The second stop after the armory was, naturally, the cafeteria. Sam planned to stuff himself to the brim so he wouldn't starve while crossing the desert. There was also the question of how long the journey would take and which direction he should go. With a storm raging on the surface, it would be incredibly difficult to maintain a straight course without losing his way.
Then again, he didn't even know which direction he should be heading.
Looking back, he noticed the girl silently following him, and his brow raised slightly.
'Why is she following me?'
Sam was puzzled since the girl had made it clear that they weren't in a group. He decided to test something. Just before reaching the cafeteria, he abruptly turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. As he suspected, the girl continued to follow him. He decided to stop, rubbing his brows with his fingers, and turned to face her.
"I don't get it. Why are you trailing me?"
Looking at the girl's face, Sam saw a look of surprise. Her eyes widened slightly, and her brows furrowed.
"What?"
She asked, genuinely puzzled by Sam's question, as if he had said something utterly ridiculous.
"I mean, 'what?' I asked a perfectly normal question. Why are you following me?" Sam said, now frowning.
The girl seemed confused. Sam noticed a hint of bewilderment on her face and a clear lack of understanding. He sighed heavily and waited for her to answer.
"I don't understand… What's so strange about it?" The girl seemed to be slightly embarrassed by his words, as if she were being scolded for some mischief.
Sam stared at her, trying to figure out if she was pretending or genuinely didn't understand. Deciding that the latter was more likely, he shrugged.
"The strange thing is that we don't seem to be connected in any way. We didn't form a group or make any agreements. That's why it seems weird to me that you're following me, even though you hinted that you didn't want to back in the armory."
Now it was the girl's turn to frown deeply. Sam was surprised.
'Did I somehow offend her?'
The girl stared into his eyes for a long time without blinking. Sam did the same until she finally gave up and sighed before speaking.
"Now I get it. You're an idiot."
"Uh… Excuse me?"
The girl smiled and spoke in a condescending tone.
"Of course, everything has to be chewed up and fed to you. I didn't expect any less from you; you even managed to surprise me with that. Congratulations."
Sam had no idea what she was talking about. Why was he an idiot? Sure, he was a bit clueless, didn't have the engineering skills the girl had, but calling him an idiot? That was nonsense.
"I think you're the one acting like an idiot right now. First, you follow me like a puppy behind its owner, and now you're calling me an idiot. Funny, isn't it?"
The girl bared her teeth slightly when he called her an idiot and a puppy.
"You! You..! Ugh, whatever, forget it. I think I understand what you mean. But that doesn't stop you from being an idiot."
"Enlighten me, then. Why am I an idiot?" Sam said, clearly irritated by the girl's tone.
"We've been in a group since the moment we left that place where you got your hand."
'What?!'
Sam was baffled. When did they form a group? He didn't recall asking her, and she certainly hadn't asked him. The girl saw the confusion on his face and smiled slightly.
"Unless someone tells you that two plus two equals four, you won't figure it out, huh? Fine, let me explain. The desert is huge, very huge. Danger is everywhere, from sandstorms to bandits and other scum. Alone, neither you nor I would survive. So it's logical that we stick together, just to stay alive."
Sam remained silent for a long time as he looked at her. He understood what she meant, but he also knew that's not how things should be done! If she wanted to be in a group with him—yes, she wanted it, not him—then she could have at least asked for him to join her.
"You could've at least asked me to join you."
Jade snorted and then spoke again with condescension.
"Oh... So that's why you were looking at me with those pleading eyes back in the room with those... pistols, or whatever they're called."
Sam bared his teeth slightly again, and a vein visibly throbbed on his forehead. He was angered by the girl's jabs, but he decided to just ignore it and headed towards the cafeteria.
'Well, well, we'll see how long you last with me in a group. We'll see who ends up begging for help!'
Sam couldn't deny that his pride was hurt. The girl was right; it would be much harder to survive alone, and together, their chances were much better. But still! How could she act like that?
They clearly wouldn't get along! Not at all!
Soon, Sam reached the cafeteria. It was quite large. Cold white walls, black floors, almost as if made of onyx. It all looked eerily familiar, as if he had returned to his old world, to his high school.
Of course, everything here was much more advanced, like the refrigeration units visible behind the cafeteria counter—they looked like some kind of futuristic capsules. Going behind the counter, Sam opened one of those refrigerators and pulled out four packaged MREs. Since he couldn't read the expiration dates, he couldn't tell if they were expired.
Although, it was pretty foolish to assume they were still good after all this time. Glancing at the girl, Sam smiled slightly and handed her the four packages.
"Here, you'll carry these."
The girl looked at him and then crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why should I do something like that?"
Sam's smile widened.
"Because with those two pistols on your belt, I'm sure you don't know how to use them. You think I didn't notice how you just copied everything I did?"
Sam... was bluffing a bit. He hadn't actually watched the girl choose her weapons, and he wasn't particularly skilled with them either. Yes, he had dreams about serving in the army for a while. Back then, he had no money and had to sign a short-term contract.
But all of that felt like a very realistic movie; in practice, he was entirely inexperienced with handling weapons. It's like knowing the theory but having no practical experience at all.
However, the bluff seemed to work because the girl bit her lower lip slightly, then sighed and snatched the MREs from his hands.
With a satisfied smile, he pulled out two more MREs and tucked them into his robe. They walked to the nearest table, where they sat down and began their meal. The girl set aside the four MREs, and they started devouring two of them right away.
The ration pack had quite a few interesting items inside. And really, who wouldn't be curious about what the beings of the future ate? At least in terms of normal food. Sam still remembered those worms they used to feed him in the slave camp. He fought off his gag reflex back then—quite cleverly, too!
He pretended he was eating some kind of gourmet dish, trying to savor every note of flavor in that extravagant meal. He savored it as if it were one of the most delicious dishes in the world, but as soon as he opened the ration pack and saw the familiar canned goods from his old world, he realized just how masterfully he had fooled himself.
No, those worms didn't taste like chicken... They were just awful, disgusting, and incredibly repulsive.
In truth, Sam was even a bit relieved to see something that was actually familiar to him, or at least something that resembled a can from his old world.
The can had a rather amusing label. On the left side of the label was an image of a fork with something that looked like a piece of jelly with meat inside. And on the right side was some text that he couldn't understand. He also inspected the can from all sides, making sure there were no bulges or anything unusual.
The girl was carefully watching him and mimicking his actions.
Finally, Sam took off his gloves and placed them on the table. He looked at his right hand and the claws on it. He decided it was the perfect time to test their usefulness, and finding no better option, he tried to pierce the tin lid.
To his delight, his claws went right through. He didn't feel any resistance or pain in his fingers, so with his other hand holding the can, he began to cut around the lid in a circular motion. The girl, as if mesmerized, watched his every move.
Ten seconds later, an open can was in front of him, filled with that jelly-like substance with chunks of meat inside. He remembered where he had seen a similar dish before and, smiling, looked at the girl who was staring at her own can.
"Oh, do you need my help? How about asking for it?"
The girl puffed out her cheeks slightly, and then... swiftly snatched Sam's open can, placing hers in front of him.
"Thanks for the treat! You're so generous!" she said with obvious sarcasm.
Sam suppressed another small surge of anger within himself and simply opened another can. The girl found the utensils inside the ration pack and started devouring the tasty dish.
"Well then, bon appétit! First time in my life trying... What was it called again... Aspic?"