Tea time!

[rutenberg_spy]

Who: Yozak (rutenberg_spy) and Rose (rosa_di_fortuna)
When: end of the weekend
Where: Trussardi's trattoria
Why: Rose is apparently up to something

Comments

[rosa_di_fortuna]

Rose arrived a bit later than expected. Her hair didn't want to cooperate and she kept debating if she should compliment her outfit with a scarf. In the end, she opted against it and went out to meet with her former opponent.

Overdressed in violet and red, Rose walked into Trussardi's. Her skirt floated elegantly behind her as she asked the servers about Yozak in her native Italian. One pointed out a small table in the back, where the swordsman was having some snacks. After politely thanking the servers for their help, she made her way over to meet with him.

"I guess I'm a bit late. I'm sorry." Rose sat down across from him, smiling a little when she saw his state of dress. Simple, but in a good way. Then she noticed the pastries. "I've not had those since I left Italy."

[rutenberg_spy]

"Ohh..." Rose was too quick for him, Yozak didn't have a chance to properly rise and greet his dining companion like he should have. "No, not to worry. Sorry, my manners are a bit rusty, I've been away from the castle too long." He extended a hand to indicate the plate of pastries between them. "You're welcome to them, I got 'em to share. Wait, so..." His blue eyes suddenly lit up. "You're from Earth? Really? I've never been there, as much as I want to see what it's like."

[rosa_di_fortuna]

Rose didn't mind Yozak's manners in the slightest. "Do not worry about it. Your company is all I ask for." She took a pastry off the plate and was about to take a bite when the swordsman mentioned that he wasn't from earth. She was a little surprised by it, but it explained his unusual aura. "Yes, I am from earth. I come from a city called Genoa, on the northern Italian coast. As far as I know, I am human." She bit into the pastry and reveled in its lightness.

"Where are you from? Are you from another world, perhaps another dimension?" She seemed oddly curious about Yozak's origins, but that was probably because of her sensitivity and connections to different, possibly alien, energies.

[rutenberg_spy]

"Ohh, I see." Yozak looked positively fascinated - someone else clearly from that world, no mystery about it. "Well, I suppose you could say so. I couldn't begin to tell you how it connects to Earth, but it does. Our king was born there, he can travel back and forth between the two worlds." He rested his chin on his fist in a sort of pout. "Weller has been there with him, but not me. I'm curious what it's like. How it's different. His Majesty always has such amusing anecdotes about his normal life over there."

[rosa_di_fortuna]

"Well, our world is full of life and surprises. It's why I want to protect it from evil." Rose finished off the little pastry. "So your king is from Earth. And what do you and Signor Weller call your home?" She absently reached over for a menu, suddenly wanting some tea to go with these little pastries.

[rutenberg_spy]

Yozak sat back a little, rattling the ice cubes in his lemonade. "Our nation is called Shin Makoku...it's the homeland of our race, surrounded by human nations," he explained plainly. "Up until recently, there was a lot of conflict, but the new king is working toward peace between us all." He took a drink and then smiled. "Must be because of where he grew up."

[rosa_di_fortuna]

"It's wonderful to hear about rulers aiming for peace." Rose smiled. "The one ruler I have encountered was far from peaceful. I tried to defeat him but I sense that he's still out there." She went a bit quiet after that as she didn't want to think of Bison, especially at a time that was meant for pleasure. She took another pastry from the plate. "Pardon me. That last bit brought up some bad memories."

[rutenberg_spy]

Yozak shook his head slowly. "Not a problem. We all have those. Those of us who've seen our share of fighting, anyway. Right?" He offered a sympathetic look. "So nice then that a place like this exists where the fighting is all for fun. Or, mostly for fun anyway."

He set down his glass and leaned to fold his arms on the table. "Sooo...you had a reason to ask me to tea, besides simply getting to know one another. Mm?"

[rosa_di_fortuna]

Rose snapped out of her temporary gloom when Yozak asked about her ulterior motive. "Ah, yes! Lately I've been noticing some changes in energy when it comes to Signor Weller and Lulu. My senses tell me they are attracted to one another, but I've kept myself from reading any further." Before she went further, she flagged down a server and placed an order for some tea. Once the server was far enough from their table, Rose continued.

"This may be a little forward of me, but I would like to set them up. That is, if they haven't already."

[rutenberg_spy]

It was a good thing Yozak was neither eating nor drinking at that moment, he would have choked. "You...you what? A-attracted? I...what?" The abruptness of the statement completely shattered through his usual spy's tact, he couldn't conceal his reaction at all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he added quickly. "Miss Lulu had tea with both of us that once, but she flirted with me just as much as him..."

[rosa_di_fortuna]

"Is that so? Hmmmm..." Rose began to ponder the accuracy of her powers. Maybe Yozak was right and Lulu simply enjoyed flirting. But the fortune teller was sure she felt something between the Lulu and Sir Conrad. "My apologies. I didn't mean to be so sudden like that. Still, I feel they would be good for each other."

[rutenberg_spy]

Yozak took a moment to get himself under control, covering his eyes with a hand and kneading his forehead. He was at a complete loss for what to do, he had never been placed in the situation of matchmaking for Conrad - not counting Lady Cheri's wasted efforts - and considering what they'd spoken of before their last match...

After a moment, he lifted his head and tried to put on as blank an expression as possible, neither smile nor scowl. "Is this really the sort of place to be forming relationships? One-night flings I can see, but...in the end, we all get to go home to our own worlds, no?"

[rosa_di_fortuna]

"That is something we should leave up to fate to decide, hm? If they do not connect, then it happens. I would simply like to put things in motion." Rose stayed calm and collected. She already had an idea of what was going to happen. She was psychic, after all. But, she kept silent about it, and about all destinies except her own. "I can see you don't like this idea. Is Signor Weller not one for relationships?"

[rutenberg_spy]

Ah, a question he could answer honestly. "That is one way of putting it," Yozak said quietly, picking up his glass again. "He and I have been friends since we were both children. I know him better than he knows himself, sometimes. That means I'm not likely to spill any of his deepest secrets," he cautioned, "and some stories are not for me to tell.

"Suffice it to say..." He trailed off, looking away and not drinking from his lemonade. "Lord Weller has closed himself off to the pull of the heart. He is the second son of the former Maou and dedicated to the protection of the current Maou. I don't see him being open to that sort of thing."

[rosa_di_fortuna]

"I see." Rose looked like she was deep in thought. So her endeavor was going to be more difficult than she expected. Still, it didn't hurt to try. When the tea finally arrived, Rose poured the swordsman a cup. "This is a seasonal blend. I was surprised they carried it, as it's rare outside of Europe." She was still thinking about what Yozak said. Maybe she was a bit in over her head about this. "It's sad to hear his heart is closed like that, but I don't believe he's a lost cause."

[rutenberg_spy]

Yozak tilted his head slightly in acceptance of the tea, wrapping his large, rough hands around the cup. "Sounds like a treat. I'll give it a try." He sipped a little, though his mind was still on the subject at large, racing to try to come up with ways of bringing about the desired outcome without having to open up and bare anyone's heart - his or Conrad's. "Perhaps. Perhaps not," he responded. "Change for people like us comes very slowly. Our lifespans are easily triple those of humans, or more...a hurt or grudge that may take a year to get over will linger with a Mazoku for ten."