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 Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:53 pm
It had been about a week and a half since Jett gave her his number and she'd held onto it. She wasn't lying about being a busy girl between school, work, the library, and her own personal breakdown. She was slowly recovering with her mother’s and Tony’s help. Harmony was beginning to feel a bit like her old self again. The further away her death was the more distant it seemed. She was getting used to the idea that she was solidly alive again and that wasn’t going to change at the whim of anyone else again. The idea that she wasn’t going to be whisked away from her home again, too, was slowly settling in. It might never be forgotten but she was trying to escape it and not live in fear.
She found herself with free time tonight and the prospect of seeing Jett again excited her. She’d heard from the girls at work that he’d stopped in on her day off and ordered tea. Only see could make “his” drink. No one else quite had her recipes. She picked up her phone at home and dialed his number to invite him to meet her for dinner about an hour later. When he agreed she grinned, thinking this very close to being a date and gave him the address of her favorite place. It was a quiet sushi bar that served other things for the less adventurous crowd.
She stood out front, waiting, watching the people of Destiny City go by. She’d dressed up for the event, wearing something more than her usual apron and school uniform. Her own style was classically funky with a few daring risks. She liked to keep herself on her toes, fashionably speaking. The night wasn’t too terribly cold but she did shiver as a breeze sped by cutting through her clothing. She wished she’d decided to put on black tights rather than opting for bare legs.
For a terrifying second she envisioned him standing her up and what a terrible thing that would be.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:27 pm
A sushi restaurant was not Jett’s ideal place to head for dinner; he was more of a red meat kind of guy than a raw fish one, but the fact of the matter was that Harmony really couldn’t have called at a better time. He had already decided early that morning that he wasn’t going to go out and collect energy so that he could give himself time to heal up from the bruises he’d been collecting, and his mother was at a conference until Monday. He hadn’t wanted to cook for himself, and for as much as he’d prefer a well cooked steak, he’d take sushi with a pretty girl over peanut butter and jelly sandwich alone, any day.
So far as dressing up, he’d been somewhat slacking; being a guy meant that he didn’t have to worry about makeup, or pretty dresses and wearing the right shoes. Jett easily got away with a pair of black jeans, a loosely buttoned gray shirt with a white undershirt. It was a bit brisk, so he’d grabbed a jacket before heading over to meet Harmony.
Finding the place wasn’t too difficult; he had his phone for GPS in case he got lost, but fortunately didn’t struggle to arrive on time. He was two minutes early when he showed up, and almost walked right past Harmony while fiddling with his phone. He came to an abrupt halt a step away from her and looking up, blinking.
Certainly her attire of choice was far different from the uniform he’d seen her in, and despite her style, which he deemed a bit odd, her clothes were ultimately very flattering. “Well, now. You certainly look a little dressed up,” he noted, clearly opting out of a typical greeting. He was a bit chilly even with his jacket and pants on, so either Harmony had a strong tolerance to the cold or was a masochist that enjoyed freezing her a** off. He noticed her shivering and moved to open the door to the restaurant, gesturing for her to go inside before she caught a cold. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long?” he prompted, wondering why she would have subjected herself to the cold when there was a nice, warm room right here.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:55 pm
Harmony had an usually high tolerance to cold. She didn't know why but usually everyone was asking her if she felt cold to which she'd give them a puzzled look. Her mother blamed her heated personality, always hot blooded and hot tempered. She didn't see it that way and though she was apt to listen to her mother more since returning from space she still didn't believe her 100% of the time. It was quite the ordeal but that didn't change everything about her. Harmony still knew what was best for herself and right now that included being in front of this restaurant waiting for Jett.
When she spotted him weaving through the crowd a grin split her face. Of course he wasn't as dressed up as she was. Boys didn't tend to worry about that sort of thing. She wasn't very cold but all the same she was happy when he opened the door and led them both into the place to eat. She noticed his jacket, though, and wondered if she should have brought one of her own.
"I wasn't waiting very long. Don't worry. I only just got here a few minutes ago."
Maybe it was a few more than a few but she wasn't going to tell him that. She looked around the place. It was small, quiet, with a bar up front and tables scattered around. Usually she ate at the bar because she liked to be able to see what the chefs were doing. Instead of the bar she chose a table and sat them both down at it. Most of the staff knew her and her usual waitress smiled. A moment later fragrant green tea was served at the table. The mint haired girl smiled and nodded a greeting.
