Hakuda Matata [Lerna/Asami

Was that Lerna blustering? Perhaps it was now Asami that had put her partner on the back foot, oh how the tables turned. Another carefully balanced mouthful of rice, and then she picked up her skewer and took a chunk off the last piece of meat with a feral energy. It was entirely opposite to the manner with which she had conducted herself throughout the rest of the little meal, juices now staining her lips for the first time, before the back of her hand removed them and then she was back to her previously elegant self. All in a flash, so fast that it just might have happened.

She was a noble, certainly, and that was the outlook that she spent most of her days presenting of late, but Asami had also been raised in the Nest of Maggots. She knew how to eat like a rukongai roughneck if the situation called for it, even if her previous impression was a rather exaggerated rendition. Maybe that was why she appreciated this simple meal. There was a lot the Hakuda teacher did not talk about, and those particularly clandestine days were certainly some of them.

"Very well, it's going to be pancakes then. But what's your topping of choice? Now that is a real dealbreaker."

Shooting a glance sideways, she too paused her eating to consider the next question being asked of her. Biting her bottom lip for just a moment, Asami had to think which stories she knew that interested her.

"Do you know any Japanese folklore? Those books always ended up in the library when I was a child. A particular niche, I know, but one should never judge a book by its cover."

Asami scratched at the back of her head at that comment about pizzas, fingers shifting through that mass of raven black hair as the red fascinator bounced up and down playfully. Was it really that alien for some people to have toppings on pancakes?

"Fine. Clearly, you are in need of an education, so I can always take you to a place where you can get whichever pancake toppings you want. Something they might have been missing on Earth, I wonder."

Picking up her food again, she took another few bites in her typically refined manner once more. Perfectly normal and composed, she set it down again after taking her fill and mused over the legends. It was interesting that Lerna was Japanese, perhaps she would know more about them than her limited knowledge. Would it make her seem like a prude for picking something relatively basic? Also possible, but at least it was something.

"Oh? I would not want to offend a native, but I am a fan of the classics. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is one that always sticks with me, if that rings any bells?"

Flicking her wrist dismissively, Asami chuckled along with Lerna. Even if she was content with syrup now, that just meant that she had not experienced the full breadth of what was on offer. Nothing about the other woman struck Asami as a plain type anyway.

"Someone's happiness is often the cause of another's sorrow. There's still a beauty to the story, you know? The struggles of a woman caught up in the melancholy and the machinations of love."

There was more to why that was a story of particular interest to her, certainly, but it was not the type of thing to get into with Lerna. Not right now. Maybe she shouldn't have brought it up at all, but that much was already committed now and it couldn't be taken back. Her mind had begun to wander all of its own volition, and not into a place she enjoyed as she fought back the thoughts of another in her head.

"Favourite is perhaps a strong word, it would be hard to pick one above all others in truth. But do you like it too? Or is it just one of those stories that it is actually hard to dislike?"

Returning to her food once more, Asami was quite content to listen to Lerna as she dove deep into the lore of Princess Kaguya. It certainly pleased her that the choice had inspired the woman so, and she was certainly well informed about the subject material. Oh, she was actually quite enjoying this interpretation of the legend so much so that it drew another laugh from her lips.

Maybe she did see herself in the story, and thus Lerna was correct in her assumption, but the real question became who she thought Asami was. The Princess was the easy option, and certainly the most straightforward to paint those colours onto her, but could that be correct? Or was she the Emperor, denied that which they most wanted by powers beyond her own? Maybe there was some deeper meaning still, but the Fifth Officer was not in the business of clarifying.

"You're a little more learned than I first assumed, how wonderful. Japanese fables are truly a cut deeper than most of the others, ah it's refreshing to know that there is a kindred spirit out there."

Placing down her dish once more, its contents now sufficiently diminished, Asami cocked her head to one side a little as Lerna offered to tell her another story. It would be quite rude to refuse, wouldn't it? Her lips curled into a wider smile, because that would be rather cruel and she could not bring herself to do it.

"Alright, if you have a favourite then I'd love to hear it. Especially if you see a reflection of yourself in it."

Stretching her arms out behind her, Asami let her gaze wander skyward too. It was easy to watch the stars above, to imagine what was going on in the places beyond her reach. But she couldn't wander too far right now, her entertainment was right next to her and there was a story to gauge.

"The Orochi, huh? Such a vile creature, to have consumed the seven youngest sisters and left the oldest and her parents to suffer. Praying on them one by one."

Her gaze snapped downwards again, chin now resting in her hands, as she levelled on Lerna once more. Who did she see herself as in that tale? Susanoo was the obvious choice, slaying the serpent, claiming the girl and the fabled weapon. In a similar way to her own fable, was Lerna cunning enough to pick a story where there seemed like an obvious choice but it was just window dressing for something a little deeper. Maybe she was the eldest daughter, caught up in the drama and helpless, but she did not seem like the damsel type.

"What it must have been like to find the Grass-Cutting Sword amidst the remains. Was it reward enough for the loss of all those innocents and whoever else the serpent might have prayed upon?"