AH! Another challenger to my world of culinary FURY! What fool dares to seek the intense flavours and tastes of LEON MERRIT'S STRONGEST STYLE OF FOOOOOOD?!
>A man in a pink martial arts gi rolls out of the kitchen and strikes a pose in front of the couple. He maintains that pose for a few seconds before rolling again and striking another pose. He drops to a fighter's stance as he glares intensely at Lei
You may enter...if you da-Oh, hello Abris.
>Abris waves lazily at the odd man, the smile of greeting an old friend on his face.
Heya Mr Merrit. Remember when I asked for that table?
>Merrit rolls his eyes and folds his arms, a reproachful look on his face as he sizes up the young man.
I've told you not to call me Mr Merrit any more. Leon is fine for someone your age. And when you said you wanted a table, I assumed you'd forgotten your mother's birthday and this was a last minute plan.
>Abris pouts and folds his arms
It only happened twice...
>Merrit waves him away, before looking at Lei and narrowing his eyes, immediately snapping back into character.
And YOU! You are the newcomer to the Strongest Style that he brings?! Very well, but be warned! The last two he brought were not prepared...They FAILED! Failed to pass the strongest test. May you find success in the path forward, and not fall to the wayside, broken by the cuisine of champions.
>He waggles his eyebrows furiously at her, in a display that was probably meant to be intimidating but came off as weird.
>>41301060 >>41301069 >Well, that was intense. >To Lie's credit, she did not freak out, though she did lean back eeeever so slightly at the man's intensity. >Culinary fury? Strongest Style of food? Cuisine of Champions? Was this some kind of gimmick? It had to be... and what was this about not being prepared and failing? >Her glasses flash for a moment hiding her expressive eyes for a moment.
Strongest test hmmm?
>That sounded like a challenge to her. >What sort of challenge she didn't know yet, but it wasn't in her nature to back down from one regardless. Been surrounded by hot-bloodedness most of her life and having a streak of it herself only made the call to show how badass she was more irresistible. >Turing with a small smile on her face and the light no longer reflecting on her glasses, an aura of confidence starts to radiate from the sniper.
I handle it, give all you got.
>If she could hold down Grilled Gigginox for all it's tough rubbery yet slimy meat, then whatever this man had for her couldn't bring her to her knees!
A confident one eh? Your spirit is ADMIRABLE! But we'll see who'll be the one defeated at the end of the day...TO YOUR TABLE!
>Which he said as though 'table' should have really been swapped out for 'doom' The martial artist leads the two of them to the upstairs level, which had a fair few more patrons in it compared to the downstairs one. A table for two, quietly sequestered near one of the windows is their destination. Merrit pulls out the chair for Lei as Abris takes his seat without incident.
Very well! WE SHALL TEST YOUR MIGHT! Your server will be with you shortly.
>And with that, Merrit exits. Flexing and posing all the while. Abris at least has the decency to act embarrassed by the whole situation.
The food's good, but it's not gonna...knock you out or anything. It's because he used to be a martial artist. It's all an act...I think?
>He was like that when Abris was small, after all. Abris picks one of the menus from the bracket on the table and peers through it absent-mindedly
Mind you, some of them have got a bit of a kick to them. When I brought the guys here, they had some Astrolian food, and boy did that not go over well...
>He looks over the menu and chuckles slightly
But I guess you're a native, huh? Maybe it's not spicy enough for you...
>>41303619 >Taking her seat and watching as the eccentric leaves the two to wait for server. >She actually found it refreshing to about someone so full of energy like that and hearing that he use to be a martial artist wasn't surprising with the way he carried himself.
Quite a switch. Go from that to restaurant business.
>Then again, Abris was always raised in a family own restaurant and he could be pretty intense himself. Maybe it was just a think in Kingsmeet? Fighting Foodies? Sounds like some child's story actually... >Looking at the menu herself, she does she a few dishes that are of Astrolian origins. Had to wonder how much it cost this man to get the meats and such he needed for this.
Use to them yes, though some are still much for me. Like Inferno Pepper, no one I know can take that.
>She did manage to trick Logan into eating one though, saying she'd go out with him if he could keep a straight face during it. >Those screams pleased her greatly.
Good for making bets on.
>Hmmmm... wonder if they had any dishes that were common in Ryu Yōsai? Her people were spread out all over so there's a chance that some of their recipes and dishes made it into establishments like this. Oooooh what she wouldn't give to have Plesioth sushi again.
Well,he sucked at fighting. Kept getting knocked out of the tournaments in the first round. But he kept on trying and trying...Until finally he won. We saw the belt when we came in.
>Abris puts down his menus and leans back in his chair.
Decided to 'conquer the world of cooking' after that, and that's how I met him. Probably how he met my folks too.
>His eyes water slightly at the mention of 'inferno peppers' and he sticks his tongue out.
No thank you...I can't handle spicy stuff at the best of times, let alone anything called an 'inferno pepper.' I'll stick to regular seasoning, thank you.
>At this point, a young man makes his way over to the pair, bedecked in a martial arts gi of his own and holding a small notepad, he smiles a waiter's smile and addresses the pair.
Hi there, what can I get for you?
>Abris takes a second glance at the menu before smiling politely back to the server
Yeah, I'd like a bottle of lemonade and I'll take the barbeque pork, please. Oh! No chili though.
>The waiter turns his smile to Lei as he writes on his notepad
>>41308517 >So he can't handle spicy stuff either then... With that noted, the girl turns to the waiter and glances back at her menu.
Miso soup, glass of water. That's all thank you.
>With that out of the way, she thinks back on the idea of 'conquering the world of cooking.' It wasn't far off from her own goals really. She was a mercenary for now because she made a promise a she was going to damn well keep, but after that... well...
