John's Perspective
God, I hate receptions. It doesn't matter why I'm here; there's always something to figure out, something to keep my head on a swivel for. Today, I was one of the so-called "Guest of Honor" as a member of the expedition. But that didn't mean my head wasn't still on a swivel. At least there was food – for whatever reason, there was, despite Zenthara and his company not exactly consuming it.
But hey, that wasn't going to stop me from enjoying it, even if my hip felt empty without my holster.
As I munched on a canapé, I casually glanced around to study the different forms of Zenthara's people. They were strange, fascinating even. There was Zenthara and one other like him. Then there were those that looked almost humanoid but with four arms and elongated heads. A few resembled five-foot-tall crabs with opposable thumbs instead of pinchers. And then there was that bizarre cross between a kangaroo and a gorilla, complete with folded-up bat wings.
But the one that really caught my eye was the one that looked almost human. Two arms, two legs, one head, no wings, and about six feet tall. It was like staring into the uncanny valley – if the uncanny valley had been invaded by terminator robots.
I refilled my plate after doing a lap, as Zenthara's twin drifted over to me. I couldn't help but be intimidated by his hulking form. It was like standing next to an elephant. I really wished I had a bigger gun, especially considering the arsenal of weapons he had strapped to his body—swords, daggers, what looked like pistols.
"You are military, are you not?" he asked, his five eyes boring into me.
"Uh, why do you ask?" I diverted my gaze to my plate, trying to sound casual.
"Ah, so you are intelligence." He sunk down to my eye level. I felt my heart rate pick up, feeling caught.
"What makes you say that?"
He used one of his smaller arms to point to the scientists, administrators, and diplomats bustling around the room. "They walk around like they are blind and curious. They walk like they are in charge and feel threatened. They are walking stiffly while pretending to be calm." He then pointed one of his larger arms towards me and held out a smaller hand to indicate the security personnel stationed at the edges of the room. "You walk like you are one of them."
I chuckled nervously. "Not today. I'm underdressed for that role." I gestured towards the guns and bladed weapons holstered on his body.
"Those wouldn't help you against us," he stated matter-of-factly.
I sighed. "I know, but it would against a human, and it's a comfort thing. I don't like feeling naked I'm armed."
As if on cue, my stomach growled, reminding me of the finger sandwiches I had been enjoying earlier. I grabbed another one from a nearby tray. Why did they make these so tiny?
"Curious," Zenthara's twin said, watching me intently. "What does that taste like?"
"Want some?" I offered, holding out the sandwich and searching for a mouth.
"No, we don't eat. I was just curious about the sense of taste. We have hearing, sight, touch, and chemoreceptors." He explained casually
"That last one sounds like it would be helpful for bob detection," I said, giving up on finding a mouth.
He looked around at the security guys. "And tracking..." he trailed off the way I did when I remembered something...unpleasant from my past lives.
I chewed thoughtfully for a moment before responding. "I guess it's like feeling with my tongue, but in color. Instead of just being pressured like my hands, it's a combination of several tastes—four or five, I think—that combine for the final effect. I guess your closest resemblance would be your chemoreceptors- I mean, your sense of smell."
