In the days that followed the 'girl time' incident, times were mostly peaceful for Team Snakemouth. ...They did have to pay for the damages to the clothing store though. And the salon. ...And the fancy diner. But aside from that, things were peaceful, the group taking the time to relax as several days passed all too quickly, the music box research still going on in the background.
And as much as Anne would like to think about the music box and whether or not she'd be able to go back home, right now there was a more important matter to attend to.
Lunch.
The rest of Team Snakemouth walked with Anne through Ant City's commercial district as they tried to decide on a place for lunch. It was still the early afternoon, which meant that the town was bustling, a bunch of bugs mingling with each other or just walking around. A few of them gave Anne a side-eye, but thankfully there weren't any over-the-top reactions.
"Let's not take too long to decide on a place." Leif said. "We're getting hungry."
"Oh, let's go there!" Anne said, pointing at a fancy restaurant.
The group turned to see what she was pointing at, and Vi's face crinkled in disgust. "No way, I don't wanna go back there! Plus, I'm pretty sure I got us banned from that place."
...Oops, that indeed was the same place from when Anne tried to give Vi some 'girl time'. It was a memory that Anne cringed back on among several others, but she couldn't change what'd happened. And Vi was right, there was even a sign on the front door displaying that Team Snakemouth was banned. Oh well.
"Dang." Leif commented. Anne remembered the near disaster that'd happened after Team Snakemouth tried to go back there to eat several days ago... not a good idea in hindsight.
Vi glanced around for another place to eat, also quite hungry herself. "Let's go there!" Vi said, immediately seeing a place that piqued her interest. It was called the 'Dead End Bar', and it looked... unique. "Can we go there? We should go there!"
Without waiting for an answer, Vi tried to walk over to the place, although she couldn't take two steps before Kabbu grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Absolutely not!" The beetle said, shutting down Vi's idea instantly. "Vi, you're only sixteen years old! You're too young for a place like that! And that goes for you too, Anne."
Vi groaned in disappointment, Anne also rolling her eyes. Not that she wanted to go to a bar...
"Might go there on our own." Leif muttered to himself.
"I'll pick out a place we can all go to!" Kabbu said, the group of four still walking around. Kabbu put a hand on his chin, swiveling his head around a bit as he scanned the buildings, stopping a few times to wave to a bug he knew.
Before long, Kabbu's eye lit up. "How about that place, team?"
Leif looked in the direction Kabbu was looking. "Um, Kabbu?"
"Yeah?"
"That place is abandoned."
"Well of-wait what?" Kabbu asked. The others glanced at the place Kabbu was referring to, and... yikes. The place used to be an establishment of some kind, but now it looked like it hadn't been touched in years, left to rot. It was a bit eerie, but nothing to worry about.
"Yeesh." Anne cringed a little.
"Just how is a place like that not condemned by now?!" Kabbu asked, a question that Anne didn't really care about too much.
"If we ever need somewhere to hide, that place might be a safe bet." Leif commented. Anne raised an eyebrow; hide from what?
"Ugh, can we just hurry up and pick a place already?" Vi complained. "I'm starving!"
"We could always go there." Leif suggested, gesturing to a place Anne recognized. Fry's place. Unlike most other establishments in Ant City, Fry opted to have his business outside, though there was an overhang over Fry's cooking pot in case of rain.
"Ooh, yeah! Fry's a pretty nice guy, he'll give us a good lunch." Anne agreed. Hopefully, Fry didn't hold a grudge on her after she kept him waiting for hours on an order a few weeks back.
"Absolutely!" Kabbu nodded, also in full agreement. Vi shrugged, having no objections.
And with that, Team Snakemouth walked over to Fry's place. There weren't really any other bugs there aside from Fry, which was a little strange. Maybe it was a slow day? But the town was bustling...
"Well well well, if it isn't Team Snakemouth!" Fry greeted as the four of them walked over, the buff fly waving his wooden spoon around. "How've you been doing?" His energetic personality was a stark contrast to the sheer lack of customers around. Hey, that meant that they wouldn't have to wait in line.
"Hungry." Vi deadpanned.
"I've been well, thank you for asking!" Kabbu answered.
"What's on the menu for today, Fry?" Anne asked, already anticipating what she might get for lunch.
"Same as always, kid." Fry bluntly answered. Anne still didn't have the menu memorized, oops.
"Oh, come on, it's always the same few things!" Vi complained. Even if that was true...
"Hey, he's trying his best!" Anne said, defending Fry. "Being a chef or a cook is much harder than you think it is!" She was speaking from experience, after all. Hm...
"And besides, we'd prefer someone who's a master at a few recipes as opposed to a bug who's only okay at cooking a bunch." Leif explained. Yeah, that logic made enough sense.
Vi sighed, walking over to the nearest table. "Fiiine. I'll just order what I usually get, then."
"Don't spend too much, everyone!" Kabbu warned. "Rent is due soon, so we need to keep track of our berries diligently!" They still had enough to pay rent, but if another disaster like what almost happened with Robertius several days ago, then Anne wasn't sure what she'd do next.
Kabbu and Leif walked over to the table where Vi was, and Anne was about to follow them... but she paused, still thinking about what she said a few moments ago. "Being a chef or a cook is much harder than you think it is!" Urges tingled inside of her, this specific situation inspiring something deep within.
Plus, if Anne wanted to be honest, she did want to try and... make up for the past few incidents. Domino 2 and 'girl time' were both her fault, causing her friends unneeded grief and misery. She wanted them to enjoy something for a change, and not spend their time trying to fix a problem that she caused.
"Hmm..." Anne thought out loud, coming to a decision. "Fry, I have a proposition for ya." That got the fly's attention. "Not to upstage you, but how much would it cost if I were to cook a meal here for my friends?"
Judging by his expression, Fry appeared to be a bit taken aback. "Well, I sure didn't expect that." He thought for several moments, Anne waiting patiently for his response, until... Fry shrugged. "Sure, why not. If you can cook something for all of us, it'll be on the house!"
"Yes!" Anne exclaimed, pumping her fist. So far, it was going perfectly!
"Anne's going to cook for us?" Leif said from the table, the moth a bit skeptical. "This should be good."
"Don't be like that, Leif!" Kabbu chastised. "Besides, this means we won't need to spend any berries!"
"I dunno." Vi crossed her arms in a huff, leaning on the table. "I never really saw Anne as a cook."
Anne shook her head, disappointed at Vi and Leif's attitudes. "Just you dudes watch." She cracked her knuckles, already envisioning in her head exactly what she'd cook for her friends.
And before she knew it, she'd already gotten started, practically taking over Fry's cooking station. Not that the fly minded, of course. Thankfully, Fry had almost all the ingredients she needed; the recipe already memorized in her head. She had to substitute one or two things, but that was no big deal.
There were still no other customers arriving to interrupt her, which was perfect. Anne needed total concentration, barely even paying attention to anyone else. In a way, she was in the zone, knowing very well that even one mistake could cost her everything. ...Well, that might've been a bit overdramatic. But still.
Kabbu, Vi, and Leif watched her as she cooked, the trio occasionally asking her a question or two. Anne answered to the best of her ability, trying not to lose concentration. Eventually, Fry shooed the three away back to their table, knowing very well that a cook needed full concentration. Several minutes passed, Anne working hard and diligently before...
Anne put the finishing touches on the plate of food, making sure there was enough for everyone. Sure, there was only one plate, but Anne made sure she'd gotten the biggest one, making enough food for all her friends. Putting on mittens so as not to burn herself on the potentially hot plate, Anne picked up the food carefully, carrying it over to the table. The smell wafted through the air, making Anne's mouth water a little.
