Post by Ga-Teoh on Jun 12, 2023 22:05:12 GMT -5
His new life on Earth was not exactly going how Ga-Teoh had planned. The incident shortly after arriving in East City aside, he’d had trouble finding lodging for himself, as he’d quickly been swindled out of the money he’d brought from back home. How was he supposed to know that a bento box wasn’t actually worth thirty gold coins?!. Food was also an issue, especially given his extremely high metabolism. It got to the point that just a short week after his initial arrival in East City, the poor alien was walking down the street slumped over, struggling to find the energy to keep moving. “Ugggh… I’m starving.” He groaned. It didn’t help that he was walking right in front of a rice bowl place, the delectable smells from inside wafting out towards him.
It just so happened at that moment that the owner, a stern faced little old woman, stepped outside with a broom. She looked up at the boy, turned, and went right back inside. Teoh thought nothing of it except that he didn’t think he was that threatening, only for her to step back out a moment later with a bowl of rice and pork.
“Here.” She said, pushing it into his hands.
He blinked, looking down at it, “Thank you, but I don’t have any money.”
“Did I ask for money? Just don’t like seeing a young thing like you walkin around all hungry. Come inside to eat it, and if it really matters to you you can pay me back by sweeping my front steps afterward.”
Teoh’s tail wagged happily as he followed her instructions, entering the small shop and taking a seat at the bar, before beginning to voraciously dig into the bowl. It wouldn’t be much but it’d keep him going, and he was utterly touched by the gesture.
The woman set about cleaning some bowls behind the bar, keeping one eye on a both in the back where a group of rowdy young men were shouting and making a ruckus. “Oi, quiet down over there or you’re out of here!” Ignoring their jeers, she turned her attention back to Teoh, “I take it you’re new to town? What’s your name?”
Teoh swallowed the food in his mouth with a loud gulp before answering, “Ga-Teoh, ma’am. You can call me Teoh, though. And you’re right, I just got here.”
“Hm. Strange name. Call me Ms. Genmai.” She said, “You got a place to stay? Hey, final warning! Quit disturbing my other customers!” She shouted at the group in the back, who had been harassing the young couple sitting near them.
Teoh glanced at the rowdy group before answering, “No ma’am.”
She nodded, “Well I’ve got a room I don’t use upstairs, maybe we could work out a - that’s it, I want all of you out of here!” She stormed from around the bar, wielding a spatula like it was a cudgel.
“Ah shut up, you old bat. We’re still eating.” One of them said, standing up and dumping his bowl on the floor, “Honestly, though, you should be paying us to eat this garbage.”
At this point Teoh stood, fur standing up and a growl escaping from his throat. In addition to his rudeness towards the old woman who’d shown him charity, wasting food was a particularly severe cultural taboo where he came from. “She told you to leave.” He said.
The other thugs stood up with their leader, the group now approaching Teoh. “Awww, the little puppy’s angry! I think it needs to be put outside.” The taunted, patting Teoh on the head… just before being flung with a force towards the opposite wall, landing on top of the table where he and his cohorts had just been seated.
Everyone else, Ms. Genmai and her other patrons included, stared at his dazed form before slowly turning their gaze back to Ga-Teoh, who’s arm was still outstretched from the jab that had sent the man flying. For his part he was a little embarrassed; in his annoyance, he’d forgotten that he needed to hold back against most earthlings. It was a good thing he was still weak from hunger, or that guy might have gone straight through the wall. He slowly moved into a proper fighting stance, waiting for the other thugs to react.
“GET HIM!”
What followed was an expectedly one-sided battle, with Teoh dodging, blocking, and otherwise negating every attack thrown at him, while taking out each of the thugs with a single well placed blow. In the end, they were all a heap on the floor, and the other customers cheered and clapped. “Now, I believe Ms. Genmai asked you all to leave.” Teoh said, putting on a big smile and a cheery tone. “I don’t think she’ll mind if you leave your payment on the bar.”
They didn’t need to be told twice, one shouting, “You’ll pay for this, freak!”, as they grabbed their boss, tossed a handful of cash at the counter, and ran out.
Teoh felt pretty good about himself… until he felt a hand reach out, grab his ear, and yank. “Ow ow ow!”
“Young man, I appreciate you dealing with them, but did you have to make such a mess doing it?” Ms. Genmai asked, her voice the picture of calmness. It was true, the place was a bit of a wreck now. “You’ll be cleaning every last grain of rice before I let you start moving in upstairs. And you’re still sweeping my front step!”
“Y-Yes ma’am, understood ma’am, I- wait what was that?” She finally released him, and he rubbed his ear as he looked at her incredulously, “You’re giving me the room?”
“I ain’t giving you nothing, kid.” She said bluntly, walking back behind the bar, “You’ll work for it, keeping this place clean, maybe helping in the kitchen, and dealing with goons like those. They’re a big problem in this neighborhood, we don’t have a dojo nearby so there are no fighters looking out for me and my neighbors. Gangs come in and cause all kinds of ruckus. Could use a guard dog.” She said with a subtle smirk and wink. "Course, work is work, so I'll pay you too, don't you worry about that."
