Dango 101 [River]
River entered Dan’s fantastically scented shop once again, now a familiar spot where he and his imps would go in search of delicious dango's and mochi's of all colors and flavors.
River strode up to the familiar counter and looked down at all the wonderful treats underneath the shiny glass. His imp Darling, a sweet ube-purple Erose fluttered around his shoulders in peaked interest.
“You again,” Dan stated as he walked out from behind the curtain to the back of the shop, putting off rice flour dust on his apron. River smiled at him and nodded in acknowledgment. Dan hummed to himself as he looked the able doll up and down.
“Have you ever considered making your own one day? I might be looking for a shop assistant.” Dan spoke up, making eye contact with River to measure his interest.
River stuttered out a response- “I-I mean, I’ve never, uh, well yes I've thought about it but I’m not the most skilled cook, er- pastry maker?” He responded nervously, all the while nodding with interest at the proposal.
River hoped his response conveyed that it would be an absolute yes, but Dan would have to accept all risks it posed to his shop and kitchen if he let River perform the task.
Dan seemed to measure the response, and squinted in thought before finally shrugging.
“Eh, what the hell. I’ve seen imps make their own Dango with enough practice so I'm sure you’ll be fine. Besides, I have all of the ingredients ready to go. You just have to be an obedient listener.” River blushed at the term “obedient”, but he nodded. Dan waved him behind the counter.
“Come with me,” Dan said, turning dismissively and going back behind the curtain. River slipped his Darling Erose in his crossbody bag to minimize shop destruction as he went.
“Kay, so we’re going to be making Hanami Dango. What do you know about it?” Dan asked, leading them over to a counter with several ingredients strewn about.
“It’s, uh, to represent the life of a Sakura bud, right? Pink for the bloom, green for the bud, white for… the rest?” River responded, recalling the colorful Dango in his mind. He pondered it’s tendency to turn imps pastel again, and thought about the time his Lunell managed to sneak some.
“Not bad. Now, what do you know of the flavors?” River smiled proudly before responding in confidence,
“Pink is strawberry, green is matcha, and white is plain rice mochi. Is that right?” Dan nodded. This might actually work.
“Correct. You’re not as dull as you look. Alright, when you’re ready, knead the rice flour with water slowly over time…” Dan proceeded to walk River through making his very own Hanami Dango.
The end result, although slightly misshapen, easily resembled the intended treat. River radiated pride at his work, looking over the sweet treat his own hands had forged.
“You did alright. I might even be willing to let you come back to the shop for another go of it. For now, take your own recipe book so you can work on it at home. I want to see how great you can become.” Dan affirmed, handing over a copy of the mochi recipe book he had relied on for so long.
River graciously accepted, and with his colorful dessert, exited the shop feeling more confident in his baking abilities than he did before.
