so I guess this takes place a little before bentley and evan run into locke and weiler!

[aphelionix]

The downtime after their mission in Raufner left Bentley unsure what to do. He hadn't been in Erclesse in... Wow, how long had he been with the Circle? Just over half a year? The thought left him feeling a little forlorn. He hadn't been home in a long time.

He separated from Evan, who had some things to finish up for the mission that didn't require the doctor. They were to meet up in a couple hours in the Lower Districts. (Which, yes, kind of overwhelmed him some. He hadn't heard good things about Raufner slums.) He was wandering the middle area of town for a place to eat - working really gave one an appetite. Everywhere looked good about now...

Just as Bentley had just about settled on a place - a little cafe on the corner - he spotted a familiarly stylish head of hair and expensive shoes, headed down the sidewalk. Bentley jogged a couple steps to catch up. Danny had been on the mission, too - though with less to do, being a gunman, he supposed. Evan had a load of information to report.

"Hey, Danny," he said upon approaching. "Don't have anything to do either?"

Comments

[kobacake]

"Huh? Oh. Hey, Doc." Danny was surprised at first to hear someone call his name. It wasn't often that he was interrupted while he was out, but he didn't mind. He stopped on the sidewalk, placing his thumbs in his belt loops as he looked Bentley over. He couldn't help thinking the doctor looked a little out of place on the streets instead of in the medical wing. "I was just shopping and stuff, but I couldn't find anything good. You done working for the day?"

[aphelionix]

"Yeah, just waiting on Evan," he said. Bentley looked at the store behind Danny, which was a high class clothes store. An array of vests shuffled past on a digital display of their current season of clothes that Bentley couldn't help but fancy a little. He was stocked up, though; maybe another time. "Do you want to... um." What was the casual, cool way of inviting someone to eat? "Grab a bite? I was thinking of trying that place on the corner."

[kobacake]

"Yeah, sure. I was getting hungry anyways." Danny shrugged and glanced to the restaurant Bentley pointed out. When he saw it, he wrinkled his nose and frowned. "But that place sucks. There was this incident there a few years ago where they were using human meat in their paninis... Like, I guess it got sorted out or whatever but that's fucking gross."

He turned in the opposite direction from the cafe and waved a hand for Bentley to follow him. "I know a place though. You like Alzerian cuisine?"

[aphelionix]

"Oh." Bentley frowned at the cafe. Good thing he didn't get mixed up in that. Might've been interesting, though - he never tried human meat. Not that he wanted to, but sometimes he wondered things like that. He followed beside Danny, watching the shops and little bistros pass them by. "Actually, I've never had it."

[kobacake]

"It's great if you like spicy stuff. I normally just get the milder dishes, though." As they continued up the street, the shops, as well as their patrons, became increasingly luxurious. It seemed they were headed towards the heart of the Upper District, something that was unsurprising given Danny's taste. What was surprising, however, was when he ducked off the main strip into a dingy narrow alleyway and stopped in front of unimpressive looking wooden door that was only recognizable as the restaurant's entrance by a neon sign above the door depicting presumably Alzerian writing and a picture of a bowl of noodles.

Danny pushed open the door and led Bentley up a set of stairs. Despite that the restaurant was dimly lit and sparsely furnished, almost every table was filled. Though the far wall held tall windows that afforded the customers a view of the Upper District below, it was obvious that this wasn't a place people came for the atmosphere. The air was filled with a sweet and spicy aroma and the sizzling of noodles, and Danny felt himself go from 'I guess I could eat something' to 'FUCK I'M STARVING' in a matter of seconds.

He turned to Bentley as they waited to be seated. "It's pretty plain, I guess, but the food is good."

[aphelionix]

Bentley wasn't about to admit it, but upon seeing how average the place looked, he was actually relieved. Going through dark, suspicious alleyways wasn't his thing, after all, and made him start to think Danny was taking him to some mafia hideout deli or something where he would stick out like a sore thumb. He'd been picked on before in the Circle, and he had pathetically dealt with it, but in this sort of place... well, you never knew. Since he had been on a mission though, he was indeed armed - but he didn't like using guns anyway.

So, compared to this mental image Bentley had going, he rather liked the restaurant already. His body relaxed again with a sigh, and he shook his head with a nervous smile.

"Looks and smells great to me," he said. "The view is pleasant."

[kobacake]

Although it was still possible that the restaurant was frequented by members of the Circle, Bentley fit in with the crowd just fine by, quite simply, not fitting in at all. The customers were a rather motley bunch, with Alzerian natives alongside humans and a few other less common alien races. After a couple of minutes, a girl in her late teens led them to a recently vacated table against the back window and handed them some menus covered in pictures of the dishes they offered. Most of the dishes appeared to involved noodles (fried noodles, noodle soups, noodle salads..) but there were a few meat-based entrées as well.

