Kitchen Conversations

The inside of the kitchen was warm and fragrant, alife with the music spilling in from the living room and the sound of utensils clinking against each other. Distant chatter still found its way alongside the music, laughter and cheering that swelled occasionally before simmering back to its lower level of loudness. Valentine’s hoof steps rang out in occasional sequences, her flitting around the kitchen observed by the doll seated at the island in the middle of it. Though Luka had slipped away from the two to manage the party-goers, Val and Akio still held to the mission they’d set out for - mochi. 

Valentine had been learning the ins and outs of making it under Dan’s watchful eyes, though the process was much different in a home kitchen with no mallet or mortar. It mostly involved a spatula and hopes and dreams, though Valentine wasn’t one to be dissuaded by a bit of improv. The recipe book Dan had gifted her lay open on the counter, turned to a recipe for glittery mochi she’d dog-eared for the occasion. From his perch on the kitchen stool, Akio leaned over the book when she wasn’t viewing it to take curious glimpses at the contents.

“D-Dan really gave you this? It’s so b-big… Are you just, um, borrowing it?” Valentine watched him speak as she folded dough with her spatula, sparing a quick glance at the sizable book and chuckling fondly. It hadn’t been too long ago that she’d been marveling over it, the gift fresh in her mind and unbelievable at first.

“Oh, it’s mine to keep. It was a reward for taking those lessons I told you about,” she paused, picking a stray piece of dough off of the bowl and holding it just in front of Akio’s mouth. He took it with his teeth, focusing on chewing for a moment before he could continue.

“Oh, that’s good! T-thank you, Val… Um, have you made a-anything from the recipes s-so far?” he spoke only after he’d swallowed, nervously wiping at his mouth with a towel despite no crumbs being present. Valentine shook her head, folding the dough in with her spatula as she considered his question.

“No, not yet… I’ve been trying to figure out the best place to use it… Well, I guess the eve of the new year is as good a time as many… What with it being a tradition and all… It’s too cold to leave and buy mochi, isn’t it? Especially with it being so close to midnight..” A quick glance at the clock proved her right, the last digits too close for comfort, “...If I hurry, we might be able to eat this right when the new year starts. What do you say about that?” 

“That sounds great, V-val..!” his smile drooped placidly, eyes locked on hers and lovesick. She couldn’t help her own smile, playfully poking the tip of his nose before going back to her bowl.

“Alright, then! I’ll get this ready.”

It wasn’t long before the mochi was prepared, a plate of four set neatly on the table. Edible glitter littered the counter, shining speckles swept gently into Valentine’s hands and dusted carefully into the trash. Once the area was decently clean, Val planted herself on the stool next to Akio’s, finding his hand with her’s.

“Our first Mochi Moon… How are you feeling? Think you could get used to this?” Val’s words were quiet, hardly filling the kitchen at all. The noise outside, muffled as it was, provided something barely louder than silence. A moment passed without words between the two, Akio’s eyes on their interlocked hands.

“It’s… Nice… I never thought I’d get to h-have this life… E-especially not with someone as special as y-you… I… I couldn’t be happier,” his voice trembled as we spoke, eyes glossy and meeting hers. Through his tears, a smile - sweet and soft, like all of his were - remained. Valentine felt a sting in her own eyes, her mouth twitching up and her hand squeezing his.

“...Me too, Kio… I don’t know what I’d do without you…” More comfortable quiet passed between them, the two’s eyes locked on each other before the sudden chime of a clock. Midnight had reached them, the cheers in the other room celebrating the fact with a rambunctious delight. Valentine grabbed a mochi with her free hand, pressing it to Akio’s mouth and letting him return the favor with another mochi.

“Happy Mochi Moon!”