Alice and Ryo go 'shopping', but on Ryo's turf.
Alice let out a long, lazy yawn, as Ryo opened the door of the car for her, and she stepped out into the street. It was too early in the morning for this. She had barely brushed her hair, much less had her morning coffee. "Why did I have to come with you to the fish market again?" Alice asked.
Ryo closed the car door, and the Nakiri-owned car drove off to look for a parking spot. "I needed the car," Ryo said. "It's easier to transport the fish that way."
"Ryo, you could just ask the drivers yourself," Alice said, sleep still evident in her voice. Ryo grabbed her by the forearm, and pulled her towards him as a cyclist nearly ran into her. Alice didn't even notice. "Go on and order the servants for your own things, I'm sure they don't mind."
"Don't want to. Doesn't feel right," Ryo said. That, and he was also a servant himself, Ryo thought. He was higher up the hierarchy, working directly for Alice, but he was still a servant all the same. He rarely used the Nakiri family resources unless Alice asked him to.
"Besides, you said you needed something for your dish," Ryo reminded Alice.
Alice looked thoughtful, as if she was trying to recall what it was. "Oh, I did. I was going to look for some squid."
Ryo chuckled softly. She said she was going to look for some squid, but the chances were that she was going to leave that to him. Alice had a good eye, but it wasn't good enough to surpass Ryo's experience with seafood.
"Well, it looks like they're opening. Let's go, miss."
Alice tried to stifle another yawn. "Uh-huh. I'm right behind you, Ryo."
The fish market was busy, as it always was. Crates and tubs of fish and seafood were being brought in, with vendors and haulers being perpetually on the move. It smelled just like the sea.
Ryo had a list in his head, but he often kept an eye open for what was good and fresh. He made a mental note to look out for that squid Alice was asking for as well.
Speaking of Alice... Ryo turned around, to check on her. She was nowhere in sight.
"Ryo. I'm here." Alice said, and he finally noticed her trying to catch up to him. She still had bags under her eyes-she really was not a morning person. As she tried to catch up, she almost ran into a hauler with a crate of fish.
Ryo immediately went to her side, and grabbed her hand, almost impatiently. "Stay alert, Alice."
"...So bossy," Alice said, taking note of how he called her just Alice right now. It was almost as if it was a cue that this wasn't Ryo her aide-this was Ryo, her fiery, impatient, and somewhat ill-mannered childhood friend. "I'm not a kid that's going to get lost in the market, Ryo."
"It's faster this way," Ryo said, holding on tightly to her hand. "People are gonna beat us to the best catch if we're not quick."
"You're always so serious about seafood," Alice said, as if teasing him, but there was also a soft, genuine smile on her face. She let Ryo hold her hand, and pull her along.
"Hey, Ryooo. I noticed something," Little Alice said one day, as she stopped by Ryo's pub for a lunch break. "Well, it's a given since we're right by the docks, but the seafood here is something else. The quality of the seafood itself is better than the pubs and restaurants beside you. Do you guys have a secret supplier or something?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryo looked a cross between confused and offended. "The seafood here is good because I pick everything out. That's all there is to it."
Alice looked genuinely surprised. "So, are you saying you have a good eye?"
"'Course I do, hon. If you wanna see for yourself, come out here tomorrow morning with me."
Ryo said 'morning' but Alice did not know that it meant sometime around three AM. It was still dark at the fisherman's dock, but it was already bustling, with fishermen, haulers and vendors. Alice was still sleepy, and she stifled a little yawn. But beside her, Ryo was all ready for business, carrying a crate and a pad of paper and pencil.
"'S gonna get a bit busy there babe, so make sure you keep following me, okay?" Ryo said, making one final check at his list.
"How rude," Alice remarked, to the 'babe' moniker. "I told you to call me 'Miss'!"
"Whatever, hon," Ryo said. He extended a hand out to Alice. "Let's go."
Alice just looked at his hand, and gave him a questioning look. Ryo sighed, and then just took her hand in his.
"You're going to get lost if I don't hold onto ya," Ryo said. "Can't have that happen. Your dad's gonna kill me."
Alice was only a child, and hasn't seen much of those cheesy romance movies she would end up bingeing as an adult yet, but for some reason, she felt her cheeks feel warm and her heart skip a beat as Ryo held onto her hand tightly, and pulled her along towards the fish market.
Ryo had a habit of squeezing her hand briefly when he was going to make a stop, or check something out. Alice wondered if he was aware of this mannerism. He also tended to do that when it was her dragging him along to her shopping trips, but then it would take on a different meaning-it was more of a cautionary sign to stop buying more shit.
He squeezed her hand ever so slightly again now, as he stopped before a certain vendor. The old man's face lit up upon seeing Ryo. "Oh, Kurokiba! You're here again today, I see."
"Of course," Ryo said. He pretty much came daily, so most vendors already knew him. "I'm looking for some squid right now."
The old man didn't respond to Ryo, since he noticed Alice, and Ryo's hand holding on tightly to hers. Alice noticed the man make eye contact with her, and so she offered a little smile.
"Oh," Ryo said, when he noticed the vendor looking at Alice, as if exchanging quiet greetings. "This is Alice, my..."
Ryo paused for a bit. The word "mistress" was the technically correct term, but it was an odd word to say, with plenty of other meanings.
"You have such a gorgeous girlfriend, Kurokiba! She looks like such a sweetheart." The old man said, with an amused, affectionate smile.
"Oh. She's not-"
"Me?! Gorgeous?! Oh, you're far too kind, sir!" Alice said, looking pleased with the compliment. "Did you hear that, Ryo? You should say I'm gorgeous more often!"
Ryo sighed, although he had a little smile. It was just like Alice to completely skip over the girlfriend remark, and just skip to the praises about her.
"Hey, Ryo," she tugged lightly on his hand, pointing at something in the fish stall. "What sort of fish is that?"
The sailors and the fishermen in the docks looked amused as Ryo showed up that morning basically dragging a confused, but curious little Alice. He held onto her hand and pulled her along, as she tended to be distracted by the different sorts of fish and sea creatures the boats were hauling in. She had asked Ryo "what fish is that?" so many times now. She knew a lot about cooking and ingredients, including seafood, but she was amazed at how clearly Ryo knew so much more about this topic than she did.
"Ryo? Who's this, yer girlfriend?" The fishermen asked, with a bit of a chuckle.
"G-Girlfriend?" Alice asked, confused and flustered. She had only ever heard about that word on TV, and only associated it with adults.
"Yeah," Ryo said absently, to Alice's surprise. He hadn't even looked up from the order slip he'd been filling out for the delivery to the pub. "Cute, ain't she?"
Alice couldn't quite tell if he was teasing her or not. "R-Ryo! Who says I'll ever go out with an ill-mannered guy like you?!"
Ryo simply ignored her, more occupied with picking out which tubs of fish he wanted delivered to the pub. The sailors looked at them and only chuckled, muttering something in the line of "kids these days".
Alice wasn't upset for long, as the business of the fish port made her curious. She lightly squeezed on Ryo's hand, and tugged it gently, asking him one more time, "What sort of fish is that?"
A/N: Thank you to Winterabbit (as usual) and whatermelon for the reviews. 3 Reviews motivate me to write more haha!