endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-02-14 08:06 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-02-14 08:06 pm
Entry tags:
Log: Nix Fried and Sizzled
Title: Fried and Sizzled
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally started for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
nixcore RP comm, but never finished.
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
blondandbold. If only we could have finished. 8/
For what seemed like the hundredth time since she had left her offices in the costume department, Tenten checked her phone for any voice or text messages that may have come in from Naruto. He had never gotten back to her about whether or not they would head out to the barbecue place right after work or if they would simply meet there. And if it had been the latter, then she would at least need to know the actual name of the restaurant so that she could find it and arrive on time.
Needless to say, the young designer was a bit unsettled and had resorted to pacing back and forth in front of the main entrance of Nixcore. Normally, she would not have agreed to going out with a complete stranger, someone she had yet to meet face to face no doubt. But Minato had been so kind and charming during his fittings, and Tenten could see a bit of him in the comments she and Naruto had exchanged through their journals. It was not too much to believe that nothing but good would come of this...right?
"I'll give him another ten minutes," she sighed to herself, "Then I'll just head home."
While not known for being the tardiest of folk, Naruto still had a bit of a knack for not always being in the right place at the right time, usually if he'd been distracted from his prior task - say, by something shiny, or brightly coloured, or brill! However (for once) an engagement had stuck firmly in his head. Mostly because it had the label of food attached to it, and barbeque at that.
His lack of specifics in regard to just when he was supposed to be meeting Tenten hadn't fazed him much, so when he waltzed out of work, buzzed and energetic from a day that had been fun without being exhausting, he'd counted on his own innate luck that she'd be there. And - lo and behold - an oriental looking lass seemed to be trying to wear a groove in the pavement and, without any regard for the possibility that it wasn't her, Naruto hailed her with an exuberant "Hello!"
His blithe nature meant that he was completely without trepidation when it came to meeting new people - even ones with whom he'd conversed, but hadn't actually met face to face. His lack of inhibition was shown in the broad smile he gave her and the unabashed way he thrust a hand into her personal space, clearly expecting the handshake to be reciprocated.
"Tenten, right?" he said (his 'subtle' way of making sure.)
Without knowing it, the moment Naruto stepped out from the main entrance, Tenten found herself giving off a small sigh of relief. At the very least, now she would not look so stupid meandering about the street all by herself. Sure, the blond hair had been a dead give away. Because as she soon realized after only a week of working at Nixcore, the number of cute blonds working there was few and far in between. And despite never having met face to face, there was something about the way he carried himself that was reminiscent of the confident disposition he held in his comments. Plus, the resemblence to Minato was unmistakeable. But it was always safe to be absolutely certain all the same.
"Yeah," Tenten greeted while she took his hand, "And I take it you're Naruto."
And already, she felt that sense of familiarity with him, as strange as it sounded. Perhaps it was because of the time she had spent with the young man's father. Maybe it was the playful banter the two had engaged in between their journal comments to each other. Whatever it might have been, Tenten was comfortable. And the situation was not the least bit awkward, although the better part of her common sense knew that it should have been, at least a little bit.
However, as things were, this only seemed like the usual charm and novelty that seemed to be the core of the company's social structure. And that was something that Tenten would be more than happy to get used to. "So...I guess it's barbecue time, huh?"
"Last time I checked, yeah," Naruto replied with a crooked grin. His hand rose to ruffle his already unruly thatch of blond hair - an unconscious habit of his that had existed since he'd had hair long enough to do so. "And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one around here." He'd never met anyone with his name and that pleased the independent part of him, the one that relished having something that was, to his knowledge, his and only his. And it wasn't as if someone could ever take it away from him.
The young man visibly perked up at the mention of food, gaining a new sharpness and brightness to his eyes, and the cant of his head even managed to hint at wanting to sniff the air. It had always been commented that Naruto's behaviour could often be likened (and far too cannily, sometimes) to that of a dog. And if science were to ever progress to the stage where they could give humans fully functioning tails, you could be guaranteed that no-one would look quite so natural wagging as Naruto. The prospect of food generally had a positive effect on him and his smile widened in anticipation.
