>Let's begin at the beginning of our apprenticeship. It will help build appreciation of other subtle details.
>You decide to start your tale at the beginning, or at least the beginning of your time with the Seekers. You mention the entrance screening, adjusting to apprentice housing and city life in general, the staggering culinary ineptitude of some of your peers, and the kinds of things apprentices are generally expected to be able to do. Much of it wouldn't strike you as especially worth listening to except as reference material for aspiring Seekers, but Kyouko seems genuinely interested and you find even yourself getting into the tale by its telling after a while; the appreciative audience probably helps with that. Kyouko regularly prompts for more details and lets her curiosity about apprentice life and Seeker education run freely. And you are glad of it, frankly - it saves you the trouble of having to figure out what to say.
>Partway through your recounting of the time-honored trial of the disappearing house keys, the waitress returns with a large tray laden with two great steaming bowls of ramen and a pair of narrow ceramic flasks with matching sake cups. Kyouko eyes her meal with a salivating stare and you actually find yourself having restrain a similar one; the aroma which wafts across your nose as the waitress deposits your meal is mouthwatering and does not set false expectations. The broth has a light sweetness and the meat is very fresh and tender, and the volume of noodles is ample indeed.
>Your companion digs in almost immediately, hungrily slurping her noodles with a fervor that nearly skirts the edge of polite behavior though without ever quite going over, and even manages to still keep her eyes on you nearly the whole time you are speaking. Though to be perfectly fair, your own meal makes an engaging distraction of itself. Still, you continue your storytelling between mouthfuls and Kyouko somehow manages to find the breath to ask questions.
>You pour yourself a cup of the hot sake and take a careful sip. There is a sharp, dry taste to it, perhaps a little strong for your palate, but not entirely unpleasant. Though the bottle you ordered is not large, you're still unsure if you'll be inclined to make your way through all of it tonight, particularly given the volume of your meal. Kyouko, on the other hand, exhibits no such reservations, downing her first cup with little hesitation and refilling it when she hits the bottom. And then nearly spraying it across the table when you hit the punchline of a very unfortunate incident involving an inebriated reindeer and a mislabeled potion of levitation. Thankfully, she manages to clamp her mouth closed in time, though a chorus of snorted giggles still follows.
>Time passes with surprising contentment as you take in the warm meal and warm drink in warm company. Kyouko reaches the bottom of her bowl well before you do; almost presciently, the waitress is back at your table with a second. You have to stifle just a little skepticism as the yamabiko sets upon another helping, glancing down at the still-considerable remains of your own. As delicious as this is, there's no doubt in your mind that you'll be fully sated by the time you're done - you practically already are, though the succulent strips of meat still resting in the broth are a little hard to say no to. A second bowl, however, would be completely out of the question. Raising a dubious eyebrow at the cheerful girl, you snag another piece of pork with your chopsticks and figure out what to mention next.
>Fortunately your audience remains easy to please. As expected, Marisa turns out to be quite a hit, particularly when you indulge in some of the more grandiose rumors about the impetuous Seeker which she has never quite denied. Normally you'd be more cynical about how much mind should be paid to such things - you've partnered with Marisa, after all, and you've seen in person that she's not infallible - but somehow you find yourself playing to your audience and smiling inwardly when you draw laughter from the bright-eyed girl. While your own sake consumption has been temperate enough to only distantly feel its brush against your consciousness, as the meal goes on, you notice a mild but definite flush creep across Kyouko's face, even despite the volume of food she's consumed and still consuming; giggles seem to come more readily and with less discretion, and the sharpness of her teal eyes grows faintly dreamy.
>"Do you ever miss traveling with her?" Kyouko asks.
