[ does he not like vegetables...? or is he sharing them... she'll have to observe. ]
Same as anyone else. But there's a time for work, and a time for play -- part of my job back home is fighting people on the regular, actually, so I came to really value the times that I wasn't doing that.
[ maybe it's surprising to hear, given her appearance, but her body count's high in that area. she picks up one of the veggies and munches into it... wow. it's crunchy but cooked. ]
I'm enjoying the time I can before I'm thrown headfirst into the next attack. Aren't you, Mr. Gambler?
Guess I could say similar, way most of what I did before this was just cut down whatever I'm told to. Fact, it might be the only thing I can do—kill, that is. But I don't mind it.
( and it is a little surprising, because izou absolutely judges an uncaged book by its cover, one amber-colored eye looking her up-and-down.
this conversation of theirs that has a casual air to it... like talking about the weather. he splits a piece of shrimp finely, almost routinely with his utensils.
to be asked if he's enjoying himself, though... his brow furrows. )
Messin' around in your off time's just day-to-day life. The ideal for a man like me. Don't think I've ever put much thought into it 'sides what's fun and what's not. Kinda like your proddin' folks for information...
( assuming that's what she finds fun, that is. crunch. )
[ at least he has the look of someone who could... reminds her of some of the Syndicates she's fought in the past. it doesn't matter the clothes you wear, it's the air. and the hair. ]
Is that so... I'm always on call, so I don't really have time off. I think my last before this place was... [ ... ] Over a decade ago, maybe.
[ maybe... elijah had enough moments to see the color in life and be frustrated by others' blindness, but after that... ]
Maybe I'm making up for it now. Do you like fighting?
( o-older than him... when combined with that pushy introduction of hers...
was she one of those... y'know. "cougars", or whatever? )
H-Huh. That so. To... To answer yer other question, ( he licks his lips uncomfortably, ) ... 'course I like it. It's what puts food on the table, and I'm damn good at it to boot. But lemme be clear on one thing: I don't fight. I kill.
[ what... is her age a problem for him. he's getting a curious tilt of her head for the sudden change, but she'll leave it. for now. ]
I do too. Or thought I did, anyway, but that's a different story. But I like the fighting part more than the ending, that's why I asked -- if you're game, we could go a round or two sometime.
( that's a little odd, isn't it? agreeing to potentially get offed by someone?
izou wrinkles his nose at the offer, eating with more grace than one might've expected from a guy like himself. every bite is hungry, but careful. focused. honed in the way one without the means to indulge might've been after a couple months of spending power. he knows what he's about: the food.
after stuffing another portion of shrimp into a cheek like a hamster: )
Long as you're fine with gettin' shown up. ( said with complete seriousness... ) ... Though that's prob'ly the best way to get to know each other, in my eyes. Wasn't that yer goal? To get chummy with people.
[ she's going to deposit one of the vegetables back onto his dish, focusing her tastes onto the rest of her meal -- and in doing so, he might find that she's mirroring him after such observation of his own habits. it's not a dish she's used to eating. most dishes aren't, really; if you don't need to eat, then you don't. she didn't, so she... didn't.
it's important to find the best way to get the taste out of something, and it seems she's decided that izou's style is how to bring that out. ]
I thought that if killing was what you enjoyed, or at least what you prided yourself in, then it's probably the best way to get to know you, too. More than prying anyway!
[ though she's still going to do that too. popping another split shrimp into her mouth happily. ]
( no... take that vegetable. it was clearly out of generosity, and not. like. the pickiness of a grown ass man.
still, what pings izou more at the moment is the unsettling way in which she agrees to everything he's saying with that cheerful disposition of hers. )
Y'know, not many folks can agree to the chance of getting offed with a smile like that. One might even call it, a unique quality.
( a pause to wave down a member of the staff to get him another beer. nothing compliments fried food better. )
Though maybe I'm the only one who took you up killin' time together so far and yer just desperate.
