Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Honey was something I paid special attention to because unlike the food that was being served around us, it had more uses than just being used to sweeten food and drink, and in this truck's case, their top-selling waffles.

It was common knowledge that honey came from bees but there's a little more to it than that.

Before the world ended, we would always pick up a jar or a few packets to take home for a spread or to be mixed in with tea, and most of the time, they were just regular commercialized honey that had gone through several processes which, unfortunately, made it lose some of its special properties.

Raw, unfiltered honey that came from certain plants like tea trees, black locusts trees, dandelion, sage, buckwheat, eucalyptus, and some others had properties that made them more expensive and sought after by the right people looking for something more.

It could range from being able to help or treat coughs, wounds, burns, and much, much more, and even have anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antibacterial properties, and etc. However, it would all depend on the type of honey it was.

With that said, I could partially recognize a few on the display, due to the color it had and mostly due to the labels put on it, but there were a few I had no fucking idea about.

One of them was the one placed on a large mason jar while the other was the one that I thought looked like a potion. The one on the huge mason jar looked like regular honey but it was priced a few vouchers higher than the regular asking price while the other was almost deep red when the sun shone on it and it was the most expensive one out of all the ones on display.

And the moment I asked about them to the older lady tending the counter, her eyes just lit up before she wore a bright smile.

"Oh? You're interested in more than just our waffles, eh? Come, meet me here at the back so I could tell you all about them."

"Ah– I do still need the waffles–"

"Don't worry, young man. I'll have your waffles sent over to your table. Your blonde friend there caused quite a stir, it'll be impossible if we didn't notice you. You're even sitting with Queenie… that's a first."

"A first?"

"Hahaha, that's a long story, young man. Come, come, I've been standing for a while, I need to take a short break."

"O-Okay, then…"

I followed the older lady toward another table that was cleared by her people, and when we sat down, we were served freshly made waffles but the honey and the butter were placed in a separate cup.

They weren't slathered or poured over like the ones they served, and I was just collecting my thoughts when we were also served a cup of freshly brewed coffee by a younger woman wearing an apron and an awkward smile.

She wasn't particularly standing out among the girls I've met here but she was easy on the eyes and non-threatening.

"E-Enjoy…"

"Thanks…"

"Edith, why don't you sit with us?"

"H-Huh? Umm–"

"You need to learn to talk to people. We'll start by introducing each other, I'll go first. Just follow after me, okay? Young man, my name's Sally– you can call me Sal, and this is my niece… Now go," The older lady said before nudging Edith over.

"U-Umm… M-My name's E-E-Edith a-and u-umm it's nice– n-nice to m-meet you… y-you… umm–"

I just let out a faint smile because I used to be like her, "Sky. My name's Sky. Nice to meet you too, Edith– And you too Mrs. Sally."

Sally turned to me with an amused expression, "Ain't gonna shake her hand, at least?"

I faintly smiled once more, "I think Edith's still uncomfortable with that, I'm fine with an upwards nod."

As soon as I said that, Edith never looked surprised while the smile Sally was wearing grew even wider.

"Hah! I'm starting to like you, boy! Almost every fucking guy here that buys waffles from my truck would always try to brush her hand when she's serving them. Here I am offering you to shake her hand and you flat out disagree with it!" Sally already threw her 'formalness' out the window

I shook my head as I chuckled, "It's not really your choice who she shakes hands with, right?"

Sally instantly scoffed, "A white knight, eh? You're absolutely right but some people need a little nudge in the head sometimes. And my niece here? In this environment? Needs a few extra nudges! Hard nudges!"

Edith just looked down in embarrassment, "S-Sorry Aunt Sally…"

"Stop saying sorry! You should be telling me to shove it! All those other guys too! If anyone ever tries to do something funny to you, kick their balls and break their jaw! You don't fucking shrink down and wait for help!"

"S-Sorry–"

"I told you to stop saying sorry!"

'I thought we're here to talk about honey…'

I waved them off before the conversation took longer, "U-Umm, I think it's better for you two to talk about this in private instead of in front of a stranger, and also… the waffles are getting cold… I'd like to try them warm…"

As soon as I said that Edith just turned to me but didn't say anything while Sally never looked so annoyed. With that said, she just scratched her head before sighing heavily, eventually letting us have a short snack. Edith joined us too but she'd only take nibbles from her aunt's plate.

"Haaaa~ Sorry about that–"

I cut her off, "Fuck off."

"Haaah?!"

"Fuck off."

"The fuck–"

"See, Edith? It wasn't so hard telling your aunt to fuck off, right? Just two simple words."

"..."

"..."

"..."

She was so fucking shocked I cursed at her in front of everybody and her niece, she was stunlocked for a few seconds before she burst out laughing. With that said, I caught Edith letting out a faint smile while her aunt was losing it, and I just continued to enjoy the waffle that was in front of me.

To be honest, the waffle by itself was already in a league of its own but adding even a drop of honey to it was elevating it by several levels.

I finished my serving while they were still halfway in eating theirs, and it just brought a smile to their faces, making them serve me another one that was freshly made. However, a different kind of honey was served with it and it had a darker color, the complete opposite of the first one that was lighter than normal.

Without further ado, I poured a portion on one side of the waffle before I took a piece and put it in my mouth.

Both of them were watching me eat though Sally was expectantly waiting for my reaction.

"So, what do you think?"

"They're different but they're still the same, right?"

Sally gave an approving look, "Uh-huh… How so? Is that just a lucky guess?"

"Umm~ at a glance… they're totally different color-wise– but the aroma and the mellowness are the same or almost the same. I haven't had much of this kind but I think they're honey made from sage?"

"Oh~ You know your honey, huh? Okay, but can you guess what species of sage is which? Black Button? White Sage? Or Purple Sage? Your orders will be free if you answer correctly."

"And if I answer wrong?"

"Not confident, are we?"

"Eh~ I just wanna know what's at stake before I give you my answer."

"Hmm~ How about you take a 2-hour shift working here and you accompany my niece here? Teach her a thing or two so she knows better? How about that?"

"Oh. I would love to work here for a bit but my schedule is a little tight. I'd like to check each place out before the wedding starts. And I also know the correct answer, I've read about it once before."

"Cheeky brat. Give the answer then!"

"Heh. Black Button and White Sage produce lighter tones while Purple Sage produces darker tones. The names could confuse people but I'm sure that that's the correct answer. Also…"

"Hmm?"

"Looking at your display, it's safe to say you have controlled or isolated gardens or greenhouses at your place since you could farm different kinds. If everything's at the same place, you'd only have one type of honey available. It's either that or you have your beehives– or your honey supers at different locations."

Sally chuckled, "You're really impressing me, boy. Fine, you win. But how about a bonus question?"

"Bonus question?"

"If you could tell me what kind of plant my red honey came from, I'll give you one for free and a little extra bonus."

"Ah– I really have no idea what it–"

"Oh, how about if I let you smell it then?"

"It'll be difficult to discern it just from the smell but–"

"How about a drop? Don't put it on the waffle–"

Edith suddenly interjected, "A-Aunt Sally! Isn't–"

"Shh~ He'll be able to figure it out…"

"B-But…"

"It's just a drop, don't worry."

"..."

Most people would assume that Edith spoke up because giving away a potion bottle's worth of their expensive red honey would be ridiculous, but her concerned expression gave me a subtle hint. I've read a lot of random shit in my free time, but the main reason I figured out that the honey they gave me earlier was made from sage was because I tasted them before.

This time, I'd only go from the information I've read about and not actual physical data.