The Start of a True Alliance (Click to Show)
Leoncio looked at the letter once more as he slowly walked through the town. It was from his allied clan, the Blade Mercenaries, in regards to his master… “ex” master, he supposed he should say. It stung at his heart a bit that Shado had been killed off. Though their time together had been very limited, he had still been a somewhat kindred spirit. Shado had only introduced Leoncio to his clan one time, but he still remembered that, like him, their leader was a young man. It was this young man, Kiro, who’d invited him to lunch.
As the kitchen roared with sizzles, smells, and rapid yelling, Kiro sat at a table for two, symphonies quieting the clatter of people stuffing their mouths with fried goodness. Of course, there was the occasional odd man out eating a burger, but here at Big Bob’s, ordering a burger at this joint was equal to eating at Olive Garden instead of a Michelin Star. Sure, it was good, but why would you even want to eat it here? As he tapped his toes to the beat, he kept one ear off his headphones, ready for the merry jingle-jangle of the brass bells of the door and Leoncio to appear.
Leoncio enters Big Bob’s, covering his nose for a moment. The smells were strong, strong enough to make his head spin a bit. The loud noises didn’t exactly help his situation much. It takes him a moment to adapt, before he spots Kiro. He heads over, feeling the eyes of others on him as he sits down.
Kiro was just starting Schubert’s Symphony Number 8 when he saw Leoncio sit down. “Oh, hello!” He took off his headphones completely and gestured casually with 4 fingers to the plump waiter nearby for partially grease-stained menus. After swiveling back around, he folded his hands in his lap and looked Leon in the eye. “Everything alright? A more important question: Are you hungry?”
“Everything is fine, yes,” Leoncio replies. “As for my hunger, I could eat. Though, I’ve never really been to an establishment such as this. What types of food do they serve?”
“Mainly what people call..” Kiro searched for a word, taking a bit of time to think. “Soul food. Stuff like barbecue, roasted pig, macaroni in cheese, and of course…” He gestured to the kitchen, highlighting the strong smell of poultry. “Chicken.” The plump waiter tossed neatly folded pamphlets onto the table. “How about you check out the menu?”
Leoncio nods, still in a state of wonder at the many entries mentioned, few of which he’d ever actually tasted. He takes the menu, looking it over and tries to see if there were anything he recognized. It would be troublesome to pick something unfamiliar, only to not enjoy it. It would appear disrespectful to these people whose time was spent serving others, a truly commendable duty. “I believe I will have the chicken and dumplings, if that is not too much of a bother.”
Kiro nodded at Leoncio’s choice. “Nice. I’ll try to attract the waiter.” Unfortunately, despite Kiro’s rapid gesturing, the waiter sat dumbly on a diner chair. Only by the third snap did he react.
“The food’s worth the slow service,” Kiro said as he place the order. “Anything you want to drink?”
“Water will suffice,” Leoncio says. “I tried a ‘soft drink’ I believe it was called. The sweetness and acidity burned my tongue and throat. I doubt I’ll ever try one again.”
Kiro smiled at this humorous comment. “You definitely won’t like my choice of drink then.”
Leoncio could notice a slight slump in Kiro’s figure. “Sorry, just a bit tired. When you have 2 people, 1 older than you and one only a few years back, it’s hard to sleep.”
“Well, I’ve only the one clan member at the moment,” Leoncio says. “He’s been good company, though I do wonder at his intentions at times. He seems such a mystery to me, so secretive. But he believes in the cause I’ve begun, so I couldn’t ask for better company. I do worry though. Do you recall the circumstances behind my master’s death?”
Kiro’s young face seemed to grow a bit older as he recounted the events.
“We were sent to fight a professional hunter for a large sum. Another guy, presumably in contact with the target, held me up. I let him live, and went for the main bounty.” Kiro looked away. “He shot Shado, that dirty rat. I should’ve blew his brains out.”
“Master was taken down by a mere bullet?” Leoncio asks, shocked. It hadn’t seemed possible that the person he had fought, someone with so ferocious a power as to seem almost like a physical deity, could be felled by something so simple as a bullet. “That is… hard to process. I thank you for telling me, however. I know master was the reason was initially formed, but it would be appreciated by myself and, though I can’t say this with complete certainty, Zalgo, if we could remain allies, or contacts at the least.”
