"Delicious," Shinobu said, her utensil still held in her paw. "You must convince Teige to give me the recipe--ah!"

This last delighted exclamation came as Yoshi produced a card with something written on it, looking pleased with herself as she did. Shinobu took it, rising from the table with its scattering of now empty plates.

"Brilliant girl," she crooned, and went to place the card in a little box with several others.

"I thought you'd want it," Yoshi said. "He asked for the recipe for those dumplings that you made the last time he was here."

"Certainly," Shinobu agreed, and took a different slip of paper from the little box, which she handed to Yoshi. "Easy trade. Its just a shame that I'll have to wait until I'm back to try this cake recipe myself."

Yoshi tucked the slip into her shirt pocket and got up, picking up one of the plates. "Ah, I'll clean up."

"There's a dear, Yoshi, thank you. I shouldn't have put off packing for so long."

Yoshi took the plates to the sink and began to rinse the crumbs off, while Shinobu went into the next room, and began picking up a stack of books off the floor. Over the sound of the running water, Yoshi said conversationally, "I'm surprised you let the Cynn talk you into one of these trips again!"

"Hm?" Shinobu said absently. "What do you mean?"

"You always complain when you have to go on these consulting trips with him to Earth...I didn't think you enjoyed them."

Shinobu straightened up, using her muzzle to balance the stack of books in her arms. "Ah, this is not that kind of trip."