Summary:Sunny, Hisako and Kori engage in some cultural culinary exchange. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Another night out in the town and Sunny was intending to make the most of it. But this wasn't a night of clubbing, drinking or partying that some might expect to keep their time lively. It wasn't even brawling or mischief…it was noodles she sought! The blonde-haired beauty probably stuck out like a sore thumb as she moved down the street, not at all helped by the bright orange shirt she was wearing along with the might more understated jeans. At least her jacket offset it a little bit!
Finally finding her destination in 'Wing Sing', the woman pushes through the door with a sigh as the smells hit her senses. Immortal or not, she'd never learned to read Chinese characters so…this was gonna be an adventure!
Sometimes, the little restaurants are the best ones; the trick is to find them. Hisako knows that much from her home town, and while New York isn't always that safe a city to go and lose yourself in, she takes her chances from time to time, just to find such hidden little treasures as this one.
The menu is a little tricky to deal with, admittedly - Japanese may use a bunch of Chinese characters, but they don't always mean the same thing, especially in compounds - but with a little bit of patience, Hisako's managed to place her order just before the blonde strolls in, and Hisako looks over at the door, waving to Sunny and offering a polite smile. "Good evening!"
Koriand'r, or Kory Anders, or whatever her name is supposed to be when she's in public, walks in through the door and to the front counter with no concern. Her facial expression is flat and robotic and somehow haunted; her shoulders are hunched slightly, as if to protect against incoming blows she can't see coming. She tells the person at the counter, "I am here to purchase noodles. I do not understand your written language. Please help me to comprehend what you sell."
There wasn't much of a crowd at this hour, even if it was clearly grown by the arrival of the three woman. Sweeping her gaze over the noticably different looking Kori, Sunny was left to blink. Her locks had always look bright and practically glowing, but the Tameranean might just overtake her there. Huh. Hisako too draws her gaze, having clearly been here first and the blonde opens her mouth to speak, but the question from Kori beats her to the punch and she laughs.
"I think it's 'take a guess and try?'" Sunny offers, glancing towards Hisako. "Unless you've got any suggestions, I was just plannin' on pointing at things to see what I got."
"It's my first time eating here," Hisako admits, "but the pictures are a pretty big help. And the staff seems willing to help people who aren't fluent in Chinese, too. - I'm Hisako, by the way," she introduces herself. "I'm guessing both of you are new to this shop too?"
The orange-skinned woman, dressed drably in a men's tee-shirt and men's cargo pants, glances dully over to see if Hisako is addressing her. Apparently she is. "Your guess is accurate," she informs Hisako, turning away from whoever behind the counter was meant to help her order noodles.
That was the sensible option, but Sunny had always been the sort to go for entertaining over sensible. When her turn to place an order comes? She's left to pick a random picture and consider, pointing and placing the order with a grin. Ever the gambler, even now. "So," she begins as she moves towards Hisako's table, apparently inviting herself and glancing towards Kori to extend that same invite. "What brings you both out here? Siren call of noodles catch you, or just a random chance?"
"I had some things to look for in Chinatown," Hisako answers, nodding at one of the chairs at her table for Sunny. There's a third seat if Kori wants to join them, although it could be a *little* crowded at that point. "And since it was late enough to look for supper by the time I was done, I let my instincts guide me - although," she adds with a grin, "I think I really did want noodles tonight. Besides that, independent restaurants like this are almost always worth a visit, and I like supporting small businesses when I can. What about you?"
Koriand'r brightens a bit (literally; her skin begins to flicker with a little glow, and her hair smolders) at the invitation, and she takes a step forward toward the indicated table, but stops when she notices Hisako does not choose to extend it herself. She slumps a little, dims, and turns back to the counter to await help placing her order. Her wrist brushes her eyes surreptitiously. After some time and assistance from behind the counter, she places an order. Then she stands there, waiting for it, staring down at the counter. Someone in line behind her has to prompt her to step out of the way.
"Hey," Sunny calls, apparently more than happy to take a little charge on Hisako's behalf. Quiet dining be damned, but she hadn't told the blonde to bugger off yet! "Might as well join us. Food is best enjoyed with others, not akwardly sitting in opposite corners of the room!" Obviously, the boisterous woman didn't share that same reserve the Tameranean seemed to. Back to Hisako, Sunny nods and leans forwards, shrugging her shoulders. "I had a random craving, looking for something different. Just sort of wandered till I found something neat and new!"
"If nothing else," Hisako points out to Kori, "it'll be easier for the staff to bring our ramen all to the same table. Please, come have a seat - and if you're willing to share your names," she adds, looking from Kori to Sunny, "I'd be happy to know who I'm eating with."
She nods in reply to Sunny's words. "There are worse things to have a random craving for than ramen," Hisako observes. "I'm kind of curious about the hot dog ramen, but I think that might be a little more adventurous of a fusion than I want tonight … I might come back to try that sometime."
Koriand'r covers her mouth with her hand and shudders briefly, eyes squinted shut. She looks like she might be ready to turn toward the offered seat again, but her order comes up and a command is barked to take it (or at least, it sounds like a command; she has no idea what was actually said), which she obeys. She glances over at the table, drops her face so her hair hides it, and walks briskly to the door and out into the street. Her hair is turning from red to ashy gray as she walks.4
"Hot dog…alright," Sunny repeats, shaking her head at the thought and giving a laugh. "I don't even know what's coming my way right this second, so who knows? Still, might give that one a miss for now. Sounds like something someone would make if they had weird ingredients left over in the fridge." Kori's rapid retreat and changing colors has the blonde blinking, frowning a little and watching her depart. A mutant perhaps, or something else, but the girl did look rather sad. "Huh. Must be the shy sort?"
"I wonder," Hisako muses, watching the third girl leave. A couple of possibilities cross her mind: maybe the girl wasn't comfortable speaking English, maybe she was in a hurry for some reason … maybe there was something else going on. There's no way for her to know, though.
"It may be a cross-cultural thing - hot dog ramen, that is. You know, like people who 'fuse' two different cultures' cuisines and market that 'new' combination. Maybe it even sells well, or as well as anything does here," she adds, lowering her voice - she doesn't want to offend the staff or owners.
"Maybe," Sunny nods as the dicussion switches back to food, looking up as her own broth and noodles start to head her way. Already she could smell the strong spices from across the room…awesome. "Or maybe it's to help people from western society who are skittish about tryin' something new?" A shrug, the blonde starts to reach to dig into her meal for a moment before she blinks and gives a little 'wave' with her chopsticks. "Name's Sunny by the way. S'cuse my manners an' all."
"That could be it too," Hisako agrees, pulling apart a pair of chopsticks and digging into her own bowl of ramen. "And it's good to meet you, Sunny. Are you from around here, or elsewhere in the United States?" she wonders - just making conversation, to judge by her tone.
"All over," the blonde laughs, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been around a bit, but New York has been home the last few years." A shrug, she takes a mouthfull of her own bowl and gives a little chuckle. "What about you? Local or just passin' through?"
"I've been in America for a while, mostly in or near New York," Hisako replies, "but I'm from Japan originally." She pauses to focus on gathering up a mix of noodles and toppings with her chopsticks, focusing on eating long enough to get a good taste of it; by the time she finishes that bite, she's nodding approvingly. "I guess Chinese ramen is more different from Japanese than I thought it'd be …"