(npc prompt) a point of pride!!

“Thanks, Shibani! I really SHOULD make sure my house isn’t on fire, though!”

“Whaaaat…~? But you were sleeping outside…~!”

Desirée grins placatingly, although it comes out more like a grimace. In general, Shibani was fairly listless, but he wasn’t stupid. If she didn’t get out right this instant, she would have to stay and risk her entire story getting poked full of holes. ..And she’d also have to live with the fact that she’d lied to him.

“Sometimes that’s just how it is, y’know? You work so hard and then ah, wouldn’t you know it?! You’ve fallen asleep under a tree!” 

Well, at least THAT wasn’t a lie…

No, none of this anymore. Desirée needed her space, and so like with everything in her life, she forcefully pursued it. Sending Shibani a quick mental apology, she gripped the doorknob and flung it open with gusto, rushing out into the fresh air-

“MWGH-?!”

-only to slam directly into a wall.

..A wall? No, but that didn’t make sense. Doors don’t just open into a wall unless it’s another room, and this had been the front entrance, unless her eyes had been playing tricks on her.

Regardless, her nose freakin’ HURT now. “Ow! The hell?!”

“You were in quite a rush.” The wall remarks candidly.

…Walls don’t do that. No, Desirée thinks, slowly and with a horribly rising sense of dread, looking up to the source of the sound. Walls don’t talk.

Other buns do, though.

And holy SHIT, was this a bun.

Even if she’d been standing up, this person would have easily cast her in their shadow, their tall and wide gait taking up almost the entire door frame as they stared down at her evenly. This bun was… incredibly fit, almost frighteningly so. Their forearms were easily the size of her biceps, even if she flexed, and as she continued to take them in, it seemed like the rest of them was packed quite solid as well, if the tasteful window in the middle of their outfit counted as a good viewing point.

Good view…

Wait, no. Absolutely NOT the time.

Desirée forcibly drags her gaze back up to the buns face, hoping she hadn’t been UNCOMFORTABLY obvious in her staring, but was met with such strong ambivalence it almost made her scoot back a little. Dark blue eyes simply stared down at her, accented quite beautifully by reddened eye makeup, and a single blood-red crescent moon rested proudly on their brow. And also.. A pair of familiarly curled horns, dark blue against the otherwise light powder blue of their fur.

Another pride succubun.

Desirée felt a shiver go up her spine.

“So… Sorry for asking but, th-there’s no way that you’re actually-“

“Daaaaaaaan~!!” She hears Shibani trill happily from behind her, along with the sounds of several pillows being dislodged.

Fuck. Alright.

At the very least, having his name called by the other bun seemed to give her some precious time. Dan’s eyes immediately shifted from her to Shibani, and he strode past her wordlessly towards the pillow pile, hoisting a frankly ridiculous amount of grocery bags under one arm.

“Shibani. You’re awake.”

“Yup~! Actually, if you can believe it..~ I’ve been up a while now~!”

Dan makes a slightly disbelieving hum at that. “This early in the afternoon? Must be approaching a new record.”

Shibani simply giggles, and Desirée offhandedly notices how the creases around Dan’s brow soften considerably at the sound.

…Could she just like… Leave?? While they were both busy talking-?

“I was making sure our new friend was sleeping well, after all~!”

-No. Nope. Not after that.

“Our new friend, huh.” Dan’s eyes find hers, and she feels that same shiver run up her spine again.

She… HAD to make sure she impressed this bun. 

 So she began by picking herself up off the floor. But like… in a really COOL and TOTALLY UNBOTHERED way.

“Yup. That’d be me.” She responds fluidly, flipping an ear casually over her shoulder, which was kind of unnecessary considering she never wore them in the front. Shit, and she’d gone to sleep without her curlers last night, so they were beginning to lose their form… Well, whatever. 

“Shibani mentioned you a couple times while we were talking. Dan, right?” 

The bigger buns eyes bore into her relentlessly, and she can feel her cool girl facade being chipped away at with invisible hammers. Eventually, he sighs.

“Yeah. You’re the bun Shibani was too nice to let sleep out in the rain.”

Shit, that was EFFORTLESSLY a much cooler delivery than hers. She’d have to up her game.

“Hah! I tend to have that effect on people. Although I was TOTALLY fine, for the record, but thankful nonetheless~” She gives them both a playful little curtsy. “It’s a nice place to wake up in, though! Definitely fits the vibe of ‘best dango shop in all of Burrowgatory’~”

The way Dan’s chest puffs out and the way he seems to stand slightly more at attention is not lost on her.

Hehe, bingo.

