Chapter Twenty-Five: Odyssey:

Another thought crossed Noiz’s mind over the dishes.

What is my favorite taste?, she thought. The cat began to map out all of her tastes.

She did like sweet things. Always have, always will. What fell on her sweet list? She finished the first dish.

Candy ranked number three on her list. Ice cream came in fourth. Cake tied with candy. Strawberries ranked number six. Peaches followed behind in seventh. Blueberries came ninth. Nectarines tied with peaches. Oh, Japanese baked sweets came second. The list could go on forever. But what ranked number one? Noiz smiled to herself as she finished the second dish. Why none other than a certain mouse boy. No other sweet could compare. He took over her tastes in one short year. Noiz giggled giddily to herself. But, that’s not her only favorite taste. Next dish.

Lately, the cat developed a taste for salty things. Not too much, but a little bit. Pretzels were too dry for her appetite. Only the hard ones, though. Soft ones were okay for her. There weren’t too many salty things she liked. However, a certain mouse’s seed gave his sweetness a strong kick. Next dish to wash.

Noiz also loved spicy things. Her staff couldn’t understand her insanity with such. But, Noiz didn’t care. She loved filing her mouth with heat. Maybe chase it down with something sweet afterwards. Too bad her mouse wasn’t spicy. But, his sweetness made up for that. Noiz giggled to herself at that thought. But then, she paused.

Which one do I like best?, the cat thought. Sweet? Salty? Or spicy? She washed the final dish as she pondered this. A little smile came onto her face.

I like them all, Noiz thought. But tonight… The cat drained the sink and grinned.

“I want something sweet,” she said. Then, the cat chuckled and headed down to Aiko Suite for a snack and a bath.