Cooling Off (For Caduces)

[CaptainL]

"Thank you," Yuki said with a polite nod to Choki as she passed him the menu, then sat back to wait to be served. All the while, her gaze fluttered between the other girl at the seat across from her and to the counter where the waiter remained. They did seem to know each other well enough, and Yuki was curious to know more - not to mention to potentially get a better understanding of the woman she had just debuted in LAW. However, she knew also that Mayori was unlikely to understand much of what she might have to say to her, so she wasn't going to push the conversation if she wasn't ready for it. She glanced at her a few times, but didn't want to be rude by staring. Instead, she would wait to be served.

Soon enough their order came, and Yuki took it with another nod. Yes, thank you," she said again. She knew it was redundant, but it would be the polite thing to do. She listened as Choki explained that he would be returning later, and she smiled a little wider. After such an awkward experience of having communication be so limited, Yuki would be grateful to have someone on board who could help the two better see eye to eye. As Choki withdrew into the distance, Yuki's attention would turn back towards Mayori, watching her for a moment. A part of her wanted to wait it out for Choki to return, so that they might be able to have conversation over their meal, but her eye went back to linger on the bowl. As much as she'd feel guilty for it, Yuki was too hungry. "Ah, well...let's eat," she said, according to custom, and picked up her chopsticks, starting to eat.

[Caduces]

Mayori didn't eat much of her portion. She kept waiting to see if Choki would come back sooner rather than later.

When he returned he pulled up a chair and sat at the head of the booth. He exchanged some more words with Mayori before turning to Yuki, minding to not interrupt her chewing.

"Mayori, she says that so much needs to be said to you but that she knows that tonight is short. Or that there is not enough time tonight to say all she has to say..."

The girl across from Yuki makes eager eye contact and begins to speak at a regular pace at first. She speeds up and required some prompting from Choki to calm back down here and there.

"She says that she is glad that you followed her here. You gave her kindness, tonight. She..." He pauses as she seems to be looking to be more careful with her words. "...she wants to work with you and not against you on another night." Choki takes a break from the translation and says of his own accord, "I do not understand this one. She worked against you? Tonight?"

She was being careful not to say the word "wrestle" or "fight"? Why didn't she just say that?

[CaptainL]

Yuki was still in the middle of eating as Choki returned to the side of the table, but she did turn her attention over to look at him out of the corner of her eye, and after swallowing, she would listen to him begin. She blushed a little as she heard him mention how much Mayori had to say, but smiled, nodding. Although she didn't want it to be an obstacle of any sort, in truth Yuki was honored to know that Mayori had so much to say to her. She wanted to answer as many questions as she could, if Mayori truly found her that interesting.

"Oh, I'm...flattered, honestly," Yuki said. She almost cracked up a little at seeing Mayori's enthusiasm, but she didn't want to look rude. However, when the topic came up with what exactly Mayori meant in regards to work, Yuki paused for a moment. It was then that she realized that Mayori seemed not to want to talk about what their job entailed. An awkward pause came, and the girl glanced over at Mayori in order to figure out what she should say. Silently, she would try to get a sense for if Mayori thought she should tell the truth or not.

[Caduces]

Mayori's eyes pleaded for Yuki to use the same words that she did, but she couldn't convey that without Choki. Her expression would have to be enough.

Without being distracted with his job as a waiter, Choki's eyes were very inquisitive. He looked between the two girls with interest and asked Yuki, "Mayori has not worked here for months. She left for another job and I wager it was where she had met you?" Choki translated the question for Mayori, as well.

Behind Choki, the hostess began lowering the shades of the front windows. The place would not close for another few hours, so this must be a transition during the dinner service. With the exception of two other patrons at the small bar, the three of them were alone.

[CaptainL]

While Yuki and Mayori might not have spoken the same dialect, the language of facial expression was universal - and Yuki could readily understand the anxiety in the girl she had just debuted in the ring. She started to stiffen, but resolved that it would be better to assuage Mayori's feelings than to tell the truth, in this situation. Clearing her throat, Yuki went to issue a cover-up.

"Well," she said, "today was Mayori's first day on the job...at a retail place I work at. We were just engaging in some friendly competition to see how fast we could stock shelves, but we decided we would rather work together." She let out a breath, hoping that her story would be convincing enough; luckily, with Yuki's youthful appearance and slighter build, she didn't look too much like that most would envision on hearing the words 'pro wrestler', so she figured she could slip under the radar undetected. She covertly shot a glance back at Mayori to gauge how she was feeling, even if she was sure she had missed the nuances of what she had said. "She really is nice, and I'm happy to make her acquaintance..."

[Caduces]

Choki relayed what was said between himself and Yuki.

She looked utterly relieved at first and her smile incrementally grew across her face as she answered back through Choki.

"Ah, she says she was glad to have met you first in the store and that she cannot help but be competitive." Choki listened in for more as Mayori continued with increasing warmth. "She also says that she would not have been so hard to work with if she had you as a friend yesterday. She is also very happy to end this day more politely than it had begun."

More pleasantries were exchanged between the girls through Choki, but the restaurant was starting to fill up for the next rush. Choki told the girls that it was best to continue the conversation another time since the table that they were at needed to be freed up for other paying customers. Mayori and Yuki parted ways with Choki and walked back toward the LAW campus where the dormitories were. Mayori kept making sure that Choki didn't see them go in the direction of the arena before he was out of sight.

The walk back to the campus was less heavy and Mayori wished she could express into words how grateful she was to Yuki for not telling Choki what it was she was doing now. So much needed to be said, but there was a hope that tomorrow would give her the chance to say it without being afraid of what Choki might think.

[CaptainL]

Seeing Mayori's smile, Yuki breathed out a sigh of relief, pleased to know that she had done her friend a favor. She leaned on the table, listening as Choki related her reply - and a smile spread across her own face likewise as she heard what her opponent had said. "Tell her it's okay," Yuki said with a shake of her head. "It's in the past now...and I'm not the type to hold grudges, anyway. I'm happy to know we can see each other as friends, and I hope things can stay that way." She then looked over at Mayori to show her the smile on her face, letting her know how she was content with the arrangement.

She looked around herself, though, and she couldn't ignore that the restaurant was filling up. "Right, of course," she said, pushing her finished bowl towards Choki so that he could clear it. "Have a nice night."

Stepping out onto the street, Yuki smiled to herself, doing a brief stretch as she looked out at the setting sun. She was happy to have made a friend in Mayori, and she saw the potential in her; she was sure that she could help her bring it to the forefront and be the best she could be. In the back of her mind, Yuki couldn't help but wonder why Mayori had been so reluctant to tell Choki about being a wrestler, and what else might have been going on in her head. She wished that she would have been more comfortable with her profession, so that Yuki might be able to communicate how impressed she was with her, and how she could foresee a promising career going forward - even that she might be willing to train with her, some time. But those would have to be topics for another day. Right now, it was getting late, and it was time for Yuki to retire for the night. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow.