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𝔇𝔦𝔞𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢 𝓒𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔯 || [color=#F50A83]#F50A83[/color] ||| 𝔗𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝓒𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔯 || [color=#0A8BF5]#0A8BF5 [/color]
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Luelle started to cook rice. There was only one problem: the only rice she knew how to cook used a microwave. And there wasn’t anything like that around here. Not wanting to look silly for not being able to make rice, Luelle looked at Fumika. 

[color=#29B6F6]”Um… If you make the rice, I’ll go get the filling! I’ll be right back!”[/color]

Going to the pantry for a few minutes, Luelle looked for something to put into the onigiri. She wasn’t sure what to put in them though; she’s never made onigiri before. She’s heard about them, but she has never tasted one. Looking around the pantry she saw some canned peaches. She figured that fruit and rice wasn’t a bad choice. The peaches might be a bit big but they could slice them into smaller sizes. Luelle then looked for something else and had an idea.

She went into the meat locker and looked around. Inside she found what she was looking for: meatballs. They were small enough to fit inside an onigiri. Luelle was also familiar with meatballs, since she made a lot of pasta back at home. One more thing she was looking for was salmon. Salmon was a common fish in japanese dishes, like for example sushi. So she figured it would work best in a japanese dish. She found some salmon fillet and then took all of it back to Fumika.

[color=#29B6F6]”I found some things we can put into the onigiri.’[/color]

The moment she spoke up, the tall, fluffy figure hunched over the table shot bolt upright, jumping as though she’d been shot. Then, one moment later, the smaller but otherwise identical shape next to her also jumped, as if only just realizing she was supposed to be surprised. She had a proper partner now, so she really didn’t need to go to all the trouble of acting out both parts herself… Regardless, both Fumikas turned around to face her in almost disturbingly perfect unison, and at that moment the smaller Fumika became intangible again and immediately dropped the (thankfully empty) bowl she - it? - was holding. Giving a wordless squeak of surprise, the larger Fumika immediately bent down to retrieve it, but her hand bumped into the salt and pepper shakers on the counter and immediately knocked those over the edge, forcing the smaller Fumika to frantically scramble to recover them before they could spill, almost tripping over the dropped bowl in the process. Finally catching her smaller self, who in turn caught the shakers and set them on the counter Fumika quickly shambled back to her feet, shaking her head violently from side to side and rubbing her rather red-rimmed eyes furiously as her smaller doppelganger disappeared into dust.

[color=#F50A83]“I’m sorry,”[/color] She said at last, as if she’d been struggling to find the words. [color=#F50A83]“I’m still sleepy.”[/color]

There was a prolonged silence. Fumika blinked again, the last vestiges of green fully fading from her now-blue eyes as the sputtering, dim symbol similarly vanished from her hair.

[color=#F50A83]”Oh. Rice. I made rice. So if we put things in the rice, it’ll be done.”[/color] She… explained, for lack of a better word. As if demonstrating that she had, in fact, indeed, in person, made rice, she quickly recovered the bowl she’d dropped and began clumsily pouring the contents of a rice cooker bowl’s through a sieve, which she then upended into the bowl and began sprinkling with the salt and pepper. She certainly seemed to be working hard, but… She also wasn’t waiting for Luelle to say or do anything, as if rushing to accomplish everything herself. It was almost as if she still didn’t realize she had a partner. And, given what had just happened in the last thirty seconds alone, if she didn’t slow down... 

Luelle looked as Fumika started to make the rice. But she seemed to be in a rush. Luelle wasn’t sure what to do so she walked up to Fumika and spoke quietly. 

[color=#29B6F6]”Um… Do you need any help?”[/color] 

Even though she’s never made rice maybe there was something else that Luelle could do for Fumika. She noticed that they didn’t have any of the seaweed and wondered if her partner knew where to find them. Luelle took a step closer as Fumika started sprinkling salt and pepper onto the rice and over the table. 

