Celestia Ludenberg (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
divinitea) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
route_10652014-02-18 09:24 pm
divinitea) wrote in route_10652014-02-18 09:24 pm
I was rooting for you, Leon
Who: Celestia Ludenberg and Leon Kuwata (struck_out)
Where: Ecruteak City
When: Backdated to the 14th
Summary: Leon ran into Celes in Ecruteak City on Valentine's Day, and made the terrible life decision of asking her to dinner in a fit of loneliness.
Rating: PG-13 at the most
Log:
[When Leon had asked her to dinner, Celes had been tempted to turn him down on the spot. His request was as loud and unkempt as his horribly dyed hair, he clearly hadn't put any thought into it, and the spontaneity had not impressed her. She had been halfway through telling him about her gym battle when he'd cut in, for goodness' sake! Clearly he had not been listening to her fabulous story, which didn't exactly do anything to endear him to her.
And yet, she had said yes.
It wasn't so much because she was alone on Valentine's Day; she liked the idea of the day in theory, but she'd never actively searched for any sort of romantic partner and never felt a single iota of loneliness, regardless of what the date was. Besides, one man alone could never satisfy her (not that she was going to share that with her date...unless he started to annoy her...).
Leon, on the other hand, had seemed very down from the moment she'd accidentally run into him in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Centre, and once his garbled offer of dinner was out, she didn't have any trouble figuring out why. Really, it amused her - Leon had always made an effort to show just how much he disliked her, and she'd made it clear that the feeling was mutual. So the fact that he'd actually volunteered to spend an evening with her, much less pay for it...
(...well, if he didn't think he was paying for it, he had a nasty surprise in store...)
...he really must have been desperate. The thought makes her smile.
So she'd gracefully acquiesced to being his date for the evening, agreeing to meet him outside the inn she was staying at (not the sort of luxury accommodation she was used to, but it certainly beat her room at Hope's Peak, so she wasn't going to complain about it) at exactly 6:30pm. At 6:29pm, she'd made her way to the lobby (in her usual outfit, of course - why change perfection?) and seated herself in one of the plush chairs, idly watching the time tick over on her PokeGear.
The evening certainly promised to be interesting.]
struck_out)Where: Ecruteak City
When: Backdated to the 14th
Summary: Leon ran into Celes in Ecruteak City on Valentine's Day, and made the terrible life decision of asking her to dinner in a fit of loneliness.
Rating: PG-13 at the most
Log:
[When Leon had asked her to dinner, Celes had been tempted to turn him down on the spot. His request was as loud and unkempt as his horribly dyed hair, he clearly hadn't put any thought into it, and the spontaneity had not impressed her. She had been halfway through telling him about her gym battle when he'd cut in, for goodness' sake! Clearly he had not been listening to her fabulous story, which didn't exactly do anything to endear him to her.
And yet, she had said yes.
It wasn't so much because she was alone on Valentine's Day; she liked the idea of the day in theory, but she'd never actively searched for any sort of romantic partner and never felt a single iota of loneliness, regardless of what the date was. Besides, one man alone could never satisfy her (not that she was going to share that with her date...unless he started to annoy her...).
Leon, on the other hand, had seemed very down from the moment she'd accidentally run into him in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Centre, and once his garbled offer of dinner was out, she didn't have any trouble figuring out why. Really, it amused her - Leon had always made an effort to show just how much he disliked her, and she'd made it clear that the feeling was mutual. So the fact that he'd actually volunteered to spend an evening with her, much less pay for it...
(...well, if he didn't think he was paying for it, he had a nasty surprise in store...)
...he really must have been desperate. The thought makes her smile.
So she'd gracefully acquiesced to being his date for the evening, agreeing to meet him outside the inn she was staying at (not the sort of luxury accommodation she was used to, but it certainly beat her room at Hope's Peak, so she wasn't going to complain about it) at exactly 6:30pm. At 6:29pm, she'd made her way to the lobby (in her usual outfit, of course - why change perfection?) and seated herself in one of the plush chairs, idly watching the time tick over on her PokeGear.
The evening certainly promised to be interesting.]
