Dead Ringer for Love

[skip-stop]

Astrid kept catching Belinda's eyes on her. It seems the other blonde wanted to personally make sure that Astrid's words about food were true. But she didn't have to worry about it, because there was real pleasure on the Norwegian woman's face. She enjoyed every piece that literally disintegrated into molecules in her mouth. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd tasted something so delicious.

Once again showing the lightness of her character, Belinda appreciated Astrid's joke by lightly patting her elbow. The Swedish-American woman said there would be no problems with the car, which was clearly good for their walk. Although in fact Astrid meant that it might be problematic for Belinda to go back to pick up the car after a walk. But since the other blonde said that everything was fine, Astrid decided to just trust her.

"Ah, so you always keep your word," the Norwegian woman teased lightly when a piece of Belinda's dish appeared in front of her mouth.

Perhaps for most other people there was nothing special or strange about it. However, Astrid is just not used to this kind of thing. Perhaps it would be fair to say that she couldn't remember if anyone shared a dish with her at all. The blonde opened her mouth slightly, and then took what Belinda offered her. When she started chewing, that tasted different from the taste of her dish, but still great.

"Mmmm..." She made an approving sound, nodding her head slightly. "You know, the taste is really great, I like it, buuuut.. I won't say that I liked my dish less." Astrid smiled, trying not to blush again. "Thank you."

She looked at her plate, Belinda was here not for the first time and, accordingly, she knew perfectly well what the dish Astrid ordered tasted like, so the Norwegian woman did not know whether she should have offered Belinda to taste it. However... Astrid grabbed a piece of meat from her plate with chopsticks.

"Do you want one?" she asked.

There was no uncertainty in her voice, but if Belinda was paying attention, she might have noticed that due to not being sure of the Swedish-American woman's consent, Astrid did not put the chopsticks to her mouth.

[Devastated]

Belinda smiled a bit as Astrid teased her, she would roll her eyes a bit and seemed to act innocent for a moment or so. " I wouldn't say always~" She teased and made it seem as if she might pull the food away from Astrid, but she didn't. She wanted Astrid to have a taste of it after all! She watched as Astrid seemed at first somewhat hesitant, but it looked as if she overcame it, biting down on her food and letting out an approving sound.

The short haired girl would nod and pull her chopsticks back. She'd watch as Astrid spoke out, and she could see the faintest trace of a blush on those cheeks. Belinda smirked a bit and was about to tease her, but when she saw Astrid's gaze return to her plate, the blonde would tilt her head. When Astrid grabbed a piece and asked that question Belinda didn't hesitate.

"For sure, gimme~" She let out with a little grin on her face, gesturing for Astrid to raise her chopsticks. Waving her hand upwards so it would get in the right position, before she'd try and bite down on it and take the food. Of course, Belinda knew how it tasted, she'd been here a few times before, but she wanted another piece. " Delicious as always ~"

[skip-stop]

It seems Belinda was one of those who is always ready for anything. Unlike Astrid, to whom most of the things that were happening seemed too unusual, the other blonde did not hesitate with answers and actions. Cordially accepting Astrid's offer, she also prompted her to raise her chopsticks, which Astrid did. When a piece of meat was in the mouth of the Swedish-American woman, she appreciated the taste of the dish.

"The main thing is not to get used to it," Astrid said, also helping herself to another piece, "I think if you constantly eat something like this, then soon the taste will cease to be so incredible."

And she really didn't want that to happen. The blonde was grateful that Belinda showed her such a wonderful place. Considering how she used to live, it's not every day she gets to taste such delicious food. That's why Astrid didn't want something so special to turn into something everyday. The Norwegian woman didn't even notice how her plate was empty. She raised her head and looked at the chef who served her and Belinda their dishes. Astrid clasped her hands and bowed.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," she said sincerely.

The Norwegian woman took out her wallet in order to pay for a wonderful dinner. Of course, she was not extremely rich, even despite her more than successful career in MMA. But right now, money was the last thing she cared about. Today she got a date and a delicious dinner, and it costs much more than just money. After paying the bill, she turned to Belinda and smiled once again.

"Arigatou and to you too." She said. "I think if it wasn't for you, I would never have found out about this place." Astrid got up from her seat, preparing to leave the place. "Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, I saw a milkshake shop on the street, maybe we should take some with us?" She didn't know how well Belinda treats such sweet things, but something refreshing for a walk would obviously not hurt them.

[Devastated]

Belinda would smile as she munched on her food, both her own and the one which she had been offered by Astrid. It was certainly delicious, to the point where it really didn't take long before both plates were completely empty. The short-haired blonde would look at Astrid and then respond. " Hmm, Yeah I agree. For sure. I've only come here a few times, but since it was on your dime and all I figured why not. Besides you seemed new, so why not introduce you to the best place around." The blonde spoke sincerely to her date.

