You spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Flavor Island with Katakuri. He takes you into a bar as the sun sets. "Here you can get a shot of any flavor harvested on the island," he tells you as you both take a seat next to each other at the bar. "What flavors do they have?" You ask. Instead of Katakuri, the bartender answers, "just about every flavor imaginable. Sweet Commander Katakuri, welcome, thank you for coming! And you must be his bride-to-be?" The bartender smiles at you knowingly and you blush, he must have been told about your earlier activities on the beach. "How about two surprise flavor flights for the happy couple?" He suggests. Katakuri nods and the bartender starts rustling behind the bar to prepare the flavors.
You lock your ankle around Katakuri's leg. "What are you doing?" He asks, "can't you sit still?" You kick the spur on his shoe, spinning it, your eyes light up. So fun! You do it again. "Stop that," he crosses his legs so you can't reach his shoes, "you're like a child." You blush, "I'm so excited and I don't know what to do with myself!" You were bursting with energy, radiating with excitement. He leans over and whispers into your ear, "behave, my feisty girl, or I'll make you." You bite your bottom lip and moan just as the bartender nervously lays the set of flavor flights in front of you. "Here we are! Two surprise flavor flights," he says, "if you guess them all correctly you get a prize. You perk up at the possibility of winning a prize. "Oh! What's the prize?!" You ask, thrilled at the idea. "You pick from our prize wall of course," he says pointing to the wall behind you. "Oh no," Katakuri groans before you turn around. And when you turn around, you understand why. Behind you, on the wall, among the prizes, is a giant stuffed panda drinking a 'Flavor Island' bottle through a straw. You gasp, "I need it," you whisper. "You DON'T need it," Katakuri argues, "you WANT it." You beg to differ. You are so winning that panda! You have the perfect spot for it, right next to your donut unicorn.
"Do we have the same flavors? Or does Katakuri have different flavors?" You ask the bartender. "All different, good luck!" He says. At least he didn't say there's a time limit. You pick up your first flavor shot glass and hold it up to Katakuri, "Cheers!" You tell him and he meets your shot glass with his. You drink the yellow liquid hesitantly, hoping the flavor will be tasty and not make you sick. You both watch each other for your reactions as you drink. Yours smells good but tastes so salty, you can only stand to drink a small bit. Katakuri smiles at the uneasy look you give him, "didn't get a good one?" You shake your head, "it's not bad.. But it's not great either. I also have no idea what it could be." He holds his hand out for your shot glass and you hand it to him. You watch him put the glass to his lips, he barely sips it and says, "buttered popcorn." You gasp, "how'd you know? What was yours?" He smirked, "I used to come here with my brothers and we'd make bets on surprise flavor flights. Mine's lemon drop, wanna try?" You smile that he thought to include you in his good memories, "okay," you say hesitantly and take the glass from him, which is also yellow in color. You sip and immediately pucker your lips, he chuckles, knowing the reaction you'd have.
There's three more tastings left. "Does it count if you guess my flavors for me?" You ask Katakuri but again the bartender answers first, "No-," he starts to say, then Katakuri glares at him and he changes his answer to "No problem! Of course that's fine!" He laughs nervously and awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. No one says 'no' to a Charlotte. You smirk at Katakuri, "careful, he might pee his pants. Round two?" He nods and you both pick up the second shot glass. You notice how careful Katakuri is with his glass, hiding his tasting within the fluff of his scarf so no one sees his mouth. You wished he didn't have to, you already miss seeing his smile. Your second glass is green and Katakuri's is purple. You smell it first, it smells sweet, like apples. You put it to your lips and drink, you pucker your lips, "Mmm sour apples!" You laugh. You see Katakuri's brow furrow, he doesn't drink his. "What's the problem?" You ask. "I don't need to drink it to know its lavender," he says. "Can I try?" You ask, sticking out your open hand. "Trust me, you don't want to drink it. Tastes like you're drinking room spray," he mumbles. You take the glass anyway and smell it, it smells so good, you give him a big grin and taste it, "Oh… Oh no.. yeah, it tastes like I'm drinking a candle." He sighs, "you couldn't just believe me?" You shake your head, "No I like to learn things the hard way," you admit. "You said it not me," he picks up the third glass and so do you.
