"...You...you brought what...?" Howe stared blankly into the bizarre pile Wales had placed on the table. Something she brought home from her Southeast Asia trip, she said.

"These? They are snake fruits. Salak, to the locals. Once I had a taste of them, I found them...fascinating and realized that I just had to show them to my sisters. That's why I pulled some favors to bring them with me," Wales replied casually, as if bringing exotic fruits to afternoon tea was a perfectly normal thing to do. She eyed them fondly, seemingly ignorant of Howe's increasingly glaring apprehension.

"Sa-lak...?" Howe repeated. The way it rolled out her tongue felt really strange. "Um...well, I appreciate that, but..."

"Oh, I know what you think, my dear Howe. They may look unappealing at first, but looks can deceive. Have one."

Howe sighed but allowed Wales to put one of the fruits on her waiting palm. The thin skin was indeed reminiscent of that of a snake—scaly, coarse, and somewhat sharp. But as Wales told her, it was easy to break open by pulling the tip off and peeling. In contrast to the exterior, the bulbous inside was smooth. The lobes had a scent, texture, and taste she had never known before.

"Well...? How did it taste?" Wales asked. No matter how much Howe tried, she could not quite keep the crunching noise muted as she chewed and was red-faced as she polished off that one fruit.

"No...not bad, actually. I could get used to it. Maybe George and York will also like them," Howe smiled. Wales was right—despite its rough exterior, the snake fruit wasn't so bad at all.

"Splendid," Wales smirked. "Of course, I also brought some other things with me. Perhaps, next time, I will show you the wonders of durian."

Howe was unsure if she should be worried or thrilled.