Might do same sort of thing. Mercenary work for now, but want to be teacher one day. Once I get better speaking...
>She always did like kids, and teaching them seemed like the next logical step.
>The waiter nods and makes his way back to the kitchen.
>Abris meanwhile, blinks at his date.
...You mean, that's not your career?
>Well, being a teacher was a HUUUUGE improvement over being a vulture, but...
>But she was so good at being a mercenary. She'd managed to face down their foe without a hint of worry, and had done practically all the work alongside Shade. And there was him. Someone trying to make a career out of being the shield between terror and the civilians...And he'd nearly chickened out, let alone being almost completely useless in the final confrontation with BadStyle.
>For a very brief moment, the smile on his face falters, but he perks up again quickly.
Well hey! At least I wouldn't have to worry about you taking work from me! Those kids'll be lucky to have you.
>And she'd also probably be the subject of quite a few 'awakenings' among her students, but that's another thing entirely.
No, mercenary partly until I speak better and because of promise I made myself.
>Even in the past she always planed to become a teacher as, again she loved children, but now it was because of... other things. And the revelations that came from it.
Once promise fulfilled, then I can stop.
>'Then I can stop.' the phrase made it sound like her current job was more of an obligation then something she actively wanted for herself. >His comment about taking work from him did make her chuckle a bit.
Haha, yes. And I send children wanting to be mercenary your way instead. You whip them into shape! We be good team.
>Being a guard would be better for them anyway. A much more stable environment and consistent pay.
>It still bothered him that he was so weak, so useless as to need help from somebody that didn't even WANT to fight.
>That wasn't a mockery of Lei's ideals, oh no. The world needed all kinds of things to function. But...he couldn't stand for it. The feeling of inferiority.
>...She kept talking about a promise. Somebody asked her to do it?
The person you made that promise to must be pretty important for you to be so adamant in keeping it.
>Maybe changing the subject would help him feel better. Dwelling on negative thoughts on a date was generally considered bad form...He assumed. He hadn't really had enough to establish a proper base of what was 'good form' for a date.
>>41320619 >The sniper nods as she recalls the events that lead to that promise.
Yes, he was...
>Remember was painful but also served to remind her that if she didn't fill it other people will be hurt like she was. That made it all the more important.
>Abris flushes with awkwardness. Smooth move on the whole topic changer front. Real ladykiller technique there.
>Fortunately for his sanity, the waiter came back with their drinks at that moment, telling them that it wouldn't be long before their food was done. Abris gulps down half of his lemonade in one shot just to try and alleviate the sudden desert that had manifested in his throat.
>Calm down bucko, deep breaths and an apology.
I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories.
>Or not so painful? Maybe he was assuming. I mean, she wouldn't seem so wistful if they weren't.
>>41323218 >At the response Lei shakes her head as she grabs a hold of her glass of water.
No it's fine, you did not know. long time ago as well... Moved on from it.
>Or at least that's what she told herself as she takes a sip of water. >This revenge quest? Dating men similar in temperament to Him? The flashbacks? She was lying, but it made people worry less about her... and let her sleep at night.
Well, will fully once dragon that killed him and rest of my team is killed.
>Maybe it was because he was so much like Him, or maybe it was because he wasn't part of the guild, or possibly both, but she just let one of her biggest secrets out right then and there.
>That was a pretty hefty quest she'd laid out for herself...
>Abris drains the other half of his lemonade, thinking carefully. Dragons were pretty big, right? I mean, bigger than the wyverns you see in books...
...That's a pretty tall order. Killing a dragon.
>Especially if it managed to take out her team and her...ex-boyfriend? It felt strange saying that. I mean, he was her boyfriend, but ex suggested a breakup rather than...death.
>Abris felt ashamed for even thinking about it like that. She's gone through something that he'd never know, he should have some semblance of respect. He takes a deep breath.
I mean, I guess I'd maybe want to do the same thing, if I was in your shoes...
>There was an awkward silence. He couldn't relate to that, any attempts at communicating felt like empty words crashing into somebody who'd heard them too many times before.
Lei Jìjìng!aLEJudith. 30 Apr 2016 8:17:03 PM No.41330946
>>41330069 >She had heard those words before, many times by the people who she actually told this too. And every time she heard it, she had the same response to it.
No, shouldn't. Dragons good way to die.
>She couldn't really blame him for thinking that though, she doubted Abris had ever seen a dragon before. Just to behold one was to know fear and to fight one... Probably why she had set herself up on this deadly goal of hers. The only reason she was alive was because she was at the very edge of the battlefield. Not totally obliterated by the blast, not a charred lump of a corpse... Alive, when she had no right to be.
. . .
>She frowns at her glass of water. She really shouldn't bring Abris down with all of this, he probably didn't want to date a girl with baggage like this even with her looks.
S-so! Um, tell more about family! I know father is chef, but what about mother?
This post was edited by its author on 30 Apr 2016 8:18:42 PM.
>That was the most worrying thing he'd ever heard.
>She seemed to not really care what happened when she finally actually fought the dragon. Whether she or it died.
>He couldn't accept that. He couldn't accept that someone would not care about throwing their life away.
>He clenches and unclenches his fist. Deep breaths. Don't make a big scene, that's not going to help anybody. You've only just met her, you can't just hand down judgements on her life. If she didn't have a reason to avoid death, then you give her one.
>Abris exhales, regretting gulping down the entirety of his drink before he puts on a smile and moves on to answering her question. It should distract him, and clearly she wanted to move on.
My mother is...intense. I learned how to fight from someone, you know?
>He chuckles, rubbing at old bruises that had long since faded away, yet still ached at the memory.
I think she teaches people how to fight. Not like a school or anything, one to one lessons. To be honest...I never really asked her what she did, I was usually too busy trying to survive a sudden workout session.