"Katakuri," you say. "Yes dear," he replies. You blush, loving that he calls you that, "I just wanted to remind you there's a lot riding on these next two flavors. NO pressure, but it's all up to you." He rolls his eyes and drinks from his blue glass. Your next flavor is pink and it smells so good, you think you already know what it is. You take a sip, "Mmmm cotton candy!" You polish that flavor off, drinking the whole thing you enjoyed it so much. "What's yours?" You ask him. "I don't know," he says. You gasp, "you're lying! That's not funny! Don't you want me to be happy!" He smirks, "alright alright, I think it's raspberry." Your eyes narrow, "you think?" He tucks a lock of hair behind your ear, you wished you could kiss him again. You snatch the glass from his hands and drink it… you can't tell what it is either. "You'd better be right," you tell him. "Or what," he says in a seductive tone, "You'll punish me?" You smile and give him a naughty look, "I might have to."
You two pick up your last flavors and clink your glasses together, "Bottoms up," you tease. Your last flavor is brown and his is black. You take a sip and it's very bitter, "coffee," you say plainly, "this was really fun! Thanks for taking me!" He drinks his, "Mmm my favorite, the essence of pure darkness." You cock your head, "seriously?" He puts the glass down, "of course, I'd never lie to you." You take the glass and drink it, "It's kind of sweet? Why does darkness taste sweet? How do you even find and bottle darkness?" He takes the glass back from you, "it's bottled right from my soul, because I'm a horrible person." You glare at him, "you got me…" He smirks, "yes, it's licorice." You jump up out of your seat, "Yass! We won! Right?" You say turning to the bartender who looks between you and Katakuri nervously, "yes, congratulations!" He beams. You grab Katakuri's hand and lead him to the prize wall where the giant panda hangs just out of your reach. "I want it! Get it for me!" You say pushing his hand in the right direction. "Oh, this one?" He jokes pointing to the prize next to it. You punch him in the arm, "stop being mean!" He grabs the bear and pulls it down, "I really need to teach you how to punch."
You grab the panda from his hand and squeeze it. "It's so squishy! Like your mochi!" You beam. "Don't you dare compare me to that panda," he groans. He leads you out of the bar. "Katakuri, I was thinking that for the wedding, I will need a really big bouquet of flowers. And not the talking kind either," you say. "Whatever you want," he replies. "I'll hold it the whole time," he blushes knowing what you'll say next, "That way when you kiss me, I can hide your face behind the bouquet! And you can give me a real kiss on our wedding day." He strokes your cheek, "Don't you just have it all figured out," he says. "I sure do," you grin.
"I hope you don't mind, but we should head back to the docks now, I'm expecting someone," he says. "Oh, sure, who?" You ask. He blushes, "you see… I wasn't expecting you to want to stay." Your heart aches, "I'm sorry." He shakes his head, "No, don't be sorry for staying." You frown, "I'm not sorry for staying, I'm sorry that I made you believe I'd leave you. I love you, and I'm not leaving Totto Land without you." He smiles, "I know that now, and it makes me really happy to hear you say that. But I didn't think you'd stay. So I planned on giving myself some.. Time… and then Brulee would meet me here after sunset, so I wouldn't have to be alone." You grab his hand and squeeze it, "You would have been that sad to see me go?" He nods, "Yes, you probably saved all the citizens of Flavor Island and my relationship with my brother Saint-Marc by staying." You cross your arms, "you would have gone on a killing spree?!" He shrugs, "I'm not sure, I've done worse for less." You wet your lips, not wanting to think about that side of him.
You see Brulee standing at the docks, surprised to see the two of you together. She raises her eyebrows at Katakuri, "So how was your diplomatic trip to Flavor Island?" She asks. "I didn't abort my plans Brulee, I went through with it, just as I'd planned," he tells her. She looks even more surprised, then she looks at you, "Y-you.. You chose to stay?" You see tears filling her eyes. Wow, you think, she really does love her brother. "I'm happy for you," she says, "for both of you." You, Katakuri and Brulee walk together onto the Tarte. You sit down on the lounge couches together. Katakuri excuses himself to find refreshments. This seems opportunistic, you'd been meaning to speak with Brulee alone.
"Brulee, I-" you start but she interrupts you. "If you even think about hurting my Big Brother, I'll end you," she says simply, almost musically. You bite your bottom lip. You weren't expecting to start the conversation like this… "I love him," you reassure her. "No," she says, "I love him. We don't know you. You haven't proven yourself loyal or trustworthy. Just because you stayed doesn't mean-" this time you interrupt her, "I've seen beneath his scarf," you say and she gasps. So Brulee knew the real Katakuri too, you think. "He trusted me with that, and I still stayed," you add, "Because I love him." How many different ways did you have to say it to this lady? "Hmm, well, I guess we will see," Brulee muses. "Yes, you will," you reply.