After which she would turn to the chefs, placing her hands together and bowing her head. Showing proper courtesy, before she would stand up. After Astrid had paid the two would walk out of the restaurant and begin to head into the fresh nighttime air. Belinda would roll her shoulders a bit, still feeling a bit stiff from earlier in the day.

" Milkshakes huh? Want to prolong the date I see?" Belinda joked as she would nudge Astrid with her elbow. She let that sit for a few seconds to see how Astrid would respond, before she'd interrupt her when she finally spoke. " I'd down. I haven't had a milkshake in forever. Lead the way." She would throw a rather bright smile the way of the Golden Dragon.

[skip-stop]

This dinner was just great. Astrid did not have any special culinary skills, so her everyday menu was not very diverse. Although the constant lack of time played an important role in this too, forcing the blonde to use food delivery services quite often. And although the quality of the food she usually ordered did not cause her any questions, that food was nothing compared to the food she managed to taste today thanks to Belinda.

"Only if you're not in a hurry to get rid of me because I've already paid the bill," the Norwegian woman replied, joking with the other blonde.

In a sense, Astrid began to get used to Belinda's character and now it became easier for her to respond to such jokes. It's funny that it took her less time than in the case of Charlotte and Nerissa, whom she considered friends. Charlotte's jokes were too sarcastic, and Nerissa's jokes were too sharp. While Belinda managed to maintain an excellent balance.

"It's in the next building, I saw it by a chance," she said. "But the anime-style sign inspires confidence, huh."

And Astrid didn't lie. It didn't take them long to get to their destination, and just a few minutes later a small shop appeared in front of the two blondes, which they didn't even need to go into because the counter faced directly onto the street. Astrid grinned as she looked at the sign, which consisted entirely of a variety of milkshakes.

"Konbanwa," she greeted the seller, after which she began to study the assortment. "What to choose..."

The menu was provided with a variety of options for milkshakes. And the blonde looked at each one with sparkles in her eyes, only a thin saliva flowing down her chin was missing. The reason was very simple. Astrid had a sweet tooth. Considering how much time she spends in the gym, she could well afford it.

"You know what..." she said, as if making a very important decision. "I want my own!" She decided. "Banana and mint base, whipped cream on top, caramel syrup, chocolate chips and two oreos, mhm!"

The seller was obviously inspired by the fact that the Norwegian woman made a milkshake herself, and enthusiastically began to fulfill the order. Astrid turned to Belinda and then nudged her gently.

"Don't be shy," she said with a smile. "I'll pay here too."

[Devastated]

Belinda would let out a small laugh at Astrid's words. She couldn't help but want to prolong this date as well. So when Astrid replied with that joke of hers, she would only bump her elbow into Astrid's arm. "I guess I can have you stick around for a bit longer." The short haired blonde joked right back. She would continue to walk along side her date as she guided her towards the milkshake place which she wanted to go to.

She followed along and as Astrid say it didn't take them very long before they arrived at the small shop. Belinda would look at the anime-styled signs, and wonder if she recognized any of the characters? She wasn't exactly an avid anime watcher...she was more into crime-shows, and stuff like that. So after a few moments she decided to forego her current activity. She figured she couldn't recognize any of the characters...instead she would look over towards Astrid. The Norwegian had already started to order something.

Belinda would look on and after she had ordered. The Swedish-American would place her hand against her chin and stroke it a bit, trying to figure out what to pick. " I think I'll just go with a banana split shake." Belinda would then pat Astrid on the shoulder. " You sure? Thanks~, I didn't imagine you had such a sweet-tooth though." Belinda said almost amused. " Looks like I got to learn something rather important then."

[skip-stop]

"Good choice." Astrid nodded.

In fact, their milkshakes were very similar, the difference was only in the additional little things that Astrid asked to add to her version of the shake. The seller started to fulfill the order, and the women got a few minutes to chat.

Astrid laughed after Belinda's words. Not because the other blonde thanked her for the payment, but because of Belinda's confession that she did not realize that Astrid had a sweet tooth. Well, yes, appearances can be deceiving.

"Look," Astrid said, as if she was going to explain some complicated quantum theory. "I spend so much time in the gym that I can eat absolutely anything I want." The blonde looked at the menu and licked the right corner of her lips. "And although it's not very good for teeth, sweets are what I love with all my heart!" Astrid closed her eyes for a second, imagining how many different sweets there are in the world that she has not tasted yet. "Besides, sweets increase the level of endorphins, making you happier!"

The Norwegian woman decided to keep silent about the fact that sometimes her passion for sweets goes beyond reason. Recently, Astrid and Charlotte agreed to watch a movie together, but when the Frenchwoman came to her friend, by that time Astrid had already eaten three kilograms of chocolate ice cream. As she told to shocked Charlotte... it was too delicious to stop. But Belinda shouldn't have known about such delicate things yet. At least for now.

"Your order!" The seller said, holding out two large plastic cups.

"Ohhhhhh!!!!" Astrid's eyes seemed to sparkle the moment she saw her milkshake with two Oreos on top. "Belinda, take them, please."

