Dead Ringer for Love

[skip-stop]

Despite the fact that it was only a joke, Belinda was ready to agree to give Astrid a piece of her dish. Was it worth saying that the Norwegian woman would really like to taste it? But on the other hand, to demand the food from someone else's plate on the first date... the blonde did not know how Belinda would react to this, so she decided to reduce everything to a simple joke. But if the Swedish-American woman doesn't mind, Astrid will probably ask for a piece later.

Like Astrid, Belinda watched the cooks for a while. It seems she was also fascinated by such things. It is not every day that you can look at the work of a real master. However, this did not distract her from the questions that the Norwegian woman asked. And hearing the answers, Astrid blinked several times.

"So you're a model..." she drawled, then involuntarily ran her gaze over Belinda. "Although why am I surprised?" The blonde chuckled slightly. "I'm sure you could make a full-fledged career as a model."

Belinda's appearance was truly outstanding. The perfect combination of natural female beauty and athletic training. Therefore, it was not surprising that the Swedish-American woman proved herself as a model. In addition, she was extremely open, for sure it was evident in the photos, which is always an important part of such a profession. Astrid would have liked to ask a few clarifying questions, but Belinda was a little ahead of her, also showing interest to the life of the long-haired blonde.

"Hobbies, hmm, let me think..." Astrid raised her head slightly, although it didn't take much time to think about it. "I'm relatively good at mechanics, so I spend a lot of time with my motorcycle to keep it in good condition, bringing it here was a real bureaucratic hell." Astrid laughed a little, because now it seemed like a joke, although in fact the Japanese were really very meticulous when it came to official documents and other things. "I also love bars, it helps to relax, what else... like you, sometimes I spend time in the company of TV series." Was it boring? Perhaps. Astrid didn't really think much about it. "As for a job... hmm, it can hardly be called a job, but I have a friend, Charlotte Ravel', who owns a martial arts school here, in Tokyo, sometimes she asks me to give a lesson or two for her students." Unlike Charlotte, Astrid did not have knowledge of a large number of martial arts, but, nevertheless, the skills she possessed were honed very well. "Dreams and aspirations? Well, I think I've already told you about my aspirations. My ancestors were warriors. And I'm a warrior too. I want them to be proud of me. So my aspirations are quite simple. I want to become strong enough to be at the very top. Maybe with the world champion belt, huh." Astrid added at the end, considering that the qualifying matches were to begin soon enough, which would be a step on the way to the new, most important LAW title.

[Devastated]

Belinda would laugh out a little at the praise that Astrid threw her way. Complementing her looks and how it wasn't strange that she had worked like a model. The short-haired blonde would shake her head a little, and bring her hands up. Trying to quiet Astrid down a bit and prevent her from going on. " Aaaaaah.....I'm not! I'm really not! I just did a few modeling gigs when I was younger. That's all." Belinda tried to convince Astrid that it wasn't a big deal in anyway at all.

"I'd prefer to just stay a wrestler though. At least for now." Belinda joked out as she would lean her elbow down against the counter and rest her head against her hand. Listening onto Astrid as the beautiful blonde began to speak, answering the questions she had asked her. Nodding her head and taking in the information that Astrid provided her, Belinda would take an interest to the first part. Once Astrid was done, Belinda would perk up a bit, " A mechanic huh? That's gotta be fun. How'd you get into it? Self-taught or did someone teach you?" Belinda would ask as she honestly wondered, Cecilia had learned from their dad. Meanwhile Belinda showed little interest for cars or motorbikes other than them getting her from point A to point B.

"Also. Dont think I didn't notice you being vague on what kind of shows you like. Not up for telling me huh?" Belinda joked as she would nudge her free elbow against Astrid's arm a bit, teasing the Golden Dragon.

[skip-stop]

Oh, it looks like Astrid really put a little more importance on Belinda's words than she should. However, the long-haired blonde was not going to give up her words. She rarely ever said anything she wasn't sure about. And when she said that Belinda could build a full-fledged career in modeling, she was sure she was right. Although, of course, she more than appreciated the Swedish-American woman's intentions to focus on a wrestling career.

Astrid also noticed that it was the first part that attracted the short-haired blonde from her story. Perhaps it was to some extent fair. They were both fighters and it would be boring to talk only about the ring, although it is possible that they will return to this later. In addition, the Norwegian woman was pleased that her new acquaintance was interested in such details. Astrid was happy to remember how she began to be interested in mechanics.

