[12:29 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: I never thought I'd see myself here, I'm usually not one for places like these... Kalenzo thought as he stood before The Black Pearl, tapping his foot indecisively as he weighed his options.
But, Sula said it was worth checking out... some other time... He shrugged, feeling the looseness of the coin purse in his pocket as he walked away. Today Kalenzo was walking without his bow, the streets weren't very packed and he didn't wish to rouse suspicion, but if there was one thing he always kept on him, it was the knife.
He rolled his shoulders as he let out a yawn, walking about the main streets of Amaterasu.
[12:36 PM] Kwakado: Sula and Shimi flew past Dragon Tail, waving and doing a few loops for the onlookers, then continued west past the plaza. No sign of Leodin, or any familiar faces yet. He descended towards the Black Pearl, wondering if such an establishment would let him keep a tab.
[12:39 PM] Kwakado: Shimi glided down into the sparesly-traveled streets, avoiding what few passersby there were. Her rider looked over each of the signs and stands...He'd spent too long getting to know this city from high above.
[12:41 PM] Kwakado: Noticing a familiar yawning man, Sula waved to him. "Kwemo, Kalen-za! Come to try the tastes of the Dwabi?"
[12:47 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Well, would you look at that... the devil himself..." Kalenzo muttered as he turned around, a smile creeping it's way onto his face as the man descended.
"Well, I'd love to! Art must extend to all of the senses, and I'd love to indulge." He responded, giving the man a wave in return.
[12:50 PM] Kwakado: "Ha ha ha! I wonder if Sula-o would be your first choice to indulge with, sir, but it is an honor." Then again, Sula had eaten already in the last day or so...(edited)
[12:52 PM] Kwakado: Shimi took a few brisk steps closer to the stranger, but still keeping her distance
[12:54 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Ohoho, why thank you, I don't particularly mind experiencing the food with you. But you said the food was something along the lines of 'Nanyo,' correct?" He responded, giving a tiny bow before inquiring.(edited)
[12:55 PM] Kwakado: Sula shook his head, returning the man's smile. "Truly, it was. But they made some interesting menu changes...I wonder if it has improved."
[12:58 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Hopefully!" He exclaimed with a tilt of his head, his smile now turning into a grin as he approached.
[2:56 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "I'd be delighted to dine with you, regardless."
[2:57 PM] Kwakado: Sula gripped the reins a little tighter, and Shimi kept still. Perhaps she wasn't in the mood for a confrontation.(edited)
[2:59 PM] Kwakado: "Yes, yes, but please let me find somewhere to keep Shimi-e." Sula rides her to the back of the restaurant, where a dishwasher is resting. Kalenzo can see the Dwabi gesturing at him and making friendly requests.
[3:01 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo follows suit, his hands placed into his pockets as he approaches the back of the restaurant.
"Will this do?" He asked, slowly walking closer and closer to the Dwabi
[3:03 PM] Kwakado: The boy heads into the restaurant while Sula starts tying the pegasus to a nearby post. "Yes, he will look after Shimi-e until we get back. Though I have to worry a little...for him, ha."(edited)
[3:06 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "I see. As would I, having such a beautiful beast such as this one..." He drifted off, captivated by Shimi once more. He shook his head, "Regardless, let's head inside shall we?"
[3:11 PM] Kwakado: The worker came back out, sheepishly handing Sula a broom. He slid off of Shimi, using the cleaning tool as a cane as he came to Kalenzo's side. "Sula-o is good friends with the chef here. We should have no problems going in..and neither will she."
They entered the Black Pearl, a well-regarded and trendy restaurant making a buzz with its recent Dwabi menu additions. Its lights are dim, its waiters are sharp, and its round mahogany tables are polished to a pearlish shine.(edited)
[3:22 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "My Gods..." Kalenzo commented, completely awestruck. He raised his eyebrows in order to fully examine each and every detail of the restaurant. It's sharp waiters enticed him, the polished mahogany tables enamored him and the dimmed lights embraced a primitive minimalism that invited intrigue. The virtuoso felt right at home as he took off his cloak, quickly concealing his knife before exposing what he had worn under it all this time: a light lavender shirt with an indigo stripe down the middle and his dark pants.
