Private ✪ Finweald Is it wrong to blow off steam after a long fight against gnolls and pick up girls in a VRMMORPG Nightclub?

[Toko]

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She fell in line behind the Felis, slightly off to the side so she could also see where she was walking, before the occasional tap... tap... of his tail against her side caused the rabbit to raise an eyebrow questioningly, though she didn't move away from its path. "Yeah, I ate before the test... oh." Right, that had been well over half a day now judging by the time being displayed in a corner of her UI... no wonder attempting to down two shots in a row earlier had fucked up the fighter so quickly.

A soft nod of thanks was given as Brutus held the door open for Toko, the Lepus quickly stepping inside to avoid having him wait longer than necessary. The warmth of the dinner's interior was comforting, though it quickly caused the Lepus to remove the oversized jacket she had been wearing—now awkwardly held between her arms as she surveyed the place.

"Ah, ookee...!"

The man by the grill pointed to some seating behind him, earning a nod from the hare as she walked over to one of the high backed chairs. The jacket was carefully draped over it, making sure the ends weren't dragging on the floor, before Toko took a seat as she perused the menu available.

"So... you've come here before, ne? Which one should I order then?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus would sidle up and take a seat alongside the hungry Hare, not even looking at the menu. "I would recommend the Chicken and Waffles, or if you're really hungry the Star Called Breakfast." He would watch the chef as he chopped up some slices of ham on the flattop, setting a mound of uncooked hashbrowns down and drowning them with a squirt bottle filled with butter oil.

He would crack a few eggs directly into a pan, scrambling them with a practiced ease. After a few moments, he would gather the whole ensemble onto a plate with all the care and precision of a lunch lady slopping beans onto a plate before sliding it in front of a large bearman.

"Your order?" He would ask, looking to the two of them.

"I'll take the Star Called Breakfast, scrambled eggs, waffle, sausage, and toast." Brutus would answer cracking his neck.

"And for the lil missy?" He would ask turning to Toko.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"The Star Called breakfast...?" Curious eyes turned to look at the menu in her hands, debating over both suggested options as the Lepus tried to figure out what she wanted most... before the voice of the chef snapped Toko out of her thoughts. "I'll... I'll have the chicken and waffles."

Greedily speaking she wanted both options, they sounded equally delicious in their own right. However, realistically speaking, the hare was aware that one of them would already leave her quite full... and she wasn't into the whole wasting food (and someone else's money) thing. That said, if the last plate to slide by the kitchen was any indication of what awaited them, Toko felt pretty confident that her chicken and waffles would not disappoint in the slightest.

"How did you find this place, Brutus-nii?"

Already the smell of the food alone had the rabbit's tail quivering in anticipation, and the distraction certainly proved effective in removing some of the previously awkward tension that had hung around the pair since the incident in the night club.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I forget the details exactly, they get a little hazy. Something along the lines of needing to do a nocturnal hunt, so I logged on in the evening one day and spent the whole night hunting down massive fuck off raven things. Angry sombitches with a penchant for loud screeches and sharp claws. When I was done, one of the guys I'd been playing with...Arnoldo the Wise or something like that brought me here to recuperate and take care of our needs."

The pig man would go about his work with all of the precision and carelessness one would expect of a short order cook. Batter would be haphazardly slopped into twin waffle makers. Hashbrowns would be set to fry in a lake of butter, chicken would be battered and sent to boil alive in an endless ocean of grease. It was like watching hibachi, but trashier.

"It reminds me of a place IRL called wafflehouse, which is basically a chain of diners you can find mostly around the southern bits of the United States, but god damn they're good food. Tony, Carson, and I get it all the time when we can. You're in for a treat." The giant had not failed to notice the sheer anticipation running through the rabbit. He got the sneaking suspicion he wasn't entirely forgiven, but he could imagine he was at least eighty percent of the way out of the dog house right now.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Massive ravens?"

That was something the hare hadn't heard about before, but overall the story certainly checked out—well within the adventures she assumed the Felis got up to on his own inside the game. "Arnoldo the Wise...?" One of her eyebrows was raised as she repeated the name, a faint chuckle escaping the rabbit before she managed to stifle it down.

Besides them the chef was hard at work with their order, the level of multitasking the beastfolk could achieve almost awe inspiring in a way... as messy as it initially looked no movement was being wasted, the man possessing an efficiency in the kitchen that could only come from a long time of running one.

"I see... kind of like an Eggs'n Things that we have in Okinawa then?"

Well maybe not quite the same, but at least the Lepus could tell her tastebuds were in for an interesting ride.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Yeah, huge motherfuckers. I'm talking like, the size of..." The giant would ponder for a moment, stroking his chin. "I mean, their bodies were like the size of wolves, but their wings were huge! And their claws, god damn." He would shake his head.

"As for Arnoldo, yeah he was a weird elf ranger who was really into uh...getting into character. A lot of ye old English, which I get because I do it for a living but he did it...badly. Lots of extra fluff being thrown around like..." he would clear his throat and adopt some strange English affectation. "Forsooth brave champion Brutus, the corvids hath maimed mine arm brutally and savagely. Mine blood spilleth onto the dirt of the earth, pooling crimson vitae as mine own life passith before my eyes. I beseach thee, brave champion, get me to a barber posthaste so that we might sooth mine ailments and spare me the cold embrace of death's skeletal armature."

He would chuckle a bit, shaking his head as he did so. Meanwhile the Pig man was beginning the almost hypnotic pattern of pulling things as they were finishing. Once the first bit of food was set on a plate, it was like a set of dominoes as one thing after another were finished and plated with all the care of a UPS employee tossing your Christmas packages onto your porch. After about a minute, the dominoes were done and the boar-ed cook would turn around and set the three plates in front of the Lion and two in front of the Lepus. Each waffle had their own plate, with Toko's being also served with a large chicken breast that had been pounded flat, battered, and fried placed on top of hers. Each person had a small side plate covered in perfectly crispy golden brown hashbrowns, and lastly Brutus has another side plate with Toast and a couple of sausage links.

"Enjoy." The pig would grunt setting down the check inbetween the two. The Lion would grab it and neatly tuck it into his breast pocket. The Lion would raise an eyebrow and give her a nudge. "What he said."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"That's... wow, ookee, if they were the size of wolves then yeah—their wings must've been absolutely massive to get them airborne."

Toko listened as the lion began to describe his adventuring partner for that time, Arnaldo. A grin soon spread on her face as she listened to Brutus' reenactment of the player's speech, eventually unable to help herself as the rabbit chuckled in response.

The tale lasted just long enough for the chef to finish getting everything ready, before a total of five plates soon shared their space. "Arigatooh!" She gave the pigman a wide smile in response, her tail quivering once more as the scent of their meals tickled her nose.

Before Toko could even glance in the direction of the written receipt the lion had already plucked the paper up and stored it away. Normally the hare would have issue with it, but for this time Toko allowed it without a protest—after all he was the one that had offered the apolo-breakfast in the first place.

"Itadakimass~!"

Her hands clapped together softly, a sing-song-y tune coloring her words then, before the rabbit reached for a small bottle of maple syrup conveniently available. Carefully she allowed the contents to drizzle over one quarter of the crispy breaded chicken atop her plate, already able to feel her mouth watering in response. Picking up her utensils the hare cut off a decent bite piece that contained both chicken and waffle, blowing it a few times as steam rose from it, before popping it right into her mouth.

"Mmm...! Oishiiii!"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The sound of the chuckling rabbit was music to Brutus' ears. Just like that he'd managed to slice through any tension between them. He would have to remember the next time he's upset the Lepus that he needed to take her out for food. He would wait till she was done with the syrup before snagging the bottle and lightly drizzling everything he'd received with it, toast included, in a light coating of syrup. The felines eyes narrowed as he purred lightly, raising his first forkful of scrambled eggs to his mouth and taking a bite.

"Oishii indeed." He would nod his head. "This is like, the spot for me to eat in Fineweald."

He would let the food do all of the talking while he shoveled forkful after forkful into his gullet, his tail swishing idly as he munched down. He would take a forkful of egg and hashbrown and set it on a bit of waffle before raising the whole thing to his mouth.

