Mastering Mochi

Another quiet day at the shop would usually bring some peace of mind to the shopkeeper. Time to relax, clean, improve logistics, change out the inventory, restock... the duties of a shopkeep are endless, and many appreciate the time given to complete these tasks. But not Dan. He thrives in the chaos of having such a popular shop, and relishes in the rave reviews from his customers and their imps alike. Everything had been swept, cleaned, he was ahead on production, all of the week's supplies had already been ordered... there was nothing to do, save wait for the hopefully inevitable customer. Sighing, Dan was just about to turn to the back and join Shibani for a quick nap in the pillow pile, when the front door of the shop slammed open, nearly breaking the bell hanging above.

"Oops! Sorry about that Dan my man, I'm here!"

Dan turned to see one of his apprentices standing proudly in the shop, a huge grin plastered on their face. April was usually late and that did bother him, but her extreme enthusiasm and determination to learn made her a force to be reckoned with, even by his standards. Behind the doll stood another, meeker. It was April’s littermate Annalise, who often accompanied her to Dan’s shop. Though Annalise herself was sweet as could be, her partner Mikayla had been a thorn in Dan's side for far too long, though Annalise always settled her debts, meaning their constant game of cat-and-mouse would never end. Dan had taught April and Annalise to make dango some time ago, and April had such a knack for it she asked to be mentored further, which Dan begrudgingly agreed. Her presence and company was palatable enough, but her skill with cooking did have an impact on sales. Her specialty dango arrangements had cemented her as a part of the business for sure.

"You're late again, April." Dan grumbled. "I briefly considered that you wouldn't be here today." In his heart he knew she'd always show up, but being honest was more valuable in the long term.

"Nah man, you're just early. We gotta have time to get into the right headspace, y'know?" April grinned. "The headspace to pound the day away." They playfully nudged their sibling in the arm. Annalise rolled her eyes and smiled. Her littermate was always cracking such corny jokes, but they always landed to her.

"...Right. Anyways." Dan motioned for the two dolls to follow him into the kitchen of the shop. Everything had already been used, cleaned, and put away for the day's normal dango works, but mochi-making supplies were already set out in anticipation. Two huge wooden mallets rested against the corner of the wall, with a giant mortar and towel on the ground. A bag of premium rice rested on the island in the middle of the room, ready to be worked.

"First, the rice must be precisely steamed. Leave it in too long and it won't form correctly, but don't leave it in long enough and it'll be too brittle." April nodded enthusiastically as Annalise seemed more considerate, making mental notes. "The less experienced can use a rice cooker, but it lacks the exact skill that comes with manually preparing rice yourself. Here, I'll demonstrate." Dan carefully measured a large amount of rice, enough for three batches of mochi. Depositing the rice in a large pot, he withdrew sparkling clear spring water from a special jug underneath the counter and poured it into the pot.

"Now we'll have to wait for a little bit, have you given any thought to what sort of mochi you both would like to make?"

“Floral!” April said without missing a beat. She has a floral sceil named Petunia at home, who makes most of her decisions. She loves floral-infused tea as well, so this wasn’t a surprise. Dan had already prepared some wildflowers beforehand. He nodded and turned to Annalise. “And you?”

“Um, would sparkling wine be okay?”

“It’s a little more difficult to source fresh grapes, but it’s doable.”

They made small talk until the rice was done steaming, and Dan carefully took it out of the pot to strain. Afterwards, they approached the mortar and scooped the rice into it.

“I hope you both understood all of that, because this is the truly masterful part.” Dan said. “Working the rice into a proper dough with the hammer is hard work, and not for the faint of heart.” April was nearly bouncing up and down with anticipation, whereas Annalise had a determined look on her face. “It’s easier to flip the dough both in doll form and with a partner, though the truly skilled can do it solo in bun form.” Dan’s chest puffed out as he mentioned that, subtlety showing off his own mastery of this craft.

“Sure man, just stroke your ego. Go ahead, we got all day.” April teased. Dan shot her a glare and huffed.

“Anyways.” Dan picked up his own trusty mallet resting nearby and slung it over his shoulder. “Make sure the rice is nice and even in the middle there.” Annalise evened out the rice as instructed and peered up at Dan with huge eyes. “Good. Now, when you and your partner are ready, you can begin. Make sure your hands are clear there.” Annalise stepped back a bit, and in one fell motion Dan slammed his mallet into the rice below, a THWACK! emanating through the shop. April squealed with glee.

“Now you can turn the rice there. The most important part is your rhythm. You have to turn it just after the mallet crashes.” Annalise nodded at Dan’s instructions. “Here, let’s practice before April gets a hold of this.”

“Aww man! That isn’t fair, lemme at it!”

“April, please. I do not want to go home with a bruised hand…” Annalise sighed. 

April smiled. “Oh, I know how distraught Mikayla would be if that happened.” Annalise’s face flushed. “A-April! That is not appropriate!” April just chuckled at her sibling’s embarrassment.

“They’re correct, this is hardly the time or place April. The timing for the perfect dough is short, and you’re missing it.”

“Fine, fine, whatever, get to it.” April waved her hand and sat down on a stool near the mortar. Annalise gathered her nerves before turning the rice and looking up at Dan.

“I’ll go at a slow and steady rhythm and let you know when I’ll speed up, okay?” Dan said. Annalise nodded, hands primed and at the ready.

Slowly but steadily Dan began indeed. His mallet strikes were forceful and precise, the rice settling with each impact. Annalise flipped and readjusted the rice with a surprising amount of speed and grace, learning quickly. Dan was impressed, a rarity with his pride.

