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Taste of Memory (17) : A small pop-up food stall has appeared among the usual winter vendors. The menu offers simple, traditional dishes that seem to rotate daily. They're not always common dishes either--sometimes they're incredibly niche, and smell unmistakably like home--no matter where “home” is for you. The moment you take a bite, warmth floods through you, followed by an overwhelming wave of nostalgia so vivid it’s almost disorienting. For some, it’s the comfort of a childhood meal; for others, it’s the precise memory of sitting in a familiar kitchen, the echo of a loved one’s voice, or the feeling of being safe and held. The sensation is powerful but harmless, fading after a little while and leaving only a lingering warmth.
Yaboi had wondered out into the snowy weather, something he was not a fan of. It was cold almost unbearably so. Izzy had gotten him a heated jacket and thermals to layer under overhauls. Which the deep space senshi had thought weird but it seemed to keep him warm along with a pair of boots.
She had also promised to get him some other winter clothing that should not be quite as restrictive but as cold as he was he was happy to be wearing this, he had the jacket's heat on high and wondered the stalls and shops. It looked like something out of one of those hallmark movies he'd been watching but none of those people ever seemed to be chilled to the bone.
Yaboi reached into his jacket pockets to grab the hand warmers that Izzy had also gave him. He was shaking those in his hand as he walked down the street listening to the snow crunch under his feet as he did.
There was a pause when he noticed a shopping mall that had different stalls inside, it was not an actual large mall just something like what Izzy had called a strip mall or was this a flea market? He wondered inside where it was warmer and he was thankful for that. "Ugh I think I should hibernate it is so cold out. The bears Izzy talks about have it so good." He muttered as he wondered past this stall and that stall until he came to one that caught his attention.
Really it was the smell first, then when he visually found it, it seemed as if they were making some sort of fried bread. It drew him closer, curious as to what it was. Reading the menu he saw it was not that expensive so he ordered two because something about the aroma reminded him of a time long ago.
When he procured it he decided to sit on one of the small benches that were provided for the folks doing their shopping and needed a small break. He settled down and opened one of the packages, thinking about maybe sharing the other with Izzy when he got home. He broke off a piece of the one he opened sniffing it.
It smelled like the warm and fuzzies. He really missed a time where there were folks who lived on his homeworld. He took a bite and sighed closing his eyes. He could see the kitchen back home, his mother making a bread similar to this. The radio was on and she would sing along to the music as he sat and watched, helped where she allowed.
The smell of the fried bread filled the air as he would sit with his feet dangling as he was not tall enough for his feet to reach the ground. Swaying along to a melody only he could hear as he watched the vision where she placed a plate in front of him and helped him decorate the bread. Colorful sprinkles added on top along with a sauce of some sort and what he could only assume would have been called powdered sugar here.
It felt like he could reach out and touch his mother's hand, thank her and tell her how much he missed her.
However, he nibbled on the bread in front of him soaking in the feeling and the nostalgia which he missed. To a point he had forgotten he missed it this much. There was a sigh as he looked at the bread in front of him. He had not gone home in ages and he knew he needed to go and see what he could do - if anything. But it was no longer a dread. Some how this bread made it feel okay, like it was comforting him into believing he did need to traverse back to the poor place he came from to see what sort of damage control he could manage.
"Maybe tomorrow..." He said softly as he took another bite savoring the warmth and the reminder of a home a long time ago. Wondering if he should just buy a third one of the dish and let Izzy have her own. He had not expected such strong feelings to be invoked by a simple fried bread but there it was.
Yaboi finished the one he had opened for himself and nodded. It was decided that he did need another and picked up one more. Thanking the folks that made it and told them he hadn't had comfort food like this in a long time. When he left those running the stall looked a little confused but smiled anyways.
Yaboi stopped for a moment to buy a cute little trinket he found for Izzy. While he was not sure what this Christmas thing was, he was sure he could partake in it and get small gifts. After all, she was kind enough to take him in. That was the moment he remembered, he was actually out to pick up gifts for her cousins too! He paused in order to stop and think, remembering Istas and Dyani were suppose to come over soon for Christmas. Taking a moment before he decided he needed to turn back into the shopping center to pick up two more gifts, though he honestly was not sure what a child would like he stopped in a toy store and picked up a small deer as he remembered that Izzy had mentioned something about dears for Dyani.
Istas was fairly easier as he found small trinket with a bear on it. He hoped these were good gifts that he picked out for them. After all he was not sure what qualified as Christmas Presents - the cashier had asked about if he wanted things wrapped and he nodded, "Ohh you wrap them? Please they are suppose to be Christmas presents."
The bread had still left Yaboi feeling the warm and fuzzies and kind of a longing for a place far away from here. He felt like he was better able to handle the cold on his way to his current home though. Like a mother's warm hug was protecting him.