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The situation is far from ideal and he's painfully aware that this is probably going to end up as one of those bad life decisions that he will drown away his sorrows with with cheap booze, but he'll be damned if he'll spend Valentine's Day by himself. Call him vain, call him shallow (actually, call him both), but he'd rather make a deal with the devil then to break his dating streak on Vday. As much as he hates to admit it, he owes Celes. So he'll at least make an effort to make this date work. Somehow. And a first, crucial step is to smile and act as if he's really, really happy to be on a 'romantic' night out with her.]
Hey, sorry I'm late! There was a long que and the florist took ages to wrap the roses up; I thought she was gonna take forever to finish. Happy Valentine's Day, Celes.
[He offers her the bouquet and waits for her reaction. He can deny it all he wants but there's a small part of him that really, really hopes she'll like it.]
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Your timing leaves much to be desired. I'm not the sort of woman that you keep waiting, Kuwata-kun.
[However, the sight of the roses appears to have pacified her somewhat; she's always been fond of them. Of course, that doesn't mean that she's not going to look down her nose as she plucks them from Leon's hand, but at least she isn't screaming?]
Deal with these.
[Holding the bouquet out, Celes appears to be talking to herself; until Victoria the Gothitelle appears in a brisk flash of white light. Gathering the flowers into her small arms and inclining her head in a polite bow, she promptly disappears back from whence she came.
Standing, Celes brushes non-existent creases out of her skirts, before folding her hands in front of her body and giving Leon a cold look.]
Please tell me you actually have a restaurant in mind.
[So help her Kuwata-kun, if you expect her to eat street food...]
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Clearly, Celes isn't your ordinary kinda gal.
He nods uncertainly at Victoria (God, were all of Celes's pokemon as equally weird as she is) before he shoves both hands in his pocket and jerks his head to the door, leading the way.]
Yeah, I got a place. I couldn't really get us a nice table but I think you'll like it, the food's pretty good. Ecruteak's kinda like Kyoto with all the traditional stuff so unless you don't want Japanese...? But Western's kinda hard to do here though. There's fast food but even I'm not keen for a burger on Valentine's day.
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Speaking of her Pokemon, once Celes is through the door, she releases her Ninetales, who promptly lifts her head and starts to prance beside her. Doesn't she make such a nice accessory? Now...something about what Leon says strikes her.]
Will they have gyoza?
[...clearly, that is the most important question at the moment.]
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[He's surprised she even knows what gyoza is. With a name like 'Celestia Ludenburg' he just assumed that Celes grew up overseas with rich parents before returning to Japan for high school. Now if she said something like Kobe beef, or if she asked about Kaiseki...those seemed more suited to her refined palette (and if she doesn't then all the better because he's not sure he can cover the cost of those pricey meals!). Or so he assumes; with her snobby and refined air, it's hard to imagine her tucking into a plate of gyoza.]
Umm...yeah, I think I've seen gyoza on the menu there. Why, do you wanna order some? I...don't think it's the sorta food you'd like to eat Celes.
no subject
It isn't.
[After that, she turns away from Leon, beginning to walk down the street. What a stupid question to ask...what was she thinking? Of course a Japanese restaurant would have gyoza.
...just probably not the type she's craving - the gyoza her home, Utsunomiya, is famous for. Biting her lip softly, she pushes the thoughts from her mind. Celestia Ludenberg was not the sort of person to dwell on such stupid, sentimental things, even on Valentine's Day.
...
Regardless, a part of her knows exactly what she'll be ordering when they get to the restaurant.]
This had better not be a long walk, Kuwata-kun.
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...he might order some though. It's been awhile since he's had gyoza himself.]
Nah, it's right around the corner. See?
[And it's exactly as he said. There's a slight que to get in but it doesn't look like it'll take too long. Ten minutes later and they'll be inside the restaurant. It's designed to resemble a traditional Japanese home, just like every other building in Ecruteak. A smiling lady dressed in a pretty kimono shows them to their table, tucked away in a corner near a small indoor fountain. Leon's about to take a seat when he remembers who his 'date' is and how particular she probably is about table manners. So just for this time, he pulls the chair for her to sit on before he takes his own.]
Nice place, huh? Here's the menu. We can either order to share or we can order separately so...pick whatever you want.
no subject
My, such a nice restaurant and such pleasant behaviour, Kuwata-kun...one would almost think you're trying to impress me.
[...well. Let's hope that isn't the case, anyway.
