It just seemed like the best thing to do... with the rats, and... things.
[She kind of waves a hand to the side with a wrinkle of her nose, brushing off the topic. There's been way too much talk of dead bodies and ghosts and rat feed and whatnot the past few days for her to really feel safe tucking in otherwise. She's used to like, robots preparing her food. Shit's clean as hell.
Anyway, there's a moment where she takes another bite and seems to contemplate.]
It's funny. I've never eaten anything the way I am now, but it tastes just like the shio ramen back home... Maybe even better.
[It's definitely better than zero silver linings, or being thrown into a blizzard arena for their game of mafia, or something. There are a lot of possible downsides that they've avoided!]
... If you want something to eat, you should probably put in an order.
[That's not her avoiding the question, but just stalling while she thinks it over and stares down at her ramen.]
Would you believe it's not the first time I've been in a crazy game like this? It wasn't a game of mafia or anything, but it was pretty annoying to deal with. [a pause] I don't know. It's hard to tell what anyone could be okay with in this situation.
[All of this is A Lot, though her tone is contemplative.]
[Instead of answering the query or extending a verbal invitation again, she's just going to quietly shuffle her things and utensils around the table to make more room for him to use. She's a bit more focused on their topic of conversation at this point, her brows drawing down for a moment.
Then, all at once, they relax.]
Oh, crazy in a different way, but definitely. And I'm here, aren't I? [a bit of a rueful smile] It... usually turned out okay, thanks to everyone else around me. I'm really lucky that way.
[And there is sincerity in that, but a thin strain of frustration, too. Sometimes, when the people around you are too competent, too good at racing forward, too prone to shoving you behind their backs... You start getting tired of the view, or the lack of one. You wish you could stand on your own two feet.
[It might not mean something in the grand scheme of things, but there's always a part of Zaizen Aoi that knows how to grab onto what she can get, for as long as she has it. And if it's important enough, that's a long, long, long time, even when she and everyone else around her thinks she's let go.
This is more straightforward than that: this is still being here, still being herself in theory, and still being able to have ramen like she's back in that penthouse apartment in the city. The view is very different, but she'll take it.
She lets out a laugh, and the frustration drains out to amusement.]
Most of them are rivals. But they're good ones. And I have people on my side. It's... [a moment of thought] Something I want to get back to. Unfinished business.
[A small, decisive nod, and she turns her gaze back up towards Minato.]
But enough about me. What kind of ramen did you get?
[Hm... well, he can respect the subject change. It's something he contemplates a little to himself, but peacefully:]
Tonkatsu. It reminds me of home--there's this ramen place that has an amazing secret recipe. I doubt it'll be as good here, but at least it'll taste similar, right...?
Well, they do say that even ramen with the same recipe can vary depending on where it's cooked. It's something in the water.
[They're so very, very far from home in every way. Even the ramen might be different, but the advantage of hot food on a cold winter's night really isn't going to change.]
I'll be relying on you for a rating of their tonkotsu, either way.
[It's said lightly. Despite rattling off a bunch of stuff there, she's not exactly a gourmet or a ramen aficionado. It's just nice sharing a meal sometimes.]
Oh, are you hogging all the Japanese dishes and leaving me with the Western ones?
[She quirks a playful smile back, satisfied with the shift in mood; of course she has her preferences, but given this place's probable location, she is curious about the overall quality of their Western cuisine. She doesn't exactly have anything completely authentic to measure it against, but eh.
The important part is just figuring out the next step.]
Well, so far, their bologna is pretty good, at least.
[Little does she know that bologna will be ruined forever by pseudo-cannibalism days later. Wao.]
If I'm always eating the same kind of cuisine, I'm afraid my palate would just waste away. I might not be able to properly taste anything else anymore.
[She's absolutely affecting a snooty sort of tone, but not trying very hard; it totally works with her dress-up life right now, but she also has a bowl of ramen in front of her, so it's a toss-up here.]
Yes. So we're going to have to live to our fullest, when it comes to what's on our plate. It's a deal.
[Definitely only semi-joking on this one. They can semi-trust the food, at least, so it's certainly going to be one of the few joys they have here until further notice. And she knows how to keep going through extraordinary and shitty times a little better than most people; it's stubbornness and the willingness to grab on to routine and an extra bowl of ramen, or something.]
