Complete Mega Summerfest 2032: Ice Cream Recovery Service

[Yugam]

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"Who knows, maybe I will...But only if you'll be my personal guide if I go~" Valeria said with a teasing smile. Ari could feel his ears begin to heat up almost immediately. He could only hope that they weren't turning red too. "Like I'd entrust a pretty girl like yourself with anyone else," the man said, returning her smile with one of his own.

"I mean they got other food for sure," Ari said with a laugh, "but I mean, its the thing they're known for. I just dunno what else they fuckin' got."

"Michigan? Got sick of island life, huh?" Ari wasn't sure if he'd do the same thing, but who knew what Valeria's situation was before hopping over to the mainland. "I'd really like that though," the man said with a soft smile. "Plus, if I'm over by you, maybe you'll let me cook for you? Nothin' like a home cooked meal. I probably can't hold a candle to your grandpa, but I'm a pretty damn good cook if I do say so myself," Ari offered. He'd always loved cooking. Again, a byproduct of growing up immersed in a culture with a strong emphasis on homecooked meals. He'd even started taking cooking classes in college, just for fun.

"Oh, that sounds good," Ari said, before looking over at the menu again. "I was thinking the braised short rib taco, and...chips and salsa for the side? We get one more taco, you pick that one. They all sound good."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Like I'd entrust a pretty girl like yourself with anyone else."

It was her turn now to feel slightly embarrassed, his words causing Valeria's cheeks to burn slightly in response. The hand that wasn't holding her water bottle rose to tuck a few strands of hair behind her left ear, eyes adverting for a moment before Valeria finally regained her composure as the topic shifted back to NYC and its foods.

"T-True... I've heard bagels are a pretty big thing too, something about them being prepared differently from the norm?"

"Something like that I guess, island living isn't as cool and carefree as people fantasize it is." No need to sour the mood with unnecessary details, not when they were having a good time together, before an eyebrow arched curiously as she learned something new about the man besides her. "Really? Alright, it's a deal then~ Who knows, maybe I can learn some cool new tricks from you too."

It wasn't until Valeria had moved in with her grandparents that the blonde had discovered a love for cooking, the love and passion her grandfather had shifting her earlier preconceptions about something she had originally viewed as just another chore. He was, without a doubt, the main reason as to why the girl had begun to actually put effort into the kitchen—looking recipes online of things she wanted to try and getting tips from her grandfather whenever she got stuck on a step.

"Yeah that sounds good," Already their selection seemed to be covering a good range of items, her eyes focusing back ont he menu as Ari mentioned they had one taco left to choose. "Mmmm we could do the Spicy Tuna one... although the Tofu Tinga sounds really good too."

Why were decisions always so hard to make when it came to food...

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"Oh yeah, fuck, I forgot about the bagels," Ari said, remembering that breakfast was an actual thing. "Oh, and bialys. I hear those are pretty good too." Breakfast wasn't his usual thing really. He didn't have much of an appetite in the mornings, except for maybe coffee. The man knew that he needed caffeine just to be a functional human being. "Hey, uh, I dunno if you're sticking around for the whole festival, but if you're sticking around for a couple days, and you don't have plans with anyone else, would you wanna find a place with good bialys? Make a thing outta it?" Despite the apparent lack of nervousness in the man's voice and body language, Ari's heart was suddenly threatening to beat out of his chest. He hadn't even had real human interaction in months. Let alone asking someone he'd just met if they wanted to spend even more time with his jank ass. He had to suppress the urge to blurt out the age old 'no pressure' line.

At Valeria's assent to allow him to cook for her though, Ari couldn't help to smile. "I dunno about tips and tricks, but you'll at least get a good meal out of it." The man didn't really think he did anything special with his cooking. He just tried to do things right. "Er, I hope, at least," he added with a chuckle.

"Mmm, fuck, they both sound so good..." Ari murmured as he looked at the descriptions for both. "Fuck it, let's get both. Tuna as the second for the bento, and tofu on it's own?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Wait... biawhat?"

It sounded like food, probably something breakfast related considering their current topic, though Valeria couldn't honestly say she had ever heard the term before. She had little time to ponder it over though, her attention quickly drawn to the invitation Ari now extended for the next couple of days.

