Soaking up the culture (Open)
Mosi had been convinced by his classmates to try the Buenas Noches place and so here he was. Sitting at the bar with a smoking skillet full of very rare beef, without the onions or peppers as per his request, and a glass of water in front of him. Mimicking the other patrons he rolled the meat into the flat bread provided with small portions of the rice and beans provided. From his vantage he could see into the courtyard but not at the tables behind him.
Across the way he saw a rather flamboyantly haired girl move with her companions to a table. A pang of homesickness plagued him briefly. Missing his sister was a constant ache but missing the rest of his cousins and R'asa was only noticeable at times like this. Taking a bite of his food he was wrapped up in his own feelings.
Unfortunately the passerby that jostled him, sending him into his water glass and knocking it over the counter of the bar was just as wrapped up in themselves. Muttering to himself about the inconsiderateness of some people he soaked up the spill with his cloth napkin. Luckily it did not get too much water on his food, just the counter he sat at.
(Open for those more quiet in nature. ;) )
His position allowed him to people watch and even he was dutifully impressed when a pretty young man entered with two women. The Asian looking one was quite oddly dressed but that seemed to be common for young people here. Several of his classmates dressed in the same style she did. Though he had to admit she was quite unique in and of herself.
The dyed hair girl's table had grown to include another as well. All those pretty women with that one fellow who ran off into the mens room. They probably frightened him to no end with teasing or flirting, Mosi thought. Chuckling he sat back and enjoyed the view.
In fact, right now in his life, he didn't see how anything could go wrong, and even that didn't bother him. Once upon a time he might have decided the other shoe would certainly be in the air, ready to drop at any moment, but not today. Today he was just enjoying the feeling of being with the woman he loved, and the idea of what the future for the two of them held.
Standing just inside the door, Bastian noted quickly that he had arrived before Reign, and guessed she would be along shortly. As he waited to be shown to a table, his nose caught a familiar scent, and he looked along the bar to see his packmate, Mosi.
"Hello Mosi, I see you've been enjoying the food here, I take it that's a good sign?"
Walking over to his new friend, and clapping him on the shoulder in a slightly boisterous manner, Bastian could see some sort of dessert was before the other man, but he could also smell the odor of cooked meat.
"I hope I'm not interrupting you...I'm actually meeting someone, but they haven't arrived. How have you been, my friend?"
Perhaps if there had been another place setting next to Mosi, to indicate he was with someone, Bastian would have been more reserved in his greeting. But since he had assumed the man was alone, at least at the moment, he didn't see any harm in being friendly.
Mosi looked up as his packmate greeted him. Interesting to see him outside of their territory. Since Bastian was in such a good mood, Mosi was happy for him. Last time they had met the man seemed a bit morose.
"The food here is quite tasty, though they do not serve it quite as rare as I prefer."
Chuckling a bit, he waved his hand to the free stool beside him. In fact most of the area around him was open. He was one of the few eating alone tonight apparently. It did not really bother him because he had been quite alone since leaving his Kumpania. Unfortunately he never even considered asking one of the Rasa to join him. Now he felt slightly foolish for feeling so alone while a part of something so much bigger than his family. The job fell to him to make friends and be less alone.
"Please sit down, nothing to interrupt. Are you meeting someone from the pack or is this a date?"
Joking lightly with Bastian was his way of being more friendly. Since he was typically a quiet bloke he figured the way to break out of his slump was to open up some. He briefly recalled his reaction to the flamboyantly haired girl's nod and wave. A simple smile before glancing away now seemed a bit rude of him. Though after they had chased off the one fellow, Mosi was quite sure he would rather not volunteer for that duty. Offering the peregrinus a smile he shared his observations of the restaurant.
"This seems like quite a popular place, good thinking if you brought a companion."
“Rare?” He was getting better at hiding his distaste of meat, and how so many of his pack seemed to like their servings close to raw. Bastian would eat meat on occasion, but when he did he found it had to be completely done, and not resembling anything fresh in the slightest. He could easily overlook it though, even in close proximity. However, hearing it was good was encouraging, even if he chose not to have meat.