"Kon ban wa, Hitomi-san. Arigato." She motioned to her companion with a hand. "This is Jett."
Hitomi gave him a polite greeting and asked Harmony if she wanted the usual starter, which, of course, she did. She'd brought Jett here for one reason: this was where she'd learned about flavor and how it relates to people. She planned on giving him a lesson. But he looked a little less than impressed by her choice. She frowned a little.
"They have a non-sushi menu if you're not comfortable. But if you trust me I'd like to take you through a pretty good meal. Just don't ask what anything is until after you've tasted it. Ok?"
He'd trusted her at the coffeehouse but raw fish was somewhat different. Food always had subtle differences and she knew that now. Texture, smell, flavor...it's all different and all plays a part. He wanted to know about her: this was a good place to begin.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:16 am
The restaurant seemed classy enough; if it had been some little hovel, Jett might have been more inclined to avoid anything on the menu, but the fact of the matter was that it seemed like a nice enough joint. It had a comfortable atmosphere, and no one really looked like they were suffering, so he was somewhat put at ease.
Jett had only just taken his seat and was still adjusting to get comfortable when Harmony addressed him; he wasn’t to be caught off guard and, despite the fact that he’d have preferred a palette that he wasn’t as ignorant to, at least she hadn’t taken him to some place serving fried monkey brains. “Not comfortable, me? Harmony, you’re joking,” he said, flashing her a smile. “You haven’t let me down yet, so go wild.”
Her warning not to ask what anything was hadn’t intimidated him, though had certainly made him somewhat wary of what they were going to bring out. So far as he knew, sushi was just raw fish—and that, he could handle. He’d eaten plenty of things raw—albeit not necessarily because it was a cuisine. Sometimes cooking was just too much of an effort. At least here they were professionals—and he could sue if he got sick.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:19 am
Harmony didn't mind if he didn't. She ate here when she could...on special occasions and usually charmed the staff so much they gave her a discount. It was safe to say Harmony had always lead somewhat of a charmed life but you wouldn't know that by talking to her about her past and her mother. Two subjects she was more reluctant to broach these days. So, instead, she mindlessly poured tea for them both, watching him with a wide grin on her lips. He'd given her just the answer she'd wanted to hear. In her way of thinking ordering off the plain menu meant wussing out and missing some truly amazing cuisine. She was no expert on the stuff but it was really good in her opinion.
"Good! That's just what I wanted to hear." she admitted. "I was afraid for a second there that our night was going to be ruined."
Obviously Harmony was a girl with a plan and wanted that plan to stick. She poured some ponzu into her bowl, not soy, and added a little green onion to it. She did the same for him, not asking if that's what he wanted. He said he trusted her and she stuck to that. When in Rome and all that. When their first course came it was on three small plated. Baked mussels with ponzu and chili sauce, a roll with obviously raw fish inside and out but drizzled with other ingredients, and then something tamer by comparison with tempura tuna and crab inside and crunchy stuff outside.
"You wanted to know how I learned about flavors. You wanted to know about me. This is the only place you can learn. This is where I learned about flavor. And about how it relates to what you can see in people."
She picked up her chopsticks, a lacquered set, and dipped them both in the sauce before picking up one of the crunchy looking pieces of sushi. She offered it out to him playfully, thinking he'd like it even though the sauce drizzled over it was slightly sweet. A little sweet among the savory was a fine thing in moderation. She knew and appreciated that.
"I thought, coming here, I'd give you one of the same lessons I learned - how to distinguish different flavors in a combination."
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:01 pm
“Is that so?” Jett prompted, more conversationally than actually curious. He was still taking in the place while he listened to Harmony, though his hand had found its way to the chopsticks in front of him. Though Chinese food was not his preferred meal, he was not inexperienced with chopsticks, and his affinity for ordering Chinese food at odd hours of the night had left him with far too many hours to play with them.
He might not have spoken Japanese or been able to play food psychic, but he knew how to use chopsticks and wasn’t going to let Harmony best him at everything. It might have just been male pride to prove that he wasn’t totally helpless or out of his own element, so he pinched the wood between his fingers and plucked the sushi from her. He drew it up to his eyes, taking in the sight of the strange little morsel. He avoided the temptation to wrinkle his nose at the aroma, but wasn’t going to show obvious displeasure in front of Harmony since she seemed to put a hell of a lot of thought into this already.