"Now this." He would purr. "Is the right way to celebrate a promotion."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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The best way to know if a meal was good was by gauging the silence that followed as people consumed it; the quieter the better, since it meant they couldn't get enough of it—and most of the time people would refrain from speaking with a mouthful of food. The occasional hum or squeal from the Lepus as she ate was the only verbal indication of her delight, though it was easy to see in Toko's face that she was enjoying her meal very much.

"Definitely stopping here every time that Guild stuff brings me to town~"

The Breakfast Shack was as unassuming as they came, honestly had Brutus not been the one guiding them Toko was sure she would've missed the place entirely, but it certainly delivered good food... even without the copious amounts of alcohol consumed through the night the hare was sure she'd enjoy the meals of this place very much.

"Mhmm~ Who needs nightclubs and shots when you can have all of this instead?"

Sure the club had some... interesting things to offer, but if the Lepus was asked Toko was pretty sure at least nine times out of ten she would prefer an outing such as this one. After all, nightclubs didn't have freshly made buttery hashbrowns on the menu...

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Honestly, I was only even there because I was surprised I recognized one of the songs."

The giant idly wondered how the night would have gone had he not arrived there. He wouldn't have met that pink haired vixen who'd riled him up and gotten him thinking with his canon. He wouldn't have harassed the poor bun so much to where he needed an apolo-breakfast.

Conversely, Toko would have been at the club by herself. He wouldn't have realized how he felt, they wouldn't be sitting here having this wonderful breakfast.

Hrrm, tradeoffs.

"But like, low key." He would turn and look over to her. "I'm not sure if you've ever been clubbing IRL, but it kinda sucks unless you're with the right people. I remember one time Tony took me to this like, warehouse rave and it was absolute ass. He scampered off with this gogo dancer and was having the time of his life, and I was left to babysit some of my friends who were tripping their ass off on like...LSD or something." Shaking his head he would shovel more food into his hungry gullet.

"I'm glad I ran into you tonight thought..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mmm same, I was surprised to hear a song I actually recognized all the way here in Finweald of all places..."

It had certainly been very unexpected, and for a moment the thrill of the immersion into this new world had been bridge slightly with the music from the real world that Nao knew. Still she couldn't say that she had hated the entirety of the clubbing experience... although some parts at the end she could've done without.

Still the Lepus supposed she couldn't fully blame the lion... she'd chalk his transgression instead to the large amount of alcohol they'd been imbibing through the night.

"A-Ah yeah... there's not really a club in Oogimi after all." Granted, there were some in Okinawa-shi, but given that Nao didn't really have friends back home the woman never felt compelled to check any of them out. "I always assumed as much though, doesn't seem like the kind of place that would be fun with the wrong crowd."

"I'm glad I ran into you tonight thought..."

There was a slight pause as the Lepus considered the words, taking just a moment of her time to consider everything that had transpired in the night until now, before a faint nod was given in return to the lion.

"Yeah... I'm glad too."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

He would let that notion hang in the air for a moment. Taking a moment to eat some more of his food, in a race against thermodynamics to consume it before it became cold. His tail would continue to ambiently flick side to side as he chewed, relishing in the good food and good company.

"I can't imagine how living in Ogimi must be like."

He'd been in rural America before, trawled campsites and national parks. He'd left society behind when he'd signed up for the troupe, and while he tended never to wake up in the same place, he could at least expect to find a taco bell once every three or so days. Ogimi though? He'd done a little bit of google map snooping, and they didn't even have a name brand grocery store, let along any of the three things that every town needed to have: a Subway, a Starbucks, and a Walmart.

"And with the stories you've told me, it must be pretty lonely too. Not a lot of people your age to go clubbing with Ne?"

The concept had been broached several times in the past, both "In person" and over text message or phone call. The two had begun to grow closer and closer over the time they'd known eachother, and now hardly a day went bay without hearing from Nao or Toko.

"One of these days in the future you should come stateside, see the sights and take in the...unique culture of urban American living."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Stop that, it's not as dreadful as your tone of voice makes it sound..."

