As the night wore on, the house began to finally settle. Kelly ended up falling asleep on the couch. Toaster had tuckered herself out as well. The little Ruby was now snoozing on the carpeted floor among the Cabbits. Acapella started to instinctively clean the floor in the kitchen.

Gamma sighed. "Acapella...please, PLEASE don't clean my parents' house!"

"Why NOT?!"

"W-Well...well...BECAUSE!" Gamma suddenly became very defensive! He blushed slightly.

The Pearl put her hands on her hips in frustration. "-BECAUSE WHY?!"

"I-I just don't want you messing with my parents' space! It...it feels...wrong..." Gamma looked away in embarrassment.

"Sooooo...you want to preserve your parents' clutter?"

"It's NOT clutter! I just...don't want anyone messing with my childhood home...not right now anyway. There are just...lots of memories here..."

Acapella sighed. "You organics put SO much importance on physical objects and space...don't you?"

Gamma seemed slightly sheepish.

The Gem closed her eyes in understanding. "Fine. At least let me clean out the refrigerator though...all the food has gone bad! It smells...absolutely horrendous!" Acapella stuck out her tongue in disgust.

The Keronian nodded in compromise. It was more than a fair trade. The frog began to climb up the staircase to his childhood room. Acapella moved her attention to the refrigerator, and gagged slightly as she opened the door. The sight and smell of mold and rotting meat slapped her in the face.

This...was going to take a while..."

As Gamma entered his old room, nostalgia hit him like a ton of bricks. He glanced around and his heart melted. His parents had kept his living space the same for all these years!

There were posters of well-loved Keronian films on the walls, and crudely-drawn pictures of different dreams and influences were scattered about. The frog spotted some of his first whittled sculptures on a higher shelf.

A familiar friend displayed on his bed caught the alien's attention. It was an incredibly well-loved floppy plush with a green body and fuzzy head. It represented the popular intergalactic toy- a "CJ7" in the most...minimalistic sense. Gamma recalled the toy craze from many years prior and hummed a few bars from the commercial's jingle. The toy in question was known for being the most realistic "toy pet" in the cosmos! That year, EVERY alien child wanted one! The strange toy could move on its own, showed realistic emotions, and could even accomplish miraculous feats using the antenna on its head! The frog remembered that his parents were not completely knowledgeable about the popular brand-name "CJ7" toy- so the bootleg plush was gifted to Gamma as a substitute. The Keronian recalled attempting to show the new plaything to his classmates, only to be ridiculed by his peers because the toy was "not a REAL CJ7...just a fake-a copy."

The Keronian hugged the green plush with affection. The toy was just like himself- made fun of, and rejected by a majority of his acquaintances. The alien remembered his stuffed friend helping dry his tears every night when he would come home; upset from the taunting and cruelty of his classmates.

The frog climbed into his old bed, and cocooned himself into his old comforter. Hugging his plush, the alien felt...a familiar, yet...strange feeling. He was back in his younger-self's mind, but his brain told him that something was missing. There were no "I love you's", no affectionate kisses, no bedtime stories. His parents were a missing piece of the puzzle- a hole in his heart.

The Keronian wept, and eventually cried himself to sleep.

As morning broke, Toaster began to curiously peek out of the house's windows. She hid slightly behind the curtains- taking precautions so that she wouldn't be spotted from the street.

The little Gem's interest peaked as she watched the other Keronians in the neighborhood begin their morning routine. There were frogs walking and pushing strollers. The Ruby spotted one of the aliens walking a MASSIVE, terrifying, dog-like creature that (sort of) resembled a grey monster!

Toaster ducked down at the sight- incredibly spooked! She re-entered her spying space only after the creature's strange barks had faded into the distance. Some young tadpoles tossed a bouncing ball while playing catch. A Keronian grabbed a newspaper laying in his driveway.

This entire bustle of activity was completely fascinating! The house Toaster had lived in during her stay on Earth was so secluded, that these rituals were completely new and foreign to the Gem!

"TOASTER!" Acapella's sudden yell made the Ruby jump! "Stay away from the window! We're supposed to be undercover...REMEMBER?!"

The little Ruby looked at the floor with shame. "I-I was just peeking. I wanted to see the neighbors..."'

Acapella shook her head. "We can't afford to be seen. You shouldn't be spying on Gamma's neighbors anyway! It's RUDE!"

"I only looked a little bit..."

"-NO Toaster..."

The Ruby pouted in defeat, before noticing something rather odd. It seemed that her Pearl friend had somehow ended up with scuffs and scratches all over her body! Concerned, Toaster decided to pipe up: "OH! Acapella! You're hurt! What happened?! Are you ok?!"

The Pearl sighed. "I cleaned out Gamma's refrigerator last night. All the food on the inside had spoiled-"

Toaster tipped her head in confusion. This odd fact did not explain her friend's injuries.

Acapella continued: "-apparently, the food they eat here on Keron either starts out alive, or turns alive if left alone for too long." The Pearl grumbled to herself. Indeed, "cleaning the fridge" had become a much more...VIOLENT chore than previously thought. The Gem had been repeatedly ambushed and attacked by whatever kind of animal or mossy plant life that had festered inside of the ice box. It had been an extremely difficult night- with odd pieces of "food" trying to escape or maul the Gem when provoked.

Toaster's hair stood on end at the thought! Perhaps she should avoid eating all together while staying on Keron? The food here sounded...unpleasant and disgusting (to say the least). The little Gem internally wondered if the food here was safe for Kelly...

The only thing that came to Acapella's mind was the "Space Omelette" Gamma's parents had made for her during the Birthday visit. She distinctly recalled the thing having multiple eyes that would blink when poked, and now wondered if she had eaten something that was not cooked properly...something that was still...ALIVE. Acapella shivered in discomfort! STARS! She thought the moving dish was some sort of party trick or chemical reaction between the food's ingredients!

...NOW, she wasn't sure WHAT to think.

One thing was for certain though- Kelly, Nymphicus, and the Cabbits would need special care with their diet now. The Pearl was going to have to be VERY careful when choosing food for the group. The Gem did not want anyone falling ill or getting sick. Acapella suddenly came to a grim realization. She had tossed all the "food" in the house! With nothing to cook, there would be no breakfast! The Pearl sweated in guilt. "T-Toaster...there's no more foods! What am I going to cook for Kelly? There's nothing left to eat!"

Toaster's eyes became wide with realization! It seemed that this particular problem was quite common among their family. It seemed humorously grim how often Acapella forgot that organic life had to eat- DESPITE the fact that she was a cook!

Someone was going to have to go with Gamma to replenish the stock in the kitchen. Acapella groaned in frustration- knowing that she was the most obvious choice, and would have to transform into a Keronian for a lengthy amount of time.

What a nuisance.

The Pearl nervously waited for the frog to awaken from his slumber...

Found the motivation and time to write another chapter! WHOOT!

...

...still nervous as hay though...

XD

Mercy...our trio just has THE WORST luck when it comes to replenishing their food supplies...you'd think they would have learned the second time! (laughs)