“Good to know. I’ll wait till my date arrives though, before I make a decision.”
Ordering a glass of merlot, Bastian asked the bartender to start a tab, and when presented with the burgundy filled glass, he sniffed it before sipping. Appreciating the bouquet that held a slight oak flavor, Bastian nodded and waited while the glass was filled.
Raising the small goblet, Bastian toasted his friend.
"Cento di questi giorni"
Not that living to one hundred years was all that unusual in this day and age, and even less so for one of their circumstance, It was an old habit to toast, and wishing someone well for a hundred years or more just seemed appropriate.
“Yes, it is a date, and one that has a rather long story, and history behind it.” Sipping his wine again, Bastian stopped himself from elaborating. If Mosi was interested and asked, he’d have no problem, but he didn’t want to bore the man, and assume everyone was interested in his personal life.
A good solid shouting match debating whether or not she should have a life made her even later and then she still had to shower and change. But she'd finally made it. Hoping she wasn't as late as she felt the walked into the bar and grill. It smelled wonderful, but then she'd always liked the smell of Mexican food all the spices and herbs. It was a good thing.
Not sure if Bas had gotten a table or not she stuck her head in the bar and spotted him and another guy. They seemed to know each other but she also felt like interrupting.
"There's a long story behind your date?"Â?
She asked as she perched on the stool next to Bas.
"What kind of story is it? A love story? A war story? Or maybe its good old sci fi?"Â?
The smell of the wine was nice, complimented the lingering scents of his dinner. Something to think about as he normally drank water with just a rare beer. While he did not know the exact translation of the toast he caught enough to agree with the sentiment. Raising his mug in his hand at the toast, he let the other clap Bastian on the back lightly.
"Too right, mate."
Mosi was just about to ask about the long story behind the date when a pretty woman walked up to them. He hoped this lovely sheila was his pack mate's date but either way he grinned at her.
"He did say history though, so it may be quite a dry recounting of long forgotten facts."
"How about a little of each?"
Love, and war were definitely part of their lives, and fortunately the love portions completely outweighed the war parts. Science fiction had also played a part, when you considered the reasons why they broke up in the first place.
None of that mattered anymore, since Bastian and Reign had finally made their way back to each other. A faint hint of caution still hung over them, at least from what Bastian could feel, yet it was not insurmountable.
Standing as she seated herself, Bastian put a welcoming arm around her, and bussed her lips softly. Turning to face his packmate, Bastian introduced his love.
"Mosi, this is Reign Sorenson. Reign, this is Mosi Prabhat, a new friend of mine here in Nachton. We found we shared some...history, of sorts."
He stopped himself there, before he said too much. In privacy, Bastian would tell Reign all he knew, but right now he didn't think it was appropriate to expose another Vyusher. He had no idea of Mosi's feelings on how private he wished to hold the details of his lifestyle.
The bartender appeared then, as was to be expected with the arrival of a new patron at the bar. Bastian moved back to his stool, but didn't sit down until after he asked Reign what she wanted to drink.
"Did you want a beer, or something else?"
At the offer of something else, Bastian held up his nearly empty glass of wine.
"History? Dry? Have we ever been boring?"Â? She looked at Bastian questioningly but didn't give him a chance to answer. "We're never boring."Â?
Alright she was being a bit obnoxious but she was so damned good at it.
Catching his slight hesitation and vagueness Reign quickly developed a theory about Mosi but she also knew better than to say anything or question. It was a bit intimidating, at least it was if she were right. But they were in a public place and he seemed like an OK sort, besides Bas liked him so she decided not to let what may or may not be bother her and offered a hand to Mosi.
"Nice to meet you."Â?
Ever the vintner.
"Does it meet with your approval?"Â?
She ribbed Bastian slightly. He could be quite picky about his wine. A quick Q & A with the bar tended lead Reign to a Guinness. Why Irish beer tasted good with Mexican food she didn't understand, nor did she care to think about.
