Winner Winner! Fancy Dinner! [Robin]

[Sam]

It was late afternoon in the town of Notice the warm tropical weather that tired out Rook was starting to wane as cooler air began to take over. Rook fanned himself, he was certainly not a fan of tropical heat it was far from he was used to. If anything this heat had made him very hungry! Lucky for himself Notice was a prosperous wealthy town meaning fine dining was a dime a dozen. Walking through the brick streets among buildings decorated by marble pillars he watched as stalls began to close down and young boys began to oil street lamps in preparation for the evening. Rook couldn’t help but think that the oil used was likely shipped from his home island which boasted a strong whaling industry. Even this far south it was a commodity that was most required.

“Oi, oi, oi, oi.”

Rook called out to a boy no older than ten wearing a gray cap and blue coat not too different from the other lantern boys. The boy looked up at Rook and tilted his head curiously; circular blue eyes peered straight at Rook’s own hazel colored ones. To the boy it was rare that someone interrupted his work. Especially a stranger. One whose clothes he didn’t recognize from any island nearby.

“Yes sir?”

He replied, keeping his distance but remaining courteous. The older guy across from him was slightly intimidating as far as he was concerned. Mostly due to his size and different attire.

“Oiiii! You know where I can find some good food, kid?”

That was an odd question, thought the boy. But it was a sensible one if you were a tourist he supposed. Of course, assuming that Rook was a tourist. Little did he know that the young man was in fact an aspiring pirate, a profession that most people dreaded.

“I… well my parents like Diogo’s it's about a block away. Make a left on Palm St and it's right there.”

Rook nodded and took the kid’s advice to heart. He swiftly began his march away and waved at the boy goodbye. The boy gave a confused wave back as he stared at the man taking his leave.

“Oiii! Thanks kiddo!”

But as he neared the restaurant’s location he noticed that he hadn’t asked the boy what sort of food the fine dining restaurant served. Whatever it was, Rook was certain that he wasn’t picky.

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 1)

[CowpokeRobin]

Ordering food isn't something that adults have trouble with. At least, that's what the young mouse was telling herself as she rebuffed the waiter for a fourth time. She nervously sipped the glass of water that had been provided for her as she scanned her options once again. She was used to simple meals, often made on a campfire. In the present moment she was overwhelmed by choice anxiety as she hardly recognized any of the words on the menu.

It wasn't often that Brie indulged in luxuries such as fancy restaurants and sleeping accomodations that weren't outside or on a ship. She had made a promise to herself though that she'd "take a break" after her last few jobs. To put it lightly, it had been stressful. What little levity existed in her past few jobs was far outweighed by the toll they'd had on her both mentally and physically. She needed to take some time off, even if the inactivity would kill her. 

So there she sat, in a fancy restaurant, looking at a nonsense menu, and honestly wondering how she was the least relaxed she'd been in weeks despite this being her vacation. She finally sighed as placed the menu in the table, heading for the door of the establishment as quickly as she could. She felt mildly ashamed as she pushed out onto the street. Everyone always mistook her for you get than she was tha is to her height, and it had always been a chip on her shoulder. Maybe there was some truth behind it though? Here she was running out of a restaurant because she couldn't even order. Running out of a restaurant without looking to boot-

*CRASH*

"I'm so sorry," Brie offered as she tried to regain her bearings. The look of embarrassment on her face was clear as she looked up at the bronze skinned man she'd run into.

[Sam]

The last few paces toward the restaurant Rook started to speed up in both excitement and hunger. But in his overzealousness he had failed to spot someone a tad smaller than him.

*crash*

“Oof…”

A gentle grunt escaped his lips. The force of the impact wasn’t exactly enough to cause him to fall on his behind but it certainly staggered him. Once his head was on the right place he looked down to see a mousey woman with big house ears of which Rook assumed were part of some mean spirited costume. Between the big ears and the diminutive size Rook began to feel rather guilty.

“Ehh… s-sorry didn’t see you there.”

Perhaps not his best choice of words… Rook clenched his teeth awkwardly. He hadn’t gotten a chance to mentally prepare before talking to her. This was unfair as he saw it. He’d rather be fighting a kraken than thrust into an unexpected social situation. Rook took a deep breath, his bronze face now seeming slightly paler than before with a pained expression on his face.

