try something new!

Smith has the same schedule every single day.  He wakes up at 7:00 am, he brushes his teeth and washes his face and picks out his suit for the day before making himself a nice cup of coffee to start his morning right and then he visits his favorite bakery to buy a croissant, eating it on the way to the office.  His life is simple, but he prefers it that way.  No surprises and no curve balls.

 

Except for today when his beloved bakery unfortunately happens to be closed due to renovation.

 

 

Well, now what?

 

For a moment, he considers skipping breakfast altogether and arriving at the office early, but as he walks past the line of shops down the street, a certain confectionary catches his attention: Dan's Dango.  With a distant sigh, he remembers getting the best sleep of his life tucked inside Shibani's pillow pile at the back of the shop, but has otherwise never stopped by to sample the treat before.

 

"First time for everything," Smith exhales.  This isn't part of his routine, but maybe it's good to try something new.

 

"Good morning," he quietly greets the shopkeeper, Dan, as he heads into the store to look around.  Neatly packaged sweets line the walls to entice customers to purchase them and in the center rests a big clear case showcasing all the freshly made dango and mochi for the day in a soft rainbow of flavors.  Smith's never really had much of a sweet tooth, but he doesn't mind the occasional treat so long as it isn't too sweet.

 

Bonus points if it pairs nicely with coffee.

 

"Hey," replies Dan a little gruffly, but his eyes light up briefly when he notices Smith.  "Oh, you the business guy Shibani dragged over here the other day?" 

 

Smith blinks, not expecting to be recognized, a little embarrassed.  "Ah, yes... I think so," he shrugs, "pardon my intrusion, I was very tired that day and..."

 

"Nah, don't mention it, he does that," Dan huffs, vaguely amused.  "Little bunny's not here right now so let me know if you've got any questions."

 

Smith frowns, a little overwhelmed by all of the different flavors.  "Actually, I've never had dango before," he explains, "if you have any recommendations, I'd appreciate that."

 

Dan pauses to think it over as if he considers asking Smith more questions to get a sense of what he likes and dislikes (let's be real, he just wants to get back to work as soon as possible), but it's obvious what the only answer is.

 

"Original."

 

"Original?"

 

 

Dan pulls one out of the case and offers the sticky dango on a stick to Smith.  With a raised brow, Smith takes it, studying the snack briefly before tentatively biting into the rice cake...

 

Huh!  Surprisingly delicious.

 

It's sweet, no doubt, but not overwhelmingly so and the texture is pleasantly chewy without sticking to his teeth.  Not bad...

 

"It's wonderful," Smith replies, a little deadpan, but he's charmed underneath his stoic exterior, he swears.  "I'd like to purchase one more to go, please."

 

"Heh, damn right you do." 

 

The two exchange carats in return for dango and Smith thanks Dan for his recommendation before he makes his way to the exit.

 

"Come back soon," waves Dan, already well on his way to the back of the shop.

 

To pound more mochi, Smith assumes, judging by the noise.  He respects the hard work.

 

As Smith heads out of the shop, he continues snacking on his dango on the way to his job, spirits lifted and ready to tackle on the day.

 

Maybe trying something new isn't so bad after all...