Complete Western Brisshal Long Fang Training

[Ueno Mizuki]

It really would have been embarrassing if Mizuki, somewhat known for her habit of surviving terrible situations (albeit not due to her own skills, she felt) would have suffered her first death at the hands of a meal. While grilled speckled stricke was definitely tasty, she didn't think it was to die for.

The more important topic... Mizuki found herself blushing as well, and imitated Cleo's idea of gazing into her mug instead, taking a sip only to find that she'd emptied the mug. Placing it down with a sigh she looked at Cleo, her own cheeks red but her mismatched gaze solid.

We're both adults, it's better to discuss these kinds of things than to skirt around them.

It was one thing for teenagers to get all flustered and evasive: for two adults to do it would just be silly. As such, Mizuki listened carefully as Cleo explained her perspective, and how she didn't mind seeing if it could develop into something more.

I... enjoyed it a lot as well. You are a very attractive person, Cleo. As for what it may lead to... (She scratched the back of her neck.) I agree that it's better not to rush it. I do enjoy your company a lot, but if we were too hasty it might affect things in a negative way. Better for us to be friends who grow into something more along the way than to skip the path in between. (She smiled sheepishly.) Although I must admit, it does make me even more interested to meet you on Earth...

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well at the very least, they were both being mature about this, which was good, considering they were both adults. At least, she was assuming they were, though it would be incredibly awkward to find out that Mizuki was not who she appeared to be. Which, granted that they were in a VRMMO where the woman had designed how she wanted to look, act and sound, was actually a far greater possibility than she had considered at first.

But indeed, they would deal with that when they came to it and Mizuki had a very sensible outlook on things, pretty much the exact same outlook that Cleo herself had. It was much better to foster their relationship as friends first, before jumping straight into something romantic. Though she was far from experienced with romance, Cleo had the idea that they would just know if they were ready to take the next step.

I agree completely. It's much better to grow as friends and then, if that blossoms into more, whatever results out of it will be all the more stronger for it. You aren't the only one interested to meet on earth though. And, well, hearing that you also enjoyed the, um, the kiss, makes me very happy.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

As Mizuki had expected and hoped, the conversation didn't take very long and was quite straightforward. Both of them were open to the idea that more would come of their friendship, but they wouldn't force something to happen if it couldn't develop naturally. That did seem like the most sensible approach to these kinds of things.

Well, here's to our friendship then. (Mizuki raised her mug, then realized it was empty and shoved it towards the bartender and quickly asked for a refill.) I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. You know... I wouldn't mind if you wanted to do it again at some point. (She glanced around, but there still weren't many people in the tavern.) Although I'm not sure how comfortable you are with public displays.

It was one thing to share a kiss out in the wilds where nobody was watching, another to do it in the middle of town where they could be seen. Would the idea of being watched bother Cleo, or would she move forward without any regard?

Another thought that came to Mizuki's mind was that if they were going to develop the friendship into something more romantic they'd have to discuss the exact details as well. As the bartender returned her refilled mug she paid for the drink once more and took a sip, internally dismissing the thought. There was plenty of time to work that stuff out.

If we're both looking forward to it I think it'll be an enjoyable outing. But in the here and now, do you want another drink?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo also pushed her mug towards the bartender and requested a refill at the same time that Mizuki did, pleased with the direction that the conversation had taken, though she did blush when Mizuki stated that she wouldn't mind doing it, the kiss, again at some point. At the idea of how comfortable she was with public displays, Cleo shrugged and took a bite out of her own fish, being sure to chew and swallow it before she tried to do any speaking.

Ah, I've never been one of those people that gets bothered by public displays of affection. Either doing them or witnessing them. Even some more extreme displays don't really bother me.

She'd never really been bothered by that type of thing. In all honesty, part of her wondered if it was unhealthy for a couple to be uncomfortable showing that they were affectionate with one another in public.

So uh, yeah. I definitely would be interested in doing it again, if you ever wanted to.

She blushed, before nodding as Mizuki asked if she wanted another drink.

Another drink sounds good, yeah, though I probably won't have more than two or three, since I'm not really looking to get drunk.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki sipped from her drink as Cleo answered her question. The fact that the lancer volunteered the information that even more extreme public displays of affection didn't bother her intrigued her, although she imagined that the beautiful redhead was just trying to answer the question as truthfully and thoroughly as she could.

It's a strange cultural habit, and I'm glad you don't share that discomfort. I wouldn't be able to hazard a guess how that particular habit entered society.

There didn't seem to be an obvious benefit to it, at the very least. Then again, when it came to sexual topics there just seemed to be some kind of instinctive embarrassment attached to the human psyche that was hard to shake.

I'll be looking forward to it then. But not when my breath smells like alcohol. (She smirked at that before taking another sip.) And that's understandable. I'm not really interested in getting drunk today either.

At most, she wanted to enjoy a mild buzz to match the pleasantness of spending time together with her friend. With Cleo agreeing to another drink the huntress turned towards the bartender and ordered a pint of mead for Cleo, which was a bit more expensive than the ale but was still very affordable.

