Bodhi became aware and pulled themself upright in – they looked around – a restaurant booth? 

So I never left the noodle house? Fantastic. Hold on . . .

Their vision came into better focus. This wasn’t the same noodle house. In fact, it looked more like the inside of a floating snack depot. The walls and furniture were painted orange and white with accents of green. Sitting across from them was the monkey and the pig from the noodle house.

The pig blurted, “Are you a boy or a girl? Sun Ritsu thinks you’re a girl, but I disagree.”

Bodhi looked around. There was a pork bun sealed in clear plastic on the table next to a styrofoam container of instant ramen. 

The monkey said, “I didn’t know which one you wanted. I know monks are vegetarian, so I got the noodles, but you also smelled like you had a lot to drink so I thought maybe you weren’t a real monk and got you the pork bun too.”

Bodhi cocked an eyebrow at the pig, who was also chowing down on a pork bun. 

The pig licked his single tusk. “Don’t ask.” 

Warily, Bodhi went for the bun. “I am a real monk.”

The pig turned to the monkey. “Now that the monk’s awake, I agree with you, monkey. She does look more like a girl.”

Bodhi went for the ramen after swallowing the pork bun. The monkey stammered, “So that was actually supposed to be mine – ”

As if they hadn’t heard him, Bodhi broke the seal on the chopsticks and barked, “Waiter! Can we get some hot water over here?”

When it was clear that the monk had no intention of handing over the noodles, the sun clone got up and wandered down an aisle. The pig stretched his plastic wrapper out over the tabletop with his little hooves as he licked it clean.

“We found your sloppy ass down by the ditch behind Gong-jon’s. You practically had one foot in the Lake of Ninefold Darkness.”

Someone dropped off a kettle of boiling water. Bodhi poured some of it into their container.

“And, pig?”

“Ham Song is my name,” he said. “And you could show a little gratitude to the monkey. He’s gentler than the average spirit.”

Bodhi drank the scalding broth first. “So what you mean is, outside of his Immortal State, he’s an idiot.” 

Ritsu sat down. “It’s okay. I just got another one.” He cheerfully opened the pork bun sealed in plastic. “But that was the last of my money.”

~

What’s wrong, Dear Traveler? Don’t you want to know what happened to Anari? 

Don’t worry, we’ll return to this riveting conversation over pork buns. Trust me, our lackluster hero has nowhere to be but right here in this snack depot until we get back.