Ga-Teoh grinned wide and nodded. “Yes ma’am!” With his tail wagging up a storm, he quickly started darting around the shop, cleaning up the mess he’d made… and taking a moment to finish his rice bowl, of course.
It just so happened at that moment that the owner, a stern faced little old woman, stepped outside with a broom. She looked up at the boy, turned, and went right back inside. Teoh thought nothing of it except that he didn’t think he was that threatening, only for her to step back out a moment later with a bowl of rice and pork.
“Here.” She said, pushing it into his hands.
He blinked, looking down at it, “Thank you, but I don’t have any money.”
“Did I ask for money? Just don’t like seeing a young thing like you walkin around all hungry. Come inside to eat it, and if it really matters to you you can pay me back by sweeping my front steps afterward.”
Teoh’s tail wagged happily as he followed her instructions, entering the small shop and taking a seat at the bar, before beginning to voraciously dig into the bowl. It wouldn’t be much but it’d keep him going, and he was utterly touched by the gesture.
The woman set about cleaning some bowls behind the bar, keeping one eye on a both in the back where a group of rowdy young men were shouting and making a ruckus. “Oi, quiet down over there or you’re out of here!” Ignoring their jeers, she turned her attention back to Teoh, “I take it you’re new to town? What’s your name?”
Teoh swallowed the food in his mouth with a loud gulp before answering, “Ga-Teoh, ma’am. You can call me Teoh, though. And you’re right, I just got here.”
“Hm. Strange name. Call me Ms. Genmai.” She said, “You got a place to stay? Hey, final warning! Quit disturbing my other customers!” She shouted at the group in the back, who had been harassing the young couple sitting near them.
Teoh glanced at the rowdy group before answering, “No ma’am.”
She nodded, “Well I’ve got a room I don’t use upstairs, maybe we could work out a - that’s it, I want all of you out of here!” She stormed from around the bar, wielding a spatula like it was a cudgel.
“Ah shut up, you old bat. We’re still eating.” One of them said, standing up and dumping his bowl on the floor, “Honestly, though, you should be paying us to eat this garbage.”
At this point Teoh stood, fur standing up and a growl escaping from his throat. In addition to his rudeness towards the old woman who’d shown him charity, wasting food was a particularly severe cultural taboo where he came from. “She told you to leave.” He said.
The other thugs stood up with their leader, the group now approaching Teoh. “Awww, the little puppy’s angry! I think it needs to be put outside.” The taunted, patting Teoh on the head… just before being flung with a force towards the opposite wall, landing on top of the table where he and his cohorts had just been seated.
Everyone else, Ms. Genmai and her other patrons included, stared at his dazed form before slowly turning their gaze back to Ga-Teoh, who’s arm was still outstretched from the jab that had sent the man flying. For his part he was a little embarrassed; in his annoyance, he’d forgotten that he needed to hold back against most earthlings. It was a good thing he was still weak from hunger, or that guy might have gone straight through the wall. He slowly moved into a proper fighting stance, waiting for the other thugs to react.
“GET HIM!”
What followed was an expectedly one-sided battle, with Teoh dodging, blocking, and otherwise negating every attack thrown at him, while taking out each of the thugs with a single well placed blow. In the end, they were all a heap on the floor, and the other customers cheered and clapped. “Now, I believe Ms. Genmai asked you all to leave.” Teoh said, putting on a big smile and a cheery tone. “I don’t think she’ll mind if you leave your payment on the bar.”
They didn’t need to be told twice, one shouting, “You’ll pay for this, freak!”, as they grabbed their boss, tossed a handful of cash at the counter, and ran out.
Teoh felt pretty good about himself… until he felt a hand reach out, grab his ear, and yank. “Ow ow ow!”
“Young man, I appreciate you dealing with them, but did you have to make such a mess doing it?” Ms. Genmai asked, her voice the picture of calmness. It was true, the place was a bit of a wreck now. “You’ll be cleaning every last grain of rice before I let you start moving in upstairs. And you’re still sweeping my front step!”
“Y-Yes ma’am, understood ma’am, I- wait what was that?” She finally released him, and he rubbed his ear as he looked at her incredulously, “You’re giving me the room?”
“I ain’t giving you nothing, kid.” She said bluntly, walking back behind the bar, “You’ll work for it, keeping this place clean, maybe helping in the kitchen, and dealing with goons like those. They’re a big problem in this neighborhood, we don’t have a dojo nearby so there are no fighters looking out for me and my neighbors. Gangs come in and cause all kinds of ruckus. Could use a guard dog.” She said with a subtle smirk and wink. "Course, work is work, so I'll pay you too, don't you worry about that."
Ga-Teoh grinned wide and nodded. “Yes ma’am!” With his tail wagging up a storm, he quickly started darting around the shop, cleaning up the mess he’d made… and taking a moment to finish his rice bowl, of course.
WC: 1078