[D12, LA] A meal to savor (expecting)

[Kakita Haruhi]

Haruhi had invited Kitsuki-san to meet her for a late lunch at Crabkaku, a new restaurant famous for its crab dishes. She wanted to savor the local flavors and spend more time with her friend.

Haruhi was presently studying one of the statuettes of various crab species dotting the establishment, each with a small interesting fact printed on nearby plaques.

There was a viewing aquarium at the center of the establishment where a guest could even view the very crabs being introduced!

And a small gift shop near the entrance which sells crab inspired knickknacks and art to take home or even a tacky shirt.

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

Ichitaiyo arrived right on the dot, wearing loose shorts and one of the many tacky loose button up shirts, her eyes covered by a pair of aviator glasses. Her movements were.. slower, sloppier, the weight of the eleven days of constant work finally weighting and ready to be let off.

"Kakita-san, how are you?" She greeted with a small bow, keeping that formal despite the rest of her disheveled self.

[Kakita Haruhi]

Haruhi took in her friend's appearance. Her bright smile to see her shifted into a look of worry.

"Come, let's get seated. I'm glad our meeting is a chance for you to catch your breath. I've heard there's been some trouble. People hurt. Poor Moto-san perished. Were you caught up in all of that?"

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

Despite the tiredness, Ichitaiyo had held a smile until that topic had come up, putting a damper on her mood, before nodding sagely.

"I.. was part of the Investigation. I found the clues that lead the Magistry to pursuit the arrests." And sighed. "Moto Shiwahime-san was my friend on this island.. but we had a goodbye on the Bon Festival."

She turned a small smile. "She likes the whole ghost deal. She used it to prank me."

[Kakita Haruhi]

Haruhi could see that it weighed on her.

"I"m glad you connected at the Bon Festival. And that she remains mischievous and glad. And that you did all you did to help the magistrate."

"And we can set all of that aside and talk instead of lighter things. Have you determined what you are going to do next? I heard the Dragon might yet be the chosen trade partners. Is there a chance you'll stay?"

By now they had menus that offered a variety of crab-themed appetizers and drinks. In the case of the alcoholic drinks, it was simply a lively naming convention. 'The Claw', 'The Shellbreaker', 'Pinch Me Once', etc.

"Oooh! That crab omelette appetizer looks good. I think I'll have a chu-hai, too (a shochu highball). The tea flavored one looks refreshing."

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

"Well, my pieces are all set, so I hope that as the months passes, I'll be out of the grasp of my Lord into the hands of the Tamoris." Ichitaiyo smiled fondly, not really reading the menu, she had been here before after all.

"After that.. I promised one Kaiu girl I'd come back, and I intend to honor my word. I have built a good business network, so I am in position to suggest being assigned here."

And the mention of alcohol did churn Ichitaiyo's belly a little. "Ungh, after last night I am skipping the heavy drinks. I'll stick to sodas."

[Kakita Haruhi]

"I'm glad it's all working out for you, and that there's a good chance you'll be here. I'll be here, continuing to search for birds and making related avi-drones."

"And maybe there is good fortune for the Dragon in general? I hear you are a contender to be the governor's favored business partner."

"Can I hear more about the Kaiu girl? That sounds most promising!"

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

"Nagisa. She's this awesome engineer. I just.. met her on a bar, I began to tease her.. then, next day I went to her mechanic shop to learn about engines and she was.." And Ichitaiyo hummed in a loving tone, leaning a elbow on the table and melting on it like a puddle. "Loving. Like.. she loved. And kinda.. hit me? Like, I know when someone lies, I know when it is all part of a game, and she's just so.. honest?"

"I just hope us Dragons get to get a mayor piece, otherwise.. I might scarcely find a reason to justify to my Lord being here."

[Kakita Haruhi]

"An engineer! You have excellent taste." She grinned. Happy for her.

"I think I recognize the name. She has a vehicle repair shop, right? Oh! And you raced with her in the big Shiawase Rally, right? I remember that you already had an engineer partner when I was fishing around, looking for a team. You guys did really well, too!"

"I'm sure there will be business opportunities for the Dragon here. You've done so well. Is there maybe a specific Tamori business looking to put some roots here?"

