Agricultural Center's Meeting Room, 2 days later
The wide, octagonal shaped room seated Takumi and his vassals comfortably, as well as the leaders of the city counsel with room to spare, some fifty feet at its apex width and length. A fortunate thing, as the curse has spread more rapidly than anticipated, and the royalty and their vassals are no exception to this unfortunate turn of events. The lightest of them were sitting almost two-hundred pounds, while the heavier folk are in the mid two-hundreds. Thanks to Oboro's quick thinking and sealing properties, the royal ensemble in the room were thankful to be on the lighter end of the scales, though still the heaviest any of them have ever been.
The ten-foot wide, octagonal-shaped table seats a wide spread of salty and sweet treats galore. Whether strictly foreign in nature, Yoshoku, or Hoshidan in nature, the spread for an average citizen would deem a feast, is perfectly natural to present when royalty would arrive, and no curse was changing the minds of the more conservative members that will stick to formality. The leader of the Agricultural Center of Hoshido, (ACH), Kazami Hoshiyoma, fall into the conservative crowd, much to the chagrin of those trying to resist indulgences and official warnings from the city state to refrain from eating outside of designated times until a cure is found.
A shame, as the food is exquisite, something Takumi could recall an Anna or Jakob concocting back in his war days. Takumi's, comparatively, lighter frame is from his personal restraint. Even when it was his turn to make the meals back in war times for the camp, he would make practical meals that would provide what they needed, but never anything beyond 'bland' or 'standard' as other soldiers would say behind his back in hushed voices. So, while his self-restraint is mighty, even his rock-solid demeanor is merely a façade his stubborn nature is desperately holding onto, proving a point only to himself in not indulging what the curse has eroded and revealed to him. To spot the perfectly flaky Deep-Fried Pork Cutlets or Deep-Fried Oysters fresh from the fryer, the beautiful Steak practically sparkling with the Chutney glaze its covered in, the alluring vinegar and spiced smells of the Pickled Daikon, all are strobing Takumi's brain with flaring impulse control checks that are getting more and more difficult to ignore.
The large man bows, sheepishly letting out a pleasantry, "P-please enjoy, your majesty! I tried to serve the best we can and hope it will show how we need these wonderful items out to the public again."
Taking only a cup of rice, Takumi takes a bite before responding, even the rice without any curry sparks joy in the young prince's mouth, slightly stirring the start of a second chin of his less angular face before replying,
"As much as I can agree that the food is wonderful, though sullied with getting straight into business," Takumi lies, as he is savoring the buttery, salty and peppered taste of even this perfectly cooked side that is residing on his tongue, trying to repress the yearning for another bite, he reluctantly places the bowl down with force,
*clank*
clacking audibly on the table, "we must keep order in line. If we are to let the citizens indulge mindlessly, we will not have an economy, let alone mobile citizens."
"Yet, my prince, we are having an influx of citizens traveling because of these very rules, heading to cities and towns more... lax of your fair ruling. I understand what you must do," Kazami take a large bite of cabbage rolls, eating two whole rolls with a voracious chomp, "but our citizens will make towns elsewhere and leave our capital with nothing."
Another sheep of the flock, Kuzui Homada, the treasurer nods and adds, "We cannot afford to turn away our hard-working citizens without compromising on certain expenditures," he notes by tipping a half-eaten berry tart he takes another bite of, "if we are turning away the potential funds this could be adding. Farmers leaving because they cannot sell their food will mean long term disaster for us."
Kazami nods in agreement, "Nohr has yet to proclaim a fasting order for their citizens, and because of that, provision and agriculture exports are through the roof. We cannot keep up with their demand if we lose those of us to make the product to the competitors. We are even having our fishing liaison quitting!"
This causes Takumi to pause in mid-bite for barely a moment, more akin to a muscle spasm to those unfamiliar with the prince. Processing this, he finishes another bite of the wonderful rice, "Morota? Why? His family has served Hoshido for... For generations? Why would he quit?"
Kazami dour demeanor nods, "yes, it seemed certain affluent individuals from Norh has offered him something spectacular. At least, its assumed that due to my brother Kozomu getting work permits to transport Morota's estate across borders to Norh."
Takumi was stunned, taken aback from the flux of information. He muscles through another urge to take more rice and eat his fill. His retainers, on the other hand, can only refrain their actions so much, as the curse has done more numbers on them then their master. Hinata would whisper something about the food being daring as he scarfs down a healthy helping of prickly daikon and succulent steaks, further adding more pounds to his already bulky frame, this fusion of muscle and fat that has changed him from a muscly mite to a practical weightlifter body type, reaching closer to the higher end of the room's range of weight indulging on the vices of the curse. Not much has changed in Hinata's demeanor, who is more focused on the meal than the politics his master must engage with at the table. Keeping focused more on the earthy tones of the curry he is shoveling down than the economic state of freezing food stall and restaurant sales. If anything, recent evens has drawn the attention of more interesting prospects, has his shape has yet to tail dive into the more globular physic many of the males have succumbed to.
Oboro gravitated to the sweets and would not relent on the consumption of Candied Peaches and Soufflé Pancakes. The enchanting tings and notes that play with every bite leaves her in a sweet release of the stresses that have been building up in here. While the indulgences of the sweets have done little to her upper part of her frame, only losing definition to her arms and face, what was stalwart has become more homely and welcoming to the wondering eye. Her chest band has gone up to a mere thirty-five, (35"), only three inches from prior the settling of the curse, coinciding with her chest has only crawled to a C-cup. Her core has only garnered a slight pouch, drooped into a slight 'w' shape if staring long enough to her sitting without being caught.
Where much of the weight of the now two-hundred-and-fifteen-pound warrior has gone to, have found their way to her hips and rear, the size of which exploding up twelve inches, going from a modest thirty-four inches, (34"), to an astounding forty-six-inches, (45"), of which can hardly be contained with even the recent alterations to her orange and white with blue accented ensemble. Her stretched out blue leggings can be seen when her hips dip out with ever other step, at capacity for the engorged thighs, stretching out the revealing diamond shaped bubble of flesh trying to strain out the confiding leggings.
