れモ尺工ちち丹 (serpentined) wrote in summerview, @ 2018-10-01 19:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | zlennox wolfram, znerissa drake |
tell you a secret, i'm not alarmed
Who: Nerissa and Len
What: (Mostly) weekly sushi get-together
Where: ...a sushi restaurant!
When: Today works!
When it came to raw fish, Ness was a bit picky about where she chose to venture but could you blame her? If she was going to eat sushi, she wanted to indulge and she wanted it to be good - easily she could grab something that tasted like it flopped around in the bottom of the sea, that was no problem. It was the equivalent to a drive-through for burgers, McDonald’s as opposed to a steakhouse for filet mignon. And Nerissa had class, thanks. Luckily, the place she usually went to had legit fresh fish, they had actual ramen that wasn’t a pound of sodium wrapped in plastic, the wine was good, and the sake even better. This particular place was so serious business about their sushi that the rather old-school chef, a true artist, had it scrolled in actual writing on the wall that he would not - under any circumstances, not even penalty of death - prepare a California roll. Nor were there any rolls with clever names such as ‘Me Soy Horny.’ Instead it was all fresh ingredients, bright textures, colors, and tastes. Some crunched, some burst, others melted into happy mouthfuls. She often went there with Len for sushi dates, once a week as long as schedules weren’t too crazy for either them. Now, it was where they were going to meet again, as she thought maaaaybe catching up was required. She took a seat at the bar of the go-to spot, and immediately ordered a pot of sake. The chef with the white hat was artfully arranging dead fish behind the glass, but Nerissa idly scanned a menu while she waited. Ordering without her companion present seemed rude, so she’d hold back. Sometimes she had manners. Having something to look forward to made anyone elated for the onset of the days ahead - sushi with a friend was no different - large or small, whatever the goal was. Lennox was no different. His best friend, and older sister, was miles upon miles away and though no one would really ever claim that piece of his heart he looked forward to that escape with Ness. It wasn’t uncommon to see Len in various stages of concealment. He was self-conscious of the scars and so when he wasn’t sporting a bandanna a scarf with some sort of decorative pattern was wound around his neck. Tonight was no exception. Food was something that interested him in more ways than just the appeal. Texture, taste, the blend of strange spices rolled into protein and vegetation was intriguing. He cooked quite well for a creature that came from the water and so letting Ness choose the spot had been a bit of concern (one he had never shared with his friend) until he realized that her own taste was unparalleled. Sliding into the seat next to Ness, Lennox scooped up a menu and he didn’t hesitate to dive into the text although he knew what he wanted already. It was the same each time he went but for the purpose of the atmosphere he pretended to browse. “Good….evening…” Lennox squeaked quietly, words weighed down with the usual swath of hesitation due to the injury. He offered Ness a charming, bright smile. “You look….so pretty...by...the way….” Always the charmer Lennox went back to browsing the menu. A proper greeting and a compliment right off the bat, eh? Damn, he was sweet - it was always amusing to Nerissa, who didn’t have sweet friends. Or many friends at all, come to think of it. She just wanted to eat him up - was that the human phrase? - but then again, with her it could sometimes be literal. And if she ate her friend Len, she’d have no one to have sushi catch-ups with and no one to tell her she looked pretty. So that was a no go. He wasn’t wrong though, she did look awesome. A wine-colored short skirt, cashmere sweater, tall brown boots that made her legs intense; her boots also climbed so high on her thighs they should have to pay a toll. “Aw, thanks - you look pretty too,” she winked, picking up her cup of sake and taking a sip. There were her favorite bits of sushi and sashimi too, but she also liked consulting the menu for shits and giggles. Though once she’d decided for real, she began marking off her selections on the proper sheet using the tiny pencil. “How’ve you been, Lenny? Get into any trouble lately?” Not the fashion expert that Cress was - he would admit that his sister was better at him at probably everything there was to be good at - or that Ness was, Lennox figured that dressing casual and comfortable was the way to go. He wasn’t out to impress anyone (who was impressed with a basic scarf that didn’t even match his outfit?) and when she offered his compliment right back Lennox couldn’t help an odd sound, the laugh that was all that was left of his once siren sound. “Thanks..” he managed, nose crinkled in amusement. “No..” Lennox began, taking a moment to inhale in a wheeze, busying himself with the same task Ness was facing, trying to figure out what the heck he wanted and marking it down with the pencil. “...trouble is….not my...thing….anymore...i used...to be….one of….those….bad boy….types.” He was joking, of course. Though part of that was true. He’d been unfaithful to a lot of people in his lifetime and learned his lesson the hard way. With his selections penned in, he set the menu aside in favor of her attention, setting the ordering thing within reach of whoever wanted to claim it first. Sirens were sirens - honestly, it wasn’t surprising they teetered on the 'naughtier' side of the spectrum, if you