Before he could talk himself out of sampling the piece, he popped it into his mouth. He wasn’t a huge fish person, particularly raw fish, but he nibbled with an open mind and found that, while he probably wouldn’t find himself craving sushi again in the very near future, it wasn’t God-awful. It took him a few bites to take in the flavor—and, admittedly, it worked well together. Upon swallowing, he nodded.
He didn’t know what he’d just eaten, but he knew that it was good—for raw fish and whatever else it was. Lowering his chopsticks, he nodded once more and ran his tongue over his teeth to lick away the last bit of flavor from the bite. “You impress me, Harmony, you have fantastic taste. You know, one of these days I’ll have to take you out to dinner and let you taste my food. Now, I’ve already eaten it, tell me what it is you’ve fed me.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:04 pm
She wasn't surprised when he plucked the sushi from her chopsticks with his own. Using chopsticks was a fairly common skill to have. It might have been more effective if she'd been able to feed him, as intended, but this worked out as well. Really, they didn't know each other very well and he was showing her an extraordinary amount of trust already. But, at least she wasn't a dull person. She was proving that the more time they spent together.
She almost laughed as he inspected the piece of sushi, as if it contained something foreign and unpleasant. It didn't smell bad and didn't contain raw fish. She didn't start him out on that level. She was kinder than that but still...he was braving something he obviously wasn't used to for her. It was flattering and kind of cute. She turned her head to hide the snicker.
"It seems I'm consistently impressing you." she returned, smiling softly. That made her happy since she was growing to like him a lot. Which could be dangerous.
She leaned back when he'd chewed and swallowed, taking a sip of her tea and making him wait for her explanation. A coy expression was plastered on her cute face, eyes trained on him. When he mentioned a second date that grin got wider and inside she felt a warm tingle settling into her belly. She was really starting to like him in a very serious way. Sometimes it didn't take much and he seemed to get her and was easy to talk to. He made her feel normal in her weird existence.
"A second date. Sure. Now what you just ate was pretty tame. It was tempura shrimp, cucumber, crab, and avocado with some sweet eel sauce on the top. Nothing raw about it."
She took one up for herself and popped it into her mouth. It was sweet and yummy, the same as it was every other time. She ordered the roll every time she came here and pointed to the mussels with her chop sticks. They were probably cool enough to pick up by now.
"Those are baked green mussels with ponzu and chili sauce with a little green onion."
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:34 pm
The only mussels Jett liked were his muscles, but he wasn’t about to let a little sea food get the best of him. He nodded towards them, puckered his lips just slightly in thought, and then scooped one up. Again, he examined the morsel with a bit of skepticism, this time a bit more questioning given the fact that it was in a shell. The sauce covered up the smell of the mussels—if it ever had one to begin with—and though Jett was still vague on what Ponzu sauce was, he wasn’t going to draw attention to the fct that, yet again, he still wasn’t sure what he was eating.
Honest, he said in a good natured voice, “I’d rather a baked potato with butter, salt, dab of cream cheese, sprinkled with cheddar and coated in bacon, but,” he set the mussel down on the plate and carefully peeled it from its shell before lifting the miniature mouthful to his lips. He was rather eager to get it out of his sight.
The texture of the thing was nearly revolting, but Jett kept a straight face—smiled, even—while he chewed it, though was careful to chew it on only one side of his mouth. He swallowed while it was only half chewed, not wanting to tempt himself to spit it back out. The warm lump traveled down his throat with little difficulty, and he reached for the glass of water the waiter had supplied and took a fair sip to shove the rest of the mussel down.
Lifting a napkin, he dabbed at his lips and then flashed another smile at Harmony, eager to forget about the mussel. “Certainly a unique flavor. Much like yourself. Though, I assume you’re a far friendlier flavor than any sort of mussel, no matter how dressed up it might be. Tell me, how did a nice young thing like you end up so familiar with such cuisine? You spoke to the waiter easily enough, do you speak Japanese or do you just know the formalities?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 2:18 pm
Watching him was becoming quite the experience. The chili sauce should have dull the flavor, mixing with the sweet and slightly sour taste of the ponzu and the oceanic taste of the mussels. She was rather fond of this variation of the way they were cooked rather than coated with mayonnaise and cheese as she saw in some places. Still, he didn't seem to enjoy them at all. She picked up her own shell, taking the meat and sauce right out of it by tilting the shell to her lips as was common. You got everything that way...the full bite.
