2014-06-17 - Barbecue Surprise! The Friendship Continues

Title: Barbecue Surprise! The Friendship Continues
Summary: (Continued from here.) With the shopping done, Endo takes Ren to a barbecue joint for delicious grilled meats! They also talk about their respective families and costumed fighters of justice.
Who: Endo Naoki and Ren Aizawa
Where: Akihabara Electric Town
OOC - IC Date: <06/17/14 - 28 January 2014>

After wandering around Akihabara, looking at robots, electronics, and various other things, it's eventually time to eat. He chooses for them as soon as he spots the sign of a barbeque shop, pointing and heading that way. They pass through the door as another group is heading out, getting dousing in a blast of air-freshener that the attends spray liberally across anyone leaving.

The reason is obvious once they clear the cloud of pine-scent. The scent of beef hits anyone that enters like a truck. A truck full of cows. The two were seated, the primarily Korean menus given out. Most notably is the grill in the middle of the table, simmering at a low heat. Some beef has been ordered since, and Endo is fastidiously picking and turning it over the metal grating. He looks like he's concentrating pretty hard.

Not hard enough to completely ignore Ren, though. "Ren-san," He asks, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

All that puttering about certainly made Ren hungry. And from the way Endo insists they go to this specific restaurant he knows of she's guessing the food is going to be really good. She wasn't expecting barbecue, though. Her eyes light up as she clasps her hands together. "Endo-kun this is great!" Truly, it is. Her stomach is going to be so very full and happy by the end of their meal.

Once they've gotten inside, ordered, and have been brought their beef, Ren remains silent, watching the meat almost as closely as Endo is. His sudden question is enough to wrestle her attention away from it although.

"I have a brother. He goes to Ohtori. Graduating this year and headed straight to University..."

"Ah. What's he like? Did he go to school at Juuban too?" Endo doesn't spend much time actually looking at Ren. But, he's been trying to avoid that when he can. Meat is a pretty good excuse. He's actually quite dexterous, pinching and flipping with short metal chopsticks.

"I don't have any siblings. There was always other kids around my house though, so it kind of feels like I did. It's probably not the same, though."

"Yuu?" She leans back, looking down at her legs beneath the table. "He's a genius. I really mean that. He's been at Ohtori so long it feels like he was shipped off there ever since he took his first steps. He's a pretty confident person. Never seems to doubt himself or his decisions. I think he'd make a great leader, someday." Wow. That's a lot of praise. But her demeanor doesn't /completely/ match the words she speaks. Blinking, she looks up again, putting on a smile. "I could never entertain the illusion of being an only child. I wonder what that would've been like, though?" Yes. Inquiring minds would like to know!

"How about your parents? What are they like?"

"It was alright," Endo replies. "I didn't have any siblings to take any slack for me, and there's a lot of expectations, I guess. My dad really wanted me to do good in school, so I could go work for a good company, and make a lot of money." Endo's lips tug into a small frown, continuing his work in the meantime. Flip-flip-flip.

"He was a really good man. I hope he's proud of me." There's a small pause there, as if he needs to ruminate on that. "But-Well. My mom is nice. She tries to make sure I'm doing alright, but I don't spend that much time with her anymore. We're both usually out of the house."

Endo referring to his father in the past tense causes Ren to shrink back. "Oh! I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't..." And now she feels pretty guilty for not knowing that. They /did/ go to school together for most of their lives. How did she miss something that life-changing happening to a classmate? She really /was/ wrapped-up in her own world back then...

"I'm sure he /is/ proud of you." She then says, smiling softly. "You're really responsible from everything I've witnessed so far. And I can relate on the part about not seeing your mom much these days. I hardly ever see my parents. I see Yuu a lot more than anything. We try to check in on one another twice a month. He's usually always busy, though."

"I hope so." A small nod from Endo, his lips lifting into a brief smile after. A bit more moving meat around, and then he reaches for Ren's plate. "Alright, it's done." The chunk of beef is plopped into place and set before the girl. "And keeping in touch with your family is important. Make sure you keep doing that." A somber nod follows.

