tabularasa_rp | open ✨ life can be harsh, it can be bitter.

It was not consensual for either of us: it occurred as the result of a higher being swapping the physical forms of residents of our previous location.

(It was terrible.

...Food is probably a better topic. They take a moment to admire the handwritten menu and the selection it offers. It would have taken a lot of time and effort to make this, they know.)

Empirical evidence suggests that any item that will fit our internal cavity is capable of being consumed safely, regardless of suitability as foodstuff.

Recommendations?

(They recognize a few things on here, but there's a lot they don't: sushi is a popular dish in their home galaxy, but there tends to be a very different selection of types. For instance, this menu contains no mention of podcrabs.)

Guess so! Maybe we'll get her to come along next time.

[Does Parsee even know how to fist fight? Honestly, she wouldn't even be surprised if the answer to that is 'yes'.

Tifa wastes no time in preparing herself, starting out with a few stretches, bringing an arm across her chest, and then switching to the other before she bounces between her feet. Best not to go into it with tight muscles.]

So, how experienced would you say you are with hand to hand? You mentioned you had training, right?

[She isn't one to toot her own horn, but she's pretty experienced and skilled, and wants to make sure she knows her limits going into this. There's no doubt in her mind that Ahsoka could take it, but she did go a little hard on Akechi...

A sparring match is more fun for all parties when everyone is on the same page.]

[Tifa's eyes dart from Cloud's hands and his attempt at rolled sushi to Aerith, who she exchanges a smile with. If anyone else would think this is as endearing and entertaining to watch as Tifa does, it's her. Of course, she's supportive in their mutual friend's endeavors in becoming the Best Sushi Chef in Wall Market (something Tifa has proclaimed for him), but Aerith's presence seems to have put some heat under him.

After a widening smile, she lets it fade and rests a hand on Cloud's shoulder, prompting him to move aside.]

Let me see... [She's no expert in sushi-making, but she is good with her hands, so she gives it a shot, spreading the fish and rice out again, and then rolling it up with the bamboo.] I think the trick is to really get the seaweed tucked in there.

[When she unravels the bamboo, the seaweed crumbles with it. All the attempts at trying to make it look presentable must have ruined its structural integrity. :(

This time, she offers Aerith an uneven smile.]

Baby steps, right...?

[Wow, no! He don't got this!?

Tifa stomps a foot gently on the floor with a stern "Cloud..." before Raihan can get a word in. An exchange of goods or services isn't why they're doing this, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before it came up. Once a merc, always a merc. At least he's listening to his advice and trying to make connections...? Raihan is free to answer Cloud's question, but not until Tifa's given her own price.

She raises two fingers.]

How about just a smile and a compliment to the chef?

[The numerous posters for both establishments have caught Red's attention, however there's absolutely no debate to be had over which one he chooses to check out first. The posters advertising Lemon Cello Church have him at the word "cake," so he wastes no time in heading over there with his loyal Pikachu perched on his shoulder as always.

He'd heard from Blue that Tifa isn't working at Heavenly Blanc anymore, although he's surprised to find her at another business. Red offers her a smile as he returns her wave, Pikachu following suit with much more vigor.]

Pika pi~! [He's so happy to see the nice lady again!! Cloud gets a cheerful little wave from Pikachu too. Although this is their first actual meeting, Red recalls seeing this man around at the party at Heavenly Blanc a while back.

It doesn't take long at all for the two of them to decide which cake flavors they want. Pikachu eagerly points at a vanilla one, so Red takes one of those for his little friend and passes it up to him before taking a cheesecake one for himself.]

Thank you.

[Blue had eagerly encouraged Tifa to spread her wings and experience life outside the bar a little when he'd taken over for her, and that included a promise to come by and visit her in Wall Market sometime, where she'd decided to try her hand at other food related pursuits in the meantime.]

[And he's making good on that promise- on a shift where Ren's watching things at the bar, Blue finds himself hungry one day for something other than his own home-cooking at the bar, and that usually brings him wandering down to Mt. Silver's basement level, and to the Wall Market. An awfully strange place to be situated in the basement of a remote mountain he knew well, but it was colorful and lively, and he was pretty sure he appreciated its presence here more than Red did, that hermit.... Blue follows the delicious scent of grilling meat with Eevee practically salivating on his shoulder, and pokes his head into a tent where the smokey smell seems to be coming from, flashing Tifa a bright smile when he spots her.]

Yo, Tifa-chan! I heard you've been cooking up a storm down here! I'm hungrier than a Hippopotas, [Blue gushes, pulling himself up a stool and plopping down; Eevee hops off his shoulder and shakes his tail, preening himself at Tifa for attention.] Can't wait to try some of this great-smelling streetmeat of yours.