I've had plenty of dates before you. I'm a charming young woman, after all!
[ but then a little more sheepishly, casting her eyes down to her dwindling tempura. ]
Or... so I've been told, I don't really believe it myself. But I'd like to see what they do! As for my "unique quality", it's just because of the world-- or maybe just the place I worked. You and I aren't that different.
[ she's made her peace with it, really. she likes fighting, not killing. but it's what she used to do without a moment's hesitation to anyone who did hesitate, and now...
... well, eternal slumber is still dying in a way. ]
( there weren't many outsiders conscripted into LILITH's ranks that spoke like that to izou, besides— )
Sounds like another Outsider who's been badgerin' me lately. You two would get along.
( as if two completely different women couldn't feel confident in themselves???
the "you and i aren't that different", though... something uncomfortable scrapes under his skin, as if someone who just met him knew a damn thing. for a moment he regards malkuth with a sour expression, nudging at the remains of a steamed clam with his chopsticks. )
Just best friends. I mean, I could see why anyone would have a thing for her -- she's gorgeous and strong, always looking out for others and bringing them up, she's kind for kindness's sake... and when she feels something's off, she always calls it out. I really admire how confident she is, too, and how soft her skin is.
( there's a softness in malkuth's expression as she renders an overwhelming sweet telling of their connection and what march means to her, but izou is quick to become distracted by the very last thing she says.
yeeeah, he's just gonna take a long sip of that beer as he recalls how it felt to entwine his fingers with hers, to feel the murmur of her fingertips during that particularly stressful mission earlier this month. it was all for the purpose of infiltration, but a touch-starved idiot like himself won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
his gaze flits away and back. )
T-That so. ... You got some pretty intense feelings. But that's... ( good, because march ought to have someone she can open up to... someone she won't regret being around eventually, ) ... nevermind. Guess I just don't get it, what with how it hasn't been all that long. Women work fast.
... are so interesting. is he uncomfortable? nervous? was it something she said, or the intensity of her best friend feelings? she eyes him before hailing down a beer for herself. malkuth cannot drink too much. she learned what happens when she does (she falls asleep). but one or three won't hurt... ♪ ]
I guess so. March and I are birds of a feather, so we get along. It's pretty easy to be her friend as long as you're open to it.
Which, [ and she points a shrimp in his direction, ] you definitely aren't, but it's not gonna kill you to garner some friendliness with others. Even if we're all on different teams, we're still working together. Cohesion is a must.
[ spoken like someone who's been in a managerial position. the shrimp tucks into her mouth and she looks thoughtfully at him after a moment. ]
I don't think March is as old as I am, if that makes you more comfortable with letting her badger you. You didn't seem like you had a great reaction to my self-estimation.
( what the hell? now their little get-together feels like a lecture... )
Tch. I'm taking this shit seriously, so it's not like I'm opposed to team-work. It's just, some folks aren't so used to others being... fascinated in 'em outside of work. Or in people clamberin' around them in general.
( time to get defensive. )
Everyone's got their circumstances. There's no way you haven't had a bad experience, persistence be damned.
that gives her pause, chopsticks stopped in the middle of grabbing another shrimp to dip, and her smile dims a little. ]
... Well, you can't force people to change their feelings about you, that's for sure. You can open all the doors in the world, give them every chance to take even a peek in, and they can still choose to walk on by without seeing you at all.
[ she thinks of a floor streaked with (her) blood and a desperate plea, the turn of a head and footsteps echoing away,
and doesn't feel so hungry anymore. she eats the shrimp anyway and it feels hard to swallow. ]
( and that's the crux of an issue unbeknownst to them, isn't it?
that one is trying to look forward, while the other is always looking behind.
malkuth hits a sore spot, a wound that never seems to heal what with the pain being engraved on his bones, his spirit, and izou immediately tenses. )
I know that better than anyone.