“You know, it's actually quite funny.” Astrid said. “I was five years old and I had a wind-up toy.” The blonde blushed a little. “Don't laugh, it was Thor hitting the anvil with his hammer.” Yeah, Astrid has been immersed in the history of her great ancestors since childhood. “So, one day my Thor broke down, he couldn't completely hit the anvil, his hand with the hammer stopped halfway.” The Norwegian woman plunged into memories. “My father was not at home and my mother told me to wait for him, but I wanted Thor to continue hitting the anvil, what kind of waiting can we talk about?!” Astrid laughed a little, remembering how active she was as a child. “I came to my father's workshop, armed myself with a screwdriver and disassembled my Thor to details!” Astrid was silent for a moment and closed her eyes, placing her right palm on the back of her head. “Of course I didn't have a chance to fix him, but when my father returned, we did it together.” The blonde smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders. “When we repaired my Thor together, my father periodically called me to the workshop to help him in one way or another, he showed me the basics and instilled in me a passion for mechanics, I learned the rest myself, although I could always turn to him for advice and help.”

Oh, it turned out to be a long story and Astrid even felt the need to wet her throat. Although, of course, she was not going to ignore Belinda's second question, which surprised her very much. Was it a pure joke or was Belinda really so interested in it? Judging by the fact that the short-haired blonde even lightly patted the Norwegian woman's arm with her elbow, she really wanted to hear the answer.

“Maybe you can tell me, Detective?” Astrid joked in response, not forgetting to also use her elbow to pat her companion's arm.

[Devastated]

Belinda would listen rather intently to the story that Astrid had decided to tell her. About how she got her interest in mechanical work. It was a rather cute story, one that Belinda couldn't help but smile at as she looked on at her date. She didn't laugh, but it was rather cute. The little Thor figure, all of it. Though hearing that she didn't exactly manage to fix the figure was a bit a bummer, but it was still a cute story.

"That's very sweet~ It's heartwarming and cute." Belinda spoke out as she would straighten up a bit. Giving a smile towards the fellow blonde. Belinda would shake her head a bit though when Astrid tease her and joke. " Hmm...I'm not sure. If I had to guess. Maybe things like Game of Thrones? Fantasy? Vikings? Or maybe you enjoy things like Breaking Bad? It's tough....comedies perhaps?" Belinda went through the potential shows, of course trying to get some sort of reaction by mentioning different shows, practically trying to narrow down what Astrid usually would watch for Tv-shows.

[skip-stop]

It seems that Belinda liked this little story. In fact, Astrid rarely talked about it. Not because it's some kind of secret, but simply because quite a few people were interested in such episodes from her life. Therefore, for the blonde, it became some breath of fresh air. Besides, Belinda didn't laugh at the fact that Astrid had a mighty Thor toy instead of a doll.

And like a true detective, the other blonde started throwing different versions, trying to see the reaction of the Norwegian woman. Astrid still had a smile on her face, but not to confuse her interlocutor. It's just that Belinda made some fairly accurate assumptions and there was no point in wagging the tail.

"Not bad, Detective Belinda!" Astrid nodded. "Fantasy, although not only such as Game of Thrones." The blonde slightly spread her hands to the sides. "Pure fantasy is good, but I also have nothing against such content as Supernatural or Teen Wolf." She gave Belinda's elbow another little pat with her own elbow. "But in general you were right!"

Astril couldn't remember the last time she had spent time having such a casual conversation. But she knew for sure that she liked it. Talking to Belinda was as easy as breathing. This blonde was extremely open and sincere, there were very few such people in the life of the Norwegian woman. She looked at the chefs, and then lightly rubbed her palms.

"It seems almost done!" she said, seeing a juicy piece of meat that was probably meant for her, there was nothing to hide here, she was hungry as a dragon.

[Devastated]

Belinda threw out her general guess as to what kind of shows that Astrid might like. Of course she tried to act very much like one of her favorite detectives Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. When you didn't know, broad generalization was the best way to go. Game of Thrones was a massively popular show, so of course a lot of people would put that as one of their favorites, as for Breaking Bad...its a show often called on of the best ever made. Along with the general vibe that Astrid gave off, fantasy in general seemed like her style.

She was of course rewarded for her approach to the question when Astrid nudged her elbow with her own and then confirmed she was right. Though she gave a bit of added info. " Oh!...I've checked out Supernatural! I quite enjoyed it, it pretty much followed the formula for a detective show for the first few season with a bit of a comedy and horror twist." Belinda spoke out. She had actually followed the show for many seasons and enjoyed most of her time with it. " I can't say I have seen Teen Wolf though. Any good?"

There wasn't a lot of time left before their food was done. The chef's moved towards the pair and offered them their food, placing the bowls in front of them. Belinda would cheerfully look at the chef, give him a smile and let out. " Itadakimasu!" grabbing her chopsticks she would start to dig in.

[skip-stop]

"You know, yes, I liked it," Astrid nodded, "although, like in many other series, there were also unfortunate moments, but in general it's very interesting content to watch, although, there's no denying, for the most part it's aimed at teenagers, huh."

Astrid was really ready to discuss the topic of TV series and movies. She wasn't an avid moviegoer, but she spent a lot of time in their company. Judging by Belinda's enthusiasm, the other blonde also found this topic very interesting.

