Event Open Founders' Day 2018 Banquet

Kirmir carried both of their plates of food in Kir's hands. Mir walked beside him with both hands free. To anyone who didn't know them it might look like a man being chivalrous and carrying the food for a woman but in reality it was mostly to keep one of their sets of hands free in case a threat appeared. As comfortable as the atmosphere was in the room they could never turn off that little sneaking feeling that they needed to remain alert.

They noticed when Zora and Natasha walked off to sit at a table and at first thought maybe they were trying to leave them behind. Of course when Zora waved them over they realized that it hadn't been their intention. Actually it seemed like they wanted KirMir to join them while they ate. there was no reason not to join them and in fact KirMir did wish to socialize with more people on the island so they headed over to the table.

Both bodies were adamant about sitting on the same side of the table, right next to each other. Separation was extremely unpleasant to them and although a table width wouldn't seriously bother them they preferred not to have to deal with it whenever possible. There was no talk between the two bodies, though there wouldn't have been any reason for it. It would have been like having a conversation with yourself out loud when doing so in your own mind was just as effective and far easier.

As the two bodies began to eat, each alternating between which of the two plates they ate from, they again looked at the two women who had invited them over. They appeared to be a fair amount older than KirMir was but appearances could be wildly deceiving on the island. They appeared fairly friendly and it seemed like whatever they had been upset about was no longer bothering them as much.

"These are just as delicious as the ones we had at the Lilac Festival," Mir said after they had finished a bite. They seemed to be alternating bites as well as which plate they were eating from so that one body was always available to speak while the other ate. "Did you two also come here mostly for the food?" Kir asked.

So they had come to investigate the food as well. KirMir weren't exactly food connoisseurs but they did enjoy eating. It was quite helpful actually since they needed to consume a great deal of calories to function properly. This was a great event so far. Plenty of food and aside from the minor issue with communication earlier nothing had gone wrong.

"We are not sure about the pies and other sweet foods present here but we could help you look after we eat. Taking food home after this is an excellent idea. We should do the same thing," Kir said as they continued to alternate eating.

KirMir was not entirely sure what salt water taffy was but they assumed it was some other type of treat since that is what these women seemed to be the most interested in. They thought about asking for the details of the item but decided they could just look it up on their phone if they really needed to know. As Kir was eating Mir made the second response. "You two must have excellent metabolisms. We consume large amounts of food but we are sure to keep good nutrition." Kirmir had noticed that neither of the women appeared to be showing the signs of overeating or an improper diet. they knew that eating habits varied wildly because of the differences between the various inhabitants of the islands. For all they knew the women didn't actually even need to eat human food.

When Zora asked them a question about their home KirMir grew a little bit nervous. It likely wasn't enough to be easily detected but talking of their home could be dangerous if they were not careful how much they shared. Fortunately the question was innocuous enough that they didn't need to worry too much. Once more Kir took the role of speaking to answer their question. "No," they shook their head, "As far as we are aware our people do not hold any events quite like this one. We are generally more focused on research." Once more the tone was matter-of-fact, though there was a little hint of something buried in their voice. It might have been a little bit of sadness or perhaps regret. Either way they were not telling the whole story, but stating that they had spent most of their lives in a laboratory setting wasn't something they wished to bring up with strangers.

In their research of the cultures of earth prior to coming planet-side KirMir did learn of humankind's propensity for grand celebrations for a myriad of occasions. Some other outsiders might have viewed those events as wasteful but KirMir ignored that viewpoint for the most part and focused on how fascinating they were.

KirMir greatly enjoyed learning about all things, even those as mundane as how pecan pie tastes or how many way there were to cook an egg. "Actually we would enjoy attending more events like this as long as they are safe," Mir spoke calmly, "learning about the culture here is one of many reasons we decided to transfer to the academy here." They could have just stayed up on the station and continues their education there. The technology was more advanced and in many ways it was more comfortable and familiar to be in artificial gravity on a space station than on an actual planet.

So these women did not have to worry about nutrition as much. That explained their preference for sweets. If you did not require proper nutrients it was only logical that you would gravitate to the more unhealthy options that tasted good. "We are definitely not immortal, though weight gain is not a major concern for us either," Kir added as they continued eating the funnel cakes. They had their own reason for why they would never become overweight for any significant period of time. Mostly because their youthful appearance would be regularly renewed until they died or there was some major change to their genetic structure.

By the time the women mentioned bringing KirMir around to see all the more unusual food options they had finished their funnel cakes. 'The best idea ever' was probably a little much but they did think it was a good idea. Mir looked over at the women and gave a small smile, "We would appreciate you showing us the more unique food options even if we do not decide to eat them all."

KirMir remained sitting there at the table to wait until the women finished their own food.

Pickpockets and drunks were the least of KirMir's concerns but that was a reasonable guess as to what they could be worried about. Fortunately having two bodies with excellent reflexes watching their backs came in handy for those types of situations. Still they recognized that it was very kind of Zora to try to make them feel safer. Several nice people had done that since KirMir had started meeting people on the island and though it wasn't super effective they really did appreciate it.

KirMir had no idea what Elotes were but they were there to try things out and these women seemed to be decent judges of food. "We don't know what they are either but they seem like a reasonable place to start. Investigating the foods here will be interesting," Kir stated. Any other person might have said it would be fun and in fact it probably would be quite a bit of fun even for them.

Both of KirMir's bodies then stood up to walk over to the trash can nearby and deposit their trash. They were composed and in sync but they did seem at least the faintest bit more excited than they had been before. Who wouldn't be, getting to explore all kinds of foods with these nice people? As they waited for the women to catch up with them KirMir thought of something. "If you two are from this world and are immortal or nearly so you must have experienced much of human culture. Perhaps there is more we can learn than just food," questioned Mir, "though food is an appropriate topic to begin with." They didn't want to get ahead of themselves even though their mind worked fairly quickly on the idea that at least while they were at the banquet they could learn more information. Always learning, that was as much a part of their being as their eye color or number of limbs.

KirMir followed the other two over towards whatever that strangely named food was. As they walked they again seemed to be splitting their attention to watch all around them.

"Considering we have only been alive for approximately 18 earth years you are both significantly older than we are. We have learned much about this world but we are less well versed in social and cultural matters," stated Mir. It was difficult to research that type of information without going out and experiencing it. Something they could not do while they were living on the station.

KirMir was distracted as they walked by a passerby carrying a bowl of a gelatinous green substance. It reminded them of something they used to be given for sustenance but it wasn't nearly as thick and it did not smell as awful. Resuming their path following Zora and Natasha Kir spoke up "That is ok, all new information learned is a good thing to have. Relevant information is more useful but we enjoy learning about everything."

By the time they made it over to the Elotes vendor KirMir seemed to have relaxed enough that they were no longer watching Zora or Natasha as if they were potential threats. It didn't mean they weren't on guard but it was still a noticeable difference.