[She cocks an eyebrow at him, totally amused. It's not like she can resist teasing with an opening like that??]
Are you asking me out to dinner for the rest of the time we're here?
[It's pretty much rhetorical, though, because it's not like... she doesn't get the sentiment. It's only recently that she's really had someone to eat dinner with at all. It's not the same here at all, but she wants to keep some of it with her in the cold days ahead.]
... I don't mind, though. It's definitely better to have group activities in a place like this.
[She teases, but he's totally honest when he responds:]
That's exactly what I'm asking.
[SHAMELESS.
Though it's also pretty clear he doesn't mean it that way--at least, not in any shady way. He just wants them to have something to be able to fall back on, no matter what happens.]
Thanks for humoring me. It's probably a weird thing to ask, but... that helps.
[Whether it's shamelessness or honesty it catches her off-guard a little, and she plays with the ends of a pigtail for a moment before responding, staring down.]
Now you're making way too big a deal out of it.
[A quick shake of the head and she's all together again.]
Besides, it's easier to figure out if the food's funny or try different dishes if you make somebody else do it with you. It's a good team-up. ☆
Would it be really any better to name ourselves after yaki...?
[She's shaking her head and trying to imagine what they can smash together with octopus. Or yaki, I guess. Also, favorite foods is a toss-up, she's not a picky eater thanks to her upbringing.]
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[She kind of waves a hand to the side with a wrinkle of her nose, brushing off the topic. There's been way too much talk of dead bodies and ghosts and rat feed and whatnot the past few days for her to really feel safe tucking in otherwise. She's used to like, robots preparing her food. Shit's clean as hell.
Anyway, there's a moment where she takes another bite and seems to contemplate.]
It's funny. I've never eaten anything the way I am now, but it tastes just like the shio ramen back home... Maybe even better.
[It's so weird.]
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Oh... because of your virtual reality avatar thing? I guess that makes sense.
[Not much reason to eat in a VR simulation.]
I guess that means all of your tastebuds are still intact like this. That's probably good.
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[Which she is not down with, for the record. Like, extremely not.
But right now, in the warm restaurant with the warm broth and noodles? She can kid around about it, in a salty ramen sort of way.]
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[Not being able to taste food? That would be a tragedy, honestly. Food's one of his favorite things, so #relatable.]
So that's one silver lining in this whole thing.
[Better than... zero silver linings? Still, speaking of...]
... Are you hanging in there okay?
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... If you want something to eat, you should probably put in an order.
[That's not her avoiding the question, but just stalling while she thinks it over and stares down at her ramen.]
Would you believe it's not the first time I've been in a crazy game like this? It wasn't a game of mafia or anything, but it was pretty annoying to deal with. [a pause] I don't know. It's hard to tell what anyone could be okay with in this situation.
[All of this is A Lot, though her tone is contemplative.]
What do you think?
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[Sure!! He'll put in an order for ramen as well.]
You don't mind if I eat with you, do you...?
[So they can chat over food while they figure out all of... This. All Of This.]
I'm not sure how to deal with all of this either, honestly... I've dealt with some weird situations, but this is...
[...]
You've been in a crazy game like this before...? But you made it through okay, right?
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Then, all at once, they relax.]
Oh, crazy in a different way, but definitely. And I'm here, aren't I? [a bit of a rueful smile] It... usually turned out okay, thanks to everyone else around me. I'm really lucky that way.
[And there is sincerity in that, but a thin strain of frustration, too. Sometimes, when the people around you are too competent, too good at racing forward, too prone to shoving you behind their backs... You start getting tired of the view, or the lack of one. You wish you could stand on your own two feet.
She's only halfway there, still.]
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Minato knows... that it doesn't mean much of anything that they're there, but it's still a relief to hear it.]
Mm...Having friends and companions to help us get through things can be all the difference, sometimes.
[Still... it's not like he can't read some of that frustration...
He's contemplative for a moment, before:]
Was that...a bad thing?
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This is more straightforward than that: this is still being here, still being herself in theory, and still being able to have ramen like she's back in that penthouse apartment in the city. The view is very different, but she'll take it.