I've heard that combining salty and sweet can work really well.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Who knows why people ended up developing such a weird distaste for public affection and other such things? It's certainly bizarre that people would look down on something as simple as that, but well, it's not as if it's illegal for people to be affectionate in public.

And as somebody that worked in law enforcement, she would know. Still, it was almost embarrassing to have to explain to some kind of entitled nobody that it wasn't possible to arrest people for showing affection in public because no law had been broken. And it was sad that she had to go through that kind of thing in the first place. People really were just the biggest morons, at times.

Still, she was glad that both of them weren't looking to get drunk, considering that, as much as she liked Mizuki, she didn't have time to be looking after the woman if she went and got absolutely blitzed. Either way, she stared at the mead that Mizuki had bought for her, before bringing it to her lips and taking a sip.

Woah. That's way sweeter than I'd expected it to be. I've never really looked into how these older styles of alcohol were made.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Hmmm... Indeed. If you listened to some people public affection would be a crime punishable with several years of prison. Well, those are the most extreme examples, and even then it's usually certain types of public affection. (Mizuki made a face at the thought.) Horrible people, truly. I don't envy you having to deal with them.

Cleo hadn't openly said so, but Mizuki didn't doubt that as a police officer the beautiful lancer sometimes had to put up with the worst society had to offer. Overall being part of the law enforcement didn't seem like a very fun job, which just made it all the more admirable that Cleo willingly threw herself at the task, and even was ambitious enough to climb higher.

She smiled as her friend tried out the mead and commented on the sweetness. It certainly was different from the ale, which was already quite sweet so far as alcoholic beverages went.

Mead is probably the sweetest drink. It's made with honey, so you can imagine that if you drink too much of it you might gain some weight. (She grinned.) But the occasional sip isn't going to hurt you. Cheers!

She raised her own mug of brown ale, taking a sip from it as she watched Cleo enjoy the sweet mead.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Yeah no kidding. I've actually had to deal with people making calls requesting that people making displays of affection in public be arrested.

And damn was it annoying to admit that. She definitely rallied against those people whenever they popped up, she had nothing against people being affectionate in public after all, but she still had to actually respond to those kinds of annoying calls. And they took time away from calls that actually mattered.

Though the explanation about the sweetness of the mead was appreciated and it made sense. If mead was that bad for somebody, in terms of gaining weight, she was going to have to watch herself. She wasn't sure if she could actually gain weight in this game, but she wasn't really wanting to find out. She grinned, raising her mug to tap it against Mizuki's own , before she took a swig from her own drink and smiled.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

I'm not very surprised. The kind of people who are disturbed by public displays of affection also tends to have strong opinions on whether things they dislike should be allowed or not.

Mizuki enjoyed sharing this time with Cleo, drinking from her mug and taking bites from the fish in front of her in between sips. It was effectively a full dinner, the stricke large enough to, if not fill her belly, at least leave her satiated for a while. She imagined that Cleo, who didn't share her metabolism, would feel full after this.

However, the fish didn't last forever, and neither did the drinks. As neither of them wanted to get drunk Mizuki didn't order anything after the second mug was empty, and once she'd consumed the entire fish including the bones she leaned back in her seat.

Aaah~ That was a good meal. Thank you for keeping me company Cleo, it's quite appreciated. (She twisted around in her chair to look at the clock hanging over the entrance.) That said, I think I should go eat something on Earth as well. I imagine it's the same for you?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

That certainly wasn't wrong and Cleo had run into enough of those kinds of people to know that. Still, it got annoying to be bothered by people just because they couldn't stand a couple they disliked hugging in front of them. It got in the way of business that was actually important, such as dealing with genuine criminals or the sort.

Working on finishing her meal, the two sat in relative silence as they ate and drank, though no more drinks were ordered after their second mugs. Unlike Mizuki, she didn't bother to eat the bones and in fact offered the bones from her fish to Mizuki.

You're not wrong, yeah. I have some stuff in the real world I really should be doing soon. Probably filling my belly and hopping into the shower, amongst other things.

She smiled, nodding to Mizuki as she opened her menu to log out.

If I don't see you in game before our date, then I'll see you at the Erudite. Try not to keep a lady waiting~

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki was a bit surprised when Cleo offered her the bones of her fish, but gratefully accepted the offer with a smile. Her strong jaws and hardened teeth allowed her to easily chew up the bones. They were a good source of nutrients, although she could understand that most people found them rather unpleasant to eat.

Oh, right, a shower would be a good idea as well. This summer has been rather warm. (She nodded in agreement with Cleo's idea, smiling back her.) Don't worry, I won't. I'll see you there.

After Cleo had logged out Mizuki would purchase herself a room upstairs in which she could let her body sleep while she logged out and did her own thing. Ever since Travelers had become a thing taverns and inns had become much more lucrative, and their rooms were some of the most well-protected places outside of forts and castles.

@Cleo Looker