The meat is grilled to perfection. Apparently Endo practices this a lot. Or he's a grill-savant of some sort.

Ren nods back. Then, she looks down at the plate placed before her, stomach rumbling. "This looks delicious..." And then she picks up the provided chop sticks to grab a bit of meat and pop it into her mouth. The reaction is pretty much immediate. "It tastes delicious, too!" Yes. This place will certainly have a repeat customer in her from now on. She eats more in the span of a few seconds, but doesn't quite finish it all off. Setting her chopsticks down for a moment she beams over at her shopping companion.

"Thanks so much, again. Looks like I'll have to bring you along with me when I go out more often, huh?" Wink.

"Of course," Endo replies. "Grilling is a great man's skill." If there's anything he's not modest about, it's his ability to make meats. He glances up at Ren's smile, favoring her with a brief grin of his own. "Maybe. We'll have to see how busy I am. I can't just be your chef all the time." Plus, this is probably a little bit expensive!

On to other topics, though. "Do you remember Amane-san? The class president for 10th year? I was talking with her the other day," He explains, eyes peeking up again. "She was at the game center, trying to win a Sailor V doll. Are you a big fan of all that stuff at all?"

"Well maybe I'll just have to make you show me how to grill as well as you do!" It can't be that hard, right?

"Oh, Amane-san? Yeah, I do." Ren nods, picking up the chopsticks again to clack them together. "Sailor V is cool. I don't collect all of the stuff they come out with, though." Aside from a few dolls and keychains and whatnot, anyway. "I understand the appeal however."

"I don't know if I should tell people my secret." Endo eats while he talks, chewing on beef and glancing up at Ren from time to time.

"The appeal?" He asks, "What's that?" He's focusing on his food for the most part. It's a dangerous like of questioning to go down. "Do you want to be a big deal and have your own video games too?"

Ren nods. "You know. People want to be heroes. Or heroines." She pauses to take a bite of beef and chew on it to completion. "Wouldn't you want to have the power to go out and beat up all the bad stuff that lurks in the night?" Her eyes are hard and filled with emotion. Then in a split second it's gone, replaced with her usual timid gaze. "I mean, if you're really into that sort of thing. Seems too scary." She chuckles, picking at the beef slightly. "And an easy way to get yourself killed." Hah. Yeah. Who would willingly risk their lives like that, huh? Surely not a mild-mannered high school student! Heh heh!

Endo considers that, nibbling at the ends of his chopsticks. They're devoid of beef, but it's an unconscious sort of gesture. "Well," He hedges, "I mean, why would you go out and do something like that, if it's scary?" He plucks up another shred of beef, settling it on his plate. "I mean, why do you think Sailor V-if she's a real person-does it?" Endo's quite aware that Sailor V might be a real person. Or, at least, people who look like her. So many Sailor V's.

Ren doesn't even ponder what Endo asks before answering. "Because it's the right thing to do." And she goes silent again, eating more beef. It really /is/ good, don't ya know? Once she swallows she continues. "They feel strongly enough about it to go out there and fight. It's commendable." She smiles again. "I think you'd make a good hero. I bet you'd like, use a sword or something like that."

She found him out! Endo's eyes snap upward, one chopstick dropping out of his hand. He coughs, and then does his best to play the comment off. "Who, me? I don't have time for stuff like that. I already have a job!" He laughs. A lot. Probably more than necessary, before stuffing his mouth with more food in an attempt to look less awkward. It doesn't help."

Has she /really/ found him out? ...Nah. He has nothing to worry about, because Ren is laughing too. "Just kidding!" Yes. A very funny joke! She wipes a few tears from her eyes once the laughing fit has passed, feeling elated to be joking so openly. "Let's finish this up, then." They both have to go home soon anyhow. "But one more thing!" She holds up a finger. "I think you'd look /dashing/ in a cape."

And then there's more laughter. Oh Ren. What a comedienne!