Altera Village
"Mngmamwa…"
"Gogrgomamwa…"
"Stop moving too much, Little Meatball," Althea mumbled, moving her head a bit as Little Meatball moved his hand and splashed soapy bubbles all over.
A large hand settled him down the tub. It was Garan, and his sleeves were folded all the way up his arm, showing off his very well-defined forearms.
"Behave," Garan said, his low voice was naturally full of gravitas that Little Meatball was a little intimidated by. One word and the baby's flailings went from level 10 to level 1.
The baby boy was pouting a bit, but he was definitely watching his hand splashing, a little sad that it wasn't creating as big a wave as he wanted.
Althea giggled at the adorable sight, all while washing her daughter who was so cute and well-behaved.
Garan smiled, but his eyes couldn't help but end on his wife's body and her clothing dampened thanks to their hyper-energetic son.
His eyes darkened inevitably, but he was holding his son so he naturally couldn't do anything about it.
"We will take a bath together later," he said, mumbling. "I wish the Bathhouse had private rooms…"
Althea blinked as she looked at him, and then looked at the sun high in the sky. She then flushed and glared at him.
This pervert!
Anyway, when the Mountain Spring Villas was built with indoor private pools, Garan absolutely had a hand in it.
…
Back in the bathhouse, the three women decided to meet up again and have a meal together.
They had already asked the servant to inform Lulu that they'd be eating dinner here and she could go for the day. Of course, not without handling a generous tip.
The two aborigines followed Juni to the indoor restaurant not knowing what to expect.
They went past the intricate wooden door that served as the main entrance. This was obvious due to its large dimensions and the rare translucent panels that it had, which gave them a glimpse of the other side.
Like other things, these small panels were made of the same materials used in windows and lamps in the territory.
It was quite intriguing.
"A table for three please," Juni said, approaching the female host outside the door.
"Oh, yes, right away," the woman said, checking their bracelets to see if they'd be paying. Seeing as the meal was included, the host opened the door and guided them to a designated table.
The aborigines couldn't help but look around as they walked, side and above, admiring.
It was a large one room hall of brown, green, and some rustic color palette.
There was a small waterfall in the center, with water going down like a column. It was surrounded by various flowers, some familiar and mostly unfamiliar.
There was ambient lighting on every meter of the wall and above each table, setting up a romantic relaxing mood. The entire room was circular in shape, with the walls with plants and wood, leading up to the very interesting ceiling above.
It wasn't like anything they've seen. It was slightly domed in shape, and there were diamond framings, and every few 'diamonds' there was a translucent panel allowing natural lighting from above to enter.
The skylight filtered lighting through the day, creating a stunning play of light and shadows with the frames and vines. At night, it would show the darkness, letting the ambient lighting have a different atmosphere.
In fact, if Althea had a choice, she'd have covered the whole roof with the translucent material.
The material limitation of Youli stone was that it couldn't be made into panels larger than a meter in either dimension, or it would be very brittle—no different from crackers that could easily get destroyed with a simple punch.
It was also a problem with her larger greenhouses, so she was really hoping glass could be developed.
But these things the people didn't know about, they just found the whole setup incredibly charming.
Anyway, as the trio reached their table, they realized that the air was infused with the relaxing scent of flowers. A little different from those in the spa, which promoted relaxation, this scent was a bit stronger.
It promoted… exploration. Hunger.
"Here's your table," the waitress said, pointing at a comfortable-looking round table with a curved sofa (as Juni called it) abutting it.
They couldn't help appreciating it too. The table was not only intricately designed with motifs that matched the building, the cushion of the chairs also looked very cozy.
The tables were also placed far apart, very comfortable, and they could relax as if they were really the only people in that space. There were also partitions that partially blocked direct eye contact and the traveling of sound for added privacy, which needed more care because everyone had heightened senses now.
"This is amazing…" Cassandra said as she relaxed on the plush chair, eyes not leaving her surroundings.