“You’ve been hearing from the right sources, then.” Dan places his groceries on the counter and begins sorting through them, and the crushing pressure Desirée was feeling before is lifted ever so slightly. She lets out a nearly inaudible sigh of relief, and completely misses the concerned look Shibani throws her way.

A bit more flattering seemed to be the right way to go. “Seems so! Both Shibani and the nuns at the Bunnery spoke highly of you. You really run this place all by yourself?”

“All by myself.” Dan affirms, gathering up all the refrigeratable items and heading behind the counter to store them away in the fridge. “Rain or shine, weekday or weekend. Customers rely on me, after all.”

“So do I~!” Shibani chimes in, and Dan fixes him with an annoyed, yet completely unsuprised expression.

“Could stand to do that a bit less, couldn’t you? All you do is sit in the back and nap all day.”

“But I’m REALLY good at it~” Shibani replies, the slightest hint of mischief lacing his tone, and Dan scoffs, shaking his head slightly.

“You could be really good at manning the register, too.” He shoots back, closing the refrigerator door and walking back around to get the rest of his groceries. “Maybe since you’re so AWAKE today you could give it another shot?”

Shibani laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head. “I could,  but…~ Maybe for today I’ve done my best already~?”

Dan sighs. “Unbelievable.”

“Oh, so you’re looking for someone who can handle things like that currently, huh?” Desirée sees the chance and takes it eagerly, only to falter when Dan’s eyes lock back onto her own, completely impassive compared to the soft look he had with Shibani. That pressure from before was setting in again.

“Not actively. It’d free up some time, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Ah, but wouldn’t being able to focus completely on your work be like, REALLY beneficial?” She taps a finger on her chin as if thinking. “Surely the more time spent pounding, the better?”

Dan cocks an eyebrow. “What, you offering or something?”

YIPPEE!! “Well, since you brought it up-“

“I refuse.”

…LESS YIPPEE?

“Huh..?” She croaks out.

“Huuuh~?!” Shibani echoes.

Dan leans back against the counter, and Desirée is once again struck with how massive he is in comparison to her. 

“Since the moment I walked in, you’ve been trying to impress me and make yourself seem bigger than you really are.” He says evenly, pointing a finger at her. “But the reality is, you’re a random bun I met for the first time yesterday, and you were sleeping under a tree with nothing but a tote bag full of clothes. I don’t know you.”

Desirée opens and closes her mouth like a devish out of water, trying to find anything to say to refute that, but finds she simply.. can’t. He’d barely said two sentences, and yet Dan had completely shut her down. In all honesty, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d known what she wanted from the moment she opened her mouth.

“I..” She finally manages to spit out. “You may not know me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the skills to-!”

“Even if you did, do you think I would let somebun I haven’t thoroughly vetted first work at my shop?” Dan interrupts smoothly, and she feels herself shrink even more impossibly smaller under his gaze. “I told you. Rain or shine, weekday or weekend. I work here. Letting a stranger in would require a change of routine. I’m not willing to compromise on my dango’s quality for something like that.”

He reaches behind the counter and carefully, almost reverently pulls out a reddened cooking mallet, holding it in his hands for a moment before hoisting it over his shoulder, fixing Desirée with a gaze full of finality.

“It’s a point of pride.”

…Ah. Well, that was that, then. 

Desirée was a lot of things, but she was first and foremost a pride bun. And she knew more than anybun else how unflinching other pride’s could be when it came to their passion or occupation. This.. was a dead end.

“…Mm.” She eventually chokes out, suddenly unable to look either of the buns in the face anymore. “M-my bad. Er… Coincidentally, where is that tote bag you mentioned?”

Dan quirked an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in Shibani’s pile-“ 

Desirée doesn’t let him finish, and pushes past him without another word.

“Desirée..~?” Shibani calls out quietly to her, but she’s not listening. All she can feel is the burning hot prickly sensation of shame spreading through her body. How stupid, how foolish she was to try and pull a fast one on another succubun of pride! Of course he was able to smell her bravado a million miles away, and now the only thing she’d gotten out of it was a new bruise to her ego. 

Actually, the more she thought about it? The more it felt like every step she’d taken into Burrowgatory since she’d arrived had been another step AWAY from her goal. It was best if she just got away from the place before she embarrassed herself even further. Thankfully, she was able to locate her bag rather quickly now that she was more awake, and with it tucked safely under her arm, she headed back towards the door.

“I’ll be on my way now!” She calls out over her shoulder, still unable to look them in the eyes. “Thanks again for, uh… y-y’know what, just… bye-”

The abrupt sound of her stomach growling cut her off. It rang out loudly, plainly, unmistakably hers, and she could instantly feel the other buns eyes and ears zero in on it.