"Yeah, I'd like that very much~"

Valeria couldn't help the bright smile that crossed her lips, the excitement she felt at the prospect of continuing to hang out with Ari for a few more days during the Mega Summerfest hard to hide. Already the blonde had been toying with the idea in the back of her head, wondering how or when it would've been best to bring it up in conversation, but it seemed she hadn't been the only one considering Ari had beaten her to the punch.

"Chances are you've been cooking longer than I," Considering what she already knew of the man the blonde felt pretty confident in her assessment. "... and we seem to share similar tastes in food, so I bet whatever you decide to make will be delicious."

It was her turn to chuckle as Ari agonized over the two final choices that Valeria had proposed, before she nodded in agreement as the man placed forth a very simple resolution.

"Both it is, then~"

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"Bialys," Ari repeated with a laugh. "They're these Jewish bread roll things. Pretty sure they're those 'different' bagels you were talking about." Ari had never had one before, but he'd at least heard that they were pretty good. He wasn't entirely sure what the hype about them was, it was bread still, after all, but what better time to find out?

Ari just wasn't able to suppress the beaming smile he returned to the girl when she agreed to get breakfast with him the next day. "Sounds like a plan," he said with a toothy grin, before pulling out his phone. "Here, lemme grab your number so we can figure all that out later," he said, handing the device to her with the new contact page already open.

The two stepped up to the food truck's ordering window, where the two were greeted by the cashier. "Hey, yeah, uh, we'll get the curry beef burrito, an order of of tofu tinga tacos, and a bento with the braised shortrib, spicy tuna, aannnd rice and beans for the side."

"Anything else you guys want?"

Ari turned to Valeria asking, "Want anything to drink?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"O-Oh...!" She couldn't help the look of surprise as Ari revealed that bialys were, quite probably, the "special" NYC bagels that Valeria had loosely read about online when she had been Goggling up stuff about The Big Apple. "W-Well, now I know their name at least?"

There was a soft chuckle as she tried to play off her ignorance, though the blonde could still feel the lingering heat on her cheeks and the tip of her ears from her embarrassment—Valeria could only hope and pray that they hadn't turned red... or that, at the very least, her hair had helped cover it. Thankfully their conversation varied on successfully, and when Ari handed his phone over Valeria quickly accepted as she began placing her contact information into the provided page.

"Aaand done~"

A soft tap saved her contact info on his phone, before the girl tapped on the screen one more time to have the device call her own. Once her phone rung successfully she'd stop the call, returning Ari his phone, before she unlocked the screen of her own and saved the phone number with the name 'Ari' on it.

He'd just finished placing in the order for them too, one of the blonde's eyebrows arching ever so slightly as Valeria noticed the man had gone for rice and beans instead of chips and salsa for the side. Oh well, that should be interesting too. Besides it's not like chips and salsa could vary that much from place to place, so it wasn't like they would miss out on anything important by not having them.

"Yeah, let's see... oh, do you have Jarritos available? Specifically the Agua de Jamaica ones?" She'd wait a moment as the cashier double checked their stock, a nod given to Valeria shortly afterwards. "We'll take two then, por favor~"

A soft wink was given to the man besides her for whom she'd boldly decided a drink for. "Dunno if you've had those before, but they always go so well with Mexican food." Hopefully he wouldn't mind, though Ari was always free to pick something else if he preferred to.

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"The more ya know, right?" Ari said, casting an amused gaze over at Valeria, only getting the slightest of impressions that she was embarrassed. It was kinda cute, if Ari was being honest with himself.

The girl tapped in her phone info, and then gave herself a ring before handing him back his phone, contact info now exchanged. "Dope. I'll text ya later tonight then," the man said as he tucked the phone back into his pocket.

Valeria seemed to already have something in mind for them both as she ordered a drink Ari had only seen on shelves, and a flavor he'd never even heard of for them both. Which somehow reminded the man that he'd accidentally ordered something wrong with their food. "Oh, sorry!" he suddenly interjected to the cashier. "Mind changing the side to chips and salsa? My bad," he said, before casting Valeria a sheepish smile.

"No problem," the cashier said, ringing up the drinks and making the small change Ari had requested. "That'll beee, thirty eight-fifty."

"Sure, here," Ari said, handing the man his card, before turning back to Valeria. "Nope, can't say that I have. Seen 'em on in the fridges at the gas station though, just never tried 'em."

"Alright, you guys are number sixty nine, we'll call you up when it's ready," the cashier interrupted, handing Ari back his card and a receipt. "And here are your drinks."

"Thanks, have a good one," the raven-haired man said, taking the drink from the cashier and handing Valeria hers before stepping off to the side to wait.

