young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

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. ]

[More like he has not been on any dates.]

Alright. We should be around to help them if they're stuck on what to order anyway.

[As for what Lu Meng orders-!!

...hah. It's his turn to look a little perplexed. What to order, what to order...he's never eaten in a fancy restaurant before!! So far in Verens he's only eaten at pubs and cafes, and as he scans the items on the menu there's nothing here that catches his eye.

So of course he turns to his senpai in the matters of love, dating and not-dates.]

Which other item do you think we should try?

I'm trying the white fish with the blueberry and chashew sauce. [ She taps on the menu. ] Since, whenever I go to a new restaurant, I always pick the more unique dish!

[ Sanae likes to have an adventure wherever she goes. Because even if it turns out to be something she doesn't like at least she can say she's tried it. Keepin' it sickeningly optimistic, here. ] But you should order what you like.

That's certainly adventurous. [Blueberries and fish??? Really?

With the pressure on and no clue about all these items, Lu Meng eventually just runs his finger down the list, and selects the item that he stops on randomly. It's another fish dish! Specifically, it's--]

I'll have the...spice-rubbed salmon with herb-and-pomegranate raita. [What the heck is raita, even? Lu Meng has no idea, but it sure sounds fancy! The waiter takes their order, pours them both a glass of water and takes the menu back with him as he heads to the kitchen to convey the order.

And now it's just the two of them. Sitting and facing each other in a romantic setting.

...this is going to be a long wait for the meal for Sanae, isn't it?]

[ It certainly will be. Especially since Lu Meng is such a good conversationalist.

But his lack of dating skills actually helps quiet her embarrassing racing thoughts, because it only solidifies the fact that this is indeed a not date. Because a date would be better, she thinks. It would be more romantic-- they'd have both dressed up nicer, and he would have bought her flowers or something. Yes. A casual late lunch without any of the formalities is not a date.

Fortunately for the both of them, Sanae is a never-ending source of off-topic conversation. ] ...I don't know if you know this, but I've been trying to fly up into space. A friend actually is tossing me up high to give me a boost, and then I begin to fly up.

[Yes, space and science are great topics of conversation! Immediately he leans forward a little, his interest and curiosity perked up.]

But there is no air up in space. [He remembers that from one of her million factoids.] How will you breath? Can your friend truly toss you high enough to break the...[Hmm, give him a moment to try and remember that word...ah!] --the stratosphere?

[ Frankly the image of her "breaking" the stratosphere is rather hilarious, so she laughs, reaching for a piece of warm bread provided by the waiter. She knows that he means breaking metaphorically, but. Word play. She likes it. ] Oh, that's okay. Last time I went up to space I didn't have any trouble breathing. Or with the lack of pressure and the temperature.

[ Waving a hand, and her smile settles softly. ] I haven't gotten as far as the stratosphere yet, though. But the point is to keep trying, you know? For Heiwajima-san to throw me into space, he would have to accelerate me 40,266 kilometers per hour all at once! Thankfully, I can add my own power to aid the escape velocity. If we accelerate steadily instead of all at once, reaching space might be more feasible-- and it would take less power.

...and how fast is 40,266 kilometers per hour? [They went by a different kind of measurement in his time ok.]

About 11 kilometers per second!

[ ....

Oh. ]

....Enough to smash a normal human to a pancake if they went that fast.

[ Yep. ] But, don't worry about that, ahhaa~! It just means I have to go really, really fast.

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