Dinner Time (Kyrie)

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi opened the front door and let Kyrie walk in ahead of him. She would see the dueling piano bar as she was used to it, music on the pianos and his cello by the left wall in a cello holder with the bow she had given him in its case that leaned againt the holder. He walked ahead to open the door behind the stage on the left, revealing the stairs that went up to the living quarters. He smiled as he gestured to let her go first, "Welcome." He would follow her upstairs and head towards the kitchen area of the studio style living quarters.

"Make yourself at home." Levi said cheerfully....well cheerfully for him.

A black and white, marble chess board sat on the coffee table in front of the couch displaying a game in progress. On the far wall, a bookshelf contained various works of literature, some in Japanese, but most of them in english. Levi pulled out a pot and flipped it in his hand before filling it with a few cups of water and placing on the gas stove which he lit. He then removed a skillet from the bottom cupboard and placed it on another burner as he grabbed the butter from the fridge and slapped some on the skillet as it began to heat up. He began humming as he measured out a cup and half of rice and dumped it into the pot as he placed a lid on it.

Levi spoke as he worked, "So have you had Japanese food before?"

[Kyrie Blaze]

. o O ( Please note this takes place directly after Synchronicity and thus is not affected by It Begins and Ends with a Breath <3 )

It was nice to see there had been some major dusting, repairs, and cleaning in the main level of the building. Everything looked better. Perhaps she could come back down here, after. She moved up the stairs after Levi gestured her up, inclining her head slowly. She took the stairs light and quick, eyes moving along within the dim staircase and rapidly through Levi's living space.

"Thank you."

She was happy to curiously take a look around as Levi moved into the kitchen. Her eyes flicked over the chess table, noting the positions of the pieces, but the bookcase quickly drew her attention. She wandered over and studied the spines, not reaching out to touch them though she could freely admit there was nothing quite like the feel of a book in one's hand.

The humming and question drew her away from the shelf, though she would probably be back to continue her perusal in a little while. She tilted her head, watching as he measured out the rice. There was quite a lot, she noted. But she didn't say anything, figuring he was simply making a large batch to keep leftovers to save time, later on.

"...I lived higher up along the coast, so there was always plenty of fresh seafood...and I quickly found that I liked sushi...anything else I tried was particularly good, as well."

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi continued to work as he opened the fridge and pulled out a large salmon fillet. He listened intently and was pleased to know the finer points of seafood were not lost on her; She would enjoy this meal. As Levi cut the already prepared fillet in half, he checked the rice, then reached into a top cupboard to pull out a wooden box container which he unlidded to reveal sheets of homemade nori and a makisu.

"I see, well then you'll have no issue with my cooking tonight. So, I've never asked....did you live in France and come over? Or were you born here? I know your history is a touchy subject, so you don't have to share if you don't want to."

Levi would continue to work, pulling out a few containers a various fish fillets and cutting them into strips and chunks as he periodically checked the rice.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The splash of bright yet dark pink of the salmon filet being pulled out drew the blonde forward. The smell of the fresh fish settled in her heart, though she did not reach out to touch the silky texture of the fish - her hands weren't washed - she knew exactly what it would feel like. Kyrie's attention was quickly drawn towards Levi and the nori with the sound of the wooden box being opened. With soft but deep breaths and a glance, she drew the scents in and enjoyed them. The look of the nori was certainly more rustic. Blue eyes gleamed with curiosity and a subtle contentment. The smell of the fish drew upon her memories of Seattle; early mornings at the docks with her mother. Her sisters. Eventually just herself. Perhaps if she listened hard enough, even here, she would hear the cry of hungry gulls, though they would quickly be lost under the din of barter and shouts as cargo and catch alike were moved from the boats.

"Do you make it a point and habit to catch the fish and prepare the nori yourself..?"

While she honestly had no doubt that was exactly what Levi did, she wanted to ask regardless. Certainly, there was a strong undertone of appreciation beneath the curious note to her voice.

The questions Levi posed to her was responded with a sudden and complete silent stillness to the blonde. Her memories tended to lurk in her subconscious; Levi's question brought them rushing to vibrant clarity and she had to work to not spill over with sudden emotion. She gently set her fingers against the counter and took a slow breath in. This time, it was to steady herself instead of to enjoy the smells and the invoked memories.

