Tsurara

Tsurara remembered the smell of burnt scales and the sound of a truly inventive curse drifting over from the next stall in the main plaza of Waterfall City. Their neighbor, a perpetually damp and grumpy frog, was the best fisher on the river but an absolute disaster of a cook. For weeks, Tsurara watched them ruin beautiful catches, their own food apron staying immaculately clean while the frog's was a testament to failure. One rainy afternoon, unable to bear the culinary tragedy, Tsurara tipped their bowler hat and offered a simple trade: one perfect rice cake for one raw, un-ruined fish. They cooked it right there, the sweet glaze sizzling. A partnership formed over that single meal. The frog still catches the fish, and Tsurara still cooks it. Their neighbor complains the sauce is too sweet, but they have yet to refuse a single bite.