[Ren is very used to this style of dining and level of variety, so while he's definitely noticing Shino's withdrawn air, it takes him a few moments to connect that it's being overwhelmed more than just being shy.
When the server turns to him, Ren hums a little in amusement and sets down the menu.] How about we share what he ordered and also get the five-course set for the two of us? And I'll have tea as well.
[He feels like it's nicer to have the full experience in a place like this, even if Shino is more inclined to hide from things right now. In any case, the host bustles off to get things ready rather quickly once Ren makes that request, and he leans an elbow on the table, half-turned towards Shino.]
I hope you don't get overwhelmed that easily by him cooking in front of you, or this might not be the kind of restaurant for you...
[ He audibly breathes out in a sigh of relief with the host bustling off, and he blinks, narrowing his eyes at Ren. ]
I'm not overwhelmed.
[ ... But he is, and he knows it, or seems to realise that's what this is a moment later. Shino grimaces, and corrects himself: ]
Much. Besides, cooking isn't overwhelming, and everything smells really great here. I'm fine. [ Another pause, and a more awkward: ] I'll be fine.
[ That said, he does regard the whole area where the cook will be cooking with curious eyes, relaxing in fractions when no one else is bustling over and making a fuss right away. The tea is delivered, and he turns to watch the busser delivering it, offering them a smile and a thank you. Part of it is to show how not overwhelmed he is, and the rest of it is his better nature and a sense of politeness and gratitude for service like this, which is promptly forgotten when it's someone he knows doing the serving.
So it goes. ]
it involved building-sized robots levelling a city so yes
[Ren accepts the tea graciously and then turns his attention back to the grill in front of them, where the chef is starting to rub down and coat the surface for cooking and set the ingredients aside. Plates are prepared in front of them in turn for easy transfer of the food, with a few options of different sauces set down while things are prepared.]
Well, it's probably good to get used to this kind of thing early anyway. I know this is different compared to what a lot of people from older time periods are used to, but the city is so big and busy that it's kind of hard to avoid getting out in that kind of bustle.
[Ren's used to it, considering the size and scale of modern Tokyo, but he's met plenty of people who need a bit of time to register that things here really aren't the same as what they're used to. Which is understandable enough, when this place is a tiny bit more advanced even compared to what he's used to.]
[ Shino practically breathes out, eyes widened so he can better watch with avid interest as the chef finishes setting up. He licks his lips without thinking about it when the first ingredient is tossed on the grill, followed by its particular pairing. All this being done right there is like sitting in the kitchen with whomever's cooking for the night, only not at the same time. Both somewhat familiar and starkly different.
The utensils, at least, are sensible. ]
I'd never seen a city until the last few months, and now this make that city look like my village in comparison. Everything's so loud, it smells, it's filled with lights even brighter than the Imperial Capitol, and there are laws I know nothing about that still exist. Does anyone tell us what those are?
[ The unwritten and written rules for living here. Most laws were ones he didn't know the exact wording of back home, but he had a cultural context for things, and he could figure out from that what was going on even if he lacked specifics. Here... he's not even supposed to cross roads except in designated places.
Those thoughts aren't as pressing as the wonderful smells cooking up on the grill, and as the chef serves them up their starter, Shino is... looking down at their hands before picking up his chopsticks with his left hand. He's not elegant with it, but he has a good hold, and he does manage to feed himself one handed that way.
After dropping things three times.
It's a learning curve, okay?
Once he has that in mouth and chewing, he makes a noise of pure bliss. Not that he speaks until he's swallowed, and even then it's crowing about how wonderful it is. ]
This is so good! Don't tell me the rest is going to be even better?
[ Bright, excited eyes again, as if he's setting so many of the things he has no power over down in order to fully engage in this moment with a meal: something that he can fully enjoy and be fully present for. ]
Not really. [Ren answers that question about the laws pretty straightforwardly, because in his experience...no, most of that stuff is what they have to figure out for themselves.] But the capital of Japan is way bigger than that in my time. It's a pretty good rival for this city.
[Megalopolis that it is. This city might have multiple storeys, but Tokyo has the advantage of basically spreading out into the distance as far as one can see in any direction, so he figures that probably makes up for the lack of multiple levels.
Ren at least managed to get his good hand free, so he has less trouble with the utensils situation and starts eating while Shino is still dropping things. He smiles a little when the other man finally gets something into his mouth, though, because that's the kind of reaction he was expecting when it came to a place like this.]
Well, this is just the starter. It'd be a bit disappointing if the best they had was what came first, right? So obviously it's going to get better.
[Or at least not get worse. That sort of thing is bad form for any restaurant, let alone one where the chef is making a lot of the decisions.]
