fandomtownies | Sushi Station, Wednesday Evening

Current Mood: pleased

Entry tags:

Sushi Station, Wednesday Evening

Lucrezia had not been on a date before, if one did not count those three-minute ones in the bar the previous weekend. Perhaps her closest equivalent would be when Djem had taken her on a picnic within the courtyard, even if her brothers had been in attendance. Pity that day had ended with Djem's death.

Such thoughts were unwelcome today.

Lucrezia did not know what girls of this era wore on dates. She had a class assignment to find modern clothes, and would endeavor to do so, but not now. Now, she was wearing a fetching silk creation in a pale shade of wintergreen. Bruce had not specified that dates required modern garb; if he had wished to see her in such, he should have said so.

Lucrezia was also glancing over a menu which she did not comprehend.

"Would you believe I have never eaten sushi?" she asked him.

Was it odd to date someone that one had once married, and attempted to kill? It had all been a fever dream, of course. Consider this an experiment, then.

(lucrezia's here for the bat, who was modded with permission, but sushi station is open for all your raw fish needs!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's not surprising. It didn't really make an impact in the West until last century," Bruce said. "So just think of yourself as being ahead of the curve."

"Then I feel less ridiculous for the admission," she laughed. "Today I have petted a baby dragon, and now I will be eating sushi. I am perhaps no longer fitting on anyone's curve."

"I have to admit, you're ahead of me on the dragon front," Bruce said. "Where did you find one to pet?"

Lucrezia hesitated a moment, keeping her eyes on her menu as she weighed the possible drawbacks of sharing the information. Was there any chance that Daenerys did not want the dragons to be common knowledge?

No, her door had been open, and anyone might have seen them.

She glanced up with a smile, hoping that Bruce might think she had been distracted by an entree.

"One of our mutual classmates," she said. "She is keeping them in her room. Not as pets, but I do not know what the correct term would be. They're very tiny."

Bruce knew all about pausing to consider secrets. He'd learned to eliminate those as much as possible.

"It would probably be 'familiars,'" Bruce said. Because, yes, he had a tutor on magical theory and history from a centuries old knight bound to a demon. Of course 'familiar' was in a vocabulary list. "I'll have to keep my eye out for them."

"You seem to be adjusting pretty quickly to the kind of things this world throws your way. I doubt many people from your time would have settled in this well so soon."

Lucrezia offered a light smile at that. "You underestimate my Roman counterparts," she joked. "I suppose I am trying not to be caught unawares. Politics is a serious game in the Vatican, even for those who do not realize they are playing."

Or being used as pawns.

"You might be surprise how little that's changed," Bruce said. "It's just more spread out these days."

"Indeed?" she asked, setting aside her menu and giving him her full attention. "Tell me, then. What interest do you have in politics? And how long did it take you to ... as you say. Adjust to this world."

"I don't have much personal interest," Bruce said. It was a lie, of course, and one he didn't mind being called out on. He really just didn't have any interest in it for himself. "But I come from a prominent family in my world. Lots of charitable functions, lots of fundraisers... Eventually, you learn some things. Which I suspect isn't something I have to tell you."

"Not especially," she agreed. "So interest or not, you must know enough to keep your head above water. You learn the tips and tricks that will allow you to thrive in that society, and use it toward your advantage."

"That's the general idea. I don't know how much of that I actually remember at this point, though," Bruce said. "I've been on something of a world tour the past few years. I haven't really spent much time in that life since I was younger." Yeah, like that was the kind of thing you forgot when you were obsessive and ambitious.

She smiled at him, with some amusement, as she took a sip of her water glass.

"I would imagine it all comes back to one readily," she said. "Such knowledge can be very valuable, in the right circumstances. Though I suppose you did not ask me to dinner to ask my opinion of society circles."

"You're right. But I'd be interested in that some other time," Bruce said. "This time, I'd rather just get to know you a little better."

"I see," Lucrezia said, sitting back in her chair. "I'm fond of the works of Boccaccio, and I once considered becoming a nun. I had my portrait painted by Pinturicchio, and I have a necklace with a seahorse on it, given to me by my dear friend Giulia Farnese. She is also Papa's mistress. My oldest brother, Cesare, is a Cardinal, though he does not wish to be, and it was he who arranged to send me here. Is this the sort of thing you wished to know, my once-husband?"

Edited 2011-09-22 03:55 (UTC)

"Actually, I meant it a little more generally. Getting to know someone better through spending time with them instead of the kind of bullet points you'd get from an introduction in class," Bruce said. "But you piqued my interest with the nun thing. What made you consider that?"

Edited 2011-09-22 04:22 (UTC)

"You shall have to explain better," she teased, gently. "I am new to dating, and it thus falls to you to lead the conversation in the way that it should go."

Lucrezia did not quite understand the point of dating, per se. Perhaps there was no point except enjoying one's self in the company of others.

"It is by way of a family profession," she said, "and Cesare had warned me that my heart may not be safe. As the Pope's daughter, he said that there would be many suitors for my hand, but few of them may have any real affection for me. I thought holy orders could lead to a more peaceful life."

"And you eventually decided it wouldn't?" Bruce asked. "Or did you just decide that a more peaceful life wasn't for you?"

Lucrezia frowned as she reached for her water glass again.

"Neither," she said. "I realized that if I were to marry, it may not be peaceful or affectionate, but it would create a strong alliance for my family, and could help to secure my father's embattled Papacy. Familial duty should outweigh concern for one's own self."

Bruce completely understood the sentiment there, even if he chose to interpret family duty as fighting all crime to avenge his parents' deaths. As you do.

"Well, that's the good part of dates. They can be peaceful and affectionate. And usually free of difficult subjects, but sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me," Bruce said. "I'm sorry about that."

But not too sorry, since that was excellent insight into Lucrezia, and his analytical brain never stopped.

Lucrezia shook her head, as if to shake off the very thoughts themselves.

"It is no matter," she said. "I would make a poor nun, I believe. I would have to cut my hair, and I am quite fond of it."

Vanity made for a lighter subject, at least.

"Someone said earlier that those in this world marry at twenty-five. Not as a rule, that is, but an average. Is that true?"

"That sounds about right," Bruce said. "Usually the teenage years are when people start to figure out what they like in a partner, then they stumble into trying to find the right person when they're in their twenties. It works better for some people than others, naturally."

"So right now I suppose I'm trying to figure out what I think of girls from religious families in the past. It's not a category I've given much consideration to before, but I approve so far."

"So I am being evaluated?" Lucrezia asked, her eyes dancing. She sat back in her chair, further, enjoying the banter. "Of what do you approve? I have been told I possess beauty, but one does not mind having such corroborated."

Edited 2011-09-22 05:54 (UTC)

"In that sentence, you suggested that you're beautiful, that I should tell you you're beautiful, and that I'd be going against some consensus if I didn't agree. I have to be impressed by somebody who can fit all of that into a single lighthearted comment," Bruce said. "And for what it's worth, the consensus is right."

If she was going to lay it out like that, where was the fun in answering directly?

Lucrezia laughed, thoroughly pleased with his response.

"Perhaps I wanted to help you with leading the conversation," she said. "Or show off my skills at convincing you to compliment me. Or perhaps you're showing, now, that you are aware of such petty manipulations, but wish to participate in them, nonetheless."

"Only when it's true," Bruce answered. "Or when I think it's a good idea to go along with it rather than argue. But in this case, I assure you, it's the former."

[And sleep finally calls. To the SP-mobile!]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject