Boss Battle - Queen Queso: rice water - 322 words

9. Is there any food that’s particularly special to your character? Did they have a favorite meal that their parent made them? Do they take joy in cooking for friends? Draw or write about an important moment in your character’s history that is centered around food.

 

"If you don't like it, you can just say it." Arisa leaned her lower back against the large, wooden box. Caspian sat on the floor, his back resting against the very same container.

"I'm just... not hungry," the eternal struggled to come up with a response.

 

It wasn't the truth - or the whole truth, really. He wasn't that hungry, but it wasn't the reason he declined a meal.

 

It was trust that always had at least two spanners in the works. He anxiously waited for the worst thing to happen every time he opened his mouth. He was far from the small city he could pull the strings of. Caspian couldn't even fathom what blackmail could do in such a vast context as Paperverse.

 

Arisa let out a soft, somewhat amused huff. The whole situation didn't make much sense - if it even had a point where it began in the first place.

"Anything special, then?" The woman inquired, and straightened her back while crossing her arms. She watched as the giant next to her turned away, even more than before. It was quite clear he didn't like the situation. Arisa hummed as she pondered, biting the inside of her lower lip.

"Maybe something your parents made you? Like rice pudding?"

 

What a biased example - and it wasn't even an example to begin with. It was something special to her.

 

Caspian clenched his jaw, unpleasant imagery running across his mind, carving a desperate frown on his face.

 

There was nothing special. Just nearly inedible sandwiches from the previous day. Picking the best of the bad options. Burning plastic containers in the microwave that didn't do well with heat.

 

Almost losing your life just because you wanted something else than that.

 

But under her fiery gaze - was anything not a risk?

 

Caspian shook his head firmly, eyes pinched shut.

"No," he said, "nothing."

 

Arisa sighed with a smile. Some people just couldn't be pleased.