The bell above the door of the Angel's Share jingled, but it was the unusual spring in the bard's step that truly announced his arrival. You were nestled in your usual corner, a quiet evening of people-watching ahead of you, when Venti all but bounced into the seat opposite you, his eyes sparkling with more than their usual mirth.

"Look what I finally found!" he chimed, presenting a slender red box with a triumphant flourish. The packaging was adorned with intricate, lightning-bolt patterns and Inazuman script. "The latest craze from the Land of Eternity! They call it... Tocky!"

He slid the box open with a practiced ease, revealing rows of thin, elegant biscuit sticks. He plucked one out, holding it between two fingers like a precious jewel.

"They say it's a game for two," he explained, a playful, almost challenging grin gracing his lips. "The rules are simple. We each take an end, and we eat towards the center. Whoever gets to the chocolate first, wins!"

Before you could even process the rules, let alone agree to play, he'd already leaned across the small table. The scent of cecilias and apples clung to him. With one hand gently tilting your chin up, he placed one end of the slender stick between your lips, his fingers brushing softly against your skin.

His emerald eyes, shimmering with mischief and something more tender, locked with yours from an alarmingly close distance. Then, he took the other end of the stick into his own mouth, his grin never fading.

The game had begun, and the space between you was now measured in mere, crumbling inches of biscuit.