Lunchtime at AFW

Jessica followed Kandi inside the door. She tried not to laugh about Kandi having to turn sideways to fit through. She didn't speak much Japanese, but she did manage the word 'friend'. Dang. Kandi thought they were that close already? The clerk's reply might as well have been complete gibberish. She searched Kandi for the answer and shrugged. "Seems fine. But only a small" she held her forefinger and thumb in the air, indicating exactly how much she wanted, "piece. Nothing too big."

Jessica didn't really like relying on anybody for anything, but she would have to suffer this. Kandi was even using the polite form, which was something Jessica had yet to master. The aroma of the shop would probably overpower any decent human being but she was attracted to the sickly sweet smell of the place. Jessica would have been flabbergasted if Kandi wasn't as well. The shop was insulated from the cool fall air, and it felt downright pleasant in the shop.

Kandi laughed as Jessica gave a very frugal measurement with her fingers, an amount that would probably be little more than a mouthful, but nevertheless she turned her attention to the man behind the counter, <"That would be lovely, could we get two slices of the pecan maple cake, one regular and one large,"> she began, taking into account the portion sizes Japanese stores tended to go with - a regular would likely match Jessica's desired amount, while a large would at least give Kandi more than two mouthfuls, <"Oh, and I could I please get a bag of five of your custard tarts along with that?"> she added after a moment's thought. She'd almost forgotten that Kameyo was due back from her photo shoot with the PLUMP magazine people soon, and custard anything was her favourite treat. Besides, she'd have felt bad if she didn't get her anything when she was standing in such a pleasant little cake shop. As the man busied himself with the order, Kandi fished her wallet out from her bag and quickly counted out a number of Yen notes, glancing over to Jessica with a grin as the bag of tarts was set on the counter top.

"No, they're not all for me," she said with a wink, pre-empting any comments that Jessica might have made, "They're for one of my flatmates, she's been on her first photo-shoot today so I want to treat her a little."

The man behind the counter arrived with two separate parcels of paper, one noticeably heavier than the other, and Kandi paid him, thanked him for his service, and collected the bags, handing the lighter of the two individual bags to Jessica, "Here's your own, let me know what you think."

Jessica made a blank face as Kandi laughed. What was she laughing at? Who did she think she was, and...oh. Right. Kandi wanted a massive piece for herself. The whole damn cake probably wouldn't have been out of the question. Jessica blanched as five custards were placed on the counter. Kandi quickly assuaged the worst of Jessica's fears. At least one of her flatmates was thin enough to get a photo shoot. Probably a fitness magazine, Jessica reckoned from all the wrestlers around.

Jessica took the bag she was handed and fished her own slice out. It was a dark shade of brown and she could almost see the sugar in it. She took a small bite out of it right in the shop, not really worrying about proper etiquette. Her tongue moved it aroudn in her mouth as she considered the cake like it was an urgent matter. "Not bad," she produced, mouth full of cake.

Kandi smiled as she watched Jessica take that first bite, savouring it for a few moments as she chewed before giving her verdict. It sounded pretty non-committal, but the bubbly Brit didn't take Jessica for the type to really hype up anything, so it was likely as close to a glowing recommendation as she was going to get. Kandi followed her example, peeling back the paper to reveal the tip of the wedge of cake nestled within, giving it an appreciative lookover. The cake component itself seemed  moist and glistening with veins of maple syrup suffused throughout it, and topped with a rich buttercream icing with pecans layered over it. Gently, she raised it to her lips, and took a bite.

Crumbs tumbled down as her teeth sank in, her tongue rolling around to work the mouthful around her mouth, growing heady with the thick, sweet taste of it while her jaws worked it over. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she took in the layered flavours, a happy sigh escaping her as she felt the buttercream melting in the heat of her mouth, slipping back down her throat as she swallowed. She didn't rush it, letting the sensation run its course over several long seconds, before her eyes opened up again and she took a deep, satisfied breath, her lips glistening with a little of the sugar residue. A quick flick of her tongue though, and her lips were clear once more.

"Yeah, pretty good," she said with a wide smile, adopting Jessica's less prosaic descriptive method. She glanced out the window at the heaving crowds, giving a mildly disappointed sigh as she realised she'd probably end up losing the cake if she tried to eat it as they walked, and tucked the rest back into the bag, "Well it's getting about time that I need to head back, but the station isn't far away if you were headed that way yourself. You mentioned you live over in Roppongi Hills? My place is near Shiba Park, I can take the Loop Line to get there"

Jessica ate the whole slice in one big chomp. It was pretty good, all things considered. Not as good as anything back home, but a worthy attempt. Kandi seemed to enjoy hers as well, and Jessica supposed that was fine with her. It was not so sugary, which was nice, so Jessica wouldn't have to work it off. Although she might anyway.

Jessica took a step out of the shop, looking behind to see if Kandi followed. She put the trash in her bag, probably to be forgotten for quite a while. "Yeah, I should probably get going as well." She had a few errands to run, probably, but a nap seemed ideal. And then she could find a happy hour somewhere if she was lucky. And god only knows where that would lead. She took one last look at her erstwhile dining partner. Jessica really wanted to see her in the ring, to be in the ring with her. That would be a proper riot.

"Good bye. See you round." She gave a wave.

Kandi watched Jessica finish her slice of cake with some enthusiasm, which was the closest she had seen the tall American to enjoying herself. She didn't press when Jess made to depart on her separate way, knowing that she had likely reached the comfortable limits of her social abilities, instead giving her a wave in return, "See you around sometime Jess, I tend to hit the gym of Tuesday and Thursday, maybe catch you there?" If Jessica had heard her, any response was lost by the dull drone of the traffic and the rumbling tread of the crowd.

Kandi was left to muse over the chance meeting they had shared together. Jessica was certainly different from a lot of her other friends, but Kandi was someone who could appreciate the differing traits that everyone had, their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and Jessica's strength seemed to be in her own conviction. She was driven to prove herself, and that came across in her often aggressive attitude, but rather than being off-putting, Kandi found it appealing in its own way. She could easy have seen the pair of them getting friendly, had it not been for a lack of any sense of attraction of Jessica's part - if anything, Kandi felt Jessica had been sizing her up as if she was judging how best to handle her sizeable frame. It was probably about as close as she would get to appreciating her curves.

Kandi smiled. Perhaps she'd have to let her appreciate them in a more hands-on fashion sometime...