 [color=#29B6F6]”Do you know where that nori is?”[/color] 

As Luelle approached, Fumika took a step back rather sheepishly, presenting the rather odd image of the taller girl seeming to shy away from someone a head and a half shorter than her. She looked away, seeming almost… Disappointed? She’d been really set on doing things herself, so maybe she’d taken Luelle’s attempts to help her the wrong way. Glancing around, she seemed to silently contemplate something for a few moments before trotting away, off to a cabinet on the far side of the room. She returned a few moments later with a large, pre-marked sheet of smaller nori strips, and placed it on the edge of the table before nudging it awkwardly towards Luelle. But the moment she acknowledged it, Fumika quickly drew back her hand, as if in fear of getting in the way.

[color=#29B6F6]”I’ll… Cut these, I guess?”[/color] 

Luelle was confused when Fumika left and came back with the nori. Luelle wasn’t sure what she needed to do but she did something anyways. Taking a small knife she carefully cut the nori as best as she could. Some came out crooked or with jagged edges, but they were mostly uniform. Once Luelle made about twenty strips of nori for the onigiri she looked to Fumika again. She didn’t seem like a talking type so Luelle wasn’t sure what she needed to do now. If she asked Fumika a question, she might not say anything. Luelle held up the salmon and meatballs she had picked out.

[color=#29B6F6]”Um… Do you want salmon or meatballs?”[/color] 

Fumika blinked. There was a faint zapping noise, and in a manner oddly reminiscent of the ears of a housecat which has heard its name spoken, the bangs of her hair curled upright as if of their own volition. [color=#F50A83]”Rice is salty. Salmon is fish. Fish is salty.”[/color] She reached out as she spoke, seemingly resolved in her conclusion… only to hesitate. [color=#F50A83] “But meatballs are peppery. There are peppercorns in the rice. Either way, it probably matches…”[/color] She trailed off, seeming lost in thought, before raising her nose to the air and beginning to… Sniff audibly?

[color=#F50A83]”The fish smells more tasty,”[/color] She declared conclusively at last, the fluff of her hair sizzling and rolling backward in a curling cascade in a manner that only sealed her already catlike appearance. One might have almost expected her to start purring as she took the salmon and… prepared to stuff it right into the riceballs without cooking it at all. While that might technically have been a valid approach for making sushi, weren’t these supposed to be more of a preservable, boxed-lunch type of affair?

[color=29B6F6]”Ah!”[/color]

Luelle pulled the salmon out of Fumika’s hand, though she didn’t mean to be so rough. She just wanted to make sure that Fumika didn’t accidentally make bad Onigiri by eating raw salmon. Luelle put the salmon down and looked around the room before having an idea.

[color=29B6F6]”I can make barbeque salmon to put into the onigiri. It’ll taste good, and they’ll be safe to eat.”[/color]

BBQ Salmon was a dish that Luelle made very often back at home. Salmon was pretty common in Alaska and all she needed was a pan and some extra ingredients: Garlic, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, pepper, and soy sauce. All these things she could find easily. After measuring each ingredient out she mixed them all together into a hot pan. As they sizzled she cleaned the salmon before cooking it over the mixture.

[color=29B6F6]”Back at home, I cooked a lot for my family. I wasn’t very good at first so I had to make simple things, like pan grilled salmon. After I started cooking more though I learned how to make them tastier.”[/color]

Once more, the taller girl was silent. She didn’t object when Luelle stopped her, beyond uttering a slight cry of surprise. However, once she began acting on her own, Fumika simply stood still, watching from a short distance away while awkwardly rubbing at her hand. There was a faint electrical hum that resonated around her, almost imperceptibly quiet, but nonetheless present, as something seemed to flicker over her palm where her hand had briefly brushed against Luelle’s. This only seemed to agitate her more, and she rubbed her palms together with redoubled persistence, as though scratching a particularly troublesome itch. As Luelle explained herself, Fumika hardly seemed to notice, evidently spacing out again. It was very strange, though. She’d been working so furiously hard on her own, yet the moment Luelle had intervened, she’d stopped doing almost anything, and jumped like a scared rabbit at the slightest questioning. The way she was staring glumly at the floor… it was almost like a scolded child, finding fresh guilt in every new word.

