[Fourze/Pagebreak/Etc Mushball Universe, specifically tagging Kazari and Etienne, but open to all]

[sushisamurai]

It's good to be back in Japan. France was nice, but there's something about being home that just feels right.

I fall back into my sushi peddling ways with ease, putting my old cart to good use as I walk the city in search of customers. Daigoyou and my origamis are wonderful company, but I do miss being one of Take-chan's samurai.

Just a bit.

I set my cart in a nicely populated area, there's a school that's just getting out nearby, and lots of people milling about. I rest my hands on my hips and nod with determination.

"Gold Sushi, open for business!"

Comments

[sushisamurai]

Ika and Ebi go quiet when this excited new customer comes over. Just as well, it's best if people think they're just toy mascots and not semi-sentient origami mechs.

I greet the customer warmly and with a small bow, then blink down at the sizable amount of money he sets down on my cart. I could lie and take more money than the sashimi would be worth, but I'm not just a merchant and chef anymore, I'm also an honorary samurai. I must maintain my honor.

"Quite a bit," I nod, counting out the money. "Are you sure you can eat this much? Do you want me to just give you as much as you can eat and then your change back?"

[catcameback]

I blink at him for a moment, then I manage to smile.

"I can eat... quite a lot. Of fish." I point out, I find my body is less willing to keep going with other foods. Not that that stops Megumi from making me eat all those vegetables and whatnot.

"But if that's what makes you comfortable," I perch on one of his stools and lean forward, sniffing in the direction of the tank that does not have fish in it, not real live fish anyway.

[sushisamurai]

I smile at him and nod, kicking into full gear as I prepare the requested sashimi. Since he seems open to whatever, I prepare a wide assortment of the varieties people seem to like most from me, arranging them artistically on a wide plate before handing them over with a pair of chopsticks.

I bow respectfully. "Enjoy!"

Ebi has scooted so far away from this customer that he's practically hugging the opposite side of the tank, and Ika is on the same side, floating high, and letting out tiny puffs of ink, not enough to cloud the tank, but enough to let me know she's nervous. I rest my hand against the glass, wishing I could talk to them and calm them down, but that would look weird to most people.

[catcameback]

I frown at the chopsticks when he hands them to me, but Jou's been trying to convince me to be more polite, so I take the stupid little sticks and very carefully position them in my hand and I dive into the fish with a big smile.

And it's good. Plain and fishy, exactly how I like it.

I look up when he sidles to the tank and touches it, and I tilt my head, perhaps a bit excessively, to one side.

I point with the chopsticks. "Are they alive?"

[sushisamurai]

I freeze for a moment, debating whether or not I should take my hand away and act like I have no idea what he's talking about. But that might be rude, and he doesn't seem freaked out at the idea of Ika and Ebi being alive, so it's not like he's going to run away screaming.

"Sort of," I admit, looking at the tank now with a soft, fond smile. "As alive as most house pets. Maybe a little more. They're kind of freaked out right now, I can't really tell why."

[catcameback]

I don't really care, but it is kind of interesting that they seem scared of me. I wonder, are they scared because of my former status as a 'villain', or can they smell the Switch resting in my pocket, or perhaps they can simple sense my more feline nature and are off-put by it.

"It's alright." I tilt my head and slurp another piece of fish off my chopsticks. "Animals don't like me much, even if they aren't... entirely animal."

[sushisamurai]

"Ah," I nod. I've heard of people that animals just don't get along with, though it still seems strange to me. Even most fish seem to like me, and I regularly serve up their kind as food dozens of times a day. I reach into the tank and give Ika a little scritch, she seems to settle down a bit, though I can tell she's still stressed out.

"So how to you like it?" I ask once I take my hand out of the tank, gesturing at his plate of sashimi.

[catcameback]

I kind of almost feel bad that I've made his little creatures so distressed. They remind me of the Candroids, which I always thought were kind of adorable, when they weren't being actively applied against me. Which was more often than not, but come on.

I scoot my stool farther away from the tank, dragging my plate of wonderful fish with me.

"It's perfect," I stress around another bite. "Absolutely perfectly plain."

[sushisamurai]

My shoulders fall as a small sound of frustration escapes me. I turn, resting one hand against a pole of my cart and my forehead against my hand. I bite one knuckle of my opposite hand, sniffle, and then out a shuddering sigh.

"That's what everyone always says." Another shuddering sigh as I gently bang my head against the back of my hand.

[catcameback]

I stare at him and his display of negative emotion, my mouth very full of fish still.

I swallow it all, through a tremendous force of will, then clear my throat.

"Well, I hope so. Why would you want it to taste like anything else?"

[sushisamurai]

I gesture vaguely as I remove myself from my moping against my cart. I sigh heavily, shaking my head, hands on my hips.

"Not one wants to serve plain food." I gesture again, this time at his sashimi. "It's not about just throwing raw seafood down on a plate and calling it good. It's about subtle nuances of taste and texture, gently coaxing out the natural flavors of the fish and matching them with complimentary flavors. It's about artistry."

[catcameback]

I stare at him during his rant. I let him finish even, cleaning my plate as I do so. He really did underestimate me if he thought this was all I could eat.

Artistry.

Yeah, okay. Maybe for a human.

I lean forward, and push the very empty plate closer to him as well. "I don't care what anyone else wants. I wanted to eat fish. You provided me with fish. Good fish, that tastes like fish. Which means you did your job well. Right?"

[sushisamurai]

I let one more sigh out, but I can't deny a happy customer their pleasure, even if their pleasure is not the norm.

I take his empty plate with a little bow and offer him a small smile. "Seconds, then?"