"Brulee, as I was saying, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have lied to you. That's not the kind of person I am," you tell her. "Little Sis," she says in return, "I have something to confess too. When you were taken by Smoothie, I knew where you were." You cock your head, "You did?" She nods, "I heard your screams. I heard you screaming my Big Brother's name." You lick your lips, wishing Katakuri would come back with refreshments already, your mouth suddenly felt so dry. "So.. is that how you and Katakuri found me?" You ask. She shakes her head, "No. I knew where you were the whole time. And I ignored you. I ignored your screams. I didn't tell Big Brother Katakuri." Your mouth drops open, "Oh..Why?" You suffered. You could have been saved right away, but you suffered.. Not only because of Amande's lies or Smoothie's sadistic tendencies but because of Brulee's dislike of you too? You feel pale. "Because I was angry with you. I didn't think you deserved to have the perfect Big Brother, Katakuri," she tells you, "and I still don't believe you deserve him." You nod, "Well, I'm glad we understand each other better now," was all you thought to say. "Aren't you disappointed in me?" She asks. You exhale deeply, "No. I'm not. Because you weren't the one I was counting on to save me. Did you not help him find me though?" She nods, "I did, but only after he had said something to me. He said you were gone because he failed you. And of course I'd help my brother to feel like he wasn't a failure."
"Brulee, in the end, you did save me, in a roundabout way. I think you were the one who gave Katakuri my diary," you tell her. She looks at you quizzically, "I did." You give her a half smile, "I never should have lied or ran. I should have given him my diary sooner. I should have tired to explain how I felt, instead of assuming he wouldn't understand. When you gave him my diary, it led to an understanding between us. I misjudged him. My whole life I was used to people judging me, assuming I'd be something horrible to them. And yet.. I turned around and did the same thing to Katakuri." You see Katakuri walking towards you with a tray of treats and drinks. "I can see why he likes you," Brulee says, also watching him walk towards you. "Well I can't, so if you've figured it out, you should let me know," you muse. "You're very humble. That's not easy to come by here. Everyone here is proud. Constantly trying to prove themselves. And here you are.. Admitting your faults and forgiving the people to hurt you. And you don't see any of it as a weakness. If anything, it's what gives you strength," she says and Katakuri lays the tray down on the coffee table in front of you. "Of course," you say, picking a cookie up off the tray, "we can all learn from our mistakes, no one's perfect."
"Except Big Brother Katakuri," Brulee beams, "he's perfect!" Katakuri blushes, "Brulee, stop it." Brulee doesn't stop, "He's the perfect man! He's proud and cold and powerful at all times!" Katakuri sits down in the chair between you and his sister, "Brulee, enough." He says again, and it sounds like an order. You shake your head, "None of that stuff makes for the perfect man." You say taking a glass off the tray and drinking it, pleasantly surprised that it's lemonade. Both Brulee and Katakuri seem surprised at what you'd just said so you put down your glass and wipe your hands on your clothes, brushing off the cookie crumbs. You clear your throat and sit up straighter, "Well.. maybe that's perfect to you? But not to me. I want someone who listens and hears me even when I don't say anything at all. Someone who forgives me for my mistakes and who makes me laugh. Someone who shares my dreams and helps me reach my goals. Someone who favors honesty over always being right. That other stuff… that may work for your family, but it doesn't work for me." You say simply. Brulee and Katakuri share a look, then they both pick up a glass and sip. "What?" You blush. Brulee and Katakuri look at each other again, like there's some kind of unspoken data transfer happening between them that you aren't privy to. "Nothing," Brulee says, "You're just… different." She shrugs. You hope thats a good thing.
"So," you say, changing the subject, "how do marriages here work? Do I have to report to Big Mom? Am I a Big Mom Pirate now?" Brulee practically spits out her drink in a fit of laughter. "No," Katakuri says, "you're the wife of a Big Mom Pirate and you report directly to me." Your brow furrows, you don't see how that's funny, "I don't want to work under you," you tell him. He raises an eyebrow at you, "What do you mean?" You think on it for a second, "well.. I want to work on my own projects…I have a lot of ideas," you say. "Of course you do," he replies. "And sometimes we can work together.. at the same time.. But equally," you say, laying out your boundaries. "Is that so.." Katakuri muses, "you have no problems taking my orders in the bedroom." Brulee blushes and so do you. "That's different!" You squeal, not wanting to talk about this in front of his sister. "Not all that different," he says. You sigh… It's not as if you were expecting marriage to be easy. After all, love is always a hurricane!