[ Shino pauses to try and wrap his head around what Ren's describing. The problem? He just can't. There's no scope or scale he can use other than Lunatia, and Lunatia didn't even make sense to him once he started paying attention to the spread of the city before him during landings at the space station ports. Having a rival that big in Japan?
He whistles, more of his tongue tucked up against the roof of his mouth and right behind his teeth than a pursing of lips. ]
How many people is that? To think Japan could grow so large... is the capital where the largest number of people live then, too?
[ Maybe that can make it make sense?
Shino's distracted by the chef again, allowing his chopsticks to rest and trying not to look too fascinated by the process. Or to breathe too deeply of the wonderful smells being sent their way as the ingredients sizzle. ]
I believe you, but who knows? It's not like I eat things served in courses on purpose all that often.
[ He eats courses more by accident, where people keep feeding him and he keeps eating because he has a ridiculous appetite, and no real ability to pack it on anywhere. So it goes when you're a demon host, apparently. Or so he suspects.
The next serving of hot food on the provided plates has him swallowing back the saliva filling his mouth. He reaches forward, this time twitching his right fingers in Ren's hand, but he again manages not to yank Ren's hand away to help him with the process of pulling his plate close and figuring out how to properly feed himself enough not to be utterly frustrated by the process. What follows? Even more sounds of gastronomic bliss, Shino's lashes fluttering closed because it's that tasty.
It's also a little to tease Murasame, who remains silent in his right arm, though for a moment he feels the demon's passing lamentation for not getting to steal away whatever it is that Shino just bit into. ]
[Ren tilts his head up a bit, trying to remember some exact numbers since he doesn't really look into that kind of thing incredibly often.] I think it's something like fourteen million people...? It's definitely where the biggest number of people live, though there's a few pretty huge and busy cities other than just Tokyo.
[Granted, depending on exactly how long ago Shino is from, Tokyo might not even be the capital yet, but Ren hasn't been able to put an exact time period on him yet, so it might be helpful information, honestly. In any case, he says it casually enough that it's definitely just a fact of life that the city is that big in Ren's time, and it means he's never had an issue adjusting to this city in comparison.]
It's just common sense to not have the very best thing first, isn't it? Even if it's not food.
[Either way, the way Ren eats implies he's a lot more used to both this style of cuisine and this level of quality, because while he does give a pleased little hum at the flavour, he's less outright in transports of delight than Shino. He'd be disappointed if they came all this way for anything that was subpar, so as far as he's concerned, this is just to be expected.]
Though from the sound of all that, you must not be used to having stuff this good either...
[ He cannot imagine that number. Fourteen million? That was what, a quarter, a fifth of the population of the country as a whole in his time?
Incredible. (He is from a Japan where Tokyo has been the capital for sixty years or so, but truly, placing any of that is difficult and he'd not be so helpful outside of giving the name of the Emperor in his present day. ]
Might depend on who you're asking, but I can see your point.
[ Let a guy who fully enjoys his meals just enjoy, Ren, he's managing to make decent tracks even with his left hand. ]
The capital has good food, but it's different. Can't I enjoy new things as much as stuff I've tasted before?
Well, if we're talking about it in the business way. [Nobody's going to hang around if you get known for serving your best first, they're just going to get the one thing and then get going. It grabs customers better to keep them on the hook as long as possible.
Or maybe Ren's just been in business too long. Shino's attitude gets a slight hum of amusement out of him regardless.]
I mean, there's enjoying and then there's sounding like that...you must really want to give your compliments to the chef.
[Though Ren does hang around a lot of people who are a lot less prone to showing feelings like that blatantly. The closest thing he can remember recently is probably Aichi's reaction when Kai cooked for that "we just defeated a destruction god" afterparty.]
[ Meanwhile Shino, whose only brush with business was advising a bun maker on new fillings for his buns. On the one hand, not what most would expect. On the other, they'd ended up being wildly popular.
Even if it was literally Shino asking after things he knew he'd like, such as curry stuffed buns. ]
Aren't I already?
[ He asks, giving Ren a quizzical look. What else need he say other than showcasing his appreciation? That's what all the chefs he knows back home love best... hence why he looks at the chef cooking their next portion and smiles. ]
Thank you! This is incredible!
[ It's enough of a genuinely unrestrained expression that the chef, who had not been inclined to smile, blinks and offers... something that in some certain situations might be called a smile instead of a grimace. (It's in the wrinkles around their eyes.) ]
Never mind~ [Ren may have been implying some things about the reaction, but he's never the type to explain that kind of joke if the drift isn't caught anyway, so he'll just let things move on. And face down into his plate for a moment to disguise his laugh at that reaction from the chef, because that's more like the kind of emotion he's used to seeing.]
I don't know, I feel like it suits better at the end of the meal because then you can appreciate all of it, right? Or maybe that's just what I'm used to.