"Aaaaand one Som Tam Thai for my good friends!" Anne said, setting the large plate of food down in the middle of the table. The other three marveled at it, unable to take their eyes off of it.
"Anne, that's a lot of food!" Vi exclaimed, surprised.
"We were right. This does look good." Leif commented. He leaned forward in his chair, sniffing the food a few times. "...And it smells amazing."
"What did you call this, Anne?" Kabbu asked, not understanding the name at all. "Sam, tom, uhhh..."
"Som Tam Thai." Anne corrected, taking off the mittens and setting them aside. "It means 'Green Papaya Salad' in English. It's a pretty simple Thai dish. It was like, one of the first ones I learned how to make." Anne went on to explain the ingredients and how she made the Som Tam Thai in full detail, going over practically every step of the process.
During this explanation, Leif picked up his utensil, about to take a bite of food until Kabbu grabbed Leif's arm, shaking his head. "Leif, wait a second!" Kabbu whisper-shouted. "Don't eat yet! We need to appreciate what Anne did for us!"
Leif let out a long sigh. "Fine." He forced himself to resist the sweet, sweet temptations.
"...And even though I did have to substitute a few ingredients, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference!" Anne finished her long explanation, taking a few deep breaths. All of that was just off the top of her head, and she was very passionate about it.
"I must admit, I'm impressed kid." Fry said, chuckling a little. "That looks astounding!"
"Come on, why don't you get in on this?" Anne said, pulling up a chair for Fry. The more bugs that liked her food, the better.
"Sure, why not!" Fry exclaimed, sitting down in the chair pulled up for him.
There weren't any chairs left at the table, but that didn't matter. Anne was the cook after all, she didn't need to sit down with the others. "Alright everyone, dig in!" Anne said, stepping back a bit.
With the signal given, the four bugs at the table grabbed their utensils and began to eat Anne's cooking. Admittedly, the human teen was... incredibly nervous. Her stance shifted slightly as the seconds seemed to drag on, awaiting the reception to her cooking. Would they like it? Or...
"Anne, what the heck?" Vi said after swallowing down her first bite. "This... is incredible!" There were stars in the bee's eyes. "This could put that stupid diner out of business!"
"Mmmph, very good." Leif said as he kept shoveling down the food, not bothering to finish chewing before he spoke. Next to him, Fry took his time eating the food, trying to savor every bite.
"I must agree, this is fantastic! Anne, where did you learn to cook like this?" Kabbu asked, eager to know more.
Anne blushed a little, happy that she finally was able to do something nice for her friends. After so many screwups, it... felt good. "My parents actually own a Thai restaurant back home." Anne explained, happy to share this part of her with her friends. She hadn't really done that before now, huh...
"Here, I'll show you a photo." Anne added, pulling out her phone and going to her photos. She walked back to her friends as she absentmindedly tapped on an image before turning the phone around so her friends and Fry could see, the four bugs turning their heads to look.
To Anne's confusion, Kabbu, Vi, and Leif all collectively gasped while Fry gave a look of confusion. "Uh, is that what a restaurant looks like in your world?" What? Anne turned the phone back to her only to see-
Domino. It was a cute photo Anne remembered taking, the cat lying on her back with a ball of yarn next to her. However, seeing Domino brought back... memories. The events of what happened with Domino 2 forced their way back into Anne's head, reminding her of the mistakes she'd made. It ate away at her, especially since she'd unintentionally reminded her friends of the catastrophe as well.
"Whoops, lemme just..." Anne hurriedly scrolled to the right picture, trying to get the Domino 2 incident out of her mind. Within seconds she found it, turning the phone back for everyone to see.
The picture was of her parents' restaurant, Thai Go. It wasn't a big place by any means, not having any place to sit in and eat. It was fairly tall, however. When did Anne take this picture again? ...Wait, she remembered now. Sasha took this one day, trying to get a photo of her, Anne, and Marcy, only to fat-finger the phone and change the camera perspective at the last second.
"I used to work there all the time and help out!" Anne explained; she could almost imagine the familiar smell of the place. "I hope they're doing alright without me..." Anne pulled her phone back to her, frowning. Would her parents' restaurant be okay? It'd been over a month without her being there to help, which meant all kinds of things could happen.
Then again, her parents, aka the only employees, were strong. The restaurant could survive without her, right? ...Discounting the restaurant, were her parents doing okay?
"Did you enjoy working there?" Kabbu asked, his interest piqued.
"Well..." At this, Anne began to reminisce, memories of Thai Go flooding back into her.
And before she knew it, Anne was already telling them multiple stories about Thai Go. She told them about the time there was a new movie in theaters that she really wanted to see with Sasha and Marcy, but her parents told her to stay and clean up the restaurant before closing. So, Sasha and Marcy helped Anne clean up so all three of them could see the movie. ...Anne did have to pay for everything in return though.
Then there was another time where Anne's parents had to take care of something last minute at the Wat Thai Temple, leaving Anne alone at Thai Go for a few hours. ...And it just had to be during the lunch rush as well.
"Oi, that sounds dangerous!" Vi said after Anne went into detail about the whole event.
"Oh yeah, it was incredibly nerve-wracking." Anne agreed, remembering it all too well. "But also, incredibly rewarding!" Without that fateful day, Anne wouldn't have the experience of dealing with the intensity of the food business.
"Kid, that's impressive!" Fry complimented from his seat before taking the time to have another small bite of food. "You know, if you really wanted to, I bet you could start a restaurant of your own!"
"You think so?" Anne asked, a bit surprised that Fry thought she could do that. She hadn't really considered doing that before, although the possibility wasn't out of the question. Anne pondered this, putting a hand on her chin.
"Fry, heads up." Leif's voice rang through the air, getting everyone's attention. "You've got another customer coming."
"And I thought this place was gonna be a ghost town today!" Vi commented, earning a chiding glare from Kabbu. "Come on, we're like the only ones here!"
Fry stood up, walking to his station without missing a beat. He was in the middle of rearranging everything back to the way he had it before Anne showed up, when he looked over and saw who was coming. "Oh no."
It was immediate. His tone shifted from his usual, jolly self to that of something much more cautious. Anne raised an eyebrow; what could possibly get Fry so worked up? She turned her head, getting a good look at the customer who was walking over.
The customer was a moth, a little shorter than Leif. Nearly his entire body was covered in gray fur, and his arms and legs were a darker gray. His antennae and wings were that of a pale yellow, his singular eye a similar color. He frowned as he walked over, taking his time.
"What's the deal with that guy?" Anne asked, genuinely confused.
"He..." Fry hesitated, as if not wanting to recall it. "That guy's been a bit of a problem customer lately. He's the reason why my establishment has been practically deserted recently." Fry explained. "Any time he shows up he always has to criticize something!" Fry threw his arms up into the air in exasperation before crossing his arms and sighing.
Anne scoffed, more than relating to Fry's experience with this sort of stuff. "Karens are the worst!"
"Actually, his name is Alex." Fry corrected, not understanding the human slang. "I have had a customer called Karen before... she wasn't that bad, actually."
"Well, still. My parents and I had to deal with customers like that all the time back home." Anne said, scowling at the thought. "One time, there was this guy who kept insisting that he ordered three drinks even though on the receipt it said he only ordered two! The paper doesn't lie, dude!"
"Uh..." Kabbu said, trying to speak up. "Anne, you shouldn't judge Alex before meeting him!" He was going to say more, but Alex was within earshot by now, so the beetle stopped talking.
"Fine." Anne groaned, sitting down at the table with her friends. She'd give Alex the benefit of the doubt... for now. She turned so she could watch Alex walk over to Fry, making sure she saw everything that happened.