--Oh, speakin' of streetmeat, blondie's here, too! [Blue grins, a little toothy, and waves at Cloud manning the grilling. No complaints here.....]

[ Aerith laughs, but it's the sort that's clearly good-natured and fond. ]

Hey, if you saw me try to get that together, it'd be a disaster, so...consider this a job pretty well done? [ Maybe between the three of them, they'll - someday - produce a single, functional sushi roll. ] And, you know what they say: practice makes perfect!

[ Maybe she should eat this one with a fork, or something... ]

How's it been going today? Are you getting a lot of hungry customers?

[ oh, dear. it wasn't his intent to make them bicker, but it looks like they're on the way to that... he laughs a bit to himself, savoring the the taste of his first piece. after snacking on mushrooms for the past while, it's nice to have something meatier on his palette. ]

You can get my prize-winning smile anytime! [ which he will gladly flash to her once he's properly wiped the side of his mouth of any mess. ] And you've got every compliment I can muster - and Duraludon's, too!

[ Duraludon does his best to muster a "smile" of his own (read: an open maw and eyes closed in happiness) and Raihan throws him a bigger piece of meat to munch on. as for Cloud... ]

Whatever needs doing, I guess? I'm not going to say no if someone needs a hand, even if it's something I've never tried before. The great Raihan always finds a way!

Perfect at ruining sushi, maybe... [ He mutters to himself, still unhappy with his baby steps. For some reason he's expecting to be an expert at this already.

Thankfully, they do happen to have some utensils around, and Cloud hands over a clean fork. Please enjoy?? ]

I think "customer" is kind of a stretch, we're feeding everyone for free. Sure they're grateful today, but people tend to forget the favours they owe.

[ He talks like they're still in Midgar. ]

I'm the chef here!

[ Smile at him if that's going to be the form of payment!! ...Wait, he doesn't want that either though! ]

But sounds like you're struggling to find work, too. Why not open your gym again?

[ It's not that kind of gym, Cloud... ]

Hmph, we don't need backup. We're pretty stro...

[ His voice trails off before he can finish his sentence, because he can tell by looking at her that she's been alerted by something unnatural. Something behind them? It's got to be. Something dangerous? He won't wait to find out, quickly picking up a knife with his other hand before turning around.

Whatever it is, he's ready to rumble!! ]

Tch-- I'm not being defensive! Whatever, I don't even like it that much. [lmao] Just eat whatever you want, stop bothering me for opinions.

[ And with that, he joins them as the third person to stuff cheesecake in his mouth, except he did it as an excuse not to say anything more. >:( ]

Streetmeat...?

[ Cloud is distracted from his grill duties for a moment as he tries to make sense of that word before he quickly snaps back at their customer-- ]

Hey I'm the one doing all the cooking! [ How is she getting the credit?! Well, she makes a prettier face of the company, for starters. ]

Don't sweat it.

[ Cloud, too, remembers seeing Red around, although this is his first time seeing Pikachu up close. Not to worry, though, he thinks he knows exactly what the creature is this time. ]

Are you a Koopa?

[ It's kind of cute... ]

[ Cloud will leave the recommendations to Tifa. Not only does he have no idea what to rec for a talking machine, but Tifa can do it with way more charm and expertise.

He just makes the food. ]

Where... does it go in...?

[ Cloud gives each of them a look, oblivious to what the big deal is. Modern... take...? ]

Is there a problem?

[ He said no preference!!! ]

Yeah. [ she nods, stretching out her arms as she leads the way down the bridge toward the middle area. in the back distance the white void is ever present. ] I started being taught basics when I was about eight, so it's been ten years now?

[ younglings were first taught to strengthen their connection with the force before throwing their first punch. saying it aloud makes her realize just how long it has been, and how long it hasn't been. she doesn't know how long tifa has been training, but it's clear to ahsoka she has the confidence of a pro in her walk and talk. ]

You don't have to go easy on me. I can take what you can throw. I'm sure you can do the same.

[He really is talking like they're in Midgar. Like they're back on their first day of running around Sector Seven looking for work and spreading the word about the new merc in town. Need she remind him again about the lessons!? Make connections, build relationships, etc.

At any rate, Tifa waves a finger.]

No favours needed, [she adds on first, firmly to Cloud. Stop making people think they have to pay them!!!] Our sushi might not be perfect yet, but we're definitely making sure that everyone's getting enough to eat. And that it's tasty, too.

[The sushi isn't coming out as aesthetically pleasing as she hoped it would, but it all goes down the same way, right? She's watching Aerith expectantly as Cloud hands over a fork...]

[Tifa will happily give up her share of smiles if it meant going to Cloud... but he seems more bothered about getting them (or not getting them?) than she is.

