Seafood and Stalkers

Nika and I talked about trivial subjects for the rest of the train ride. I say “we” talked, but it was mainly Nika rambling on about all the places I should visit while I nodded along and occasionally responded. My eyes were starting to get heavy when Nika stood up.

“This is our stop. You should get your bags now,” she said.

I checked my watch as we got out of the station. Forty minutes left until orientation started.

“How much longer is it to the university?” I asked.

“Ten minutes at worst.”

Huh, we were actually making good time. I’m not a fan of arriving early, but it sure beats being late.

As we walked back up into the blinding sunlight, I could finally see the center of the capital. Centuries-old buildings cobbled together with stucco, brick, terracotta, and who-knows- what-else populated the skyline. Vendors lined the sidewalks selling various foods and goods. Statues of important historical figures littered the streets. Nika pointed out the monuments to me with great enthusiasm, but there was only one historical object that captured my interest. Far away on the corner of one of the streets was a payphone. I didn’t even know they still maintained those. I had planned on calling back home when I landed, but my plan screwed me over. I had some bills on me, but no change. I turned back to Nika. She was still rambling.

“—and that’s Belisarius, the greatest military commander in Mikla—”

“Hey, Nika,” I interrupted. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day, and I’m pretty hungry. I’m going to get some food. Do you want some? It’s the least I could do after you helped guide me while I was lost.” Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

“No, I…I’m fine.” I’d have believed her if I didn’t see the restrained expression on her face. Her lips were pursed, and there was even a bit of drool sliding down her mouth.

“You sure?”

“I said I’m fine! You don’t need a reward for helping the less fortunate. That’s common sense!”

Was I some kind of beggar? I had no idea if this was a Miklagardian social norm, an elite status posturing, or some weird quirk.

“Well, in Ustasia, we always pay back those who help us.”

She didn’t budge. In fact, for some reason, she looked like she was even more annoyed. I’d have to take a different approach.

Oh well,“ I complained, “I was looking forward to eating authentic Miklagardian cuisine, but I just don’t know what’s good to eat. If only I had a real Miklagardian patriot to show me the best food in town, that would make my day!”

Nika gave me a bemused look before speaking, “You don’t have to be so overdramatic. But I suppose you do have a point. It would be terrible if you managed to give yourself food poisoning right before your orientation.”

“Exactly! So what do you recommend?”

Nika guided me to a small stand selling fried fish. “Try this. It’s pretty popular around here”

I approached the counter and made two orders, making sure to collect my change. After returning to Nika, I shoved one of the paper food trays into her hand.

“I said that you didn’t need to get me anything,” Nika said.

“I accidentally got two. I can’t eat it all by myself, so it’s best that you have it. I figure wasting food is frowned upon here.”

“It's bad anywhere! And I heard you order two trays!”

“That was the accident.”

Nika sighed and reluctantly accepted the fish. With my mission accomplished, I began to dig into my own dish. The texture was light and crispy, and the inside was quite juicy. Either the food was exceptionally better than fast food back home, or my mother was right when she said that hunger is the best seasoning. But right as I was ready to take another bite of my delicious meal, my arm was suddenly jerked back away from my mouth. Nika had shot her handout and grabbed my wrist. Her face was in complete shock; her mouth slightly ajar in disbelief.

“You didn’t get any sauce,” she muttered. “You’re eating fish without the sauce.”

“Is that a problem?” I asked.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she shoved her tray into my free hand. As I barely kept myself from fumbling it to the ground, Nika dashed back over to the vendor and scooped up a couple containers I overlooked on the edge of the stand before quickly rushing back. She popped it open and doused the fish with its contents.

“This is garum sauce,” she explained while grabbing her own tray back from me. “It’s used in countless Miklagardian dishes and traditionally pairs with fried fish. In my entire life I’ve never seen anyone even think about eating fish without garum. The sauce makes the dish.”

“So like ketchup and fries back home,” I mused. Carefully making sure not to stain my hands with the sauce, I tepidly took a bite. One moment there was nothing, and in the next an explosion of flavor burst onto my taste buds. “Hey, this is great! It’s rich but not too overpowering, and there’s a mild yet pleasant aftertaste. It’s got a good umami flavor.”

Nika stared blankly at me in confusion.

“It means it has a meaty, savory, almost broth-like taste to it,” I elaborated.

“So it means savory. Got it. Is that another weird Western term?” Nika exasperatedly asked.

“Actually, no. It comes from—”

“It doesn’t matter. Just make sure to speak normally so people can actually understand you.”

I would have made a witty comeback to completely destroy her, but I was too busy stuffing my mouth with fish. If all the food in Miklagardia tasted this good, my stay here was going to be much more bearable. And with that, Nika and I ate together in relative silence, listening to the everyday commotion from the city streets.

I had finished my meal and was solemnly reflecting on the gift of flavor bestowed upon me when I noticed a figure peeking out from a nearby pillar. I didn’t think much of it until they hid when I looked in their general direction. Then I became nervous. Did the local government figure out I was an espionage agent already? I had only been in the country for less than half a day, and my cover may have already been blown! Soon, in the best case I’d be sent back home, and, more likely, I’ll be stuck in a torture room getting my teeth knocked out before mt brains are blown out.

I took a deep breath. I had to calm down and be rational. Miklagardia is a fairly insular country distrustful of outsiders; they’d probably want to keep tabs on any foreigner entering the country. But using a person instead of a more sophisticated method like satellite surveillance? That was beyond my ken. Maybe I was misinterpreting the whole thing. It could simply be my own paranoia.

That hope was dashed when, after turning my head back to idly chat with Nika, the one figure behind the pillar suddenly multiplied to three. Now this situation was getting more dire by the minute. What had I done to deserve this constant surveillance? The only things I even did in this country so far were get lost, talk to a girl, and eat fish. Were any of those crimes? I did eat that fish without the sauce at first. No, that didn’t make sense. Those other two people only showed up after I talked with Nika. Was that it? Was this country so backwards and draconian that a man and a woman talking in public was grounds for arrest? I had no other options, so I confided in the only available person I could trust right now.

“I think I’m being followed. There are some people behind that pillar over there. Is that normal for outsiders here?” I asked Nika.

She took a glance and immediately groaned. “They’re not watching you. They’re watching me,” she explained before marching straight at our watchers. She was the one being monitored? Did the government view her as some sort of traitor for deigning to speak with a foreigner? That’s harsh. Still, better her getting taken away by the secret police than me.

Nika stopped right beside the pillar before screeching, “Melissa! I know you’re there! The rest of you too. Get out here!”

Three girls sheepishly strolled out from their hiding place. They were quite charming on first appearance. The government must think that using cute girls is a good way to lower people’s guards. On closer inspection, I noticed they were all wearing the same uniform as Nika. So they were university students too. The feds must recruit their personnel young here.

Nika turned back to face me, pointing at the girls while speaking, “John, these are my friends.” She turned back to the girls. “What are you all even doing here?”

The one in front spoke up first, “Well, we heard a rumor that Nika was out around town with a guy, and there was no way that could be true, so we had to see for ourselves.”

“A rumor? I didn’t even know Nika a couple hours ago. How could you hear a rumor that quickly?” I asked as I jogged up to meet everyone.

“News travels fast around here,” the girl said as she shrugged.

So that’s how it is. Miklagardia’s intelligence agencies don’t need to use high-tech surveillance to gather information. They could listen to all the gossip on the street instead and get the same result.