"Then I get to pay for dessert and drinks." Ashiko insisted. Granted, she wasn't sure if the dessert here would be anything good, but it was the principle of the thing. Tit for tat. It was especially important that she leave on even footing, as she wasn't sure if finally broaching the subject of true professions would scare her friend off for good.

She refused to let the twisting tendrils of regret take root, however. Accident or not, it was something that was always going to happen. Even Ashiko could only act oblivious for so long.

To the server, she flashed a pretty smile and requested the normal fare for such an establishment—something with rice, and pork, as the village wasn't close to a river, and some sort of greenery. Ashiko tried not to pay too much attention to the actual dish descriptions, because if she knew exactly what she was meant to be eating she would end up critiquing it against what she herself would cook.