Chapter 8 - Master Fisherman's Fish and Chips

[junkuroki]

Ash~

Blaze walked up just as Reese was storming away. She watched his dark figure disappear and wondered where he was going.

"Well there goes the sticking together part!" Jun called out "But no matter.... as long as they know where to wait. And I guess there's nothing much we can do. Let's go look for a place to eat?"

"Did you contact Xu? What did she say?" Blaze asked. "Oh, and about the eating part.. I haven't been here in a while but I heard that there's some legendary fisherman, the "master" fisherman who makes the best fish in the world-" Blaze paused for a moment, her eyes growing glossy with the desire of crispy, fried fish.

She shook her head. "I'm sure it's just a rumor, I mean I heard that he's the oldest person in FH, he's supposed to know everything. He knows where the islands of heaven and hell are located, he remembers when FH was built, He owns all of the legendary occult fan magazines. Maybe he even has info about the sister gems." Blaze shrugged.

"It's just a rumor though. There have even been rumors that Commander Leonhart met him before the defeat of Ulticima. Who knows? Although many have claimed to have actually seen him nowadays, he's disappeared since then."

[junkuroki]

Ani~

/Stardust.../ Diwata said. /Well?/

Stardust looked at the few townspeople who were gawking at her as they passed by. Only an idiot wouldn’t recognize her as a foreigner. Her way of clothing clearly told them that she was not from this part of town. Either that or the unfriendly face she had on simply caught their attention. Ignoring them, she turned her eyes back to Reese who was almost out of her sight.

She heaved a sigh in exasperation. Fine...Leave him be.

/Leave him be./ echoed Diwata dutifully.

I’m not concerned about him or anything. Stardust said to herself, dropping her gaze to the ground.

/Okay./ There was a long pause. /So, what are we going to do now?/

Stardust turned to walk on the opposite direction. Don’t ask stupid questions...! We’re going to the landing pad, of course, she replied, glancing from corner to corner, trying to look for a place that an airship would most likely land.

We go there and wait.

Stardust passed by the pub and noticed that her teammates weren’t there anymore. Such gluttons. They already went ahead for something to eat. She guessed she would be waiting on her own.

A few more walks and Stardust finally saw a spot that would most likely be a landing field. It didn’t really match the perfect picture of an airfield but an airship would definitely be able to pick them here.

Walking over to the railing that bordered the area, Stardust clutched it with both hands, pulled herself up and sat on it. She glanced ahead. She had a clear view of the sky here, not to mention the ocean below it.

/This is going to be boring again.../ Diwata mumbled. /You’re so boring. Why are you so boring?/

Stop whining.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Zacke shrugged in response to Blaze and Gone. "I don't really care where we go or what we get, I'm just hungry."

Brooke pushed herself away from the pub wall, where she had been since they arrived. She hadn't gone into the place when they'd made the phone call, opting to wait outside instead. "Wherever we go, it has to be a no-smoking place. And they'd better have a fat free menu too, otherwise I'm just not going to eat. I'm on a strict diet and I can't let some big fatty burger and greasy fries ruin my figure."

[junkuroki]

Lily~

"Yeah well, whatever, let's just go eat. I'm starving. And if the menu doesn't appeal to you, Miss Coroniere, I guess you'd have to go on an empty stomach."

Jun started walking briskly, and spotted Gone going into one of the shops along the street. She lifted her head. The sign read

"Old Fisherman's Fish and Chips".

Suits me fine. She thought with a shrug.

She was about to step in, and happened to glance at the shop next door. An ordinary grocery shop but...

MY EDIBLE PLEASURE STIMULANTS!!!!!

{Please keep it down. You've already given me a perpetual headache with your incurable dumbness. I don't need this.} Sapphy complained.

She dutifully ignored him and came out of the store with a wide smile and a full bag. Stepping into the fish and chips store, she immediately approached the table Gone was seated at, making him scoot over.

"Look at this!!! No worries about running out anytime soon." She showed him the bag as soon as she seated down next to him.

"And what'll you have, lil' miss?" A middle-aged waitress with bleached, permed hair and cheap make-up interrupted her, eyeing the bag of candies and Jun in suspicion. "No outside food allowed here."

Normally Jun would be annoyed with her for the intrusion, but the effects of her recent shopping therapy had yet to be washed away. Instead she looked up and smiled politely.

"I'm not eating them now. And thanks, but I'll take my order when the rest of my... companions arrive."

She shifted her glance to the door as it swung open.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Zacke started toward the restaurant Jun and Gone headed to, a fish and chips place. He looked over his shoulder. "C'mon ladies, one foot in front of the other..." he said toward Blaze and Brooke.