Mosi found himself grinning happily at the sheila as they shook hands. It was a wonderful thing for a packmate to find a mate, especially in these stressful times. The fact that she claimed to never be boring was also a plus in Bastian's favor. Resisting the urge to clap the other man heartily on the back, Mosi lifted his coffee and took a sip. The lovely lady might not find his encouragement appropriate at this time. Still he felt he could give the two of them leave to find a table and get to the beginning parts of their night together.
"Food here is quite good and since you two are here on a date, just give me the flick and get your tucker."
Somehow he doubted that they wanted to sit beside him at a bar for a date, let alone spend their evening recounting history when they could be pashing on. Looking down at the dessert in front of him he realized the gooey topping was honey and it sparked his interest as he bogged in. With a mouthfull of the still warm tortilla he nodded as the bartender offered him more coffee.
Bastian didn't really mean he wanted boredom, but rather a time of peace, and calm, where they could just enjoy each other, and the start of making their lives together again. Knowing Reign to be the woman she was, boredom was never a concern.
Seeing Mosi smile, Bastian was glad to see a member of his pack accept Reign as he had. Not that Mosi had ever indicated he would be less than courteous, but not knowing the man any better, Bastian just couldn't have been sure until now.
And the more Reign was around people of his kind, and saw that they were really just like anyone else - at least most of the time - would do wonders in his opinion. For their lives to work, she had to be able to accept him, and the trappings his new life had taken on.
"The wine? Its surprisingly good. I made a note of the vineyard, and will see if it's sold locally, its that good."
His wine cellar was still lacking, but growing steadily. Eventually he hoped to have an impressive collection. He had also toyed with the idea of taking a small portion of his land and trying out a few vines of his own, once he got truly settled. Apparently there was still a lot more vintner in him than he had thought.
"Nonsense man, we have time. I'm actually glad we ran into you tonight...that is, of course, unless you had other plans. I don't want to disrupt your evening. Reign is new to Nachton, as am I, and its good that we spend a little time getting to know our 'neighbors'."
Bastian didn't think Reign would mind a short detour to their table, and night together, but looked at her questioningly, allowing her the final decision.
In addition, Bastian's stomach was still a little unsettled, and he hoped a bit more wine, and leisurely chatting would help ease his discomfort, before they sat down to eat.
"Unless you're starving?"
There, he'd given both of them outs, if they chose to want them.
The only time she heard her last name was when some one was shouting she was late for a table or her match was up or what have you and then it was just 'Sorenson!' Always with an exclamation point at that.
She rolled her eyes at Bas, having a pretty fair idea of what he meant. Although some day she was going to take up knitting and just sit quietly in a rocker watching soaps and wait for him to walk in on that. It would probably give him a heart attack. Might be funny though.
"I've heard there are some wineries around, but I thought mostly upstate New York. Still that wouldn't be too far would it?"Â?
Watching the guys try and sort out staying or going she was tempted to roll her eyes again but refrained. They were both only being polite after all. Actually she wasn't in a hurry to chase any one off. If her theory about Mosi was correct Reign was more than a bit curious.
While it wasn't as if they could have a frank chat about... well things. But it would be interesting to get to know another one. The funny thing was looking at both men she'd never have guessed either of them were... In fact, she might not have guessed they had much in common at all perhaps something athletic. It just proved the old adage about books and covers though didn't it?
Deciding she was ok with hanging about a bit she gently put a hand on Bastian's knee. It was about as PDA as she would get.
"Don't let us chase you off."Â?
"Thank you. I'm not one to chuck a sickie so I cant stay to much later."
Their talk of wines made Mosi realize he wasn't too far off from a bushie. Perhaps it was time to try to develop some of this Seppo culture. Of course there was plenty of time to do that so he plotted that as a goal to be accomplished during his stay. Smiling at the couple he pondered the transient nature of the city.
"Funny how we are all newcomers to Nachton. I came O.S., all the way from Oz, for the Uni. While I know why Bastian is here, how did you end up here Reign? If you don't mind me asking? If you do just tell me to mind my own bizzo."
"We'll plan on it...a nice, little road trip then. It would be nice to see more of this part of the country."
Maybe they could make a weekend of it, find a nice inn along the way, spend a few nights enjoying each other's company, and the sights. He would look into it further when he had a chance.
