Pounds of Beans (Mae)

Oki stood quietly in the shade of one of New Town’s smaller shops. It was a small open market of the sort that sold some items that not even Old Town had. Today, Oki was hunting for a particular bean to go with the small meal of rice and chicken it had planned back home. It was a simple meal, but it was the least it could do for Sky and their guest when it was around, so going out of its way to find said bean was not the problem here. The problem was how much of the beans it should get.

As Oki stood before the dried black colored beans, it pondered this small problem with folded arms and a light frown on its face as it it looked up at the brown ceiling of the cover trying to do calculations in its head. Well, it knew how much to get for two and left overs, but how do you calculate enough for two and maybe a third and left overs? Did Sky’s friend even eat? He certainly slept, but…Oki had never seen the other eat, but then again. Oki hadn’t exactly spent time with the new guy…so he was a bit of a mystery, but he was human no?

No….can’t be….

His eyes were quite odd and his looks quite flawless for a human. Sure, he could be pretty and maybe even have good genes....but that wasn't lining up. There was something unnatural about the beauty and those eyes. So then was Sky's friend perhaps something similar to itself? Hmmm….that was a strange thought and yet it did not fit the bill either. So then what the hell was that guy and did he eat?

“….”

Oki closed its eyes and shook its head as it looked down at the ground with a small smirk of distress on its face as it came back to the question of how many pounds of beans it should get to complete the dish. Why did this simply task have to be so complicated?

Mae needed to go to the grocery store today, as she needed ingredients to make a lunch box for herself. After her date with Julian, and seeing how other couples did it in Japan, Mae wanted to give it a shot for herself as well. Usually, it had been her mom that made all of her boxed lunches back in japan, but now... well, she had to fend for herself, and seeing as she was going to live alone in an apartment of her own, learning how to cook seemed like an excellent idea. it was a win-win situation, really. She got to learn how to cook, and Julian got lunch for free. That's of course assuming the food tasted good... It WAS going to be her first time making a boxed lunch after all. Needless to say, she was quite nervous about this. What if she ended up giving the poor american food poisoning? Mae shuddered at the thought, and forced herself to think on the other end of the spectrum. If it was soo good he wanted more... Both excited and nervous, Mae went outside, and headed for San Malarus.

When Mae passed by the beans, she saw a man looking at the beans, deep in thought, as if they had somehow deeply wronged him on some personal level. Being the social girl she was, Mae decided to approach him. She thought it was enough with bumping into people to get to know them better. "Umm... E-Excuse me? Do you know where to find the rice? I just moved here, and I could use some help..." She smiled sheepishly.

Oki continued to think with its arms folded, one finger tapping its chin as its other hand remained firmly around the empty bag it needed to put the beans in. It didn’t understand why this was such a problem. It honestly just should grab a random amount of beans and then make do with whatever left overs that came from it. It had neighbors it could give the extra too and maybe even those cursed cats could have some. Sasha would probably enjoy the food, so why….why was doing the logical thing so very hard? Why could it not simply focus on the task instead of wondering if that strange guy Phalanx ate or not?

“….”

This was ridiculous…but it could not help, but to be curious about the stranger. It wanted to know who or what he was. Why he was with Sky and all that jazz. Sure, it could’ve approached him, but….for some reason it did not want Sky around. Perhaps it was still the trust issue going into play or maybe Oki was simply being selfish, wanting to pry apart an intriguing thing alone. Who knew and who cared at the moment? It needed to just get these blasted beans and g—eh?

Oki blinked a few times as it pulled itself from its thoughts and leveled its eyes with the person that had spoken to it. It was a young red headed lady with a friendly attitude and innocent looking eyes. She was asking about rice....

Oki was quiet for a moment as it gave her blank stare as its mind went from mysteries and beans to what had been said. After processing it, the being grinned at the other as it lifted a hand and rubbed the back of its head a bit embarrassed for the delay in response.

“Sorry. I was a bit zoned out there,” it said and then tilting its head at the girl, the grin turned into a gentle smile. “Well then, little lady, welcome to San Malarus. Oki would be more than happy to help you out. You say you are looking for rice? Well then let’s try to narrow the market choices down. What sort of rice are you after? Fresh? Already bagged? Jasmine? American, Miss --?” the being said leaving the last part blank for her to fill in if she wanted to as it watched her curiously.

"Ah, it's okay. Hehe, I do that quite frequently myself." Mae chuckled. The girl had found herself bumping into people quite frequently while strolling around on this island. A bad habit of hers, really. She could lose herself deep in thought, or conversing with Qilin about various things. The two were getting along rather nicely, much to Mae's delight. What if she had gotten some grumpy old hag stuck inside her head? No thank you!

"Thank you!" The girl smiled back at him. People were really friendly around here. Maybe she should go here more often? "W-Well, I'm making a boxed lunch... for someone... What kinda rice do you use for something simple?" The girls cheeks turned pink. Just mentioning Julian nowadays, directly or indirectly, made Mae slightly nervous. And the fact that she was going to cook food for him didn't exactly make it easier on her either. She wanted to impress him, and that was the honest truth.