"This is gonna be good." Vi commented, waiting for the show to unfold.
Before long, Alex made it to Fry, the moth already looking annoyed. "I'm very hungry, Fry. The food today better be up to par." Alex's voice was gruff; there was no hint of any kindness or compassion behind it. Just as Anne expected.
"Just tell me what you want, Alex." Fry sighed, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible.
Alex rattled off an order, and the chef began cooking. As Anne watched, it was immediately clear that her suspicions about Alex were more than true, with how he stood around while Fry was cooking, commenting on everything little thing he perceived to be wrong. "That's too much honey!" "Are you really putting it in there for that long?" "Ugh, that smells weird!"
"Guys, don't you see what's going on?" Anne asked, turning back to her friends. "That guy's badgering Fry on every little thing!" It was frustrating and infuriating to listen to; some of the stuff Alex was saying wasn't even true!
"I understand how you feel!" Kabbu said. "But... if you took the time to try and understand Alex, you might figure out why he's acting like this!" Oh, how naïve Kabbu could be sometimes...
"Listen. There is no excuse to be treating someone that's cooking for you this way!" Anne explained. Was it really that hard to understand? Treating a cook or chef badly could have disastrous consequences. What if they got pissed off and spit in your food?
"Meh, I wouldn't worry about it." Vi said with a shrug. "Some bugs are just like this. You can't change them." Oh of course Vi of all bugs would say that.
"What do you think of all this?" Kabbu asked, turning to Leif. The moth had been quiet for a bit, after all.
However, he was busy with eating Anne's food, paying attention to nothing else. By now he'd gone through most of it, choosing to slow down in order to savor the last of it. Seeing how Leif wasn't paying attention, Kabbu tapped him on the shoulder, to which Leif turned his head. "Huh?" Leif asked, his mouth full yet again.
"...Never mind." Kabbu said.
For the next few minutes, Anne watched as the cycle of Alex berating Fry continued, only ending when Fry served the gray moth the food. The more Anne watched, the more she wanted to just get up and tell off Alex, but at the same time she didn't want to cause a scene right after doing something for her friends. But at the same time, she didn't want to just sit by while an injustice in the food business was happening.
"Here's your berries." Alex said with a huff, setting the berries into Fry's open palm.
Fry took a moment to count them, making sure Alex gave him the right amount before pocketing the berries. Fry then grabbed the plate of food off the table next to him, handing it to Alex. "And here's your order!"
Alex didn't even bother thanking Fry before he walked over to an empty table, sitting down to eat. Here it was, the moment of truth. Anne watched closely while trying to be inconspicuous, but at this point she didn't care too much if Alex knew she was watching him. Alex picked up his fork, scooped a bit of food onto it, and brought it up to his mouth...
He chewed on it a bit...
Only to abruptly spit it all out after several seconds, the food staining the table. Fry shook his head and sighed, and at the same time, Anne gasped, utterly shocked at Alex's shameless display.
"Yuck, seriously?" Alex complained, wiping his mouth with his arm. "Do you really have the audacity to call this food? The honey is undercooked and lopsided! The leaves are bent weirdly, and there's not enough spices!"
With each and every complaint Alex made, Anne's fury only grew further, bubbling inside of her like a storm just waiting to be unleashed. But she had to stay calm, she couldn't let her emotions get the better of herself... just be calm...
Alex wiped the remaining bits of food off his tongue in an attempt to get rid of the taste he apparently hated, a look of visceral disgust on his face. "This is entirely unacceptable! The guy who made this is just some lazy chump trying to make quick money."
That was the last straw. Anne couldn't take it anymore; insulting someone's cooking was one thing, but trying to defame someone's character was an entirely different ballpark. It was a line that Anne would never cross, and she refused to let this happen.
"That's it!" Anne said, immediately standing up, her face burning with rage. She ignored Kabbu's attempts to get her to sit back down as she stomped over to Alex's table. Nothing could get her to stop now; this was something she had to do.
Once she was at Alex's table, Anne snapped her fingers several times to get Alex's attention. "Hey, you!" Anne said, her tone harsh. Alex swiveled around in his chair to face her. "Where do you get off criticizing Fry like that?! His food is great and worth the money needed to pay for it! And running a place like this is hard, you know!"
"Oh really?" Alex challenged, standing up out of his chair. Anne stepped back so the gray moth wasn't in her face, but she still stood strong. "Well what does a creature like you know about cooking or anything?" He questioned.
As soon as he said this, Anne became smug, already knowing that she was about to have the upper hand. Alex became yet another one of many bugs that called her a 'creature', but now she could definitively prove that she was much, much more than that. "Well, my parents run a restaurant back home, so I know what I'm talking about."
It was as easy as that, although... an idea popped into Anne's head. She already was winning, but taking it a step further would really show Alex not to mess with the food business. And then she could end this once and for all, before Alex could make any further false claims. "And I can prove it." Anne added.
Alex raised an eyebrow as Anne walked back to her table, her eyes scanning the table for what she needed. Anne grabbed the plate of food she made right off the table, eliciting a whine out of Leif as the moth was about to take another bite. Sorry, but Anne needed this more. And it was a good thing she grabbed it just then, because there was only enough food left for one bite.
A smug look on her face, Anne grabbed an extra fork before she walked back over to Alex, the plate of food in hand. "This is a Som Tam Thai, made by yours truly." Anne explained. "My friends did eat most of it, but there's still enough left for one last bite."
Upon looking at the food, Alex gave a quizzical glance, having never seen something like that before. What, did nobody here know anything about Thai food or culture or anything? Geez. Anne had a lot to teach them...
Alex did grab the plate of food, holding it in one hand as Anne handed him the clean fork. With a sigh, Alex picked up the last of Anne's cooking with his fork, guiding it toward his mouth before slowly chewing on it. Anne waited with bated breath, the smile on her face slowly widening as she could already imagine Alex's reaction-
Without warning, Alex suddenly spit out all the food in his mouth, causing it to go flying toward Anne's face. She didn't have time to dodge or get out of the way before the food got all over her; it happened in a matter of seconds.
Anne's smile instantly dropped, her former smugness now replaced with anger and confusion. "Seriously dude?" Anne yelled, trying to wipe the half-chewed food off her while trying not to explode from Alex's sheer rudeness. "What the heck?!" Everyone else liked her food, so why did Alex suddenly hate it?
"That was awful." Alex sneered, and in that moment, it was as if Anne had just been stabbed in the heart. "This made Fry's cooking seem tolerable by comparison! Everything feels like it's just mashed together without any cohesion, there's way too much sauce, and the favor is disgusting at best." To add to his point, Alex coughed multiple times, as if trying to induce regurgitation.
With every insult and "criticism" that Alex gave, Anne only became more shocked and surprised, unable to believe that someone could say this about her cooking. About her Thai cooking. With that thought back in her mind, Anne's confusion morphed, slowly twisting itself into rage. Anne's hands balled into fists, her arms shaking at her sides as she tried to restrain herself from outright cursing at the gray moth before her.
"Oh, you are so going to regret that!" Anne yelled, which was what came out instead. She jabbed a finger at Alex, poking him in the chest.
Kabbu stood up out of his chair, nearly knocking over the chair in the process as he ran over to Anne and Alex, getting in between them in an attempt to separate them and defuse the situation. "Anne, it's not worth it!" Kabbu said as he held his arms out, preventing Anne and Alex from getting any closer to each other. "Maybe we should just go back to the house and-"
"Quiet." Anne said, pushing Kabbu aside. Startled, the beetle stumbled back a bit, and while Anne would normally follow his advice, she just couldn't this time. She couldn't let Alex get away with the awful things he said, because if she did...
