"Good morning Joss! Change of plans today, come here when you're ready." Joss heard as she entered The Octopus House. A small restaurant found in a space station around the border of Human Core territory. She was curious what old man Genji has planned for today.

Joss walked into the main kitchen area donning a purple apron with a tiny octopus patched on the center.

Pointing to the patch, "Nice touch." said Genji. "Instead of manning the kitchen today, you'll be with me up front."

Joss' brow furrowed "So who's making the food?"

"Us," Genji replied, "but in the front. We're doing an omakase!"

Genji led his rookie apprentice to the bar where he began to set up some wireless cookware. "Don't worry, we'll only be serving three guests. You'll handle the first two while I support and then we'll switch." said Genji.

Joss had only worked under Genji for a year. "Uh, you sure about this?" asked Joss.

Genji grinned at his pupil, "Just think of it as a little challenge. Most of the customers are regulars so you shouldn't feel worried."

The Octopus House is considered a local favorite for the inhabitants in this station. The clientele primarily consists of humans with the occasional Saurithar and Yeldian. Those species were humanity's closest neighbors so it would make sense a few would pass by the outskirts.

Joss smiled and said "You got it old man."

They continued to prep for the day, discussing potential dishes to serve, and making small talk.

"My daughter told me last night that the baby came. He's a big boy, ten pounds 13 ounces!" said Genji.

"That's great, congratulations! When do you plan on visiting?" asked Joss.

"I'll be out outbound in ten revs and should be back in a quarter orbit." replied Genji.

Joss scrunched her face in calculation.

"Ah, don't worry about your pay, I'll cover you for the time the shop is closed." said Genji.

"Oh, I wasn't worry about that, I was worried about running the shop alone." said Joss sheepishly.

"Well, you're free to run a limited menu if you're up for it." said Genji.

"Thank you for believing in me." said Joss.

Before Genji could respond, the front door of The Octopus House opened followed by a bell chime.

"Hey Genji, hey Joss, sorry I'm early hope that's alright with you guys?" said the man walking in. He's wearing gray coveralls and had a platinum gear patch on the front pocket.

"No worries Roger come on in!" said Genji.

Roger sat down at the bar placing his duffle bag on the ground beside him. "So, what's on the menu Genji? I'm ready to eat eat eat." said Roger.

"Actually," chimed Genji, "Joss will be serving you today."

"Oh really," said Roger and turned to Joss with a grin "sounds great!"

Joss served a ceramic bowl to Roger. It was filled with slimy strands of green peppered with small black, and white seeds. "For your first course, here is a sesame algae salad."

Roger noded his head and put a forkful in his mouth. And then another and another until the bowl was empty.

"How did you get this texture? I thought algae was just sludge." asked Roger.

"I have a buddy in the algae unit who likes to experiment." Joss shrugged. "Hoping to help him scale up if we see there's enough demand." she continued.

For the second course and third courses, Joss served variants of popular menu items, takoyaki and pork buns. Genji likes to serve these items with minimal sauces or dressing to highlight the flavor of the grilled octopus and pork belly. Instead of using the standard batter for the takoyaki, Joss added sweet soy to one batch and spicy chili to the other. Alternating each ball on the skewer resulting in a blend of delicate sweetness and pungent heat. Instead of the steamed fluffy white bun that Genji prefers, Joss opted to use a toasted milk bun which provides a lighter vessel for her pan fried black pepper pork belly. Roger savored each meaty bite.

"You see Genji, I told you hiring Joss was a good idea." said Roger with a little belch.

"Oh yeah?" Joss chimed "I could've sworn the words were 'I don't want this newbie cooking any meals for me until she has five years under her belt'. Memory isn't what it used to be eh Roger?"

He roared with laughter. "I've still got a few good decades left." Roger turned to Genji, "Great pick old friend, I think she'll be a great successor."

Genji pursed his lips while Joss' head snapped towards him. "Let's talk about it later." said Genji.

"Sorry for ruining the surprise bud." said Roger.

For her fourth course, Joss served a bowl of egg noodles in a beef curry broth mixed with peanut butter. Placed atop the noodles were two halves of a boiled egg with the yolk still jammy and golden, perfectly seared beef slices, crushed roasted peanuts, and diced green onions.

"Here, you go Roger" said Joss. As she put the bowl down, a bit of hot broth spilled towards Roger. "Crap, sorry." she whispered.

"No sweat sweetheart." Roger whispered back. "Oooh baby!" said Roger after a big slurp of noodles. "So when's this going on the menu Genj?" asked Roger. "I can already tell the boys in the shop would love this. We wouldn't have to go cross-station for a bowl of ramen either." he continued.

"Maybe we could have it as a limited special after my trip." said Genji.

"Oh yeah, congrats about the new grandkid by the way! I saw Maya's post." said Roger. "Time really flies..." trailed Genji.

Finally, Joss went to the freezer for a couple scoops of red bean gelato that she made for herself a few revs ago.

"Always gotta end it on something sweet." she said while serving Roger.

"Lovely, meal Joss, thank you." said Roger after a few spoonfuls of ice cream. "All right you two I got to get going, it's time for work. Thanks again for the meal Joss and congrats again Genji." said Roger as he stood up and left The Octopus House.

