Tastier Than Fish

"Good luck soldiers! Stay safe!"

Mira salutes and the party of rabbits break out and head off into the streets in small groups. Fortunately for them, there are fewer pedestrians on the sidewalks once we get onto the main street. Most people in the area tend to just drive wherever they need, so the rabbits only have to fear parking lots.

By now, only Mira and I remain at the corner of the street.

"Where are those guys going?"

"They're scouting the area for anything useful. Thanks to Noa, we even know how to move between these 'streets' as you call them."

"Not as I call them, as everybody calls them…"

I gave a very brief explanation to the rabbits on street names and easy ways to remember the way home. The small creatures seemed to understand everything I said perfectly, which is scary in its own way. The next step up is for them to have some habit of cartography that humans have yet to discover.

Groooowl.

During that unexpected detour, we had completely forgotten our original goal of coming out here. Mira's stomach was more than willing to remind us.

"Let's keep going. I'm getting hungry too."

"Is there really food all the way out here?"

We're back to walking side by side along the street. Mira appears much more accustomed to the constant roaring and gusts from the cars. Instead of her usual cowering at every little sound, she is looking out at every building with interest. Either her curiosity is taking front stage, or she no longer feels the need to fear cars or people. Her adaptability always surprises me.

"Honestly, most of the places here sell food. If we weren't concerned with our finances, we would have too many options to pick from."

"Noa, you always talk about these 'finances'."

Mira leans forward and peeks at my face. My heart does a 180 degree flip at her gaze and I'm forced to stare straight ahead. I guess she isn't the only one that hasn't adjusted to her new appearance.

"Well yeah, we can't eat if we run out of money."

My path forward is cut short as Mira leaps out in front of me frantically.

"That would be bad! How do we get more money!?"

"How indeed…"

It's a fairly harmless question, but I don't want Mira getting all bogged down by the cycle of currency in an economy. Neither of us can work to make more money, so thinking hard about it won't do any good. We just have to hope that the biweekly living allowance from my parents will be enough. Regardless, we probably won't be eating out like this much.

I walk around the distressed rabbit and continue walking.

"We just have to make what we have last."

"Will we survive?"

"Well yeah! I for one have no plan of starving"

Hopefully we'll be able to keep it that way.

We continue down the street, passing by several strips of buildings with all kinds of businesses. The journey is slow as Mira insists on inquiring at every bright and colourful sign we pass by.

"What is that big yellow one with a 'M'?"

"That's a cheap burger place. A burger is basically bread and ground meat with some other stuff."

"What about that orange one that starts with a 'W'?

"Also a burger place."

"Woah, that one has a crown! What is that one?"

"Another burger place…"

People really do seem to like their ground beef. But do we really need so many places that sell basically the same thing? It feels excessive and has a bit too much fat for our diet.

"What's that green one? That's the third one I've seen."

"That's a popular coffee place. There's another one further down if you walk far enough."

Mira watches a pair of people walk out of the coffee shop with warm cups in their hands. They must look particularly satisfied after a sip because the rabbit girl starts tugging on my sleeve.

"Noa, does that 'coffee' taste good?"

"It's uhh…"

A random documentary pops into my head. It was just something I put on the TV to kill time, but the information was apparently interesting enough for me to remember. Things like chocolate and coffee are poisonous to animals like cats and dogs. The documentary explained how the caffeine can over stimulate a small animal and cause it to die.

"Coffee is poison for rabbits, so you can't drink any."

"What!? People drink rabbit poison!?"

"Some people like the flavour."

Her disbelief turns into horror. She grips onto my arm in fear as she watches the pair walk the other direction.

"Scary…"

Mira may be effectively human now, but I'd rather her not get addicted to caffeine.

"Ah, here we are."

After the long trek, we finally arrived at our destination. It's a small and compact building with a long trail of cars waiting in the drive thru line. It may not be the king, queen, or even jack of fast food, but it by no means lacks in popularity. This place is still cheap and less unhealthy by a very small, but at least existing, margin.

"Chicken…the Fillets?"

"Don't think too hard about the name. It's chicken."

I push through the doors to a nearly empty dining space. A single employee is lazing away at the ordering counter as others are running frantically in the back to meet the demand of the cars outside. A few people are eating at the tables, but overall the inside is quiet for the weekend. We're lucky that they aren't closed on Sunday.

I look up at the menu above the counter and wince at the prices of less than standard options.

"Why is the salad the most expensive item!?"

Everything on the menu is pretty cheap, but the healthiest is simply out of reach with our budget. I had wanted to get the rabbit back on a plant diet, but that doesn't appear to be possible.

"Sorry, Mira…I wanted to feed you properly…"

My pained expression is seen by nobody as Mira is crouched off to the side. Her eyes are locked onto a cutout of the wacky mascot of this establishment. It's a rather disturbing sight with a tuna holding a tray of fried chicken saying 'tastier than fish!'. I know that the animal kingdom is competitive, but usually not in this way.

"Poor chickens, even the fish want to eat you…"

"I don't think that's what is happening…"

The chicken is for us so we don't eat the fish. Why fight to keep yourself from getting eaten when you can offer your enemies instead.

I leave Mira to her own devices as I order us two grilled chicken sandwiches and fries. To give us at least something that isn't meat or a carb, I spent a little more to get us the deluxe with lettuce and tomatoes. My wallet is in pain, but this will hopefully save our body some pain instead.

After barely a few minutes, our number is called and I return to the table where Mira examines the interior.

"Alright, let's eat fast so we can finish our errands."

"Hmm…"

Mira simply stares at the perfectly grilled slab of chicken placed between two buns and coated with mayonnaise. Her expression is challenged by some kind of regret facing off against her hunger.

"Do we really have to eat the poor guy?"

"You choose now to start sympathising with your food…"

"But chickens are so nice!"

She brings her head down to the table to stare into the non-existent eyes of the previously feathered creature.

"They always run around flapping their little wings and look so happy when you feed them!"

"How would a rabbit know how chickens act…"

Her reluctance makes it hard for me to partake in my own meal. Mira makes me feel like we're doing something wrong, but our diet will have a lot of chicken moving forward. It simply cannot be avoided due to how much cheaper chicken is compared to other meats. Why she feels so strongly about this animal in particular is added to the growing list of mysteries surrounding this girl.

"Come on, Mira. It can't be helped. Just thank the guy for his sacrifice."

I pick up the sandwich and proceed to dig my teeth into the juicy meat slab. Mira flinches when the piece disappears into my mouth, but she doesn't try to stop me. It tastes good like usual, but feels a little bitter with her sad eyes moving between me and her own sandwich.

Eventually, she gives in to the circle of life.

"Sorry little guy, but I have to eat you now…"

The bird is obviously too seasoned and charred to hear her, but tears stream down her eyes as she thanks it for its service. After a long look at the sandwich, she closes her eyes and bites down. The piece of chicken is soon gone for good.

"Taste good?"

"Mhm…very tasty…"

She returns for another solemn bite and the two of us continue our late lunch.