Into The Tainted Waters

Sushi

(Perspective of Taylor)

We watch Nate walk through the portal and into the city, wondering where we should go. I turn to charlyse and say "Well, I guess we're up". "Let's go" she says back, smiling. We walk towards the portal and wave goodbye to Viktoria. Juno and Hannah come with us, both by our sides. We shift into the other side, coming out in what looks like Japanese town. We both look at each other wide eyed and excited. "Japan!" we both exclaim, grabbing each others hands. "Japan Japan Japan Japan!" Juno yells while jumping around. "You wanna split up for awhile and meet back here later sweetie?" Charlyse asks me. "Yeah, let's look at everything we can" I tell her.

I kiss her goodbye and walk off in one direction. "So Juno, where should we go?" I ask my canine companion. "Hmmm, well, i hear there is really good food in this town" she says walking beside me. "Hmmm, sushi?" I ask her. "Yes, let's get some" she says excitedly. We look around for a sushi shop and spot one a bit ways down the street. "Race ya" I tell Juno, taking off. "Hey, no fair!" I hear her complain behind me. "Hahaha, better be fa-" I begin to say but then see her running beside me in a greyhound form. "Better be fast eh" she says slyly before taking off in front of me.

Juno arrives there in no time, leaving me in her dust. I finally reach the sushi shop out of breath. "That's- that's no fair" i say in between breaths. "Hehe, i'm hungry sooooo, it's all fair" she says happily. I go to walk up to the counter then begin to think. "Wait, what do we pay with!?" I ask worriedly to Juno. "Oh that's easy, if you have my powers then you should have my Dirua too" she says. "Whats Dirua?" I ask her confused. "It's the currency they use in the city, simply exert a little power into your hand and imagine money there, should appear" she says. "Oh, that sounds easy" I say holding up my hand. I focus on concentrating energy into my palm then imagine I had bills sitting there. To my surprise, it worked!. There was golden bills sitting there in my hand.

Each bill had the face of the Speaker on one side, and a picture of what i assume is the city on the other side. "Wow, that's pretty handy" I say walking up to the counter. "Hey, what can i get you" the man behind the counter asks me. "Can i get a variety dish for my friend and I here?" I ask. "Sure thing, will that be all?" he asks. "Mhm" i nod. "Alright, that'll be six Dirua" he says. I count out the bills in my hand and give him six. "Alright, you can have a seat at any table and we will bring it to you shortly" he says with a smile. "Thank you mister" I say before walking to the table that Juno decided to pick.

I sit in the chair opposite her and look at my surroundings. "This place is amazing" i say out loud looking at where we are. It's an open dining room with no walls, leading straight to the street. The ground was green grass and there were wooden poles holding up the ceiling. This building, like the other buildings around us, were built in a Nara era style with the swept up roofs and red coloring. "Mhm, the Japanese town used to be my favorite when i came to Alharis" Juno says. "How long have you been alive?" I ask her. "Hmmm, well I've stopped counting but I'd have to say at least six hundred years" she says casually. "Six hundred!" I exclaim. She chuckles. "Yeah, Sentinels don't age past their prime" she says. "Then why are there older looking Sentinels?" I ask. "They choose to look that way, sometimes personal choice, sometimes it fits their job" she responds.

A waiter comes by with our food and delivers with a smile. "Here you go, one variety plate" he says setting down a large plate filled with all sorts of sushi. "Thank you sir" I tell him before he walks away. "Ohhh, this looks good" I say as I grab one. I pop it in my mouth and instantly get a large burst of flavor. There was seaweed and salmon in that one, and they both tasted more vibrant than anything on earth. "Why is this so good?" I ask as I pop another one in my mouth. "Well, being alive for awhile let's you master your craft" she explains. "And everything grown and farmed here is of much better quality than earth products" she finishes. "Mmmm, I can see that" I say enjoying the food