She'll just let the two of them figure it out, then. If Raihan is adamant about wanting to work for his food, and Cloud wants something out of it, then... trying to convince either of them that it isn't needed is not going to get her anywhere. So, she turns her attention to Duraludon instead, clapping for him when he catches the chunk of meat in his mouth with a wider smile of her own.

The mention of a gym has her turning her head back around, though.]

You know, we could really use one around here. I'd definitely visit!

[She's misunderstood, too.]

[Tifa immediately notices the change in Parsee's gaze, flicking from her to over her shoulder at something that's clearly behind them and, when Cloud picks up a knife, Tifa picks up the meat tenderizer next to her and is the first to start approaching it. Not even the neon lights or the small bulb hanging from the ceiling inside of the booth reach far enough to illuminate whatever it is, but she sees the glint of something metallic underneath those beady eyes.

And when she's close enough to the back counter, it leaps out at her, clucking wildly. She would recognize that sound anywhere—she's heard it enough times in the past—but has barely any time to react as the featherless chicken leaps off the counter with the tongs held tightly in its beak at Tifa, but its hand-foot wraps around her shoulder and uses it as a springboard to bounce at Cloud and Parsee behind her instead...!]

ACK! GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF! STUPID BIRD!

[This is Parsee's contribution to the current situation. It flapped just barely past Cloud and landed on her head, and was proceeding to freak the fuck out flapping its useless wings and grabbing her hair. One egg, two egg, three egg... this thing was firing eggs of in some attempt to get them to leave it the hell alone and she was flopped onto her ass, flapping her hands and batting at it, grabbing at it, trying to yank it off.

The one advantage was that, for all her flailing? She kept grabbing it before it could run away with the tongs. She was, however, getting covered in egg. Yum.]

[There's a very silent moment following all of that when Tifa's long, loud sigh is obvious. It's relief, for one, that the two of them have stopped arguing about cake and music, but also because this isn't going quite as smoothly as she hoped it would. They're off to a rocky start, sure, but... at least she can fix that? As for the music vs. cake argument, she can't help you boys anymore there.

So, she's just glad it's over.

Without thinking, she's bringing the cupcake holder sample of cake back up to her lips, her mind going back to the Do-Nothing cake again.]

Yeah, you know when you're going for something soft and— [wait. Why the hell is she talking about it again!? Tifa stops, just before she pops the piece of cake into her mouth, and stares down at the cake that was supposedly eaten not even half a minute ago. She looks back up at Leo and Cloud.] That's not right...

[When Blue appears in the tent, Tifa gives him the loudest "hey!" she's given anyone who's stopped by the tent so far. She's excited to see the pair finally show up—she was wondering when they would!—and is quick to give Eevee the attention he seeks and deserves when he hops onto the counter. He gets some pets, and a first taste of the meat, which she offers in her hand.]

Welcome to Strife's Bites! It's good to see you both!

[With her free hand, she slaps Cloud on the back. Hard.]

True, Cloud's been doing the cooking! Good thing you came when you did, I think he's really starting to get the hang of it!

[... Is he, though? We'll just have to see, but that won't stop her from trying to encourage him. He really has been doing a lot of work here, and she's just the cute prep girl working next to him, but she's beaming with pride as she stares up at Cloud, in all of his blondie streetmeat glory.]

Edited 2020-09-11 20:34 (UTC)

[Well, picking out the cakes was a lot easier this time around, and Tifa's relieved that their next two customers come in here knowing exactly what they want. They're the best kind! She even reaches out to happily boop Pikachu on the nose, offering them both her brightest smile as they take their pieces. So cute... He can have all the cakes he wants...

She doesn't even bother to stifle her laughter when Cloud asks about the Pokemon, having asked the same sort of question herself on a couple of occasions, so she understands where he's coming from...]

No, silly! This is Pikachu, and Red! They came by the bar a couple times while I was still there.

[She'll leave it to Red to explain what Pikachu is, of course.]

[She does suppose that the answer to that question will determine how they make the sushi... and she is a little curious to know too, even if asking the question so outright feels a bit tactless. Cloud never was one for taking more subtle measures, though... All she can do is continue to smile at that.

So, she'll wait for an answer from Legion first before she gives her recommendation, because it could make or break it between crab meat and something softer like tuna...

That's what she thinks, anyway.

And she's a little curious, too! She's never served a robot before!! It's kind of cool, if not a bit nerve-wracking, too! She doesn't want to do any damage to his systems by feeding him the wrong things...]

open ✨ life can be harsh, it can be bitter.

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oh my god I forgot brackets in that last tag, go me

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cake!!!!

BBQ! hope I'm not too laaate

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never!!

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pats

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no such thing!

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