"A banana."
"I'm pleased that your acute powers of observation haven't dulled any since you became town steward." Markus settled the near-overflowing basket on the kitchen table, watching keenly as Jeremiah sifted through the bounty. The mix of doubt and eagerness was apparent in the lines of Jeremiah's brow. Markus understood his cautious reaction. No one in this part of the country had set eyes on fresh tropical fruit for over fifteen years. No one at the Mountain probably recalled how a fresh piece of banana was meant to taste. After all, this type of fruit came canned and preserved in sugary syrup.
"A pineapple?" Jeremiah squinted at it, tugged on its spiked leaves like he remembered his mother doing to test for ripeness. "C'mon, Markus. One pineapple? They gotta be fucking with us. It's probably the only one they got. Planted a whole damn field of them and only came up with this one."
"Unique or not, this town has certainly...caught our attention." Markus reached for the sole mango in the mix, testing its heft in his palm. Children born in Thunder Mountain never knew such a fragrant treat. Every meal served was nutritionally sound and met all daily health requirements.
Of course, none of that meant it tasted good.
"I'd like to open negotiations with them," Markus said. "Try to get them to build a trade route with us."
"With us? Milhaven? Have you seen what's going on out there?" Jeremiah nodded towards the windows. "We're still in a war zone. I got troops wandering the streets and no place to bunk 'em. The Mountain is full up too. And now you...you want to open up something with some town just because they throw a bunch of..." He grabbed a small, oval fruit from the basket. "I don't even know what the Hell this is!"
"Kumquat."
"Yeah, whatever." He tossed it back into the basket, frustrated. "You really think it's a good idea trying to push the Alliance out so far so fast? I mean, Daniel's group hasn't broken up yet."
"Having this town as an ally will mean more leverage in future negotiations. These fruit are an extremely valuable commodity."
"Markus," Jeremiah sighed heavily, his fingers massaging at the back of his neck. "We're arguing over fruit. When I got voted in, I made everybody promise that I wouldn't have to deal with fruit. And now? You're making me break that promise."
"You made no such deal, Jeremiah." Markus could barely contain his grin.
"It's the fucking principle, okay?"
Markus folded his hands on the table and leaned over them. "Do you or do you not want the Alliance to succeed in our goals?"
"You know my answer to that."
"Then you already know what needs to be done."
Jeremiah bristled, then squared his thin shoulders. "Fine. Fine! But only if I get to be a part of it."
"You want to..."
"Let me drive down there and talk some sense into the town's leaders. I used to be really good at that kind of shit, remember?"
Markus studied Jeremiah thoughtfully. "I suppose you'll want Kurdy as well. If I pull him from training duty and transfer him to this mission, the Army's schedules will have to be redone. Of course, I could reassign others to the same position..."
"Kurdy comes, whether he wants to or not. I'll drag his ass down from his fucking climbing wall myself if he doesn't say yes."
"Done. And you'll need a third member of the group. This town, it's too far away from the Mountain. You'll be out of radio range. I'd prefer it if you had another pair of eyes to keep watch, just in case."
"No. There's no way in Hell I'm letting Smith in the rover."
"Fair enough. I'll just send Lee with you." Markus tossed the comment casually, silently counting off the seconds before Jeremiah's expected answer.
"We'll take Smith."
Markus nodded, still trying to conceal the amused grin laying plain on his face.
"...the fuck are you smiling at, Markus?"
"Not much. I'm just pleased you've decided on taking this road trip. You needed it."
"Noticed that, huh?"
"You're a traveler, Jeremiah. It's in your blood. If you don't roam, you'll be driven insane."
"Gina put you up to this, right?"
Markus winced. "She...might've had a hand in this, yes."
"I'll kill her."
"Later." Markus hefted the basket into his arms again, nearly bruising the banana in the process. "You may kill her when you get back."
Jeremiah stared, mouth nearly agape in surprise. "You're really giving me permission?"
"Blindfold, cigarette, firing squad, the whole bit." He knocked Jeremiah on the shoulder with his elbow, his face mischievous. "Just get that town to say yes."