Orient Town Restaurant

(From 'Main Thoroughfare') ~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

The trip had not been long and Kageo was a little more upbeat by the time he'd made it this far. Eager to show her the brilliant menu of this establishment, he'd first kept his excitement to a low; perhaps it was just more of the kaka nature itself giving him minor trouble. He'd been quick to calm it down and with all calm within him once again, his sense of manners kicked in as he held the door open for his guest to walk in ahead of him.

"If you please to head in first, miss." he felt it odd that he had not introduced himself, but he had not wished to make her feel stressed by a stranger asking something so important as that. So he'd been willing to leave it at that, though for ease of it; he'd probably give her his name at some point soon.

Es blinked a bit to see the beastkin open the door for her like a gentleman would- was he a gentleman? She didn´t know. Either way, she nodded and went inside, feeling it would be rude if she would reject the offer.
"Thank you kindly, sir." she responded, also unsure how to call him, but given that her name was anything but normal she was fine with it for now.

Feeling pleased that she'd thanked him so kindly, after following her inside, he took a moment to witness the grandiose views of the asian themed restaurant. With the waitresses wearing chinese dresses, the tables and inward scape of the red ceiling lined in gold, something triggered in his mind from his mental database about the colors and it all seemed to remind him of this. Though he kept to the point and headed to a table to pull a chair out for her.

"Well, I offer to treat you still, if you wish to then have a seat~, miss." though he didn't stop there, he'd decided to offer his name in part of the trade since if she were leaving, she'd at least have that.

"And my apologies for being so rude and not giving my name sooner, I am Kageo-kaka of the kaka clan." his glance rested on the chair.

Es was stunned by the sight- she had been to restaurants before, Toya had taken her to dinner once- but this looked like an expensive one. Or if it wasn´t, it pulled off the look very well. She had to blush a little bit as she noticed the waitresses dress, and the side-cut skirts of their asian outfits went all the way to their hips, without a panty strap visible at all. Some of the guests had animal features as well, and she just snapped out of her gaze as Kageo introduced himself.

Well, what should she do now? Best to tell him the truth.

"I am... called ES, an abriviation of my full name which sounds wierd to most people. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, as well.. I would be delighted if you`d treat me a meal, Kageo-Kaka."

"Then the pleasure is mine is to treat you, Es, and a nice name that it is." the name wasn't what he'd expected but it was none too odd he thought, after all he had seen stranger from point to point in this city. Some bounties he'd taken in had weirder names thinking that they were cool or something. He made sure that the chair he'd grabbed was pulled out to a proper space, as if this were a date almost, though he knew better than such. They'd only just met and his well mannered up bringing had him doing this, something that was only reinforced by his general good demeanor.

"Then as you join me, I'd be pleased if you took the first seat, Es." his eloquence remained a signature thing of his, though from what he gathered through their interactions, she had not known of the beastkin tribes; he might have to share that later if it were something that came up in a conversation.

"It is hungry work, fighting for love and justice!"

This statement could not be true for one Hero of Justice known as Bang Shishigami. He had spent the entire morning scouring Orient Town for miscreant and ne'er-do-wells with a visit to the lovely Miss Litchi's on the side.

Indeed, he had hoped to invite the voluptuous doctor for lunch, but alas, he was to be alone on this fine day. But that was fine, for a Hero's job is a hard one, but one with much reward.

"One Kagutsuchi Puffer-Fish, please!" he ordered, hearing from his #1 Disciple that it was quite good, and was looking forward to trying it himself. It was then that he glanced at one of the tables, and raised a brow at one of the customers.

"What is this?" he thought to himself "This one reminds of my cute disciple Taokaka!" He chose to observe Kageo's and Es' table while waiting for his order.

Once he'd gone and seated Es in the chair, the kaka had sat down across the ways from her, being respectful enough to give her room; as despite being newly acquainted he was still quite the stranger. He wasn't sure what to make of his guest so far, she wasn't mean spirited or threatening; it was a rare thing to find in a person in this present time. He was sure that she could defend herself, even with no actual weapon. Though he'd stopped lingering in his thoughts and returned to the presence by politely waving down some help so they could get some service.