“Excellent, you’ve got the hang of it already. I’m going to speed up now and I’ll call when I swing.” Annalise nodded. Dan began with small calls before he was exclaiming “hah!” over and over again. His speed increased until he was going just slightly slower than he did when Shibani helped him. Annalise never missed a beat, surely her musical prowess aided her with the tempo. After a few minutes, the rice was a decent texture. Dan stopped hammering.

“Alright April, your turn. Did you pay attention to my movements and motions?” Dan placed his own mallet down and grabbed one from the towel on the ground, handing it to April. She felt the weight of the instrument in her hands and turned it around a few times. Her face had shifted from giddy excitement to steely determination.

“Yessir, let me get a few practice swings before I start.” Dan backed up as April swung the mallet over themselves, before stopping at the last minute, then repeated this several times. They stopped after they got a good feel of the weight resting in their hands. Annalise looked up at their sister, nerves on edge.

"Relaaax Lise, I'll be careful. Watch for my calls." April nodded down at Annalise, the latter gulping their anxiety down. "Swing!" April said, arcing the mallet over her shoulder and smacking the rice dough with a satisfying thud. Annalise turned the dough and the two began working out their coordination. Annalise kept their turning speed up, which prompted April to speed up herself. Soon the two were completely in sync, no near-misses or fumbled strikes. April began to sweat due to the workout, and Annalise's novice hands started to ache. Dan noticed their declining speed and decided that was enough practice for one day.

"Alright, stop. Let's assess the dough." April hoisted the mallet over her shoulder, breathing slightly, as Annalise stood up from her position and stretched. Dan bent down and moved the dough around in the mortar a touch before grabbing his own mallet. "It's almost finished, good work you two. I'll even it out to take it to where it needs to be." The siblings watched in awe as Dan effortlessly whacked the dough and turned it all by himself. After a little while, he scooped up the dough and brought it to the island in the middle of the kitchen, placing it on a pastry board. "Shaping and filling the dough isn't as labor-intensive, but you need to be sure to fill and seal it completely, or the filling will leak out." Dan opened one of the cupboards in the kitchen and withdrew a bowl of freshly-pressed wildflowers. "April, you can begin making yours. Annalise, I'll be back in a few minutes with the grapes. Please mind the store." Dan left the kitchen, and after hearing the bell ding, door open and then close, the kitchen was filled with a comfortable silence and the smell of rice dough wafting through the air.

"I told you it'd be fine, Lise." April said, molding the dough in front of her. "He's not gonna treat you like Mikayla, he knows you're actually concerned with being a good bun."

"I suppose." Annalise shaped the dough in front of her slowly, thoughtfully. They sighed. "Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile my love of her with her actions, if that makes sense." They pushed their thumbs into the centers of the round dough balls, making little divots for the filling to go.

"Hey," April said, putting a hand over Annalise's, "anyone worth the carats in their pocket will know you two are polar opposites. You loving her doesn't mean you love her actions, but you're like, one of the few people who sees who she really is." April looked into her sibling's eyes and smiled. "Do you think Dan sees me around the kitchen and thinks of you? Hate to break it to ya sweetheart, but he's too busy staring at my ass to even register anything else!"

Annalise laughed and elbowed into her sibling, the two giggling. After a few more minutes, the mochi was ready to be filled. Annalise's near-perfect renditions of traditional shapes, and April's more artistic and varied to appeal to herself. The bell of the shop dinged, and Dan made his way into the kitchen empty-handed.

"Nice to see you've stayed busy. My supplier unfortunately is out of stock of champagne grapes, I'm sorry to say." 

"Oh, that is quite alright." Annalise smiled at Dan.

"Would you be willing to make floral mochi alongside April?"

"Absolutely."

Dan washed his hands and came back to the group. "Good job on leaving these open. Now, for wildflowers, you need to press them more evenly into the middle of the dough." Dan demonstrated, and the two followed his lead. Before long he was showing them how to seal the mochi, and next thing you knew three batches of delicious floral mochi were ready to be tasted and sold. April wasted no time digging into her creations, whereas Annalise took small bites, savoring the flavor.

"This isn’t bad at all." Dan said, which was essentially high praise coming from him. "You both did well. Please feel free to take some home." April grabbed a container from shelves at the back of the kitchen and shoveled her mochi inside eagerly. Annalise chose a few appealing treats and wrapped them in paper.

"I hope you've both had a good time learning something new. April, I expect you to continue training on your next visit." Dan said. The two siblings began to clean themselves and the work area up, leaving the kitchen better than they found it.

"Aaabsolutely Dan my man, I'll be back tomorrow to wreck your kitchen again!" April grinned.

"Thank you for your instruction, I appreciate your willingness to teach us." Annalise said, bowing slightly as she addressed Dan. She was beginning to warm his heart, despite his ire for her partner.

"Thank you for paying such close attention. I hope you both have a good day." Dan said, waving the two out the door, mochi in hand.

The afternoon light flitted through the air, giving Annalise and April's journey home a sense of peace. They walked in tandem holding hands, towards their neighborhood.

"I can't wait to come back for more." April said. "We did a bang-up job! I'm gonna show Petunia these mochi, maybe she'll even let me share them. Or hide them from me, like last time…"

Annalise rolled her eyes and laughed again. "Hopefully Mikayla will not get any ideas after tasting these, I would rather she not make a beeline straight to Dan for her own ‘samples’."

April gave her sister a devilish look. "If I had a partner give these to me you'd bet I'd wanna try some samples of my own!"

Continuing in jest as they crossed the horizon, the evening was sure to be eventful after some sweet treats and even sweeter words would be said to their loved ones.