Aquamarine Dragon

Oh the aroma! Naoko’s mouth began to drool when he smelt the spices from the doorway. He wiped his mouth twice. A sea of golden paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. Calming music flowed through the air. The lighting against the gold and red walls made them look more inviting. The customers ate and chat over their lunches. The girl walked around in front of Naoko.

“Welcome to our humble restaurant!” she said. “Where would you like to sit?” Naoko looked around the crowded building. He spotted an empty table by the window.

“Over there would be fine,” he said, pointing at it. The girl looked over in the direction where he was pointing.

“Right this way,” she said. The mouse boy followed her over to the table near the window. She pulled out his seat for him.

“Thank you,” Naoko said.

“The waitress will be with you in a moment,” she said. The girl handed him a menu and left. Naoko took another look around. He remembered that he and Midori went to a place like this on a date once. The restaurant wasn’t that lavish, but the food was great. Midori made it into her favorite place.

“Wish I lived above this place,” she told him one day.

“Why?” Naoko asked. The kitty girl shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just think it would be interesting to live above a restaurant.”

“I couldn’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“The sounds and the smells.”

“Meh. I guess those could be problems.”

“Hey, if you want to do that, then that’s all you.”

Midori leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Naoko turned his head with pink cheeks.

“What’s that for?” he asked.

“You can be so sweet sometimes,” his girlfriend said. The mouse boy’s turned even redder.

Meanwhile back in the present, Naoko felt someone poke him on the shoulder. The mouse boy turned his head. Another girl in a black and blue cheongsam leaned close to his face.

“Hello?” she asked for the eighth time. Naoko sat blinking at first.

“Hm? Oh, gah!” he said.

“Are you okay?” the girl asked. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes now.”

“Oh,” he said. The girl cleared her throat as she took out her notepad and pen.

“Welcome to the Aquamarine Dragon,” she said. “I will be your waitress today. What would you like drink?”

“Could I have a Pepsi please?” Naoko asked. The waitress wrote down his order.

“Coming up!” she said. The waitress disappeared to the back. Naoko picked up his menu looked through all of the food choice under the lunch special. He happened to look up and see a little piece of folded up white paper on the floor where the waitress stood previously. The mouse boy stared at for a minute. He did a quick look around. No one else seemed to notice it on the floor. Curious, Naoko knelt down and picked up the paper. He opened it behind his menu.

“Order the House Special #11,” the note read. Naoko looked around the restaurant. So many questions rose in his head. He didn’t get time to ask them because that waitress walked back to his table.

“So, are you ready to order?” she asked with a smile on her face. Naoko paused for a second before he handed the piece of paper. The waitress quietly read the paper to herself.

“Follow me, sir,” she whispered. She did a quick look around before disappearing to the back. Naoko glanced around before getting and following after the waitress.