It wasn't every day that a kaka had so eloquently asked the nearby waitress to come to the side of the table, he had done so politely and without either annoying her or grating her ears with incessant whining about various dishes he'd love to eat. Kageo was taking his time since he was unsure of what his guest planned to order, so he'd postpone his hunger and ask outright for a drink. "Hi there, miss, if its not too much trouble I'd like a glass of water his voice was calm and composed, as best suited the mood. It was only after he'd asked for the water that he had the strangest feeling that he and his guest were under the gaze of another; though he couldn't be exactly sure with so many people about.

---------(From The Cathedral)------------------->

Rachel had warped away from the Cathedral, as she needed some more action to happen in a very short while. Entering the restaurant, she muttered to herself: "What an uncouth place for me to be..." Inspecting the place with those deep red eyes of hers, she quickly found the object of her attentions for now. There he is...
There indeed he was. Bang Shishigami, the so-called hero of love and justice, actually barely more than a buffoon for now in her arrogant opinion. Rachel ignored the waiters around her, walking straight towards the manliest vigilante Kagutsuchi had known in all of its history.
"Excuse me, Mister Shishigami, but you have little time to waste. History is written today, and I shall require your presence for a simple matter." She was obviously hiding the truth: which was she was going to have him face (and maybe weaken) Hakumen before Ragna would come to face him. She presumed that for Bang it would just be like putting his sense of justice to the test. "Shall you come with me.?"

Bang was about to go approach Kageo's table when he noticed a young girl in a black dress with blonde hair tied into pigtails approach her.

"Hello, little girl! Are you lost?" He said to her with his usual wide grin. He was about to ask if he can help find her parents when she spoke, speaking of history being written and requesting his assistance on a certain matter.

"What is this task you set before me?" The Ninja of Love and Justice asked with exuberance "I, Bang Shishigami, shall go through any lengths to accomplish whatever comes my way! For Love and Justice!"

The man had a loud speaking voice, even louder than Ragna's yelling. Rachel found it annoying, but she could bear with it, if only for the fact that she wouldn't be hearing it very long. But he also held deep ideals of justice and a willpower reminiscent of that of the Reaper. He could be very entertaining to see.

"If you would be so kind as to follow me..." She'd walk to the small corridor leading to the toilet so that they'd remain unseen as she opened a black portal that would lead to another justiciary, one that was much more powerful than the man she has been talking to: the Silver Knight, the leader of the Six Heroes: Hakumen. "The stakes are high for this encounter. Are you ready?" She'd ask as she walked into the portal, waiting for him to follow her and meet that what could be his doom or his ticket to power.

------------(To the Underground Elevators, NOL Headquarters)---------------->

Bang blinks at the portal Rachel just made, then back at Kageo's and Es' table.

"They will have to wait another time." The Ikarugan Ninja thought as he began walking towards the portal. He did not know what awaited him beyond, but he knew this: He would face whatever opponents he had head on, just like always.

"I AM READY!" he roared as he stepped into the portal, unaware of what destiny had in store for him.

(To the Underground!)

Es briefly watched the conversation between the strange, brawny man and the mysterious girl in the background, before they both disappeared in a portal which could only be spartial transfer.
She sat over Kageo, and as she was poked for an order, she nodded quickly.
"I would like some water too, thank you."
She then turned her attention back to Kageo, who was still a bit mysterious to her.
"You´re still very kind for offering me this, even though we don´t really know each other... is there something i can do in return?"

The kaka blinked at the response at first, though he'd realized that she was quite serious, offering him something in turn was a little surprising. He'd been taken advantage of a few times for such kind acts, while he was reserved; if he felt that he could trust someone he tended to be quite kind to them. He was one to ask for the simplest of things as it was, so he'd figured this wouldn't be much of an issue.

"Perhaps just keep me in mind, its a rare thing for me to have a friend around." the simplest of things was really nice in mind, he'd just let his face beam with a light smile, well if he could be friends with Es, it would be a nice open to his day thus far.