understood their origins and the ways of their people. Len just got caught up with a damn psycho - and if Nerissa ever found out who hurt him, she'd probably return the mutilating favor. Only she wouldn't stop at mutilation. "Girls like the bad boys, I hear," she said with a grin. The sushi orders were collected, and she was already drooling over the potential of spicy tuna rolls, some with cream cheese and crunchy tempura and a shit ton of spicy mayo. More on the side. She liked to eat, what could she say. "Though either way, anyone you wanna get into trouble with - you let me vet them first." She was a good judge of character. And would fuck up a bitch if she needed to. "Things have been slow on my end too. Though I still get some weirdos who come into the spa, of course." Lennox took a moment to cast a glance around the place. It had never bothered him - the atmosphere was tranquil enough to have a conversation without yelling at the person you were with (which was a bonus for him) and the aromas only served to compliment the place. “Do...they?” One of those squeaks that was desperate to be a laugh escaped him, and with a warm smile he turned back to Ness. He had spied a human that had seemed tasty, he couldn’t help himself. But sushi would have to suffice. Human was off of the menu until next week, anyway. “Really?” Aware that she could more than take care of herself his smile faded into a frown of concern nonetheless. He didn’t like people that were unkind to those that didn’t deserve it, especially when they were friends of his. “Yeah, but it’s no big deal,” Nerissa waved it off - since generally, idiots weren’t worth her time. She did enjoy calling them out though - or otherwise laughing about their antics later, with other people. That was always fun. “The most annoying offenders are the old ladies who expect beauty miracles and no wrinkles left after a facial - “ Like. She didn’t offer botox as an option, so even though the treatments she offered did some great things, not even the wonder of the sea could erase every wrinkle. But anyway. “Old ladies and hairy men,” she scrunched her nose. “Not fit to discuss before eating, but...I hate being on wax duty.” It was generally why she avoided that. She had enough clout at the spa to pick and choose her clients and sessions. “You should come in sometime though,” she added, nudging Len. “Pamper yourself. Let me pamper this face,” she patted his cheek with a grin. Had he been able to giggle he would’ve, as it was he offered an amused smile. The sound of his laughter was enough to drive away animals and so he spared her, and the rest of the patrons, the experience. He didn’t understand what a spa really was or how it worked, how humans went places to try to look younger. He did good enough on his own staying young and beautiful without help. The end of his nose wrinkled trying to imagine waxing anyone - he commended her for being brave enough to attempt the act of pulling hair off of bears with tiny strips of whatever. That was no easy feat. “Me?” He inquired in a curious squeak. Her hands patted his cheeks and finally he did emit a small noise on par with a laugh. “Sure….why...not?” Why not indeed! The beauty secrets the ocean held, the benefits of kelp and salt water and all of that, they probably were already known to someone who also hailed from the sea - but that was okay. Nerissa would find something for her siren friend here. “You’ll love it,” she wiggled her fingers all excitedly, tips pressed together to form a steeple. The thinking pose (which could be dangerous). “I’ll set you up whenever’s good for you. It will give me time to decide which facial will be best. Then all you have to do is show up and relax. Okay?” He’d been through a lot, poor Lenny. Probably took a self-esteem blow too, when it came to how his voice had essentially been ripped away from him. This would help, she was sure of it. Nodding, Lennox placed a lot of trust into her steepled fingers. Whatever beauty was gleaned from the depths of the water that he had heard of prior admittedly Len had never given much thought to it. She was a good enough friend that he knew he would be in good hands. “Okay..” he replied. It wasn’t as if his schedule was jam packed full of things, whenever she had time to squeeze him in would be ideal for him. Relaxing wasn’t bad of an idea. His fingers tugged lightly at the lapels of his jacket, Lennox took a moment before he shed the coat like a second skin. It was draped carefully over the back of his chair and his attention was once more all for Nessa. Getting pampered couldn’t be all bad, right? “Awesome. You will not regret this decision.” She was clearly pleased, mind whirring away with the possibilities. Nerissa liked meeting Len for sushi - they were both definitely carnivores and enjoyed, uh, a good cut of meat (human or otherwise) - but there would be something extra fun about him coming by the spa too. She was good to her friends, the few she had. She’d gladly spoil them. And speaking of their raw fish, the plates of intricate sushi art were delivered - and Nerissa was pretty thrilled to get to dig in. She clacked her chopsticks together, going for the wasabi and soy sauce for a spicy mix. “Bon appetit, Lenny!” His mouth was watering at the sight of the beautiful canvas of craft set before them. He looked forward to their weekly get togethers for supper, it made the week all the more promising. Gathering his own set of chopsticks, Lennox waited for her to begin first and then he followed suit, nodding with a mouth already full of delightful things. Cheeks puffy, he smiled. It was a good meal, indeed. |