toward the shelf it went on and he groped about in the cupboard with one hand and guided it in with the other. Once it was put away he slowly got up off the floor and took himself toward his room again.

Staying here was odd and he wasn't entirely sure what the social rules were. So far as he could tell this was a situation in which you tried not to get in the other person's way and that meant for him to stay in this room as much as he could. To some extent he regretted not having his pad, but he knew he had to get rid of it to keep the council from tracking him. Wrapping himself up in layers of blankets again he laid out on the floor and tilted his head so he could look at the window in the room. He could at least study the structure of the building from the inside and see how humans liked to make their houses. Stetzon was still tired out after the small procedure and he quickly fell asleep. The next morning he woke up to an odd sound and he wasn't entirely sure what it was. Slowly he opened his eyes and winced. This place, earth would take a little getting used to.