Brooke scrunched her nose in disgust. "I'm not eating in there!" she shrieked, pointing toward the place. "My hair is going to smell like FISH. Do you know how hard it is to wash that fast-food smell out of your hair?!" She emphasized her last sentence in a whiney voice.

[junkuroki]

Ash~

Blaze stared after Zacke, Jun and Gone. Then she looked up at the large dangling sign reading "Old Fisherman's Fish and Chips." She had to say that it wasn't the most appeasing restaurant she'd even seen.. or smelt for that matter.

"I'm not eating in there!" Brooke shrieked as if the bank has just told her she was broke.

"Fine. Stay out here then. Oh, and don't bother calling for help when one of the hundreds of giant, fat, greasy mechanics of FH comes over to take you away and use you for his own "pleasures."" Blaze said, emphasizing the last word.

"You see, I'm fine by myself for I'd just kill them but you my dear, you only have your fake plastic nails for defense." She gave Brooke a sickeningly sweet smile and pushed herself in through the front door of the restraunt.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Brooke's eyes widened at the mere thought of some big greasy thug dragging her down to the docks to have his way with her.

"Wait!!" Brooke called out, jogging slightly to catch up to Blaze. Her boots clicked loudly against the sidewalk. She glanced over at Blaze as she came up beside her. "They're not plastic." she remarked haughtily, referring to her nails. Approaching the door, she walked inside after Blaze.

She glanced around and spotted the table where Jun, Gone, and Zacke sat. "Over there," she said to Blaze, pointing. Eventually the two made their way across the restuarant to sit down with the other half of their team.

"I'll have two of your biggest hamburgers, large order of fries, and a large coke." he said to the waitress as Brooke took a seat next to Zacke, across from Gone and Jun. A look of general disgust with everything around her was permanently etched into her otherwise pretty features.

"And you?" the waitress asked her.

"Do you have a fat-free, low-cholesterol menu?" Brooke asked.
"Umm...no." the waitress said, frowning.

Brooke rolled her eyes and gave a loud sigh. "Fine, whatever, I guess I'm not eating then!"

The waitress passed Brooke a strange look and moved on to ask Blaze what she wanted.

Zacke gave Brooke a sideways glance, scooting closer to the window in the seat to give her a bit more room. "You know if you always scowl like that you're going to have hideous wrinkles by the time you're thirty..." he said, trying not to crack a smile.

[junkuroki]

Lily~

The waitress turned to Gone after taking Zacke and Blaze's orders.

"Well love," He said, automatically earning a smile from the waitress. "I'll have a double order of fish and chips - extra chips please, a ginger ale, a side of coleslaw and apple pie for dessert."

"And are you ready to order now?" The waitress asked Jun.

"Yes, of course. I'll have fish and chips too, but make it a small serving, a glass of rootbeer, and vanilla ice-cream." She closed the menu. "Oh, and two fish burgers to go, please."

"Anything else?"

Jun looked at Brooke from across her. "Are you sure you don't want anything? Skipping meals will give you unhealthy skin." She added, concealing her grin.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Brooke hesitated, torn. She finally sighed loudly and snatched the menu Jun had just put down. "Watch, it's all going to be chock full of fat and sugar and who knows what else..." she complained loudly, opening it dramatically, the corner of it scraping Zacke's cheek.
He frowned at her and rubbed his cheek where the laminated menu had scratched, but she didn't seem to notice at all. He shot Jun a disbelieving look, nodding his head toward Brooke with a frown as if to say "what a brat!".

Finally she slapped it down on the table. "I guess I'll have an iced tea--NO SUGAR--and...I dunno...a small fry or something." Brooke grumbled.

The waitress nodded and moved away.

Brooke shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Could you possible take up any more space?! Go ahead, just open your legs as much as you can, I don't mind your KNEE digging into my THIGH!" she suddenly snapped at Zacke. "And what IS this?!" She snatched the grocery bag sitting in front of Jun and peered inside. "Why do you have a bag of candy?!" she looked up at Jun.

[junkuroki]

Lily~

She tried hard not to stare at the continuously complaining Brooke and her antics. Especially when the corner of the menu scratched at Zacke's cheek, and she appeared not to notice it.

Zacke shot a disbelieving look at Jun, nodding his head towards Brooke's direction.

Jun could only shake her head in response, smiling sympathetically at him for having to sit next to the bratty girl - who was still making a lot of noise and attracting quite a number of stares from the other patrons.

"Could you possible take up any more space?! Go ahead, just open your legs as much as you can, I don't mind your KNEE digging into my THIGH!" Brooke suddenly snapped at Zacke. "And what IS this?!" she snatched Jun's grocery bag. "Why do you have a bag of candy?!" she looked up at Jun.

