young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

No, but I chanced upon a commentary in the newspaper. The premise seemed appealed to me, so I asked around the theatre for the full plot. I thought the story was very inspiring. The Ash Maiden lived a very hard life but never complained. Even when the tables were turned she forgave her parents; truly a model of filial piety. I only hope that her parents learned their lesson.

What of the story in your world? Did it have as happy an ending as the Ash Maiden?

[Walking towards the theatre now! And because it's cold, it's likely they'll be wearing scarves, right? It only occurs to him as they past a display showcasing winter fashion to check if she's wearing the one he bought her for her birthday.]

She gets married to the prince at the end!

[ She smiles brightly. Can he tell that she likes happy endings. ] And lives happily ever after! Peromei would love a story like that!

[Who doesn't like happy endings. Isn't that what everyone is fighting for?]

Elios too. A story where love triumphs over hardship and social standing, allowing a downtrodden maiden to wed the handsome prince of the land and secure her happiness.

[He nods, satisfied.

And it turns out the theatre isn't too far off from them. A few quick checks, a talk with the manager, and a hefty fee (Lu Meng was appalled at the price, do people actually waste that much money on entertainment!!???) later, and they've secured the booth for Elios and Peromei.]

I can't believe it is that expensive to watch a play! [She can bet he'll continue to grumble about this all the way to the restaurant, but he had the decency and sense to wait until they were outside the theatre to do so.]

[ Oh and for the record she is wearing the scarf he got her. She always wears the scarf a person bought for her when she's going to meet that particular person. Her choices become difficult when she's going to meet a group of people, though. ]

Let me pay for Peromei's ticket, Lu Meng. I'm the one that's aligned to her. [ She offers as they walk.

She'd rather pay for the tickets herself than him not grumble about it... An unhappy Lu Meng is not a fun Lu Meng. ]

[...hopefully she won't notice the little snow flowers that are springing up behind them as they walk on.]

No, it's fine. I can't let you pay for either of their tickets; that wouldn't be right. [It's not the gentlemanly thing to do. And besides, he will grumble anyway even if she pays for Peromei's ticket. It's not the cost to him that irritates him, but rather the fact that the ticket could be priced so high.]

150 syvls a ticket! Why are people willing to pay so much just to see those actors? [...keeping in mind that in his time, actors were one of the lowly paid in society.]

[ She doesn't.

But she would wonder exactly what emotion they're representing that he's creating. ] it's not just them the ticket goes towards-- it goes to the theater, the crew, the costume designers, the make up artists, the musicians!

Good talent should be rewarded!

[Thankfully she doesn't. And he doesn't either, otherwise he'll be taking a flight to Egypt to take a dive into The Nile.]

But acting contributes nothing to society! What about the hardworking farmers who toil in their fields every day? Food is a necessity for life, but entertainment is not.

[Oh whoops, it's return of Mr Stale Cracker.]

Er--, well, I see your point, but the actors and everyone involved in production have to live too. And it's not as if they don't pay the farmers for their food.

[ Isn't that how it works?? ]

[He sighs.] You have a point too. But farmers are the backbone of society, and yet too often most of them live in poverty and hardship.

Then... maybe the farmers should charge extra for their goods?

That would require everyone to pay more for their basic food.

[He runs his hand through his hair, a little frustrated.] I suppose...this is the farmer's boy in me. I was very poor when I was younger. One of the only entertainment I had was the village plays, and the actors were all equally as shabbily dressed as I was back then. They weren't paid for their shows either. You could give them money if you were impressed, but otherwise you could just sit down and watch them for free.

It seemed fair to me back then, that actors had it harder than farmers. But here it seems to be the other way around.

[ What she takes from this:

Never, ever take Lu Meng to a play here, ever. It will make him grumble about the prices as well as make him feel as if it's unfair. ] Lu Meng, I'm a shrine maiden. [ A particularly wealthy one, at least in comparison to Reimu. Lady Kanako has multiple projects going on at once and multiple branch shrines. ] I don't understand how economics really works.

[ See see, she's become a bit more straightforward since her return from home. ]

[ She sighs. ] But I do know that it can be a fun thing to see for some, and a good enough thing that they'd pay more to see it.

Let's just hope that Peromei and Elios enjoy it, okay? You don't have to see it with them. But if it really bothers you, let's return the tickets and buy tickets for them to go on an, um, [ What's a thing that farmers can do. ] hay ride through the countryside somewhere, to support the local farmers. It'd probably still be a nice trip for those little two Arehtei.

No, no. [He waves his hand irritably.] They'll enjoy this more, with its message of love and hope. I suppose if it's for a special night, there's nothing wrong with indulging every once in a while.

[But yes. Never take Lu Meng to a play, ever.

And here they are at the restaurant! The Elios seems to be a nice enough restaurant, if a bit on the fancy side!

