IC INBOX | OKADA IZOU

[goei]

@Izou

manslayer

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ABOUT ME

The strongest, most genius swordsman to ever haunt the streets of Kyoto! That's me! So you better think twice before crossing me, ya hear?

NOTE

As long as you don't get in my way I won't kill you, probably.

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[vogelfrei]

[ Eli and Celeste are fine, probably. This is a bridge to cross when they all get to it........ ]

It's about the quality of the ingredients and the length of the preparation. You can taste a difference, but... if I'm honest? Not enough of one to make the whole thing worthwhile.

[ It's really weird to be speaking more honestly about how much of the social spheres he's spent most of his life in is still alien to him.... ]

[goei]

I think that's true about most things. Definitely alcohol, like sure to a certain extent the more expensive stuff is better but at a certain point yer just payin' more fer the sake of payin' more I think.

But at least with restaurants you also get like sophisticated atmosphere and sometimes entertainment. That's part of it too I guess?

[For how rough and tumble he is, he's got a fair amount of thought on this ]

This time of night though, you really just wanna get something that'll fill ya up so you can keep drinkin'!

[That's more in line with what one expects from him.]

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis is nodding approvingly at this whole assessment, even if that conclusion is certainly very Izou. ]

Well, I don't know about that last bit, but 'filling' is the primary quality I look for in a meal anyway.

[ And he doesn't actually like eating in front of people thanks to it, because the habit of eating way too fast has never quite left him. With Izou, he thinks it'll be fine. He has neither the sensibilities to pick up on that being strange, nor would he lack in understanding even if so. ]

We'll shelf fancy for some other time. Come on.

[ Is there going to be another time? That depends, of course. ]

[goei]

[IS THERE GOING TO BE ANOTHER TIME? This is definitely a thought Izou has. He does spare a cursory thought to that yes of course McGillis would see food pragmatically. It's so easy to forget with how he carries himself that he wasn't always like this.]

Yeah, yeah, lead the way.

[trying to sound cool and nonchalant but he manages to maintain that for all of a few seconds before continuing;]

You're nuts askin' out a guy who tried ta have yer head off, y'know. Takin' me out ta dinner makes it sound like somethin' more romantic than a meeting.

[Because maybe that's all it is!!! Just a practical business meeting!!!]

[vogelfrei]

[ ..... ]

Just what exactly would we be having a meeting about?

[ Dodging the whole insanity accusation for a second here, because he really needs you to walk him through your logic here. ]

[goei]

[DON'T ASK HIM TO JUSTIFY HIS RATIONALIZATIONS]

... I dunno, battle tactics?

[vogelfrei]

[ Battle tactics............ Well, it can't be denied that this is something he would have meetings about, but. ]

If I wanted to discuss that, I'd be inviting more than just you.

[ And he'd use the meeting room at the dorms. ]

No, this is a date.

[goei]

[There's that fluster again.]

Th-then yer even more nuts! I still haven't sworn off killin' you after we're done here, y'know!

[He wasn't really planning on it anymore, but. He could!!!]

[vogelfrei]

I'm perfectly aware of that.

[ McGillis actually does consider it a very real possibility at the end of all this, too. He has no intentions of letting himself be killed by Izou, but he's well-braced for another attempt at it.

So yes, this is probably insane. But McGillis had said as much when they were at the masquerade, and they'd both still gone for it. The ship has sailed on making the right decisions here.

Maybe McGillis would not have gone as far as to use the word 'date' now if it hadn't been for all the ogling happening in Mafuyu's palace though... A petty part of him thinks that if they're already doing all of this, if he's already allowed Izou so much insight into him, then he wants to be the person who is looked at the most. ]

Doesn't it make getting on your good side like this the pragmatic choice?

[goei]

What're you, some sorta femme fatale tryna seduce me so you can kill me first while my guards down?

[USUALLY GETTING ON SOMEONE'S GOOD SIDE DOESN'T INVOLVE ROMANCING THEM, MCGILLIS.]

[vogelfrei]

Who can say?

[ Getting people who trust him killed is kind of his specialty! ]

Does that thought make you want to back out?

