Chapter 36.

It was with some trepidation that Scott eyeballed the plate Mr Tanaka set down in front of him twenty minutes later.

"Uh, John?" Scott poked at something dark brown that was artfully arranged on top of a small bed of rice, "What exactly did I order?"

The redhead smiled over the plate of sashimi he was sharing with Kayo, "Local delicacy. Very high in protein and potassium."

Scott frowned at John's evasive answer, but decided to put his questioning on hold in favour of satisfying his hunger.

"Okay, it tastes way better than it looks," Scott announced, slapping Gordon's chopsticks away when the aquanaut tried to steal a piece, "Finders keepers, Gordo."

Virgil snickered as he discarded his jacket and loosened his tie, "What's the special, Lady P?"

"I think it's some kind of tuna," the blond woman replied, daintily picking up some pickled ginger with her own set of chopsticks, "It's very tender and incredibly fresh."

"How's yours, Gordon?" Kayo asked around a mouthful of rice.

"Amazing!" the aquanaut gushed, picking at something dark red that had a purplish tint to it, "No clue what it is, but I'm starting to think that's part of the allure of Japanese cuisine."

John bowed his head and coughed awkwardly.

Gordon hissed in irritation as he accidentally dropped a cube of rice back into his bowl. With a disgruntled sigh, the aquanaut discarded his chopsticks in favour of a wooden spoon. He'd waited long enough for his food and wasn't prepared to have to work for it as well.

Lady Penelope dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before clearing her throat, "I think now would be an ideal time for us to commence our second dating masterclass. I can see that you're all enjoying your food, so I won't ramble for too long. The second category Kayo scored you all on was your choice of date location and activity. This is of particular significance, as it's the only category that directly influences all of the other four. Once again, it's important to plan your destination and associated activity in advance. Take this evening for example; if I didn't know Mr Tanaka personally, then I wouldn't have been able to reserve a table here until next February. Promising your date a splendid time at an exclusive establishment is all good and well, however being forced to go back on that promise because of a lack of preparation is an excellent way to terminate the relationship."

Kayo gave a nod of approval at Penelope's speech. The blond woman certainly knew how to deliver information in a way that was both informative and pleasing to listen to.

Unfortunately, the Tracys seemed completely preoccupied with their stomachs and made no indication that they'd even been listening.

"I'm getting seconds!" Scott announced as he chased a stubborn grain of rice around his empty bowl with his chopsticks, "That was fantastic!"

"Me too!" Gordon mumbled around the mouthful he was in the middle of chewing, "Anyone else want to place another order?"

Lady Penelope gave a sigh of resignation, "Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Sure thing," Scott replied, his mouth full, "Plan everything in advance. Clothes, restaurant reservations, weather forecasts, wedding dates etcetera. So is anyone else going to order seconds, or is it just me and Gordon?"

Lady Penelope tossed her napkin down in silent irritation, "I might have some green tea. Would anyone like to join me?"

Kayo gave an enthusiastic nod, while John tugged at his shirt collar awkwardly and made a big show of refolding his legs.

"No thanks, I'm sufficiently wined and dined," the redhead replied, peering curiously over Gordon's shoulder as the aquanaut hoovered up the last remaining pieces of his dinner.

"May I get you anything else?" Mr Tanaka enquired, swooping over with the grace of a crane, "Perhaps you might like to look at the sake menu?"

Kayo cringed as memories of the drunken antics aboard FAB 2 came flooding back "No thanks, we don't drink."

"I'll have some more of whatever you just gave me," Scott enthused, motioning towards his empty dish, "That was one of the most delicious meals I've ever had."

"Same here!" Gordon enthused, holding out his bowl like a child in the school lunch line, "More of whatever this was please!"

"And two green teas," Lady Penelope added, shifting slightly to try and stimulate her numb feet.

"Right away," Mr Tanaka bowed for what had to be the fiftieth time that evening, "Two orders of green tea, one beluga placenta and one dolphin liver coming right up."

….

An eerie silence fell over the table as Mr Tanaka vanished into the kitchen once again.

Kayo coughed awkwardly into her napkin as she surveyed Scott and Gordon's faces, both of which were frozen in horrified stupor.

"I hear the prime minister dined here last week," Lady Penelope began in an attempt to break the ice that was rapidly beginning to form, "It might be interesting to ask Mr Tanaka what he ordered."

"Beluga placenta, maybe?" Virgil suggested, his shoulders shaking as he fought desperately to contain the roars of laughter that threatened to break free from the confines of his heaving lungs.

"Or dolphin liver?" Alan suggested, guffawing as Gordon's face paled to something beyond white.

Scott's unmoving blue eyes suddenly latched onto John, who was studying the ikebana arrangement in the alcove behind Virgil's head with a small smile on his face.

"John, was this your doing?" Kayo asked, her face contorted in silent humour.

The redhead refused to make eye contact with anyone, however allowed the smile on his face to grow slightly as he helped himself to some pickled ginger, "Maybe."

"I just ate a placenta," Scott announced in deadpan voice, his face devoid of all expression and colour as he stared blankly at the wall, "I just ate a beluga's placenta and liked it."

Gordon meanwhile, looked ready to burst into tears, "A d-dolphin? Like, the cute kind that swim alongside Thunderbird Four?"

