Quills

It had been sixty days since she woke up in this suite or two cycles as it was known here. She had briefly looked at the images of the planet before. She was enjoying her geological lessons presently. Geology seemed like junk food for the brain. This planet 'Terra' was very similar to Earth. It had a tilted orbit and a singular moon. It was in the middle of an ice age. The Northern Hemisphere was covered in thick glacial ice and dense sea ice. It was possible to travel on foot. Fortunately, the vast area made her identity that of a lost nomadic tribe that was purposefully elusive or in reality long dead. They could not determine where she came from, and she was quick enough to make all of her data private. She was grateful that the language was easy to learn.

This suite and this world were becoming her home as clothes and possessions started to fill up her closet. She learned about Northern Traditions and customs as it was imperative to cling to that identity. She felt awful appropriating it as her own culture, but their were none to share it. The best thing she could do was to honor them by keeping their memory alive by sharing their arts and culture to a world that might become interested in them. It was important that she had everything right. She had to become more of an expert than Liem.

Historically, they were similar to the indigenous tribes found on earth. It seemed that there were wars, exploitation through colonization, but the Indigenous peoples were very triumphant. They found a measure of peace through treaties after a brutal global war and the people of this world blossomed into a technological and scientific era. The epidemic that caused the fertility problems that they faced had a profound effect.

Due to the remote areas that most of the tribes lived in and the quick response they had to the disease, they were not as deeply affected by casualties like the rest of the world. However, their numbers were few. Luckily, her petite stature and pale skin were characteristics of the Northern tribes. As all their genetic material was destroyed in protest, there was nothing to compare her to, even if she allowed them to study her. She might decide to privately research the issue herself. She had some experience in genetics, although she was primarily dealing with food security issues and breeding plants that could survive environmental extremes to address the problem. She could extend her knowledge.

She was worried. The medical staff that served her were bound by law to secure her medical information and keep her treatment confidential. But information had its way of getting out. She had encountered privacy breaches at home. She was a desirable target, like an eighty-year-old with a lot of money and no internet savvy. She was able to let her guard down a little.

"I want to keep those." Nora shouted, seeming to read his mind. Liem groaned and looked distastefully at the garments in the box. She thought the traditional dresses sent alongside her were too lovely to discard and held her skin cells.

"The dark colors and furs are unsuitable to the climate." Liem complained.

"What if I want to go back to Izaberne?" Nora said and yawned. Liem guffawed and clicked his tongue.

"Why would you want to do that?" Liem asked. "It is cold." Liem continued.

"Playing out in the snow, hunting, there are hot springs, maybe I get home sick? Maybe my clan finds me? Maybe I want to live there." Nora listed off multiple reasons rapid fire. Her stomach growled.

"They do not have food like our though. You were so thin, Nora. Your digestion is reliable as a clock." Liem teased. The door alert started to chime. They customarily had six small sized meals a day containing meat, cheeses, vegetables and fruits. She craved the pub food from her home in Manchester. But she could not say that the food was lacking in any way. They took great care in feeding and serving her. She was deemed underweight and put on a medical diet. She was encouraged to eat outside the traditional meal periods. She was relieved that she was not allergic to any of the food. It was similar to that of her planet.

"I will close this lesson off." Nora reluctantly said. She speculated, perhaps this was an alternate version of earth in another universe. Different variables, like natural disasters, could influence these slight differences. And other species could have won the evolutionary battle. It looks like humanity is still at the top of the food chain here. The fruits would have been domesticated and cross-bred differently. She remembered reading that scientists on earth estimated that humans could eat three hundred thousand plant species, yet humans chose to only eat two hundred regularly. Some of those foods, like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Wheat and various grains were bred by her world. These people evolved differently.

"I suppose it is nice to be among different and more diverse people. I did not get to socialize much. I will stay put for now. It is not like I have much choice", Nora teased. She rubbed her neck. She had felt the spongy bead-like structure that made up the peripherals in her wrists and ankles in the bath. Supposedly they had completely formed now. She felt like she was loused.

"I hope so. I promise you will end up preferring it here." Liem said. There were so many other better places for her to settle down, Callor had various areas that she might like even better. Nial was inland, and had fresh water lakes and a more temperate climate. There was cold seasons in which were necessary for root crops. The Halid Clan, called the area home.

