[B][U]Yoshida Mami[/U][/B]

Yoshida Mami, rice heiress and shy girl extraordinaire, simply nodded, picking up a clump of her meal with her porcelain chopsticks before bringing it into her mouth. She chewed quietly. She swallowed. Her chopsticks moved to pick up another clump, and she repeated her actions once more. She chewed. She swallowed. She picked up more rice. She chewed and swallowed. Her eyes seemed unfocused, seemingly looking past Dana towards something further in the distance.

Her bowl was empty. As was demanded by courtesy, it was speckless, with no remaining grains left on the inside of the china. The meal had been completed. To leave any grain was to be wasteful, to dishonour the labours undertaken by those from the lowliest rice farmer to the chefs who had prepared the divine meal. That was the principle of "mottanai", to refrain from engaging in wasteful action. It was not a concept unique to Japan. It was universal, recognising the burdens that the rice had taken upon and thanking those who had bent themselves over to provide her with sustenance. She lightly placed her chopsticks horizontally over the bowl.

Respect for the ancestors. She would not insult them by dropping them into the bowl like one did with incense sticks.

It was at this point that Yoshida Mami realised her current predicament.

There were people around her.

People who were evidently more excitable than her.

People who were attempting to engage in conversation with her.

Yoshida Mami decided that it was a good idea to put her hat back on.