THE NEW WORLD ↠ TERRA NOVA [O.H]

9| LUNCHTIME TALKS

When Tanya and Emmy got back home, Michael was already inside the kitchen. He had placed three matts on the table and was stirring something in a pot. Tanya placed her work jacket on one of the hooks while Emmy sat down at the table. Michael turned his head to face them, offering them a warm smile before he turned back. On the way back home, Emmy kept asking Tanya questions about the newly hatched eggs and what would happen to the Acceraptor if Commander Taylor found out. Emmy knew from the look on Tanya's face and the silence that followed, that it wasn't a good answer. The Acceraptor would probably be killed before its body was disposed of. The safety of the colony depended on it. But Emmy still thought that it was unfair that it was going to be killed just because of what it was. Tanya had sat down next to Emmy while Michael served the food on the plates.

"Now, I know that it looks a bit odd, but it does taste good," he told her with a light laugh.

He had a dish towel thrown over his shoulder, a messy apron with stains, and oven-mitts over his hands. He placed the pot on a matt in the middle of the table with smaller pots around it, filled with different coloured foods. The plates had brown rice—or the equivalent of rice—on it, with an orange-red coloured sauce over the top. Michael placed three cups on the table, and Emmy immediately reached for the jug of orange juice, pouring it into her cup. Tanya smiled at her before pouring her own glass of orange juice. Michael had already started to eat, the oven-mitts were now on the counter by the sink. Emmy scooped some of the rice and sauce onto her fork before taking a bite. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was a smoky flavour with small chunks of chicken mixed in.

"Is it good?" Michael asked as he watched her reaction.

Emmy nodded her head. "I don't know what it is, but I like it."

Michael grinned. "Good, I'm glad you like it."

"Oh, I almost forgot, congratulations on the job, Em." Tanya nudged her arm with her elbow.

"What job?" Michael asked.

"Commander Taylor offered me a job down in maintenance." Emmy nodded. "As far as I know there is only one other person working down there."

"Jaived." Tanya nodded.

"Yeah, he said you had to stitch him up a few times."

Tanya smiled at the memory. "Yeah, he was still learning English when we came through the time fracture. He mainly kept to himself, there were only a few times when he would venture out of the building to come see me, but he got better at English the more he dropped by."

"Why didn't you tell me you got a job?" Michael asked again.

"You distracted me with dinosaur eggs." Emmy rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh, right." He smiled shyly.

"One of them was an Acceraptor," Tanya informed Michael.

"What? Are you both okay?"

"We're fine." She smiled gently. "Emmy wanted to keep him."

Michael's eyes widened as he looked over to her, he looked as if he had just witnessed her grow an extra head and three extra arms. "What? Why? Are you crazy?"

"No." Emmy shook her head. "But the baby is innocent."

"An Acceraptor by nature is never innocent." Michael placed his fork down.

Emmy continued to eat. "She wanted to build him a paddock."

"Unbelievable." He shook his head.