Crunch, crunch, crunch!
The sounds of Kaori devouring a bag of chips drowned out every other noise around her; including the conversation between one of the armed guards and Jesse upon mounting The Pacific and then stepping into the massive hangar of the government ship.
The guards knew they were going to be there, but they still needed to verify them for safety. After all, the government ships house the main medical facilities in the galaxy which are the locations where every attempt at a cure has been, and are currently being made. Each country had at least one upon first launching into space, though now that the old countries are becoming obsolete and new ones are taking over, some have multiple facilities albeit rare.
Though, Kaori was unbothered by the small wait as they talked, she was finally filling her belly; and she respected people enough to stand just far enough away to where crunching on her onion flavored ringed chips didn't interrupt the officer.
I'm so dumb, she thought to herself with a smug smile. The half-zombie had forgotten about one of her gifts Persephone had given her upon leveling.
Jesse soon side-eyed her during the conversation and the show of confusion was immediately visible on his face. He didn't know what she was eating, nor how she got them.
Kaori then watched as the cowboy cut the conversation short before making his way back to his walking dead fiancee. "What is that?" he whispered to her, as the guard he was previously talking to stayed in place but was obviously waiting on them to join him. "Where did you get them?" He gently moved her hand that was holding the bag to a point where he could see them. "Fun...yuns?" Kaori wasn't saying a word back to answer any of his questions, she was simply eating her bag of circular, onion chips like Jesse weren't attempting to interrupt her.
However, it wasn't until he tried to slip his hand into her yellow bag that she finally said something, her voice sharp like a lioness protecting her hunt. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
Jesse froze, his hand halfway in the bag as the two of them made intense eye contact. He squinted his eyes in distaste of her tone, but he took it as an invitation. Before Kaori could swipe the bag away from him, he took a small handful of the pungent crispy delights before immediately crushing them into his mouth like a chipmunk.
He still wasn't saying anything, despite Kaori's face twisting with murderous intent, because his mouth was so full, he couldn't physically muster out a sound.
Crunch, crunch, crunch! And with each one the short woman was getting more and more angry with him.
But after a few chews, and the crumbs falling onto his tongue, he didn't care in the slightest.
It was a flavor he had never tasted before.
He knew what chips were, but to him, they were just small round, salty, crunchy things that needed something with them, like tortilla chips.
These ringed, yellow chips were of an entirely different world.
"Please," he said, as he finally swallowed enough to be able to talk to his angry sort of ex-finacee, "where did you get these? I need more."
Kaori smirked, her anger becoming amusement, "maybe if you ever make it down to Earth?"
"Earth? Then how are you able to get them?"
"Persephone."
Jesse huffed, "then I suppose I'll have to start making trips back down to Earth with The Jugs and their crews. I wasn't planning on going down there until a cure was found though. But for those," he sucked in his lower lip, "I'll make an exception."
Kaori took another bite, the bag almost empty. "Wait until you taste a pop."
"A pop?"
"The sweetest drink, but it always feels like it's burning going down. Perhaps, since you're more of a cowboy you-"
"More of a cowboy? I AM a cowboy, but continue."
"You'd be able to handle it the first time since you lots like to drink whiskey."
Jesse tipped his hat forward, blocking his eyes slightly. "Whiskey?"
Kaori suddenly went blank faced, completely frozen for a second, before shoving the bag of chips at Jesse. "You're deprived of greatness. You can have the rest."
The cowboy was confused. He wanted to thank her for letting him have the rest of a goddess's gift, but at the same time he didn't like being called deprived. If they were so delicious, then why didn't the rich pack them when they went into space as well?
"Though, I suppose it makes sense," she smirked, as if she read his mind. "The rich back then preferred personal chefs and imported, expensive foods instead of the poor people's treat."
"Makes sense," he replied through satisfied chews. "The meals we have now are because of that then. The Jugs are the ones that go back down to Earth and trade with communities and loot places. One of the most dangerous jobs since they have to trust the integrity of these aged ships."
Kaori thought about going back down to Earth, "well, when you go, I'd like to go too. I'm feeling a bit homesick."
Jesse nodded as he finished the bag of chips, leaving only crumbs in the bottom. He then licked his finger before sticking it into the bag and dabbing everything up before licking the goodness from his index. He didn't care about the slight off taste from his dirty hands, the greatness overpowered it enough to not matter to him.
"We have to find Wim first though," Kaori added, her voice lowering, "so let's be quick so we can get more?"
The cowboy nodded frantically, shoving the empty bag back at Kaori and thanking her. She reluctantly took it, realizing Jesse was unaware that the emptiness meant it was now trash, and she stuffed it back into her backpack until she could find an incinerator. "You're right," he agreed with her while pointing towards the guard he was just talking to behind them. "The guard verified us, and he's going to take us to Kyle; the guy who's supposed to tell us about how to find the cure."