Anne got up in Alex's face, the gray moth glaring right back at her. "What you're saying is offensive!" Anne yelled. Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest, part of her unable to believe that there could really be people here that acted like certain individuals back home. It made her feel sick and her head hurt, which was why she could not let this slide, not for a second.
"And to prove you wrong, I'm gonna make the best, greatest Thai dish that this world has ever seen!" Anne declared, pointing up to the sky. Before she even knew what she was saying, it was already out there. Surely, even someone as harsh and unapologetic as Alex would have to admit defeat at that point.
"Whatever." Alex scoffed, rolling his eye. "If that's the case, I'll be coming back later tonight to see how "great" it is." Alex used air quotes to emphasize his point.
Of course he would use sarcasm to try and make himself look better. "Fine!" Anne yelled, not letting him get the upper hand.
"Fine." Alex groaned, turning around and walking away.
"Fine!" Anne yelled again, a bit louder this time.
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"Fine."
"Fine!"
The loop of Anne and Alex saying "fine" repeatedly continued until Alex walked out of earshot, leaving Anne to catch her breath after all the yelling she just did. Kabbu stood beside her, having absolutely no clue what to do or say. Vi and Leif gave each other quizzical looks before they got up from their seats, walking over to the others.
"I... think that you might've went a bit too far." Fry commented, cringing a little.
"No I didn't." Anne said, crossing her arms. "Alex made it... personal." She deepened her voice on the last word for emphasis. That gray moth crossed a line the moment he spat out her food in her face. It would not be tolerated in the slightest. Oh, what Anne would do to wipe that smug grin off his face...
"I hate to break it to you, but even if you cook another Thai dish for him, he'll probably just spit it out again." Vi said. No, that couldn't be true. Anne was going to prove Alex wrong; prove everyone who ever insulted her family name wrong. And even better, she had a secret weapon that Alex had no idea about.
"That's where you guys come in!" Anne said, pointing at Kabbu, Vi, and Leif with both of her index fingers. With the help of her friends, she was sure that she could make a near-perfect Thai dish!
"Well, we saw this coming." Leif deadpanned, shaking his head.
"Oi, why are you dragging all of us into it!?" Vi yelled, already frustrated.
No, they weren't going along with it! Anne had to think fast, or else her plan would be ruined... "Come on, please?" Anne begged, partially in truth and over-exaggeration so her friends would help her.
Now that Anne thought about it, Alex could potentially cause further damage to her reputation here in Ant City. He might spread rumors about her "poor cooking", which wouldn't do her any favors in the slightest. She already wasn't in good standing with most of the townsbugs here thanks to a few previous incidents, one more thing could cause any goodwill she had left to go down the drain, just like that. It was incredibly lucky that nobody knew about the Domino 2 incident... otherwise, she might've already been run out of town at this point.
"Anne, of course I'll help you out!" Kabbu said, buying into Anne's pleas immediately.
Vi rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Do you have short-term memory loss or something? Anne just cooked something on her own five minutes ago! She can do it on her own!"
While that was true, if Anne wanted to make a truly amazing dish, she'd have to make it a bit more... complicated. She didn't know all the ins and outs of every Thai dish, but she could make this work. "Nonono, that was something... basic!" Anne explained, trying to sound convincing. "Just about anyone could make that!"
"Even us? We don't remember the last time we've cooked." Leif asked.
"Yes! Exactly!" Anne yelled in exasperation. "Guys, we have to prove Alex wrong! We can't just let him walk around insulting all the food he eats!" And in that moment, she put two and two together, the revelation causing her stomach to drop. "And maybe he's even the reason that this place is practically deserted!"
"But Fry's food is good, isn't it? We've seen other bugs here before." Leif added.
"Yeah, and then Alex stuck his nose or antennae or whatever into Fry's business, spreading rumors and causing everyone to want to not come here!" Anne said. It all made perfect sense; connecting together seamlessly. "Which is why the four of us need to create the most surprising, most fabulous, tastiest Thai dish ever!"
"Well, what should we do first?" Kabbu asked.
"First, we gotta find an awesome recipe." Anne said, pulling out her phone. She scrolled to an app that thankfully worked offline; it was Thai-themed. Anne made her way to the recipe sections of the app, scrolling through them slowly to try and pick out the perfect one.
Vi impatiently tapped her foot as Anne continued to scroll, stopping for a moment on a few specific recipes before shaking her head, passing each of them over. After a minute or two, she spotted something that piqued her interest; it was colorful and made her even hungrier than before. In other words, it was perfect.
"Oooh, how about this?" Anne asked, turning the phone around so the others could see. "This is a Thai Mango Salad, from my experience it's one of the best-tasting Thai dishes around!" Sure, Anne hadn't eaten anywhere close to all of the Thai dishes in the world, but she had a good enough idea of what worked the best.
"Anne, you're just making me want more food!" Vi complained, unable to keep a smile off her face. She was fixated on the phone
"Looks yummy..." Leif mumbled, his mouth watering a bit.
"So you have it pulled up on your phone, does that mean we can cook it now?" Kabbu asked. Anne was thankful for his inquiries, it helped her steer the conversation forward. What she didn't notice was Vi grabbing the phone out of her hand once she was distracted.
"Not yet. All we gotta do-" Anne started, only to pause as she raised her hand to look at her phone, realizing in horror that she was holding nothing.
What she saw next only increased her panic further; as Vi held the phone in one hand, she had her beemerang raised in the other, only moments away from bringing the weapon down on the device. At lightning speed, Anne snatched the phone out of Vi's grasp, holding it close to her so nobody else could get it.
"I thought I told you not to do that!" Anne chastised, remembering how Vi did this exact thing weeks ago in Snakemouth Den.
"Sorry, forgot." Vi apologized.
Well, the faster she moved past that, the better. "All we gotta do is get some ingredients." Anne explained, pulling up the app again and getting back to the Thai Mango Salad recipe. "Which include... one large red pepper, one large Thai green mango, which can be substituted for an unripe mango..."
Anne excitedly read through the rest of the ingredients, the prospect of gathering them all sounding easier the more she thought about it. When she was finished, she turned the phone yet again so the others could see, this time making sure Vi couldn't grab it.
"...Why are there so many fractions involved, Anne?" Kabbu asked, looking a bit weary.
"Do we even have half that stuff here?!" Vi questioned.
"You've gotta!" Anne exclaimed. "Because if you don't, the reputation of my family's restaurant of Thai culture as a whole may as well go down the drain!"
Beat.
Okay, maybe that was a bit of an over-exaggeration. But still.
"Well, we're willing to do whatever it takes to get good food." Leif said, a small smile on his face.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Anne said, elated that everyone was now onboard with her plan. "With Team Snakemouth working together on this mission there's no way we're gonna be beaten by some lousy food critic!"
And with that, the four of them cheered, their plan and new quest already set into motion. Today looked to be a lot more exciting than originally intended!
Off to the side, Fry stared at them, having been forgotten in the midst of Team Snakemouth's conversation. "Good luck, you folks!" He called out to them, unsure if they were even paying attention.
(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)
With their new mission in mind, Team Snakemouth set off to find all the ingredients for the Thai Mango Salad. They only had a few hours before Alex would be back at Fry's place, expecting something to eat, which was why time was of the essence.
First, Team Snakemouth did the obvious. They went to each of the various stores in Ant City, combing through each one for the ingredients they needed. At first, they had a lot of success! Most of the ingredients were easy to find, the team striking multiple ingredeints off the last just after their first store. A few of the ingredients were admittedly expensive, but it was worth the price so Anne could rub it in Alex's face later.