Before he had a chance to mention such a scheme, Mosi began talking, and Bastian was stymied. Though he still, on a rare occasion, had issues with the English language, he knew what had just been said wasn't truly English, or even American slang. He had picked up on an accent from Mosi, which he attributed to being Australian, or a very random British origin, but thought for the most part they all used the same words as Americans. But what came out of Mosi's mouth now required clarification
"...chuck a sickie?"
No matter how he tried, Bastian couldn't decipher that phrase. What came after was a little easier, though 'O.S.' alluded Bastian as well. He let that one go this time, thinking if it cropped up again in conversation, he'd question it.
"I think that sounds like a good idea."Â?
The accent hadn't clicked quit clicked but she figured Mosi and Chloe must be from different parts of the country. It was the slang that did it. Every once in a while Chloe would hit her with a word or phrase that made Reign stop in her tracks and/or question the other woman's sanity. But even with that little bit of background this one threw Reign entirely.
It was the look on Bas' face though that made it all worth it she wound up laughing at him.
"Long way to come for school. What are you studying?"Â?
It was probably far too much to hope for that he was working on something similar to her. She really needed to get back on track with that damned dissertation. Tomorrow she'd call her adviser and set up an appointment. She was going to be back in Chicago any way might as well put all her time to good use.
"Me? Actually I'm more or less hiding out I thought maybe getting away from it all would get me to focus on my dissertation. Hasn't worked though it's still a bit of a shambles."Â?
"Sorry, I find myself slipping into Strine, Aussie slang, when comfortable or frustrated. I doubt your the type of bloke to skip out of work on a sick day when perfectly healthy. Now my sister, she always claimed 'female troubles' to get out of school."
Shaking his head he chuckled slightly at the memory of catching his twin at the store perfectly fine when supposedly she stayed home on her death bed. Turning his attention back to the present he shrugged slightly at Reign's question.
"The oldies wanted me to get an MBA somewhere close to the R'asa and here I am."
Mosi was pretty sure Bastian's lovely date would simply check the pack term for an Ozzie term. Most people rarely questioned his every word but took enough to get the idea should he blast them with too much. Funny how no one wanted to appear like they had no clue.
"I have learned that to get things done it requires a rethinking. You have to move it out of the chore pile and put it in the reward pile before your brain can wrap around doing it. Its quite a process. Seems like if hiding isn't working you could try that. What field are you in?"
When Mosi confirmed his dialect was Australian, that gave Bastian another idea. A trip to Australia was something he had never done, and to make such an adventure with Reign would perfect in his mind.
"Ah, yes...I can understand that. More often from frustration, but occasionally another reason might pop up, and I'll find myself slipping into my native tongue as well."
Bastian winked at Reign when he mentioned the latter reason, since it was often in the throes of lovemaking when he would slip into some Italian words of feelings.
Funny too, how once slang was explained, one could usually understand it as well. Now he could see how 'chuck a sickie' could mean taking a sick day from work, when not really sick.
He nursed his wine then, and smiled blissfully as he listened to Reign, and Mosi talk about their own common interests. Knowing Reign had to finish school, and how much it meant to her, made Bastian want it as well, nearly as much. He knew she was going to have to buckle down though, and her impending tour wasn't going to give her much time in the near future. However, because her tour meant she would be reunited with her family, and that was even more important - in Bastian's mind - he knew that had to be her priority now.
When she had resolved things with her parents, and the tour was over, he would be able to try and do what he could to assist her in finishing her dissertation, even if it just meant making her life a little easier in some ways.
Laughing she shook her head. It wasn't a bad idea but she'd tried and failed with it before.
"The thing is I can't think of a reward big enough for getting that mammoth paper done and off my plate. Hell lately I'm having a hard time thinking of a reason to finish it at all."Â?
The tour really did pay well and what it didn't pay she could make up in endorsements. Granted the retirement bennies weren't brilliant but if she was careful now she'd be ok then. But, if she didn't do it the whole thing would nag at her and she'd never be able to live with herself but other than that it was hard to think of a reason to finish.