"My siblings and I are first-generation Americans. My Mother is French: she was raised in Île-de-France's city of Versailles, which has been a suburb of Paris for just under one hundred years. My Father is British, hailing from London, England. I have had the pleasure of being to both places, yet only to visit." Her response was quiet and measured, but very precise in both location and something else.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi smiled as he listen while he continued to work. Levi leaned over to the stove and moved the rice pot over to a cool burner and turned the heat off of the other. His pace was swift, but certainly not frantic and it was clear Levi knew his way around a kitchen. It had been a long time since he had gotten to cook for someone other than himself and this fact was probably the reason he had pulled out the "good" fish tonight and had such a large smile on his face as he worked.

He nodded as he began to answer her question, "I do. It never tastes good when someone else does it and it is much more satisfying to reap the fruits of your labor directly... Like your garden, for instance." Kyrie's work with her gardens would eventually become a huge boon to the dragons and Levi began thinking that his ability to fish was one more way he could help fill their food stores.

Feeling the slight tension in the air created by his inquiry, he decided an equivalent exchange was due, "I'm also first generation American. I moved over here with my brother and grandfather when I was little, hoping to escape the life of the leader of a Yakuza Sect. I attended Varron High and PHS#552 in New York during my highschool years."

Levi paused as he washed his hands thoroughly before pulling out a clear, glass corked bottle of sushi vinegar from the cupboard and began dosing the rice with it as he worked it in with a wooden spatula, making chopping motions to do so. "Eventually, that life was made inevitable for me and caught up with me, I moved back to Japan when I was eighteen and helped lead my Yakuza sect with my father for about eight years before returning to America in search of Barker." Levi began placing the now glossy and sticky sushi rice on a sheet of nori.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The quick, methodical ease in which Levi moved was - she could admit - somewhat surprising. But pleasant, reassuring, and familiar, at the same time. It was good to know there was proficiency. Though even if it seemed he couldn't, she would eat the food regardless...but if he had seemed to be unsure, she would have offered to help. For now, however, she enjoyed watching, as it was a rare treat. Certainly she hadn't really expected to be able to watch preparation for this type of food again.

Or at least, for a while.

The response he gave had the blonde nodding her head with an easy and relaxed expression.

"Yes, exactly like the garden groves...in the next few weeks I will continue to expand them. The weather here is pleasant enough we can continue to grow some crops even through Winter. If we get people to keep enough seeds when they use them, we can perhaps stay ahead of the demand." Her mind drifted until she had responded to his next question, carefully watching his response.

When he delved into his own history, it was a surprise. She wasn't really expecting him to share, as well, though it made sense he would. It was curious he had gone to the more notorious schools. Varron, five-five-two, and two-five-nine were all hot spots. Perhaps it shouldn't have been so surprising considering his connections to Yakuza...but it made her wonder what he had been like when he was younger. That he was at least twenty-six was also a surprise. And it caused her to mentally jolt with a start. It was that time of year again; her own birthday had recently rolled around. It would have been May tenth had she known what day, exactly, it was. She was twenty-one. But then...an approximation of her age was well enough. Such things like birthdays were...insignificant in this day. Still, she was young, and yet, she felt so much older than that. Not tired, per se, just that she had been and experienced much over the past few years.

"How long has it been since you arrived stateside once again..?" She quietly queried, watching still as he smoothed the sushi rice over the nori. The sweet yet tangy scent wafted to her nose, as well as the scent of nori, both earthy and holding a crisp, ocean-like scent. Sea and salt and sweet. Obviously some of the salmon would be rolled in, but she wondered what else, if anything, he would cut to strips to place inside the wraps. And then there was the question of what he may do with the rest of the salmon. It was a contrast to his question, her current state. Back to being mostly relaxed, if not completely, and curious.

Her stomach's quiet grumble was ignored. Always hungry. She had learned to cope, as it was mostly a mental thing, though she did tend to burn through calories like it was going out of style. But soon she would eat, and waiting for a few more minutes as opposed to hours or even days was an easy feat.