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Okay, so it's not exactly the Ritz, but Mutant Town is probably more comfortable for Dani than gilded facades ever could be. It was her suggestion that they go for a walk, get dinner from a small cafe one of her buddies from the Institute suggested. Despite the biting cold in the air, she's wearing her usual battered old coat, with a faded fur trim, with her jeans and boots. Hardly bundled up at all, but she insists the weather here is nothing like winter in the Rockies. If she were a guy, it'd be brushing up close to machismo. One of her smaller satchels is slung over a shoulder, hiding a pair of fight-ready hatchets. Maybe it's machismo after all. "I think this is it up here.. Smell that?"
Amanda Sefton was entirely okay with Dani selecting where dinner was to be had tonight. She made the suggestion the night before. And possibly cooked a few times before that. She stops, taking a deep (exaggerated) inhale of the air around them. "I think so," she says slowly, though she frowns. "It's… very familiar but I can't put my finger on it.. What is that?" She quickly turns her head about, as though their surroundings are inundated with clues.
"Fresh cumin seed," Danielle answers confidently. "My mother would dry-roast them in a small pan, then grind them up into loose powder before adding it to .. oh, chili, meat, all sorts of things…" She sniffs again, then smiles and nods towards a fairly unremarkable door, with a weathered old sign dangling from it. "There." She tugs the other girl's arm and heads to the door. Pushing inside lets loose a cloud of fragrance, a mouthwatering and homemade blend of spices and herbs. The warmth and scent of cooking that only comes in cozy little cafes. By the look of things, this was probably someone's residence once upon a time, and there are fewer than a dozen small tables, each with only two chairs. A few patrons are scattered around, enjoying their own dinner.
"Welcome! Welcome! Take a seat anywhere, whoever you are! I'll be with you in a moment!" The voice is a richly accented feminine alto, the accent suggesting 'old world Yiddish'. When she does emerge, the hostess is a sight to behold. Larger than Amanda and Danielle combined, with a cheerfulness that seems out of place in the tension of Mutant Town. She glides oddly across the floor, but the dress and apron she wears covers just about everything. "Hallo, my darlings! You look chilled, you come to the right place. I have just the thing to warm those pretty cheeks! Oh, and some meat on those bones, I swear. Sit sit, you'll want some mulled wine. Then soup, yes? Delicious. It's been simmering all day. Then roast chicken. You should be starving for this chicken, you'll die. First, bread? I think bread, okay!" And just as quickly as she swooped in, she swoops back out, a sudden clattering of dishes coming from her kitchen.
"…what just happened?" Amanda murmurs, leaning into Dani to ask the question. Seems like the woman, well-meaning and cheerful as she was, was just a smidgen overwhelming for the poor sorceress. Mostly because she wasn't expecting such a positive attitude. Well, not that upbeat, anyhow.
"I…" Danielle is a bit shellshocked herself. "I think we just got invited to stay for dinner?" She blinks a few times at the kitchen door, then gently steers her girlfriend to one of the tables at maximum distance from the kitchen. Just to provide a buffer. "I'd heard the food was good, but .. " Her eyes narrow slightly, as she imagines the friend who recommended this place chortling behind her back. Hmmmm. "Tell you what. If she gets to be too much, I'll get us out of here toot-sweet, yeah?" She squeezes Amanda's hand reassuringly. Odd to protect from an overly cheerful hostess, but hey, it gives Dani an excuse to run away too.
"Here we are, my darlings! It won't be but a few minutes more, I promise!" The big woman all but swirls into the main room again, carrying two large mugs of warm, gently mulled, gently spiced wine and a small basket with a cloth napkin bundle. As soon as she deposits these on their table, she's off again, still chattering to herself about the state of her soup. Unwrapping the bundle in the basket reveals four slices of freshly toasted homemade bread, with a generous dollop of creamy butter in a small dish.
At least they're not the only ones here, right? Once they're seated, Amanda settles into Danielle's side comfortable, accepting the mulled wine with a 'thank you very much' to the hostess before she sips. "It.. is a good drink for this weather," she murmurs to Dani. "And tasty." Tasty helps!
Danielle slides an arm around Amanda's shoulders and sips from her own mug, cautiously at first, then with more enjoyment. "Very tasty. And not too strong. Some of the stuff in Asgard .. is not meant for mortal lips," she notes with a grin. Then reaches for a piece of the bread, smearing a bit of butter across the lightly toasted surface. She bites into it, then blinks. "Wow. Here, try.." She holds the toast for Amanda to try a nibble as well. "I'd say we're off to a good start, huh?"
There's more bustling in the kitchen, occasional bits of humming. But it's several quietly comfortable minutes before the hostess makes a return appearance. This time, one oversized bowl of hot soup. Two big soup spoons. "I hope you girls don't mind a bit of beef in your soup. It just makes everything taste so much more cozy in the winter, don't you think? Oh, you are the most darling.. You should know my nephew, he's like you girls, but we don't say nothing. Who needs the hassle, am I right? Bad enough being mutants without people thinking, well, we know what /people/ think, but you don't let it worry you none, you hear me. Now you eat up, and before you know it, I'll have that chicken ready for you. Maybe some nice lovely mash on the side, I think. You girls like gravy? Of course. Who doesn't like gravy? Communists, that's who. But you show me a hungry communist, I'll feed 'em anyway, god love 'em.."
