Evening settled slowly over the coastline. The air carried a gentle chill. The married couple acquired dinner in the most morally flexible way possible.
They stole four hamburgers, two cartons of French fries and four energy drink cans. The fast food restaurant had been fully stocked, powered and functional. The fryers had been warm. The refrigerators hummed quietly. The buns had been soft and fresh. It made no sense but neither of them were in the mood to question dinner.
Now they sat on the sand with their house behind them and the ocean in front. The tide was low enough that the water rolled in lazy, distant breaths that never quite reached their feet. The sand still held the warmth of the day and the sky looked like something painted by a Deity who had too much time and too much taste.
Asenane took a bite of her burger and froze mid-chew. The crunch of lettuce, the salt of the meat, the slight sweetness of the sauce made her eyes widen as if she had just unlocked a forbidden secret.
"This is crunchy and amazing," she declared through a mouthful.
Veneri watched her reaction with poorly concealed amusement before taking his own bite.
"It is."
She grabbed a fry next, studying it with mild suspicion before biting into it. The exterior cracked audibly. The inside wad soft and steaming. She nodded with conviction.
"I understand your 'humanity' slightly more now."
He leaned back on his palms, stretching his legs out in front of him, watching the horizon as the sun lowered.
"There was a country on Earth where people ate food like this daily. Their obesity rates increased significantly because of it. Also, they pretended to be the best in all countries even though they just copied cultures and had a corrupt government. They pretended to be the most powerful country and yet they couldn't even afford health care."
She stopped mid-fry.
"Obesity?"
He turned his head toward her, slipping into that familiar explanatory tone.
"Obesity is the excessive accumulation of body fat to the point where it negatively affects health. When their food intake consistently exceeds the amount of energy a body expends, the surplus energy is stored as fat tissue. Over time, that accumulation leads to increased body mass and make them fat. They even got diseases out of it."
She stared at him.
"So they became large?"
"Yes. Significantly. They were called fat."
"How large?"
He lifted his hands and widened them slightly in illustration. She blinked slowly.
"There are no fat people in Spheraphase."
"That's because the average vitality baseline there is higher. All beings here possess enhanced metabolic efficiency or energy expenditure far beyond human norms. It would be extremely difficult to accumulate excess fat under those conditions."
She tried to imagine humans with rounder limbs, slower movements and heavier bodies. Her nose scrunched involuntarily.
"That image is not pleasant."
He gave her a sideways look.
"Body types vary. Not all are inherently unattractive."
She waved a fry dismissively.
"Be honest."
He took another bite of his burger before answering.
"Unhealthy bodies are not aesthetically optimal, no."
She huffed in satisfaction.
"Exactly."
The conversation drifted naturally back into the quiet rhythm of the evening as they ate. Seagulls—which were the only living traces they found—flew in slow arcs in the sky, eyeing their food. The town behind them remained perfectly silent. Lights glowed softly in windows that no one stood behind. After a while, Asenane brushed salt from her fingers and rested her hands behind her, leaning back.
"What are we going to do about this empty town?"
He followed her gaze toward the cluster of buildings lining the coast.
"This situation is advantageous. We can investigate without resistance. There must be an administrative center somewhere with data reports. If the town functioned normally before whatever event occurred, documentation will exist."
She considered that though she had half an idea of what he was talking about.
"We'll search for it tomorrow. If we find nothing, we expand our perimeter to the outskirts. We can try camping."
"Camping?"
He turned to look at her more directly.
"You don't know how camping works? It's when you stay outdoors for night. You never did it during your world tour?"
She shook her head without shame.
"When we traveled with Phaenora and the girls, we stayed in inns and hotels."
He stared at her for a moment.
"You completed a world tour and never once camped outdoors?"
"We had standards, according to Phaenora."
Well, in my defense, it's not like we had a choice. The last thing I wanted was to have Krepsunas hunting us at night and us causing a scene in another kingdom making us fugitives. It was better going to hotels and inns. Anyway...
"Well, those standards are about to evolve."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, though there was amusement there.
"What exactly are you planning?"
"I'm going to give you a proper camping experience. A tent, fire, cooking outside, sleeping under open sky and stargazing."
"Sleeping outside voluntarily?"
"Yes."
"With insects?"
"Yes."
She looked personally offended by the concept. He smiled faintly at her expression.
"Tomorrow we'll gather supplies first. Then we'll locate the administrative office. Investigation comes first and leisure second."
"And if we don't find the office?"
"Then we treat the forest as the next data source."
She exhaled slowly, then leaned sideways and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I love this peace. Who knew I'd appreciate an empty town?"
He turned his head slightly, brushing a kiss into her hair.
"I'm glad you feel that way. Honestly, I would be scared if I was alone."
"Oh? The famous Vastarael Richinaria afraid of an empty town?"
"Believe me my dear, empty towns scared the shit out of humans back then."
The waves rolled in gentle repetition, never reaching them because of the low tide. She watched the lights of the empty buildings flicker faintly in the distance.
"You know, if this place stays empty, we could claim it."
"Establish dominion over an abandoned coastal settlement?"
"Yes. Think about it Darling. Won't it be great?"
"Convert it into what?"
She thought seriously about it.
"A seasonal retreat."
"With mysteriously self-sustaining infrastructure and renewable fuel sources?"
"Yes."
"You're already planning governance."
"I like this version of us that steals hamburgers, discussing 'obesity' stuff and plans to camp in a deserted town like it's a date."
He chuckled quietly.
"I like it too. I'll think about it though."