Once Celes is seated, her Ninetales promptly curls up at her feet, flicking her tails around her body in the prissiest manner imaginable and placing her head on her paws, her red eyes flicking around the room. Which isn't all that different to what Celes' similarly red eyes are doing - she will, however, eventually focus on the menu. The food is more expensive than she thought it would be (not for her, of course, but she didn't think Leon had decent taste...) and actually sounds rather good.]
I would prefer not to share the food, if you don't mind. I will, however, permit you to share a pot of tea with me.
[Apparently you've done pretty good, Kuwata-kun. Keep it up!]
no subject
[Leon that wasn't...really meant as praise.]
Sure. I'll let you pick the tea too 'cause you're the expert.
[His eyes scan the menu; what to eat, what to eat...maybe ramen, because he's got a taste for noodle tonight. And since Celes mentioned it earlier, he might as well grab some gyoza.
That's something to consider, again. If this is her first time here then he should let her know what this restaurant is famous for.]
I think the ramen here is really good but what they're really known for are their sushi and their sashimi. I had their aburi salmon the last time I was here and it's probably the best salmon you'll find in Johto. They've also got the normal high-end stuff like kobe beef but I heard that there's a better restaurant in Goldenrod for that.
no subject
[Regardless of her comment, Celes is clearly deep in thought as she ponders the menu. What to choose, what to choose...for a moment, she can't help but recall Hope's Peak, and the food she ate there; while the ingredients were always of a decent quality and there was an acceptable variety, the very act of being able to look at a menu and choose from all the different options still hasn't quite returned to being as natural as she would like.]
...
[...perhaps it never will. For a moment, she contemplates bringing up the subject with Leon, but decides not to.
It's not like he was there long enough to understand how she feels, anyway...]
...I think I'll have the sushi, then; with a bancha tea.
[...]
Oh, and some gyoza to start.
no subject
I thought-
[Leon bites back the question; even if he were to ask her the reason for the switch it's not likely he's going to get a straight answer, is he? And he didn't particularly want to push the matter; he might upset her and ruin the tentatively positive turn this night is taking. He's spent the last two weeks taking care to mind his words; it's tedious and annoying to a person as impatient and blunt as Leon is, but it's definitely lowered the number of people he's pissed off in a day. And the last thing he wants to do is piss off Celes.]
...I thought I'd have gyoza too, actually. 'Cause you mentioned it just now.
[A decent enough save. Leon quickly waves a waiter over and makes their order. Once that's done, he looks back to Celes; a date was half the food and half conversation. She hadn't made a single snide comment about the restaurant just yet so at least he's earn a pass in that regard, but the real litmus test will come when the food arrives. He's confident enough though that at the very least she won't be able to find fault with the quality of the meal; there's a reason he's paying a slight premium for the place after all.
Which just leaves the conversation aspect. And given their track record of holding conversations Leon would be happy to settle for a bicker-less evening. He isn't really out to impress Celes, or win her over. All he needs to do is make sure that he doesn't let slip his tongue and fuck things up.
So he'll start with a safe and easy topic.]
What do you think of the place so far? Do you like it?
1/2
[Celes falls ominously silent after Leon's question, continuing to flick her eyes around the room. Fortunately, the waiter bringing the pot of tea manages to break the silence before it becomes too awkward; even so, Celes waits until she's poured herself a cup (don't worry Leon, she'll pour you one too - she may speak her mind, but she does have manners) and tasted it before she makes any comments.
Not that she's hoping to make you sweat, or anything.]
I will have to taste the food before I can give a proper review...
[Which, honestly, is fair enough - the prettiest restaurant in the world is nothing more than a nice building if the food is horrid.]
However...
2/2
[And shockingly enough, that's the truth.]
You're still sitting at Rank D at this point, Kuwata-kun...but I see potential here...
[Great news, Leon - if you get to Rank C, you're eligible to be one of Celes' slaves manservants! Well done.]
no subject
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[Let her just take a serene sip of tea, after that little nugget.]
But as I said - you have the potential to go further. We'll just have to see if you can make it, hmm?
no subject
[He frowns and crosses his arms; on one hand he didn't like being shoehorned into Rank D. But on the other, being on Celes's Rank A...he's not too sure if he wants to be there.]
What's interesting to you then? Other than tea and games. What else do you like?