Virgil gave a sympathetic head nod, "Afraid that's the only kind, bro."

Gordon's eyes watered over as his lower lip began to tremble. With a strangled sob, the aquanaut sprang to his feet and beelined towards the bathroom, staggering slightly as the circulation returned to his legs.

"Where are you going?" Alan asked, his blue eyes wide as Gordon stumbled across the tatami mats like a drunkard.

"To throw up," the aquanaut replied, "I can't live knowing there's a dolphin working its way through me!"

"A capital idea," Scott declared, his own face transitioning from white to green, "I've no idea what that beluga ate to make its innards taste so good, but I feel a sort of otherworldly connection to whichever baby relied on that placenta during its gestational phase."

Kayo sniggered, "Reckon you've inadvertently acquired a twin brother?"

"Or sister," Scott rasped, slapping a hand over his mouth as he freed himself from the restraint of his jacket and bombed towards the bathroom, "I'll probably never find out."

Five minutes later…

Mr Tanaka looked thoroughly confused when he returned with a fresh plate of dolphin liver, only to be met with two empty seats and the sound of retching from the bathroom, "Uh…Miss Creighton-Ward, is everything quite alright?"

"Just splendid," Lady Penelope replied as she handed Kayo her green tea, "Just some mild stomach discomfort."

Mr Tanaka nodded uncertainly before collecting the empty plates and retreating to the safety of the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, a rather sickly looking Scott and Gordon returned to their seats, the latter shrieking in terror when he saw the plate of purple dolphin liver waiting for him.

"Calm down," Virgil sighed with an eyeroll, "If it tastes as good as you claim, I'll finish it off for you."

"A noble sacrifice if ever there was one," Scott replied, covering his mouth with his hand as the dish passed underneath his nose en route to Virgil.

"Do you boys want some green tea?" Lady Penelope asked, offering her cup to Gordon, "It'll help with any lingering nausea."

"No thanks," the aquanaut shook his head and dropped his chin into his hands, "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of hungry again."

"Me too," Scott guiltily confessed, "But I don't trust John to translate for us and I can't read Japanese."

Two pairs of eyes suddenly landed on Alan's fries.

"Oh no you don't!" the youngest hissed, using his body to shield his plate from the hawk-like gazes of his brothers, "Nuh uh! You made your beds, now you have to lie in them!"

"Please, Allie?" Gordon begged, his expression pitiful, "Just one?"

"Only to reset our palates," Scott added, his torso migrating towards Alan's end of the table, "Remember all the times I've shared my food with you?"

"I don't care!" Alan snapped, squashing the very treasure he was trying to protect, "You guys made the mistake of relying on John, and now you have to deal with the consequences!"

"You relied on him too," Gordon countered, glaring daggers at the redhead, "He obviously likes you better than he likes us."

John shrugged as he refilled his glass of sparking water, "We're space brothers."

Scott scowled, muttering something about 'rocket brothers' and 'betrayal' under his breath.

"Hey, back off!" Alan cried, leaping to his feet when Gordon tried to insert a hand through a gap in his arms, "I'm not sharing, and that's the end of it!"

With a dramatic head toss, Alan stormed off in the direction of the bathroom, his plate clutched tightly in his hand.

"Uh, Al? What are you doing?" Virgil asked, his head tilted in confusion.

"Keeping my dinner safe," Alan replied, casting a wary glare over his shoulder, "I need the bathroom and there's no way I'm trusting any of you to watch these fries while I'm gone."

John's eyes disappeared into his head as the bathroom door swung shut. Kayo sighed and returned to her conversation with Lady Penelope. Virgil was silent for a full eight seconds before shrugging and turning his attention to the unwanted dolphin liver.

Scott meanwhile, was staring dry-eyed at the bathroom door, "Follow him."

"F.A.B," Gordon replied, hauling himself to his feet and following his eldest brother into the hallway.

"You wait out here," Scott instructed, motioning for Gordon to flank the doorway, "In case he tries to escape."

The aquanaut gave Scott a thumbs up before pasting himself against the wall.

With the stealth of a stalking tiger, Scott quietly pushed the bathroom door open with his foot and slipped inside.

Five seconds later, a loud scream pierced through the wall, closely followed by the sound of a plate smashing.

Gordon nearly fell flat on his back as Scott barrelled out of the bathroom, his suit pockets full of fries. The eldest hesitated for barely a second before tanking out of the restaurant's front door, a flailing, cursing Alan mere milliseconds behind him.

"Hey! Where's my cut?" Gordon hollered, springing to his feet and sprinting after the fleeing Scott.

Lady Penelope sighed as she drained the last of her green tea and fished her credit card out of her purse, "A typical evening in Ginza. I'm sure the wealthy business tycoons who frequent establishments like this will appreciate the exotic sight of three wild Tracys."

John shook his head as he tried to get the feeling back in his legs, "Too bad they forgot to study the kanji sheet I gave them on the flight over."

"Looks like they forgot something else as well," Virgil added, smiling slightly as he retrieved his jacket from the floor.

"And what would that be?" Kayo asked, her tone weary.

Virgil's eyes twinkled with humour.

"Their shoes."