CHIBITA'S HYBRID ODEN STAND

[odenson]

[source]

[Looking for a place to sit and have a nice hot meal? Or perhaps you want a place to drink your cares away? What about a (somewhat) sympathetic ear who will (whether he wants to or not) listen to your woes and offer (relatively) sage advice? If looking for any of these things (or perhaps all three,) they can be found at Chibita's Hybrid Oden stand. Feel free to have a seat on the wooden bench in front and let the comforting scent of the bubbling broth, lovingly crafted by Chibita himself, waft over you. Chibita's here every afternoon and evening, rain or shine, and he'll happily serve you hot oden, cold beer, and some pretty good advice.]

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12.01

[naturallywavy]

<sub>[ For awhile now, Gintoki has been keeping a careful eye on the oden cart that is adjacent to his parfait shop— a place that he wouldn't exactly call work because it's nothing like the work he had back home. Making parfaits? It was simple enough, but his health was endangered since he constantly ate what he created throughout the day.
It's a day where either he has already closed for the day or a day when he was not working that he finds himself wandering to the oden cart. Different people (or the same person-- it was hard to tell cause they all looked the same) kept coming here and being noisy like they were having a good time, maybe it was time for him to try it too.

After all, Gintoki wasn't having the best of time seeing as he has been separated from what he had sworn to protect: the people of Edo; his friends.

He plops down, the sound of wood clanking against wood being heard as his bokken clatters against the seat. He knows very well that Chibita just serves oden and beer here, but alas, he cannot resist giving the stranger a hard time: ]</sub>

Oi, pops. Give me a soft serve.

[odenson]

[Chibita glances up as Gintoki sits down, a grin starting to widen his face, ready to welcome a new customer--except the guy opens his mouth and starts with that and for a moment, Chibita just...stares at him]

Eh? The hell? We don't serve that here.

[has he...seen this guy before? Maybe? He kinda looks familiar.]

[naturallywavy]

_{[ If Chibita reads JUMP, maybe that's where he looks familiar. Who knows. Gintoki expects that kind of response, so he waves his hand in dismissal. ]}

Ah, okay, I see. I'll just take a strawberry cake then. No problem, right?
_{[ Is he doing this on purpose? ]}

[odenson]

[Chibita's eyebrow twitches at that, and he grits his teeth, unable to keep himself from snapping: ] Goddammit, ya idjit, the hell!? Of course it's a problem! I don't serve that here either!

[naturallywavy]

_{[ In defeat, Gintoki places his elbow on the table of the oden cart and shoves his hand in his chin, looking at Chibita through a half lidded stare. His eyes are so red and his hair is so white-- his expression is honestly unreadable. ]}

You're a hard working guy who wants to take care of your customers, don't ya? Tell me, just how open are you to widening your selection of food?
_{[ His gaze drops down to the oden and he takes in the scent. It smells.. super good! And it reminds him of home which is always a plus. ]}

You make this all by yourself?

[odenson]

[who the hell is this guy actually--Chibita straightens, folding his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed] I ain't gonna widen my selection; I serve oden n' I'm good at it. [he says this with a clear air of confidence, before he huffs] 'Course I do! It's my stand, ain't it? And homemade is way better than store-bought.

[naturallywavy]

Guess I've got no choice than to try it for myself, eh? Say, what all is in it? Especially if it's home made, it's gotta be real good, you know.
_{[ He doesn't know this guy from Adam, but something about him seems familiar.. like he's seen him on another show or something. ]}

[odenson]

[Chibita had been wary, but at the assertion that it must be good, he can’t help but swell a bit with pride, the praise softening his edges.]

It is real good! It’s gotta bunch’s different ingredients in there—I got konjac, fish cake, meatballs, daikon, rice cakes, egg; whatever suits ya! [he rests his hands on his hips now] You got a preference?

1.2

[naturallywavy]

_{[ He looks curious in his eyes even though his expression is pretty deadpan. He's nodding, like he's following along and then when it's finally time to reply, he parts his lips to speak: ]}

Yeah, sure do.

2.2

[naturallywavy]

—Sweets.
_{[ Look at that grin. He's totally messing with you. ]}

1/2

[odenson]

[honestly why was he expecting any different]

2/2

[odenson]

[he huffs, folding his arms over his chest in annoyance, mouth twisting again into a bit of a scowl] There ain't anything sweet here, so your lookin' in the wrong place, if that's what your lookin' for.

[naturallywavy]

_{[ RIP Chibita. ]}
Aah, aah. It's a bit too late for that. I've already sat down here and started talking to you. Can't really move, now.
I can settle for my second choice, though.

_{[ A pause. ]}
Some oden that a baldy has put his sweat and soul into.
_{[ He's very sentimental about this oden cart already. It reminds him of home! ]}

[odenson]

[...honestly, Chibita does not know what to make of this guy. Annoying and borderline insulting one second, the next getting all complimentary. His eyes narrow as he studies him through the oden steam...before he huffs a bit, relaxing his stance.]

Second choice, huh? [and he's reaching for a plate, moving to pick a couple different pieces out of the broth and arrange them so they won't fall off when he hands it over] Guess I'll have t' work hard t' make it your first choice.

[and so saying, he holds the plate, now laden with oden, out to Gintoki]

[naturallywavy]

<sub>[ That right there is the look and sound of a hard worker who is passionate about his work. Gintoki has seen it plenty of times in Edo-- the blacksmiths that forged the Benizakura, the idol girl who was losing her fan base but worked hard to stay as famous as she is, the widow who made the best ramen in the city-- even Gintoki's friend who wanted to change the world back to the way it was.

He wonders, though, just how passionate this guy is.
He takes the plate without a thank you and sets it down before himself, gesturing at Chibita. ]</sub>

Hey, why an oden cart of all things?

[odenson]

Eh? Well...[Chibita shrugs a bit] I like oden, fer one thing. An' I could always seem 't get my hands on it as a kid, whether I had money 'r not. [he considers for a moment.] ....an' my friends come n' visit me here. Even if they wander of fer a while, they always eventually come back. So I guess...a lotta reasons.

[after a moment, though, he grins again, all sharp determination this time] And! I'm gonna be th' one t'create the best oden in the galaxy!

1.2

[naturallywavy]

_{[ what the fuck is this he's like a small N*ruto but instead he's passionate about being a great oden chef and not the Hokage...
he's even got whiskers... Gintoki thinks they're whiskers.. actually, he's not sure what they are. ]}

2.2

[naturallywavy]

_{[ Anyway, he tries the oden without any word. No praise, no criticism. It's actually really good and it reminds him of home, so already this place holds something dear to his heart. He hums out with his mouth full— it's hard to know if its a good sound or just.. a lazy sound. ]}

[odenson]

[Chibita's relatively unperturbed by the silence. He gets a variety of customers just among his friends, anyway, so he's going to let the silence settle for a moment, before reaching for a large daikon and starting to slice it up]

So. Who're you, anyway?

[naturallywavy]

_{[ Some shounen heroes have grand introductions, but it isn't exactly Gintoki's style. He'll boast, sure, but probably not in the same way any other protagonist might. He pauses, swallowing what little bit of oden is left in his mouth. ]}

Me? An introduction? Tch. A person like me, who is in 66 volumes of manga, shouldn't have to introduce himself—
_{[ He pauses, BUT BEFORE CHIBITA CAN REPLY: ]}

Sakata Gintoki.
_{[ ... he introduces himself anyway. ]}