( —that people will leave no matter how close they seem, that most had grander things to attend to than a man who couldn't do right by anyone in the end, and a chopstick stabs into the veggie she so unceremoniously returned to him. )
And no. It ain't. Just focus on finishin' your plate.
maybe he's one of the people who she can't change the feelings of. well, it's fine if they're nothing more than people who can work together -- or maybe the fight will help them both, though she wonders what page she'll have to use against someone like him. at the very least it sounds like they've had the same turn in their pasts, but that isn't dinner conversation -- it's hardly daily life conversation either, and it's still a bit of a sore spot on her end anyways.
as much as she tries to not let it be, it's always in the back of her mind as she nibbles at the last of the vegetables. ]
I'll stop trying to befriend you.
[ just so he knows, she's got the message. malkuth hates giving up, but there's a fine line between stubbornness and hardheadedness. ]
( izou grits his teeth at the remark, and perhaps this is where most would apologize.
instead, he opts to turn the phrase over and over in his head in a moment of silence, plopping bits and pieces of his meal into his mouth to methodically chew, all sorts of justifications for his behavior dancing on the brain. her approach might've been sincere, but he almost perceived it as condescending in a way. )
You'd be better off for it.
( a woman like her, so bent on achieving warmth with her new-found comrades... she didn't need to waste time doting on him any.
this is how it ought to be, or so he thinks, retreating into the safety of his anger. gradually, izou wears down, and what comes out next is more of a grumble than anything: )
... Don't mean I'll turn down that challenge, though. I'll be there.
I was hoping you wouldn't back out. I'd like to know who you are, after all. I mean it.
[ even if, or especially if, it's through combat. her beer sits barely touched and she can't even think to eat another bite, so she waves down for her split of the bill and scans her wrist over the offered device as she stands, resting her other hand on the table. ]
Thank you for coming out with me. I really like how this place looks, and the food's really delicious, so maybe you'll see me in here again sometime. [ alone or with someone else. ] Don't be a stranger. I'll split the bill with you anytime.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
( he doesn't get the need for such an earnest thanks when all they're doing is sharing a meal, but whatever.
then, while casually stacking an assortment of fried vegetables that came with his meal onto one of her smaller dishes meant for dipping sauce: )
Though most of the food here ain't the real deal anymore.
( an awkward beat. )
Y'know, from my end... it almost feels like you're treatin' this whole thing like a vacation. LILITH brought you here to fight, yeah?
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Same as anyone else. But there's a time for work, and a time for play -- part of my job back home is fighting people on the regular, actually, so I came to really value the times that I wasn't doing that.
[ maybe it's surprising to hear, given her appearance, but her body count's high in that area. she picks up one of the veggies and munches into it... wow. it's crunchy but cooked. ]
I'm enjoying the time I can before I'm thrown headfirst into the next attack. Aren't you, Mr. Gambler?
no subject
( and it is a little surprising, because izou absolutely judges an uncaged book by its cover, one amber-colored eye looking her up-and-down.
this conversation of theirs that has a casual air to it... like talking about the weather. he splits a piece of shrimp finely, almost routinely with his utensils.
to be asked if he's enjoying himself, though... his brow furrows. )
Messin' around in your off time's just day-to-day life. The ideal for a man like me. Don't think I've ever put much thought into it 'sides what's fun and what's not. Kinda like your proddin' folks for information...
( assuming that's what she finds fun, that is. crunch. )
no subject
Is that so... I'm always on call, so I don't really have time off. I think my last before this place was... [ ... ] Over a decade ago, maybe.
[ maybe... elijah had enough moments to see the color in life and be frustrated by others' blindness, but after that... ]
Maybe I'm making up for it now. Do you like fighting?
no subject
( wait a fuckin' minute. he completely ignores her question. )
How old're you 'sposed to be?
no subject
Somewhere in my thirties, I guess.
