Braxxos ate in silence for a while, tasting each dish then rinsing his mouth with fresh water before moving to try the next. Finally, he paused, having sampled them all.
“This is absolutely amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. It has been so long since I’ve had someone prepare a meal for me, I had forgotten that food can be more than just sustenance.”
“Yeah, I had a lot of fun playing around with those spices. A lot of them are kind of similar to what we have back home.”
“You cook on your world?”
“Oh, yeah. I actually love it. It’s like being a food witch.”
“Food witch? I don’t think my rune is translating that right.”
She laughed brightly. “It is. I just mean that cooking is like magic for hungry people, you know? You take one thing and with heat, spice, and time, transform it into something entirely different. Magic, get it?”
“I think I understand.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. Once you get the hang of it, cooking is really pretty simple.”
“I look forward to it. And thank you.”
“You’re the one showing all the hospitality here. I only cooked one meal.”
He looked at her oddly, as though uncomfortable at the thoughts running through his mind. Finally, he spoke.
“It’s not just the offer,” he said, searching for the right words. “It’s–it’s just that I’ve been alone for a very, very long time. This has been magical, what you’ve given me. Your companionship. Your curiosity. You’ve brightened my world, Margot, and for that I am forever in your debt.”
She simultaneously felt her heart swell and her stomach drop.
“How long, exactly, have you been out here by yourself?” she asked, gently broaching the subject only because he had been the one to bring it up.
“I don’t know, exactly. I’ve been on my own since I was twelve.”
Margot couldn’t hide the shock on her face. “Twelve? You’ve been out here all alone all that time?”
“Yes.”
“Just you. Alone.”
“Yes.”
“I mean, literally no one else?”
“I told you, yes.”
Her head was spinning from the revelation. “But how? Why?”
“It’s a long story, and one I’d rather not get into.”
She took a deep breath and forced her curiosity down, at least somewhat. “I understand. But, if you don’t mind my asking, how is it you’re so clever? So articulate. You’re far more intelligent than you have any right to be.”
At that he actually chuckled, lightening the mood, even if only a little.
“I had many books stored on my reading devices. And I was provided countless lessons as well. More than enough to keep me busy for a very long time. And believe me, I have had alotof time to fill.”
“Are you talking about digital books?”