"Mae. Mae Iharu. And, please, don't go calling me 'Miss'! Just call me Mae!" To be perfectly honest, she hadn't really gotten used to the english honorifics like 'Miss' yet. It just sounded so... formal, in some way. And considering the situation right now was very far away from being formal, it did make her feel slightly uncomfortable. Maybe she just had to get used to it?

Oki tilted its head lightly at the girl as she said she too zoned out on occasions. While Oki knew somewhere deep within, it couldn’t be the only being in existence with the habit of zoning out or over complicating things, there was something comforting when someone simply stated a flaw outright that similar to one it had. Sure, the words meant nothing and yet for Oki it made the situation easier to bear and made it even easier to relax around the one it could relate to. Odd? Maybe, but that was simply one of Oki’s quirks.

Anyway, similarities aside, Oki would give the other a smile as it waited for her to answer the question regarding rice; however, the small smile on its lips began to fade as it notice the other stammering and blushing….kind of like Hyde, but why? Was it something Oki did to cause this or was it this "someone" that was making her blush so? The situation was perplexing, causing the being to frown slightly in confusion before it shook its head and focused on what had been asked.

“Boxed lunches…It has been a long while since I’ve seen one or even heard anyone ask about those delightful treats, but I digress. Let's see here," Oki would pause for a moment as it looked at the sky and tapped its chin. "Hmm…well for the best results, I think you should go with fresh rice. Perhaps Jasmine for flavor and a nice grain,” Oki said with a nod and then smirking lightly it shook its head.

“Simple it may be, but it is also an art that you want to use to impress. So only the best can go in there," Oki said to the girl as it gave her playful wink before it looked back at the beans..Screw it. It would just estimate.

Taking the brief silence as an small opportunity to measure beans out, the being would fill the bag it had with the beans until it was almost half full and then eyeing the beans in the bag it would add a few more before nodding contently and moving its hands to tie the bag. As it did this, the girl introduced herself.

“What a pleasure to meet you. Oki will be sure to keep that note in mind, Mae,” the being said remaining friendly as ever as it watched her then becoming serious once more it blinked at the girl before speaking.

“Would you like more assistance?” it asked in polite tones feeling more like a store clerk than someone just shopping. It couldn’t help it…it just wasn’t the greatest socializer in the world and when it was stuck in a bind, it resorted to its default behavior, taking commands while pretending to only be helpful.

"Ah, fresh Jasmine rice huh? Alright. Now where do I...?" Mae took a look around the place. "Rice, rice, rice..." She mumbled to herself, looking at the different stores. "Geez..." Mae pouted. "Why must things like this have to be so complicated?" She had no idea where to go. She didn't know Old Town as well as she probably should by now, considering she's been living here for almost 3 months now...

"Nice to meet you too, Oki!" Mae smiled back at the strange fellow. He was a little strange, but then again, considering all the things she had seen during the last couple of weeks... well, let's just say she was starting to get used to seeing weird people and odd places... Part of being a Persona User...

"Well... yeah. I could use some help finding some more ingredients... You seem very knowledgable about this stuff... So mind helping a gal out?" Mae asked kindly, smiling.

“Mmhmm. Fresh rice is always the best in my opinion,” Oki said with a smile that faded lightly as the other looked around and then pouting asked why things had to be so complicated. To this Ok chuckled gently as it rubbed the back of its head lightly.

“We are not too sure, but it seems that whenever something new is being done,the brain over complicates it. Trust me I know. The reason I was zoned out a moment ago was because I was trying to figure out if a guest of mine ate certain things or not,” Oki said sheepishly and then refocusing on the task at hand it easily glanced across the stands in the market area.

“Come on. Rice is over here,” Oki said as it moved from the beans and lead the way across the area to the rice stand. There was a variety of different rices, but by smell and sight Oki easily picked out the jasmine rice and pointed it out to Mae.

“There you have it, my lady,” the being said with a triumphant smirk and a light puff of its chest like it had found some treasure or something. Some would call this a show, but honestly Oki was being Oki. Despite its strangeness, the girl did not run away which was a plus and she even seemed to be happy to meet it and agreed to allow the being to help her.Feeling even more happy than before Oki would nod lightly at the girl.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that. More like I know how to make them because…I needed food, but that is beside the point. Sure. Oki can help,” the being said as it looked at the lose wild rice a bin or two over. Hmmm…black beans and wild rice? That would take care of the carb, so that left veggies, fruits, and maybe some meat to get. Alright…well then. Oki would drift over to get another bag as it ponder for a second about how much of the rice it should get before measuring it out into the bag. Tying that bag off Oki looked over at Mae to see if she need any assistance with the rice. If she did the being would help, if not it would wait until she was done before asking its question.

“Do you know what this someone likes as sides and meats?”

"Alright. Fresh rice it is then." Mae said cheerfully. She was lucky someone like Oki here was around to help her with this. Mae probably would've messed up at some point if she hadn't asked for help.

"Yeah... my brain likes to overthink problems too, from time to time. So, you know this guest of yours at all?" Mae tilted her head slightly as she asked Oki. "A guest is staying at your place huh? Have you tried asking him?" The pinkette would be delighted if she could somehow help Oki in return. After all, he was helping her with something...