Amanda's cheeks erupt into a fierce blush when the woman sort-of dotes on the two of them as they end up all snuggly. Amanda does accept the bread from Dani despite this, murmuring, "I think you'll have to cut the bread, unless you've decided I can try again." Last time, the bread ended up a little… squished. Flat. Delicate with cutting bread, Amanda is not. She bites a piece off, chewing thoughtfully… and realizing she did not answer any of those questions. "Oh, ah… beef! Beef is fine!" she calls out, blushing all over again.
…
…
"…and how much mead in Asgard did you have?"
Danielle is happy to handle the bread, and when the soup arrives (a mouthwatering combination of beef and vegetables), the bread is a delectable addition. "Really need to teach you how to handle a blade properly," she muses with teasing amusement. Clearly the big bowl of soup is meant to be shared, so.. share she does, while the hostess prepares the entrees. "Mmm, wellllll… Enough to not remember how much I had. The first few nights among the valkyrior is still one big blur. And the hangover kept me in bed for nearly a full day after. I haven't touched the stuff since."
"I can handle a knife just fine… if I'm throwing it." That she learned from the Circus' knife-thrower. But only how to throw knives. "I can chop vegetables just fine too!" Harrumph. She mock-pouts, though the pout disappears the instant Amanda tastes the soup. She forces herself to savour it, tasting it slowly. Because otherwise, she would be devouring it with such a speed the Cookie Monster would blush.
Dani also manages not to embarrass herself by chowing down, though it's an effort. "Wow, that's… really good," she observes as she dips a bit of crust into the soup. Despite their care and manners, the soup is entirely gone before either of them realize it. Strangely, it just seems to encourage the appetite, rather than sate it. "This part of town… Hmm. I wonder if cooking is her mutant talent?"
"Oh, don't be silly, my darling! I just love to cook. There's no great secret or tricks to it, just a love of feeding people who appreciate a good meal," the hostess beams as she glides back in. With practiced efficiency, the table is briskly cleared, with two brand new mugs of hot mulled wine to replace the first pair. Then a pair of plates is set down in front of the girls. Dani's has a small game hen, butterflied and roasted. Amanda's has a neatly sliced skirt-steak. Both have a generous helping of buttery mashed potatoes and fresh string beans. From the scent of the meats, it becomes obvious where that cumin fragrance ended up. "Now then, you girls just take your time and enjoy a nice romantic dinner. I won't bother you unless you holler, alright? And because people always ask, just pay whatever you think it's worth, on the table, before you go. If you need anything at all, just call. I'll hear you and come a'waddling. Such a cute pair of young ladies.." And just like that, she's gone again.
The compliment sends Amanda's cheeks burning again. As she leans into Dani she murmurs, "We should be paying her well, for food like this." Because in the rest of the city, food of this quality would probably cost them a fortune. They can't afford that, but they can pay her well enough, right?
Danielle settles comfortably alongside Amanda as they start to dig into their dinner. "She could be making a fortune in a 'normal' restaurant out there," she agrees quietly, glancing bemusedly towards the kitchen. "And if she's keeping people around here fed like this, on what little they can spare… Yeah, we'll leave a nice big payment, honey. Promise. Definitely worth it."
"Good." Amanda pecks Dani's cheek, then turns back to the soup. And bread. She could, likely, eat the entire loaf on her own. It's -that- good. "This might end up my favourite place to eat dinner," she notes idly, tearing into her… fourth? Fifth? piece of bread, between dipping it into the soup.
The cafe is quiet and intimate. The dinner amazingly tasteful. The room just warm enough against the chill outside. The mulled wine somehow expertly balanced to complement the food and keep the body pleasantly warm and relaxed without sliding into 'tipsy'. Indeed, it's remarkably easy to lose track of time, between eating, sipping, and quiet, unrushed conversation. Eventually… the soup is gone, the last of the bread is gone, and both plates are as clean as it is possible to get without licking. Dani leans back in her chair, sipping her mug with one hand, the other hand nestled cozily around Amanda's shoulder as the other woman relaxes against her side. A fairly generous amount of money is folded and tucked safely under one of the plates for the hostess to find. Dani eventually muses, repeating the point Amanda made, "I think we will definitely be coming back here. From time to time."
"When we're not busy doing Circus things. Or fighting weird earth golem-elemental-things." Or whatever else it is they've done over the past year. Amanda leans into Dani cozily, sipping at the mulled wine slowly. "Next year isn't going to be any less hectic than this year, is it?"
Danielle lets her gaze linger on the small window looking out at the street, the hints of frost around the edges. She is quiet for a long while, then smiles and presses a soft kiss to Amanda's temple. "God, I hope not."