--- Kat ---
"Perhaps we can chat about some lighter topics?" asked Kat. "How about... what everyone's favourite food is?" Kat almost wanted to blurt out 'assuming your clan allows you variety in your diet' but managed to bite down on the impulse. She wasn't trying to be rude, but the joke wasn't appropriate for someone she'd known less then an hour. Especially not when Hunter's clan was clearly important to her.
Kamiko's eyes lit up and she jumped at the chance. "I like jelly! All kinds of jelly. It's definitely genetic or at least it's something my family all loves and so do I! I'll take any flavour but I have preferences for the calmer ones like apple and grape, while some of my sisters prefer it to be really sweet. The texture is perhaps the best part and even just poking at it can be a lot of fun!"
Hunter gave a slow nod to Kamiko for her answer but didn't say anything just yet. Lily sighed and said, "Well I used to have other favourites but now is raw, slightly spiced fresh fish. Just a bit of salt and maybe a touch of something else. It's great, I love it... but I also hate how fish now tastes so much better then anything else. It's honestly a bit annoying.
There's so much variety... but my brain just goes 'OOOH FEEESH' whenever the stuff is on offer. Admittedly I can't be too mad because well... I do love the taste but it gets a touch annoying,"
"I can see how that would be an issue. Restricting yourself to a single food type because of sufficiently superior taste profile could be a pain. I am lucky enough to avoid that issue. Unlike many of my cousins," Hunter paused and glanced from Kat to Lily and elaborated, "what I mean by that is other Lamia's, I prefer lean meat. I would say that I am most fond of stews made with personal kills.
"There is something satisfying about hunting the meat for your meal personally. There is a much lesser improvement in the taste of the vegetables and fruits. I find that most of that improvement is from the product being fresh, while hunting for meat comes with a level satisfaction. That and we have learnt a number of good tricks for growing produce we have not yet entirely mastered for animals,"
Kat waited for Hunter to finish and said, "Well I wouldn't say that I have a favourite food. Not like everyone else. Sure I have preferences, and if I was to reach for anything I'd reach for a pair, or this soup a dryad called Thyme introduced me to. It's exceptionally spicy and literally hot enough to burn most people who try to eat it.
"But yeah... those are good and I'll lean towards them whenever they're on offer... but I can appreciate the taste of just about anything I find. At least, as long as it's prepared well or with good ingredients. Though I do have a question Hunter. What sort of meals does your clan tend to encourage?"
*Huh. It's interesting to see how different OUR Hunter can be from the rest of them. Even with her love of the clan stuff like this shows she's her own person. Which is just... nice I guess? After seeing her so vigorously tear apart the dissenters in her clan I wasn't sure. I mean, I know she said she is able to accept contrary opinions, even in the clan, but she seemed... very hardline before this.*
[I think you might be a touch unfair here... but I do agree that it's nice to see her uniqueness come out. I guess with a nam- I mean, 'designation' like Hunter 23HX443 we appreciate anything that... humanises her I guess? Perhaps a bad turn of phrase considering none of us a human but it's the best I've got in English.]
Meanwhile, Kamiko was getting into things, "Ah, I know what you mean. Aside from jelly, which my family just seems to consume en mass there are a lot of things that just make you feel heavy. Even if they really shouldn't. I mean, I know that we burn through our food literally but some stuff just sits on your stomach. It is not nice,"
"It is a most distasteful feeling," agreed Hunter 23HX443 "I do not understand how many of our clan members can simple gorge themselves on such foods. I once saw a child of six years consume an entire roll of fresh sausages that took up about half of their weight for lunch. Then, once the meal was over, the individual in question proceeded straight into practice with seemingly no ill effects.
I could hardly believe what my eyes were telling me and I was sat next to them on this day,"
"Some people are just weird like that," said Kamiko with a nod. "Though, do you have any favourite sweets? I guess it's a bit silly to ask since I already said jelly was my favourite food which is technically a sweet... but I guess I just want to know,"
Hunter 23HX443 gave a shrug at the question and said, "I do not dislike sugary treats on principle but I find they simple do not do much for me. Admittedly they are pleasant on the tongue but ultimately unsatisfying as a meal and I do not feel well after ingesting more than a few bites of them.
If I was forced to choose, I would say that any hard candy I can suck on for an extended period of time would be my favourite. No offense is intended to you who devours jelly,"
Kamiko giggled, "Ah but I find that just fine. See the best part about making new friends with unique favourites? It means that there's more jelly for me whenever we find some!"
Kat watched with her own smile as Hunter 23HX443's mouth twitched further upwards. *It seems Kamiko is better at making friends then she thought. Seems like she's already doing quite well. That or she's come a long way. I'm proud of her, and quite glad to be around for this moment.*