"Simple as that, huh?" he said, chuckling awkwardly. The prospect of moving on to the real thing had him more intimidated than he'd like to admit, but he wasn't about to quit. Not after Trucy had vouched for him!

As she dug in to her soup with audible relish, he started adjusting the sticks in his dominant hand, looking for the most comfortable and functional position. It took some trial and error, but eventually he settled on resting one stick on his second finger and steadying the other stick with his first finger and thumb. With the outer stick firmly in place, he could squeeze the inner one with his first finger and press it down on the stable stick. He tried it in the air a few times, his movements picking up speed as he gained confidence.