"Baked potatoes are good. Steak is good. Italian food is very good. I like all of those things." She paused and watched him from beneath her bangs. She took another piece of the tempura sushi and ate that, too, happy enough to take her time with the cuisine. Honestly, if he didn't enjoy it she wasn't going to force the stuff on him. Her palette enjoyed clean flavors. Sushi, she found was very clean tasting and hardly ever fishy smelling. The only thing that had too strong a taste for her was salmon, which she avoided. "I don't know. I never shied away from sushi. It's got this unique combination of flavors that appeals to me. All sorts of tastes in perfect harmony."
"I know enough to order and greet people. I can thank them, too, but who can't? It's the progressive influence of the Japanese culture on Americans, I think." she added with a cheeky grin. She felt sassy around him. He brought that out in her, the ability to be playful and know he wasn't going to take it the wrong way or get offended by her flirtation. He liked to play the game, too, she knew.
She dropped her voice next, though, being coy and deciding she really wanted to take the chance. She liked him and was giving him all but a written invitation to show her he liked her, too. He seemed to, no matter how wacky she was or what she was getting him into. It was a good sign.
"And I happen to taste very good but you'll have to find out for yourself."
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:03 pm
Noting that on their next encounter, it might be a good idea to let him plan it—not because Harmony wasn’t good at it—just because he’d love to be the one gushing over food. Harmony once again didn’t have bad taste, but perhaps it was a bad mussel once or twice in his youth that left him with a grudge against them—you just couldn’t go wrong with a nice steak, though. Still, even if the food had been awful, and if he’d choked on everything and broken out in hives from some unknown allergy, at least Harmony was making it worth it.
He haddn’t been on a date that was so much fun in a while; she certainly wasn’t the blushing schoolgirl type—of which he usually found their innocence and ignorance to be quite annoying. She had clearly developed into her own person already and was unique enough that he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from her.
Like, for example, this.
He lowered his chopstcks to his plate and rested his arms atop the table, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward. “Let’s see, what was it that you said—‘All sorts of taste in perfect Harmony’, hmm?” he asked, smile dancing on his face. “Well, Harmony, I certainly didn’t see you on the menu. But since you’ve made the offer, now I’ve got my interest piqued. What, exactly, would I have to do to get a taste of you?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:36 pm
Well, that was certainly forward of him and he certainly seemed interested. In fact, that was the exact opposite of shying away. His play on words, while not exactly inventive, was charming and worked perfectly in the moment. The coy smile on her face had no chance of leaving now. She set her chopsticks to the side like he had and considered his question honestly.
She wasn't like most girls and people either got along with that or they didn't. She enjoyed a variety of things and being around different people. She had unique tastes in hobbies, habits, food, and clothes but the biggest virtue in this was that she knew who she was. She didn't have to keep searching. This was her and she owned it completely, unashamed and unafraid of others acceptance.
She leveled her gaze at him.
"All you have to do is ask, Jett."
She felt a tingle from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. The thrill of excitement and of the unknown. She wanted him to kiss her and knew that's what this seemed to be leading up to. Hell, she'd practically told him to kiss her. He could ask practically anything right now as enamored and lost in the moment as she was. It was playful and also terribly romantic.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:24 pm
For as much as Jett loved a challenge, Jett had been enjoying the time he spent with Harmony. She kept everything alive and well, and if he got a kiss out of it—well, hell. He wasn’t going to complain. What was the harm in a little kiss, anyway? Especially since she’d offered, he’d have been a fool to refuse.
Smile still playing on his lips, he quirked an eyebrow. “As simple as that, just ask?”
He wasn’t really the type of guy to ask for something—he took what he wanted and played coy when he had to, but the offer was really just too hard to resist. “Then, don’t keep me waiting.”
Jett stood up straight and then leaned over the table, reaching out a cool hand to brush at a strand of Harmony’s hair that had drifted too near to her face. He tucked it behind her ear—carefully, taking great effort to be gentle—before his eyes drifted to hers.
He cupped her chin, guiding her closer to him and planted a rather soft kiss upon her lips; there was no denying that he was forward—and certainly not shy about it. He just wasn’t the type to do something if he wasn’t good at it, and kissing was absolutely no exception. It was an intimate moment shared between two people, and Jett was always one to try and impress—and make the most of everything.
