Nibble was upon her and clattering down several platters of fresh fish when she was startled out of her broken daydreams. She had not had sushi in years! It wasn’t a good or polite thing to talk about eating habits in Tao, so she’d pushed meals like this from her mind for quite some time. She had to abstain from a natural diet of Bug-types and whatever other of the small critters that might please her and be easy to catch. That’s what you had to do as a guild head-- especially one they would want to feel safe around while trying to make a purchase. No one really wanted to hear about how their mother might have been eaten by so-and-so, or that their lost sister might have been their friend’s chow a month ago. Well... that was life. If she wanted protein, there were usually eggs from the ranch. So to make things simple, no one much talked about their diets in the village. Always the same sets of berries and vegetables, day in, day out... and sometimes an egg. Now that these plates were here, right in front of her, she could once again appreciate the culture of the bay, its collective good taste in fine food.

Twigs was the first to talk. “Finally. I was starting to think I might have paid to sit around and go hungry.” He leaned forward and started to bite at the pieces of fish that Nibble had spread along the china. PK was kind of sad to see such a pretty setup of food be disturbed so quickly. Their chef obviously took pride in the presentation of his dishes as well, so it seemed a shame to not take a moment to enjoy its appearance, despite her grumbling belly.

Maybe she was just thinking funny. Maybe it was just her lack of sleep. It was silly to criticize someone for eating when hungry... that didn’t really make any sense. Maybe... maybe she was the weird one for not doing as he did! She was absolutely famished, after all!

And so, she ruined another perfect piece of art with her first bite. It wasn’t uncommon for her to barely taste a meal as it went down, but she had forsaken food for such an extended period of time that the whole experience was heightened. She was even able to temporarily forget the stupid music playing loudly outside in favor of fully appreciating their banquet. And that’s really what it was, for there were constantly at least 5-6 full platters of fish cut into small pieces, usually wrapped in rice (no doubt having come from the rice fields to the southwest), artistically arranged and decorated with a multitude of delicious sauces. It was maybe only three plates in for PK before she gripped her sides and realized that she felt terribly ill, in all likelihood from wolfing down their mini feast too quickly. She hunched over the counter and nudged away an empty plate with her cheek so as to give herself a resting spot while keeping her arms wrapped around her aching stomach.

Twigs finally afforded her some attention from his meal. “My dear, what on earth are you doing? I’ve paid for much more than that. We have another hour or so left to dine.” He took his paw and slid a platter next to her face, obscuring her mouth.

“I’m full. I don’t feel that great.”

He considered what she’d said for a moment, then spoke again. “I don’t think you understand. I paid for more time, so we’re going to use that time.”

Her eyes challenged him. “Really? Is that what you think?” PK sat up straight, then hopped off the barstool, nearly tripping. Despite the painful knot forming in her stomach, she turned to face him and managed to speak with an air of dignity that had been missing for many days. “Because I think you can screw off. I’m going to use my time as I please, and I happen to be done eating.” She stopped herself, bit her tongue in reconsideration. “I’ll be outside. Maybe. If you’re lucky.” And with that, she left the confines of the tiny shack and walked out into the refreshing, salty winds of her hometown. She immediately felt like shackles had been removed. It was all in her head, of course, but the mental picture couldn’t be broken.

----

Twigs watched the door shut with the tinkle of the miniature Chingling bells. Wow. What a girl. She can’t deny me forever, but wow. It wasn’t more than a few moments before he went back to enjoying himself, picking at a particularly rubbery piece of Octillery. The texture wasn’t his favorite, but the taste was quite pleasant. He would finish up his meal and try some Squirtle before seeking out his girl. There was no way she would wander far. It was a journey of several hours to get back to Tao unless you sped it along somehow. He’d made sure to mention his carriage in passing earlier. One way or another, he’d track her down again. Everything at his own pace.

=====

Part 11 of "The Dates"

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