“I… uhh… can I… um… do you need help?”

Was this the right thing to ask? The question posed twice, one as a genuine offer and the other almost as if asking for approval to fix the problem he saw himself guilty for. The smell of the restaurant still lingered around them now only a few paces away… Rook was feeling hungry but if he had to sacrifice a bit of time before a delicious steak so be it. Helping someone out came first after all.

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 2)

[CowpokeRobin]

Brie took the man's apology as a sign that hopefully all the blame wasn't squarely on her for bumping into each other. It did little to offer her relief though as she still felt the heat of embarrassment on her face. She picked herself up and dusted herself off as she continued to stammer out an apology.

"I'm real sorry, mister," she offered as her ears twitched, a sure sign that she was still nervous about having to appease the person in front of her. Perhaps he'd ask for money to cover 'damages', and that would leave Brie unable to afford the fancy hotel room she had found herself renting for her week long stay. The young man asking if she needed help was certainly a weight off her chest. She breathed a sigh of relief as she considered his offer, and took into account the hungry gaze he had cast at the restaurant she'd just fled from.

"Yeah actually..." She whispered as an idea formed in her head. Perhaps he knew a thing or two about the daunting menus and complicated dishes that Brie couldn't decipher for herself. 

"Apolocheese for bumping into you, and to make it up to you I'll buy you dinner. Sound good?" Brie said with a sly grin as she formulated her plan. She'd just offer to pay for this guy's food and she'd be able to figure out what's good about these fancy eateries. 

"Brie Emmental," she announced as she held a gloved hand out for the man to shake. "Cheesed to meet you!"

[Sam]

Looking down at the rodent of a girl, Rook took closer note of her ears. What he’d previously thought were simple clothes a part of an elaborate costume soon became apparent that in reality they were real. The twitch of her ear was no different from that of nervous dormice he’d run into during his hunts in the boreal thickets of his homeland.

“Huh…”

Furrowing his brow and softly lurching back the fact she apologized was a little odd. Clearly he felt himself at fault in this scenario after all it was his duty as the taller person to be aware of his surroundings. His hazel eyes maintained contact with the woman though they began to falter in no way intentional as they slid toward the grill house. He was hungry. The smell of hickory wood mixed with the meaty scents of picanha was about to make him pass out.

“Mm…”

But then the small woman began to speak… not just speak but speak in puns. Ironic ones almost? Cheese puns! Rook turned his head down to look at her tilting his head to the left ever so slightly in confusion. Not only that but she was offering him a free meal as an apology? Which was weird since he felt responsible but also he was hungry so he wasn’t about to turn down the offer.

“Uh… gee thanks!”

He took the girl's hand, having introduced herself as Brie Emmental. Rook made sure that his bigger hand was gentle. Normally he liked to squeeze firmly on handshakes but the smaller frame of the mouse girl triggered something in his brain. An almost protective instinct subconsciously.

“Vigo B. Rook, though you can just call me Rook and likewise! Well met.”

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 3)

[CowpokeRobin]

Brie was unsure for a moment that she had made the right choice. The man in front of her only offered a short grunt in response to her apology. That fear was aswaged when she realized why. He seemed to have devoted some of his focus to the smells emanating from the restaurant. A small, only partially forced smile found its way onto the socially inept bounty hunter's face. 

"No problem, mister!" She squeaked as she shook her new food guide's hand. It was a brief shake as Brie took her hand back and planted it at her side fairly quickly. She wasn't exactly in a hurry, but her stomach was beginning to scold her for existing near so many tempting aromas while not associating them with a taste. Brie gave Rook a small nod before spinning about on her heel and realizing that maybe even the choice of location should be left to the person with assumedly more knowledge than her. 

"Listen," she said without turning around. Her face was flush with embarrassment at what she was admitting and she figured staring in the opposite direction of Rook was a solid step towards concealing her mild shame. She took a second to compose herself before speaking again.

"I sorta just ran out of that place because the menu was intimidating..." She admitted before turning back to him. She was also slightly unaware that she'd begin to shrink just a little, the Chibi-Chibi no Mi causing her to lose a few of the precious inches of height she had. 

"So it's all on you. I'll pay for anything you eat, just help me out with this, alright?"