Her drink arrived. She drank it slowly, and then switched to the local melon juice after her first cocktail, to better match Kitsuki-san's drinking choices.

She studied the entree choices. Whole steamed crab. Tempura softshell crab. Kani miso baked right into a shell.

"Oh, the Crab Chawanmushi looks good. So comforting and yummy." Crab in egg custard. Like a soup.

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

"Way things came out, I'm sure that Usagi-no-Yomogi is going to place a branch, no matter what comes out of this. I hope I can work there, even as a simple bureaucrat." Ichitaiyo replied.

"And yes, the very same one. If it didn't need to get any more romantic, I did help her out of a kidnapping- if you heard the rumors of an incident like that. Serial killer under the cover of the night.. albeit I wasn't the big hero. Yoritomo Ochiba was the one to kick ass."

[Kakita Haruhi]

"What? A kidnapping? A serial killer?"

"I feel like I've been carefully sheltered from a great deal of excitement. Can you tell the tale of it, or is it too troubling?"

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

Ichitaiyo leant in. "Well, it stands as an exciting tale now, given everything ended well. Basically, I had a night meeting with Kanna-sama after my first date with Nagisa. But she didn't appear, then didn't answer her comms, then I called her assistant, Igoro and he told me he had just waking being knocked out, so I set out to follow the trail and so on."

"In the way I come across Ochiba, who had been put on the path due to Kaida heroically reaching for her to help. We track them down in the woods. The kidnapper was using a military vehicle to chase them down, and Ochiba puts a stop to it by slamming hard onto the guy's car."

"This killer was so hell-bent on trying to get Nagisa and Kanna, that he near forgot about us, and Ochiba, actually armed for bear, was able to put him down. Turns out this psycho was putting heimin through trap circuits, expecting them to die, and these were his first samurai victims. Kanna was lucky that Nagisa is an expert engineer that could help everyone through the gauntlet, but.. eventually still it claimed a life."

"Like I say.. in sort of way, Ochiba did most of the shooting, I was simply tied to the two victims.."

[Kakita Haruhi]

Haruhi listened, fascinated.

"Wow! They are very lucky you and the ever impressive Ochiba were there."

"As an engineer, I have to admit I'm curious what he had constructed. And horrified that such skills were used for harm! But I do know the Kaiu approach to engineering has been battle and harm focused since the beginning. Very different from the Kakita academy coursework. But necessary, for all the Crab fight to protect the rest of us."

"It sounds like Nagisa proved very talented. And a very good thing she was there too!"

"I suspect your skill at observation and clever calm thinking made a difference."

"What was the name of the villain? The kidnapping trap-maker. I am curious if it was a person I met in my time here."

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

"Kaiu Takeo, may his name live in eternal infamy." Ichitaiyo replied, feeling confident that said information would not leave many repercussions being shared.

"I don't know.. I felt.. like I did little at the time. So little Ochiba took me for a 'Hard Boiled Detective' training course, so I was ready for next time. I pray to Togashi I won't have to make use of those skills."

[Kakita Haruhi]

"Not someone I ever met. That's a relief, I think."

She took a sip of her juice, and considered her friend's words.

"It's not a bad thing that we are learning from each other. Ochiba has much to teach, I'm sure. And I do hope you will rarely need violence in your role. But you may need it. And I'd rather know you were ready to use it to keep yourself and others safe."

"I've been thinking about how much I've learned from the folks here. I feel like ... ah, this is such a cliche ... but like a butterfly flying up out of a cocoon. Bolder. Confident. Able to weather life's up and downs, and just smile and try again. You helped me take some of those steps forward. I'm so glad we met."

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

Ichitaiyo granted a wide smile from beneath her rebreather, along a sage nod. "I am glad to have helped somebody on the same ways Green Carp has helped me. I guess everyone comes out with the message of aiding each other become their best selves."

[Kakita Haruhi]

She nodded.

"I hope you'll be able to stay, and we can continue to meet up. There are so many more restaurants to try! And shops!"

[Kitsuki Ichitaiyo]

"Well, I plan to come back to stay, if some paperwork is sorted right." Ichitaiyo smiled. "I already made the promise to Nagisa, so my honor is on the line. We'll have plenty of time then."