Lord of the Thing
Nobody quite knows what it is...

Chapter 6

Wasabi!

The next morning the Entourage of the Ring set out again. But as soon as they left their campground, they came across something very strange - a Japanese restaurant.
"I thought you said there were no restaurants for miles!" cried Mary to Bore Me. "Thanks for telling the 'truth.'"
Bore Me's face turned red. "I didn't know," he replied.
The group trudged into the restaurant to the smell of chicken teriyaki and tempura. "Yum!" cried Spam. "It smells really good in here!"
"Thanks," replied a voice. A teenage girl strode out of a corner. She was sort of tall with brown hair and bluish/greenish/brownish/grayish eyes. "Welcome to my restaurant."
"YOU own this restaurant?" asked Afrodo, surprised. "But you look only thirteen!"
"I AM only thirteen," she replied. "And I love Japanese food. That's why I own this restaurant."
Afrodo turned to Dandruff. "Doesn't Nameless own a Japanese restaurant?" he whispered. "This can't be safe! She's probably on his side!"
"Trust me, she isn't," replied Dandruff. In a louder voice, to the girl, he said, "Hello Rochelle."
"Hello Dandruff," she replied. "I remember you from before you had so much dandruff. Your hair color is - "
"Er, let's not talk about that," interrupted Dandruff. "Can we stay here for a while? We're on a trip. We'll explain later."
"Of course," Rochelle replied. "Want some sashimi? I was just preparing some."
"Sure," said Dandruff. The Entourage sat down at a table. Rochelle brought the sashimi over. Everybody took a bit and tried it. Poppins shoved a handful into his mouth, but promptly spit it out.
"Eww! What is this?" he asked.
"Raw fish," replied Rochelle. "I understand that many people don't care for it."
"I certainly don't!" he answered. "Do you have any real food around here?"
"If you mean fast food, then I don't." Said Rochelle. But if you'd like to try some miso soup, feel free to."
"I'm not so sure that I'll be too adventurous today, thanks," he replied. Poppins turned to the rest of the group. Nobody else seemed to be too interested in the sashimi either. Rochelle noticed this as well.
"Why don't I show you guys to your rooms?" she asked, trying to take their minds off of the raw fish. "They're upstairs."
"Are you sure it's safe to stay here for a few days?" asked Dandruff. "We're running away from Nameless." He continued to tell the story to Rochelle.
"You'll be safe here," she replied. "He'll never bother us unless we're a fast food restaurant."
"If you insist," answered Dandruff. "Show us to our rooms."
"Follow me," said Rochelle as she led them up a staircase.