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“Vecchin don’t kiss.”
“But he did.”
“So he either is a weird Vecchin, or he’s been researching humans.”
Her brother laughed. “Look out, you may have a suitor or whatever they have around here.”
“Wait. You have been here for four years, and you still don’t know how the Vecchin do things? Are you only hanging out with the colony pod and family?”
Sunny blushed. “It is easier.”
“We are here for life. It is going to be not easy at some point. You may as well start now.”
“Is that why you got the pigment?”
“I got it because I face deep-sea Vecchin every day, and they deserve to see a face they trust. Business has increased since I made the effort.”
“Wait. What?”
“Yes. If they see a face that is trying to be familiar, they trust, engage, and converse more easily. When you are dealing with people face to face, you want to make them comfortable. This makes them comfortable.” She waved toward her face. “It helps me do business, make friends, and talk to strangers.”
“Are you telling me to do it?”
She finished clearing the counter and looked at him. “I am telling you why I did it. Your face is your own. But try and make some Vecchin friends.”
He snorted after scrubbing the grill. “When does the second wave happen?”
“Ten more minutes. We are still serving breakfast for three more hours.”
“Right. Got it. What are you going to do?”
“Akko prep. We need to catch up.” She smiled and got to work.
She shredded thirty pounds of the vegetable and got the dressing ready. That involved a citrus juicer and safety glasses. She got the dressing mixed, poured it into bottles, and got the next batch of akko ready for the incoming lunch rush. Sunny had done pretty well with the morning rush, but folks still yelled past him to her when he answered the window.
The next cleanup had them caught up on prep and behind on container cleaning, but they worked on it and put the containers through as fast as they could before the next wave arrived.
She looked at him. “Grill or window?”
“Grill. I’ve got it now. I won’t say it’s easy, but there is a rhythm to it.”
Cloudy smiled and geared up for the approaching horde. “Don’t enjoy the rhythm method too much. That’s how we both got here.”
He barked a laugh, and she lined up at the window, using Vecchin manual as she greeted her regulars.
They got into a pattern and went through the food faster than the day before. They were down to the stragglers when a familiar set of faces slowly made their way down the dock. She finished the order on her list and said, “I am stepping out for a minute. Emgoth and Ariget are here.”
“Cool. I can do both. I think. Don’t go far.”
She laughed and stepped out of the stall, walking over to Emgoth. The regulars greeted him and winced at his bruises.
“Emgoth, what the hell are you doing here?”
He looked at the stall and shrugged in relief. “I got a message saying that our little stall was in the bay.”
“It was. It got better. I am happy to say that all of the precautions were useful. We only lost a handful of akko.”
He looked at the shop and grinned. “It floated?”
