Member
TokyoPewPew
DracoLunaris
Zoey Boey
Eviledd1984
Forsythe
BunniesOfDoom
op2024
Kaithe Dame
wintersoldier
CitrusArmsMafia Town
Level 13 Ms Fortune (179/130)
Word Count: 810
With Chucho frolicking at her heels and the sea breeze in her hair, Nadia practically skipped around Mafia Town’s outer perimeter, offering a cheerful wave or greeting to everyone in her path. Though delighted by her surroundings, she kept her head on straight and an eye out for anything that looked either particularly interesting or out of place. One thing she noticed -with a little dismay- was the presence of little green emeralds called pons, scattered around the environment. If this island was anything like Nyakuza Metro, those gems meant that the locals here wouldn’t take any other currency. “Aww, not again…” Nothing else stood out to her as an immediate cause for concern, however, and after a little wandering her roving gaze came to rest on one establishment in particular: Bancho Sushi. Even if she didn’t like sushi, she had to admit that a floating restaurant was pretty cool.
She creaked her way down the wharf, then climbed aboard. Though essentially a glorified raft kept afloat with the help of tires, Bancho Sushi was solidly built and barely rocked beneath her feet. It also looked nice, with a clean traditional wooden style supplemented by elegant cherry blossoms. Fish swam around in the holding tank, kept alive right up to the moment they were ordered to ensure the pinnacle of freshness, and on the opposite end of the long counter lounged a black-and-white cat. Nadia walked right up to it, let it sniff her, and then stroked its back, much to Chucho’s disapproval. While petting the kitty she looked around the restaurant’s interior. As one might expect it had no customers right now, but she did see a serious-looking man with black spectacles and a light blue kimono, doing some kind of prep work in the back near the fish tank. In no rush to confront her, he’d just been watching her since she arrived. Nadia gave him a wave. “Good morning! Nice place you got here. Are you Bancho?”
The sushi chef nodded stiffly. “Yes. We’re closed, though,” he said shortly, but without hostility, as if stating a matter of fact in no more words than strictly necessary. To Nadia, he didn’t seem standoffish, just somewhat reserved. “If you’re here for sushi, please come back at five.”
Probably smart to go light on the puns with this dude. Nadia treated him to one of her most pleasant smiles, though she might have just as well been smiling at a brick wall. “Oh no, I’m more interested in the place itself, see. I’m new in town, so I’m on the hunt for a job. You guys need any help here?”
Bancho looked back down at his equipment. “Depends on what you can do.” After placing a few items into a drawer, he slid it shut and leaned over the counter. “Can you prep Japanese food?”
A grimace spread across Nadia’s face as she walked over, scratching her head. Chucho stayed behind to play with the cat. “Uh…nope.”
“How’s your customer service?” Though the feral couldn’t see Bancho’s eyes, she could feel their weight.
“I mean, I’m pretty cute~” Nadia winked. “That’s all there is to it, right?”
Bancho did not look convinced. “Not necessarily. Being a good server demands finesse. And professionalism.” He paused, his brow furrowing. “You strike me as…unversed. Have you worked in this industry before?”
“N-no…” Nadia winced. “But hey, I’m lightning fast! You ever hear the phrase ‘cat-like reflexes’? That’s me all over!”
Crossing his arms, Bancho peered at her distinctive ears. “Hmm…I can see that. Tell me, miss. How are you at catching fish?”
“Fish?” Nadia glanced at the tank, then back at Bancho. She then grinned, folding her arms in a show of confidence. “Best in the business, baby!”
Bancho nodded approvingly, then stepped out from behind the counter, waving for Nadia to follow him. “At Bancho sushi, we serve only the freshest fit, caught straight from the Blue Hole ourselves. Right now, our associate Dave is our only diver. He works hard, but he isn’t what I’d call ‘fit’. With another diver, we could expand our inventory.” The two stopped in front of a small boat. In its back Nadia could see a couple scuba masks, oxygen tanks, and harpoon guns of varying quality. Bancho crossed his arms again. “That is, if you’re not afraid to get wet.”
The feral grinned. “Oh, don’t you worry about me, Mr. Bancho. With how much I love the ocean, I’m basically a catfish.” Given that she undid her Oceanid fusion, that wasn’t strictly true, but how bad could it be? “Get me in the water, and I’ll ‘maki’ you proud.”
For a few quiet seconds the two stared at each other, wordlessly. Then Bancho lifted an eyebrow. “...Huh?”
