Match of the Millennium

Description: Their first date, where they have good food, and talk about important things. Will there be some faux pas?

[KENZO]
After their respective matches ended with both of them victorious, there was a requirement for them to account for training schedules. Team Metal's training staff seems to have taken on the responsibility of training their fighters for as long as their charges still are in the tournament.

Their schedules finally lined up and so Kenzo and Djamila head to the Vito's hand in hand. Once inside, the hostess greets them before taking them to a booth for privacy. Several patrons look at them and wave considering the two are minor celebrities. Kenzo does wave on occasion but he's going out of his way not to get noticed. He doesn't want to draw attention but being who they are it was bound to happen. In the future he's going to wear a hat or something. This whole celebrity thing is something he's going to have to get used to... eventually.

When Djamila sits down does so as well and then goes to look at the menu.

"I recall you having ate here before. Is there something you either had in mind to try or had liked from before?"

[DJAMILA]
She is in a royal purple dress with thigh highs, though one might think they are pantyhoses since the top is hidden by the dress ending at her knee. It's not something that has been seen in her before. But she wanted to make it special for Kenzo.

But even then, her blindfold is there, and she has her staff, as it serves like a cane when she's tired, and she seems very attached to it.

She's happy they could have some time together now. It's not always easy with fights and training. Also life. She has friends, and Kenzo has friends. But it makes being with him even better when they have the time.

She makes her staff stand up and smiles at Kenzo. "I have, twice, with friends though. I know how to behave with friends." She giggles, and she uses her memory to recall the items on the menu. "I would like to try the 'Pollo Rollatini Valle d'Aosta'." She says. Her Italian is not that great, but she's trying. "If I recall correctly, it is chicken stuffed with mushrooms, prosciutto, mozzarella & onions, in a light marsala wine sauce." It sounds delicious..." After a moment. "I can't read the menu. I am going from memory." She smiles sheepishly. "It's written too small. "

"Have you come here before?" She ends up giggling. "If I do something wrong, you can tell me, I am not experienced with this as you know and I've been going at it by instinct and hesitation." She smiles. "I am just happy to be here with you." She relaxes a bit in her seat after saying that.

[KENZO]
"While I ate here before after my fight with Chevy, I wanted to see if something jumped out at me if I were to look at the menu though I am open to suggestions."

Kenzo on the other hand does look at the menu with his eyes showing through his smart glasses. After a few moments of studying the menu, Kenzo places his menu on the table.

"You know... I think people would be surprised to hear you say that instead of me. You don't have to over think it. We're just getting to know each other in a different context. If it helps any, try to think of it as 'friends plus.'

It's at this moment that the waitress arrives wearing all black and carrying a note pad. She says, "Hello, I'm Maria and I will be your waitress for the evening."

She then rattles off a few of the specials that aren't on the menu before eventually being quiet to give them room to order. Kenzo looks over to Djamila to let her order. After all, he's not the type of jerk who would order for her. She is her own person and respects her independence.

[DJAMILA]
"It makes sense." She nods her head. "I will eat anything. But if I have a choice, it depends on my mood at the moment.

She is quiet while he checks the menu. It's not like she needs to talk his ear off every single second.

"Probably. I guess people would expect I've been in a relationship before. But anyone I met on the job is not you. You're special, and I want to be with you as long as possible. With my job, when they are gone, I just forget about them." She sighs. "Too many details? I think you're right anyway. Friends plus works. I never felt what you make me feel. It's so weird but good too."

When Maria presents herself, she nods her head. "Hello, Maria. It's nice to meet you." She listens to the specials and sees if any of them speak to her. So, she orders what she told Kenzo earlier and something to drink. Less Kenzo does have other plans for drinks.

When the waitress has taken his order too and is leaving, she says to Kenzo. "Thank you. You knew what I most likely wanted, yet you've let me say it. It's sweet." She also brought some money, because she doesn't automatically think it's her boyfriend who should pay for everything. She doesn't consider him her personal atm.

She takes a deep breath. "There are a couple of things I would like to talk with you." She fidgets with her hands a bit. "I mean you might have things you wish to talk about too, and I will listen to anything as well." She does smile. She's happy to be here, for sure.

[KENZO]
After Djamila orders, Kenzo raises the menu once more due to knowing what he wanted and where it was but not quite committing the full name of the items to memory. He gives his own order. "I'll take the Bistecca al Calamari Fritti and the Cannelloni di Carne with a ginger ale."

