undergrounds | [Open] Unary Game

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[Open] Unary Game

(This is a July catchall kind of post for Light/Snake so tag where you'd like or let me know if you want to work out something via plurk! You can also call him either name as both pretty much apply.)

A.

Nothing like moving across the ocean and having to figure out where to go in a new town. Especially in a place like London. Light "Snake" Averly, armed with a braille map, takes the time to explore London when he's not teaching at university. Each street and bus route he can travel safely is another piece of London memorized. Perhaps he might also meet friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces as he travels...

B.

He's heard about Redbright, now that he's been in London for a little bit. He'd heard rumors about the school having something to do with the supernatural, but nothing concrete. Snake would love to do nothing more than excise his powers from his brain, but the science hadn't gotten around to that. Yet. He didn't really feel any kinship to other supernatural, having stayed far the hell away from anything back home in Washington State. Still, he can't help but have some curiosity for the Institute.

C. Choose your own adventure.

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Heiji waved over a server. "Two, please! Do you guys have a menu in Braille?" By some small miracle, the restaurant apparently did. There was also an open table for two, which was even better.

"So," said Heiji as he sat down and scanned the list of dishes. "Met any cute coworkers yet?"

"First, I'm coming back, just because they have a menu I can read." Second, it was clean and not sticky as he ran his fingers over it.

Heiji's question made him smile a little bit. "Why? Do you want me to set you up with a cute girl? Of course you do realize my definition of 'cute' is going to be far different than most people."

"What? Hey, I don't need any help getting dates, okay?" Heiji's face was slightly red as he buried his nose in the menu. Stupid Snake. How dare he.

"So what is your definition, then?"

"Then you're a veritable ladies' man and I apologize." He didn't sound very sincere. He did consider Heiji's next question carefully. "Well...it's based on voice, obviously. The way someone sounds to me tells me how confident someone is. In in turn builds a picture in my head about their attractiveness. I like smart people, so that's another plus. So I'm afraid my level of 'cute' runs to librarians and academics."

"Hmm... sounds like a recipe for dating the same kinda person all the time." Heiji slid his finger down a row of names.

"I think I'll get the bolognese. What about you?"

"I believe the salmon and spinach fettuccine sounds wonderful, paired with the right glass of wine." It seemed to fit safely in his budget. Although then again, there was Heiji to consider. Although it was Heiji's idea to come here, the man was unemployed (as far as he knew). Perhaps if he just got the check? Snake would have to do that so Heiji wouldn't fuss.

"What kind of bike were you riding on? I can't tell if it was a scooter or a motorcycle."

"It's a Suzuki Hayabusa," said Heiji leaning forward with a smile. It was clear from his tone that he enjoyed the bike a great deal. "A sport motorcycle. 190 mph in 10 seconds!"

If that meant anything to Snake. "If you want, I could take you on a ride sometime." Fortunately, he remained blissfully unaware that Snake was thinking of picking up the check as the waiter came by and took their orders.

"That sounds ridiculously fast," Snake said, after the waiter had left. "I've never been on a motorcycle before. I can't really appreciate the view, for one. But I take it you're a fan of them?"

"Guilty," said Heiji with a little laugh. "I can't resist speed. Even if you can't appreciate the view, though, you can still enjoy the roar of the engine and the feel of the wind. It's great, really!"

You didn't know what you were missing, Snake. "Plus, I like it better for gettin' around than a car. Lot less to worry about parking."

"I suppose that idea has merit, given how crowded London sounds." Certainly he'd heard very interesting curses from various motorists. All while listening out a bus window.

"Maybe I'll consider a ride in the future. Provided I had a helmet." He'd already had enough traumatic brain injuries in his life, thank you.

"Then it's a good thing I have a spare!" That was as good as a promise in Heiji's book. The waiter came by and took their orders.

"Don't worry, I'm a great driver! We'll go in early morning or sometime when the streets aren't crowded." And Heiji might look forward to having Snake's arms around his waist.

Well, crap. He'd have to go then. However, it might not be as bad as he thought. Perhaps Heiji was a good driver and not a frightening one like his sister on her bike. Straight down a hill. He shuddered at the memory.

