[ She breathes out in a soft snort, not even because of what he says. A small shake of her head accompanies a dismissive sort of motion. ]

Then you may be more interested in our stories than anything else. There's another young person on base who's been gathering stories, as a means of entertainment and informing. You may find talking to her enlightening, should she share what she's been collecting.

[ Ellana tries to imagine Mai deciding not to share, and can't see that she'd decline. It'd go against the very nature of why she's collecting stories in the first place. As for the other truth... ]

Open fires are certainly easier on the surface. Which we can get to, just not fully dry.

[ But enough with the technicalities! ]

There's bound to be plants or animals we can drum up to use as spices, once we understand how to use them. Understandably, we've been primarily focused on finding staples for food and supply generation, less the finer things that make life a little more tolerable. As for your suggestion, sounds like a fine one to me.

[ Assuming stirfry is slang for stirring and frying what one is eating, of course. ]