Maria nods in response and then looks at both of them before speaking to them once more. "That'll be good. I will come back with your rolls and your drinks in a moment."

With that the waitress is off, figuratively vanishing much like a ninja.

"It would be an asshole move to order for you even if I knew."

He pauses as he looks towards Djamila's blindfold. It is where the eyes would be otherwise which is why he looks there rather than staring at it like its an oddity.

"It sounds like you have specific things in mind as far as topics. What's on your mind?"

[DJAMILA]
She smiles as she listens to Kenzo's order. Why? She likes his voice. It's pleasant to her ears.

She still nods when Maria says she will be back with their things. "Thank you." It's easy for anyone to vanish because most of her attention is on Kenzo at the moment.

"I know some girls like that, but it would make it look like I can do it on my own. But if you did, I would just tell you my concern, but you're still a gentleman." She smiles.

She notices he looks at her blindfold, and she can't help but smile more. Some people don't know where to look. It seems quite natural to him though.

"I do. First off. You probably heard what happened to Coco. You're next fighting Junko... Congrats on your win by the way, I am proud of you." She smiles, but it quickly fades. "Please be careful with Junko. Because if she hurts you in the same way she did with her, I am going after her, and I will make her regret it, even if it's the last thing I do." She had a soft spot for her, but that could so quickly change. "So yes, please be careful. I will try to be there for your match anyway because NFG security is shit. I was telling. Hawksley about such things a while ago, before the tournament started." Of course, her eyes couldn't show her concern for Kenzo, but perhaps the rest of her face was enough to match what she was saying. "I don't want anything that nasty to happen to you..."

She doesn't go on the second subject right away because it was a completely different thing and tone. She instead waits to see what Kenzo has to say on the matter.

[KENZO]
Kenzo nods in response to whether he heard about Coco. When headline mentions his upcoming opponent's brutality as well as an op-ed in relation to said fight. On one hand, a part of him wonders if it was karmic justice considering what Coco did to Chevy. The other part wonders if Junko had gone beyond that.

"Right now, I'm working on a strategy to specifically address fighting her. Two things of concern are she's got devastating power with what seems to be no control and no desire to control whether or not there's collateral damage. The other concern is that she has a tendency to get up after receiving substantial amounts of damage. I have two different possible strategies to deal with it but I'd like your viewpoint seeing as you have faced her before."

It is at this point that Maria has returned with the basket of rolls and their drinks.

[DJAMILA]
It could be a deep discussion in itself to debate if it was Karmic justice what Junko did to Coco. But her true concern is Kenzo.

She nods again at his assessment of her. "She has great power the NFG don't know how to handle, and she either doesn't know how to handle it either or doesn't want to." She shrugs. "Seems like a lonely life to me though."

She keeps her head leveled, so it almost looks like she is looking into his eyes as well. "Get out of the way if you can. Have something that can withstand the heat if you can't. When she does those nasty attacks, she hurts herself. Also if she got you, if you have a way to do an attack on her that doesn't come directly from you, she might not notice it." She ponders. "It indeed seems in certain circumstances, she manages to get back up when you would think she's out, but the goal is to outlast her because she has her opponent and herself to deal with. That's my take on it. Hope it's helpful, but I will listen to your strategies, and give you an honest opinion. I will still be around if I can. If it's ok with you?"

Then Maria comes back, and she says nothing more on the subject while she is there. She simply thanks her. It might be unladylike, but she goes for a roll right away and takes a bit before she stops. She swallows before she speaks again. "Sorry, hungry. Should have waited until you got one, too. Or maybe feed you one?" She smiles sheepishly. "Well, I guess you get to know me and my manners. I don't think I am totally normal, or maybe not close to normal. What you see is what you get."

[KENZO]
Kenzo nods and quietly thanks the waitress before he reaches for the basket to grab a roll as well before taking a bite.

"That seemed to be my take as well. I have been working on some things to offer a better protection should I need it but as far as my two strategies, the first option is to go after her stamina at a pivotal point and try starve the flames of oxygen, or hold off until the point where she gets up after having taken significant amounts of damage an see if I can drag her into deep waters at that point."

"He then takes another bite of his roll before following with a sp of his soft drink."