"I'll hold you to that." At least they had wine to drink now. "I believe this establishment will be seeing a lot of my money in the future."

"Wait till you taste the food first -- although I'm sure you'll like it." It was one of Heiji's favorite places, after all.

"So... do a lot of people give you trouble?" Snake had mentioned some harassment, after all. And there were a lot of jerks out there.

"Not all the time. Just every once in a while, someone will try something I'm sure they think is amusing when it's really quite petty. They tend to not like it when I point out their ineptitude in that regard." He smiled. "I've grown quite used to it over the years.

"Yeah?" He looked Snake up and down briefly. "Well, you definitely seem like someone who's sure of himself." Maybe occasionally full of himself. But clearly independent in any case -- Heiji was just glad he'd managed to keep Snake away from running into those revelers.

"So why London?"

"Well, I'd been having a bit of trouble finding a position in state." He wondered if even to this day, that damn family still wanted to give him trouble for something that had clearly been not his fault. Some people never learned.

"It wasn't my first choice, but King's College is a good school and in physics, you need to go where the jobs are, even if they're overseas."

"Oh? But they were willing to hire from overseas, huh? You must be pretty good." Though why Snake hadn't been able to find a job in-state was a bit of a mystery. Bad job market?

"What was your first choice, then?"

Or that for whatever reason, King's College actually wanted a physics person not interested in string theory and had to look overseas for that. You make the call!

"Gonzaga, clearly. Excellent school, small population. It's less than 300 miles from where my family lives and although Spokane is smaller than Seattle and has its occasional problems, it's not bad."

The waiter came by with their food and placed everything carefully. "My mouth is already watering."

"Don't let it water for too long," said Heiji playfully, digging into his own dish with a (thankfully nonsilver) fork.

"It's too bad you didn't get your first choice, but the one you did get's not bad. Right?" Putting aside the potential for mortal danger, of course.

Snake snorted in response and then started to eat. Heiji hadn't been lying; the food here tasted exquisite. Especially paired with his wine choice.

"No, it's a good school. Just a lot of getting used to a new place and a new country." And getting used to people who'd clearly never hung around blind people before. Especially those who assumed somehow he couldn't hear them talk about him.

"I assume you went through that when you got here."

Snake was so elegant when he ate. Heiji wondered if that was because he had to be extra careful not to get something on himself, or if it was just part of his personality. He did seem rather exacting.

"A little, yeah. At least I knew the language when I got here, but it's pretty different from Japan. I knew tons of people back in Osaka, so it was like startin' from nothing." He looked thoughtfully at Snake's plate.

"Do you like salmon? It's big in the Northwest United States, right?"

A little from Column A, a little from Column B. People with sight were usually so quick to judge the handicapped. So he'd learned over the years to take his time and be flawless about such things. That and getting food on his clothes would genuinely drive him up the wall if it was there and he couldn't tell until later.

"Oh yes, we are fond of our salmon. I especially like it smoked. Or paired with cream cheese on a bagel." So good a salmon. Snake might be exacting with how he ate but he was eating it all up, every little scrap and sip of wine.

"What about you? What's your favorite food?"

"With cream cheese? On a bagel?" Heiji clearly thought this was super weird, but it was kind of cute how Snake ate everything on his plate.

"Oh, I could never pick a favorite. I am pretty fond of okonomiyaki, though. And takoyaki. But when it comes to eating together with family, nabe's great. Also fried tofu..." Especially the fried tofu, actually. All foxes loved that.

"Since this ain't Japan, though, it's a little tough to find good food."

"Yes. It's quite good, although not as popular as just cream cheese."

Snake didn't know what the dishes Heiji named were, but they probably were all tasty. Except for tofu and why would you fry that?

"So you've yet to find a good Japanese restaurant in town that meets your high standards?" he teased Heiji.

Because it was delicious, of course! And wow, was Snake teasing him?

"You've got that right. Though if you do find one that's satisfactory, you'll have my gratitude." And his respect.

"But I don't really think I'm gonna find one, so it's a good thing I know how to cook."

[Open] Unary Game

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