The faint smile on her lips showed the hare was teasing the lion just a bit with her words, though the sentiment was one she honestly believed. Ōgimi might've been a simple rural village, but the woman couldn't say that she had ever minded that fact about her home.

There was a charm that came to simple living, and even then the town counted with the basic necessary amenities (including good high speed internet) that were necessary for society to thrive. "Aaah, no, I guess not... but it's not like I was ever interested on clubbing in the first place." It was hard to miss something you'd never had if it had never truly tickled your fancy in the first place.

"Besides, I don't think it feels lonely at all... after all I've helped Mio-[o]obasan[/i] with her chickens on countless occasions, the very same ones that provide the fresh eggs I enjoy on my meals. Many of the plates in my home I've made with the guidance of Kanako-sensei, and others obaachan actually got from Kanako's grandfather, Jiro-ojiisan."

She relished the history that was available in every little thing, something that was only possible to experience because of the rural nature of her village... and that was heavily lacking in Okinawa-shi, so Nao could only assume bigger cities in other countries would also feel similar in a way.

"It would be interesting to see the states one day I suppose, I wonder if it'd be similar to the traveler dense ambient of Astorea... or something else entirely."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I guess it's cool in like, the communal sense. I can kinda vibe with that because a lot of our gear and things we use in the Troupe were either bought or bartered from other Troupes and organizations within the world of reenactment. The Rapier I use to fight with was made by this old dude who goes by Torque, and I run into him or other people using gear made by him all the time. Or like, Tony's armor was made by this really weird lady who spends way too much time taking his measurements, but just about any knight worth their salt is using her gear..."

He would pause for a moment, chuckling at the thought of Tony getting borderline felt up by the old woman. "As for the vibe in America? Depends on the city honestly. New York City sucks, don't bother. Everyone is rude and super self absorbed. Philly also blows, but it's my second home town so I have to give it a little bit of credit. Florida is wild, there's a reason Florda man is a meme and if you're wandering around at the witching hour you will see some shit. People in the south are pretty nice, though if you get out in the boonies you tend to run into some ignorant hillbillies who'll be rude to you unless you're white. The West coast is kinda shitty, everything is too fucking expensive and the people are too absorbed in the culture of LA and trying to be famous or influencial..."

He realized he was ranting and shook his head. "Sorry, you got me monologuing"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Yeah, see? It wouldn't have the same feel if Tony's armor had just come from some general big store where it was a dime a dozen."

Sure the guests that might frequent the fairs were nonthewiser to the history behind their armors and swords, but the troupe members knew and that alone gave a sentimental value to it all that Nao felt couldn't be achieved if their equipment came from a generic big brand store instead. A soft chuckle left the Lepus as Brutus regaled her with a story of Tony borderline getting checked out more than he might've intended to be, before another mouthful of chicken and waffle was shoved into the hare's mouth.

"Oh yeah, Florida Man certainly has a reputation all around the globe I think..."

A faint shiver ran up the rabbit's spine at the thought, if she was honest Nao was pretty sure very little about the east coast of the United States called her attention... she was sure she could live without ever setting foot on that patch of land. She'd listen intently as he spoke, a mouthful of hashbrowns now being chewed quietly as the hare mused on the information provided, before making sure to swallow before speaking up again.

"So then which parts you'd recommend to visit that aren't as... lousy as Florida and co?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Hrrrm."

Brutus would muse between bites, chewing slowly to buy him more time to think. What parts of America were worth visiting? That was an interesting question. "Well, I've spent some time in like...the border waters between Canada and the U.S, those are fucking gorgeous. The flies and mosquitos are awful in the summer, but if you try visiting in the winter to avoid them you'll run into nightmare like blizzards."

Even growing up in Pensylvania hadn't prepared him for the extreme polar intensity of that part of the united states, sending a shiver down his spine just thinking about it.

"It'd be cool to show you like, Philly and Pittsburg. I was born and raised just outside of Pittsburg, but went to college for a bit in Philly. They're both pretty nice, you just have to know what parts to avoid. One moment you're walking down a nice part of town, then you turn a corner and suddenly you're in something out of a crime drama."

