Northern Refreshments

"Use your words." Cerez said. She seemed to be focused. Sweat dotted her forehead as she worked. She took on too much, in his opinion. Only by being there could he reduce the strain on her body. He thought she would fit in back home. His mother was really going to appreciate this project of hers. The kitchen smelled really nice.

"Hmmm?" Nora looked up from her work. She had plucked enough Pekoe leaves from the complex and processed them to make a fairly large quantity of tea. She was making a large batch of Uzuza Iced Tea for dinner this evening and had finished a syrup made out of fruit and cane syrup. She tasted a sample of the large batch she had made with satisfaction. She had high hopes for the blend. She fished the mesh tea bags out of the multiple pots on the cooktop using a step stool earlier and now the stool was missing, and she could not find it. She had learned of the concept of a "pregnancy brain" in her medical studies on Earth. 

"Cerez, I cannot find the step stool from earlier. Do you know what happened to it?" Nora asked.

 "We decided that it was not a good idea for you to lift all of that." Cerez said to their unique little Matriarch.

 "We? Right, I missed my involvement in that decision. When do you all get to speak for me?" Nora said, pouting. He saw a little bit of his mother in her and shot a smile at her. 

"Yes, sometimes we have to decide what is good for you, or you would work yourself to physical exhaustion. And that would be no good for them," Cerez said in a teasing tone and pointed at her tiny baby bump. "Look, I will help you pour it into those coolers. It is all too heavy for you to move up there." Cerez explained. 

"But first I need to sweeten the tea, we cannot mix it properly in the coolers. Here. Pour this into the brewed Tea." Nora handed the syrup and fruit mixture to Cerez with a little frustration in her voice. She wanted to do this, it was her project and her gift to her hard-working spouses. 

"An equal amount has to go into all the pots, and then we have to taste it together." Nora instructed. Cerez distributed the syrup among all the pots. 

"Kadir, Liem, can you come and taste this too?" Nora asked, projecting her voice loudly into the main room, which was akin to a living room. 

"Let's just bring it to them. I do not think they are listening, they are stuck in their own work", Cerez said and winked at her. He was enjoying this time with her alone in the kitchen. He wanted to keep this as their own private, intimate domain and keep his value higher than the others. He had taken her in here a few times secretly. Cerez added some of it to some glasses with ice in it for the tasting. He cut a Lazuza, a larger citrus fruit, into wedges and placed them in a pitcher with ice and filled it and the glasses with fully mixed Iced Tea. He took a sip of the finished product. He raised his brows in appreciation as the bittersweet and tangy drink flooded his mouth. Nora was able to cook well, though she had peculiar tastes. 

"I can see why this was popular. This is like Liotte, but the mouth feels cleansed afterward. It encourages you to drink more, and it prepares the mouth to try other flavors." Cerez openly critiqued the drink. He popped a piece of jerky into his mouth and chewed it. The dried meat was incredibly savory and seasoned, so it was slightly spicy. It was one of her weirder cravings, he was quite fond of the Nomadic feel of it. It would make great rations.

He earned this break in the kitchen by working well. He handled the procurement side of the business and had some more free time now that all the raw materials were ready and on site and construction had already been completed. This drink and the jerky both had marketability. He was hesitant to approach Nora about commercializing the food she made. It might be offensive to do so. He might joke about it later to gauge her interest. He could earn out others with consumer products like food easily. Unlike what the others were doing currently, he could bring in more income than their ventures that would not be ready for years.

"Can you plate the desserts and fruit?" Nora asked. She created nut and dried fruit bars. The second attempt looked more appealing. She had found the species of Theobroma outside the fence line of the property. After being assured that it was not known as poisonous, she had created another bittersweet and sweet substance called 'Chocolate.' It was quite interesting to see her turn the undesirable fruit into a dessert-like substance. It was a shame that it had not been cultivated yet. These bars were unique products that she had invented, but she seemed confident it would work out. He pulled a serving platter out, enjoying how mundane this task was and how his spouse made such odd but delicious food. The 'hot sauce' she had made with the tiny red Solans, that were deemed inedible was growing on him. 'Fermentation' was a really neat process. Nora wanted to do much more with it when they had room for it. She said some of the projects could have stronger odors.

"It looks really nice, I cannot wait to try the vegetables. They are preserved to last long, right? Just brilliant. They must be sour." Cerez said, looking over to Nora with a smile on his face. Nora blushed and smiled back at him. He was so reluctant to leave, but she was already done. She arranged a cold deli tray of picked vegetables, shaved meats and cheeses. 

"You will see. I cannot wait to see the look on your face. Let's put this on the food cart." Nora said as she went to grab the cart from their storage closet. 

"Let me pack it up." Cerez said as he quickly rushed to get the cart, and he filled it while she watched him slightly puzzled and very amusedly.

"Time for a break. I need you to taste test some stuff." Nora said as she walked into the living space. They had been quietly working away for hours. Liem and Kadir were busy running the business side of clan Quill, dealing with all the annoying clan chatter as they built the new factory for an autonomous work force. There would be no need for dangerous work to be done by the lower class. There were other jobs, the alluring pay that tricked men to their deaths often could be spent on robotic workers. 

"I have just a bit more to do on the prototype," Kadir said. He was a brilliant man, the work force was cheap to build, repair and completely recyclable. They ran on solar power and were powered off the grid if their environment changed. His work was groundbreaking. 

"Huh?" Liem said as he looked up. He was engrossed in his work. Liem was a skilled business manager. He inherited his Allurai's intelligence and ability to communicate from the years of tutelage beside his sister. He handled the interactions and negotiations for funding. His latest headache was dealing with the political side of creating another workforce. It would seem threatening to some. As it meant the possibility for a disposable army. He was mostly submitting design and concept protection.

"Please take a break, you have been at it for such a long time," Nora said. He had become incredibly focused on his work. She was glad for him, since he seemed happy. But it seemed like their honeymoon period was over. She sighed. She happily pulled a cup off the cart and happily sipped her drink, deciding to ignore it for now. "Mmm." Nora said and smiled and then picked up the two glasses intended for Kadir and Liem. "Here. Take them." Nora said, finally frustrated by the pair as she gave the dark iced teas to her spouses. Seeing the look of doubt in their eyes. 

"Come on guys, I have already had some, it tastes great." Cerez said. Kadir was the first to drink with a reluctant look on his face. He tried the unsweetened Pekoe this morning. It was bitter. His face changed as he drank from reluctant, to surprise, and then pleasure. He quickly finished his glass and wiped his lips after making a sound of appreciation.

"Mm. I will drink the rest, if you two do not want yours." Kadir said, praising the drink. It was unlike anything that he had had. Bitter, sweet, sour and there was a refreshing feeling in his mouth that made him want to drink more. Liem was second to drink the Pekoe drink that she created. He finished the drink and shared the same sentiments. 

"Do we have to share this with everyone tonight? Why not keep it for ourselves?" Liem said as he smacked his lips and got up and walked into the kitchen and ladled another serving out. He felt himself becoming more alert, like he had just woken up.