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[ 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. ]

[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.]

[ 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.

[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.

[ 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.

[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.

[ 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.

[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.]

[ 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.

[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?

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. ]

[Damn good point. Leave it to McGillis to find a crazy way to loosen up.]

This still seems pretty nice... Thought I guess I can't really see you picking out a dive bar.

[and unless stopped, he's just going to try to go sit at a table because the concept of a maitre'd is foreign to him]

Then you need more imagination.

[ McGillis has absolutely been to dive bars, but he's not going to pick that for like... a first date. Even if it's a complete farce of a first date that he's going on out of a number of toxic emotions that are not quite comparable to romantic attraction.

He's gonna nod at the waiter and follow Izou to whatever table he's picking because this place is empty enough that he doesn't think anybody's going to hassle them about assigned seating anyway.

And indeed, the waiter seems neither interested in chastising them, nor in a lot of small talk. He just drops off a menu and wanders off again. Is this guy still affected by the God of Conflict? Or just not personable even on a good day? It's anybody's guess. ]

Has Mafuyu been doing alright after all that?

[ Time for some small talk as they stare at dishes. And also he genuinely does worry for the girl. ]

[Maybe he's just extremely intuitive and can tell these aren't the kind of people who want a super chatty waiter. But probably one of those other two things.]

I think she's gonna take a little more time ta get back to 100%, but that's kinda unsurprising since she's a little more delicate.

But I mean, you saw that bold move she made on Arven at the end there. She's gonna be stronger than ever after all of that I think.

[He's happy with how things turned out even if there was no Mega Mafuyu Beam]

But hey, y'know what! I was right! We did end up fighting her mom insteada her!!

I was actually surprised by that. So far, it's always been the palace owner's worst self or worst fears about themselves...

[ He's immediately in Analysis Mode, which unfortunately means he neglects to tell Izou how smart and correct he was all along. Sorry. ]

Maybe it's because her sense of self was so damaged...?

I mean, we did find that version of Mafuyu, just she wasn't in anything condition ta fight, y'know?

[Her poor puppet self.]

That's essentially what I mean - even the manifestation of her own self was incomplete.

[ God, that's... unsettling, actually. Poor girl. McGillis didn't initially take her situation all that seriously, but the palace was still a doozy. ]

She's considering moving to a different world after this is all over, and I think that would really do her some good.

I mean I can't blame her fer that, but what about those girls from her memories?

I thought about that the other day, like, ain't it actually kinda messed up ta bring a bunch of people here ta make friends and then sending them back where they came from?

Braphine said our bonds don't need to end after this, but that was in context of allowing me to choose a world to go live in since I can't return to my own. I don't know if she has any more contingency plans than that - or enough power to enact them.

[ Which, yeah, is actually extremely antithetical to her whole mission statement... ]

Yeah she kinda pissed me off when we talked ta her... But it ain't like it's outta character for a god ta be unreasonable.

[But dang this sure is a mood killer. Awkward. Which means turning to the menu;]

What've they got fer booze here...

[ It's insane to think that McGillis ironically has the better deal here - with his own world barred to him, he could theoretically pick his most important person and stick with them instead, no additional losses. A chance that is kind of wasted on a man as isolated as himself, even now that he is opening himself up just a little.

So yes, anyway. ]

A variety of wines, naturally. You can pick as you like.

[ He has more than enough money saved up to cover even an expensive bill with ease. Workaholic life!! ]

Personally, I'd recommend one of the reds.

[We'll find a place for you yet, McGillis.

Anywa, Izou considers the wine list for a long moment, before putting it down with a sigh.]

I dunno what any of these fancy french words mean, you just pick fer the both of us.

[He's had wine maybe once or twice before in his life.]

Oh? What a high responsibility.

[ Since the alcohol is clearly more important to Izou than the actual food. What a horrible man...

If the choice is left up to McGillis, he's going to pick one of the more expensive red options - both because he likes them, but also because he's showing off. ]

As for food...

[ He deliberates for a bit longer here, but in the end gets stuck, predictably, on the pasta page. ]

Can't go wrong with classics, I'd say.

[Izou has a look on his face like he momentarily forgot they were here to eat food.]

Ain't all of this classic fer you, technically?
[Future man.]

I still ain't got used ta having to eat again instead of just eatin' when I feel like it.

[Or more accurately drinking when he feels like it.]

[ McGillis meanwhile just kind of stares for a second. ]

Huh. I guess I should have seen this coming, given that you're basically a ghost.

[ Maybe that means you don't have to worry about your liver?? ]

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