Mochi Munching 2

“Have you ever tried mochi, Madeira?”

Dee’s seemingly innocuous question caught the chef off balance. (Admittedly, Dee had a tendency to do that to her - she had no idea what to do with the erotica writer ever - even when she wasn’t flirting with her).

She did at least know the answer to Dee’s question, even if she was wary of why she was asking. “No, I haven’t.” Dee didn’t need to know that it was because she was too poor to afford it still - her restaurant’s profits were still having to be reinvested into it, after all.

“Really? We’ll have to swing by Dan’s after dinner then, my treat of course, darling.”

“Oh, sure…” She had been there a few times for dango for Pectin, when a month had a lot of excess funds, but she’d never really had enough to get mochi for herself or one of her imps. She was sure she would like it, but going with Dee… She’d just manage, even if it was awkward and embarrassing.

Dinner continued onwards. Delight managed to supply enough conversation for both of them, fortunately, though cleverly placed questions let her get Madeira to talk - always about food and cooking, where to find the best ingredients, and her opinions of other chefs and restaurants in Burrowgatory.

Madeira knew enough about socializing by now to know that Dee was fishing for information about her, but she couldn’t manage to make herself divulge anything. She didn’t want to think or speak of Malthus - Mercy had let her know he had another bun now, and she would have to say something eventually, but… She wanted to live in denial of it for a little longer before she went to ask Jackal for advice in advance of Malthus returning this new bun. She equally didn’t want to talk about how she had wound up at Wonderland, even though that was where Dee had met her.

Besides food, she could talk about imps at least, she realized. She wasn’t as good at segueing the conversation, though, so her question was more out of the blue. “Do you and your imps have favorite mochi and dango?”

Dee took the change in stride, tapping her lips with a finger. “Oh, yes - most of my imps prefer rosewater mochi or strawberry dango, like me, but I have a few who prefer mitarashi dango,” she said, smiling. “I must admit, I prefer the mochi to the dango, personally. I think it has a more sensual, inviting flavor, that slowly envelops and arouses your tastebuds. The dango is very sweet and bright, but it strikes all at once and leaves you empty and yearning for more, rather than sating your needs like the mochi.”

She was just talking about mochi, but she still managed to turn Madeira’s face red. “Oh, I see,” she mumbled.

Dee giggled, but the conversation paused now as the server, seeing their meals were done, came over with the bill so she could pay.

Soon, they were on their way to Dan’s Dango, walking arm in arm through the streets. “Do you have any favorite dango, Madeira?” Dee asked.

“I… have always just let Pectin have it,” Madeira admitted. “He loves the mitarashi.”

“Oh dear, well we’ll get a nice sampler of dango to try along with some mochi then,” Delight declared.

Madeira’s eyes widened - that had to cost a fortune!

“Oh don’t worry about it, dear,” Dee reassured her, noticing her expression. “You’ve seen how my home is - I’ve been around a long time, and I have plenty to spend.”

They breezed into Dan’s Dango, finding Dan behind the counter.

“Hello, Dee, Madeira,” he greeted them. “What can I get you tonight?”

“Could we get one of every dango, sweetie?” Dee asked. “One of every mochi type too, if possible - otherwise just whatever is in stock.”

“I can do that,” Dan agreed. “Give me a few to box it up.”

“Thank you, darling,” Dee purred. “How have you and Shibani been?”

“Alright, he’s snoozing with Hops right now in the back,” Dan said, snorting. “I’m under orders to wake her in thirty for work, though.”

Madeira felt bad, hearing Hops’ name. She had felt bad leaving her behind at the casino - but the amount the poor bun owed Angora was simply astronomical. Even though Hops had assured her she was fine, she still felt guilty about it.

Dan must have noticed that, because he sighed at her. “You can’t save Hops from her own gluttony,” he told her, surprisingly kindly. “Even if you made enough to pay off what she owes Angora, she’d just be back in debt to her within the hour.”

“I know…”

“If it’s any comfort, she really is fine with things, she wouldn’t be able to hide it if she wasn’t.” Dan finished boxing up the dango and mochi with rapid speed, handing it to Madeira before he took Dee’s carats. “I think she feels like Angora wouldn’t be interested in her if she wasn’t in debt to her, and maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t, but it definitely is an extra motivator. Besides, if she already owes years of her life, she doesn’t really think she has to watch her spending or budget, or anything tedious like that…”

“…yeah…” Madeira sighed softly. “I appreciate it, Dan. I just… worry. She was one of my first friends here, so…”

“I understand that,” he said, nodding. Finished with taking Dee’s payment, he leaned on the counter. “What suits you just doesn’t suit her, it’s okay.”

“Thank you, Dan,” Madeira said, and Dee chorused it a beat after her, before they left the shop.

They ate it in a park near the shop. Madeira’s favorite of the dango was the blueberry dango, though she dutifully tried them all.

By the mochi, she was regretting that this wasn’t its own date, rather than a stop after dinner. At least it was all very tasty, and dinner had - mercifully - been one of those spots where all the food was served in tiny portions. (…wait had Dee planned this?)

“Oh, this one is really good,” she commented, as she tried the chocolate sprinkle mochi.

“Oh? I half expected you’d prefer one of the blue ones too,” Dee teased, slowly eating and savoring the rosewater mochi that Madeira hadn’t liked.

“This one is just… very rich and creamy,” Madeira said. “It’s worked to perfection. I can see why everyone says Dan is the best, even without anything to compare to - the ingredients and flavors combine beautifully, and he nails the appropriate consistency for all of them.” She sighed longingly. “I wish he was willing to teach me… but I get why he doesn’t want to, since I could easily become a competitor otherwise.”

“An unfortunate but understandable choice,” Delight said. “A shame though, I’d be curious to try your mochi.”

Somehow, it didn’t sound like she actually meant mochi… Flustered, Madeira just decided to focus on eating the tasty mochi. Maybe one day she would know what to do about Dee, but it sure wouldn’t be today.