As Luelle cooked the salmon, she couldn’t help but notice that Fumika seemed odd. Before Fumika was bouncing all over the place making the rice, but now she was just standing there. She wasn’t really staring at Luelle, but Fumika seemed out of it. The way Fumika rubbed her hand made Luelle wonder if she had accidentally hurt her when getting the salmon. Luelle didn’t mean to hurt her or anything.

[color=29B6F6]”I’m sorry, Fumika-san. I didn’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to help.”[/color]

Luelle tried to focus back on cooking, but she didn’t really need to do anything except flip the salmon in a few minutes. She tried to do a bit of small talk but she wasn’t sure if Fumika wanted to talk. Luelle felt a bit guilty for making Fumika her partner, thinking that Fumika actually wanted to work by herself instead of with Luelle.

[color=29B6F6]”Is there anything else we need?”[/color]

Once again, Fumika started, and then quickly… bowed? That strange antenna of hers wobbled a bit, as if reflecting her own uncertainty. [color=#F50A83]”I’m sorry!”[/color] She apologized immediately, as if she hadn’t even heard what Luelle was saying. Yet, as she continued, Fumika blinked, then tilted her head to the side in confusion. [color=#F50A83]”Wait… Why are you apologizing?”[/color] She asked, now sounding more baffled than anything.

[color=29B6F6]”I’m sorry! I was just… I just thought you were angry or something. Because I took the salmon. Are you angry?”[/color] Fumika shook her head emphatically, her antenna wobbling a bit more violently this time.

Fumika’s reaction confused Luelle. She thought that Fumika was hurt or maybe frustrated for interrupting her while she made rice. Luelle knew that some people didn’t like it when others force themselves to help them, and Luelle didn’t mean to do anything like that. But she wasn’t sure what Fumika was thinking either.

[color=29B6F6]”If you’re not angry, not that I’m saying you should be, but if you are, I just wanted to say that I didn’t mean anything. I um…”[/color]

[color=#F50A83]”But that’s backwards,”[/color] Fumika said cryptically, holding up the pointer finger of each hand and crossing them past each other as if to demonstrate the unseen relation of… Something? [color=#F50A83] “I don’t get angry at people who partner up with me, but they always get angry at me. Because I’m stupid. And annoying. And get in the way.”[/color] She began to rather ruthlessly disparage herself with the blase air of someone discussing the state of the weather. She didn’t even seem upset or gloomy, but rather, sounded more like she was rattling off a laundry list of facts to be taken as obvious. [color=#F50A83] “So I’m the one who should be apologizing.”[/color] Thus concluding her… Argument, if it could be called such, she bowed once again and then stepped back. [color=#F50A83]”I’m sorry. I won’t get in your way anymore,”[/color] she recited dutifully, like a disobedient child apologizing under orders from a disapproving teacher. Given the way she was acting, it was hard to take her words at face value. She had to be being sarcastic, or passive aggressive, or something… but the way she talked was just so bluntly matter-of-fact that Luelle couldn’t detect even the slightest hint of a double meaning. But… in that case, where did that even come from? Surely, it wasn’t something Luelle had said or done, but then what exactly could possibly have prompted that in the first place? The way this girl thought and acted… it didn’t make a single bit of sense to her.

Now Luelle was really confused. She had thought Fumika might’ve been angry at her, but now Fumika is… Angry at herself. Or something? Fumika had blamed herself for doing something that would make Luelle angry at her, but she hasn’t done anything like that. For a moment Luelle lowered the heat to the pan and tried to talk to Fumika.

[color=29B6F6]”Fumika-san, you didn’t do anything wrong.”[/color]

Fumika was weird, but Luelle didn’t think she was stupid or annoying. Far from it. And Luelle didn’t want Fumika to feel bad or to be blamed for anything.