[Sam]

Rook gave a shrug. It was strange that an adult had issues ordering but he wasn’t going to question it. Especially since free food was in store for him and the scent was beginning to over power his movement as he found his legs moving into the establishment following after Brie.

But from the corner of his eye he began to notice something again… Brie seemed smaller. Hm. Rook hid a frown feeling genuinely bad for her. Talking wasn’t his forte either. As he entered the cool air of the establishment a waitress at the front was greeting guests. She was a brunette with brown eyes and fawn skin. She looked to be in her mid to early twenties this was probably just another odd job of many she had. The brunette took a look at Rook and then at Brie. Initially smiling but then that smile turned into a tad of confusion.

“Err uh… welcome back!”

The waitress caught herself as she grabbed two menus and stared at Rook almost wondering what to do next. Were there more people? Were Rook and Brie really together for this dining experience or…

“Table for two ma’am!”

A sigh of relief escaped the woman’s lips as she assured the two of them to a booth in the back corner of the restaurant. Rook sat down on the red booth seat and began to tap his fingers on the wood table. Already perusing through the appetizer section but despite his reading it seemed he wasn’t entirely focused.

“Someone will be with you two shortly.”

The waitress dashed away but Rook didn’t even notice her too busy tapping his fingers and lost in thought for a solid minute before he looked up at Brie. Finally saying something after a moment of silence.

“Do you think they accept pets here?”

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 4)

[CowpokeRobin]

Brie felt a bit embarrassed seeing the look that Rook gave her. It was clear what he was thinking, but she felt her face flush an even deeper hue of red when his inquisitive look turned to one of seeming pity. It wasn't exactly like Brie was happy with the fact that she had ran out on the restaurant like that or that this sort of thing was difficult for her. She was just happy that Took seemed to take it in stride and offered to help so readily. 

The young mouse did her best to conceal herself behind her new friend as they entered the establishment. The look of confusion on the waiter's face would have been too much for her to bear alone, and she sort of used Rook as a mobile hiding space from her gaze. She quickly followed to the table breathing a small sigh of relief that it wasn't the same one that she was sat at earlier. Not that it made much of a difference, but in her mind it was some small consolation.

"I'll pay so it's okay!" Brie exclaimed maybe a bit to loudly for the tone of the establishment. She luckily went mostly unnoticed by the other patrons who seemed absorbed in their meals. Was the food really that good that it had these people so completely entranced? We could only hope that the little deal she had made would be worth it.

"I um... I don't know the first thing about real cooking or food. I cook for myself, but it's mostly over a campfire. Like um..." She said as she unfolded the menu and read aloud in a shaky voice. 

"I don't even know how to pronounce a lot of these. I..." Brie felt a little panicked. She was so used to planning out meticulously every step of a hunt making sure things went exactly her way, and this level of unpreparedness made her feel as though she was going to explode. Her heart raced a little as she felt she was making a fool of herself in front of someone who she had asked for help. 

"What is... Ri-rissoto con burrata...?" She asked timidly hoping that the young man could help her begin to interpret the menu.

[Sam]

“Oh! Umm if you insist!”

Rook replied to Brie being so willing to pay. The guy wasn’t about to say no to free food. He tried getting as comfy as he could in his seat. That is when he took notice of Brie mentioning she cooked over a campfire his attention was immediately taken.

“Oh! I’m familiar with that too… nothing like hunting, skinning, and cooking your own meal over a fire. Using some wild spices and veggies to enhance your meal.”

Perhaps it was a bit unmannered but Rook licked his lips absentmindedly thinking of cooking himself some wild boar or venison. Wild mushrooms, tubers, and some berries for added flavor on the meats. Especially fox berries like those native to his homeland made into a sauce for the steak. Just because you cooked on the outback didn’t mean your meal couldn’t be skillfully made.

“Don’t worry about pronunciation, I can teach you. Hell! I can order for you too!”

He looked back at his menu trying to decide on what sort of cut he was going to get. After all this was a prim and proper fanciful steakhouse. He looked over at Brie again his hazel eyes initially settling on her ears… he blinked once before refocusing on her eyes. Honestly he had to stop staring at the ears. But they were just so distracting to him. They only made him focus on her already mousy appearance. 

“Hm? Risotto? It's like a creamy rice dish and burrata is a type of cheese. It's actually an extremely delicious combo you can’t go wrong with burrata on anything.”

