estoria | ( OPEN )

[ Well, if the two of them ever wanted to see a sleeping fish? Fishy is definitely taking a nap, and not one it probably wanted to take. Kogi is lying on top of it, too. Surprisingly enough, the little fox is okay! Sort of! ]

... I slipped while trying to pick it up. I think it's safe to put in now, right? Can fish drown?

[ The last thing Kogi wants to do is drown a fish. Wow. ]

[This fox.....wow, Koumei wasn't certain what to make of this! Kneeling down, Koumei regarded Fox and Fishy on the floor uncertainly.]

Not the way you're imagining. Where is his...uhm, bedroom? It might be safest to move him there as soon as we can.

[Because fish drowned when they were out of the water.]

[ As Kogitsune lifts himself off of the unconscious fish, he thinks of where they could stash Fishy. Well, there is an empty bedroom on the other side of the apartment! The other one, however, is Donut's room.

Either will work. Donut likes fighting things, right? Perfect! ]

Just across the hall. Would you help me carry it? It is a little heavy.

[ It's not hard to plop Fishy back into the hastily-filled tank, but any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Kogi will even steer them in the possibly right direction! ]

[Oh gods...Donut and Fishy. Koumei couldn't imagine a worse combination.]

Of course-- please don't hurt yourself, [He replied, stashing his fan somewhere safe while he maneuvered to the otherside of the massive tank and made to lift it.

Or, rather, tried. His skinny frame wasn't accustomed to this sort of work, and it was hard for him to get a good grip on it.]

How-- how did you even get this up here?

[ Actually, that sounds like a complete meal! ]

Oh, it wasn't full when I got it up here. Fishy lived in another tank, but I believe it was eaten as soon as it saw its new home.

[ Good ol' Fishy, limiting garbage. ]

Don't worry, we're almost there! The door is already open.

[ Kogi's pretty strong, thanks to being the spirit of a rare tachi! Koumei's help is still needed, mostly because it'd be REALLY hard if it was just him. Just having that additional height is great!

And he backs into the room, not bothering to look if anyone even lived in it, motioning toward a bed. ]

Just put your side on, and I'll do the same.

It ate it's tank?

[It took all of Koumei's concentration to not drop his jaw, for he would have dropped the tank as well, instead, he followed the guidance of this strong and rare Tachi in setting the tank on a bed...]

Your master, Mister Haru...does he know that Fishy is here? Won't he be upset if we took a bed?

I guess it was hungry. I don't know what it eats, other than... a lot of junk.

[ Specifically, the bones and skin of various animals that he is allowed to bring home from the restaurant! It's not all udon, you know. ]

But yes, I will let Haru know. I'll even tell him you helped! I'm sure he'll be very appreciative that you were around to assist me.

[ Or he'll wonder why Koumei didn't stop the little fox from being such a derp? Kogi does notice Fishy is waking up, so he gently nudges the other man. ]

Let's get out of here and grab a snack. I could use some tofu...

[Haru likely knew his swords well enough to know how futile the effort in stopping them was once they got rolling-- and Koumei was more curious about what Kogi could do on his own with the strange, aquatic beast than anything else. Drawing an arm wearily across his brow, lifting his heavy bangs from his face, he siighed in relief that the job was over.]

At least no one was eaten in this venture-- I'll set up a sign to warn the others...and see what snacks we can procure to placate the beast.

[Because damn. He didn't want to see that thing when it was angry.]

In the meantime, tofu does sound good. Do you mind company?

Oh! Fishy food? We can get some while we go to the restaurant. They probably will have something lying about that we can bring back for it.

[ Meaning, carry-out for Fishy. What a spoiled alien! ]

And of course I don't mind company! Eating is always better with others, especially during these trying times.

[ The little fox curls an arm around Koumei, grinning. ]

Oh, and don't worry about paying! At this point, I basically own half of the place myself.

[ Because he's eaten so much tofu and has paid them so much out of his own checks... ]

[What a spoiled alien, indeed. Fishy has no idea how giving his current master is! Mulling over this, Koumei cast a curious glance upwards at Kogi as they left the apartment-- presumably toward whatever place Kogi planned to take them too.]

So the tofu shop sells more than tofu? Fascinating--although we really should be careful if we're purchasing anything for him. He might not appreciate it as as much as we think.

[And Koumei was going to worry about paying. He would just send payment later on if Kogi insisted on just walking out...]

Of course! The Kitsune Udon has to have noodles to go with the aburaage. Otherwise, it's just... well, I could go for either. But there's other food, only because some don't like the taste of well-crafted broth, fresh noodles, and the best fried tofu...

[ Kogi can be a responsible and well-liked little fox when he wants. Unfortunately, his manager doesn't know that because since day one, he's been trying to sneak food on the side.

