Altaïr had no intention of joining Isis in her game of picking nicknames for the Estrellian, and while Erik was interested, he insisted on referring to the creature as "Her Highness the Princess."
Though neither "Bacon" nor "Her Highness the Princess" were names that could actually be written in an official report, such regulations could only govern Erik's pen; they had no power over their tongues.
Listening to them go back and forth with "Princess" this and "Bacon" that gave Altaïr a headache. He couldn't help but interrupt, "Alright, we can worry about what to call it later. First, let's find a way to get it to eat something.
According to the Professor, it hasn't had a proper meal since it was first captured. If this keeps up, it's only going to get weaker."
"He's right, Bacon. You can't just not eat." Isis sat cross-legged by the Estrellian hatchling's head, patting its brow. "I know you like meat. Come on, open up."
The Estrellian hatchling didn't budge.
Seeing that the Monster didn't understand her words, Isis opened her own mouth wide, "Ahhh...", to demonstrate, then made a show of moving that big hunk of Raw Meat toward her own mouth.
The Estrellian looked away, appearing somewhat timid.
"I think you look more like you're stealing its food and then flaunting it by eating it right in front of its face, meow?" Sajji tilted his head to the side.
"Do I?" Isis looked toward Altaïr.
Altaïr nodded with a subtle expression. "A little."
"Fine, communicating like this is too much trouble. Let's be more direct." Isis set the large slab of Raw Meat aside and reached out with both hands, attempting to pry the Estrellian's jaws open.
"Hey! Be careful!" Altaïr broke into a cold sweat just watching. "Even if it's just a hatchling, this is still a Large Monster nearly ten meters long. You're sticking your fingers in its teeth; aren't you afraid of getting them bitten off?"
"Mmh, I'll be careful."
"It's not a matter of being care–"
Altaïr was only halfway through his warning when he saw Isis suddenly slam a fist onto the top of the Estrellian's head, shouting, "Open up!"
Under the stunned gazes of Altaïr and Erik, the Estrellian hatchling, which had been lying motionless, opened its mouth with a look of utter grievance.
"There's a good girl." Isis stuffed the large piece of Raw Meat into the Estrellian's open mouth, then forcefully helped it clamp its jaws shut.
Now, even with the language barrier, the Estrellian fully understood her intent. After a few whimpering chews, it swallowed the large hunk of meat.
"It actually ate!" Erik recorded the event excitedly.
Isis immediately dragged a fat Gastronome Tuna, nearly a meter long, over to the Estrellian. "Here, try some fish. Also, eating while lying down isn't good for you. Sit up."
Isis lay down for a moment to demonstrate, then scrambled back up.
Surprisingly, the Estrellian followed suit. It clambered up and crouched there quietly, burying its head to gnaw on the Gastronome Tuna, which was roughly the size of its own head.
"Ooooh! Her Highness the Princess loves fish too!"
Erik's shout made the Estrellian flinch. Isis shot him a glare, signaling for him to shut up, before walking back to the food pile to drag several more items over.
Among them was the intact carcass of a Kelbi with its neck snapped, as well as some fruits, edible tubers, and extra helpings of Raw Meat and fish. She placed these in front of the Estrellian. Having just finished a fish, the creature sniffed around before tentatively picking up another, not forgetting to cautiously observe Isis's reaction.
Seeing that Isis had no objection, it lowered its head in relief and continued eating. It seemed it truly was starving.
"It seems it prefers fish over the meat of Large Monsters or the carcasses of small animals," Altaïr said with a smile. "Now that I think about it, the cave where we found it was also in an area dense with water networks. Could that be a reason for easy foraging?"
"Possible! Very possible! Is this a habit unique to hatchlings? Or do adults do this too? Ah! I'm so curious!" Erik recorded the observations, his eyes sparkling.
After such a long period of stagnation, his research finally had some progress. How could he not be excited?
"By the way, Altaïr, did you bring a portable spit?" Watching the Estrellian bury its head in its food, Isis felt a bit hungry herself. "There are so many ingredients here, why don't we have a bite too?"
Altaïr stared at her expressionlessly.
They were here to report to Lord Fabius; how could he possibly be carrying cooking utensils?!
Understanding the questioning look in Altaïr's eyes, Isis gave a sheepish laugh. "Fair point. But if it's fresh sea fish, eating it raw should be fine, right?"
As she spoke, she picked out a Sushifish, drew her knife to fillet both sides, and ripped away the scales along with the skin. Two fatty, fresh fillets dangled in her hand, radiating an inviting luster.
The Estrellian, busy eating, peeked up and curiously watched Isis's movements.
"Look, this meat is orange-red, kind of like your color. Maybe I shouldn't call you Bacon after all; how about Sushifish?"
Altaïr: "..."
"Come on, open wide." Isis waved a crystal-clear strip of fish meat as long as her arm, looking at the Estrellian with a smile.
The Estrellian seemed to have memorized the sound of the phrase "open wide." It obediently leaned in and opened its mouth.
Isis tossed the fish meat into its maw, while she held the remaining piece and turned to ask Altaïr: "Did you bring soy sauce?"
"...You pig, do you even hear yourself?"
Facing Altaïr's sarcasm, Isis puffed out her cheeks. "Nymera always carries soy sauce with her. Sushifish really tastes best dipped in soy sauce."
She said it, but Isis wasn't a picky eater. She sliced the remaining fish into thick pieces and stuffed them into her mouth one by one.
To everyone's surprise, the Estrellian leaned in again, gazing longingly at the remaining fish in Isis's hands.
Isis hesitated for a second before finally tossing the meat into the creature's mouth. She then picked another fish from the basket. "See? Pure fish meat, skinned, deboned, and gutted, is definitely better than a whole fish."
As she spoke, she glanced back at Erik. "Isn't it very obedient? Since when was it as difficult to handle as you said?
Oh, right, help me ask the Professor for some soy sauce and wasabi root. This is how Nymera taught me to ea–no, I mean, I want to see if the Estrellian can accept human seasonings."
"Right! I'll go now!" A beaming Erik sprinted away.
Altaïr sighed and took a fish from the basket, starting to help skin and debone it.
Since the Estrellian liked it, he might as well let it eat more. After starving for so long, it needed to replenish its nutrients. Besides, it was actually willing to get close to Isis?
If things continued this way, with Isis acting as a bridge, the research should proceed much more smoothly.
"It looks all majestic, but it doesn't seem that different from Hibiki, meow?" Watching the Estrellian hatchling grow inexplicably close to Isis, Sajji stroked his whiskers. "Beat it a few times, then feed it some food, and it becomes obedient, meow?"
"If we beat it a few more times, it should become even more obedient, meow." Clawdia's voice was low, an intimidating aura radiating from her.
Sensing danger, the Estrellian "whooshed" behind Isis to hide.
A crimson light flashed in Clawdia's eyes, the precursor to entering Beast Mode.
"Calm down, meow!" Sajji hastily pulled her back.
If they really fought, this Estrellian hatchling would likely be no match for a furious Clawdia. Not to mention, this hatchling was somehow bare, with not a single Star Butterfly in sight; its combat strength was quite low.
"Clawdia, come and eat. Don't you like fish too?" Busy filleting, Isis called out, unaware of the tension.
The red light in Clawdia's eyes faded. With a huff, she ran to Isis's side and helped her process the fish.
She was very skilled at this. In less than half a minute, she had handled a sizeable Sushifish, slicing the prime cuts into thin pieces for Isis and flinging the rest at the Estrellian's face.
"Choke on it, meow!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)