[3:23 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Well, should we find a seat, or are we going to be seated?" He asked, turning around to make eye-contact with the Dwabi
[3:25 PM] Kwakado: Before the flamboyantly-robed soothsayer could respond, a waiter hurried up to them, taking them to a table near the wall. As they approached, Sula remarked. "It is a beautiful sight...A place that serves Dwabi, but understands it is kingdom..."
[3:28 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Hmm, I'd say..." Kalenzo responded, taking another look around as he was seated, "Heh, I still can't get over how appealing the aesthetics of this restaurant are."
[3:32 PM] Kwakado: The waiter exhaled, handing the men a pair of menus. Sula nodded. "The light brings out every sort of Keiji-i between people, u?" He waved a palm out at the rest of the crowd. Not too busy yet, but there was a wide assortment of starstruck aristocrats, Inoue captains, Dwabi connoseiurs and sleazy caravan masters.
[3:38 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo also nodded to the waiter as he accepted the menu, his eyes quickly scanning the text that had laid before him.
"Hmm, this all looks enticing, but I would like to know what you recommend, Sir Sula." He finally spoke, lifting his vision up from the menu to meet the Dwabi's
[3:43 PM] Kwakado: The menu contained quite a wide range on Amian cuisine, playing up its home city's cosmopolitan reputation, with a noticable (and recent) emphasis on food from Dwabi.
"That depends on the person, Kalen-zu...If you prefer sweet food, the Honey-Ginger Pineapple Crêpe is..." Sula hums for a moment. Apparently they didn't want to pay for the pineapples. "..not on the menu. If you prefer spicy food, the Jerk Chicken is quite popular. But if you want something more...any of the Falo dishes will satisfy."(edited)
[3:52 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "I see..." Kalenzo commented, his sights refocusing on the menu.
Hmm, maybe I'll have some of the saltfish with cabbage and rice... he thought as he leafed through what the restaurant had to offer. Or maybe I'll have some Oxtail with broad beans...
"...Well alright, I think I know what I'd like to order." He smiled, closing the menu and placing it politely on the edge of the table.
[3:54 PM] Kwakado: Sula did the same. As the waiter approached..."Kwemo." He nodded. "The Pumpkin Curry with coconut bread, please. Double."(edited)
[3:58 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "...And I'll have the spiced saltfish with cabbage, please." Kalenzo nodded, smiling as he steepled his fingers in a resting position on the table. "Oh, and some Sake, if you could be so kind."
[4:01 PM] Kwakado: The waiter took their menus, hurrying to the kitchen.
[4:02 PM] Kwakado: "Truly, to the Dwabi, there is no greater work of art than the meal. Our chefs are our artists."
[4:06 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo grinned smugly as he straightened his back, Now he's speaking my language.
"Really? I'll have to try this for myself, then. The culinary arts have always intrigued me, taste and smell aren't the senses I normally associate with the fine arts."(edited)
[4:10 PM] Kwakado: "Aa, but of course not." Sula adjusts his bright sleeve. "Only those with the proper...blessing, fed to them, can truly understand the art of the Dwabi." Then the other one. "I am sure you have your own blessing as well. You are a musician, uu?"
[4:13 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Hmm, you make a valid point." Kalenzo commented, re-steepling his fingers before correcting the man, "I'm sorry, but I am not a musician. I am an artist, I prefer the visual affairs of acting and the such... But! That's not to say it can't include music to compliment it."(edited)
[4:16 PM] Kwakado: Sula nods. "The visual affairs of acting, ha ha. I wonder if that is the blessing the gods of art planted in Khlin, when they gave cooking to the Dwabi?"(edited)
[4:18 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: The artist let out a chortle.