Perhaps they would back to this a little later, but now they had something else to do. The chef put the plates in front of them and the Norwegian woman had to restrain herself from making an enthusiastic exclamation. Who says food can't be sexy? She wasn't the type to take pictures of food for Instagram, but even Astrid was able to appreciate the beauty of the meat that was served to her. She answered the chef with a wide smile, and then joined her palms.

"Itadakimasu!" Astrid has already managed to get used to some Japanese traditions.

Following Belinda's example, she picked up chopsticks and then grabbed a neatly cut piece of meat. Steak was one of the blonde's favorite dishes. And looking at this juicy piece, she was ready to swear that it tasted just great. Unable to wait any longer, Astrid sent this piece straight into her mouth.

"Mmm..." she couldn't help herself.

Meat juice filled her mouth, and the piece literally began to melt right on her tongue. The divine taste filled all her receptors, sending pleasure straight to the brain. It was definitely one of the best dishes she had ever tasted. Now she understood why the menu of this place was so limited. Yes, they don't make many dishes here, but they make them great.

"Mighty Odin..." said Astrid, swallowing a piece of meat, "it's impossible to describe in words... but it's really incredibly delicious!"

[Devastated]

The sweet taste of the oil mixed in with the savory umami of the meat juices that filled Belinda's mouth as she bit into her own food and began to eat....it sent a chill running through her spine. The sensation was just amazing, as to be expected of one of the best if not the best Katsu place in all of Japan...perhaps even the entire world! There was a reason why Belinda quite often came here when she was in a good mood. So there was a certain level of enjoyment for the evening for her to bring Astrid here. She wouldn't have done so with just anyone, so far she had only visited this place with Aurora and Cecilia, so Astrid was the first besides her family that she brought here.

Licking her lips after her first few bites, Belinda would turn her attention to Astrid and from the sound and looks of it her blonde friend seemed to be enjoying the food just as much as Belinda was. " Hehe, good right?" the blonde sheepishly joked. She knew that it was good food, she just wanted to hear Astrid admit it, as a sort of way to affirm that she had made the right choice in bringing Astrid here.

" I really like coming here, but it's really not a place you can relax at for a long time. So how about after we eat we take a little walk? there is a cherry blossoms promenade not too far from here. Ever been to one before?" Belinda would ask as she gulffed down a few more pieces of her food while waiting on Astrid's reply. " It's probably a couple of kilometers away, but we're fit, so that's not much of a walk~" The blonde joked.

[skip-stop]

Food didn't have a special place in Astrid's life. However, the Norwegian woman loved to eat delicious and it is an indisputable fact. Therefore, she was eternally grateful to Belinda for bringing her to such a wonderful place. And it was clear that the other blonde was satisfied after the Norwegian woman's comment about the food.

Enjoying the next piece of meat, Astrid nodded affirmatively at Belinda's suggestion about a walk. She liked the idea. In fact, Astrid rarely spent time walking, because she found the gym much more useful. Only occasionally she walked in the park with Charlotte, who, on the contrary, loved to spend time like this. However, the Norwegian woman could not deny herself the pleasure of spending some more time in the company of Belinda.

"I definitely am, and you..."Astrid decided to add a bit of prickles to Belinda's joke, so she pretended to assess the physical form of another blonde, "yeah, okay, you're fine too."

She definitely liked it. Belinda did not try to get into her soul and the time they spent together seemed incredibly light to the blonde. This evening Astrid hit the jackpot. Of course, she was ready for the fact that her life would change after she joined LAW. Still, she hadn't expected so much stress. Her body and her soul needed rest. And Belinda was able to give it to her today.

"I've seen this place, but I haven't been close enough," she said, "so I'd love to take a walk there with you, is it okay if you leave your car here?"

Astrid glanced briefly at Belinda's plate, and then smiled slightly.

"By the way, you promised me a piece."

[Devastated]

Belinda would keep eating, looking on at Astrid every now and then to judge if she was actually enjoying her food or not. She couldn't help it, she genuinely hoped that her new blonde friend enjoyed the food as much as she did if not more. It was just the kind of person that Belinda was, if she had something she enjoyed she wants to share it with people she likes, and so far she had to admit she was liking Astrid.

Astrid then decided to tease her a bit, something Belinda would answer with a slight smile and nudging at Astrid's arm with her elbow in a playful manner.

"For sure! That shouldn't be a problem. I got a parking pass and all that so it's no trouble." Belinda let out as she would then look at Astrid who seemed much like a wolf now, hungrily looking over at her plate and smiling at her. Belinda would let out a light snicker. " Yeah yeah! I promised didn't I?" Belinda spoke as she would pick up a piece with her chopsticks and hold it out in front of Astrid's mouth, offering her a piece of her food.