"I'm excited, I'm so fucking hungry," the man said, before checking his watch. "We should still be on track to eat and catch DAYEONGSONG," he reported, "doesn't look like they're too busy."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Hahah, the more you know indeed~"

Her own phone was placed back into the front pocket of her shorts—the blonde not trusting placing it on her back pocket in the slightest, were it could no doubt get easily snatched—before a soft chuckle escaped her as Ari seemed to remember about the chips and salsa and asked to amend the order before it was too late. "Here I thought you'd had a change of heart about them." The words were light, colored only by the slightest of teasing, before the blonde had to stifle a chuckle as the cashier informed them of their order number.

"Really?" The last sips of her water bottle were finished before Valeria tossed it into the trsh can besides the food truck, stepping over to the side along with Ari as the man handed her one of the Jarritos. "You're missing out then, they're really good. My favorite two are this one and the tamarind flavor they also have."

In the distance she could already here the beginning of the programming start, her head nodding softly at Ari's calculations. "Yeah, Luis Fonsi was up first... and his songs usually take a while, especially if he's gonna play Despacitwo at some point, probably around the middle of his performance I bet." Considering the magnitude of the event Valeria wouldn't be surprise if Daddy Yankee actually made a surprise guest appearance when that particular song finally popped up.

Who knew, maybe they'd even sing the original one too?

"DAYEONSONG was scheduled shortly after him, so I think we should be alright time-wise to catch her show without having to rush." The scoop of ice cream had been a good way to start the day, but that wasn't actual food... and the blonde had skipped breakfast as she'd rushed over to the park for the event. Already she could feel the hunger tickling her stomach, and it didn't help that the food truck smelled absolutely amazing as they continued to prepare and hand out orders. "I hope their food tastes as good as it smells..."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

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"Man, tamarind? Ya know, that's one flavor I've never really managed to wrap my taste buds around," Ari replied as he though about the one or two times he had ever actually tried anything tamarind flavored. Maybe it was because both of those times, he had had tamarind flavored lollipops. The flavors had just felt conflicting to him. He didn't really mind them, but they weren't something that interested him either.

"I can't fuckin' believe he made a sequel to that song," Ari laughed. Though he was just a child at the time, he did know about how much of a meme Despacito had become in it's heyday. The arrival of the second had been met with roughly the same internet fervor as the first. "I kinda hate that they're both fucking bops," he said humorously. It wasn't like he'd ever disliked either song, it was just that they became so overplayed so fast, he needed a solid year between hearing either. Well, he was about due for his next Despacidos dose anyways.

"It better, or I'm gonna start a riot," the man joked as the smell of their food cooking wafted over to them. Heavenly. "I'm curious about your burrito the most, I think. That sounds like it'll be really interesting."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"I might be biased with the tamarind one," She couldn't help teh soft chuckle that escaped, usually whenever the topic of the tamarind flavor beverage was brought up with anyone it went one of two ways: either they liked it, or they didn't. "They do grow in the island, though no artificial flavor ever comes close to the real thing."

For some reason most felt the need to try and sweeten the tamarind to the point it was almost unrecognizable, though she supposed the Jarritos one didn't commit this sin as strongly as others out there.

"Right? You can still find the original 'Alexa, play Despacito' meme floating around... not to mention all the ones that started after Despacidos was released." As a child she had liked the rhythm of the first, perhaps unsurprisingly so given both singers shared the same roots as Valeria, but even as an adult she enjoyed the song whenever it sporadically popped up on her Spotify—a feeling that was shared with the sequel too. "At least the second one wasn't a flop, otherwise it would've been quite a bummer."

There was a cheeky grin on her face next as Ari mentioned he was quite interested in the burrito selection Valeria had opted for. "Same~ Though the Tofu Tinga tacos also sound quite interesting... if it's anything like actual tinga de pollo then it's gonna be delicious." Just the thought of it made her mouth water... hopefully their order would be ready soon.

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[Yugam]

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Ask and ye shall receive. Or something like that. It wasn't very long until a loud cry of "Number sixty nine!" came from the pick up window of the food truck. "Oh, that's us. Holy shit that was fast," Ari commented, taking a brief glance at his watch. before slipping the glass bottle into his bag. That had only been a couple of minutes. Crazy fast.