Kiro looked up and nodded “no” as Leonicio expressed his shock. “He was wounded pretty badly before hand, and when Catena went back to patch him up, the guy got to him. If Shado was in full condition, he would’ve ripped that guy apart.” He made a sad smile. “Of course we can still be allies, however.”
“Wonderful,” Leoncio says, genuinely relieved. “I come to the next matter of interest, however… What was the reason behind this meeting? I appreciate being treated to a meal, though I don’t suspect you’ve done so simply from the kindness of your heart, despite there being much kindness.”
“Mainly for what you just did. To be allies.” Kiro looked up from sipping his iced tea. “There are many dangerous enemies out there, and having someone to watch your back is great.” The waiter put a steaming hot plate of chicken and dumplings next to Leoncio as Kiro kept talking. “On a more personal note… Well, the way I show friendship is through food. Strange, isn’t it?”
The beast-boy chuckles. “I’ve heard the best way to tame others is through their stomach, so perhaps it’s not so strange after all.” He takes a moment to get his silverware and takes a tentative cooling blow of his food, before taking a bite. His eyes light up instantly at the taste. “This is amazing! They take the souls of the animals into the food, yes? Such a wondrous flavor.”
Kiro laughed. “I guess you can say that. Quite enticing, isn’t it?”
He watched as two kabobs of pork were placed in front of him. “I don’t think the souls of the animals are very happy with us right now.”
“We must thank them when we’re done, and pray for their safe passage into reincarnation. Everything has its time, and though we may not enjoy them, we must accept them when they arrive. We can only hope that the time they did have was spent well and happily.”
“Interesting philosophy…” Kiro took a bite of the kabab. “Delicious… you take meditation? I took it up once, it helped me not rely on music all the time.”
“Yes,” Leoncio says. “I find it’s the best way to ease the mind, find clarity. Sometimes, the world seems like such a cruel place. Sometimes, I find myself to be even crueler. Meditation helps… it helps a lot. I was hoping Shado would be able to help as well, though… well, we’ve moved past that subject already.”
Gently grabbing a piece of roasted pepper off the blackened stick, Kiro nodded. “Seems like we have more in common than we think. Anything you want to ask?”
Leoncio thinks about it for a bit. “I suppose I have but one question: when will you be treating me to lunch again?”
“Anytime, Leoncio. Anytime. Where you want to go next? Indian food?”
“Surprise me… friend.”
As the kitchen roared with sizzles, smells, and rapid yelling, Kiro sat at a table for two, symphonies quieting the clatter of people stuffing their mouths with fried goodness. Of course, there was the occasional odd man out eating a burger, but here at Big Bob’s, ordering a burger at this joint was equal to eating at Olive Garden instead of a Michelin Star. Sure, it was good, but why would you even want to eat it here? As he tapped his toes to the beat, he kept one ear off his headphones, ready for the merry jingle-jangle of the brass bells of the door and Leoncio to appear.
Leoncio enters Big Bob’s, covering his nose for a moment. The smells were strong, strong enough to make his head spin a bit. The loud noises didn’t exactly help his situation much. It takes him a moment to adapt, before he spots Kiro. He heads over, feeling the eyes of others on him as he sits down.
Kiro was just starting Schubert’s Symphony Number 8 when he saw Leoncio sit down. “Oh, hello!” He took off his headphones completely and gestured casually with 4 fingers to the plump waiter nearby for partially grease-stained menus. After swiveling back around, he folded his hands in his lap and looked Leon in the eye. “Everything alright? A more important question: Are you hungry?”
“Everything is fine, yes,” Leoncio replies. “As for my hunger, I could eat. Though, I’ve never really been to an establishment such as this. What types of food do they serve?”
“Mainly what people call..” Kiro searched for a word, taking a bit of time to think. “Soul food. Stuff like barbecue, roasted pig, macaroni in cheese, and of course…” He gestured to the kitchen, highlighting the strong smell of poultry. “Chicken.” The plump waiter tossed neatly folded pamphlets onto the table. “How about you check out the menu?”
Leoncio nods, still in a state of wonder at the many entries mentioned, few of which he’d ever actually tasted. He takes the menu, looking it over and tries to see if there were anything he recognized. It would be troublesome to pick something unfamiliar, only to not enjoy it. It would appear disrespectful to these people whose time was spent serving others, a truly commendable duty. “I believe I will have the chicken and dumplings, if that is not too much of a bother.”
