Izakaya {Dee!Blitz}

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

You paid for it too? You don’t think you’ve reached the stage of intoxication that you’ve forgotten what has happened, but you take his word for it, even though you don’t think the doodle really amounts to anything. You smile as you collect all the napkins and scraps of paper and put them back into your pockets so that you’ll forget about them until you have to find something again.

He’s laughing so hard at your question that you feel like such an idiot, but he answers earnestly and you know he’s not laughing at you. You laugh with him as he talks about how he was “banned” from touching the plants for killing them so much. It sounds like such an absurd story, but you know he’s being honest with you and that makes the story funnier. He asks you about art and your eyes widen as you try to remember if you really have any connection with art. You offer a meek “thank you” as he compliments your doodles.

“No, not really.” Except you have those books stored in your dresser that no one can ever know. You blush as you think about the dirty content, but you have to give the books credit for teaching you at least some skill in drawing. “I just like to sketch things every now and then. Kind of like practice when I have to draw up designs.” That is basically all you ever do at your internship anyway. You have to admit that spending time drawing up your brother’s gadgets did help you get the internship—but they really are just doodles.

[Death]

[googlefont="Amatic SC:400"]Eden Simmons

She's so beautiful when she smiles. The warmth of her eyes and her cheeks and her lips must represent the warmth of her heart. If eyes are windows to the soul, hers are clear and kind and such a very very beautiful brown.

She's quiet as she says, "Thank you." Why is she always so quite? You want to grab her by the shoulders and demand she tell you who put her in this cage? Is she naturally so timid? She seems so intelligent and so talented! But you pause and you take note of your mental faculties. You feel ready to grab her into your arms and snuggle her and tell her she's such a dear but you know you shouldn't.

You also know you shouldn't have any more sake.

“No, not really.” She pauses and a blush makes her cheeks rise in color. You wonder what she was just thinking about and you'd like to pry but sober Eden still has equal control, so you do nothing.

“I just like to sketch things every now and then," she continues. "Kind of like practice when I have to draw up designs.”

"Designing is probably my favorite part of the process," you say. "It lets one be so creative."

A steaming bowl heaped with pot stickers comes out of the kitchen and carried in the direction of your table. You smile and your stomach grumbles something that could be interpreted as "About time."

BUUUUUUT at the last minute, the waiter changes directions and drops it off at another table-- this one with a family group. You feel like pouting. Damn it, you think to yourself. Foiled again.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

You nod your head along but reality is you’re starting to feel a little sleepy. No! I can’t get sleepy now. We’re talking and when is that ever going to happen again? “You should meet my brother. He thinks that the life of the gadget begins from the design, not from the actual assembly. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was adopted from District 3.” You were never such a dreamer like your brother, but you had to give him credit that he was incredibly intelligent and creative. Perhaps that was why you spent so much time doodling the pets that ran and beeped around the house. “I’m not…as creative as he is. I would love to be one day, though.” You had tried as a child, trying to one up his creations to the point that you had driven your parents mad and they made you and Hideki stop.

His attention is somewhere else and you look in time to see the waiter that is holding the bowl walking towards a different group. Eden looks dejected and you can’t help but smile at his expression. He looks so adorable, like a little boy who got his dreams dashed that you throw your arms around him—oh what did I just do? You retract just a little bit it was the alcohol that made me do that, it was the drinks and you give him an apologetic smile. “I’m sure it’ll be here soon,” you say, trying to divert his attention away from what you just did.

[Death]

[googlefont="Amatic SC:400"]Eden Simmons


“You should meet my brother," she says as you study her face attentively. Was that a fond smile? "He thinks that the life of the gadget begins from the design, not from the actual assembly. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was adopted from District 3.”

You laughed. District Three-- district six. Lots of overlap but they dealt with most of the main electrical and computer engineering. Almost all other kids of engineering too. But six had use for engineers too and so here you were.

“I’m not…as creative as he is. I would love to be one day, though.”

"I'd love to meet him," you say, turning your attention back from the food. "Is he your little brother or older brother?"

Then, suddenly, you were being hugged! Your heart pounded and raced and you were so excited but then she let go and you didn't understand why because you were just about to put your arms around her too to complete the circle.

"I'm sure it'll be here soon," she says quickly and you smile, a little disappointed.

You pat the top of her hand before sighing and saying, "I sure hope it's soon. I'm almost starving as much as a district twelver. Well... maybe not that bad." You laugh. "But I'm still hungry!"

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

“Older brother, unfortunately,” you throw in a light pout, not meant to be taken seriously. It was true though; most of your early childhood involved the two of you fighting whether it was through your words or gadgets. But as you grew older and you saw him less, you began to appreciate him—until he thought it would be fun to hook you and rub your head with his fist.

You glance at him warily after you bring your arms back and while you expect a sign of relief, you see something like disappointment behind his smile? You don’t completely understand but you know better than to try. You’re still not in the right state of mind even though it’s been a while since you had your last drink. The only thing you can think deeply about is the food and it looks like that’s all he can think about too.

He pats your hand and you swear there was a shock between your hands, but he doesn’t seem to recoil from it. Maybe it’s just you and you compose yourself as you let your ears do the hearing. “Our food will be here…” you repeat, unsure if you’re trying to reassure him or yourself as your eyes won’t stop moving back and forth. But you finally spot another waiter coming out and you point it out to him. You rest your hand on his upper arm and gesture at the waiter with your head. “Maybe that’s the one.”

[Death]

[googlefont="Amatic SC:400"]Eden Simmons



"Older brother, unfortunately," she says with a mocking grimace and you smile. You can only imagine the kind of adventures (and probably arguments) she would've had with someone that close to her.

Before you have the chance to respond, she's commenting about the food and then the bowl sits in front of them.

Fifty.

Pot stickers.

They had never looked like there were that many, but damn! When fifty things are in a bowl, stuff gets real. You pull out your chopsticks and pick some out to put on a plate. Might as well get started.

"At least you had siblings. Only child right here. It gets kinda lonely."

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

You were right to assume that this bowl is yours, but it isn’t until it sits in front of you that you realize how many fifty potstickers really are. Your eyes widen in surprise as you wonder how the two of you can possibly conquer that bowl when you realize that he will most definitely be finishing most of it. But that doesn’t stop you from taking one of the plates and pulling out the utensils that you grew up using.

You take the first one—it looks so warm and so inviting—but before you can start eating, he tells you that he is an only child and he says that it was kind of lonely. Oh, how many times did you wish that your parents never had Hideki? How many times have you screamed at your brother, telling him that you wanted him to go away? But the truth is you could never imagine a life without your brother and it makes you feel a little bad. Only a little bad because there were always pros to the other.

A laugh rings out as you contemplate while looking into the distance. “Do you still feel lonely now?” The potsticker still sits between the two sticks that hold it in place. Why am I so interested? And when did I sober up?

[Death]

[googlefont="Amatic SC:400"]Eden Simmons

Grabbing the little bottle of salty, brown goodness, you tip it onto its side and encourage some of the sauce to trickle into a tiny dish. You grip a pot sticker between your chopsticks and dip the dumpling-type delicacy into the little dish, letting one end scrape the glazed ceramic bottom.

"Do you still feel lonely now?" she asks, her first pot sticker perched between the two bamboo rods. You can't help but notice how delicate and small and lovely her fingers look as they caress the eating utensils. How would those fingers feel running through your hair?

"With a beautiful and intelligent woman like you talking to me," you say, "I don't think I could ever be lonely again."