[goei]

[The logical part of his brain is saying that the fact that McGillis ISN'T denying that is a red flag!!! This is a bad idea.]

Course not, if you think I'm dumb enough ta fall fer that then yer gonna be real disappointed!

[So he says.]

[vogelfrei]

Then we're making equally insane choices here.

[ And they've both tried to warn the other too... ]

[goei]

Well yer paying so I think yer still crazier than me.

[At least he gets free food out of this!!! McGillis literally never said he was paying but Izou has decided he is, apparently.]

Where're we headed, anyway?

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis is paying, he was always planning on that. So. No argument on this front. ]

There's supposed to be a small place of what you apparently call 'Italian' food in this time, two blocks from here. They have somewhat secluded tables and decent ratings.

[ Did he google restaurants in the cab? Yes. ]

[goei]

[Izou silently wondering what the heck, restaurants have ratings now? Who decides. Where do you find such things. Is that on the internet? But he won't say that.]

Italian... that's spaghetti and pizza and all that right?

[He has only a vague idea of where Italy is but he's familiar with their delicious food.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Nodding. ]

Exactly. From the European part of the African Union, in my times.

[ Italy does not exist anymore in anything except very vague records. ]

Last time we were out as a group, we ate something from your culture, so I figured we'd change it up a little.

[goei]

[Izou like... I thought Europe and Africa were separate places but I don't know enough about Geography to dispute this.]

So you are from Europe after all like I thought? Even in the robot future you come from.

[vogelfrei]

[ Time for me to make up complete headcanon, yay!! ]

I am. Not from the region that was former Italy though. Closer to Arbrau - that is, the region you'd know as Russia, I think?

[ Having totally different world maps is... weird. ]

Though it's not like I have any ties to that place - they brought me elsewhere, after.

[ The Apple Incident, he's not going to go into that any more. ]

And after adoption, I grew up on Vingolf, which is an artificial island in the Pacific.

[goei]

[Ah, Russia, he knows that one!! Since it actually borders Japan. No wonder McGillis is so tall, he comes from the big huge country... This is Izou's logic.]

An artificial island... I guess the Wandering Sea's kinda like that but I wouldn't wanna live there. But this Vingolf's probably nicer if the crazy rich people you were stuck with were livin' there.

[vogelfrei]

[ Stuck with... The wording feels weird, but not unpleasant. Interesting discoveries he's making here. ]

Vingolf is the most elite living space in the world, yes. It's luxurious in every corner, and they've taken great care to make sure nobody too 'impure' can enter.

[ He doesn't dislike the place aesthetically - it's certainly beautiful, and it includes the garden he'd spent so much time in as a child, back when friends were still an escape. ]

All the Seven Stars live there, making it the de-facto government center of the world.

[goei]

[Izou mulls over this. It's probably really pretty, great food, lots of place to relax. But with what he knows of rich people, especially given what little McGillis has told him?]

I bet it's real ritzy but ain't ya feel like a bird in a gold cage being there?

[Fancy things are nice, Izou likes them. But he knows in a whole situation like that he'd feel haunted by being an interloper that doesn't belong there.]

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis had been looking ahead, trying to navigate the street and find where they need to go before, but now he actually looks over (down?) at Izou. ]

... exactly like that.

[ He used the bird metaphor! McGillis is... really pleased, actually. ]

I spent my days watching the seagulls and imagining being able to fly away over the open sea, just like them.

[goei]

[Izou lets a little laugh at that, though not a mean spirited one.]

If ya wanna be free like a bird ya aughta loosen up a bit. I mean, bein' here and bein' dead there really ain't anything stopping you, y'know?

[vogelfrei]

Indeed. That's why I'm taking my would-be-assassin on a nice dinner date right now.

[ Like, come on, first you complain about him being unhinged for doing this and then you complain about him not being easy-going enough? Make up your mind! ]

Speaking of, this should be it.

[ The restaurant that google has recommended them has its entrance nestled into a little inner courtyard and cozy dim lighting inside. It looks nice and lowkey, to McGillis' relief. ]