It was a humble little building. The sun was setting, casting a dull vermilion over the table. Nyx was staring at the boxy piece of meat with all the dissatisfaction she could muster.
“This? We came fourteen lightyears to the planet Kyu-Shu for this?” she asked, glaring at Fawkes with indignation.
“It’s sushi!” Fawkes exclaimed, watching the waiter bring his order.
“So…” she looked over at the other patrons, who hadn’t stopped staring at them. “Why do we have to eat dead fish? When we can just fly to a river and—“
“Because! It’s great. One of the… girls took me here. You know, from my – err – younger days.” Fawkes started to explain, trying to avoid the bit where he ate her.
Nyx shuffled slightly, leaning forward to smell the fish. She opened her mouth to bite, only to have Fawkes cover it with his paw. “No! You have to eat it properly!”
“Properly?” Nyx asked.
Fawkes had a big smile on his face now, his blue-eyed gaze betraying his ultimate objective for having brought them to this restaurant. “Yes. Properly!”
Nyx matched his gaze, following it to a set of wooden sticks.
“With those!” Fawkes continued, picking his own sticks up gracefully with his teeth. He closed and opened them by using his incisors as a pivot point.
Nyx started to laugh, “That’s not happening. I’m not using those sticks.”
“Chopsticks! They’re called chopsticks!” he said with a muffled voice, working to keep the chopsticks between his fangs while he spoke.
She got up.
“Don’t do that!” Fawkes said, dropping the chopsticks. “If you eat with the chopsticks: A whole day! A whole day where I’ll do whatever you want!”
“I can’t use chopsticks.” she said, sitting back down, “And these seats are for Raumens – they’re uncomfortable.” Her tail was being bent forward. It coiled around the table. The blade edge slowly chipping away at the wood.
“Try! I want a sincere effort and I’ll do anything you ask!” Fawkes said.
“Err—“ Nyx glanced at the other people, who immediately looked away, trying to ignore this reptile’s attempts at using chopsticks.
She nuzzled one of the sticks, trying to get it onto her fangs. It kept sliding away.
Fawkes snickered.
“Shut up!” Nyx roared, pinning the stick with her talons. “I have it!” She pressed it against her snout, letting it slide between her teeth.
“That’s one.” Fawkes said, eyes wide with interest.
Nyx pinned the other chopstick. Snap. “Shit.”
Fawkes didn’t say anything, beckoning for a waitress to give her another. Nyx glared at the waitress, revealing a row of incisors, “Put the stick in my mouth!”
The waitress shook her head, fearful of the sharp teeth. She put the stick down on the table.
Nyx looked at Fawkes. “In my mouth!”
“I can’t help! That invalidates our deal.” Fawkes said, wearing a sly grin.
With a frustrated growl, Nyx tried the new stick, finally getting it to stay situated in her mouth. Afraid to say anything, she carefully used her serpentine tongue to manoeuvre the sticks into one corner, then she tried to separate them between her left fang.
To Fawkes’ surprise, it worked. She controlled the two chopsticks with her tongue, opening and closing their grip. “I didn’t know you had such a… great tongue.” he said.
She leaned over to one of the pieces of raw dead fish.
“You know, by using the chopsticks I meant eating with them. You have to eat all your sushi with the chopsticks for me to do anything you want. That’s right…” Fawkes’ wings twitched – he wasn’t a big fan of being Nyx’s slave (he’d done that before… lots of painful nights… and mornings… and afternoons…).
She clamped one with the chopsticks, and lifted her head, dropping the piece into her mouth and swallowing.
Fawkes swallowed too, in fear. “Oh and you have to use wasabi. That’s right you have to use the sauce there, and mix it with the green—“
Nyx brought her sharp tail over to Fawkes’ groin area, “Ok I didn’t mean that. No wasabi. Just the sushi – you just have to eat the sushi.” he said quickly.
Another one was clamped, and this one slid down as gracefully as the last. There were six pieces to go. This was bad. He had to figure out a way to get out of this deal.
Flames, help me! he transmitted, hoping his trusty spaceship up in geosynchronous orbit was paying attention to their meal.
Ha I tried to, when I told you NOT to fly here! the starship transmitted back.
The third piece went down her throat. She was getting better, and even seemed to enjoy it! This was horrible. Fawkes was running out of time.
“Alright, by ‘everything’ I didn’t mean what you’re probably going to make me do, which I’m sure involves your sharp tail and lots of pinning. I don’t like pinning. I’m not into that!”
Nyx just smiled, and finished the fourth piece.
“Oh and none of the chains, none of that – no chains or binding. No cells either! Because I know you’ll just leave me there! You’d do that. Leave me there for an entire day!”
Another piece.
“And no waterplay! No super cold showers. No freezing showers at all! I know Flames could make it chilly but I don’t want any of that. That’s not part of ‘anything’.”
I can actually supercool the liquid. Did you know that? Make it freeze on contact—
Shut up Flames.
“And no—“ she was done with the sushi.
“There!” she exclaimed. “I win!”
“So none of that. None of what I mentioned.” Fawkes said.
“So I can do anything you didn’t mention?” Nyx asked.
Fawkes opened his mouth to say something, but realized he would never be able to figure out all the horrible things Nyx most likely had toiling in her mind. “Sure… you can do anything else.” he said, cowering.
“Great.” she hissed, “Are you going to finish your… sushi?”
He shook his head. “I’ve lost my appetite…”