"So, how long have you known Roger again?" asked Joss after Roger left the shop.

"I've known him for about a cycle since I opened the restaurant. He was a bit rough around the edges at first, but I warmed up to him. Now, I consider him a close friend." replied Genji.

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"Yeah, I can see that. He's grown on me too." said Joss. "So who's the next customer?" she continued.

"Oh, your favorite Saurithar, of course." he replied.

"Oh no." she sighed, just as the bell of the door chimed open.

"Greetings, Genji." said the entering Saurithar.

The Saurithar are a sapient reptilian race. They are primarily carnivores, with only a few of them being adventurous enough to try other foods. However, non-meats don’t do much for them nutritionally. Argo has been one of the primary researchers on the station since its inception.

"Hi, Dr. Arga, how's your work been?" Genji greeted.

"Slow." said Arga.

"Hello, Arga." said Joss.

"Dr. Arga." he responded.

"Sorry, Dr. Arga." said Joss. She glanced towards her mentor and he smiled back. She remembered that he did say there would be a bit of a challenge here.

"Please do not take too long. I have experiments to attend to after this meal." said Arga to Genji.

"It's actually, Joss who will be serving you today Arga." replied Genji.

"Disappointing," said Arga as he glanced towards Joss, "I would prefer you Genji."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised Dr. Arga." said Joss.

"Doubtful." said Arga. "However it seems I don't have a say in the matter so, proceed."

For the first course Joss served a tray of salmon. The pieces were arranged linearly on the tray ordered by thickness, the thicknesses ranged from paper thin to an inch thick. Saurithar are particularly sensitive to spices and seasonings due to their enhanced sense of smell. In order to intrigue their palate you have to go through other means. Texture, temperature, and choice of meat are the primary variables that are played with. Additionally, Saurithar taste buds can only detect salt and acid, so those factors should be taken into account as well.

Argo started with the thin piece, which melted as he placed it in his mouth. As he went down the line, each piece progressively got thicker and thicker. The interfaces between the fat and flesh more and more noticeable. Eventually, Argo had to chew the salmon slabs. However, for the final and thickest piece, he simply swallowed it whole. He flicked his forked tongue into his glass of water.

"Go on." said Argo.

For the second course, Joss prepared a blue fillet steak. The slab of beef had a lightly seared exterior, a very red center, and a mildly frozen core, resulting in a bite of tender meat ending with a crisp crunch.

"How uninspired," said Arga as he scanned the dish. As Arga took his first bite, Joss noticed a look of realization as he hit the frozen core. "Ah," he whispered to himself.

"You know, you should really try food before you judge it," quipped Joss.

"Hold your tongue, child." said Arga. "You need to learn how to respect your elders."

Joss did not respond.

"She has a point, Arga. I'm sure a scientist like yourself can appreciate the idea of gathering data before making conclusions," said Genji.

The third and fourth courses were a lightly seared tuna tartar and a skewer of grilled chicken hearts. A cool mildly salty tartar followed by a warm rich chunk of chicken surprisingly correlated with Arga's perception of this meal. Joss appreciated the silence as she watched Arga 'enjoy' the food. The ringing of a phone interrupted the moment of quiet.

"Apologizes..." said Genji while stepping to a different room.

Joss was left alone with Arga, however she felt at ease rather than intimidated.

"Seems like you're enjoying the food." said Joss.

"Genji has taught you well." said Arga without looking up.

For Arga's last course, Joss served a bowl of crickets tossed in a mixture of salt and citric acid. The crystals of salt and acid could be seen on the surface of the toasted bugs.

"Insects?" said Arga.

"Yes, it was inspired by a friend of mine." replied Joss. She didn't mention that the inspiration was actually her friend's chameleon.

Arga picks one up with two of his stout claws and places it in his mouth. A crisp noise is heard as he takes the first bite. "How...novel." he said.

Joss grinned back at the scientist.

"Sorry about that, how was everything Dr. Arga?" asked Genji as he rentered the dining area.

"Surprisingly, acceptable. Please inform me when you plan on doing this again." said Arga.

"Acceptable? You must have really liked it." said Genji.

"I must be going. Goodbye Genji" said Arga, "Goodbye Joss".

"See you next time Dr. Arga." replied Joss.

The door bell chimed as Arga exited The Octopus House. "So what's with this successor business?" asked Joss.

"Sorry Joss, I was waiting to tell you. The reason I'm taking an extended vacation is not only to see my grandchild, but also to scope out a new venue for the next iteration of The Octopus House." said Genji.

"Wait, what?!" said Joss with both brows raised. "You're just going to leave the shop here to me? I haven't even been here that long."

"True, but you're a fast learner and I'm confident you could turn this place into your own. I thought of it as a little kickstart." said Genji. "If you're interested of course."

"I don't know Genji, I'd have to think on it." said Joss.

"Of course." said Genji. "Alternatively," he continued "I would be happy to host you in Batrum if you wanted to continue work at the new shop."

"Oh, I didn't know your daughter lived near the galactic capital." said Joss.

