While Tadao explored his bedroom and the rest of the home, Alicia went downstairs to get an early start on dinner. Going into the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator to look for the plastic container of chicken breast she'd had marinating, moving items out of the way until she found it behind a gallon of iced green tea. Taking the chicken along with the tea out, she set the items on the island behind her and pulled out the vegetable crisper drawer for a bag of fresh green beans. She placed them on the counter with the rest of the items and went to the sink to wash her hands.
Tadao walked around his bedroom upstairs. He opened the closet, finding it empty if not for the abundance of wooden suit hangers and storage bins sitting on the upper shelf. He didn't have any clothes or property when he came, just the clothes on his back: a white tee shirt, a pair of jeans a couple sizes too big (held tight by the belt loops with zip-ties), and a pair of black training shoes. He wished that he could have kept his trusty machete or anything… But the Cornerians couldn't have him running around with that in his hands, that's for sure.
He walked through the bathroom into the adjacent room, that loft with the colorful couches and chairs… That second living room. From the theme of the decor, it seemed like it was designated for children. There were posters of video game and movie art plastered all over the walls. The loveseat was bright red, set ninety degrees from the blue sofa. The centerpieces were a couple of square ottomans, purple and yellow respectively, set atop a rug with colorful shapes and patterns all over it. The furniture served as seating to the 45-inch plasma screen television hung on the wall, flanked by two windows letting light into the otherwise dark space. The in-built console below the TV had three video game systems sitting on top of it. He'd never played a video game in his life, and was curious as to what it was like. He wanted to pick up one of the controllers and examine it, or look through the collection of games stored in the lower cabinet, but he didn't feel comfortable touching them right now…
Tadao decided to go downstairs to see what Alicia was doing. Rather than the auxiliary staircase they used, he went further down the hallway to the stairs that emptied into the foyer. Opposite the railing overlooking the foyer were a pair of double doors. He was rather curious about what was in that room… Descending the curved staircase, he felt like he was a member of a royal family as he slid his hand down the wood and wrought iron banister. There was a lot of wrought iron in this house. He honestly wondered, what with all of this home's lavish opulence, whether Alicia really was a member of an elite family or something. Walking into the kitchen, he found his sponsor spraying an oily mist from an aerosol can into a ceramic baking pan.
"Oh, hey!" Alicia said, pausing and looking up at her guest.
Tadao pulled out a stool at the counter to take a seat. "So, what are we having?" It seemed pretty normal from what he could observe.
"Yeah, It's nothing special," Alicia said, tearing open the plastic bag of green beans. She was about to explain what was on the menu, when she heard someone keying in their code at the front door, followed by the weather seal breaking. There were cluttering noises, as if someone was dragging in a suitcase, followed by the door closing.
"Home sweet home!" A female voice announced, footsteps trekking to the greatroom where Tadao and Alicia were. Tadao turned to see who was entering the space. The young woman had a tawny complexion to her fur, hair pulled into a low ponytail. Her purple velour tracksuit and casual sneakers, less showy than the ensemble Alicia adorned today, was unassuming. With the slightly longer muzzle and floppy ears, as well as the fur color, it wasn't immediately apparent that she shared a kinship with Alicia. But Tadao saw that she had the same eyes and smile as his sponsor.
"Hi, gummy bear!" Alicia said, drying her hands and walking around the counter to embrace her daughter. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, god. It was AMAZING. I'll tell you later." Turning to the Venomian sitting at the counter, she said, "You must be the guy who'll be staying with us for a while." Approaching him to give him a handshake, she said, "Name's Kiersey. Nice to meet you."
Ah, so this is one of the other people he'd be staying with. Tadao wondered if she'd freak out upon seeing a lizard sitting at the breakfast bar, but to his surprise, Kiersey was very pleasant, and held out her hand. He took that as a good sign. Perhaps this meant he could relax his guard a little, not be so reserved.
Taking her hand and shaking it, he introduced himself: "I am Tadao Samorin. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Stepping back after the handshake, Kiersey spoke. "Personally, I think you're going to like it here," she said. "I know feelings have been a little raw, even ten years after The Wars, but if you give it a chance, I think you'll make some good connections here."
"I hope so…" Tadao was very grateful she acknowledged his concerns, especially with the odd looks he got on being on Corneria. "It's, um…" He swiped his hand over his spikes on the back of his head. "...Overwhelming. Especially after living in the jungle for ten years."
"Oh, gosh," Kiersey said in disbelief. "Life was like a jungle for you? Like survival of the fittest?"