Danny propped his chin on his left hand, the fingers of his other drumming idly on the table as he looked it over. Without glancing up he said, "Since you've never had Alzerian food before I'd recommend A-6. But if you really like spicy stuff you could go with B-12."

[aphelionix]

While Bentley had certainly eaten noodles before, all the things added in with them were foreign to him. The look he gave the menu was a perplexed one. Most of these... vegetables, he assumed, he had never even heard of. Takerian root? Hertonios? They looked similar to Erclessian produce, but at the same time, different enough to worry about it.

"Aha, well, the A-6 looks... unadventurous enough for me," he agreed. The B-12 worried him. Even the noodles were red. (This was from a certain, incredibly hot spice that was native to Alzeria added into the noodles themselves, but many knockoff restaurants simply dyed their noodles red and used cheaper spices.) "I'll probably go with that."

[kobacake]

"Hmm.." Danny wrinkled his nose as he continued looking the menu over. B-6 (semi-spicy noodles fried with takerian root, zignia leaves, and pildara meat) looked amazing, but he knew he'd hate himself later if he ate something with that much oil in it. He should probably get something better for his skin, but... Fuck it. Whatever. He hadn't indulged in a while and he could always detox later. The components of the dish were healthy enough otherwise. "Yeah, I guess I'll get B-6. I had it once a long time ago and it was awesome."

and then bentley will have to deal with his diva episode later when he regrets his order

[aphelionix]

Bentley couldn't help a small laugh. "You're really into these kind of places, huh?"

when he wakes up in the morning with a break out

[kobacake]

"Huh? Yeah, I guess." Danny looked up at Bentley now. "Boss has shown me a lot of hole-in-the-wall places like this and I kinda got into finding them myself."

He shrugged. "But I mean, who doesn't like to eat?"

life is so hard for danny

[aphelionix]

He seemed to consider the question seriously. "Well, I've never seen Calibri eat..."

Before Danny could confirm or deny that idea, a waitress bounced up to them cheerfully. She looked a lot like the hostess just earlier, but older - it was probably a family-run place, thinking on it. "Afternoon, you two. What can I start you off with today?"

"Oh, um. Some water and... well, I guess we're ready to order, so, the... A-6, please?"

"All righty! And you, sweetie?" she asked, turning to Danny.

[kobacake]

"B-6. And water, too." he answered. Normally Danny would have gone with something more exciting to drink, but he was definitely going to need something to flush out all that oil.

[aphelionix]

"You got it," the waitress said, singsong in tone. She gathered up their menus and walked away. Bentley had turned his attention out the window, looking over the streets that were shaded by the tall buildings of the Upper Districts.

"It's a little weird being back on Erclesse," he admitted, somewhat quietly.

[kobacake]

Danny arched a brow at Bentley's remark and asked, "You used to live here or something?"

[aphelionix]

"Yeah," he said, looking a little confused that he hadn't known. After all, Danny's father was the center of the mafia. Though, on second thought, trouble could definitely be caused by spreading around information carelessly. "I mean, next country over, but still. I haven't been here in months now."

[kobacake]

It wasn't like Garamond went around sharing the deep dark pasts of all the members of the Circle with Danny, and even if he did Danny wouldn't really be interested in hearing half the stories anyways. Now that Bentley was talking to him about it firsthand, however, Danny's interest was piqued. "You miss it at all? I think I'd get bored staying on one planet all the time."

[aphelionix]

"A bit," he answered. "I wasn't really used to traveling so much before being plucked up into the organization."

[kobacake]

"Huh.." Danny mused, glancing at Bentley's expression as he thought this over. "Were you born here, too?"

[aphelionix]

Bentley nodded. "Born and raised."

[kobacake]

"That's kinda weird." Danny leaned back and crossed his arms. "I mean, I was born on the station so thinking about having a home planet or something is really strange."

[aphelionix]

The doctor leaned back, looking just as thoughtful. "I never really thought about it that way. I guess it would be weird. I can't imagine a space station being my home, after all."

[kobacake]

"I don't think there's a whole lot of people who are actually born there," Danny said with a nod. "Most of them we pick up from other places like you."

[aphelionix]

With a characteristically nervous laugh, Bentley hunched forward, running a hand through his messy hair. "So I've noticed. Though mostly everyone seems to have been less... um. Unwilling."