Kiro nodded at Leoncio’s choice. “Nice. I’ll try to attract the waiter.” Unfortunately, despite Kiro’s rapid gesturing, the waiter sat dumbly on a diner chair. Only by the third snap did he react.
“The food’s worth the slow service,” Kiro said as he place the order. “Anything you want to drink?”
“Water will suffice,” Leoncio says. “I tried a ‘soft drink’ I believe it was called. The sweetness and acidity burned my tongue and throat. I doubt I’ll ever try one again.”
Kiro smiled at this humorous comment. “You definitely won’t like my choice of drink then.”
Leoncio could notice a slight slump in Kiro’s figure. “Sorry, just a bit tired. When you have 2 people, 1 older than you and one only a few years back, it’s hard to sleep.”
“Well, I’ve only the one clan member at the moment,” Leoncio says. “He’s been good company, though I do wonder at his intentions at times. He seems such a mystery to me, so secretive. But he believes in the cause I’ve begun, so I couldn’t ask for better company. I do worry though. Do you recall the circumstances behind my master’s death?”
Kiro’s young face seemed to grow a bit older as he recounted the events.
“We were sent to fight a professional hunter for a large sum. Another guy, presumably in contact with the target, held me up. I let him live, and went for the main bounty.” Kiro looked away. “He shot Shado, that dirty rat. I should’ve blew his brains out.”
“Master was taken down by a mere bullet?” Leoncio asks, shocked. It hadn’t seemed possible that the person he had fought, someone with so ferocious a power as to seem almost like a physical deity, could be felled by something so simple as a bullet. “That is… hard to process. I thank you for telling me, however. I know master was the reason was initially formed, but it would be appreciated by myself and, though I can’t say this with complete certainty, Zalgo, if we could remain allies, or contacts at the least.”
Kiro looked up and nodded “no” as Leonicio expressed his shock. “He was wounded pretty badly before hand, and when Catena went back to patch him up, the guy got to him. If Shado was in full condition, he would’ve ripped that guy apart.” He made a sad smile. “Of course we can still be allies, however.”
“Wonderful,” Leoncio says, genuinely relieved. “I come to the next matter of interest, however… What was the reason behind this meeting? I appreciate being treated to a meal, though I don’t suspect you’ve done so simply from the kindness of your heart, despite there being much kindness.”
“Mainly for what you just did. To be allies.” Kiro looked up from sipping his iced tea. “There are many dangerous enemies out there, and having someone to watch your back is great.” The waiter put a steaming hot plate of chicken and dumplings next to Leoncio as Kiro kept talking. “On a more personal note… Well, the way I show friendship is through food. Strange, isn’t it?”
The beast-boy chuckles. “I’ve heard the best way to tame others is through their stomach, so perhaps it’s not so strange after all.” He takes a moment to get his silverware and takes a tentative cooling blow of his food, before taking a bite. His eyes light up instantly at the taste. “This is amazing! They take the souls of the animals into the food, yes? Such a wondrous flavor.”
Kiro laughed. “I guess you can say that. Quite enticing, isn’t it?”
He watched as two kabobs of pork were placed in front of him. “I don’t think the souls of the animals are very happy with us right now.”
“We must thank them when we’re done, and pray for their safe passage into reincarnation. Everything has its time, and though we may not enjoy them, we must accept them when they arrive. We can only hope that the time they did have was spent well and happily.”
“Interesting philosophy…” Kiro took a bite of the kabab. “Delicious… you take meditation? I took it up once, it helped me not rely on music all the time.”
“Yes,” Leoncio says. “I find it’s the best way to ease the mind, find clarity. Sometimes, the world seems like such a cruel place. Sometimes, I find myself to be even crueler. Meditation helps… it helps a lot. I was hoping Shado would be able to help as well, though… well, we’ve moved past that subject already.”
Gently grabbing a piece of roasted pepper off the blackened stick, Kiro nodded. “Seems like we have more in common than we think. Anything you want to ask?”
Leoncio thinks about it for a bit. “I suppose I have but one question: when will you be treating me to lunch again?”
“Anytime, Leoncio. Anytime. Where you want to go next? Indian food?”
“Surprise me… friend.”