Walking up, the two were slid a couple of to-go boxes, and a boat of what was obviously tofu tinga tacos. Handing Valeria one of the boxes, Ari took the other two and gestured with his right hand to an empty patch of grass just a bit aways. "C'mon, let's go sit down and eat."

Strolling over to a shady spot beneath a tree, just far enough out of the way that they wouldn't be bothered by other people, but close enough that they could still hear Luis Fonsi's show, and watch the massive crowd, Ari plopped himself down and set the boat and box down between himself and Valeria, before pulling out the Jarritos bottle from his bag and cracking it open, the carbonation hissing delightfully. "Well, cheers," the man said, clinking bottles with Valeria before trying out this mystery drink she'd ordered him. "Hmm," he hummed after taking a swig, furrowing his brows and staring at the bottle curiously. "Interesting." It tasted just like the hibiscus tea he always ordered online, the peculiar tingling on his tongue familiar. Normally, the only place he could get it from was Korea. The only difference was that this was a lot stronger tasting. "That's pretty good."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Number sixty nine!"

This time around she failed to fully stiffle the snicker that escaped her as their order wnumber was called out loudly, looking away for a moment as the hand that wasn't holding the glass bottle rose to cover her mouth. Sillyness aside Valeria had to agree with the man's comment, the food truck had actually gotten to their order quite rapidy... they must have been really prepared for the crowd given their efficiency.

"Oh, it smells sooo good...!"

She followed Ari to pick up their meal, taking the box the man handed over, before he spotted a nice spot to sit down and enjoy their food without any interruptions or circus balancing acts... last thing either of them would want was spilling anything onto the ground, that was a grave sin for any foodie. "It's amazing how a little bit of shade instantly makes everything feel so much cooler." The sun had now set pretty high in the sky, something that had caused the temps around them to rise rapidly, and so Valeria was more than happy to sit down by the shade of the tree.

"Cheers~"

There was a practiced ease that the blonde showed as she twisted off the crown of her bottle, thankful that the manufacturer of the drink was considerate enough of their customers so no bottle opener was required. Her bottle clinked with his before Valeria took a sip of her own drink as she enjoyed the refreshing feeling that accompanied it.

"Right? Agua de Jamaica is a staple whenever we're having Mexican food in the island, that's why I couldn't resist ordering them when the cashier said they were in stock."

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Hearing Valeria snicker, Ari looked over at her. "Really?" he questioned, though his tone, and the slight upward curl of a single corner of his mouth would indicate he found her reaction more amusing than childish.

"I know right?" the man agreed as the two sank into the cool grass beneath their canopy of leaves. "Only bad thing about having Summerfest in...well, the summer is the goddamn heat."

"I'll have to pick some up whenever I order some Mexican," Ari said before taking one last swig and setting his bottle aside. "But for now..." The raven-hair man greedily eyes the tofu tingas tacos in their little paper boat, grabbing one and lifting it towards his mouth. "Let's try some of this."

Biting into the taco, juice from the tofu and garnishes flooded into his mouth, and the man let out a small groan of pleasure. "Okay, yeah, that's good," the man said, covering his mouth with one hand, trying to keep some semblance of civility as he spoke with his mouth full of food. "What do you think? Livin' up to your hopes and dreams?" he asked as he finally managed to swallow, before taking another large bit out of the taco.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Really?"
"Guilty as charged~"

It was hard to miss the mirth as she spoke, Valeria finding herself smiling once more as they continued to enjoy the music festival together. "Yeah, time to see if the truck lives up to the hype!" She joined Ari as her hand reached for the other tofu taco, being careful to grab a napkin too in the process... last thing she wanted was to stain her blouse.

"That good, huh?"

There was a light teasing to her words before the blonde turned to her own taco, taking a careful bite of one side as she kept the napkin right below to catch any juices that dripped out. "Mmmhm!" There was a surprised squeal from the girl, her eyes opening in surprise, as the flavors and textures of the food registered against her taste buds and mind.

"¡Qué rico...!" The taco was carefully rested on the napkin now, not wanting to accidentally spill anything from it, before a hand rose to cover her mouth as she spoke. "That's really good!"

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Ari waited and watched as Valeria bit into her taco, watching as her eyes lit up with joy as she sank her teeth into the tasty little taco. "Right?" the man said with a smile before stuffing the remainder of the taco into his mouth and then wiping his hands on a napkin. The man reached for his bottle of soda, taking a quick sip before looking over at Valeria. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about how the tofu would mix with the mexican spices and stuff, but damn, that was pretty good. Whatcha wanna try next?" he asked as he waited for the girl to finish her food.

Off in the distance, the pair could still hear Luis Fonsi jamming out, and Ari found himself tapping his foot along to the beat. He'd expected to have fun at Summerfest, of course. How could you not have fun at a big music festival like this? But this much fun? It wasn't even like he'd done anything that special. But maybe, what they said about the people you went with was true.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Mhmm!" With the amount of flavor the tofu itself had absorbed it was clear they had marinated it overnight at the very least... if not more. "Honestly it's sooo good... zero regrets about this already."

Soon enough the tofu tacos were finished, the blonde taking a couple of sips of her own soda, before her gaze turned to the other items left as Ari asked what they should have next. "Let's do the burrito next, after all we're both curious about it~" A finger tapped ont he smaller of the two carry out boxes, winking at Ari, before she quietly hummed along to the current Fonsi song echoing in the background.

Once more she was surprised upon realizing just how much fun she was truly having today, and while Valeria was sure she would've enjoyed the Summerfest on her own there was no denying it wouldn't have been to the same level compared to this moment. If anything she was actually thankful that Ari had bumped into her when he had, the loss of her extra dark chocolate ice cream had been a small price to pay.

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"Alrighty, sounds good," Ari said with an eager smile, clapping his hand and rubbing them together before opening the box. Inside, the burrito was wrapped in foil. Picking it up, Ari unwrapped one end before handing it to Valeria. "You first," he said taking a small drink of soda as he leaned back onto one arm.

Of course, given that the whole thing was wrapped in tortilla, it didn't really look any different from any other burrito you could get in the world. But from the warm scent that leaked from the burrito's seams, one could've figured out that something was different about that burrito. Instead of the earthy, spicy scents of traditional meats one might've thrown into a burrito, a warm, slightly sweet scent sat beneath the near oppressive smell of chutney snuck out from beneath the tortilla. Even without having bitten into the wrapped glory himself, Ari could already tell that it was going to be delicious.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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She watched as Ari opened the box, taking the chunky little burrito inside before carefully peeling away some of the foil layers that kept its shape. The blonde had expected him to take the first bite, after all he had paid for everything, so when the man suddenly offered it over to Valeria she couldn't help a light look of surprise as she took the offered bundle.

"O-Oh, okay...!"

At first glance the burrito was quite unassuming, looking almost tiny even, but once the blonde was holding it she could tell it had been stuffed to the brim. There was a faint sweetness that her nose could pick up as she held it closer to her face, and after a moment of calculating Valeria finally leaned it for a bite.

"Mmmm!"

Her idea to go in at a slight angle was a good one, and the sudden burst of flavors that quickly flooded her mouth were amazing... not to mention that the beef inside was so tender it almost melted away in Valeria's mouth. The burrito was held up for Ari then, her face holding a look that clearly said You have to try this! though she was unable to utter the words with her current mouthful.

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Watching as Valeria took a bite of the burrito, the initial look of surprise at his offer for her to go first melting in a wide eyed look of pleasure. She then held the burrito up to him, attempting to speak with her mouth so stuffed with food that nothing intelligible came out, only able to figure out the meaning via context. "Swallow first," the man laughed, taking the burrito from the girl and biting on the opposite corner of the burrito, if only to not have it's stuffing pour out all over the floor.

"Oh gahd," the man said, letting out a muffled moan. The curry and beef, mixed with the flour tortilla. It was a divine combination that made more and more sense with each passing moment. "Christ, that is so good," Ari said after having swallowed. "I wanna know how the fuck they make their curry, that shit is so fuckin' good!"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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There was a choked laughter as Ari urged her to swallow first, the man taking the burrito from her hands before giving it a bit of his own. "Shuddup…!" The smile remained on her face even as Valeria grabbed another napkin, dabbing away at a corner of her mouth where she could feel some of the filling had stained her, before she watched in anticipation as Ari took his first bite.

"Right?! It’s sooo good!" Honestly speaking there was no pleasure like the one derived from good fucking food, and in that regard the Asian Mexican fusion truck was delivering without incident so far. "The beef is sooo tender too, it just melts away like butter."

Back and forth they went, until the burrito was almost gone, the last bite passed over to Ari—only fair considering she had taken the first—before Valeria took a few sips from her hibiscus soda.

"Alright what’s left now…? Tacos and the chips, right?"

@Yugam