Food Fantasy - One Shots

Brownie: Machine Gun. ⚔️

"I'm leaving!" You called to the gray-eyed Food Soul, walking out of the restaurant with your main team to conquer the remaining Fallen Angels in the area. There has been reports of missing civilians recently, and Olivia has requested for you to investigate.

"A-Ah, so soon...?" Brownie blinked, slightly dispirited. "Travel safely!"

"Will do! Thanks, Brownie!" You waved, grinning at him. Brownie managed a small smile back, heaving a small sigh as he returned to his duties in the restaurant.

It's the same routine day after day— welcoming guests, serving them, making dishes then cleaning the plates. Who wouldn't be tired of this endless loop?

But Brownie was just too obedient to even question your choices— he knew the role that you assigned him was probably the best for him. However, times pass, people AND food souls change, and Brownie wants a second chance. He wanted to be some sort of contribution to you, not just in the restaurant, but in battles as well.

Well, to be frank... He just misses the action and adrenaline.

The machine gun in his room had slowly collected dust.

You should've at least put him on explorations and delivery orders.

Brownie stared blankly at the stack of bowls and dishes that towered in front of him, really not feeling up to it. But duty calls. Slowly, he works away at the dirty plates, then the utensils and silverware— but they keep replenishing and soon, the tower was even taller than before Brownie began washing the dishes. He wipes his brow with the back of his hand.

He really can't take this anymore.

As he washed the next set of bowls, Brownie's hands began to tremble. His arms were tired, and there was no feeling in them. He dropped the bowl that he was washing into the sink— thankfully, it did not shatter— but it created a sound loud enough to alert the surrounding food souls.

"Brownie, you alright?" Hawthorne Ball called from the stove. Brownie nods.

"Yeah, my hands just slipped."

"Mm. Try not to break anything."

Brownie turned his attention back to his own hands that were draped over the side of the sink, the lukewarm water slightly soothing his fatigue. The bowl rolled around on its side, and Brownie picked it up to check for any chips or dents.

After another hour, he turned off the faucet and dried his hands.

"Hey, Pudding... Sorry to add another task to your already busy agenda, but could you and another Food Soul sub in for my shift? Like, right now?"

Pudding flipped through his notebook and closed his eyes.

"Very well. It's supposed to be my break right now, but I assume I could work for an extra hour... Skewer, may I request your assistance?"

An orange-haired woman soon appeared, leaning against a nearby wall. "Do you really need to bother me over something so insignificant?"

Brownie jumped, not realizing her presence. "A-Ah, good morning..."

"It really hasn't been great so far. Why aren't you working?" Skewer took off her glasses and began to clean them.

"I'm not feeling too well today..."

"Well, then me neither." Skewer retorts as she returned back to her room. Pudding frowned as he trailed her.

"Brownie has been working every day ever since he got summoned. You've got countless days off, Skewer, and you've been summoned after him. Cut him some slack." Pudding reasoned.

Skewer's eyes narrowed as she peeked from behind her door.

"Ugh, fine."

Brownie bowed to Skewer before going back to his own room. "Sorry for the inconvenience..."

"It's fine," Skewer answered shortly as she put on her gloves. "Get better and back to work soon."

As Brownie walked in, he couldn't help but collapse into his inviting bed. He took off his hat and laid it delicately on the nightstand, laying on his back with his hands over his eyes. They flickered over to the gun that sat helplessly in the corner. A million thoughts seemed to buzz through his head in this moment— all questions as to why his Master Attendant never chose him for any missions.

Was I not strong enough? Does Master Attendant have no faith in me? Am I weak? Am I that incompetent that I can't even complete a simple mission? Well, I mean, the last one we did was a total bust but that's out of the question—

Brownie sighed again, his consciousness about to drift away into a dreamless sleep.

His ears perked up as he heard the back door of the restaurant opening and a bunch of muffled chatter downstairs.

"Master Attendant...? Sorry, am I bothering you?" Brownie inquired as he knocked on your bedroom door. You opened it to find the Food Soul shifting and fidgeting on the spot.

"Hey Brownie, everything alright? And no, I'm not doing anything right now. Do you need something?"

"Ah, well... I have something to ask you about."

"Come in first," you smiled as you led him inside, closing the door behind him. Brownie sat on your bed and you pulled a nearby chair to face him. "Yeah?"

Brownie stared at his hands, then back to your face. "Well... This might be a selfish request, but..."

"Can I join you in the next few missions we do?"

You blinked. "Why so suddenly?"

Brownie exhaled. "Well, to be honest... I don't think the restaurant is for me. Ever since you took me off the main team to work in the kitchen, it's just been the same routine... I've always wanted to do explorations and delivery orders at the very least. I miss battling Fallen Angels a lot, and the feeling of triumph when we win... Is that strange?"

"No, not at all. But such a request..." You rubbed your chin, deep in thought.

"I suppose we can. We have a few days before we'll set off for the next mission, you can use that time to train and we'll see." You smiled, and Brownie beamed.

"Thank you for giving me a chance, Master Attendant! I will work hard!"

You laughed. "You work hard enough already. But why didn't you tell me about your feelings? You know I want you to be happy here as well..."

"Well, I just thought that you probably wouldn't consider such a thing and I believed what you decided for me was for the best of all of us..."

"Don't think that way. I'm always open to suggestions and it's always good to adjust and change things up once in a while. It must've been very repetitive down there, huh...?" You gave a look of pity.

"Yeah..." Brownie closed his eyes. "But really, thank you so much for giving me an opportunity. I will try my hardest to satisfy you!"

You chuckled. "You already do, Brownie."