"Yeah…" Then Tadao read into the context of what she asked. "-And, no, I mean the actual jungle on Fortuna. It literally was survival of the fittest."
"Geeeeez," Kiersey drawled. "How'd you manage?"
"It is a very long story," Tadao whispered. "Ten years ago, I was sent to Fortuna by my emperor-" Tadao caught himself. "I apologize. Old habits." Smiling to alleviate any tension that came from that remark, he continued. "Before Andross, I didn't have much meaning to my life, and was very miserable before he came to power, and I ended up falling for his spell. Anyway, I went to Fortuna with my brigade. We were saboteurs… Attack Cornerian forces, then slip back into the jungle. Also report any intel we gathered. Eventually everyone else was either captured or killed. Or abandoned the group altogether. Then, I was the only one left…"
Kiersey sat on the stool next to Tadao, while Alicia continued putting dinner together, both women listening to Tadao's narrative.
"...I lost contact with my commanding officers, and… well, for the next ten years, I thought the wars were still going on. Even if it was false… It ironically kept me from losing my sanity. The belief that I was a part of something bigger, that I was a part of something with meaning kept me going each day. It was not correct to think such a thing, but I credit it with my survival. I didn't know what to do with myself until I felt Andross, but under him, I felt like I could achieve anything…"
Both women, though not sure how to immediately respond, felt Tadao's story. This guy had gone through some hardcore shit, and here it is Alicia is complaining about tap water. The women sensed there was more to the story than Tadao was telling right now, and figured he'd reveal it in his own time. They weren't going to interrogate him about his personal happenings, but they didn't quite know where to direct the conversation at this point. The tension and awkward silence, which could have been cut through with a knife, was broken by the sound of Alicia dropping the green beans into that ceramic baking pan.
"...So…" Alicia cleared her throat, at least trying, though not as successfully as she'd liked, to transition to another topic. "...We're going to be having roast chicken I had marinated in sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary. On the side, it'll be broiled green beans and baked sweet potatoes."
"...I need to go unpack," Kiersey said, pointing towards the staircase. Getting up from the stool, she went into the foyer where she left her bags and went upstairs.
"Roast chicken," Tadao said, smiling at Alicia after watching Kiersey leave. "That sounds lovely. I did what I could to prepare food for myself in the Fortunan jungle, but there is only so much one can work with." Truthfully, he didn't mind the change of topic, given that he sensed that it was making them uncomfortable… And the way Kiersey left. "I apologize if I made either of you feel uncomfortable."
"No, you're fine," Alicia said, smiling to try and reassure him. "It was just a bit of a mood whiplash. First, we were talking about tonight's dinner, and then all of a sudden we were talking about how how Lylat's Public Enemy #1 gave you life a sense of purpose. But it's okay. I somewhat know what it's like to struggle to find your place in life…" She trailed off, remembering some of her moments of soul-crushing despair, where she wanted to end it all, and has tried on more occasions than one. "...The thing is, you know… We here actually have things like resources to tap, family to turn to." Then she added, looking up at Tadao, "Now, you do too."
Tadao smiled, happy at that remark. Though, he did wonder what struggles Alicia has faced. As he watched her open a squeeze bottle of honey and began drizzling the green beans, he asked, "What struggles have you faced, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Um…" Alicia set the honey bottle down, staring at the green beans as she delegated. Tadao watched as he turned around, opening a cabinet above the gas cooking range to collect an assortment of seasoning and spices. She tried to think of a way to answer without really answering. The "struggles" in question. Her memories flashed to periods where she'd lay in bed for days, letting the sheets grow stale from not showering, her hair growing oily and lanky, and those tiny demons oozing from her pores. She'd come out with her "big secret" to an internet audience of ten million strong, and is even considering writing a book about her own chaotic blur of a life. As brave as she was, she was still scared, cowering at the idea of being judged for her issues. "...My husband divorced me when I was going through a really rough period in my life. He didn't understand what I was personally dealing with. To be honest, he never understood."
Tadao deflated at the news. He himself was the one now unsure of what to say. He'd never been married, never even had a girlfriend. Not time for that while serving Andross, after all. Nonetheless, he could understand the layer that involves your world being up-ended by something out of anyone's control, given what he'd gone through when the Lylat Wars ended. "I'm really sorry to hear that," Tadao said. "It sounded like he was kicking you while you were down."
"Oh," Alicia waved dismissively, trying to downplay it. "Don't worry about that." She decided to change the subject again. "You ever had ice cream?"