Veronica, the lover of beauty, was quiet and just gaping at the whole place. Also, how did they make a waterfall there? "Did you build the restaurant around it?"
Juni blinked and looked at the centerpiece. It was a meter radius column of waterfall, as if the water fell from the shrubbery above this ornamental column.
"I'm not familiar with the technicalities, but it should be using the same principles as the fountains outside, as well as getting water into the rooms."
"Amazing…"
Soon, the waiter arrived with their menu—also paper now—and they couldn't help but touch it a few more times.
"This is really smooth. I feel like the pen will flow beautifully."
"It seems a bit thin though?"
Juni watched her new friends fascinated by something they had taken for granted. "It's paper. Like the papyrus you use, but much lighter and cheaper."
"This is very nice… why haven't I seen it in the shops?"
"The production is still a bit low, so only the territory office and a couple of individuals could use it. But, as you can see, it shouldn't take long."
The two nodded, adding this paper as something they would inquire about as soon as they got inside.
In the meantime, they decided to look at the so-called menu, which was a list of available food and drinks they could order.
Their package included two viands, a salad, a drink, and dessert. They could choose as they wanted and the two girls were very curious as to the offerings of this place.
The menu was also bilingual, with the familiar language of the aborigines as well as the Terran Lingua franca.
The offerings here were called 'healthy' meals—a new concept to two people who just knew 'meals'.
"Basically they're meals that cleanse the body, making it feel lighter, rather than heavier."
It was a little unclear, but they got the idea. For their meal, Juni ordered for them. With the waiter ready to take orders, Juni enumerated some food that newcomers would likely love.
When the food arrived, the women gulped.
"This is the vegetarian delight," the waitress said when Juni asked her to explain some of the choices to the guests. "It's a salad of mixed greens, little tomatoes, and organic herbs, and then drizzled with lemon-infused Caesar salad."
Then the waitress pointed at rounded flat white bread-like things with various colors surrounding them. "This is a Mezze platter with hummus, roasted red pepper dip, and freshly baked pita bread."
She then proceeded to an even more colorful plate. "This is Stuffed Bell Peppers with grain, roasted vegetables, and tangy yogurt sauce."
"For meat, we'll have free-range Gugu bird breast with vegetables and herb-infused sauce."
"We have Stormdoer beef burger topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and cheddar."
"For our drinks, we'll have freshly squeezed juices with herbs." She paused and looked at her companions, "You don't mind it a bit minty, do you?"
The two were a bit startled they'd hear terms like minty in food, but they were open-minded girls, so they shook their heads.
"For dessert, as requested, the fruit-based sorbet will be served later upon completion of the meals."
She smiled, standing up straight. "Enjoy your meal."
The girls nodded and focused on their delicious-looking meals. Juni realized a lot of her terms were unfamiliar so she explained what they were, and if the other two weren't raised as ladies, they'd have drooled.
Whatever the case was, they didn't know that meals made predominantly of just plants could be so delicious, refreshing, and filling!
As they ate, the three women continued chatting amicably, mostly about the territories of this world and how it compared to Altera.
For example, they found out that it had been less than two months since they arrived, which meant people here leveled from zero to about the average of level 6 or 7 in the span of two months.
This also meant that 2 months ago, this was all just forest like the ones they passed by going here…
They built this entire thing in that time frame.
They also compared the cost of living and lifestyle. "Altera did a great job at both," Veronica mumbled as she chewed on her salad.
She had never thought such a mix of vegetables could be so delicious. What did they call this 'dressing'? Caser? Cousar?
"It's Caesar, sweetie." Juni corrected her. She was apparently thinking out loud. A bad habit of hers that got her into plenty of trouble.
"Don't they sell these in the supermarket?"
"Not yet," Juni guessed it had to do with the short shelf life, but she couldn't confirm it.
Regardless, the topics were endless and the three became fast friends.
Luckily or unluckily, they seemed to have never landed on the topic of their love lives again and their names, or the discussion could've been very different…