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“Yes? What do you want?” the woman demanded briskly.
“Oh…I’m new here,” Mia explained. “I was sent by Brother Jonash, who’s the, uh, Spiritual Advisor to me and my husband. He said this is my work detail?”
“Oh right—a new recruit. Well what’s your name, Sister?” the woman demanded. “I’m Sister Ersla.”
“I’m, uh, Sister Mia,” Mia said.
“Listen up, ladies!” Sister Ersla shouted, raising her voice so that everyone in the open-air kitchen could hear her. “We have a new recruit here at the PPP Dome! Her name is Sister Mia—let’s make her welcome!”
“Welcome, Mia!” all the women chorused at once. It felt rehearsed but friendly, Mia thought and she smiled and waved at as many of the women as she could.
“Good,” Sister Ersla said shortly as she continued kneading the enormous pile of dough in front of her. She looked at Mia sharply. “Are you any good at making bread?”
“Oh, um…” Mia didn’t like to lie and pretend she was an expert at something she wasn’t. “I’ve never really made it before,” she said at last.
“Never made it before?” Sister Ersla frowned. “Well, well—I guess there’s no time like the present to learn. Go over to that table and help Sister Teebra and Sister Kissie.” She jerked her head at a table two down from her own, where two women were also kneading dough. “Go on now—they don’t bite.”
“All right. Thank you.” Mia approached the table where she’d been sent, observing the women as she drew closer to them. One of them had the blue skin of a Chakioun but the other, Mia saw, had skin the color of seaweed—dark green, swirled with black and brown patches. They were both humanoid, though, and they seemed to be deep in the middle of a conversation.
“So I told him, I said look, if you’re not going to take care of me, I’m taking care of myself!” the one with seaweed colored skin said.
“Oh, Kissie—you didn’t!” The girl with blue skin put a floury hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.
“Yes, I did! These damn devices drive youcrazy!And I mean—”
“Um, excuse me?” Mia asked, interrupting because it didn’t seem like there was going to be a break in the conversation any time soon.
“Yes?” The seaweed woman frowned at her. She had strange eyes with purple irises that seemed to take up her entire eye socket with no white around them at all.
“Sorry to bother you, but Sister Ersla sent me to help. I’m new here,” Mia said.
“Oh—Sister Mia, right?” The girl with pale blue skin who was obviously Chakioun smiled in a friendly way.
“That’s right.” Mia had a moment to be grateful that Sister Ersla had introduced her. “Er…can I help?” she asked.
“Of course you can! I’m Sister Teebra and this is Sister Kissie. Come right over here and help us knead,” the girl with blue skin directed.
“Wash your hands first, though,” Sister Kissie said. “Sink’s behind you.”
Mia found the sink and washed and dried her hands. She came back to the table and took a spot beside Sister Teebra, who seemed the more friendly of the two, and began to kneed the dough—which was a pale, pinkish color. It was a pleasant task, with the scent of warm yeast rising around them and a fresh breeze blowing through the pavilion. The day outside was sunny, as she imagined most days were since the weather inside the Dome was artificially controlled.
“So how long have the two you been here?” she asked, hoping to open a conversation.
“Oh, just forever, really—my husband, Dannok and I came right as the Dome opened,” Sister Teebra said brightly. “We felt so lucky to be called to be here with the Prophet. Kissie?” she said and nudged the seaweed-skin woman, clearly trying to get her to be friendly.
“My husband Cumbig and I have been here about a year.” Sister Kissie spoke grudgingly.
Mia raised her eyebrows.
“I’m sorry—did you say your husband was namedCumbig?”
“Yeah—so?” Sister Kissed frowned at her. “What’syourhusband’s name?”
“Uh, Severith,” Mia said. “But I just call him ‘Sev.’”
“Wellthat’sa weird name,” Sister Kissie remarked. “But whatever, I guess.”
“What made you and your husband decide to move to the Dome in the first place?” Mia probed, still hoping to make friends. It was always good to get people talking about themselves.