This is why he is always in timeout. ]

And don't worry about leftovers, because whatever you don't eat we can bring back.

[ Or he'll eat it himself, fufufu. ]

It's hard to dislike noodles and tofu-- but, the general tastes of much of this city are suspect if that McCERES is as popular as it is. I still don't even understand the menu when I go in there.

[Because 'chicken nuggets' were a wonderfully vague item that was somewhat terrifying, for he had never even heard of a body part known as a 'nugget'. Where was it, anatomically?]

Hm! You know, I've never been to a McCERES. There's never been any need, what with Nakigitsune's deliveries, the snacks that we normally have around, and the noodles and tofu I eat at work. Is it an awful place?

[ BUT NUGGETS ARE THE BEST??? If you think about where they come from, you just get sucked into Culinary Hell... ]

[Too late. He was already there. After having to school a poor shop employee that there was indeed such a thing as chrysanthemum tea, he had no faith in the food industry of this city.]

There's no tofu on the menu, [he replied bluntly. Make of that what you will.]

[ NO... TOFU... ]

Will they make it on request? Maybe if I brought my own, they could do something with it? There has to be a better way to get tofu on a menu! Why would they deny the population such a wonderful food?!

[ He's heartbroken, why would CERES pick betray? WHY, INARI, WHY ]

[because this city is full of ungodly heathens, that's why.]

I'm sure that's considered some manner of rude and impolite-- and do you really want tofu that's been deep fried in the same oils as an untold number of strange things?

[It was an insult to the tofu!]

When you put it that way, I would be more worried about the reuse of oil than my manners. However, I believe that food should be judged by its taste and not by other means.

[ Even if there's no tofu, it bears exploration? It's not like he's going to suddenly dislike his favorite aburaage or udon! He's not going to leave his job to work for McCERES! Especially because he likes the restaurant... ]

... unless, is the food evil?

...I'm not sure. We can't see the cooks from the counter.

[Spoken in a flat, even tone. Was he joking? Was he serious? Was he just being a troll? It was hard to tell!]

Then, we should investigate. Come, let's go get something from McCERES, bring it back, and see if Ishikirimaru can purify it.

[ Because if anyone could dispel the corruption from food, it would be his Sanjo-forged brother! Or, at least, Kogi could get him to taste it before he did. ]

[First, it was a killer Fishy from the Ninth Level of Hell, and now it's purifying the proverbial 'fast food' that he was too terrified to actually try. Koumei pondered this for a moment, wondering about what exactly a purification ritual of this level entailed-- and what exactly it was that Kogi had planned.

But, sometimes it was better just to watch and see.]

Then the first thing we should bring to Mister Ishikimaru are those 'chicken nuggets'. As far as I know, there is no 'nugget' on a chicken.

... a nugget, you say? Like a gold nugget, but made out of chicken? That doesn't sound too bad. Perhaps you're worried for no reason.

[ Look, now Kogi's just plain ol' hungry? He could go for a nugget of chicken and maybe some of those tasty french fries?

Or maybe just a pizza. Heck, Kogi could go for anything. The best part about the colony is having so many choices because of so many unique visitors. ]

I don't know what it is-- that's why it worries me.

[Then again, he wasn't terribly fond of meat that wasn't seafood-- his own biases, truly.

...but he was hungry as well, and there were far too many things to choose from.]

Well then. Shall I carry you there?

[ A brazen request from a shameless 'small' fox, but he figures to ask Koumei anyway. He's always amused by the various reactions--- from blushes to shouting (mostly Donut), Kogi's seen the best and worst of responses. ]

[....w h a t.

Though he was royalty, he had never had anyone just up and offer to physically carry him places. Normally it was against his will, with his older brother bodily dragging him out of his bedroom and out into the courtyard to meet with their cousins, their father, or whomever else was around that required his presence. Either that, or he was being physically dragged by his ponytail, the loose folds of his clothes, or getting a sharp smack in reaction to his laziness.

The other, more shameless, subtext was also clear-- for he was not a cherry boy. The men of the Kou royal family were all experienced, and all had their preferences.

Most preferred not to play the field, in a direct reaction to the philandering of the Second Emperor.]

Ah. Uhm. No. That's not entirely necessary.

[There was no hiding his embarrassed flush with his fair complexion, even with his valiant determination to maintain as straight a face as possible.]

I can walk to our destination quite well, thank you.

Well, of course you can. I was just offering. [ He's pleased with Koumei's reaction. It definitely wasn't better than Haru's, and Donut would just scoff and make angry noises. The best came from Mikazuki, who would allow the fox his fun--- mostly because he's a beautiful treasure of a sword.

And as he starts his way toward the exit of the apartment, Kogitsune turns to look at Koumei with the most cheeky of grins. ]

But at least promise me, if we go somewhere else in the future... that you will reconsider my request?

( OPEN )

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