"Heheh, perhaps they did! Or maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones..." He added as his laughter died off into a light-hearted smile.
[4:21 PM] Kwakado: "It is a great Kwemo to speak with you again, Kalen-za...Please, forgive me if I startled you when we spoke last." Sula slowly glanced at his bare, discolored foot. "It was not a good day."(edited)
[4:28 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Nonono, it's quite alright. What's done is done, and we can't do anything about that." He smiled, "Now then, what have you been up to lately? I'm genuinely curious."
[4:31 PM] Kwakado: Sula smiles. "My art is...more like a spectator than a performer, ha ha. Truly, Sula-o is just a vessel of the wind and the whims of the gods." He hums whimsically.(edited)
[4:37 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "That sounds delightful..." Kalenzo drifted off into his next question, "...Now, I do have one question about the other day..." He added as his eyes narrowed.
"Who was the person that you thought was paying me to be here?"
[4:38 PM] Kwakado: Sula grinned. "Truly you must remember when we first met, yes? You found me on the roof of a house."
He leaned back a bit. "I have met..a few others that way. Guards and watchmen, mostly."(edited)
[4:44 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Hmm, I guess I must've forgotten then." Kalenzo smiled, scratching the back of his head beneath his pony-tail, "Glad to see you got such an interesting reception, then. Not many people get to see a pegasus such as yours." I wonder when our food will get here...
[4:45 PM] Kwakado: Sula nods. "I thought you were one of the vigilantees brought in to help Sir Kaza-mo, you see." The waiter comes back with the food, as well as the sake.(edited)
[4:49 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo's head twitched mid-nod as Kazama was spoken of, he thanked the waiter before placing the cloth on his lap.
"Ah, I do see, 'twas a simple misunderstanding is all." He chuckled, pouring the two of them each a small glass of the rice wine.
[4:52 PM] Kwakado: Sula reached for the glass a little prematurely...out of eagerness? "But then, let us consider. What was an actor doing with a bow? Ha ha ha!" He took a small sip of the sake.
[4:56 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Hmm hmm, good question..." Kalenzo chuckled alongside Sula, bringing the small glass to his lips for a sip. He let out a satisfied sigh as he put down the glass, ready to answer the previous question, "You see, I'm a traveler, and I can't travel unarmed, that's just asking to get robbed."
[4:59 PM] Kwakado: Sula shrugged. "I wonder. For me and Shimi-e, the blessings of the gods have protected us along the way." He then tore off a piece of the bread, dunked it into the curry and all but threw the whole thing into his mouth, eyes absentmindedly fixed on his guest.
[5:07 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Well then, perhaps you are also one of the lucky ones..." He commented, his vision drifting between his food and the man sitting in front of him as he broke off a piece of the fire-grilled fish and brought it to his mouth.(edited)
[5:12 PM] Kwakado: Sula devoured his double order with reckless abandon, humming in between rounds. He stopped for a moment, took another careful sip of sake, and watched for a taste of Kalenzo's own appetite. "That could be. Or...we are just too high up for the robbers to reach, ha!"(edited)
[5:15 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo stifled a laugh before he ate more of his spiced fish, often eating a piece of cabbage between each bite in order to properly space out his meal.
"That could also be the case, heheh." He added before taking a longer sip of sake.
[5:19 PM] Kwakado: Sula blinked. The way he feasted, the way he enjoyed it, really did seem like a musician. Or a craftsman? He prayed silently for his toe to finish healing as he continued eating.
"Of course, I must wonder if you, too, are blessed. Shimi-e has not behaved herself so well all day..." Perhaps he really was "the one".
[5:21 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo swallowed his piece of fish before responding with a tilt to his head,
"That's a bit saddening to hear, what do you think is the problem with her?"
[5:24 PM] Kwakado: "Ba-ba, ha ha ha. Shimi-e just has very...selective taste...in people. Only those with great power sleeping in their souls can even come close to her." Sula went back to the curry, giving Kalenzo time to ponder this.(edited)
[5:29 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Really now..." He drifted off, stewing his thoughts as he brought another piece of fish for his palette to enjoy. Only those with great power sleeping within their souls eh? What a bunch of horse-shit...