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 5)

[CowpokeRobin]

Brie definitely felt out of her depth even with someone there to guide her. Clearly her dining partner had far more experience than her and she only hoped she didn't seem completely inept. She could agree with what he said about cooking for yourself over a fire. Brie had often been in a position where cooking in the wild was preferable to starving and she had considered herself quite the trail chef, though it hardly compared to actually preparing meals. Her usual go to was simply cooking something until she was sure it wouldn't make her sick and flavor tended to be an after thought.

"I appreciate it..." She responded quietly as Rook offered to make the orders for her. Brie understood a lot about talking to people, but only really when it came to negotiating bargains or talking someone out of putting up a fight. Social etiquette in a restaurant setting? It wasn't exactly a scenario where her skills transfered in any way. Brie then noticed Rook's eyes drifting to slightly above her head before shifting downward. Normally she'd offer some sort of reprimand or her classic 'no you can't touch them', but she was really just thankful he was helping her. She still wouldn't let him or anyone touch them, but she wasn't going to say so yet.

"Oh... That sounds nice actually. If you wouldn't mind ordering that for m-eep!" She shouted as the waiter that had seated her before appeared at their side, notepad in hand. She looked over at her new-found friend and gave him a little 'please do the thing you'd said you do' motion.

[Sam]

“Sure! Anytime.”

Rook had made up his mind by this point on what he wanted in fact his mouth was watering at the thought. Heck, he even had an appetizer in mind even though the toast with butter was already a complimentary. So he was at the ready once the waitress had presented herself and it seemed like Brie was awaiting his help judging by the expression she gave him.

“Oh! Right so uh… let's start with appetizers. Let's have some Carpaccio. I'm curious to try your restaurant’s hand at it and also… as a soup, give us a helping of Hasenpfeffer.”

The waitress nodded as she turned to writing it down on her notepad. Her expression was blank and her motions nearly robotic was clear that the teenage waitress was doing this not as a preferential job of hers and was likely only in it to get her savings in order.

“Carpaccio, hasenpfeffer, and the complimentary bread as appetizers. Does the young lady want a salad or will she partake of your hasenpfeffer. Also do not forget your drinks.”

Just like that some choice was thrust toward Brie. Although small it was perhaps something she hadn’t considered just yet. Rook turned to look at her awaiting an answer momentarily. Truth be told he was getting the appetizers so she could try them out since it seemed based on context clues that she wasn’t the most well versed when it came to this.

“Uhh… while she decides we’ll also just order right away. I’ll have your Parmesan Lamb Picanha with a side of asparagus and wild carrots. I’ll also have a South Blue Lagrimas del Santo, Malbec from the Yeste Kingdom. Perfect for cuts of lamb. As for the young lady, she would like a Risotto con Burrata.”

Rook’s job was mostly done now but Brie still had a drink to choose and potentially a choice to make between salad or soup. But Rook was there to help. He looked at her, almost waiting for any questions for help that she might need. In fact he felt rather excited for the prospect! It was rare for him to order everything in one go.

---

Rook | Gun Smoke | (Post Count: 6)

[CowpokeRobin]

Brie found herself scanning every part of the menu despite the fact that her order should be handled by Rook. It was in a way comforting to her to analyze all her options. It was how she typically went about dealing with her problems. The only issue being that her normal problems could reliably be handled with any number of the firearms stowed on her person. This wasn’t one of those problems. While searching the menu for answers that what were lost on her provided some initial comfort it quickly turned to more confusion. It began to overwhelm her as she attempted to listen to Rook putting in their order. It was in that moment of focusing back on the conversation that Brie was addressed by the waiter.

She hadn’t even thought about hapsenffefer or whatever it was he asked about. She could hardly make out the word and decided to cling to two she did understand. She timidly answered “salad please,” hoping that it would suffice, but adding a “Whatever you recommend.” It was only then that she remembered that he also asked about a drink. Was wine appropriate? She could honestly go for a glass of milk, but that seemed embarrassingly childish to ask for in such a setting. “Ummm… water… I guess…?” she answered clearly unsure of making such a simple and safe choice. She tilted her head towards Rook as if looking for some form of validation. She also noticed the small wine selection menu and slid it towards him, unaware that he had already put in his drink order and accidentally implying that she'd like a drink picked for her.