Es smiled a bit, Kageo was a really polite and caring person, that would be for sure.
Could she trust him? It would make things much simpler if she could talk to someone about her situation... yes, she decided, he was trustworthy enough. But she would take things slow.
"Kageo... i wish to tell you a secret about me, in return for your kindness. Are you able to keep it?"

Hearing her offering such a deeply important thing like a secret, the kaka leaned over the table while he let both of his eyes resting on her; gently open with a curious gaze within them. He'd offered her a gentle nod and spoke the words he was sure she'd prefer to hear, ones that he meant. "I will keep whatever secret you give me, Es, as your friend you deserve nothing less." he was already there declaring her his friend since she had not rejected the prospect. He smiled again in hopes to show it off, fully sure of his convictions in this matter.

Es nodded slightly and took a deep breath- how would Kageo react to what she would tell him?
She folded her hands and looked at him, before sighing out the breath she took.
"I`m... you might have noticed i am not very knowledgable about the daily life here... in truth i am not from this world at all, not from this time anyway... The last date i had recorded to be active at was December of 2052... as i have seen so far, thats 147 years in the past. As to how i´ve survived this long and returned here, thats a far more complicated and unbelieveable story... i`ve been in the boundary for the time being and returned here recently due to the actions of someone named Kokonoe, who withdrew a very large amount of energy from the boundary and extracted me shortly after..."
Es`s eyes narrowed as she looked at Kageo, unaware that he worked for said Kokonoe.
"Please, tell no one of this. I do not wish to be found and examined, or used as a weapon- despite being designed to be one."

At first the kaka was very silent, absorbing several key facts that she'd given him: she was from another dimension or at the very least another time? The concept was sound in theory but certainly nothing that he could say he knew to believe. She had survived in the boundary which clearly meant that she was like the Prime Field Devices that he'd studied when growing up. Though that topic often drove him to feel cold inside, he shivered visibly when thinking of the man responsible for their creation and his conception as an idea. It wasn't until he'd heard 'Kokonoe' spoken that he realized the Professor had brought her back. He hadn't received any orders of a kind...but he knew what it might lead to down the road: unless the Professor had not realized it, the word would be to return Es to Headquarters. He was already conflicted at first and had shut his eyes a moment, with both sleeves pressed together before him as if in prayer.

After about 68 seconds, his eyes opened up and his face was beaming with a very soft smile, his mind made up about what he'd do for his new friend; regardless of what response regarding it that he might get. "Es-chan, if I may call you such, Your secret is safe with me. I myself...I am designed as a tool, but we..." he gestured with his left sleeve to her and to himself. "Are beyond design, I think...you're beyond what you started off as. I will not say a word about your secret." he was asking for trouble and knew it, but it might not be so bad if he played the fool; he'd be willing to even for an almost complete stranger. Friendship was held in high regards by Kageo, even on the border of trouble it may have brought with it.

Es noticed before how Kageo´s body was partially mechanical, and when he showed her the old technology which looked like the most recent, high tech stuff to her, she was already seeing that her assumption was correct.
For probably the first time since they met, Es smiled in return.
"Thank you, Kageo. I think its better for the world if people do not know who i truely am."
An Embryo Storage unit, a prototype Murakumo, a living weapon created by the same people who later created the Black Beast... no. No one needed to know that, not even Kageo.
But most of all, this Kokonoe person... the ludicrous amount of thermonuclear warheads she had detected inside the laboratory in the brief moment she was there led her to believe that she couldn´t be a good person. No decent person had to resort to mass murder.

Nodding to her gently, he'd smiled a little brighter upon her returning the smile. While he hadn't fully understood what she was, it hardly mattered, she had not wanted others to know and that was fine with him. While she had fled from the Professor, he knew that this itself was not without reason of its own; Es needed to come into her own and to grasp the world on her own terms. Much like he had, once the higher ups at S7 held him in less regard due to his failure to complete a combat objective. His retrieval talents were one of the few things that kept others from getting on his case, though as he pushed the unpleasant thoughts from his mind and returned to the place at hand.

"So Es-chan, shall we...enjoy our meal here? We are freshly acquainted and I think with this, it will be a more pleasant meal." with his word on keeping her promise, the kaka was all but happy to present the opportunity to enjoy a meal again, now with a steady friend in mind; it had pleased him greatly to know that he had an upstanding person who shared a few bonds with him (as far as he was concerned.).

Es... smiled a bit, slowly starting to trust Kageo enough to let him in on her miserable situation.
"You are right- its more pleasent when you know who you´re dealing with."
As the drinks arrived, Es bowed her head to the waitress and took a sip after a few seconds of wait, enjoying the cold taste down her throat- it felt like an eternity since she felt that.
"...and now you know why i`m a bit odd, and not too knowledgeable about this world..." She looked down a bit. A lot of this world was foreign to her, and she couldn`t help but be embarressed by that.

As the kaka watched her enjoy the cool liquid, his observations remained just that, a gentle visual gaze of silence. Though his features remained painted by the smile of amusement, she'd hear him offer her something encouraging, though it was after he too shared a drink of water, "Well, Don't worry too much about that Es-chan, hopefully you'll come to explore this world and while only some things have changed; perhaps you'll find a thing or two you like in it. And of course, if you've any questions while we eat, I will share the knowledge if I possess it." he'd felt giddy, this was his first real time with someone who accepted him as he was. The fact of that seemed to be enough to just make the potential meal that much better.

"There isn´t much to like so far. The world has become a lot smaller and millions of people are dead, but not a single mind has changed." Es muttered, taking a sip of her drink. In her time, people were dreaming about a future without war or poverty, but it turned out to be quite the opposite.
"I will probably need one of those new weapons if things are as bad as they seem. My old weapon has been lost in the midst of time."
Or actually, in the boundary, but that was pretty much the same thing.

"I admit that...much is gone, but there are still...well a few things, its not much, but the simpler things can be kinda nice. Some of the areas in this city even are worth just seeing again and again." Hid mind briefly drifting to the hanging gardens and other areas that he'd often go in free time, he wandered a lot whenever not actively hunting bounties or on duty. Searching for treasure or valuables...though he'd allowed his mind to focus more on the path before his new friend. Hearing her make mention of picking a good weapon, did he give her enough? He'd considered a thought of his being able to analyze the ars armagus on a store shelf, he'd done so in his spare time when looking for a subpar spear he could use for hunting bounties, he'd have preferred to leave his actual spear hidden...maybe he could help her more? "While I am certain of your ability to choose things, perhaps you'd like company to the store? If not that is alright, I suppose I'm just giddy about a real friend." it really wasn't the best thing for him to be just thinking about helping his friend, but at once since he was presently not on call, he'd had nothing better to do.

The food was arriving now as he spoke, there the waitress in question setting down the ordered goods, that was actually quick for a change! He wondered what about today was so different?

"Thats true, having a friend is nice like that... but is it really that exciting to have a friend as boring as me?" Es asked, referring to her monotoneous voice and rather boring conversation subjects.
Indeed, she was not the best company one could have but he didn´t seem to mind.
As the food arrived, she scanned over it briefly, as if looking if it was poisoned, but of course, it wasn`t, and she felt a bit silly for doing that. Instead, when the waitress left, she watched her leave with curious interest- she too was bearing cat ears and a tail, but unlike Kageo, didn`t bother to hide it.
"Thats odd... your race seems to be more shy about showing your cat features than others." She noted, unaware of the sexual appeal of catgirls to men.

"You aren't so boring Es, I mean perhaps there's not much to share, but that just means finding out about you, will most certainly be more fun down the road." He was sure that there would be more things of interest to pick up. As after witnessing the kaka waitress walking off, did he briefly eye her before turning back to Es as she spoke. She would find him gently nodding, though he was briefly distracted by the scent of the food, having his nose guiding his mind ever so briefly since it all smelled so good. He'd taken the next moment a chance to respond.

"We are very shy about revealing ourselves to complete strangers. Some of us more than others, as in my case...I just find it easier to hide some of my other features whenever I'm active. Makes me seem less like what people outside actually expecting." he was just meaning about keeping a low profile much like his training had for it. Though as he seemed to move onto their meal, Kageo was very pleased with the dishes and had inhaled the scent. "Smells wonderful.~"