Mae followed Oki over to the Rice stands. She noticed Oki sniffing the air like a dog following a sent. The girl watched curiously as the man after a small amount of time pointed out the Jasmine rice. "Wow... That's incredible. You can tell which kind of rice it is from the smell alone?" That truly was something else. True, the man was a strange fellow, but interesting as well.

"Thanks, it really means alot to me, Oki-san!" Mae smiled, and gave him a deep bow.

"I assume he does. Not really sure... to be honest." What did he like actually? Mae had not thought of that before... Oh geez, this just made things more difficult... But, no pressure right...? Right...?

Well the rice issue was solved. The girl seemed quite pleased when they got to it and even complimented Oki on its ability to find the rice by scent. To her words, Oki nodded lightly.

“I kind of had to learn how to tell the good from the bad by scent and such a while back. I got myself in a jam you see and so had to survive that way,” Oki said telling the girl a half truth, so as not to get into the gritty parts as to how it actually learned this trick. In any case, the words were humble as the being let her pick out the amount of rice she wanted.

When the subject came to meat, Oki chuckled lightly as it rubbed the back of its head.

“Heh. You and I are in the same boat as to whom we are trying to feed. You asked us earlier if we knew anything about our guest…and the answer is no. My sister brought this strange fellow home with her and while he has been staying with us for a while, they both move around so much that I haven’t really gotten a chance to know him. Much like the meat issue you have, I am only running off the assumption the other eats period,” Oki said and then tilting its head at Mae it gave her a sheepish half smile.

“Silly sounding no?” the being said as it watched her carefully waiting to see her reaction to that odd scenario. While the being was not embarrassed to say what it said, it had to admit that the what it said wouldn’t necessarily make sense. Everyone had to eat to live. That was basic knowledge and had to apply to its guest…right?

"That's actually a pretty cool skill to have." Mae chuckled as she weighed the amount of rice she would need in the scoop before pouring it in a bag, after which she paid for the rice with a smile on her face. Things were going smoothly, which was a good thing. She needed alot of time to prepare this lunch-box since it was her first time doing so. Practice makes perfect, after all!

"Oh? A suprise visitor, huh? Well, I guess you should take the chance to get to know him better at dinner-time then. Wouldn't that make things easier?" She returned Oki's smile with one of her own. "So, how long has he stayed over there?" Judging by Oki's conundrum at hand, Mae assumed that the guest of his hadn't been there for a long time at all... Maybe a day or two at a maximum, but there was never any harm in asking.

"Well, I don't think it's that silly. You know nothing about your guest, so it's a little difficult with coming up with something to eat. What if he's vegan, or if he has any allergies? You wouldn't know anything about that by just looking at him. So, yeah, it's not that silly at all." Mae smiled back at Oki cheerfully. "Now then... Vegetables..." Mae scanned the area like a sailor checking the horison on a boat. Where could they be?

Well, the good thing was the girl didn’t question any further about the smelling ability Oki had. A relief that easy hid under the smile Oki gave the other as it rubbed the back of its head with a smile.

“It comes in handy,” the being said its words honest and humble rather than boastful. Having your senses trained to pick up the abnormal wa a blessing and a curse. On one hand it saved one from a lot of things, but on the other some experiences could become very painful too. It was an odd trade off of pleasure and pain, but after many years of simply living with the super senses, Oki had learned to mute out the pain at times.  

In any case with rice and beans done, the pair would drift from the rice booth and move onto the next one. As they moved, they spoke.

“Yes, he was indeed a surprise  and perhaps you are right. Maybe getting to know him better would make things easier in the future,” Oki said. Provided we actually can sit face-to-face with each other for that long.  Yeah about that….Talking with him over dinner seemed like a good idea even if Sky was there, but at the same time, Oki would prefer if it was just him and itself . There would be no need to be worried about things being even more twisted with Sky at the reigns. Sure, Oki loved its sister…but still even after all this time it could not trust her, but just because it didn’t trust her didn’t mean it had to block the guy out…right?

Hmmm..a perplexing question that was not lingered upon as the girl asked her next question. To this, Oki hummed as it thought.

“This would make day two,” the being said with a light  nod and then a small sigh wondering if that time span was long enough to jump on the wagon of getting to know another. Maybe, but then again maybe not….and then the girl mentioned some things that only made the situation at hand even more complicated. Vegan, allergies and more….

“Hng…It makes this event seem futile. Neh…what to do?” Oki said as it stopped before the vegetable stands with slumped shoulders. How was it ever going to get this meal right if it had nothing on the guy? What was it suppose to do? Make random items and pray something was to his liking? Tch. That was a waste of time… Hmm…well it could be stricter about this…give him a eat or don’t eat choice, but then again…..that would make Oki a bad host. Geez….mon. Why? Why so complicated?

What?

Oki’s eyes drifted back to Mae as she spoke about vegetables.

“Hmmm…that one is a bit hard. Box lunches are artful and colorful, but it is always good to go with veggies  the other likes. Got any ideas on that?”