[ Ann pays attention to her own growing headache and so does Assassin, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Her words tug at the corner of his lip as he is reminded of someone who would say the same. Justice: the one thing he and the hundred and eight bandits at Mount Liang fought for. But it's not like he had a choice. After all, he isn't that kind. He only gets swept up by the kindness of others and dragged along by the debt he owes them. Kindness is what kept him alive. He sees it in Ann and hopes it never disappears.
Well, it's a wish she'd never know. Heroes of the past should stay in the past. ]
You're looking right at it!
[ He reaches for a door easy to miss among the brick, flowers and foliage and opens it for her. The restaurant is rustic, big enough for around five tables. The kitchen and counter are at the end of the room with the cakes and gelato. Aside from the staff, there's a woman and her child eating their spaghetti. ]
You wanna sit here? [ It's a spot not too far from the cakes. He settles in his seat when she does. ] Haha... if there were more people like you, you could really turn this place around.
[ She takes her seat, across from him, letting her chin rest against her palm. It's a cute restaurant, outside and in, almost unsettling how normal it feels when the world it resides in is the exact opposite. It'd almost make it easy to forget where you were, if you let yourself.
She's not going to. Not right now, anyway. ]
There aren't more people who think that way? [ The idea that people should be free to make their own decisions without the input of another doesn't necessarily seem like a revolutionary one.
It begs the question, and she drops her hands to the table, squaring him with a questioning look. ] You don't?
[He throws his head back and bursts into laughter. Him? One of the bandits who fought against the evil Gao Qiu?]
I'm the last person who'd wanna live in a place like this, miss! [He settles back into his seat, leaning forward as if to tell her a secret.] Ah, but that sort of talk ain't a thing around the locals here. Best if you keep that stuff off the network, yeah?
Are they really that surprised that the people who're being forced to participate in their program aren't happy about it? Seems kind of like it should be a no-brainer, to me.
[ Sure, there are people here who aren't entirely against the system in place, but is there anyone who's actually happy living like this? ]
Desperate times call for desperate measures? Don't mean it's right, though. I'm just as clueless as you there, miss.
[ Which displeases him, but he keeps a smile on through it all. ]
Drinks? I'm just having water. By the way, you can look at the cakes over there. [ He cocks his head toward the display at the end of the room. ] Just let 'em know what you're ordering at the counter. I'll have what you're having.
Guess it shouldn't be surprising that none of this makes sense…
[ She orders a water as well— "with lemon, please!"— and takes a look over at the display. Even from her seat she sees a ton that catches her interest. Her eyes light up, probably for the first time since she's arrived here. A case full of cakes can do that to a girl, particularly one with as strong a sweet tooth as Ann's. ]
[ Aaand she excuses herself to scope out those cakes! She spends a few minutes waffling over her choice— there's so many and there's only so much room in her stomach— before ordering and rejoining him at the table, all smiles. ]
The sweet honey mascarpone cake looked really good, so… I went with that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nov 2018 ✦ intro ✦ ann
[ Ann pays attention to her own growing headache and so does Assassin, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Her words tug at the corner of his lip as he is reminded of someone who would say the same. Justice: the one thing he and the hundred and eight bandits at Mount Liang fought for. But it's not like he had a choice. After all, he isn't that kind. He only gets swept up by the kindness of others and dragged along by the debt he owes them. Kindness is what kept him alive. He sees it in Ann and hopes it never disappears.
Well, it's a wish she'd never know. Heroes of the past should stay in the past. ]
You're looking right at it!
[ He reaches for a door easy to miss among the brick, flowers and foliage and opens it for her. The restaurant is rustic, big enough for around five tables. The kitchen and counter are at the end of the room with the cakes and gelato. Aside from the staff, there's a woman and her child eating their spaghetti. ]
You wanna sit here? [ It's a spot not too far from the cakes. He settles in his seat when she does. ] Haha... if there were more people like you, you could really turn this place around.
no subject
She's not going to. Not right now, anyway. ]
There aren't more people who think that way? [ The idea that people should be free to make their own decisions without the input of another doesn't necessarily seem like a revolutionary one.
It begs the question, and she drops her hands to the table, squaring him with a questioning look. ] You don't?
no subject
I'm the last person who'd wanna live in a place like this, miss! [He settles back into his seat, leaning forward as if to tell her a secret.] Ah, but that sort of talk ain't a thing around the locals here. Best if you keep that stuff off the network, yeah?
no subject
Are they really that surprised that the people who're being forced to participate in their program aren't happy about it? Seems kind of like it should be a no-brainer, to me.
[ Sure, there are people here who aren't entirely against the system in place, but is there anyone who's actually happy living like this? ]
no subject
I getcha, but what do they care about us? They want to fix their world, not protect ours.
[The waiter gives them the menu, and Assassin leans back to open his.]
I'll have the chicken pesto. You?
no subject
[ Snapping the menu closed again, she passes it back to the waiter as he jots down their orders and leaves. Ann exhales, sinking back into her seat. ]
That's another thing I don't get… how is forcing us into any of this even going to help them?
no subject
[ Which displeases him, but he keeps a smile on through it all. ]
Drinks? I'm just having water. By the way, you can look at the cakes over there. [ He cocks his head toward the display at the end of the room. ] Just let 'em know what you're ordering at the counter. I'll have what you're having.
no subject
[ She orders a water as well— "with lemon, please!"— and takes a look over at the display. Even from her seat she sees a ton that catches her interest. Her eyes light up, probably for the first time since she's arrived here. A case full of cakes can do that to a girl, particularly one with as strong a sweet tooth as Ann's. ]
Um— you're sure? Because… I like it really sweet.
no subject
[Little does he know that he will regret this.]
no subject
If you say so? I'll be right back, then!
[ Aaand she excuses herself to scope out those cakes! She spends a few minutes waffling over her choice— there's so many and there's only so much room in her stomach— before ordering and rejoining him at the table, all smiles. ]
The sweet honey mascarpone cake looked really good, so… I went with that.
no subject
[ Look, he never said he frequented this restaurant. ]