The trips to the store didn't come without their bumps in the road, though. During their search of the fourth store, Team Snakemouth found that it was rush hour, customers scrambling to get as many items as they could while they were on sale.
Anne had a feeling the ingredient she needed would run out fast, so she grabbed a nearby cart, telling all her friends to climb into it. After, Anne wasted no time in running forward, using the cart to push past anyone else in her way. An idea formed in her head, and Anne stood on the back of the cart, gaining even more speed in the process. ...Huh, this was fun when you were on this end of it.
Without warning, another cart crashed into her from the side, knocking her and her friends off-course. Anne yelped, keeping a tight grip on the cart as the rest of her body flew up. Gravity took hold, and Anne landed feet-first on the ground, wasting no time in resuming chase for the ingredient. No time to waste.
She dodged and weaved around other carts, her friends trying their best to direct her where to go in the midst of the chaos. They were knocked and shoved around in the cart, Leif commenting at one point that he felt sick. But soon enough...
"Almost there..." Anne sped down an isle, pushing the cart as fast as she could. She saw what she needed, it was a spice that would make the Thai Mango Salad's flavor really pop. "Just a bit more..." Anne's arm was outstretched, just a bit more...
"Got it!" In the brief moment she passed by, Anne grabbed the spice, stuffing it into the cart. "Alright! Another ingredient down, and only-"
"ANNE, LOOK OUT!" Kabbu screamed, Anne looking up at the last second to see that she and the cart were heading straight for-
CRASH!
-The wall.
...Luckily, nobody was injured and the spice remained intact.
...
Over an hour had passed since they began looking for the ingredients, and Vi needed a break. ...Which gave her the perfect excuse to go back to that bar. Plus, they might have ingredients nobody has found yet! The perfect excuse!
Sneaking away from the others, Vi made her way to the Dead End Bar, easily recognizing it from a distance. But as she walked over, she paused, noticing something... odd.
There were two bugs wearing gray uniforms sitting on a log outside the establishment; were they on break? The two were mingling with each other, occasionally sipping a drink from the cups they held. But that wasn't the issue.
One of the bugs was a... bee? It was weird, they looked like a honeybee, just like her, but the wings and antennae looked... off. Next to the bee was a purple beetle that had four arms, strangely enough looking sort of like Kabbu. There were two weird red rings on the beetle's horns, and Vi could help shake the feeling that there was just something off about the two bugs-
"Vi!" Kabbu yelled from behind her, Vi yelping as she turned around to see an angry Kabbu. "I told you, you're not going to a bar! Come on, let's go!"
With that, Kabbu grabbed Vi's hand and led her away, the bee sighing. She knew that Kabbu was concerned, but Vi liked a bit of danger! Oh well. Vi probably wouldn't even think about those two weird bugs anymore anyway.
…
Two hours went by in what felt like minutes as Team Snakemouth finished scouring the last of the stores in Ant City, storing every ingredient they found in Anne's backpack. The work was tiring, but Anne pushed through. It would all be worth it in the end...
However, even after combing through all the stores and establishments, there were still a few ingredients left to find. The four of them were absolutely sure they went through everything, so they were going to have to try something else.
Asking around for the remaining ingredients sounded like the next best course of action. They asked around Ant City, seeing if anyone had any of the remaining ingredients they needed.
They asked Ali, but he didn't have anything.
They then asked Utter, but he didn't have anything either.
They were even desperate enough to ask Robertius, but he slammed the door in their faces after only one look at them.
When it became clear that there wouldn't be any more progress in Ant City, Team Snakemouth had to search elsewhere. So, they looked to the Outskirts. The snail caravan was long gone, and Eetl and Artis didn't have anything helpful either.
But not all was lost yet. The four of them made their way to Chuck's place, deep within the outskirts. Sunset fast approached, the time ticking down faster than ever before... and to their dismay, he didn't have anything either.
...Although! He did tell them where there might be a place to get more ingredients. In the west of the Outskirts, there was the Pier. It had rare and unique items, which hopefully would get them what they needed. Because Team Snakemouth only had time to check only one more area...
(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)
"You know, last time I was here, I didn't really get to... appreciate this place." Anne commented as she and the others arrived at the Bugaria Pair after about a half hour of traveling. Last time, Anne was in a frantic rush... and right now, she was also in a rush, but not quite as frantic.
The pier wasn't massive, but it was lively, even during the sunset. Anne recognized Div, and there were some other bugs that were foreign to her. Nevertheless, if this place weren't so out of the way, she might visit it more often. ...Though there wasn't much to do, since it was mainly for docking ships that were way too expensive for her to use.
"Appreciate it later, Anne. We've got to get those last two ingredients." Leif said, rushing them along. He knew that the food was going to be for Alex, right?
"If I recall, Chuck said they should have them at the Pier Stop!" Kabbu explained.
"I never liked the name 'Pier Stop.'" Vi said. "We're at the pier already, come up with something more original!"
At this rate, they'd never get to the two ingredients if they all just stood around and talked! "Less talky, more ingredientsy!" Anne yelled, trying to get everyone back on track.
Time was running short, after all. Anne practically speed-walked to the Pier Stop, briefly looking around at what else the pier had to offer. It appeared to have an Inn of its own, and... meh. Anne couldn't care right now. She was the first one in the Pier Stop, holding the door open for the others.
"Did anyone hear a noise outside?" Leif asked as the door closed. Huh? Anne didn't hear anything. Vi shook her head.
"Nope, I'm afraid not." Kabbu answered. Leif frowned but decided to drop the subject.
With that, the four of them walked up to the counter, Anne eyeing the chef that looked to be busy at work. "What's up, my good man?" Anne asked, leaning one of her arms on the counter. "I heard from a reliable source that you have just what I need, and you have it, don't you?"
The mantis chef gave her a confused look. "Kid, you don't need to act so sleazy with me." His voice somehow was even more gruff than Alex's. "Anyway, I'm chef Cronk, what can I-"
"Your name is CRONK?!" Vi blurted out, unable to control herself. She laughed wildly, pointing at the chef. Anne raised an eyebrow at Vi's odd behavior, was it really that funny? As the seconds passed, Vi's laughter slowly came to a stop, the bee realizing that nobody else was laughing... and that Cronk was giving her the stink-eye.
The chef sighed, turning away. "Just talk to my assistant Crinny instead, she'll get you what you want." Cronk said, gesturing to said assistant before turning away. Vi tried her absolute best to stifle her laughter at hearing the assistant's name.
Upon hearing her name called, the assistant walked over, a smile on her face. "Hello! What can I get for you four today?"
"Do you have any... what was it again, Anne?" Kabbu asked, attempting to make the order.
"Brown sugar." Anne said before addressing the assistant. "At least two tablespoons, please. I need it for the salad dressing for the dish I'm gonna be making tonight."
"Of course we have it!" Crinny said, her eyes closed as she smiled. "We have a ton here, so I can get it for you no problem! Anything else?"
Anne listed off the last ingredient before she forgot, and Crinny got both ingredients for her, Kabbu paying for everything without incident even if Vi winced a little at the prices. And as Anne got the last two ingredients, (stored safely in containers!) She put them in her backpack, her heart pumping fast with so much elation inside of her.
At last! Anne cheered, her friends following suit. "This calls for a catchy tune!" Anne said, taking her phone out before playing a triumphant ringtone, humming and dancing along to it, as she opened the door, the four of them walking out of the store as Anne prepared to finally prove Alex wrong once and for all-
Only to see absolute chaos.
A couple minutes ago, the pier was peaceful. Not much was happening. But now, there was an absolute infestation.
