She smiled, and I knew she understood. We let the moment settle between us as we placed our order. When the food arrived, the sushi was laid out in a perfect display, almost too prefect to disturb.
“So...” she said, leaning forward slightly, clearly far too pleased with whatever thought had just entered her head as she toyed with one of the rolls. “Serious question.”
I sighed internally. “That’s never a good start,” I said, lifting my glass and taking a sip of sake.
“For a seaside town, with creatures that are part octopus, crab, fish, and whatever else belongs to the sea, do you think eating sushi istechnicallycannibalism?”
I choked on my drink at her question before I dissolved into a coughing fit, turning slightly as I tried to recover. Then, against my better judgment, I laughed.
“What?” she said. “That’s a valid question!”
“No,” I managed between breaths. “It’s not.”
“It is!” she insisted. “You can’t tell me no one’s ever thought about it before.”
“We’re not fish, Kara,” I said, finally catching my breath. “We have magic in our blood, and yes, we may have evolved from similar origins, but we aren’t related in that way at all.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “So you’re saying there’s no moral dilemma here.”
“None at all,” I said as I let out another laugh.
She nodded as if she were completely satisfied with my response, then immediately picked up another piece of sushi and popped it into her mouth. “Good,” she said after swallowing. “Because this is delicious.”
I shook my head, watching her with a fondness I didn’t bother to hide.
“I’ve never had sushi this good before,” she said, reaching for another piece before pausing. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve had much sushi at all.”
“Only microwavable dinners, right?” I smirked. “Luckily, sushi doesn’t come in a microwavable form.”
“Stop. I'm getting better at cooking now that my kitchen actually works,” she defended as I raised a brow in challenge, and she glared at me. “What? I am!”
I nodded slowly. “Of course.”
She crossed her arms in protest, and fuck, she looked so damn cute like this.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I believe,” I said carefully, just admiring her, “that you now have access to better tools and a very handsome octopus shifter who enjoys spoiling you withactualedible cuisine.”
She gasped softly. “Wow. So does that mean you didn’t like my meatloaf surprise?”
“Having my head buried in the toilet the next morning was certainly a surprise,” I replied, unable to hide the amusement in my voice. “One I don’t think you were prepared for either, considering you were clinging to the toilet right beside me.”
“Fine, you win,” she sighed, though there was a smile tugging at her lips. “But at least I’m trying.”
“And I adore you for it,” I said, my own smile softening.
The server approached just as Kara had taken an ambitious bite of a California roll while cramming another piece of nigiri into her mouth, completely unladylike—a stark contrast to how dressed up she was—only to act like a starving shark scenting blood in the water, and I adored her all the more for it.
“How is everything tasting?” she asked, refilling my sake.
Kara looked up, cheeks full, and gave an enthusiastic nod. “Mm—mazing,” she managed, the word slightly muffled.
I let out a quiet breath through my nose, the corner of my mouth twitching as I knocked back another sip.
The server smiled. “Good, I’m glad—” Her gaze shifted, catching on the pearl at Kara’s throat. “Oh, I love that necklace. Where did you get it?”
My shoulders tensed just slightly, that protective instinct rising before I could stop it. Had this waitress realized what the pearl actually was? Was she about to call Kara out?No.I couldn’t let that happen. As I watched her, I was already planning ways to keep her quiet, my tentacles ready to snap.
