sweethymns | ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ

Human, as expected.

[Connor is dressed in one of the outfits she purchased for him on their first shopping trip. Though he’s forgone the glasses today, given that he has no LED to hide.]

But no extra surprises this time.

[His smile is warm. He feels a little more comfortable now that he’s visiting her.]

You seem calmer than last time, now that you were able to prepare yourself. All in all, it's a great start!

Come inside! I planned out how we're going to tackle taste.

[She ushers him inside and to the kitchen where on the table, she's set up tiny dishes of various condiments, starting with the basics of, salt, pepper, and sugar. There's a glass of water, napkins, and a wastebin...

You know, just in case. Ai thought this through.]

[Well. She’s put plenty of thought into it, at least.

Not that Connor expected anything less as he follows her in.]

You’re enthusiastic about this. I suppose you see it something of an experiment too.

[She nods, clearly really into this new venture of theirs.]

That's partly it! But it's also practical too. If you're going to remain human for a long amount of time, you're going to have to eat semi-regularly. Not as much as me of course!

[no one can eat like you ai, you're a monster]

But I do want you to get used to taste and that way you can eat some simple foods that can sustain your body first. Who knows though? Maybe you'll get used to it very fast and we'll just make several leaps.

[He laughs a little, emotion sketched more prominently across his features now that he’s human. Still, he stands until otherwise instructed.]

Maybe I’ll understand what all the fuss is about.

[But from a practical standpoint, it does make sense.]

Oh, you'll see. Take a seat!

[She pulls out a chair for him and sits across the table. Pushing the dishes of salt and pepper first.]

Here are the most basic of basic flavors you'll find in almost all cuisines across the world. Salt is a flavor enhancer while pepper is aromatic and... Peppery!

[Ai was trying to sound sage and such when it comes to food, but you know. She's still her.]

As they say... Give it a shot!

[Connor takes a seat and scoots the chair closer, eyes planted on the salt and pepper brought near. He listens to her explanation, but only lifts his eyes to ask her a question with childlike curiosity.]

Do I put all of it in my mouth?

[u gotta specify with this dumb boy]

You can use your fingers this time.

[See, it's appropriate now.]

It's just a taste test after all.

[He nods, and dipping his finger into the salt first, he takes it and places it on his tongue.

The reaction is… a strange one that plays across his features. Surprise, then a furrowing of his brow, as his new tastebuds send this information to his brain. The taste of salt, nothing but salt, spreading across his tongue.]

It’s…

[He frowns, but he’s not displeased. It’s weird to not see an analyzation notification window pop up in his mind’s eye.]

…not what I imagined.

[Ai leans forward, looking excited.]

Really? I think I know what you mean. I wouldn't have been able to describe what salt is like even though, or even because it's so ingrained in our everyday lives.

Would say like or dislike?

[Can you see the gears turning in his head as he looks at her, trying to think this over.]

...Like, I think. But not in large quantifies. Salt is supposed to be paired with food, anyway. Or rather, used in food.

Mm-hm! That's correct. Maybe we could jump to this then.

[Ai stands up to go to her cupboard to take out a small bag of potato chips. She opens it up at the table and pours some of the contents out on a napkin.]

Try one of these next!

[Potato chips. It’s funny, of course — it’s not like Connor doesn’t recognize this food. It’s all common items that he could scan normally, probably has scanned once or twice in the past for Hank. So he knows what to expect from a purely analytical standpoint; ingredients, amount of salt. Calories, too, if his human mind recalls it.]

Right. Potato chips.

...About 150 calories per bag.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Hm?

[Yes, that is Ai already helping herself to some potato chips. Helping out a friend is hunger-inducing work.]

Oh, yeah calories. But they're also really tasty.

[Oh, she’s already eating. That’s not surprising.

Time to be brave, not that Connor is all that hesitant to begin with. He starts with a single chip, and it crunches in his mouth. The taste is salty, like before, but different. The flavor (flavor! What a thing!) is new and unexpected. It’s not at all what he thought it would be.

It’s... well. He can see why Ai eats so much.]

I like it. It’s strange but— I don’t know. Hard to quantify in its pleasantness.

[Maybe pleasantness isn’t the right word for it?]

[Ai grins at him; she's enjoying how he's also finding a new pleasure in the things she likes and it's as if it's another bridge that's starting to be built between them, temporary as it is.]

There's a whole vocabulary to describe the foods we eat after all. Like this— crunchy, salty, the flavor of potato...

Can you imagine? That we have more flavors than this?

[He raises a brow at her, good-natured.]

Well, of course. I do live in a world with other humans, and food is abundant.

[A chuckle, he looks amused.]

But this will be the first time experiencing all of them for me. I wonder how much I can eat; probably not as much as you.

Eheh... Well, I am a special case... My calories just disappear whenever I use my powers.

But it seems like we won't have to go too slowly. Try the other condiments on the table.

[She points out the pepper, some chili flakes, small dollops of mayo, mustard, ketchup, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce. So much variety, so little time...]

[Well, then Connor is going to definitely try a little bit of everything.

For him, it’s something of a slow an deliberate process — some things about being an android, meant to analyze and be the epitome of “methodical” never change — but he does so without hesitation, his curiosity something that keeps pushing him forward.

Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), he doesn’t dislike anything he tastes; though some of it is strong by itself, as condiments are not made to be eaten by themselves.]

I like it all so far. Or at least... I appreciate the differences between them.

[After Connor tries everything she has out on the table, Ai is crossing her arms and humming under her breath, thoughtful.]

You didn't react too strongly to any of them, so that means your sense of taste and to an extent, the smell is stable. You might not get overwhelmed we go to eat something at this rate.

That might depend on what we eat. I assume you have something already prepared?

[It's a silly question, though. No doubt she at least has the ingredients ready.]

[Ai nods; she has the look of a girl on a mission.]

I'll make you... Some toast and a sunnyside up egg! Yes, that should be easy to stomach.

[Standing up, she moves to the fridge, taking out an egg, while her powers have a pan, cooking spray, a slice of bread, all fly out to be put in their places. The bread in the toaster, the pan on the stove, and the stove turning on by itself.

Within a few minutes, Ai has the simple breakfast dish set up in front of Connor, sprinkling some salt and pepper on top of the fried egg and a warm piece of toast set up next to it. She instructs him on how to approach this while giving him a fork and a knife:]

Take the toast and break off a piece, and you can pierce the yolk. Try that out first. From that point on, it's pretty much your preference on how you want to eat the rest.

[He nods. Right. He's seen Hank do this before, and it isn't hard to parse just what he's supposed to do. Supposedly.

(The smell is nice, too, he thinks. He feels that strange sensation in the pit of his stomach, an ache that isn't quite an ache -- hunger?)

The yolk is pierced easily enough, but it oozes, and suddenly Connor's really not sure how to go about this.

He dabs his finger in the yolk, just because it's the most familiar????]

[... This is cute. That's what Ai's thinking as she makes her own serving of a single egg and toast. She anticipated this somewhat and so she'll just eat in front of him to let him get the idea of it (not just because she wants to eat, oh no really)

She giggles when he pokes the yolk.]

It's going to get cold if you just poke at it Connor.

[As for her, she's taking some soy sauce and pepper and topping off her egg with that. She breaks a corner of her toast and piercing her own egg, making sure to get a combination of the yolk and soy sauce, before eating it with relish.]

[He lifts his finger up, then places it on his tongue. And since that’ll hardly get all the yolk off, Connor just takes a moment to... get the rest of it off, using his mouth.

When he’s done:]

I wanted to taste test it first.

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