"Water Striders!" Kabbu called out, recognizing what they were.
There must've been at least a dozen of them; the large lesser bugs crawling around everywhere. And it wasn't like they were just minding their own business... no, they were attacking civilians, either by rushing at them or straight up shooting them with pressurized water. Most of the civilians weren't equipped at all to deal with the things, cowering in fear and trying to run or hide. The only exception was the nearby sailor, trying his best to fight the Water Striders off.
"What the heck?" Anne asked, wondering why this was even happening. Had this ever happened before? What would cause the Water Striders to do this? Although... "You know, they do remind me of a video game enemy-"
"Anne, I'm pretty sure that now is the WORST TIME FOR THIS!" Vi yelled, inadvertently signaling a few of the Water Striders to their presence.
"It looks like they won't let us through without a fight." Leif said, preparing his ice magic.
"Then let's rid this place of them!" Kabbu said, getting into a fighting stance. Anne and Vi got out their respective weapons, Anne hoping that this detour wouldn't be detrimental.
And then... it began. Almost immediately the four of them were split up, Anne fighting a Water Strider on her own. She sidestepped out of the way at it charged at her, Anne trying to be careful about the ingredients in her backpack. She was thankful for the experience of fighting the spider; Anne played this fight a bit more... cautiously.
Gripping her tennis racquet tightly, Anne swung at the Water Strider, hoping to get a direct hit on its face- only for its legs to extend upward at the last second, causing Anne to swing at thin air. "What the-" Anne looked up, the Water Strider now over twice her height.
Anne yelped as the Water Strider shot water at her, having almost no time to dodge. Instead, she raised her tennis racquet in an attempt to block the water entirely, only to realize a moment later just how horrible of an idea that was. Most of the water went through the holes in the tennis racquet, spraying the water all over Anne's face. She tried to shield herself and turn away, silently hoping that her backpack wouldn't get wet. ...She hoped the others were doing well, at least.
Kabbu taunted a Water Strider to charge at him, the lesser bug taking the bait wholeheartedly. Kabbu waited until the last moment, when it was just close enough before... without warning, he upstruck the Water Strider, sending it flying onto its back. The Water Strider screeched, flailing its legs in an attempt to get back on its feet.
"This'll teach you not to mess with innocent civilians!" Kabbu yelled, grabbing the Water Strider by its hind legs before turning, using all the strength he had to throw it directly at another Water Strider, causing both lesser bugs to go flying... crashing right into the local inn. Oops.
Leif wasn't going to waste any more time than he needed to. He flung ice at any Water Strider he saw, before seeing one come at him from the side. Leif turned as fast as he could, throwing his arms at the nearby Water Strider in an attempt to cast as much magic as possible. And it worked. The Water Strider was now completely encased in a block of ice. Leif saw another Water Strider nearby that didn't notice him, and then looked at the Water Strider frozen in ice... oh yeah, Leif had an idea.
Freezing over a part of the ground so it would be easier, Leif pushed the ice block toward the Water Strider, trying to stifle a laugh as the two crashed into each other, dazing both Water Striders. Leif turned back around, not realizing that the ice block still slid, creating a loud noise as it crashed somewhere else. Oops.
"Come on, is that all you got?" Vi questioned as she threw her beemerang yet again at a Water Strider, the bee having a smug smile on her face as the Water Strider grew even angrier.
But that proved to be her grave mistake, unable to stop the Water Strider from shooting an entire jet of water at her face, soaking her completely. "Oh come on, AGAIN?!" Vi screamed, remembering the last time she got soaked with water. Frustrated, Vi blindly swung her beemerang, hoping to hit the Water Strider again... only to hear some sort of crash before her beemerang returned to her. Oops.
...Anne couldn't take it anymore. The stupid Water Strider that was far out of her reach... hold on. As she looked over the tall Water Strider again, it had a new weakness that Anne failed to consider before, and while it was dumb of her to pass over it... now she had the perfect chance.
Right when the Water Strider wasn't looking, Anne bent down, sweeping one of its legs off the ground with her tennis racquet, causing the Water Strider to go off-balance. Its eyes widened as it stumbled around, desperately trying but failing to re-orient itself, and Anne could only watch as it fell over completely, crashing right onto the Pier Stop. Oops.
And then, there was silence. Adrenaline pumped through Anne's heart as she looked around, realizing the completely awful state the pier was in now. Sure, most of the Water Striders were gone, but at what cost? But to be frank, she didn't have time to worry about that.
"Oi, that was tough!" Vi complained as she walked over with the others.
"Come on, there's no time!" Anne said, trying to rush them along. If they left now, then she still might be able to make the food on time.
"But-" Kabbu looked back at the pier, a saddened look on his face.
"We gotta go!" Anne yelled, grabbing Kabbu's arm and dragging him away. Vi and Leif followed, having no protests. Sure, the Pier needed to be repaired... but Anne literally didn't have the time. Oh well, she could worry about it later.
(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)
About an hour later, everything was going perfectly.
Before they went back to Fry's, Anne made a pit stop at the house to change, taking off her shoe before putting on a traditional Thai outfit that she had in her backpack. She wished she'd had a better one, but oh well. This would have to do. The Thai outfit was both fitting and to help her look more presentable as a cook, and plus, her friends liked it!
With that, they went to Fry's, having just enough time to spare to begin cooking. Anne took care of the most difficult task: actually cooking the food, while the others were relegated to simpler tasks. It was the evening by now, the red moon shining brightly over all of them.
Fry was on standby to notify Anne if Alex arrived, while Kabbu, Vi, and Leif had to set up the tables, making sure they were extra clean for when Alex would get here. Anne worked tirelessly, her body already sore from the Water Strider attack earlier. It was nearing nighttime, which meant Alex could arrive at any second. She had to work fast, but also not rush the food.
Eventually, when the time was just right, Anne put the finishing touches, extra careful not to ruin anything at the last second, and... "There!" Anne stepped back a bit, taking a breath. "It's finished..."
Anne then leaned down, taking a big whiff of the food. Her eyes widened, the fantastic smell of the mango, dressing, and other assorted ingredients all combined in the perfect way entering her nostrils. "It's perfect! There's no way Alex could hate this!" Anne crossed her arms, her smugness from before returning.
But it quickly faded as fast as it came when Leif walked over, his mouth watering. He couldn't help but be entranced by the intense aroma, staring directly at the plate of food. "It looks delicious... Maybe we'll just take a small bite..."
Leif reached his hand out toward the plate. Anne gasped, already envisioning Leif doing something to ruin all her hard work. She only had enough ingredients for one meal, and there wasn't any time to get any more. "No, this is for Alex!" Anne yelled, attempting to push Leif away. The moth whined, trying to reach around Anne's body for even one scrap of food.
"Can someone help me, please?!" Anne yelled, moments from going into a rage at Leif's seemingly insatiable appetite. However, Kabbu and Vi were too distracted, Kabbu trying to teach Vi the proper technique for folding a paper cloth.
"This might be bad timing kid, but I see Alex arriving." Fry said, straining his eyes a bit to see the gray moth from far away.
"Seriously?!" Anne yelled, her eyes bugging out. "Kabbu, get Leif away! Hurry!" Anne wasn't sure how much longer she could hold off Leif.
Thankfully, Kabbu came to her rescue, yanking Leif away by his wings. Leif yelled in surprise, unexpectedly jerking back a bit. As a result, both Kabbu and Leif stumbled backward right into a table, a loud CRASH reverberating as they fell onto the table, breaking it in half.
But it didn't stop there. The perfectly placed utensils flew off the table at the moment of impact, Vi not realizing that they were heading toward her until it was too late. Caught in the crossfire, Vi screamed as the utensils hit her in the face, the bee trying but failing to shield herself.