Until a moment ago, Jun had been reasonably tolerant with Brooke's spoilt behaviour, but now that her pleasure stimulants were thrown into the picture...

"Young lady, where are your manners? I am inclined to believe that as the daughter of the Ambassador of Esthar, you were brought up with those? But up to right now you have done nothing but complain, whine, not even bothering to apologise to him when you scratched him with your menu. And on top of that, you snatch my bag without my permission and demand to know why I have it with me." Jun took a breath. "Do you even have the words 'please' 'thank you' and 'sorry' in your vocabulary?"

She realised she was ranting and stopped immediately. "And these candies are here to keep me happy. Happy equals rosy complexion." She smiled in a fake saccharine manner. "Want some?"

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Brooke simply stared as Jun tore her apart verbally, speaking in tones that suggested Brooke was a five year-old little girl or something. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows came together as she sat up more in her seat.

Zacke glanced from her to Jun warily. He could hear the battle horns going off.

"You don't have to get all pissy!" Brooke shot angrily. "I was just wondering! And where would you all be if it weren't for me, huh?! Back in a dirty little jail cell, all crammed together, in ESTHAR."

Zacke propped his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands. Here we go... he let a sigh escape his lips as Brooke's voice continued to fill his right ear.

"And furthermore, what if I would have pressed charges, huh?! Then you'd be behind bars at D-District! And let me tell you, D-District is no joke!!"

"Oh as if you know how it is..." Zacke muttered quietly, staring down at the counter.

"I heard that!" Brooke shot at him. She quickly turned back to Jun. "And for your information, 'please', 'thank you', and 'sorry' are words I don't particularly need."

[junkuroki]

Lily~

Jun wanted to clutch her ears to block out the noise that kept streaming into her ears from Brooke's mouth.

Whether it was from her growling starvation or from the annoyance generated from the loudness of Brooke's voice, she didn't know, but she snapped.

"OKAY, Miss Coroniere. We are all EXTREMELY GRATEFUL to you for not pressing charges, for getting us out from the jail. And I am AWFULLY SORRY for not bowing to your feet and worshipping you. Oh, the horror. I even raised my voice at you. HOW HORRIBLY WRONG OF ME. So what do you expect me to do now in atonement of my wrongness, your Highness?"

She crossed her arms and leant back against the booth

[junkuroki]

Ash~

Blaze suddenly stood up and slammed her hands down on the table hard enough for all the glasses and tablewear to rattle.

"SHUT UP RIGHT NOW OR I'LL RAM THIS FORK DOWN YOUR THROAT!" She hissed at Brooke.

"We are the boss of you now, not the other way around. We got you out of esthar what more do you want? I thought you would be out of our hair by now but no. You have to run around whining and screaming about you fat assed figure being ruined by the food that we are providing for you. I'd have to say that eating raw, bloody meat and killing hundreds of people a week are a lot better for the body than drinking a glass of iced tea and eating a fry while strutting around in those prissy high heels. Yes, I am implying that my figure is better that yours." Blaze smirked and could only imagine what Brooke was thinking right now.

"When are you going to leave us?? Tell me when so you won't be leaving you in FH in a body bag."

[junkuroki]

Bun~

"When are you going to leave us?? Tell me when so you won't be leaving you in FH in a body bag," Blaze demanded heatedly, holding her fork as if she wanted to slowly scratch off Brooke's skin with it.

Tomoe sat quietly beside her, arms folded over her chest, staring blankly at the glass of water a waiter had placed in front of her. She raised her eyes to Brooke, then Blaze, then Zacke, raising an eyebrow and mouthing the word 'massacre' to him. Then she lightly touched Blaze's shoulder.

"Come on, Blaze, calm down," she told her friend softly. "It isn't her fault she's so obviously needy and haughty and sheltered...she was raised that way. And it isn't her fault that she's too damn spoiled and lazy to work the fat off her hips and she has to resort to starving herself to slow death."

[junkuroki]

GC~

Gone blinked, as Jun and Brooke started arguing, then Blaze started threatening, the Tomoe started being calming. And I thought guys were the more violent of the sexes. You don't see me and Zacke arguing over food. Well we might, but only over who could eat more.

"Yeesh, loves, can't we just eat the meal in peace? Would that be too much to ask? As much as I would, and Zacke prolly too, love to see a cat fight, if dumping drinks on shirts is involved especially. My stomach says no, eat first, then let them settle their differences with mud wrestling. So how about it, be nice, or we say you're all fat and have bad complexions." Gone suggested as he watched for the waitress to return with their food.