"Yeah, I think the mega city suits her. It's not really my type of place, but I'm willing to try so I can support her and the baby." replied Genji. "Either way, you are welcome to take over, come with me, or anything you want really. Take your time to think, no rush at all."

"Thank you Genji, you're too kind to me." said Joss.

The door bell chimed as the last minute replacement entered. It was a Solyx, a species of sapient slime-like organisms. The Solyx are the new kids on the block, they just recently joined the Galactic Federation. "Hi." said the Solyx.

"Welcome, traveller. Never seen a Solyx around this part of the galaxy." said Genji.

"Thank you, just want to see what the galaxy has to offer. I'm on my way to visit Earth." they replied.

"Awesome, I've never been to the nature reserve before." chimed Joss.

"My name is Genji and this is my apprentice Joss. What's your name?" asked Genji.

"You can call me Pix."

"Great to meet you Pix." said Genji. He faced Joss, "Please prepare a classic takoyaki."

"Okay." said Joss as she got to work.

"This is one of our staple items at The Octopus House. Since I'm not too familiar with the Solyx pallette, I would appreciate any feedback so we can better serve you." said Genji as Joss placed a takoyaki skewer in front of Pix.

Pix took one of their gelatinous appendages and absorbed the entire skewer with it. Joss and Genji saw the skewer travel towards the center of Pix's mass. After a few seconds, it was gradually extruded unchanged.

"It seems this item is a bit too oily and dense Genji. It would take quite some time for my body to digest this." said Pix.

"Ah, my apologies, thank you for the feedback." said Genji. "I believe I have something better for you."

Genji brought over an assortment of juice bottles. He mixed a concoction of blended algae for nutrition and passion fruit mango for sweetness.

"Please." said Genji while passing the drink to Pix.

Pix absorbed the beverage where it again, traveled to their center mass where it then diffused throughout their body.

"Ahh, now that was very pleasant. Bravo, Genji." they said.

"Please try this Pix." said Joss while she passed the Solyx a bowl of rice flour seasoned with powdered garlic, ginger, and white pepper.

"Of course, Joss." said Pix as they absorbed the flour mixture. It began to form globules on the way towards Pix's center. Once there, the globules merged together to form an amorphous mass which undulated for a few seconds until it dispersed into tiny particles. "Whoa, what was that?" asked Pix.

"Don't have an official name for it yet, but you can call it Solyx mochi for now." said Joss with a grin.

"Clever, we'll have to write that one down in case we have more Solyx guests." added Genji.

"Genji and Joss, both of you will definitely get featured on my blog." said Pix.

"Oh, do you run a food blob BLOG." Joss said hastily.

"More like a travel thing Joss, you'd be surprised how many establishments aren't Solyx accessible." said Pix not noticing the faux pas.

Genji brought out a beef broth soup dumpling and pickled onion sphere for the third and fourth courses. Pix was confused with the soup dumpling as it felt similar to the takoyaki. However, that was quickly resolved once the dumpling popped releasing a shot of rich aromatic beef soup. Similarly, the external layer of the pickled onion disintegrated to slowly reveal hidden layers of pickled carrot, then cucumber, and finally a spicy pepper. Pix's shade of green shifted yellow for a moment when the capsaicin from the pepper hit them.

"Oh my, that was a new feeling. What was in that Genji?" asked Pix.

"That was a spicy pepper. In humans, it generates the feeling of heat. What did it do to you?" replied Genji.

"I felt my metabolism speed up for a moment. Not sure if I'm a fan of that just yet Genji." said Pix.

"Noted, thank you." said Genji.

For the final course, Joss placed a plate of melon chunks in front of Pix. The melons ranged in color from red, green, and orange. Tiny bubbles fizzed on the surface of the fruit.

"Tingly, how fun Joss!" said Pix as she absorbed the first piece.

"Wonderful." said Joss with a soft smile.

Joss and Genji watched as Pix completed their meal.

"Thank you Joss and Genji, I loved this experience. Definitely expect more Solyx customers in the future." said Pix

"We would love to see it." said Joss.

"Please stop by again if you have time after your visit to Earth." said Genji.

"I'll send you a message Genji!" replied Pix.

The door bell chimed as the final customer for the day left. The rest of the evening was spent cleaning and winding down.

"You did a good job today, Joss." said Genji. "You're improvisational skills with Pix was impressive. That's an important skill for chefs in this age. You never know who'll be entering your doors."

"Yeah, that was really fun. I'm glad everyone enjoyed their meals." said Joss.

Several days passed leading to Genji's trip to Batrum. No major changes to The Octopus House's schedule this time. The mornings were spent prepping for lunch and dinner services. Joss managed the back while Genji managed the front.

"Hey Genji, hope you have a safe trip tomorrow!" said Joss as they wrapped up their last day.

"Thank you, you have any requests for something I could bring back?" asked Genji.

"Nothing in particular, I'd be happy with whatever." said Joss. "Also, about your offers," she continued "I don't think I want to go back to Batruum so soon. I'd rather stay here for a bit more."

"That's great, so you'll take over The Octopus House?" asked Genji.

"Yeah, I've got some ideas." said Joss.