[Thread] Lunch isn't for lunchtime.

[hugtiems]

Characters: OU!Gino Weinberg and AU!Kallen Stadtfeld.
Where: Café!
When: Around sundown.
Summary: Gino has scored a lunch date with Kallen. Despite that it is not lunchtime.
Warnings: None.

Comments

[dauntlessxfight]

Kallen grumbled under her breath as he brushed off her question. First staring at her, and then ignoring her?

Holding her anger in check, she ordered a chicken sandwich and apple juice, handing the menu she'd been holding to the waiter. It always seemed so strange to come to any of the restaurants, here. Because anyone working at them was a fellow captive in this place, but one who had decided they actually wanted to work in one of the restaurants. And since it was completely voluntary, you could never really be sure when a place would be open. Usually she decided to just skip the restaurants altogether and make her own meals.

And there he was, smiling as if this were the best day in his life. Either he was insane or stupid, to act like that here. They'd been brought to another world to fight aliens that, from what she'd heard, were extremely difficult to fight, and here he was cheerfully ordering mustard hot dogs. It wasn't at all like what she'd expect from someone in the military. She'd eventually come to accept the craziness of living real life here, but her first couple weeks she'd spent most of her time learning about this place, finding out anything she could from those who'd been here awhile, and exploring the area to learn the layout and try find the best routes between places, the best cover, the best hiding places. Anything she could do to prepare herself should they be attacked. And even since then, she did regular training.

And he arrived and wanted a happy-go-lucky meal with an enemy. So the question stood, whether he was stupid or crazy. "So..." she said, tapping her fingers on the tabletop.

[hugtiems]

Oh no no, an awkward moment between them simply wouldn't do. He had often heard it during the rare occasions that the Knights of Round would have dinners together. That uneasy So... would be the first thing, then someone would respond with hm? Another yet would murmur, Yeah. Silence would follow, and then Gino would lick his spoon and stick it to his nose or something to spark some kind of a reaction. Really. His teammates could be so boring at times. And he'd really come to dislike the sound of quiet.

The Knight turned back in his chair to face Kallen after the waiter left and beamed at her. "So!" he repeated back... only with far more pep. "You're looking particularly nice this evening. Have you been well? Y'know, since coming to this place and all. Hopefully it hasn't been too much of a... dunno, a stress? Although for you, I guess it wouldn't be!"

Yup, that was one way to break the ice. Just talk a lot and ask many questions. He was good at that, whether doing it purposely or not. "I mean, you're pretty tough. Or I'd hope you still are, since you're from a different world and all. I'm kinda curious as to what the other differences are between the place you came from and the world I know, to be honest." There was a pause when the waiter returned with their drinks. He thanked the man and took a long, grateful sip, shivering with delight at the fizz tickling the end of his nose.

[dauntlessxfight]

Kallen was silent as he smoothly took hold of the conversation and actually brought up things they could talk about. At the very least, they probably wouldn't run out of things to say. He'd just bring up something else. The real fear would probably be that he might well barrage her with conversation topics.

When he paused to take a drink, she took the pause to answer him. "I've been fine. I haven't had any problems with my health, or any problems here at all, really, except perhaps for dealing with the consequences of some of the people's antics."

Taking a quick sip of her own drink, she continued, "Though I can't really say what might be the differences between our worlds. I don't know what's happened in your world."

[hugtiems]

"In my world..." Gino stopped to think about it. Or rather, he stopped to take another gulp of his seven-up while he considered. At this rate, he'd need rapidfire refills. He could go through nearly half the glass in one sitting. And that was being conservative on his part!

"Let's start with that attack on Ashford about a year ago or so. As far as I remember hearing, Zero left the Black Knights to their own devices and ran off on his own. Suzaku chased him down and eliminated him, and as a result he was promoted to Knight of Seven. That's where I met him~" he stopped his recountance to smile fondly at the memory. "But then a year later, Zero came back! I guess it's a different Zero than the one Suzaku got rid of, but... just as troublesome, if not moreso."

Here was where he began to hesitate. How much was he allowed to tell someone on the opposite side of the line as him? Normally he was very good on keeping his big mouth shut about classified details. And he had never imagined that he might someday be even slightly inclined to reveal things to an enemy. But he was. For the most part, he was beginning to think that telling her wouldn't be that bad. They were stuck in this military compound, after all, and for another thing... probably none of this was accurate in her world, at all. Couldn't hurt, right? If worse came to worst, he'd just capture her again.

"Aa, so, there were... lots of battles, a million Zeroes were exiled from Britannia... you got captured. Nunnally became Governor-General. Zero started the United Federation of Nations. What else..."

[dauntlessxfight]

Kallen listened, interested despite herself. She didn't want to be here, of course. But finding out what the future might possibly hold... Knowing what exactly could be coming up was the best preparation anyone could hope for.

Things were already changed between their two worlds, that was true. But many of the details he mentioned at the end could very well still come to pass in her world. Knowing about them ahead of time could make them run more smoothly for themselves.

And there was the matter of her getting captured. That was one outcome she wanted to try to avoid if it were at all possible. She wouldn't be any good to Zero if she were captured. At the best, plans would have to be rethought if she were suddenly in the enemy's possession. At worst, Zero would have to rescue her, which could be dangerous to them all.

It seemed like he wasn't going to mention any more events, at least at the moment, and so she put aside her musings with a sigh and considered what to say about her own world. "If we're starting from the attack on Ashford, it won't be a long story. I was brought here in the midst of that battle."

"The battle must have gone very different in my world. I followed Zero away from the battle, and found Suzaku threatening him. I had to stop him, or... I guess it would have turned out like your world. But I did. Stop him. It was strange to. I mean, I didn't-" She paused, collecting herself. Shooting him had been so different from fighting in Knightmares. All those times she'd tried attacking him before then with her pocket knife, she hadn't imagined she'd end up shooting him for Zero. "Anyway, Zero made it out safely."

[hugtiems]

Gino appeared to be surprisingly able to close his mouth and listen attentively, his attention focused, his expression more solemn than before. His expression changed in subtle ways while Kallen explained what had happened in her world; he seemed almost disdainful by the time she had finished. This Kallen wasn't as wonderful as his Kallen. She had murdered Suzaku. But... he figured, she had a fair enough reason. She was just protecting her leader. Doing her job.

And what's more, even if she did claim to have killed his best friend, it didn't make that his reality. So there was no point in letting it bother him. "Huh," was all he said, at first. He sipped down the rest of his soda, just in time for the waiter to come back with their food; before he left, he asked for a refill. Then he turned to look at Kallen again. "So you're a whole year and a half behind the... slightly incorrect times, hah?"