Walking Target

“Oh, wow, this is good!” Mahannana praised as she nibbled on a tart. “Really? You’re not just saying that?” The old woman asked. “It’s tasty!” Mahannana reiterated. “It tastes...spicy, I guess? It goes well with the sweetness.” “Agreed,” Aqua nodded as he inhaled his own tart. "I’ve never been a fan of sugary things, but this is so good!” The old woman glowed and blush. “Aww, you’re just buttering up an old lady! You’re exaggerating’!” She waved their compliments off unconvincingly.

“Hey Aqua, do you think Mama would like it if I brought some back to her?” Mahannana asked, staring at him in amazement as he popped the last of his tart into his mouth. “That’s a good idea. I think she’d like them, and it’ll make her happy that you’re thinking about her.” While Selena had been all for the idea of her daughter going to the dance, she had no desire to attend herself. Mahannana had tried to convince her to come but, while the girl was worried that her mother didn’t want to come because she was secretly upset at her, it was clear to Aqua that Selena was still embarrassed and uncomfortable with her wolf body. She had no desire to be out in a crowd and was more than happy to have the alone time to read. ‘Not that I blame Ma-Chan for overthinking but, after what I overheard her talking to Lirhilde and Omthor about when they came over, I feel like Selena has relaxed a bit. At the very least, it seems like she’s worrying less about Ma-Chan and more about her own homesickness.’

Mahannana perused the display of tarts, judging the shockingly vast array of shapes. ‘What would mama like?’ “Here, Mahannana!” The woman cheerfully held out a clear bag tied with a red bow. “Oh, mini tarts! And they’re heart shaped! It’s so cute!” Mahannana exclaimed, taking the package into her hands. “How much are they?”

“Exactly zero gold for you!” The woman patted the girl’s hand. “Think of it as a gift for a nice girl!” She then turned to Aqua. “I want to start using you as my regular source for fresh ingredients. Would that be alright, or are you not taking new repeat customers?”

“O-Of course that will be fine!” Aqua stuttered, unable to believe his good luck. “Some restaurants and shops regularly purchase from me, but I still have room to take more long-term customers who place regular supply orders! Just fill out one of the order slips that are on my front porch and put it in the order drop box. Mention that you’re the apple lady in next order you place, and I'll give you my business pricing rates.”

“Hey, Aqua, we should go. Lir-Chan and Elfrida-Chan probably got the food that they wanted by now.” Mahannana had slowly retreated until she was standing behind the gardener; unsure how to end the interaction without being awkward, and hoping he’d do it for her. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to get yelled at again.” He agreed sheepishly. “Thanks for your patronage! And the food. It was good.” He gave the old woman a polite bow. “Thank you so much for the treats! Mama will love them!” Mahannana added. “Hopefully, we’ll see you again soon!” The old woman waved as the two turned to leave. ‘I think that went well? Was that how you say goodbye?’ Mahannana fretted

 “You’re amazing, Ma-Chan!” Aqua patted Mahannana on the shoulder and she turned to look at him. “I... did okay, right? That’s how you talk to someone politely? I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing without Mama here to give me feedback.” Aqua gave her a wide, reassuring smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “That was amazing! See? I told you! You’re a great mascot for my business!” Mahannana stared up at Aqua trying to decide if he was being honest or not. “I’m not lying to you.” Aqua added, seemingly reading her mind. “I’ve gotten at least fourteen new regular customers since you and Ms. Selena started making deliveries and eight of them are some sort of business. That’s all you, and that’s not even getting into the one-off orders! This is the biggest boom I’ve had since I opened the business as a teenager!”

“I find it hard to believe it’s not just a coincidence.” Mahannana deflected. “I mean...people would literally turn around and walk in the opposite direction just to avoid passing by me at school.” “You need to have more confidence in yourself, Ma-Chan!” Aqua clapped her on the back. “You’re a cute, energetic girl and you shouldn’t doubt how strong and smart you are! The people where you come from are dumb and you just never met the right people. Accept the praise and own who you are!” Mahannana smiled, despite how shocked and confused she felt. “O-Okay!”

