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I could really go for some food right about now.
That was a thought that had crossed Leafy’s mind numerous times as she sat at the edge of Yoyle City, having been revived and chased out afterwards. She doesn’t need food, of course, no object does, but she wants the taste of it on her tongue. Savory, sweet, sour, tangy, it doesn’t matter! She wants real food, not the purple yoyleberries she’s been munching on aimlessly. They’re a form of protection; giving her a metal coating the same color as her knives, not a treat.
Her mental health dwindling from years of exile, she had briefly considered snacking on the food contestants around her. Gelatin was sure to be sweet, and who knows how delicious the food held in Fries’ container was? Everyone who took a part of him seemed to love the fries. Mind made up, she snuck into the city at night, genuinely prepared to attack and kill for her reward.
This was stopped when, as Leafy popped up from behind a bush and raised her signature knife to lunge at Fries, Coiny had shown off his horrific “deep fried breath.” It chilled her down to her core, and she fled the scene.
The question, now, was where to get food instead? The potato farm being tended to in the city was occupied by Fries and Coiny. Perhaps one of the abandoned buildings? There was sure to be a store around. She just had to be careful.
The metal leaf slowly slithered through the city, tip-toeing with a precision that could be mistaken for a ballerina’s if not for her weapon in hand. Every once in a while, she would spot someone familiar and duck behind a building to hide, clutching the corner of it like it was a lifesaver. In her current condition, it might as well be. The night sky was eerie, clouding everything in a fog of darkness. Or, it would be, if not for Firey hanging up on a cage smack dab in the middle of the place for everyone to see.
(A twinge of anger welled up in Leafy, but she pushed it aside. Who was she mad at, anyways? Firey, for causing all of this, or Freesmart, for putting him there?)
Soulless in her walking, she trudged all the way across Yoyle City until something caught her eye. Screeching to a halt, she paused as she looked up at one of the buildings. It was small, much shorter than the skyscrapers decorating the land. Whereas all the color and life was sucked out of the city, presumably long before anyone she knew had stepped foot in there, this had an eye-catching sign of shiny reds and yellows as a beacon. Like, “Hey! This is much better than everything else!”
Despite how bright it was, when Leafy tried to read the sign, it must’ve been abandoned for so long that it was now dusty and hard to focus on what the place was called. DcMonalds, maybe? Give her a break, it’s been years since she’s had to read anything! Maybe, when this all finally ends, (not if, she can’t think about if,) she can finally go back to a library and read. She used to love getting lost in the pages of stories, whisked away to a fantasy.
It’d be nice to do it again, but she can’t indulge herself in nostalgia right now. Food is a much bigger priority, and as Leafy silently opened the door, she could feel the saliva in her mouth bubble. White, sleek floor felt cold beneath her feet as she stepped inside, politely closing the entrance behind her. She weaved around cute packages of small yellow tables and chairs, ignoring the cobwebs collecting on them. She approached the counter, where cashiers dotted it. Feeling a little curious, she opened one to see if there was any money. Dust sprung out to attack her, and she began coughing hysterically, stepping away to gasp and pant for breath.
Recollecting herself, Leafy peered over into the slots in the cash register and found nothing. Even a penny would’ve been something. Not like it mattered, though, the economy was fucked in Goiky.
It was clear to see that nobody was working the counter, so Leafy hopped over it and walked into the kitchen area, breath still stopping occasionally as she began to investigate. There were stations for everything! Fries, burgers, drinks, it was like discovering a bad word for the first time. Intriguing, despite her attempts to keep a wholesome persona. The floor here was tiled instead, little crumbs sandwiched between the cracks, and the windows were sealed shut, making the atmosphere tense and potentially claustrophobia inducing. Who would wanna work here?
Leafy faced disappointment that continued to pile up on and on and on as she opened the ovens to see if there was any food inside. Nothing. What about the trays, hiding from sight? Still nothing! Suddenly, she appreciated that she had yoyleberries a lot more. Although spared of the TLC, she had heard tales of how the contestants locked inside would spend weeks without food. Occasionally, bread was served to them, but it tasted stale and empty. They might as well have been given nothing. At least she had something, she rationalized.
Still, this quest will not be in vain! Food must be found! Feeling oddly giddy, she began softly laughing to herself as she continued digging through the crevices of the kitchen. Lately, her voice had been sounding strange, losing all of its previous passion whenever she whispered to herself. She suspected that it was due to lack of use, not being around anyone she could communicate with. Speaking of lack of use, wow, it is HARD to open all these cabinets! Maybe there’s somewhere else to look..
She scanned the room with her empty gaze, blankly searching for something like a robot, and paused as she saw a mysterious metal door. Closing the cabinet she had been fidgeting with, Leafy opened it, knife trailing behind her and leaving marks on the floor. Her eyes widened to see that she had discovered a walk-in freezer, a chill settling upon her. Boxes and boxes of unknown stuff were scattered across it, untouched aside from small chinks in the cardboard. Food, perhaps? Looks like Yoyle City had some miracles inside of it after all.
Having finally remembered that her blade was a tool instead of a burden, she used the blade to slice through one of the boxes with ease, and started burrowing through it like an animal to dirt when it’s time to hibernate. Frost pricked her fingers, but she could easily chalk this up to the cold temperature, and at last, she had retrieved a packaged burger from the box. Success! The journey was over, and now, it was time for the moment of truth.
Leafy dug her fingers into the plastic and snagged it away from the burger, letting it fall to the ground so that she could enjoy the meal in all its glory. Licking the inside of her mouth eagerly, she clenched the burger and placed it into her mouth, taking a bite so big that it devoured half of the fast food delicacy. Breaking through years of only consuming bitter and juicy yoyleberries, the burger..
Tasted like absolutely nothing. The smallest hint of cheese, maybe. First of all, it had been abandoned in this fast food restaurant for years, and second of all, it was frozen. Most things don’t taste as good when they’re completely cold. There was no hope of heating it up either, the electrical wiring in this place was busted.
Stunned, Leafy barely even noticed that the burger had slipped onto the floor next to its packaging. (When did her knife fall as well?) Quivering for a few seconds, limbs shaking with an intensity she had never felt before in her life, Leafy collapsed to the floor in a daze. Covering her face as tears spilled out of her like a waterfall, all the leaf could think about was how STUPID she was for thinking she could get food!
A pained screech wheezed its way out of her mouth, and somehow, this made her sob even more. What if someone heard that? Surely, they’d tell everyone else, and she would immediately be thrown out of the city again, or even worse, maybe they’d finally finish off her execution..!
It was all too much to think about it. Leafy wasn’t sure of how long she had been crying in a fit of despair, but when she finally regained a sense of control and managed to stand up with wobbling legs, she could see sunlight poking out from the other side of the freezer door. Great, just fantastic.
With nothing else to do, Leafy silently picked up her knife and stealthed out of the fast food place. Getting out of the city in broad daylight would be a bit of a challenge, but it’s nothing she hasn’t done before. She should be used to all of this, really, and slowly making her way back to the grasslands outside of Yoyle City, Leafy scolded herself for having a moment of forgetfulness.
Things were never going to be the same, and she’d probably never be able to taste anything except yoyleberries. Forever.