Astrid reached into her pocket for her wallet. After paying the seller, she took her milkshake from Belinda's hand and openly licked her lips. Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that at that moment she looked like a happy child.

"Arigato!" She thanked the seller.

Pressing her lips to the tube, the blonde sucked in air and her mouth filled with the milkshake. Her taste buds sent such a powerful impulse of pleasure to her brain that Astrid barely found the strength to restrain a moan. However, she still rolled her eyes.

"Nectar of the Gods..." she said, then took one of the Oreos, scooped up some whipped cream with caramel syrup and chocolate chips. "Open your mouth." She said to Belinda, slightly smiling and circling the Oreo in front of the other blonde's face, thereby showing that it was for her.

[Devastated]

Belinda was quite amused right now. Seeing Astrid start to explain herself, it was a rather adorable side to the powerful looking woman. As if she needed to have an excuse, or an explanation for why she liked to eat sweets. Letting out a soft chuckle, the short haired blonde would nod as she continued to let a few short chuckles at Astrid's words.

" Aaaand, you're sensitive to people calling you out on your sweet tooth." Belinda joked around a bit. She would walk think about it for a few seconds, wondering if she should keep pushing this button....however, as she was about to poke at that nerve a bit more, the seller had their order ready. Belinda would see the very joyous expression on Astrid and let out a soft giggle. It was quite adorable if she had to say so herself. Reaching forward for her plastic cup. She'd nod her head and look at the seller, bowing her head a little. " Arigato." She also thanked the seller.

For the moment Belinda would keep her eyes on Astrid, as she wanted to see how much the fellow blonde would enjoy the drink. At the moment that was something she was more interested in. Seeing her roll her eyes back and then let out those words of hers. When she saw Astrid scoop up a bit of whipped cream, and caramel syrup and some chocolate chips even with one of the oreos on her shake, Belinda figured that Astrid would eat it, but then she watched Astrid would move it towards her instead and circled it around in front of her face.

Belinda would raise her eyebrows and then smirk. " F-fine fine~ I'll try it out." Belinda wasn't a big sweet tooth, certainly not as big as Astrid, but she was always willing to try things. Opening her mouth, Belinda would lean forward just a little to give Astrid the chance to place the cookie in her mouth.

[skip-stop]

Oh. For a brief moment, it seemed to the Norwegian woman that Belinda would refuse. This was told to her by the high raised eyebrows of the short-haired blonde. But to her relief, after a few moments, Belinda opened her mouth. Astrid smiled cordially, being in obvious joy that her new acquaintance did not refuse the delicacy.

"There you go!" She said as she carefully placed the oreo in Belinda's mouth. "Oh, sorry!"

Despite the fact that she acted smoothly, she accidentally left some cream on the upper lip of the Swedish-American woman. And before Astrid had time to assess the reasonableness of her actions, she quickly ran her finger there, cleaning up the mess she had made, after which she sent this small portion of cream into her own mouth.

"Does this count as an indirect kiss?" She teased Belinda with a question.

Hoping that the other blonde liked the treat, Astrid also did not deny herself the pleasure of trying it. Taking the second oreo, she scooped up cream and everything else, after which this improvised cake went straight into her mouth. This time the Norwegian woman could not restrain herself.

"Mmmmm..." she moaned softly and sweetly, clearly enjoying the taste. "I wonder do they have something like this in Valhalla? I hope my ancestors follow modern trends at least a little!"

[Devastated]

Belinda would go along with what Astrid had in mind, besides she wanted to try out just what kind of a decadent treat that the sweet-toothed Astrid ate. She was kind of curious as to how sweet it would be, and she had almost decided to give Astrid a simple nickname like Sweet-Tooth at this rate. As she opened her mouth to partake in the treat, Astrid ended up getting some cream on the corner of her mouth, but the blonde didn't mind. She bit down on the Oreo treat and and let the sweetness works its way through her mouth.

Meanwhile, Astrid wiped up the left over cream on the corner of Belinda's mouth and decided to lick it off her own finger. Belinda would look on at her and to the teasing question Astrid asked she'd simply nod. After she had finished nomming on her Oreo cookie, the short haired blonde would let out a satisfied sigh.

"Well, that wasn't too bad. Though a bit too sweet for my taste." Belinda spoke as she would then watch Astrid eat up her own Oreo cookie, she watched her moan out in pleasure at the taste and couldn't help but smile. There was something rather infectious in the way she seemed to take great pleasure in the treat. " Hmmm...good question. They have it here though, so you don't need to worry about what some afterlife has for now." Belinda teased, as she would take a sip of her shake.

"If they want to keep up with the times, then I'm sure they do. So, Sweet-tooth. What do you think of Japan so far? You like it here, or do you miss your home? Or is it a little bit of both?" Belinda would ask of her date, wanting to gauge how Astrid felt about this place. She also decided to try out her nickname for Astrid, to see how she'd respond to it.