"It is overwhelming to be around so many people. I suppose it might be because I am not used to it." Nora said. So far, everyone she met was male. When she received check-ups, scans, dentistry, ate meals and explored the area. It was all men. Since everything was easier to learn, she had a fundamental understanding of how this happened. But everything she read about society was very obsessed with repopulation and genetics.

"I am not used to be looked at, I feel like a novelty. It is the worse thing to have a reputation to live up to, when all you want to do is live a quiet and happy life." Nora said. It was extremely hard to get used to the looks and security measures set up to ensure her protection outside. She was being served by high-ranked military personnel. It was scary and very lonely, especially with the looming expectations of her. This species of human was very advanced technologically, but the harem-based culture made her head reel and nauseous when she thought about it. She did not have the bravery to open the sexual education resources in front of Liem to figure out how their relationships worked.

"If you do not feel comfortable with the way you are looked at you can just simply say so. They will stop looking if you order them. " Liem said as if it would not be rude or confrontational at all.

"I will work my way up to that. We simply were just polite to look away from differences most of them time. I just do not know when I will adjust to Calloran ways." Nora said with a sigh. It would take her a lot of courage to command people around. They were made up of the best features. 

"A moment. Stay here. I am going to collect the food." Liem said as disappeared into the hallway and a minute or two later rolled in a meal tray with a puzzled look upon his face. The next shift did not show, so the overnight group stayed today. He was skeptical, but the pair were a couple and had multiple children. They were low risk and the experience to tide them over until the late day shift change. They would not be coming in while they ate and she went out to the terrace when they came in to clean.

Today's food was really good. He unpacked the meals on the table. It was stuff brought up from the kitchen of the delegate building on the bottom floor. He checked the condiments, he had moved them from his suite to the others. Today he was introducing a specialty food, it smelled delicious and was a favorite of his father. The red shells were difficult to crack.

"Oh good, I know what this is." Nora said as she looked over to the table. Big Lobsters sat on the individual platters in a very showy manner. Her mouth flooded with saliva. "So I am not going to interact with the staff anymore?" Nora asked.

"For now, it might be best. I am not saying it will be forever, it is just that you are too popular and too nice." Liem said defensively. Nora laughed.

"That is a first for me, really." Nora said with a smile. She blushed. She knew that she could not adjust to treating the men that served her with her like they were below her. She had to protect herself, so she could not be too nice to them. She was against grading people based on their birth circumstances. She knew she was privileged from her time abroad at home; because she was born into wealth. She did not take scholarships even though they were offered as those would be more beneficial to another person.

Nora believed in equity, that everyone should be given what they needed to succeed. Nora again fell into a higher role, she felt uncomfortable with her unearned status. At least this world does not judge people by something as stupid as their skin color. It was equally stupid, gender. At least from her understanding so far. She had not witnessed any disrespect among the staff during the limited interactions she had with them.

"Thank you for listening to me. I just got to find a balance of commanding and nice." Nora said. She broke down the Lobster in front of her, her last year of university in Boston and had this down to an art form.

"I put some thought into it and saw your perspective. You are the last of the Northern people, even though you have to acclimate to society, it does not mean that you have to deny who you are. " Liem responded. He was impressed with her manners, she did that more elegantly than he was going to demonstrate. "I think your table manners are more elegant than ours, can you show me how you deshelled that?" Liem asked. Nora took his place and slowly demonstrated. The meal continued with a warm atmosphere. It was etiquette to not speak once you have began to eat.

There was usually no need to act unpleasant, unless this was a charade for her benefit. She could not help to be suspicious that there were things unsaid. Liem was quick to coach her whenever she talked about inequality issues or the matriarchy. It was odd. Other than the looks she had been getting were odd. The irony did not past her when she learned about her status. At least she was born in the privileged gender role this time. She would be a hypocrite if she did do the things she swore to herself mentally if the shoe was on the other foot in the past on Earth.

Liem and Nora cleaned up the platters and placed them on the cart to send them off to be cleaned. This suite was missing a kitchen. It would be nice to be able to snack or drink anything beyond tepid water in between meal hours. She also wanted to learn about the different types of food products. This would be after she had finished reading everything on the Northerners. Would Liem be suspicious of her if she read everything? Was he already?