Page 94 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“It serves that function,” Taurex told her.

“Of course it does.” Terra shook her head. “Is anything in this house actually made out of metal? Because if so, I haven’t seen it.”

“The blade is grown from karnath grass,” Taurex explained. “Once properly hardened, it is sharper than most metal and will regrow its edge if damaged.”

Terra looked at him with wide eyes.

“So you have self-sharpening grass knives?”

He nodded.

“If that terminology pleases you.”

“It pleases me very much,” Terra said. “Also, I’d love to get one of these to take home with me if they’re not too expensive.”

“They don’t cost anything at all—most Monstrum make their own,” Taurex rumbled. “I will make you one if you like.”

“Would you? Thank you—I would love that.” Terra beamed at him.

He nodded again.

“I will make you one soon.”

Terra set the purple root on the counter and began slicing. The blade slid through the dense flesh with almost no resistance, and inside the root was a surprising swirl of pale yellow and deep violet arranged in concentric rings.

“Oh, that's pretty,” she murmured.

“It will not remain that color when cooked,” Taurex told her.

“What color will it turn?” she asked.

“Green.”

Terra looked up at him.

“That should be interesting. On Earth, purple vegetables generally stay purple.”

He frowned.

“That seems limiting.”

Terra laughed as she went back to chopping. It felt surprisingly domestic standing beside him in the strange living kitchen, each of them working on different parts of the meal while the cooling pod breathed softly behind them and the glowing flowers overhead brightened and dimmed in response to the movement in the room.

Taurex chopped several of the golden g’rn bulbs while Terra worked on the roots, and soon the preparation surface was covered with piles of vividly colored vegetables. There were dark green cubes that had been orange before he cut them, little silver pods that popped open when pressed and released tiny pearl-like seeds and something resembling a pink onion that smelled faintly of garlic and rosemary at the same time.

“What is that?” Terra asked, leaning closer to smell it.

“That is velka root.”

“It smells amazing,” she remarked.

“It is very strong,” Taurex observed.

“I like strong,” Terra told him.

Taurex glanced sideways at her and she realized what she'd said and immediately looked back down at her chopping.

“I mean flavors,” she added quickly. “Strong flavors.”