[Though Ren's also marginally more used to the fancy side of this kind of thing. Not that he's unused to teppanyaki or he wouldn't have suggested it, but having the chef right there the entire time isn't quite as familiar a dining style as what fancier restaurants tend to aim for.]
[ The chef's already turned their attention back to cooking, and Shino is wrangling with something slim and disinclined to stay grasped by chopsticks. It's the fifth time it's slipped out of his hold, and he's a second away from giving in and just picking it up with his fingers, since even trying to use his right hand with him holding hands with Ren would make it useless. ]
I tend to say thanks as everything comes out. If that's even what we're talking about. Oh, come on!
[ There goes that slippery bit, time number six. ]
[Ren pauses in eating to watch Shino's disaster chopstick attempts (and is quietly thankful he got his good hand, even if he is reasonably dexterous with both).]
Just lift up your plate and push it into your mouth or something, I'm sure nobody will mind. [And then he just casually proceeds to pick his own up quite easily, because dominant hands are useful like that.] Especially since it's probably pretty obvious you can't use your good hand.
[He bounces their joined hands up and down for a moment.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
it did help that there were actual serious war scenes b/c hard light holograms used as weapons
When the server turns to him, Ren hums a little in amusement and sets down the menu.] How about we share what he ordered and also get the five-course set for the two of us? And I'll have tea as well.
[He feels like it's nicer to have the full experience in a place like this, even if Shino is more inclined to hide from things right now. In any case, the host bustles off to get things ready rather quickly once Ren makes that request, and he leans an elbow on the table, half-turned towards Shino.]
I hope you don't get overwhelmed that easily by him cooking in front of you, or this might not be the kind of restaurant for you...
this sounds appropriately horrifying tbh
I'm not overwhelmed.
[ ... But he is, and he knows it, or seems to realise that's what this is a moment later. Shino grimaces, and corrects himself: ]
Much. Besides, cooking isn't overwhelming, and everything smells really great here. I'm fine. [ Another pause, and a more awkward: ] I'll be fine.
[ That said, he does regard the whole area where the cook will be cooking with curious eyes, relaxing in fractions when no one else is bustling over and making a fuss right away. The tea is delivered, and he turns to watch the busser delivering it, offering them a smile and a thank you. Part of it is to show how not overwhelmed he is, and the rest of it is his better nature and a sense of politeness and gratitude for service like this, which is promptly forgotten when it's someone he knows doing the serving.
So it goes. ]
it involved building-sized robots levelling a city so yes
Well, it's probably good to get used to this kind of thing early anyway. I know this is different compared to what a lot of people from older time periods are used to, but the city is so big and busy that it's kind of hard to avoid getting out in that kind of bustle.
[Ren's used to it, considering the size and scale of modern Tokyo, but he's met plenty of people who need a bit of time to register that things here really aren't the same as what they're used to. Which is understandable enough, when this place is a tiny bit more advanced even compared to what he's used to.]
It's definitely worth it for this, though.
city destruction by robot is a valid horror
[ Shino practically breathes out, eyes widened so he can better watch with avid interest as the chef finishes setting up. He licks his lips without thinking about it when the first ingredient is tossed on the grill, followed by its particular pairing. All this being done right there is like sitting in the kitchen with whomever's cooking for the night, only not at the same time. Both somewhat familiar and starkly different.
The utensils, at least, are sensible. ]
I'd never seen a city until the last few months, and now this make that city look like my village in comparison. Everything's so loud, it smells, it's filled with lights even brighter than the Imperial Capitol, and there are laws I know nothing about that still exist. Does anyone tell us what those are?
[ The unwritten and written rules for living here. Most laws were ones he didn't know the exact wording of back home, but he had a cultural context for things, and he could figure out from that what was going on even if he lacked specifics. Here... he's not even supposed to cross roads except in designated places.
Those thoughts aren't as pressing as the wonderful smells cooking up on the grill, and as the chef serves them up their starter, Shino is... looking down at their hands before picking up his chopsticks with his left hand. He's not elegant with it, but he has a good hold, and he does manage to feed himself one handed that way.
After dropping things three times.
It's a learning curve, okay?
Once he has that in mouth and chewing, he makes a noise of pure bliss. Not that he speaks until he's swallowed, and even then it's crowing about how wonderful it is. ]
This is so good! Don't tell me the rest is going to be even better?
[ Bright, excited eyes again, as if he's setting so many of the things he has no power over down in order to fully engage in this moment with a meal: something that he can fully enjoy and be fully present for. ]
indeed it is
[Megalopolis that it is. This city might have multiple storeys, but Tokyo has the advantage of basically spreading out into the distance as far as one can see in any direction, so he figures that probably makes up for the lack of multiple levels.
