First Contact and the Taste of Home
Joshua stepped forward first, hands still raised.The girl looked pretty similar to humans from their world.Fair skin, blue eyes, reddish hair, a small mole near her left eye.
Judging by her height and build, Joshua guessed she was around 16 or 17.Assuming, of course, that growth rates were the same here.Malnutrition could also play a factor—common in medieval times, if that was truly the era they were stuck in.
He decided to introduce himself first, then let his brother follow.Later, he'd try to ask about where they were—if this really was another world—and where to find a city or settlement.
"My name is JHOSUA. This is my brother," he said.
Samuel approached with a big grin."SAMUEL. Nice to meet you!"
The girl simply stared.Judging by the look on her face…Joshua realized she didn't understand a single word.
---
***
The ogres seemed friendly.Tanya still didn't fully trust them, but they didn't seem hostile.
She couldn't understand a word they said, though.Their speech sounded complex—way too advanced for beasts.At least the one with the long beard and scar above his eyebrow sounded intelligent.
The other one…He seemed special.Jumping around, waving his arms like a hyperactive child—with a dirty beard and wild hair.It was almost disturbing.
Sighing and mustering her courage, Tanya decided to try communicating.
She raised her hand, pointed to herself, and said:"TANYA. Tanya."
The scarred ogre nodded, pointed at himself, and repeated:"JHOS'UA."
Marmot yellow?Was that his name?Strange for such a big ogre.Maybe ogres had weird naming customs.
The other ogre pointed at himself, hopping like a fool."SAMU'el."
Happy pig?What kind of names did ogre parents even give?
Well... at least they had names.Samuek and Jhosuak.Weird names—but it was a start.
Tanya tried asking what they were doing here, and how they managed to catch the armor rat.Maybe she could trade for it.She prayed to the gods they didn't know the value of the beast.
The two ogres stared blankly at her.
Jhosuak stroked his beard thoughtfully.The dumb one scratched his head.
Finally, the smarter ogre opened his mouth:
"Do you speak English?"
Tanya blinked.She didn't understand, but it sounded different from how he spoke earlier.
Another language?Could ogres speak multiple tongues?!
He tried again:"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"
Another language?Was he some kind of ogre scholar?
Seeing her confused face, he muttered something and then tried again:
"Parlez-vous français, Mademoiselle Tanya?"
Tanya nearly fainted.
He's talking to me!She caught a few familiar words—talk, miss, maybe her name.
"Do you speak human, Mr. Ogre?!How is this possible?!Did you eat a human?!How can you be so smart if you're a forest beast?!"
Overwhelmed, Joshua could only reply:"Mua… no understand. Much, good. Language. No... common."
Using broken words and lots of gestures, Tanya finally understood—He didn't speak her language exactly.It was something similar.
Tanya was truly shocked by the ogres' wisdom.Maybe the legends were wrong.Maybe ogres weren't all stupid.
Glancing at Samu'el bouncing around, she thought:Well… maybe not all ogres are wise.
---
***
Joshua felt deeply grateful for his technical school's curriculum.French and English had been mandatory, and he'd even taken extra courses: German, Russian, even some Irish.
The language here seemed like a bizarre mix—fragments of Russian and German tangled inside a strange version of French.
Joshua figured that, at the very least, he should try to learn their writing system—if it even existed.
When he asked Tanya (through lots of gestures) about writing, she looked away awkwardly.She didn't seem to know how to read or write.
Joshua wasn't too surprised.During the Middle Ages in his world, literacy among commoners was rare.At least, according to documentaries and random internet trivia.
That, or Tanya was just… not very bright.
Watching her and Samuel bond in minutes reinforced that theory.
Samuel offered her some roasted crickets.She accepted them happily but quickly grimaced at the bland taste.
Reaching into a small leather pouch tied to her waist, she pulled out a powdery substance and sprinkled it on the crickets before eating.
Joshua tried a pinch—salt mixed with spices.Not bad.
He personally thought crickets would taste better with something sweet—maybe honey.
Meanwhile, Samuel was inhaling the crickets like a vacuum cleaner.
Joshua began to fear for Samuel's fingers.Or Tanya's—since she had started devouring the crickets too, elbowing Samuel aside to grab more.
It was like watching a compact, female version of Samuel.
Joshua felt a migraine coming on.
---
***
Tanya felt calmer now.
Though communication was rough, she had managed to connect with the ogres—who, apparently, considered themselves human.
Tanya still had doubts.What did they eat to get so huge?And why were they so hairy?
Even the oldest men in her village didn't have that much facial hair.The most she'd ever seen was four or five scraggly chin hairs on her late grandfather.
Surprisingly, they ate kiri crickets—a local delicacy.
Catching them was considered an art among the children of her village.
Seeing them again stirred a deep nostalgia in Tanya's chest.But when she bit into one—she almost spat it out.
No seasoning.Bitter and tasteless.
Maybe these ogres hadn't discovered salt yet.
Feeling a little pity for their bland lives, Tanya pulled out her emergency spice pouch.
Her father's words echoed in her mind:"A hunter can survive without supplies, but never without flavor. Good food is life's true motivation. If you can't enjoy a little, are you really living—or just not dying?"
A little seasoning turned those sad crickets into the nostalgic treat she remembered.
The dumb ogre—Samu—devoured them with a huge, happy smile.
Watching him, Tanya couldn't help but think of her little brother.He made the same goofy face when she fed him something tasty.
A small smile crept across her lips.It was... kind of cute.
But as she saw the crickets disappearing into Samu's massive jaws, Tanya decided:
Screw manners.
It had been a long time since she'd had this treat.Using her body to block him, she started grabbing crickets with both fists,desperately trying to snatch them away from the giant ogre hands.