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I watched as she took her first bite from the patty, curious if she would actually enjoy it.
"Oh, that's so good! Not quite like haggis but it's similar enough." She closed her eyes and moaned in delight, conjuring inappropriate images in my mind.
To distract myself, I focused my attention on my own food, a typical Sivilian stew that was good for health. "Thank you for helping me with the rashipis, by the way. I'm not sure how I would've managed by myself."
Heather's face was pure bliss. "Of course, I know my way around herd animals. And they behaved like sheep so it was easy enough."
"What are sheep?" I asked.
"They look a little like rashipi, but with white or black fur. They only have four legs with hooves and they're adorable. They're the best cuddlers. If you ever have the opportunity, you should try it."
"If they're anything like rashipis, maybe not. I'd rather cuddle you." The words left my mouth before I fully thought them through.
Heather gave me a shy smile. "I could be on board with that. So how long do you think we'll be stuck here?"
"It depends on how long it takes to fix the ship. I believe the captain and some of the maintenance crew are sorting out the electrical issue and we'll have to restock our supplies as well."
I sat up straighter when I noticed Captain Ellabee enter the eatery. I hadn't expected her at a place like this but then again, she didn't have much more choice than we did.
To my surprise, the captain came our way and paused by our table. "I saw you got the rashipis from the cargo hold already. Impressive, I thought it would take much longer."
"Heather knew how to handle them," I replied, nodding at my companion to give her the credit she deserved.
"I work with animals everyday," Heather explained.
Captain Ellabee's gaze shifted. "Hmm, interesting. I didn't realise we had an animal wrestler onboard."
"I prefer the term shepherd or farmer."
"Alright then, shepherd.When we drop off the rashipis on Figi, you'll help," the captain said in a matter-of-factly tone. With a curt nod, she made her way to the counter to pick up her order and left.
I breathed a sigh of relief once she was gone and rubbed my stomach, as a way to reassure myself I still had all my bowels. While Ellabee wasn't as cruel as my last captain, she could be stern and I knew how quickly patience and tempers were lost.
Heather seemed unbothered by the interaction. Maybe her translator hadn't fully captured the intensity of the conversation.
"She's so impressive," Heather remarked with a dreamy note in her voice.
Jealousy curled through me. "You think?"
"Yes, I saw her in action during the emergency. She really took control. It was both scary but amazing to watch." Heather took another bite from her follak. "You were super impressive too."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I would not be able to keep calm during a situation like that. The only reason I was somewhat coherent was because I had Jiji to take care of."
"Jiji helps me too," I admitted. "Whenever I feel lonely or miss home, I have my qoark to take my mind off things. Jiji is a special little companion. Sometimes I could swear it knows what I think. That's stupid, I know."
"Not stupid at all. I feel the same way about my sheep. They seem to sense whenever I'm sad and are extra cuddly during those times. Our cat is the same way. When I'm homesick, Timothy will come and curl up on my lap or lick my face. Animals feel more than we give them credit for."
"What's a cat?" I asked curiously.
For some reason, Heather laughed. "How to describe a cat? If you asked him, he'd tell you he's a ferocious predator who has trained us humans to be his faithful servants. If you ask me, he's an adorable fluff ball who is so cute that I can't help but spoil him."
"If he's a ferocious predator, he must be big."
"Not at all. His ego is much bigger than his body. He's about this big-" she held out her hands in front of her, indicating an animal not even as wide as my hips - "and has four legs, a tail, two triangular ears and... wait, I can show him to you. I've got pictures of him on my controlband."
She scrolled through her smart device's gallery until a holographic image of an orange animal appeared between us.