...or it used to be. When Sanae and Lu Meng arrive, they'll find the owners sadly trying to scrub off a couple of Anti-Arehtei messages from the windows. Very crude and rude stuff, lambasting the Arehtei and accusing the owners of being traitors to Empatheias.

Lu Meng glances over to Sanae immediately.] We should help them.

[ She'll be regretting giving him a romance novel. Just don't do fun things with Lu Meng, should be her rule of thumb tbh. ] ....How terrible.

[ And she will approach the owners with an offering to help. They'll gratefully oblige, allowing the two to take a few rags and crude soap to begin to scrub off the paint.]

[Hey he can do fun things! Studying is fun! Nerding out about science is fun!

But what is not fun is having to clean up the mess. Lu Meng scowls at some of the messages and scrubs at them hard. If only he could scrub those damn protesters' mouths with soap instead.]

Scoundrels and ruffians.

[ She's doing her fair share of cleaning on the opposite side of the door. ] We should keep a close eye out for anyone trying to sabotage their time together.

Peromei just woke up from her sleep, she shouldn't have to see this...

I don’t want to upset Elios either. He’s truly tried to repent for what he’s done; he doesn’t deserve this malice and rancor. [It takes them quite awhile to scrub all of it off, but once they’re done the owners thank them, and even offer them a free meal! Did they know this restaurant caters to couples and romantic functions? Please keep The Elios in mind for their next special outing!

…which quickly leads to Lu Meng correcting the owners.] Ah, thank you. But I’m not courting her. We’re just friends.

---R-right!

[ Sanae also blurts out, unhelpfully. Lord help her. She gets too flustered whenever anyone brings up romantic things with her involved, regardless if she has feelings for the other person or not. ] We're.... actually just here to try out a not-date! Er-- I mean, for Elios and Peromei! Um--

[ Maybe she should stop talking. ]

[Elios and Peromei??? Both owners immediately jump at the two of them like hungry hyenas on fresh meat.

Did they know Elios and Peromei? Are the two Arehtei dating? Were they looking for a venue? How about their restaurant? It'll be absolutely free in honor of the namesake for this fine establishment!!

And although Lu Meng might've been a little taken aback, perhaps even wary at such a reception, all suspicions dissolve into thin air when he hears the magic word.]

That would be kind of you. We'll still have to try your food, and we'll pay for those meals, of course.

[ And so now they're led into the restaurant. The owners insist that the two take a special section with a better view of a nearby park, usually reserved for those couples who want a very special dinner. For the two Arehtei, this spot would be perfect for them! Their coats, scarves, and other accessories are asked to be taken to a check, and Sanae is even assisted with pushing in her seat to the table! Wow, wow, so fancy.

And as they're handed the menus and explained what the special will be today, Sanae glances over to the rest of the venue. She's relieved that they're the only ones here for a meal, possibly due to the vandalism outside and it being a bit too early for a proper dinner anyways. But as she looks over the top of her menu to Lu Meng, her heart quickens. She wonders if he's even been to a dinner with another woman before, or how he would ever try to "court" someone. Would he know to offer compliments, to smile more? Because he seems so much more approachable and handsome when he smiles--

She--... she can't be the only one who's nervous about being here, can she??

(She just needs to not overthink things. This is even more of a not-date than Elios and Peromei's not-date! )

The flowers at the center of the table have their petals curl at the tips. ] E....everything on the menu seems delicious. [ This is her attempt at small talk. ]

[And meanwhile in the clueless corner, Lu Meng is eyeing the items on the menu carefully, his mind thinking on various factors to ensure this date goes smoothly. He's so focused he didn't notice the awkward silence until Sanae pops it.]

It certainly seems of a higher quality than the standard fare. [He turns the menu so that it's facing her, and begins pointing out certain items, asking for her opinion.] Should we select the fish for those two? Peromei seems to like soup as well.

Edited 2016-01-09 17:13 (UTC)

[ Oh thank goodness he's completely oblivious.

....Then again, it makes her more self conscious that she's the only one who's apparently feeling this way. She urges herself to calm down, but he may notice that the ice in her water has already melted. Quietly, she turns her focus onto the menu. ]

Oh, um.... Are we really planning their dinner to this detail? Maybe it would be better for them to choose. [ ...Some of these dishes she can't even pronounce.

But the fish looks good, hm. ]

[~~For now~~.]

But would they know what to choose? We should ensure a smooth flow of events. Perhaps some options should be offered, but we should narrow it down for them so that they spend more time talking then discussing the menu.

[ He makes it sound like such a task to be talking about the menu... Clearly this man has not been on many dates.

Neither has Sanae, but she does knowing that accommodating for the time talking about what they'd order is a bit much. ] I... don't think that's necessary. Neither of us know what they might like-- or what they'd like to try out.

These options should be as-is.

[ And look, the waiter has returned and is going to take their order! Sanae is going to have some type of white fish with a savory blueberry and cashew sauce. ]

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