Hugs for All

[spandexisyouth]

Characters: Gai (spandexisyouth), and completely open
Date/Time: the 18th-21st
Location: Anywhere. Yard for any meta convos would be a good idea, but Gai gets around
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gai is "cursed" with mistletoe and cheerfully spreading around the curse, winding up hugging a great many people. He's also got Lotus the Squirrel with him. Feel free to

Comments

Bazaar, afternoon of the 18th

[coughcoughshank]

Daitou was rather glad to be back to normal size - even if it had come with some odd clothing. The leather greaves and wide belt were comfortable, though, even if it did make him look more like the fighter he was than usual. But he didn't have to stand on a box to reach the counter in the shop.

Not that he was in the shop right now. No, he was out looking at the other shops, and contemplating the possibility of lunch. And maybe something nice for Tian...

[coughcoughshank]

It took Daitou a moment of staring at the menu to make up his mind. There were a lot of options there... "Um... I'll have the deluxe cheeseburger." He thought for a moment, and then added, "And a strawberry milkshake." He had to start somewhere, anyway. And strawberry was always good, in his book.

That done, he stood to the side and watched them work on the order. "It really does seem different than Japanese food - it'll be interesting to try."

[spandexisyouth]

Gai was having the western burger, which was a strange name for something that he didn't know the west of, but he liked the onions on it. "Deluxe is good!"

He nodded as they prepped the food. "For one, it tends to be cooked a great deal. And then there is the bread, and all of the things that can go on top. And cheese! It has cheese!" Gai was slowly coming to equate Japanese with things that seemed familiar, though he still didn't think it was home. It wasn't quite right.

Cheese, he'd found, was a very interesting thing. Some he liked, some he didn't. But it was in no way familiar, and so he liked trying them all. "I like cheddar best on burgers. It is the very orange one. But not the slightly less orange one. I forget what that one is."

Their orders got finished, and Gai lead the way to a table. Since there was no tea, he often wound up drinking what Medium had drunk with burgers, one of the sodas. There was a lot of sugar to it, but it was tasty and seemed to work rather well.

[coughcoughshank]

"I... don't think I've had much experience with cheese," Daitou said as he watched the burgers be assembled. "But I'm always willing to try something at least once!" And if he didn't like it, well, there was always the little restaurant that had the delicious cheap salmon maki, a few doors down.

He followed Gai to the table, burger and milkshake in hand. The milkshake smelled delicious - sweet and strawberry - and he could tell already that had been a good choice. He sat down, looked at the burger, and realized they had not been given any utensils. "Do you just... pick it up with your hands to eat?" he asked tentatively.

[spandexisyouth]

"It is... I think it is best when melted, like on these. Cheese is very hard to explain. But once you try it you will understand what it is!" Gai liked trying food, and would eat nearly anything. He had yet to find something that he didn't like, food-wise.

Nodding, Gai smiled encouragingly. "Yes! There are no chopsticks involved. It is different!" He picked his up and bit in. Maybe that would encourage Daitou, seeing how it worked. Burgers weren't the most healthy meal, but they were very pleasant every now and again. Once he finished the bite he looked over at Daitou. "Oh, and you may wish to be sure to lean over the tray when you are eating because there are often things that fall out."

[coughcoughshank]

Daitou picked up his burger carefully, feeling the soft bun squish slightly under his fingers. He watched Gai bite into his with enthusiasm, and then, somewhat hesitantly, leaned forward over the tray, and took a bite of the cheeseburger. Gai had been right - as he bit down, a piece of onion slipped out of the backside onto the tray.

There was a lot of fillings inside the burger - sauces, too. It seemed like kind of a messy food, all things considered. He chewed his bite thoughtfully. It was flavorful - more so than the meat dishes he was used to. The cheese had a softer, slightly salty flavor to it. He finally swallowed it, and then spoke. "It's... different. But good!"

[spandexisyouth]

Gai observed Daitou tasting it, hoping the boy would like the dish. It was very different from what Gai had been used to, and from his guesses, therefore very different from what Daitou was used to as well. After a while it was not entirely too hard to figure out who had a culture that was similar to his and who was from one that was very different.

"Good! I am glad you enjoy it!" Happily, Gai continued eating his, taking breaks to continue bits of conversation. "The person who I first tried one with, Medium, did not tell me what to expect. But she was pleasant enough that I was willing to take the risk. And it paid off! It is not something to be eaten every day, but it is enjoyable. And there are other places I have not tried eating at yet but I should."

[coughcoughshank]

Daitou nodded enthusiastic agreement as he chewed another bite of his burger. He swallowed it, and then finally spoke. "There's a lot of different food - I should try more of it! Though I did sample all the things we have in the shop..." He managed to even look a little sheepish at that last statement - though now by much. "Ne, Gai-san - where do you work? I can't remember now."

[spandexisyouth]

"...All of the things? You have tried all of the types of candy?" Not even Sailormoon or Lotus had done that, to the best of Gai's knowledge. It gave him another bit of insight into who Daitou was.

Gai tilted his head. "Me? I am on the Watch." It was a little strange to be asked, and made him wonder if the Watch had fallen out of public awareness. It used to be that the small group was known very well, but maybe since they hadn't made any sort of announcements of late people didn't know any more. It was interesting. "I started as a Scavenger, and then worked both in the Yard and on the Watch. Then, when it became obvious that the Watch needed my focus and time, I switched to working there alone."

[coughcoughshank]

"Oh! I think I remember you mentioning that now," Daitou replied. "When I had asked about jobs on the journal. It must be a lot of work, doing that - but interesting, I bet."

"And yes, all of the types," he added with an innocent grin. "I can't tell the customers about them if I haven't tried them myself, can I?"

[spandexisyouth]

"I have not spoken about it much lately. There has not been a lot that caused me to speak about it. Perhaps I should do more." Though a priority was gettng in better warnings to new people. There was so much balancing to do in the Sphere; Gai wasn't sure that he'd ever get a hang of it. But he would try. "It is very interesting. I enjoy the patrols because they are good reasons for regular exercise. There is no way to be on the Watch and be lazy!"

He beamed. "That is one way to look at it! I am glad Lotus did not try everything, I think, but I understand wanting to be able to recommend things! ...How many different types are there in the shop?"

[coughcoughshank]

Daitou considered the question as he licked a wayward smear of ketchup off the corner of his lips. "Um... I think I lost count around a hundred and fifty. We got a lot when the cities came to the wilderness again, so it's hard to keep track."

[spandexisyouth]

"One hundred and fifty." That was a lot of sugar. Gai wondered how many sugar highs Daitou had gone through, or if Daitou was just that good with sugar. He didn't think he could handle that much sugar well, which was an odd thought. The youthful would of course deal well with sugar. Maybe he just didn't have the tastebuds for it. That would work. "It was nice to have all of the places come back. There were some I enjoyed very much the first time, and was glad to see again."

[coughcoughshank]

"Well, more than that. That's just where I lost count." Daitou took another big bite of the burger - it really was quite good. He chewed, swallowed, took another sip of the absolutely-delicious milkshake, and then spoke again. "The Wilderness, you mean?"