She lets out a laugh, and the frustration drains out to amusement.]
Most of them are rivals. But they're good ones. And I have people on my side. It's... [a moment of thought] Something I want to get back to. Unfinished business.
[A small, decisive nod, and she turns her gaze back up towards Minato.]
But enough about me. What kind of ramen did you get?
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Tonkatsu. It reminds me of home--there's this ramen place that has an amazing secret recipe. I doubt it'll be as good here, but at least it'll taste similar, right...?
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[They're so very, very far from home in every way. Even the ramen might be different, but the advantage of hot food on a cold winter's night really isn't going to change.]
I'll be relying on you for a rating of their tonkotsu, either way.
[It's said lightly. Despite rattling off a bunch of stuff there, she's not exactly a gourmet or a ramen aficionado. It's just nice sharing a meal sometimes.]
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You got it. I'll have to try their other replications of Japanese dishes too--I'll keep you posted on if any of them are any good.
Can't hurt to keep track of things like that, right?
[It's blissfully, reassuringly normal--silly, even. But sometimes, that's just what you need to stay calm in a situation like this.]
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[She quirks a playful smile back, satisfied with the shift in mood; of course she has her preferences, but given this place's probable location, she is curious about the overall quality of their Western cuisine. She doesn't exactly have anything completely authentic to measure it against, but eh.
The important part is just figuring out the next step.]
Well, so far, their bologna is pretty good, at least.
[Little does she know that bologna will be ruined forever by pseudo-cannibalism days later. Wao.]
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[He can roll with the teasing, offering up that teasing comment in return--though after a moment, he shakes his head.]
Maybe we can trade off instead. That seems more fair, right?
[y...yay....pseudo-cannibalism.]
I'll be sure to keep the bologna in mind, though.
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[It's said in mock-thought.]
If I'm always eating the same kind of cuisine, I'm afraid my palate would just waste away. I might not be able to properly taste anything else anymore.
[She's absolutely affecting a snooty sort of tone, but not trying very hard; it totally works with her dress-up life right now, but she also has a bowl of ramen in front of her, so it's a toss-up here.]
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[Minato's tone, in contrast, is a terribly flat deadpan...but hey, at least they're having a good time.]
Food's one of the best joys in life. Especially tasty food.
[Okay maybe he's not joking about that one.]
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[Definitely only semi-joking on this one. They can semi-trust the food, at least, so it's certainly going to be one of the few joys they have here until further notice. And she knows how to keep going through extraordinary and shitty times a little better than most people; it's stubbornness and the willingness to grab on to routine and an extra bowl of ramen, or something.]
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... We should have dinner together more often for real, you know.
[Out of nowhere with that--but he explains himself in a moment:]
I think...having some sort of normality would help...even if it's normality we make ourselves.
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Are you asking me out to dinner for the rest of the time we're here?
[It's pretty much rhetorical, though, because it's not like... she doesn't get the sentiment. It's only recently that she's really had someone to eat dinner with at all. It's not the same here at all, but she wants to keep some of it with her in the cold days ahead.]
... I don't mind, though. It's definitely better to have group activities in a place like this.
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That's exactly what I'm asking.
[SHAMELESS.
Though it's also pretty clear he doesn't mean it that way--at least, not in any shady way. He just wants them to have something to be able to fall back on, no matter what happens.]
Thanks for humoring me. It's probably a weird thing to ask, but... that helps.
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Now you're making way too big a deal out of it.
[A quick shake of the head and she's all together again.]
Besides, it's easier to figure out if the food's funny or try different dishes if you make somebody else do it with you. It's a good team-up. ☆
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[And...well, he'll leave things lighthearted.]
Should we come up with a team name?
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Hmm. I'm no good at team names.
[Because she's very rarely been on a team of any kind, and all.]
I feel like making it something blue would be like beating a dead horse. Maybe something about food? What's your favorite?
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I'm not very picky... I used to get takoyaki after school all the time.
[A beat.]
I'm not sure we should name ourselves after octopus, though.
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[She's shaking her head and trying to imagine what they can smash together with octopus. Or yaki, I guess. Also, favorite foods is a toss-up, she's not a picky eater thanks to her upbringing.]
All I can really think of is anpan, though.
[Bread octopus.......?]
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