citylogs | [closed]

[Oh my god. Of course he has to bring that up again. Her cheeks flush red immediately, but she can't exactly protest given that he's right. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind...]

Having all of the food in a whole city be poisoned would've been a little extreme, wouldn't it...?

[That is...... her only defense. It took her days to come up with it.]

[ He knows several ways he could poison an entire city's supply of food with little work on his part, but he deigns not to mention it. It's not the point, anyway. And not what he wants to do—be a duplicitous schemer, that is. ]

Perhaps. But you didn't hesitate at all. Where's your sense of danger?

[ Sorry Altria, your pride will have to suffer a bit more teasing. ]

[She puffs her cheeks out at him, but it really is lacking in any sort of heat considering she is absolutely still eating. She ruins any (minimal) fierceness there was in her expression by taking a big bite.

Which also means she can't respond until she finishes chewing. And swallowing.

And then finally, far-too-belatedly:]

... I... was on the look out! But--for enemies, not for poison.

[... She's all brawn and no brains.]

[ He's starting to tell what kind of person she is, although, if he had to be honest, it hasn't been very difficult understanding her so far. But that's why he's gotten along so well with her, isn't it? After one life surrounded by powerful, egotistical people, all of whom had plans upon plans working in the background, hidden in the shadows—

It's really nice, to meet a person so honest about their intentions, with no ulterior motives. At least, if her behaviour can be taken at face value. There will always be a part of him that doubts others, but he doesn't want to let it consume him again. ]

Guess you were lucky this time. You can have all the sweets you want now.

[She makes a face at him. Because, really, he says that, but:]

I think if I did that, you would just make fun of me more...

[And rightfully so.

... Still, she rallies herself a moment later, shaking her head.]

Besides, as much as I love sweets, those really have nothing on your cooking! This is much better.

[ He absolutely would, she's right. She catches on quick. There's a smirk at that, but it quickly vanishes under his hat as she begins praising his food again. ]

Of course it is. Anything is better than the garbage they serve here.

[ It's not really a boost though—the food here is just that bad, in his opinion. ]

[Hmmm....

She can't help but ask, head tilted in honest curiosity:]

Do you not like compliments?

[ He freezes for a split second—he's never actually been called out on his idiosyncrasies before. The all-knowing god that she was, Nahida would never directly say anything, even when she gave him knowing smiles. ]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Her head tilts the other way, and her eyes on him are gently contemplative.]

... It's okay if you don't. [It's said simply and rather calmly, especially for her.]

I'm only asking because I don't want to make you uncomfortable if you do not like it.

But if you really don't mind, then I'll keep saying what I think.

[ The consideration—the care in her words chafes at him even more than the compliments, and he continues to use his hat as a cover for his face, as if putting a physical barrier between them would make it any easier to bear the feeling. ]

You don't need to— [ Guh. This feels like admission of sorts, and he cuts himself off. ]

...just do as you please.

[... So that's how it is, huh? There's a sort of innocent honesty in the way he tries to brush it off without outright admitting to anything, or lying to her.]

Okay then. I'll just keep saying my true opinions, without worrying about it.

[ He gets up and heads over to the kitchen again without a word, but returns after a minute. This time, he's got more food in hand. They're smaller morsels, but a greater variety of dishes—meat and vegetable skewers, tamagoyaki, and croquettes. Clearly, he experimented with a lot of dishes.

He sets the plates down in front of Altria. ]

Here. Try these.

[ She is going to leave the restaurant absolutely stuffed. ]

[More???? This girl can eat, but she's still just a sixteen year old girl. Her eyes are wide as saucers as he brings in even more dishes, but--

Well.

She wants to try all of them! They all smell so good, and are so new and unique and different from anything she's tasted before!

What's a little potential tummyache in comparison with that?]

Got it...! I'll start... here!

[She has her battle face on. This is Serious.

And she goes for the tamagoyaki first.]

[ It's never bad, to watch someone enjoy the food he makes. On the contrary, he feels satisfied and proud to see Altria enjoy it all. Even with the terrible ingredients here, it's good to know he can still produce something delicious.

But he'll never admit it to anyone's face. ]

Like I said before, if you can't finish it, you can take some home. Don't worry about what I'll do with the leftovers.

[ He's got another party to feed anyway. He sits back down to watch her eat, once again not touching the food himself. ]

[Well, if he says so! She just nods eagerly, making her way through each and every one of the dishes--not the whole thing, of course, but bites and tastes of all of them.

And when she finally leans back with a little sigh, she considers everything and then... points to the sakura mochi.]

They were all delicious, but I think that one was my favorite of all.

[ Of course she would like the sweets. And despite his personal preferences, he'd made it a little sweeter than normal, knowing that Altria would be eating some of the food.

Without a word, he takes what's remaining of the sakura mochi and puts it into the plastic container. ]

I've got another batch in the kitchen. You can take that with you too.

[Gasp...!!

She blinks at him, and then catches herself before she can ask if he's sure (of course he is, he's always been sure of everything he's told her).

So, instead, she nods eagerly.]

If you say so, then...! I'll gladly take it with me. [Yay yay!] Thank you!

[ He goes back to the kitchen to retrieve the extra batch and returns quickly, then takes his seat and waits for Altria to finish eating.

He can understand now how satisfying it is to cook for another. He hasn't met anyone as voracious as Altria before, nor has he seen anyone express such delight in his cooking. It's... odd, but the warm feeling in his chest is not one that he dislikes. ]

[She doesn't finish the food (of course not, there's far too much for that), but... when she's properly full, she leans back with a contented little sigh and smiles cheerfully.]

Everything was delicious! Wow, I'm so lucky that you called me over to be a taste-tester...! Call me over whenever, okay? I'll always show up!

[For food, yes, but also--for anything at all.]

[ It's odd that that's a statement he can trust. Especially when he's resolved not to trust anyone in this city, or perhaps his entire life. But he believes her—that she would really come running if ever he called for her. ]

You shouldn't say things like that—you might find yourself regretting it later.

[ By which he means, she's given him full consent to annoy and tease her as much as he likes. ]

Oh, that won't be possible.

[It's said flippantly, but very earnestly. Perhaps he'll tease her and annoy her, perhaps he'll poke at the things that flip her switch and make her yell.

But she'll never find herself regretting coming to see him.]

I'm already sure of it.

[ There's nothing he can say to that, so he does what he always does when presented with something so honest and sweet: he tilts his hat down to cover his face. ]

[... Heheh. She's starting to understand that gesture, and it makes her smile. What an honest display of embarrassment.

But she should perhaps show some mercy and not push it too far.]

So call on me any time, okay?

For now... I'll gladly take this back with me! [Tsuruno deserves to try some! She'll probably love it too.]

Thank you again for inviting me. I had a lot of fun trying your cooking.

Good. Now leave. I want some time to myself.

[ He makes a shooing motion with his hand, turning to handle the rest of the unconsumed food. ]

[Hmmm... She considers that for a moment, but after inspecting his body language for a moment, she just nods to herself, satisfied.

Her point's been made, she thinks--and so she waves, her packaged up to-go-food clutched close as she heads on out to leave him to his thoughts and the feast he's made.]

[closed]

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