[color=29B6F6]”You know, I don’t know how to make rice. I’m glad that you can make rice though. If I didn’t have you as a partner I don’t think I could even make onigiri. So don’t think you’re in trouble or anything. I need your help too. So please keep helping me, okay?”[/color]

Fumika blinked and gazed quizzically at Luelle, an unreadable expression on her face. For several moments, she didn’t say anything, but when she did speak, it… well, to be entirely honest, it really wasn’t what Luelle was expecting.

[color=#F50A83]“You’re a strange person,”[/color] She said innocently, the faintest of smiles forming on her face. [color=#F50A83]“I’m lucky. If I didn’t get a strange partner, it would have been difficult.”[/color] She gave a resolute nod. [color=#F50A83]“Okay. I’ll help.”[/color]

With that… odd little remark, she shuffled past Luelle and began examining the nori strips. Then, as if struck by an idea, she took a handful of rice, kneaded it until it stuck together nicely, then flattened it out, placing a circular clump on one of the strips of dried seaweed. She then poked a single finger into the middle, opening up a small space there, before moving on to the next strip and doing the same thing there. She didn’t explain what she was doing, but a moment’s examination made it obvious that, in her own way, she was helping them save time. This way, once the salmon was done, they could place a couple of pieces at the center of each clump, then simply roll it up and have it ready to eat while the stuffing was still warm from the pan.

It was a little odd watching her work, though, even knowing what she was doing. All of a sudden, she seemed a lot more methodical and a lot less clumsy. Instead of sending things tumbling and scattering every which way, she moved with an almost robotic precision. It was like looking at a completely different person. In retrospect, it was obvious she’d been worried, but to think she’d been that worked up but had been trying so hard to fake being calm… Fumika really was a weird girl.

Smiling, Luelle was glad that Fumika seemed to be okay for now. Luelle would have to keep an eye on her though. She got back to the salmon was was basically done, now she just needed to cut it up. Luckily Fumika was already getting the rice ready to take the salmon, so Luelle only needed to put a little bit of the BBQ salmon into each of the rice balls. Luelle was even happier when she used up just enough salmon to fill up the last rice ball, leaving nothing left over. After that she watched Fumika roll up the onigiri, and with her help they finished their rice balls.

[color=29B6F6]”Tada! Barbeque Salmon onigiri! How does it taste?”[/color]

The first riceball disappeared into Fumika’s mouth almost faster than Luelle could see. She munched on it with a peculiar sort of smile on her face, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel as an electric jolt once more ran through her hair, and her antenna stood sharply upright, her bangs once more fanning back like a cat’s ears. They twitched slightly, then rolled back into place as she smiled innocently, evidently oblivious to the bits of rice still clinging to her face.

[color=F50A83]”It’s tasty,”[/color] She said, admiration in her voice. [color=F50A83] “Luelle-san is good at cooking.”[/color] It wasn’t really clear if this praise was meant as a direct compliment, or was just her way of observing something, but either way, the verdict was in.

Smiling Luelle also ate a rice ball, but slower than Fumika. It was hot but heat never really bothered Luelle. The rice had a touch of saltiness and firm texture while the salmon gave it spice and flavor. Luelle had never tasted anything like it, but she likes it.

[color=29B6F6]”You’re right, it is tasty. All thanks to you, Fumika-san.”[/color]

As they ate the teacher ended the class. He handed our plastic containers for them to pack up their onigiri. Luelle wasn’t really too hungry but she packed a few onigiri, leaving the rest of it for Fumika. Maybe later Luelle could ask Fumika how to make rice so Luelle could make her own onigiri at home.

[color=29B6F6]”Thank you for being my partner Fumika-san. It was fun, and this food is delicious.”[/color]

Fumika, who’d been busy stuffing multiple containers of onigiri into her bag, turned around, seeming surprised by something. As if unused to the words, she responded in kind.

[color=F50A83] “You’re… Welcome. Thank you for partnering up with me.”[/color]

The two girls waved each other goodbye as they parted. Luelle wasn’t sure if she’ll see Fumika again soon, but she knows she’ll at least see her again tomorrow. Gathering her things together Luelle got ready to head to her next class, Quirk Application. Once she had everything packed up Luelle left the cooking classroom and onto the next one.

[@Feyblue]