His face turned into a more neutral expression as he dwelled on the thought, My power must already be awake, if that's the case...
[5:31 PM] Kwakado: Already halfway finished with his food, Sula paused again, but did not drink. "I wonder....but whatever it is, I want you to know that it is very rare - and Kwemo - not to be hated by Shimi-e."(edited)
[5:35 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Mhmm..." He responded as he idly chewed his food, swallowing before taking another sip of the cup. This time, he had emptied it and quickly refilled it before resuming his consumption of the last of the fish.
[5:41 PM] Kwakado: Sula, in turn, finished his curry, but only took one more sip of the sake. "I am glad that we have been able to meet, Kaza-ma. ....ii, Kalen-za." The waiter came to take the plates. "Kwemo, sir, please tell Mr. Jirau to put this feast...on my tab, ha ha ha! I will return...truly."
Trying to hide his exasperation, the young man went back to the kitchen to get rid of their plates and have a frustrating talk with the Black Pearl's owner.(edited)
[5:55 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Ka-zama...? Kalenzo thought, narrowing his eyes on the Dwabi as his head twitched while the man wasn't looking ...Son of a bitch.
He pursed his lips as he looked at the bottle of sake on the table, he was angry and a long night with some sake would do him good. While nobody was looking, Kalenzo grabbed the bottle and hid it within the confines of his folded cloak. He hastily put on a mask of happiness before Sula could turn around, having his fingers wrapped around his cup of unfinished sake.
[5:57 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Well, okay then, if the bill is taken care of... We can leave, correct?"
[5:58 PM] Kwakado: "Yes, yes. But...I have one request, sir."
[5:58 PM] Kwakado: Sula reaches for the broom.
[6:01 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Oh, and what would that be?" Kalenzo questioned, gathering his things into the cradle of one of his arms.
[6:02 PM] Kwakado: Sula dug the broom's handle into the floor, pushing himself out of his seat as he started to leave with Kalenzo. "All I ask is that you return here...and show it to a friend of mine. Nothing more."
[6:05 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Alright, I'll see to it that request is fulfilled." He replied, nodding as he offered his free shoulder to lean on.
[6:07 PM] Kwakado: Sula nods, taking the man's shoulder as they exit. "It should not be very difficult. After all, you were already speaking to Vivian-ni a few days ago about lunch, yes?"(edited)
[6:09 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Well, she told me that she's running low on money. I just thought I would help her out, I guess." He replied, "Nobody with talent like that should go hungry."
[6:10 PM] Kwakado: Sula nods. "She has been...having some trouble lately. I wonder if something like this could feed her body and her spirit...just don't tell her I said anything, of course."
[6:12 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "I see..." Kalenzo nodded as the two made their way outside, he slowly and surely lead the man back to his pegasus.
[6:14 PM] Kwakado: "Kwemo, Kalen-za."
Bitterness already bubbling in his mouth, Sula quickly mounted Shimi, checking her to be sure no harm came.
" I can see with my eyes that you are a man of great wisdom and care. May kindness guide your hands, and the gods feed you with the blessing of art."
[6:18 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: "Thank you very much, and many blessings to you as well." The virtuoso replied, waving to the Dwabi before heading off back to the inn he was staying at.
[6:23 PM] Kwakado: Sula took his dark mount out of the city, looking for some sort of treasure but mostly the gold he'd kept stashed away. This dinner, along with Drew's reward, would set him back quite a bit and he got the feeling that the situation would only worsen.
...He'd forgotten just how great a cost friendship could come at.(edited)
[6:24 PM] [SPICY] ColdToiletSeat: Kalenzo marched off in a bitter-sweet victory, he was disrespected, but he received a free meal and a free bottle of sake. He shrugged as he weighed the differences, he got a free bottle of sake.(edited)
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