Ren at least managed to get his good hand free, so he has less trouble with the utensils situation and starts eating while Shino is still dropping things. He smiles a little when the other man finally gets something into his mouth, though, because that's the kind of reaction he was expecting when it came to a place like this.]
Well, this is just the starter. It'd be a bit disappointing if the best they had was what came first, right? So obviously it's going to get better.
[Or at least not get worse. That sort of thing is bad form for any restaurant, let alone one where the chef is making a lot of the decisions.]
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He whistles, more of his tongue tucked up against the roof of his mouth and right behind his teeth than a pursing of lips. ]
How many people is that? To think Japan could grow so large... is the capital where the largest number of people live then, too?
[ Maybe that can make it make sense?
Shino's distracted by the chef again, allowing his chopsticks to rest and trying not to look too fascinated by the process. Or to breathe too deeply of the wonderful smells being sent their way as the ingredients sizzle. ]
I believe you, but who knows? It's not like I eat things served in courses on purpose all that often.
[ He eats courses more by accident, where people keep feeding him and he keeps eating because he has a ridiculous appetite, and no real ability to pack it on anywhere. So it goes when you're a demon host, apparently. Or so he suspects.
The next serving of hot food on the provided plates has him swallowing back the saliva filling his mouth. He reaches forward, this time twitching his right fingers in Ren's hand, but he again manages not to yank Ren's hand away to help him with the process of pulling his plate close and figuring out how to properly feed himself enough not to be utterly frustrated by the process. What follows? Even more sounds of gastronomic bliss, Shino's lashes fluttering closed because it's that tasty.
It's also a little to tease Murasame, who remains silent in his right arm, though for a moment he feels the demon's passing lamentation for not getting to steal away whatever it is that Shino just bit into. ]
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[Granted, depending on exactly how long ago Shino is from, Tokyo might not even be the capital yet, but Ren hasn't been able to put an exact time period on him yet, so it might be helpful information, honestly. In any case, he says it casually enough that it's definitely just a fact of life that the city is that big in Ren's time, and it means he's never had an issue adjusting to this city in comparison.]
It's just common sense to not have the very best thing first, isn't it? Even if it's not food.
[Either way, the way Ren eats implies he's a lot more used to both this style of cuisine and this level of quality, because while he does give a pleased little hum at the flavour, he's less outright in transports of delight than Shino. He'd be disappointed if they came all this way for anything that was subpar, so as far as he's concerned, this is just to be expected.]
Though from the sound of all that, you must not be used to having stuff this good either...
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Incredible. (He is from a Japan where Tokyo has been the capital for sixty years or so, but truly, placing any of that is difficult and he'd not be so helpful outside of giving the name of the Emperor in his present day. ]
Might depend on who you're asking, but I can see your point.
[ Let a guy who fully enjoys his meals just enjoy, Ren, he's managing to make decent tracks even with his left hand. ]
The capital has good food, but it's different. Can't I enjoy new things as much as stuff I've tasted before?
[ He grins, and shoves more into his mouth. ]
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Or maybe Ren's just been in business too long. Shino's attitude gets a slight hum of amusement out of him regardless.]
I mean, there's enjoying and then there's sounding like that...you must really want to give your compliments to the chef.
[Though Ren does hang around a lot of people who are a lot less prone to showing feelings like that blatantly. The closest thing he can remember recently is probably Aichi's reaction when Kai cooked for that "we just defeated a destruction god" afterparty.]
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Even if it was literally Shino asking after things he knew he'd like, such as curry stuffed buns. ]
Aren't I already?
[ He asks, giving Ren a quizzical look. What else need he say other than showcasing his appreciation? That's what all the chefs he knows back home love best... hence why he looks at the chef cooking their next portion and smiles. ]
Thank you! This is incredible!
[ It's enough of a genuinely unrestrained expression that the chef, who had not been inclined to smile, blinks and offers... something that in some certain situations might be called a smile instead of a grimace. (It's in the wrinkles around their eyes.) ]
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I don't know, I feel like it suits better at the end of the meal because then you can appreciate all of it, right? Or maybe that's just what I'm used to.
[Though Ren's also marginally more used to the fancy side of this kind of thing. Not that he's unused to teppanyaki or he wouldn't have suggested it, but having the chef right there the entire time isn't quite as familiar a dining style as what fancier restaurants tend to aim for.]
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I tend to say thanks as everything comes out. If that's even what we're talking about. Oh, come on!
[ There goes that slippery bit, time number six. ]
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Just lift up your plate and push it into your mouth or something, I'm sure nobody will mind. [And then he just casually proceeds to pick his own up quite easily, because dominant hands are useful like that.] Especially since it's probably pretty obvious you can't use your good hand.
[He bounces their joined hands up and down for a moment.]