Kysanden comes into her room to see her kneading out her leg, and strides over, concern evident on his face.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm just tired, and sore from all the walking."

"Make sure you get some rest, all right? We don't want you to relapse."

Jīvitaya waves him off. "I know, I know."

He turns to exit the room but says something before he does. "I brought the levik, just in case. And if you are going to be walking around later, I would request that you use it."

She nods. "Fine. That's fair."

Then she shoos him out and he leaves, chuckling quietly to himself. She falls back onto the bed, still clutching the healing stone, and almost wacks herself in the face with it as she throws her hands over her head. Before she can actually hit herself in the face, she sets the stone on the bed beside her and sits up again to pull out her tablet. She checks the time of the planet, albeit in a time scale she can understand, and her stomach growls once she sees it. 18:57. As if on cue, Kysanden pops back into the room.

"Lady Grania has invited us to dinner."

"How soon?"

"We are to go in a moment, they are sending someone to guide us to the dining room."

Jīvitaya nods and slides off the bed to stand in front of him. They wait together in momentary silence until someone knocks on the door. The pair step out into the hallway and the man waiting for them bows before turning on his heel. They follow, and Jīvitaya is surprised at the number of turns they take through the palace in order to get to the dining room. Finally, they reach the dining room to find not only Grania, but several people already seated. They all rise at once and bow to Jīvitaya and Kysanden.

"We welcome you to our table."

Kysanden inclines his head. "I thank you for the honor of dining among you."

He moves to the table and Jīvitaya follows. He pulls a chair out for her and waits for her to seat herself before pushing it in and taking a seat himself. There is a moment of silence before Grania speaks.

"What brings you to grace us with your presence?"

"Lady Jīvitaya is searching among many galaxies to find her people, and there is a possibility that your people are also her people."

Grania nods sagely. "Ah." She turns slightly towards Jīvitaya. "Lady Jīvitaya, how much do you know about my people and my planet?"

Jīvitaya's answer is nervous but as truthful as possible. "I know next to nothing, but your home is lovely and I wish to know more. Even more so if I am to discover that this is where I belong."

Grania smiles at her. "That is a wise answer, do not be nervous about it. Would you be against meeting tomorrow so that I may teach you about our people?"

Jīvitaya beams. "Not at all! That would be wonderful."

"Then it is agreed."

One of the other people, a purple-skinned and red-haired man at the table speaks up, his voice cold. "And why are you searching for your people, Lady?"

Grania turns to glare at him. "Advisor Landvik! That was uncalled for!"

"No, Lady Grania, it was not." Jīvitaya gets the impression that Grania and Landvik hate each other, which may explain why they were sitting far away from each other. "Lady Jīvitaya, would you care to answer my questions?"

Jīvitaya swallows painfully, and Kysanden rests a comforting hand between her shoulder blades. Jīvitaya takes a moment to compose herself, then speaks, her voice icy and her words clipped. "I was kidnapped from my home on Earth, then tortured when I tried to escape. Kysanden rescued me and informed me that a human could not have survived that torture and so I was not human. Are you satisfied with that answer."

Landvik almost seems to shrink into himself and doesn't respond. Grania smiles at her. "Well said." Jīvitaya smiles back weakly.

Grania claps, and doors on the sides of the chamber open up, revealing an array of people carrying platters of food. They come around the table, distributing food to everyone's plate, and then leave as quickly as they came. Jīvitaya is slightly unsettled at the activity but doesn't let it show. She glances down at the food, expecting it to be unfamiliar, but is surprised that it looks almost identical to the food she is used to. Grania smiles warmly at her expression.

"Kysanden told us that you were unfamiliar to the foods of other planets, let alone what Gaia provides. I had our cooks prepare something similar to what you would see in your homeworld, as the familiarity would be reassuring. I hope that it is to your liking."

Jīvitaya smiles back. "Thank you, that was very kind of you."

She glances down at her utensils and is glad to see that there is only one set, so she won't have to worry about choosing the right fork or knife. The metal is silvery-blue though, that's a bit strange. She takes a bite of the potatoes, or at least the potato-pretenders, and is delighted to find that not only do they look the same, but they also taste the same. Encouraged, she takes a bite of the beef-like substance, only to discover that it tastes like alligator meat. Well, what she remembers alligator tasting like. She's only tried it once. While still a pleasant taste, it is not entirely familiar, not to mention unexpected. She finishes her meal quickly, stopping only when her belly is full and only a few scattered bites remain on her plate.

She leans back in her chair, satisfied, and waits for the others to finish their own food. When they have all finished, Grania claps again and the servers return, now carrying smaller, individual dishes. They distribute a plate to each person and then hand them a tiny fork before returning through the door. Jīvitaya looks down at the dish to see something extremely foreign. It appears to be a green custard topped with a few small golden cubes. Her brow wrinkles in confusion, and Grania laughs once more.

"You'll forgive me for taking it upon myself to introduce you to one of our most common desserts, won't you?"

Jīvitaya nods and smiles, before taking a small bite of the custard. It tastes like salted caramel and chocolate fudge sauce, just a tiny bit more gelatinous. She picks up one of the small cubes and bites into it, discovering that it tastes like a cream cheese frosting with a hint of lemon. While a rich dessert, the lightness of the cubes balances out the denseness of the custard. Almost rabidly, she devours the rest of the dessert, and Kysanden turns to look at her, chuckling.

"We'll be adding this to your recipe book, won't we?"

She nods, and presses a hand to her bulging belly, sighing as her tastebuds tingle in delight. Grania turns to them.

"I assume you are both tired, and ready to go rest?" They nod, and she turns towards Jīvitaya. "Shall we meet in the morning? I can meet you at your quarters and we can go from there."

"That would be perfect."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow, and you are both free to return to your quarters."

Kysanden stands from the table and reaches down to help Jīvitaya from her seat.

"Lady Grania, we thank you for the meal, and bid you goodnight."

Grania nods at them, and the pair exit the chamber, Kysanden leading Jīvitaya down the corridors and back to their rooms. He leads her into her room and onto the bed so that she can sit once more and then turns to leave.

"Kys, wait."

He turns back around, his face quizzical. "What is it Jīa?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, but if it's about the Gaians, it would be better for you to ask Grania tomorrow."

Jīvitaya nods and chooses another question. "Why did you choose to save me?"

His face turns thoughtful and he sits on the bed beside her, pulling her in to lean against his side.
"It was the right thing to do." Her heart sinks in disappointment at his response, and so she almost misses his second comment, spoken in a whisper. "I also felt drawn to you, I couldn't leave you there to suffer, despite not knowing anything about you."

She presses herself against him and his warmth, still feeling like he has left something out. They sit together in silence until she feels her eyes drift close and she falls asleep.
———————————————————————————————
Hello again! Who is excited for Jīvitaya's lesson? Kysanden is sweet, isn't he? I really wish that dessert was real, it makes my mouth water. Also, here is your chapterly Jīvitaya drawing!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.