Behind the Curtain

[Coco]

Sweaty and dressed in exercise clothes, fresh from the court, Coco lead her friendly basketball competitors to a bus stop, onto the public transportation chariot, and then off at a stop near a nice Italian restaurant. A short conversation with the hostess later and the group of changelings was lead to a nice booth in the back flanked by dark red curtains. They were seated, provisioned with water, menus, and candlelight, and the the curtains were closed, giving the four changelings a simulacrum of a private room.

"Hopefully no one minds the private booth, but I thought it would be nice if we wanted to talk more openly," Coco said with a grin, her teeth shining white in the candelight. "And the food here is divine considering the amount of affluence the restaurant demands. It should be quite a meal! Just make sure and inform them if you have any allergies."

[Morgan Bellanar]

The bus ride had been a pleasant, though Morgan felt underdressed for this place. Of course, with the two Fairest present she'd feel underdressed no matter what. The only way Morgan would never have gotten into a back booth looking like she did now...exempting meeting with clients, which don't count. Like the wolf, the raccoon wrinkled her nose as she was clearly aware of their group's fragrance. A few guys on the bus had also seemed quite aware, staring at all of them during the ride.

They must have looked horrid to get so much scrutinizing! Morgan was a little ashamed to take pleasure in their focus upon the Fairest. That the Fairest looked worse from the excercise didn't mean she should take joy at their expense. Well, maybe a little.

Still, it was good to see that Coco and Malory weren't a sore losers. Truthfully they had done well for a first time team. The Beast was just used to working with new partners regularly, she hung out with lots of mundane traceurs. And she wouldn't say it, but she personally thought Ahawi was a better athlete then Coco. Which didn't detract from how fancy the place was. Even the menues screamed fancy! Hope Coco paying. Wait, does losing mean Malory paying too? Oh-oh, best choose cheap food then...why is that appetizer $15?

Morgan smiled at Malory's choice and couldn't help but nod her head, "Heh-heh, always good choice pizza. Parties, doctor-orders, the-new-symposium, pizza-best-good! Do-they-have-that here? Let see pizza-pizza-pizza..." She looked quickly at the two Fairest before flipping back and forth through the menu to see if they did offer pizza.

[Coco]

Coco sighed contentedly, settling her slim frame into a corner of the booth, turning so she could face the two beasts. "They have delectable pizza! Try the one with prosciutto and truffle oil! I've had many an evening affair with that succulent dish. Of course, I love their pastas too. Few things are better than slurping down a huge dish of pasta bathed in ragu, pesto, or tartufata after a nice day of sport. Ooh, and a salad with fried capers, and olives, and a nice balsamic drizzle to begin with. Oh, there's sooo many good choices. Ah, if only we could have a bottle of wine. That would be so divine," she sighed, breaking off.

The wasp swallowed, trying to avoid drooling. Her faceted eyes closed and her antennae bounced in excitement as her mind took her back to her favorite meals. Then, out of her memories came a feast with food she couldn't even name, the dishes filling her mouth and nose with their delicious essences. Oddly, though, her memory consisted of her carry a dish to the table of the feast, sneaking a taste as she danced past the waves of servants dressing the table. That memory, on top of her recent defeat, suddenly made her feel very small, and her antennae drooped. She opened her eyes a took a drink of water, staring into the comforting flames of the candles.

[Coco]

"Hm?" the wasp asked, looking away from the candles.

"The meat? Well, if you're looking for meat, I'd just suggest getting a pasta with meatballs in a ragu sauce. Pizza isn't the best dish for meat, usually. Oh! And you can also ask the waiter. They might have a special tonight with a nice cut of meat. Just stay away from Lobster. Not that I remember it being on the menu," Coco maundered, oblivious to Mal's discomfort.

She stopped talking and studied Mal for a few seconds, clearly thinking something over. "I'll make you a proposition: if you're stuck between two choices, why not order one for yourself and then order the other one for me. I don't mind sharing bites."

[Morgan Bellanar]

Coco's suggestions made Morgan's head shoot up. She directed a confused look toward the insectoid Fairest, "Why wouldn't pasta have Ragu-tomato-sauce? Is-kinda-cheap for fancy-place though. And-and WHY would you want tartar sauce on pasta?! Yuck!" she stuck out her tongue at that, "Or salsa-ic on salads. Is-is it Mexican or Cajun salad? I-is this supposed to be a multi-ethnic restaurant?" She was just as ignorant as Malory but her mouth was less restrained. She preferred to keep it simple: a tomato sauce is tomato sauce and no fancy words will change that. If your customer doesn't know what they're ordering, that is bad.

Ahawi had been silent the whole time. The raccoon wondered what her erstwhile partner was thinking. Maybe she should try to include the other Fairest, "Uh, Ahawi? Heh-heh, w-what you think is good?"

[Coco]

I believe Sirith/Huntress won't be joining us for the scene.

"Well, ragu isn't just a tomato sauce, it's a tomato-meat sauce," Coco corrected with a smile. "And no, it's just Italian. Well, maybe there's some French influence," she conceded with a shrug before opening her menu. "Don't feel compelled to order anything I suggested. Those are just my favorites. Not everyone shares the same tastes, after all."

[Coco]

"Fabulous! That makes two people decided. Only one left! Then we can debate about what we want to talk about! My choice would be the boring one, of course. Being new to the city I'm eager to hear all about what goes on around Sacramento. Who's good to meet, who's dating who, the usual. Not that we have to talk about that. I'm very open to other suggestions," the wasp said, her antennae perking back up along with her smile.