Seeing all this only brought Anne further anxiety, the teen wondering if she forgot anything or if she should've- her thoughts ceased as Fry banged his wooden spoon against his cooking pot several times, startling everyone into silence. ...Well, that certainly helped.
And right on time, Alex walked up, his demeanor as grumpy as ever. He looked around, his eye stopping on the table that Kabbu and Leif destroyed. "Well, this is off to an amazing start." Alex said, sarcasm just oozing from his voice.
Anne tried her absolute hardest not to get angry as she swallowed down her anxiety, walking over to Alex in a professional manner. "Apologies for the disruption, my good sir." Anne said as she gave Alex a slight bow, her palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. In Thai culture, this would be called a 'wai.'
"Let's go to a different table, shall we? One that's much more capable for eating." Anne led Alex to the next table, briefly glaring at Kabbu and Leif for causing one of the tables to be broken. Team Snakemouth was surely going to have to pay for that later.
His expression unchanging, Alex waited for Anne to pull out a chair for him, Alex casually sitting down. "Where's the food?" Alex complained.
"Allow me to bring it out to you." Anne said, still trying to be professional while gritting her teeth and clenching her fist ever so slightly. She speedwalked to the work area where the plate of food was, grabbing it before walking back over to Alex's table.
With as much grace as she could, Anne set the plate of food down on the table, adjusting the utensils so that Alex could easily reach them. "This dish is a Thai Mango Salad, made only from the finest, freshest ingredients available." She technically wasn't wrong about that. "Enjoy, my good man."
And just like before, Anne stepped back, sweating slightly. Her fingers crossed, she and the others watched with bated breath as Alex scooped up a small portion of the food onto his fork, bringing it to his mouth before chewing. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, Anne waiting for the moment of truth. Any second now...
Alex spat out what he had in his mouth, wet chunks of it flying onto the table. Anne reeled back in horror, dumbfounded by the sight before her. "WHAT?!" Anne screamed, otherwise speechless. She didn't understand at all; how could this have happened?
Kabbu shook his head, part of him expecting something like this to happen.
Fry let out a deep, longing sigh. "I... had a feeling that this would happen."
Aside, Leif tapped Vi on the shoulder, getting her attention. "Alex isn't going to eat any more of that food, can you bring it over to us?" Leif whispered, trying to make sure nobody else overheard him. "Please, we're really hungry after all that running around earlier."
Vi groaned, huffing a bit. "Fine. But only if you let me have some too." she demanded. Leif nodded in agreement.
Frustrated, Anne paced around, not paying attention to anything else. How could Alex hate a Thai Mango Salad? It was a THAI MANGO SALAD for crying out loud! She racked her brain, trying to think of any reasonable explanation that made sense. Did she do something wrong? No, she followed the instructions to the letter! Anne was sure of it! She mumbled to herself, recounting what she did every step of the way.
But as she did, all the paths and choices she made led to the same thing. An uncomfortable truth that she wanted to avoid; didn't even want to consider. It burned her, the teen not even wanting to consider it. But that was just it. She was a teen; she didn't have that much experience cooking. Was she... not a good cook?
Did that mean everyone else just... tolerated her cooking? Just to be nice? It did make sense, though. People she knew would be nicer to her regarding the stuff she cooked; after all, in the past, she tolerated her friends' cooking... Hm. No, Anne couldn't leave it at that. She had to be absolutely 100% sure, leaving zero room for doubt. Only then would she accept it.
Anne turned back to the table, walking over. "Hang on, I'm going to inspect the..." Anne paused, confused. The plate of food was just there a moment ago. She was sure of it.
But now... it was gone.
"Huh?! Where is it? Where'd it go?" Anne questioned, countless possibilities forming in her mind, many of them including Alex tossing the food out.
"Oh, one of your friends took it." Alex dully said, not caring at all.
Anne's confusion grew by the second, none of this making any sense whatsoever. "What? But why would they..." Anne's words died in her throat as she turned, the sight before her almost unbelievable.
Vi and Leif had themselves sat down at an empty table, eagerly scarfing down the Thai Mango Salad. In the moments that Anne was distracted, one of them must've grabbed the plate when nobody was looking. At first, a part of Anne was mad that they took it despite her making it extremely clear not to. However...
"Anne, you can't keep doing this! This is too good!" Vi complimented, happily continuing to eat. Next to her, Leif didn't bother to finish chewing before he mumbled an "Mhm" in agreement, already ready to scoop more of it onto his fork.
"W-Wait, save some for me!" Kabbu called, running over to the two of them. "Vi, Leif, wait!"
For a few moments, Anne didn't know what to think upon seeing this display. Her first instinct was to think that her friends were just being nice to her again, but... no. This was genuine enjoyment. Not faked. Even earlier, they honestly thought her cooking was good, including Fry.
So why was Alex the odd one out? Everything he tasted he seemingly hated... but was that really the case? How could that guy get through everyday life while spitting out everything he ate? ...Unless he didn't. The truth instantly flipped on its head, the simple fact both frustrating and confusing on its own.
"Were you... lying?" Anne asked, her expression dark.
Alex nodded, straight-up confirming it. And there it was, the truth crashing down like a spaceship. Alex never actually hated any of the food, he just lied about it for... some reason. "So?"
"So? So?" Anne repeated, disbelief written all over her. "Then what was the point of any of this if you were just lying about it the whole time?" All that time she spent trying to prove herself, wasted.
Alex stood up out of his seat, his eye narrowed. "I was teaching you a lesson." He said with a sigh. "You were acting so pompous about your cooking, and you still are by the way. Children acting like spoiled brats need to be put in their place, so they don't grow up acting like they own everything."
"What? That doesn't even make any sense!" Anne yelled, extremely offended by the sheer audacity of what Alex said. "I've spent my whole life trying to master and perfect this, and you just... you're insulting my entire culture and you don't even care!" A few tears escaped Anne's eyes, the teen trying to tell herself that it didn't matter what one random person thought.
"You're right, I don't care." Alex huffed, and any previous thoughts of trying to walk away from this melted into nothing.
Anne argued loudly, trying to explain what Thai culture meant to her and how important it was. Alex didn't seem to care, snapping back with non-sequiturs and other statements that seemed to only be said to make Anne angrier.
The two grew louder over time, making the argument uncomfortable to watch. Fry nervously glanced away, twirling his wooden spoon to make it seem like he was occupying himself. Leif and Vi's eating slowed to a stop, the two of them unable to take their eyes off of Anne and Alex. Kabbu stood still, unsure of what to say or do.
"Do you even KNOW what I had to do to get all the stuff to make this?!" Anne yelled, her frustrations spilling out as Alex tried to talk over her. But she wasn't having any of it. "I had to search every store in this place to even find some of these ingredients, and even then I almost got myself killed in some stupid shopping cart race!" It was as if all the troubles and pain she endured trying to get the ingredients now meant nothing. That it didn't even matter in the first place.
Alex tried to talk again, but Anne wasn't going to let him get a word in edgewise. "And then I had to ask a bunch of people who all said they didn't have anything, and THANKFULLY they had everything else I needed at the pier, but guess what? The entire place got overrun with Water Striders-" The moment Alex heard that, he froze.
"-And I just barely avoided all the ingredients getting wet!" Anne continued, too focused on her own rant. "So don't come at me trying to teach me a lesson, I worked my butt off trying to do this for you!"
"Um, Anne?" Kabbu said in the moments that Anne was silent. Still furious, she turned her head to see Kabbu, an eyebrow raised. "I think you might've struck a chord with him..."