“...”
“...”
“…” 

Desirée crouched down on the floor and simply covered her face with her hands. Apparently nothing was sacred in this world. 

“Ohhh, so THAT’S what it was~!” Shibani sighs in relief, the first to break the silence. “I thought something might’ve been wrong, but I wasn’t sure what…~ So she was just hungry after all, huh~?”

“I think it might’ve been a bit deeper than that.” Dan responds, face pinched in a way that made it seem like HE was the one who got embarrassed. Shibani doesn’t seem to clock that, unhurriedly trotting over to Desirée and bending down next to her. 

“Helloooo~ Do you wanna get up off the floor~?”

“The opposite, actually.” Came the muffled response. “I’m waiting for the floor to open up and swallow me forever.”

“Wow~” Shibani cradles his chin in his hands thoughtfully. “But if it does that, you won’t be able to eat, y’know~?” 

“Please let me get kicked out in my own special way, Shibani..”

Dan sighs, pinching his brow and walking over to the two. “Listen. I was just declining your offer. I didn’t say anything about kicking you out.”

Desirée risks a peek through her fingers. “...You didn’t?”

“Of course he didn’t~” Shibani smiles, patting her shoulder consolingly. “I told you~ Dan is a nice guy, remember~?”

With this subtle encouragement, Desirée finally works up the shred of confidence she needs to look Dan in the face. Rather than his usual impassive expression, he’s rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly, and it seems like he’s the one who doesn’t want to meet her eyes now.

“...Not letting other buns go hungry is also a point of pride, y’know.” He mumbles, and suddenly Desirée feels every ounce of shame evaporate like a fine mist, replaced with a newer, much more warm and giddy sensation.

“...I WANNA EAT!!” She shouts eagerly, so endeared that she doesn’t even notice how she’s beginning to drool.

Shibani lets out a cheer of joy, and Dan shakes his head almost imperceptibly. 

–

“WOAH, IT’S DELICIOUS! WHAT EVEN IS THIS?!” 

“Dango, obviously. Were you even listening to the multiple times my shop’s name was brought up?”

Around half an hour later, the three buns have moved from their spot at the front door, and are now comfortably seated around a table. Dan, true to his word, had whipped up a batch of his signature dish, and now they were all partaking in some together, though some a bit more greedily than others.

Desirée grinned earnestly around her mouthful of food, swallowing it dutifully before continuing. “I mean, of course I was, but I’d never actually clocked what it meant, y’know?! I’m still new to the food scene out here. It’s WAY better than those sandwiches with the jelly tentacles on ‘em!”

“Jelly tentacles..?” Dan squints at her dubiously from across the table. “Pretty sure that’s a Breeding Season Specialty, not an actual dish.”

“Makes sense though, doesn’t it~?” Shibani pipes up casually, also nibbling on his own little treats contentedly. “We did kind of just come off of that season, y’know..~”

 “Ohhh, so it’s not a regular dish…” Desirée muses, before taking another bite and letting out a happy hum. “Even if it was, though…! I don’t think anything could stand up to this! It’s soft and chewy at the same time, and this taste…! You really mean it when you say this thing comes in other flavors, too?!”

“Not ‘this thing’, ‘DANGO’.” Dan stresses, though even he cracks a wry grin at how enthralled his newest customer seems to be with his handiwork. “And yes. Different flavors are very much a thing. You think I could make an entire shop centered around just one menu item?”

“If anyone could, it’d definitely be you though, wouldn’t it, Dan~?” Shibani beams at him, and Desirée nods frantically in agreement.  

“That’s right, that’s right! I could eat this forever!!”

“Flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere, you know.” Dan rolls his eyes, though the way his lips quirk up slightly gives him away. She doesn’t say anything, but Desirée grins knowingly. Man, pride buns could be such a handful sometimes, couldn’t they?

..Though, maybe she could stand to not focus so hard on if they were like her. When she first saw Dan, she almost felt… threatened, and yet now, though the bun was far from completely comfortable with her, they were now sitting and sharing a meal around the same table. It was kind of magical, in a way. 

Two strangers meeting for the first time, yet being able to be comfortable and find common ground in something like a good dish… Something as powerful as that could DEFINITELY be useful in her quest for world domination, couldn’t it?

..Yes, she had decided. Though by random chance, this meeting with Shibani and Dan had been given to her, and she would be a fool to not utilize it.

“I’m not lying, though! This dango stuff… it really is the best!”

Dan huffs again, seemingly pleased with his work. “If you’re that satisfied, you can come back and pay for your next order.”

“You should teach me how to make it!”

“...Huh?” 

..What? It was a point of pride, y’know?