The tomatoes sat in a ceramic bowl, six of them, crowded together like they were huddling for warmth.
Raizen picked one up. It was heavier than he expected - dense and firm, the skin smooth under his thumb. He turned it over, examining it from every angle.
Deep red, almost burgundy near the stem. The color was so rich it looked artificial. When he pressed gently, there was a slight give, just enough to tell him it was ripe.
He never really stared agressively at a tomato before.
The vegetables in Ukai were truly something else.
In the Underworks, food was fuel. You ate what you could get. You didn't examine it. You didn't even think about it.
But here, now, with rain pattering softly against the roof and the whole afternoon stretching out before him-
He had time to look.