"I mean I tried teaching and it didn't work out at all so what does one do with those extra letters after your name?"Â?
Her drink finally showed up and Reign took a nice long pull from the pint glass. Guinness, a meal in a glass; you had to love it.
"As far as fields... some how I fell into World Literature."Â?
Part of the reason she had fallen into it was to annoy her father who had wanted her to pursue her Classical Studies degree. Of course he was bias but what were you going to do?
Sipping his coffee he listened to Reign doubt the schooling and its nebulous possibilities to improve life. He waited politely for her to finally finish, with the addition of her field.
"Apparently the added letters are a magnet for a higher paying position. Though I am sure my Kumpania think those letters will magically spark a genius entrepreneurial idea, bestowing financial stability throughout the family. Honestly, I think all this will do will create more pressure for me to become some sort of highly stressed business executive with no life."
Briefly he contemplated the honey dribbled plate in front of him before cocking his head to one side at the sheila.
"Moving the task to the reward pile is the key, not in finding a reward for accomplishing the task. If you consider each word and sentence a statement of your accomplishment, each chapter your own profound being of joy and happiness, then it will flow easier. Think of it like this..." he said before dipping one dark finger through a bead of golden sticky goodness. "we do things because they make us feel good. Tasting this sweet is enjoyable, so we savor its flavor. Finishing the paper should be enjoyable, putting your heart, mind and soul into it should be something to savor and rejoice. Once it feels like something you want to do, you will find it over easily."
Popping his honey dipped fingertip into his mouth he enjoyed the sweet flavor and smooth texture. It was not easy, what he was trying to explain, but once you got the hang of moving things from one pile to the other, it turned out you could accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams. Wiping his hands on his napkin, he studied Reign with a quizzical look.
"Now, what exactly is World Literature?"
His sense of ease and comfort with Reign was growing with leaps and bounds as well. Now that he saw how simple she made connections with those in his pack, he felt it appropriate to relax in that arena too. Of course he knew he still had issues to take up with the pack leaders, but why would they react any differently?
No, Bastian seemed to have found his niche at last. There seemed no reason to not settle in, and create his new life in Nachton. He had his love, his career, and familial ties now...in his mind anything else was gravy.
After he listened to Reign and Mosi discuss studies for a while, Bastian's stomach growled loudly. Sheepishly he finished his wine, and shrugged as he looked at the two next to him.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to order...or you're both going to be subjected to a symphony...of sorts."
He chuckled, not at all embarrassed by nature's not so subtle reminder that he had to eat.
Focusing on Reign, Bastian questioned her preferences on dining.
"Did you want to eat here at the bar, or should we look for a table now?"
She agreed with the assessment of Mosi's Kumpania (which he had translated to meaning family). An MBA was highly sought after these days he could probably do quite well.
Hmmmm... she considered what he said. It made a bit more sense that way. How long had it been since she'd seriously put her head down and worked? How long had it been since she enjoyed it? It had been a while, that was certain. She did remember those 'ah ha!' moments. Those rocked and some how were sweeter if she'd struggled with something for quite some time.
OK OK the lap top and some of her work would come with her to the tournaments. It wouldn't be the best environment to work but it was working that was important.
"You know when I first started I thought I'd been done in six months tops I loved it that much. I just have to get my head back there is all."Â?
Oh god save her from trying to explain her field of study.
"It's a right mess is what it is. Lots of comparison and contrast between western and eastern literature; basically if it was written on this planet we study it. Some of the more interesting pieces I've looked at though have been epic poems and such that don't have a true written history but were recorded from an oral tradition."Â?
Bastian, and his stomach, prevented her from rambling at length. Reign bit her lip and tried not to laugh but failed. Squeezing his knee she nodded.
"All right let's grab a table and feed the beast."Â?
It had been on the tip of her tongue to call him Lupo but at the last moment Reign thought better of it.
"It was nice to meet you. Good luck with the studies."Â?
She slid off her stool and made sure Bastian was following suite offered another quick hand shake to Mosi and set off to make sure her wolf got feed.
((OOC... Bas and Reign out. Permission to move Bastian granted.))