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was she one of those... y'know. "cougars", or whatever? )
H-Huh. That so. To... To answer yer other question, ( he licks his lips uncomfortably, ) ... 'course I like it. It's what puts food on the table, and I'm damn good at it to boot. But lemme be clear on one thing: I don't fight. I kill.
no subject
I do too. Or thought I did, anyway, but that's a different story. But I like the fighting part more than the ending, that's why I asked -- if you're game, we could go a round or two sometime.
no subject
izou wrinkles his nose at the offer, eating with more grace than one might've expected from a guy like himself. every bite is hungry, but careful. focused. honed in the way one without the means to indulge might've been after a couple months of spending power. he knows what he's about: the food.
after stuffing another portion of shrimp into a cheek like a hamster: )
Long as you're fine with gettin' shown up. ( said with complete seriousness... ) ... Though that's prob'ly the best way to get to know each other, in my eyes. Wasn't that yer goal? To get chummy with people.
no subject
[ she's going to deposit one of the vegetables back onto his dish, focusing her tastes onto the rest of her meal -- and in doing so, he might find that she's mirroring him after such observation of his own habits. it's not a dish she's used to eating. most dishes aren't, really; if you don't need to eat, then you don't. she didn't, so she... didn't.
it's important to find the best way to get the taste out of something, and it seems she's decided that izou's style is how to bring that out. ]
I thought that if killing was what you enjoyed, or at least what you prided yourself in, then it's probably the best way to get to know you, too. More than prying anyway!
[ though she's still going to do that too. popping another split shrimp into her mouth happily. ]
no subject
still, what pings izou more at the moment is the unsettling way in which she agrees to everything he's saying with that cheerful disposition of hers. )
Y'know, not many folks can agree to the chance of getting offed with a smile like that. One might even call it, a unique quality.
( a pause to wave down a member of the staff to get him another beer. nothing compliments fried food better. )
Though maybe I'm the only one who took you up killin' time together so far and yer just desperate.
no subject
[ but then a little more sheepishly, casting her eyes down to her dwindling tempura. ]
Or... so I've been told, I don't really believe it myself. But I'd like to see what they do! As for my "unique quality", it's just because of the world-- or maybe just the place I worked. You and I aren't that different.
[ she's made her peace with it, really. she likes fighting, not killing. but it's what she used to do without a moment's hesitation to anyone who did hesitate, and now...
... well, eternal slumber is still dying in a way. ]
no subject
( there weren't many outsiders conscripted into LILITH's ranks that spoke like that to izou, besides— )
Sounds like another Outsider who's been badgerin' me lately. You two would get along.
( as if two completely different women couldn't feel confident in themselves???
the "you and i aren't that different", though... something uncomfortable scrapes under his skin, as if someone who just met him knew a damn thing. for a moment he regards malkuth with a sour expression, nudging at the remains of a steamed clam with his chopsticks. )
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[ like she doesn't even need to guess. no cheeky "right?" about it she's been called peas in a pod with her. ]
She's my best friend here. I'm trying to improve my confidence since she thinks I'm cute, and I want to be cute for her too.
[ that's her bestie... she's ignoring his sour look though it's clearly just because of her friendliess and nothing else. ]
no subject
... actually— )
Just best friends? Typically when you wanna be cute for someone, it means you've got a thing for 'em.
( or at least, to izou. chopsticks pointed straight at malkuth. )
no subject
[ but they are just best friends. ]
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yeeeah, he's just gonna take a long sip of that beer as he recalls how it felt to entwine his fingers with hers, to feel the murmur of her fingertips during that particularly stressful mission earlier this month. it was all for the purpose of infiltration, but a touch-starved idiot like himself won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
his gaze flits away and back. )
T-That so. ... You got some pretty intense feelings. But that's... ( good, because march ought to have someone she can open up to... someone she won't regret being around eventually, ) ... nevermind. Guess I just don't get it, what with how it hasn't been all that long. Women work fast.
no subject
... are so interesting. is he uncomfortable? nervous? was it something she said, or the intensity of her best friend feelings? she eyes him before hailing down a beer for herself. malkuth cannot drink too much. she learned what happens when she does (she falls asleep). but one or three won't hurt... ♪ ]
I guess so. March and I are birds of a feather, so we get along. It's pretty easy to be her friend as long as you're open to it.