Hm? Anne turned back to Alex, her rage simmering a little. No longer did he appear angry, but rather... saddened, deep in thought. His hand touched the area where his missing eye was, feeling over the scar. Anne didn't know what to say, looking away. Should she feel guilty? Alex rightfully deserved what was coming to him, although...
Everyone had a story, a life's worth of tales to tell. She shouldn't judge others based on one bad experience, but in the same vein, she wished others wouldn't judge her so harshly as well. Anne sighed, now she knew she'd feel bad if she continued yelling at him.
"I'm guessing this has something to do with the Water Striders. They're the reason that you're so angry and upset, isn't it?" Even for Anne, it wasn't hard to figure out. One encounter with those things made her want to just literally throw them in a garbage can. But she obviously didn't have the full story.
Alex nodded and sighed, his angry and resentful persona all but gone. "Mhm. I suppose I should tell you everything." Alex said, Anne and the others listening as Alex told his tale.
…
When the gray moth was younger, he thought he had it all. He was in his mid-twenties, made a steady supply of berries, and best of all, was part of an organization he belonged in wholeheartedly. He couldn't ask for anything more... well maybe except a partner. That would be an added bonus.
Ever since Alex was a little bug, he wanted to be a sailor. Even when his childlike mind was blind to how cruel the greater world could be, his wish was kept true. He worked at his dream, finally seeing a job opening in his late teens. That was when he learned of some of the... darker aspects of the world. But he didn't care about that.
For years he was a sailor, the organization he was a part of promoting him slowly over time. Before he knew it... he was the captain of his own ship. He built friendships, acquaintances, and perhaps lifelong bonds... everything was going the way he wanted it to. Perhaps a little... too well.
Alex didn't know much about the inner workings of the organization, but he did like how well the jobs paid. It was a simple balance, get paid and don't question much. He was sure they were doing the right thing, after all. And one day... he'd been given the biggest job of his life.
It was supposed to be his last mission. Alex had done almost all he could as a sailor in the organization, and afterward this last job, he would travel the world, searching for new opportunities. The payout made it more than worth it; Alex took the mission in a heartbeat.
And so, Alex and his crew sailed the sea, the sail displaying the all-too familiar red and purple insignia of the organization that Alex had seen perhaps thousands of times by now. There was a smile on Alex's face; after this he'd travel to places he'd never seen before, maybe settle down and-
He'd never be able to do that.
Without warning, a Water Strider jumped onto his ship. And another. Within seconds, an entire swarm of them came abord. Alex and his crew were helpless to stop them, the lesser bugs attacking without remorse. Frustrated, Alex ran up to a Water Strider, personally trying to get it to stop. He grabbed the lesser bug by its leg, pulling it into the air-
It shot Alex in the eye with pressurized water-
His eye couldn't be recovered.
When he was rescued, the organization patched him up before immediately dismissing him. He was unfit for further duty, told to never reveal the organization's identity. Alex only had the money to buy a small house in Ant City, but the organization would send him berries every moon cycle to compensate for being unable to work.
The lack of being able to do what he loved left Alex bitter, the hatred boiling for many, many years. It ate away at him every day, how because of one random freak accident he lost pretty much everything, and he couldn't do anything in retaliation lest he face the organization's wrath. He knew what they did to bugs they didn't like...
…
"Yeah. I grew bitter and resentful because of that." Alex finished. "It's not my fault, though."
The others stayed quiet, all of them having mixed reactions. Kabbu was brought to tears, trying to keep himself from sniveling. Vi stood still, shellshocked by everything Alex said. Leif frowned, unsure if he knew Alex before his 'stay' in Snakemouth Den. Fry looked down, feeling sorry for the gray moth.
Meanwhile, Anne just wasn't sure what to think. Sure, that sucked a lot. If Anne had been put in a similar situation, she'd definitely get angry as well. However... "Dude, I sympathize with you. If I lost my hand or arm or something and I wasn't able to cook, I'd be devastated. But getting angry at others and bringing down everyone around you isn't the way to go about this! ...I think."
Alex stood there in deep thought, processing Anne's words. It was eerily silent, allowing Anne to realize that she'd never heard of any other organization aside from the Explorers' Association in Bugaria before. Just what was that other organization...?
"You're right." Alex huffed, trying to remain neutral. "I just... I lost pretty much everything. I can't sail, I don't have enough berries coming in to go anywhere... I'm stuck. That's it."
"Well yeah, but..." Anne frowned, unsure of how to properly continue. Alex did feel remorse, but what was she supposed to do? She didn't know any way to fix what costed him his whole life. Guilt ate away at her, and Anne supposed... perhaps there were some things you just couldn't fix.
"Oh! Oh oh oh! I just thought of something!" Kabbu abruptly yelled, running over. "Alex, I know what you can do!"
"Hm? I'm listening, don't be afraid to say it." Alex replied.
"Well... do your criticisms of food come from a place of honesty?" Kabbu asked. What? Anne wasn't sure where he was going with this; didn't Alex lie about everything he hated?
"Sort of, I guess." Alex shrugged. "I just think of one tiny imperfection I don't like, and then blow it up into something huge to vent my anger on."
Kabbu paused, a bit taken aback. "Well... maybe don't do that! Instead, you could use your ability to inspect and criticize food to be an actual critic or helper for Fry!" Kabbu explained, gesturing to the fly. Ohhhh, now Anne saw what Kabbu was trying to do. Smart.
"Really?" Alex asked, a bit confused by this prospect.
"Absolutely!" Kabbu nodded. "You seem to know your way around food a bit, and this is something productive you can do every day!"
"Yeah, that sounds better than just shaking your fist and being angry at everyone all the time." Vi commented, earning a quick glare from Alex.
"Well, the help sure would be appreciated!" Fry said with a hearty chuckle. "Business has been slow lately, so anything to aid in moving would lift a lot of weight off my shoulders! Just respect me and there'll be no hard feelings."
Alex opened his mouth to say something, closing it a few seconds later. Anne became worried, part of her dreading that everything yet again might go wrong and- "I can work with that." Alex said, a smile forming on his face for the first time in what might've been years.
"Cooking is something I can sink my time into." While still a bit gruff, Alex sounded... more cheerful; happier than before. He turned to Anne, his smile partially fading. "I'm... sorry about tricking you." He apologized. "I guess I... saw a bit of myself in you and hated seeing how carefree I used to be. I'm bitter and old, you don't have to forgive me. I understand."
Great, now Anne really did feel guilty. Alex was old, and... after being dealt such a horrible hand in life, maybe he deserved to live out the rest of his years... happy. "Dude, we're cool." Anne confirmed. "Just as long as you respect Thai culture, then I don't see any issues ahead of us." She extended out a hand to him.
"...I don't really know what Thai culture is, but fine." Alex said, extending out his own hand. The two shook hands for a moment, solidifying that there wasn't any bad blood between them. Part of Anne also realized that this equaled another bug that would treat her with some kind of decency as opposed to... everything else that she experienced here. Well, it was a start.
Their hands parted, and Anne smiled. "Well, that went better than expected."
"No kidding! I thought I was going to have to pull out my beemerang again!" Vi said.
"...What, did you think you'd have to fight me or something?" Alex questioned incredulously.
"Uhhhh-"
"We do have a feeling we're forgetting something..." Leif mumbled, trying to remember.
"Did you? I don't think you did." Fry said.
"If it was important enough, then we surely would've remembered!" Kabbu added.
"Hmmm..." Anne put a hand on her chin, trying to think. Did they forget something in the chaos of everything happening?
(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)
The Bugaria Pier was still in ruins, completely disarrayed from the Water Strider attack.