[kobacake]

Danny frowned at this and leaned forward again to cross his forearms on the table. "What, would you go back if you could?"

Before Bentley could answer, the waitress bounced back with their drinks and a "The food will be just a bit longer!" and then was gone again.

have a deep broment

[aphelionix]

This was actually something Bentley had been thinking about for a long time. Nowhere was really safe for him, technically, but just because his own home wasn't safe didn't mean it made another place his new home. But he had genuinely begun to like the Circle. (Sometimes he worried that it was Stockholm Syndrome.) It troubled him. Crime wasn't his way of life

"I don't know, actually," he said, a hand circling around his water. "Admittedly, it was excellent timing that I was brought in. Once I realized the Circle was a safe place for me to go, I stopped resisting. It was a little funny. I don't think Evan and Viana were used to cooperative hostages." He smiled, pausing to sip his water. "I miss home, but... some days, it's a little sad to imagine ever leaving the Circle."

Bentley you kawaii baby

[kobacake]

"That's because we're a family," Danny stated simply with a slight shrug, as if kidnapping people and consequently gaining their loyalty was the most natural thing in the world. Then again, for Danny it probably was natural. He hardly knew how life outside the Circle even worked. "You fit in pretty good."

:')

[aphelionix]

"Really?" He clearly looked skeptical. At the station, he usually felt as though he stuck out like a black eye. (Of course, he tended to be paranoid.)

[kobacake]

"I mean, everyone likes you right?" Danny nodded. Clearly he wasn't including Viana in his count, but she didn't matter as far as he was concerned.

[aphelionix]

"T-they do?"

[kobacake]

Danny narrowed his eyes and his mouth flattened into a line, an expression that clearly read, 'isn't that obvious?' "Viana doesn't count."

[aphelionix]

"Oh." Bentley eased with a sigh. "Well, yeah, the only person she likes to Evan, so..."

[kobacake]

"Ugh, I don't even wanna talk about her," Danny groaned, shoulders slumping slightly.

[aphelionix]

"Y-yeah, let's not." While their entrees weren't quite ready yet, they were served some complimentary small side dishes; mostly vegetables and a little bowl of really spicy sauce. They were namely for adding into your dish. Bentley stared at them, not entirely sure what their purpose was.

[kobacake]

"You can eat it instead of just staring at it, you know." Danny watched as Bentley bored holes into the little dishes. "It won't kill you."

[aphelionix]

Bentley picked up a fork, poking at an unfamiliar piece of... something. "Are you... sure?"

[kobacake]

"Unless you're allergic or something, I guess..."

[aphelionix]

"I don't think I am," he said, cautious as he stabbed the sliced up vegetable with a crunch, inspecting it at the end of his fork. It was purple and pale yellow. This was completely unfamiliar. He gave it a sniff. It was definitely pickled, whatever it was. "What is this?"

[kobacake]

"Xignia," Danny said. "It's kind of like cabbage but the taste is different."

[aphelionix]

"Well, here goes nothing," he said slowly, and he stuck the bite in his mouth. Bentley rolled it around his tongue first, afraid to bite right into it, but after affirming the tastes wasn't bad (like an onion meets pickles and something else he couldn't place) he chewed. With a small nod he gave his approval. "It's not bad, actually. Strong, though."

[kobacake]

"Yeah, Alzerian food is pretty flavorful," Danny agreed. He reached out and jabbed his fork through something that looked like a dark purple potato in another one of the dishes and popped it into his mouth. After swallowing he said, "Try these. They're kinda sweet and spicy, but not too spicy."

HIIIIII KOBAAAAA

[aphelionix]

Bentley stuck a small piece onto his fork, examining this one like he did the last vegetable. He wasn't a big fan of spicy, but maybe with sweet it'd be tolerable... he went ahead and ate it.

He made a face, but to his credit, he swallowed it down like a champ. Bentley took a polite sip of water, trying not to make a big show of his distaste.

"What was that one called?" he asked, likely so he could avoid future encounters with it.

YOOOO KELS about to leave for my town don't know when i'll have net again

[kobacake]

"It's called keldora." Danny raised a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking up just slightly at the sight of Bentley's face. If Bentley thought that was spicy, hopefully he'd be okay with his meal. (The A-6 was a bit more mild, but Bentley didn't seem to be able to handle spicy things very well at all.) "You really think that's spicy?"

aww well we'll see you when we see youuu and HAVE A GOOD TRIP THERE (ﾉ´3`)ﾉ♡♥*

[aphelionix]

"It's, um," he struggled to sound polite in the way he phrased it, "the flavor itself, I think. I-I can handle some spicy things. Usually if they're a bit saltier."