[DJAMILA]
She listens to Kenzo, eating the roll quietly while he announces his strategists. She nods as she swallows her latest bite so she can answer him.

"The flames or the anger seems to keep her going pretty well. Now, if you have a gadget or something to drain her and the oxygen, I could see it working. Then again, you're the techwiz here." She smiles. "As for the water, well, assuming you can do it, would the water win, or would her flames win? I think she might boil the water instead and, at best, get out or get hurt more and be stronger for it. We also don't fight the same way so..." She stops to think a moment. "I would go with the first option, personally. But during the fight, your instinct might tell you to go for the second. I would trust your instinct then."

A moment of silence. "I know you can win but if you lose, it's ok. As long as you are one piece. I won't think less of you." Now, after this, she finally takes a sip of her drink. It looks like a juice of some kind.

[KENZO]
The ninja lets out a slight, amused but not condescending laugh.

"I wasn't being literal when I said that." He takes another bite of his roll, chews and then swallows before continuing. "When I said starve the flames of oxygen, I was talking about attempting to tire her out but also referring to her use of flames when she fights. If she's having trouble breathing, she'll have a harder time using those flames. As for deep waters, that's also a figure of speech that essentially means tiring her out. I guess it's said due being a location where you have to constantly use energy to move around or even keep their head above water unlike shallow waters where a person can put their feet on the ground and use almost no energy."

Kenzo looks Djamila in her blindfold as he sips his soda.

"Put simply, both of my strategies are to tire her out. Where they differ is /when/ I attempt to tire her out. Do I attempt to tire her out before she bounces back from the damage or after?"

[DJAMILA]
she laughs too. "And here I am taking it literally because I thought you might have invented a couple of devices to do literally that." She laughs some more. "OK, take two. I think you might want to do the first option anyway. Sure, she can get up, but wouldn't it be already taking its toll on her? I mean, I don't know exactly how it works for her. When she went down in our match, she didn't get back up. That's because I hit hard." She would give him a wink if she could, but alas.

"Sorry I misunderstood you." She smiles, and then she reaches with her hand toward is site of the table, presumably looking for his own hand. She doesn't say anything about it, but she's not exactly subtle. Her hand is there. "Kick her ass love, show her the fighter you are."

[KENZO]
Kenzo finishes the last bite of that roll that he was eating. He brushes the crumbs off of his finger tips and then takes the napkin to his lips before replacing it on his lap. That is when he notices the hand reaching out for his own. He takes her hand in his and smiles.

"I wonder if I should make a fire smothering foam that has conductive metal suspended in it so I can use my electric energy through it."

He lets his imagination run wild for a bit before eventually letting himself return back to earth. Something she said earlier comes to mind.

"As for Hawksley, you have a match coming up against him. Do you have a strategy in mind for him?"

[DJAMILA]
She gives his hand a squeeze when he ends up taking her hand in his, it makes her smile more as well, the roll forgotten for a moment.

She listens to Kenzo's idea. "If you can make that, it would be cool. It sounds useful as well. I think it's worth a shot if it doesn't take you away from training some too." Giving an honest opinion as best as she can.

She gives another squeeze of his hand as there is a moment of silence. She is happy right now.

When he asks about Hawksley, she ponders. "He's strong, he has fire, and he beat me by a hair at the tournament. I will try to make him eat his own fire when the time is right. And hit hard enough so he doesn't get back up. " A blush comes to her cheek. "Just for our match, I want him to wake up after." She giggles a bit. "I promise."

There is another pause from her, and then she says. "Kenzo, you have to go back to Southtown to finish your school there, yeah?" Yes, she is changing the subject, not because she doesn't want to think of her match with Hawksley, but because there has been something else on her mind.

[KENZO]
"Accurate assessment right there but I have to add one more thing. He is a creative and resourceful brawler. Try to keep him in the ring if at all possible. If he ends up outside of the ropes he has access to all sorts of improvised weaponry like, steel folding chairs and ring bells and the like. And giving him options is like giving an arsonist a match."

Kenzo remains silent as she speaks. It would appear that Djamila has another topic in mind to discuss.

"Yes. I have a couple years left at Southtown University. Why?"

[DJAMILA]
She does take the time to answer Kenzo. "I will try that, but if he wants to use chairs and the like, I can do so too. I am aware of my surroundings, I just haven't needed to use what's around me much. My staff and my wind have been enough most time, except in the rumble, using some of the stones was fun." She grins. "You realize if I beat Hawksley and you beat Junko, we face one another next?" The other matter is still on her mind, but now she thinks about this again, which is also something to think about.

"Would you be happy if I moved to Southtown? I don't mean we have to live together or anything. It's not me trying to impose myself on you. But I would like to stay close to you. I would find my own place and a job there. I mean you know. But I want to ask you first, if you don't want that, I won't force the issue. It wouldn't be fair." She sighs. A bit nervous about this.

[KENZO]
"If we come up against each other, I would expect you to come after me with everything you've got and I'm pretty sure you would read me the riot act if I didn't fight you to the best of my abilities. Am I correct in my assumption?"

Engineer looks at the dancer with one eyebrow raised as he expects her to say something on that part. No other words are needed on that particular topic as far as Kenzo is concerned... At least from him.

The other topic, however, needs more words. In fact considering what Kenzo knows about Djamila's desires as far work is concerned, questions are needed. One immediately springs to mind.

"Have you looked at club locations there?"

[DJAMILA]
About the first subject, Djamila nods her head. "You got it. It's exactly that, so we have no problem. May the best win at that time if it happens." She grins. She can't help it. It would be cool in a way, and Kenzo gets it." She gives another squeeze to his hand.

I know there is a Hostess Club. I know it's not the same, but I should be exotic enough to be hired if I can't find a stripping job right away. I didn't search deeply, as I wanted to talk with you first. I didn't want to make it sound like... 'Hey Kenzo, I am coming with you, I have a job already, and I am already renting a place, and you have no choice but to say yes to this.'. I needed to talk with you first, without you having any pressure to accept, and able to tell me freely if you would rather not I come there. It's not only about what I want after all. You matter a lot to me Kenzo. I think we will work out, but it has to be a decision together, not me pressuring you."

[KENZO]
"Southtown is a fairly big city. Even if you were to have everything set up before talking to me about it, it isn't like it would require anything on my part to deal with it. You are an old enough woman that you can make your own decisions where you work and where you live."

There is however another thing that Kenzo wants to mention but he also wants to take a moment to carefully consider the words he says.

"That being said, it's a huge compliment that you wanted to move closer to me. I thought there might be a distinct possibility that it might be a long distance relationship while I was still in school and that I might have to use Neo League matches as a reason to visit you. I'm glad that wasn't the case."

[DJAMILA]
"That's true, but on the principle of things, I don't need to move there, except to be closer to you. It's something I want, but if you would have said no, then I wouldn't move there. I probably would have gone back to what I consider my family then. Now that I know you are good with it, I can really look into things." She looks really happy, right now.

"I hope you will forgive me because it's probably too soon to say that. I don't know. But I love you and I want to spend time with you and see how far we can make it. Hopefully very far, but we at least need a chance to do so. Stopping your school with how gifted mentally you are is not something I would even consider. So going with you is the best way, and I am happy to do it. I will live in a new place. That's always fun. A new beginning of a sort for me while doing what I enjoy, or close to what I enjoy. It will work out. I so want to kiss you right now." She smiles. "I really want this. You just need to know that." She was as honest as could be. Feeling better more in control of something, she isn't really used it yet

[KENZO]
Kenzo raises an eyebrow at the 'L' word. He, on the other hand, think it's too early to say love when this is the first actual date they've been on even if they've been around each other since Sunshine City. He personally would like to work up to that point.

"I want to spend time with you as well. I'm looking forward to getting to know the things you like and finding new places for you to enjoy in Southtown."

The waitress arrives with their plates of food and a smile on her face. When she leaves, Kenzo digs right into the food.

[DJAMILA]
She doesn't ask him back, she is aware she said it early, but this is how she feels. So she was honest about it. She hesitates, but it is always what works best for her. To be straight to the point.

"That sounds good. You must know a lot about Southtown, so you will have to show me a lot." She smiles. "I've only been to Southtown for the first tournament. But I know someone who has a shop there. I might try to find her." She has released her hand by now.

The food comes. "Thank you for the food." SHe digs in too. This big talk made her hungry. "I am happy to be here with you. Thank you." She says very softly, then she focuses on the food for the time being.

Log created on 12:29:38 11/09/2023 by Djamila, and last modified on 16:54:08 11/10/2023.