Stuffing some more waffle into his gullet, he would frown realizing how little waffle he had remaining.

"Other than that...there's a lot in the midwest I haven't seen, but there's a reason people call those flyover states..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mmm, I see..."

She listened intently as Brutus would think of various places that might be more tourist friendly for someone like Nao if she ever decided to try and get a glimpse of American culture in her lifetime, the hare steadily working her way through her plates of food as their conversation progressed.

"Well, sounds like I should definitely talk with you beforehand if I decide to visit any part of the states... you know, make sure I know what the proper parts of town would be good to avoid, and what would be the sights and attractions worth stopping by to admire."

By now the hare was on her last couple of bites of chicken and waffles, the hashbrowns having long since been consumed in their entirety. Everything had been absolutely delicious thus far and she was certainly feeling quite full already, but even then a part of her felt sad that such a nice meal was coming to an end.

Se really would need to hit up the Breakfast Shack more often in the very near future.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Totally, there's a lot of really pretty national parks and whatnot to admire. A lot of ground to cover."

Brutus would nod along, listening to her speak as he worked on his food. The idea of her visiting was an interesting one for sure. He was worried that she would get lost, or hurt on this sort of trip. The idea of her consulting him put his naturally nervous heart to rest.

"It would be nice to visit Japan too," He would interject. "You live in Okinawa right? That sounds like a pretty cool place to visit some day." The culture seemed so foreign to him, he couldn't imagine what it would be like. She'd mentioned the stars were pretty out there, and he could only imagine how the rest of the sights were. He found himself staring down at his last bite of waffle, the rest of his plate empty save for this one lone bite. He scowled at it, as if that small morsel had just insulted his very morals.

Too soon.

This meal would be over, and then they would part ways again. On better terms than if they hadn't gotten food, but still. He didn't want it to be over. He would continue to glare at the last forkful for several moments before finally shoveling it into his maw and munching it down.

"Though I guess there's a lot of the world I would love to visit in general, the only other country I've been to is Canada, briefly."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mhmm, though I wouldn't recommend it as much for a first time travel... there's not thaaat many things to see in Okinawa-shi compared to Honshu." The final bite of her meal was soon chewed and swallowed, a content sigh leaving the hare as her mood was brightened from having a deliciously good meal. "Besides, you'd miss out on seeing Fujisan... which would honestly be sad really, the maintain and its trails are simply breathtaking."

Speaking of it had been quite a while since Nao herself had taken the chance to visit Honshu, maybe she'd consider making some time for it sometime soon... eventually. It was then the Lepus noticed the rather intense stare Brutus was giving a single bite left on his plate, the rabbit stifling a chuckle before she observed the Felis finally finish his own mea; too.

"Yeah, there's certainly a lot of wonderful sights to see out there... it's just expensive to do so."

Perhaps that's why the Lepus had quickly become enamoured with TerraSphere, the game offering so many amazing and incredible views and experiences for her to uncover and treasure—without breaking the bank. Sure, there was the whole "die three times and you're stuck forever in the game" but honestly she couldn't say that actually felt like a punishment...

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Yeah..." Brutus would reply, grimacing at the thought of money. "I imagine I will need to save up like crazy or win some sort of tourney to get travel money like that." It wasn't like he had a lot of bills or anything to pay given his current lifestyle, but it wasn't like he was necessarily pulling in the big buckaroos either. Certainly not enough to afford a trip to Japan, that was for sure. "Why the fuck does everything have to be so fucking expensive..." He would muse reaching into his breast pocket, pulling out the check and eyeing it for a moment. He would set it down with a pile of coins, adding a few more for good measure.

"Thanks for the food Boaris." He would grunt rising from his seat and stretching.

"No problem Red." The boar would grunt. He'd eye the almost empty dining room and shrug. "See you round," his eyes would flit to the rabbit. "You too missy." He would quit his spot in the kitchen, waddling out to the front to smoke by an open window.

Turning back to the Lepus, the giant would raise an eyebrow. "You ready to get some shuteye there Toko?"

@Toko