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It was a modest offer, but that was mostly because Yuudai had taken pity on the young man and had seen that he wasn't getting much business at all. Despite how surly and snappish he could be if provoked, Yuu had a good heart despite it all, and he hated seeing someone struggle for too long. The yellowtail looked just fine, and he would have been happy enough just paying full price across the board. They were cheaper than he would expect, after all, and he would be getting a deal either way.

Still, as his mother had told him, never give up what you're actually hoping for in the first bid. So, he hadn't, even though haggling sometimes too longer than he would have liked.

"Half price for the smallest? Hmm, that's not an extraordinary deal for your only customer." He pursed his lips, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Math had always come easily to him, and he did a quick mental calculation. Half price for the smallest fish was a decent enough deal, but if he offered half price for the largest, he would save a bit more. Not as much as if he simply hadn't paid for the smallest fish, but the deal was worth it.

"Half price for your largest fish, and full price for the others." He swept a hand over the table, attracting the eye of a few passerby as he did so. It was always the way of things: the moment you made one sale, interest was piqued for all of the others.

Slowly, one brow raised. "You won't find much business today if you turn me away, either. I think my offer very generous, especially considering the leap of faith I am taking with you."

He was generally a nice person.

That didn't mean he wouldn't take advantage of a situation.

If he felt a little bad for taking advantage of Kiran, it didn't show. The truth of the matter was, if he wanted to continue to sell his fish, he was going to have to learn how to deal with customers who made much worse offers than he had. It was simply the way of things. Having made a successful transaction, however, would look good for him.

He smiled, briefly, a pleasant change to his general expression, and reached into the pocket of his apron for his purse. He withdrew a small pouch, doing a quick mental calculation and passing over the necessary amount of money. The ones who had stopped to observe the deal seemed satisfied, and while most moved on, another leaned over and exchanged a few words with the person next to him.

"It is a pleasure doing business." While waiting for Kiran to package the fish, a hand dropped on his shoulder, and Yuudai turned in surprise. It was a regular guest at the inn, and they exchanged a brief greeting.

"Buying fish from Kiran, I see?" The man seemed pleasant enough, and leaned over to look at the wares himself. "Well, he can't be doing too badly if you're shopping here. Did your mother send you?"

"No, this is purely personal." Yuudai glanced back to Kiran, then added, "But his yellowtail caught my eye. When can we expect you back at the inn, Iseul?"

"Soon enough." He grinned, nodding to Kiran. "I can't stay away for too long. Ah, good luck with your sales, son."

Isuel tipped his hat at Kiran and disappeared into the crowd again, leaving the two of them relatively alone once more. In explanation, Yuudai offered, "I work at the Koga Inn, a ryokan on Main Street. Iseul is a guest there frequently. Unfortunately, I won't be serving your fish to the customers, but they will be put to good use nonetheless."

The deal had been struck, and so Yuudai felt comfortable engaging in a brief conversation with the young man. There was, after all, no harm in that.

Lifting the bundle of fish, he tucked it under one arm, thankful that it had been wrapped well enough that the smell was mostly subdued. He didn't have much else to do in town, but that didn't mean he wanted to stink like fish while he was traipsing about.

It wasn't unusual for people to not know of his family's inn, though it made him frown a little bit each time he had to explain the business. There were many inns to choose from, but he took pride in the fact that their ryokan was sophisticated and comfortable, a place you could bring the entire family or simply slip away for a night with your lover. It wasn't a love hotel by any means, and he highly disapproved of such establishments.

"We are a fairly well known establishment," he said finally, resting one hand atop the end of his parcel. "And yes, some of this will be to my family, some to my friends. Do you cook at all, Kiran?"

He imagined that he did, simply because he was in the business of selling fish, and who sold what they could not prepare? But the question had left his lips before he'd really though about it, so he waited for the answer, fairly certain he already knew what it would be. At the very least, perhaps he could get a recipe or two out of him.

Though it was the natural way of things, Yuudai was always a little bit amused to hear that others' mothers were the ones who did the majority of the cooking for their family. In his home, it had always been his father, and then later him, who took charge of the culinary aspects of daily life. Chouko was a good woman who had a head for business, unlike her husband, and she had managed the inn well for a number of years. She could barely through together a passable meal to save her life, however, as the children had learned quickly growing up.

When their father was sick, it was either, ask the cook or make it yourself. Only under extreme duress would she attempt to cook herself, and even then, chances were no one would want to eat what she produced.

"We would love to have you as a guest." Yuudai smiled, the small, casually polite one reserved for customers, and then lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I don't see why cooking must always fall to the mothers. I enjoy it, as does my father... in fact, my mother can barely cook at all."

He pursed his lips, then gave Kiran a considering look. "Have you ever had a mind to learn? It's not difficult, really, and is a handy life-skill to have."

Yuudai's own mother could use some cooking tips, that was, if she were receptive to taking them. She had long ago washed her hands of the idea of cooking, and saw no point in trying to improve herself on a skill that was unnecessary. Yuudai could see the logic in this, as he tended to focus more toward his own strengths as well, and had never pushed the matter. He was happy enough having the kitchen (mostly) to himself when he wanted it, with the exception of his father and Shizuka when they wandered in.

After another moment's consideration, he offered, "Stop by the inn sometime. If you come around the back and ask for me, I will teach you how to cook. I don't tend to have a lot of spare time, but I cook on nearly a daily basis, so it wouldn't be any trouble to have you slip in and learn a bit."

Most people wouldn't have offered to teach someone they'd just met, but Yuudai wasn't most people. That side, cooking was something he took great joy in, and it didn't occur to him to deprive someone else of the experience. After all, if his mother couldn't cook all the well, who was going to teach him? Yuudai, apparently.

All Yuudai had intended to do when he'd set out that morning was buy some fish. He had several now, and a cooking student on top of that. He didn't mind overmuch, especially considering having Kiran about would distract him from the fact that Bataar was spending most of his free time with Jianyu. It was a win-win situation, really; he got to do something he enjoyed, Kiran learned how to cook, and he wasn't ready to murder the Mongol on site out of jealous rage.

Everything worked out, in the end.

"Stop by whenever you would like. Just remember to come around the back, and ask for Yuudai." He offered Kiran another brief, tight-lipped smile. "I'll be going, then."

With that, he lifted his hand in a wave and left, headed back to the inn. In his wake, a few potential customers drifted over to Kiran's stall, though Yuudai didn't turn to see it happen.