Which, [ and she points a shrimp in his direction, ] you definitely aren't, but it's not gonna kill you to garner some friendliness with others. Even if we're all on different teams, we're still working together. Cohesion is a must.
[ spoken like someone who's been in a managerial position. the shrimp tucks into her mouth and she looks thoughtfully at him after a moment. ]
I don't think March is as old as I am, if that makes you more comfortable with letting her badger you. You didn't seem like you had a great reaction to my self-estimation.
no subject
Tch. I'm taking this shit seriously, so it's not like I'm opposed to team-work. It's just, some folks aren't so used to others being... fascinated in 'em outside of work. Or in people clamberin' around them in general.
( time to get defensive. )
Everyone's got their circumstances. There's no way you haven't had a bad experience, persistence be damned.
no subject
that gives her pause, chopsticks stopped in the middle of grabbing another shrimp to dip, and her smile dims a little. ]
... Well, you can't force people to change their feelings about you, that's for sure. You can open all the doors in the world, give them every chance to take even a peek in, and they can still choose to walk on by without seeing you at all.
[ she thinks of a floor streaked with (her) blood and a desperate plea, the turn of a head and footsteps echoing away,
and doesn't feel so hungry anymore. she eats the shrimp anyway and it feels hard to swallow. ]
I know that. But this is different, isn't it?
[ ...
isn't it? ]
no subject
that one is trying to look forward, while the other is always looking behind.
malkuth hits a sore spot, a wound that never seems to heal what with the pain being engraved on his bones, his spirit, and izou immediately tenses. )
I know that better than anyone.
( —that people will leave no matter how close they seem, that most had grander things to attend to than a man who couldn't do right by anyone in the end, and a chopstick stabs into the veggie she so unceremoniously returned to him. )
And no. It ain't. Just focus on finishin' your plate.
no subject
maybe he's one of the people who she can't change the feelings of. well, it's fine if they're nothing more than people who can work together -- or maybe the fight will help them both, though she wonders what page she'll have to use against someone like him. at the very least it sounds like they've had the same turn in their pasts, but that isn't dinner conversation -- it's hardly daily life conversation either, and it's still a bit of a sore spot on her end anyways.
as much as she tries to not let it be, it's always in the back of her mind as she nibbles at the last of the vegetables. ]
I'll stop trying to befriend you.
[ just so he knows, she's got the message. malkuth hates giving up, but there's a fine line between stubbornness and hardheadedness. ]
no subject
instead, he opts to turn the phrase over and over in his head in a moment of silence, plopping bits and pieces of his meal into his mouth to methodically chew, all sorts of justifications for his behavior dancing on the brain. her approach might've been sincere, but he almost perceived it as condescending in a way. )
You'd be better off for it.
( a woman like her, so bent on achieving warmth with her new-found comrades... she didn't need to waste time doting on him any.
this is how it ought to be, or so he thinks, retreating into the safety of his anger. gradually, izou wears down, and what comes out next is more of a grumble than anything: )
... Don't mean I'll turn down that challenge, though. I'll be there.
no subject
[ even if, or especially if, it's through combat. her beer sits barely touched and she can't even think to eat another bite, so she waves down for her split of the bill and scans her wrist over the offered device as she stands, resting her other hand on the table. ]
Thank you for coming out with me. I really like how this place looks, and the food's really delicious, so maybe you'll see me in here again sometime. [ alone or with someone else. ] Don't be a stranger. I'll split the bill with you anytime.