There was no shyness in the kiss, no questioning or fear, just curiosity—and a most undeniable passion.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:45 pm
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, Raven had figured it was time to give herself something else to be thankful for…and of course, that included a trip to her favorite sushi restaurant. Her hair was back in a braid and she was dressed for the colder weather with her furry jacket. She adored sushi…it was something not many people really knew, but she did really enjoy the shrimp and tuna rolls with the cream cheese inside of them…yes. Such a sinful pleasure.
She entered the restaurant and seemed in a very good mood. As she stood there, waiting for someone to come and show her to a seat, she saw a familiar person with blonde hair. Oh! Jett was here! Nobody else she knew had such full and luscious hair, much like her own.
She figured, he’d want to see her, so she began to make her way to the table, though slowed as she got close.
Why was he here with some green haired girl? What…why were they looking at one another like that? Why were they kissing? No…it wasn’t them kissing…it was him kissing her. He was kissing another girl?
That b***h. That little slut!
Raven’s hands curled into fists and she took in a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. “Oh hey, Jett! Fancy seeing you here! I didn’t realize you liked sushi too!”
Jett was her boyfriend. Some Mint-headed bimbo wasn’t going to steal her man. Besides, Jett and her had so much of a bond…that girl wasn’t one of the Dark Mirror Senshi…she hadn’t been at Quinn’s party…so why would Jett want to kiss her?
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:20 pm
When he leaned in she tilted her head slightly and kissed him back. Harmony didn't know what kind of a kisser she was because no one had ever told her. In fact, short of Bobby Ridgeway when she was twelve her experience with kissing was limited to family and kisses on the cheek to numerous friends. And Camelot. Still, this one was easy to sink into and felt natural. She made a small, pleased sound in her throat. His lead was very easy to follow and she didn't mind trying.
It took her a few seconds still after she heard the voice to recognize that it was talking to them. Well, specifically to Jett. Even hearing his name it seemed a little foreign. Whoever it was had horrible timing. Wasn't it obvious they were on a date and enjoying their time together? I mean, really. Who interrupted people when they were kissing? All the same she backed away and looked to the girl that was standing there, a polite smile on her face. She had no idea who Raven was.
"Is this a friend of yours, Jett?" she asked, happy to meet his friends and none the wiser. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two people, and for a few moments the gravity of the situation didn't set it. "I wouldn't say he likes sushi. I mean...he's putting up with it for my sake since I like it but I wanted to make our date interesting."
Her gaze shifted up to the girl with a smile. "I'm Harmony." She extended her hand out to Raven to shake it.
Then she caught the tension in the air and paused, frowning. She saw the balled up fists by Raven's side and heard the tone she'd used. That wasn't a nice tone. She went to high school. She knew all about that tone. It's the one girl's use that they think sounds pleasant when really they're about to rip someone's head off. She'd used it with her mom plenty when they were fighting and Harm didn't want her mom to know how upset she really was. That tone! Good, God, what was going on?
"Jett?" her voice was entirely less confident now.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:09 pm
If Jett was surprised in the slightest, he gave no indication of such. Drawing away from Harmony, he took his seat and tilted a brow at Raven. “Oh, Raven,” he greeted, mildly impressed that she was here. He always took her for a soup and salad sort of girl, so it was a bit surprising that she’d be in this sushi place that apparently everyone he knew went to but him. “Good to see you, I didn’t know y’ou liked sushi. Apparently this place has the best, but I’m still in the process of being convinced.”
He didn’t seem upset or worried about anything, just leaned back in his chair. “This is Harmony, she’s been such a sweetheart and put up with me and my food ignorance. She’s been most informative,” Jett explained, and then gestured to Raven as he returned his gaze to Harmony. “This is Raven, she’s a friend of mine. I’d say…”
He looked the blonde over, momentarily reflecting on the six weeks they’d spent together in face. “…She’s very dear to me. We’ve been through a lot together. Crazy past few months,” he said, waving his hand rather nonchalantly.
His eyes drifted to Raven somewhat playfully; he was not ignorant of her feelings towards him—she had, after all, confessed in the Surrounding, and while he had been flirting with her as much as he had with Harmony, he had promised himself to neither of the two girls and had no intention of jumping into anything serious right away and wouldn’t have even if he had been looking for a relationship. His smile was still charming—and surprisingly innocent considering what Raven might view the scene as. To him, he’d done no wrong—what was the problem with a friendly little date—a friendly little kiss—anyway?
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