“Heeeyyyy! You twooo!" Lirhilde screamed from the distance, waving as she ran towards Aqua and Mahannana. “Did you get the tarts you wanted?” Mahanna held up the bag. “They were delicious, and I got some to bring back for mama.”  “Those actually look good.” The swan woman admitted.Lirhilde was holding a small, steaming paper boat.“What did you get, Lir-Chan?” Mahannana asked, trying to figure out what the food in the boat was. “Spicy slime bites.” Mahannana couldn’t believe what she heard. “Slime? They eat slime here?” Sure, slimes were a basic starter monster in every fantasy game, and there were novels about powerful slime people who became heroes...but she never heard of slimes being considered food!

“It’s a similar to Takoyaki, I think.” Lirhilde explained. “It’s deep fried in batter and coated in sauce and toppings. Apparently, the type and level of the slime determines what kind of flavor it has. For instance, green ones are sour. This was made with adolescent red lava slimes, so it should mildly spicy. Think of it as deep-fried gelatin.” Mahannana glared at the food. ‘It does look and smell good...but slime? Really?’ The mage fought with herself, unsure of if she had the guts to try it.

“I’ll pass because I’m weak to spicy things.” Aqua admitted. “But you should try it, Ma-Chan. They’re good, I promise! I like the savory purple ones.” Mahannana forced herself to get closer to Lirhilde. ‘Here goes nothing.’ “Say ‘ah’!” Lirhilde sung. Before Mahannana could rethink her decision, Lirhilde took the tiny fork, grabbed a slime bite, and shoved it into the girl’s mouth, leaving Mahannana with no choice but to take a bite and swallow. She chewed slowly then thought for a minute. “Oh, that’s surprisingly good!” Her eyes went wide. “Not too spicy, either.” Lirhilde giggled as she handed the fork with the rest of the bite on it to Mahannana. “Told you! It was such a struggle to choose a flavor, though. Even with Elfrida’s bottomless pockets, there’s no way I’ll be able to try everything!” She groaned. “I’d need a couple extra stomachs!” Mahannana and Aqua laughed.

“I’m suprised how much you can eat, Mrs. Lir.” Aqua commented. “Well, I’ve always been adventurous,” she shrugged as they began slowly walking. “I dreamed about going abroad ever since I was a child, but it never worked out. I stayed in Japan my entire life, but I probably visited every spot of interest in the country. Then I got old, and me and my husband couldn’t go far from the rural village we lived in. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I imagined traveling to exotic places but I’m still enjoying it.”‘What exactly does any of that have to do with you having an appetite that could rival an ogre’s?’ Aqua figured that he was better off not pushing his luck in bringing it up again. 

“Helllloooo!” Elfrida cheerfully pranced up to the group. “Got what I wanted!” “Oh, is that the thing that you said was your favorite festival food?” Lirhilde asked. “Yep!” The dwarf held a small tub triumphantly. Whatever was in it seemed to be glowing. “Seafoam pudding flavored ice-cream! It’s the most refreshing treat!”

“Is that what the green goo you’re always eating is?” Mahannana asked her teacher. “Sea-whatever pudding?” “Yep!” Elfrida licked her lips and offered each of them a wooden spoon as they continued their stroll. “I thought we could share it while we look around.” Aqua held up his hands. “Nope, I’m out! I don’t do sea scum!” “Is there really sea scum in it?” Mahannana questioned. “No,” Elfrida responded, giving Aqua the evil eye. “Seaweed, pond scum, krill, barnacles, who gives a crap? It’s all the same to me. Ice cream tasting fishy is just plain wrong!” Aqua shot back defianitely. “I’ll show you scum, boy!” Elfrida growled, shaking her tiny fist and making Aqua yelp. “Don’t use your magic on me!” He blubbered. “Hey, Lir-Chan, can I have another slime bite?” “Oh, you like them, Ma-Chan?” “Yeah...”

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As the group strolled along without a care, a set of yellow eyes watched them pass by the hiding spot in the alley. Their fluffy orange tail twitching in the air; the individual locked in on the wallet sticking out of the back of Aqua’s pocket. “Target spotted!” A childish voice giggled. “Found the perfect idiot! This will be easy!”