"Yup. The place isn't far from here - only a couple of blocks, really." His words brimmed over with the enthusiasm Naruto usually applied to life. He shrugged into the leather jacket he'd carried out, adjusting the collar and then looking at Tenten expectantly. "You ready to go?"
"Nice to finally meet you face to face." The sudden uplift in his spirits at the mere mention of food was hard to miss. If the guy had ears like a dog, they would certainly be lifted and alert. And let's not even think about how fast his tail would be moving. So expressive, she thought. Yet another quality of the Nixcore staff that Tenten was growing more and more fond of. It was refreshing to say the least. After spending only a few months as an intern at a major fashion label down in San Diego, she had begun to insane with all of the stiff, ill-tempered hypocrits that trolled about the company. Thank goodness for second opinions.
Smiling particularly at the way he ran his fingers through the tuff of blond hair -- Tenten could not help but note with some relief how it seemed like a nervous tick. Whether that was true or not did not matter much -- she stepped aside and gestured for him to take the lead. "Lead the way." And they were off.
Hard to believe it had only been less than a month ago that Tenten had been on a similar (yet not so much) outting with a good number of girls from Nixcore. And much like now, it had been unplanned, spontanious to a certain degree as the original intention had been to spend the afternoon shopping with only Sakura. However, things had turned out for the best. Even though their little group kept getting separated, Tenten had been able to get to know the others a little bit better than before they had started out. She could only hope that this would turn out the same.
Naruto was happy to prance on enthusiastically towards the restaurant, but he was vaguely considerate enough to moderate his pace so that he didn't leave Tenten behind - he rushed when he was hungry, and his legs were longer than hers. It was only fair to go at least a leeeetle bit slower than he would were he on his own. As it was, he obviously thrummed with anticipation and his stride had an energetic tinge to it despite its slowness.
"You're going to love it," he said with all the confidence of a person for whom food was a satisfying thing and who assumed the rest of the population also consisted of walking stomachs on legs like himself. "They give you whopping great bowls of meat and it smells bloody brilliant when you toss it on the grill." His eyes took on a comically wistful look and one almost expected him to drool on the spot.
No, Naruto was never going to be a suave one...
"Oh," he added, almost as an afterthought. "And they do give you lettuce and vegetables and all that, if you're into it." He looked sheepish. "I don't eat much of that." Naruto and greenery got along passably, but he was never going to waste stomach space on weeds when there was meat available. Naruto could very feasibly be seen selling his soul for a well-cooked bit of beef and not regretting it all.
Still cheerful at the prospect of food (lunch seemed a very long time ago at this point) Naruto slanted a look Tenten's way that managed to be both sly and hopeful at the same time. "And they serve that fun Asian beer there, the one with the wankered dragon thingy on the front. If you want." Food was good. Food plus alcohol was more than good. Food, plus alcohol, plus spending time with someone new...well, that was Naruto pleased, there and then.
"Wankered dragon thingy?" At that, she quirked a curious brow in his general direction. That...was certainly an interesting way of describing a sake bottle. At least, that was what she believed he was describing. Under the circumstances, who could be sure? Regardless, Tenten let a soft chuckle slip easily from her lips as her brows furrowed just the slightest bit. "As tempting as that sounds, I think I might pass on that this time."
It was about this time that she began wonder just what exactly had she gotten herself into. Granted, the cheerful disposition surrounding Naurto and the animated way he spoke helped to set the stage for what promised to be a fairly fun evening. But what was that about there being big, heaping helpings of beef? Sure, she enjoyed her fair share of meat, and on more than one occasion Tenten had proven that she could pack it away along with the best of them. But even she held her limits.
Well, at least I'll be easy on his wallet, she thought. Not that it was Tenten's belief that the young blond had any financial worries to concern himself over. On the contrary. If the stories about Minato were true, then the young lad and his father were fairly well off as far as money was concerned. Still, whether he could afford to support both of their appeties that evening, it was just a simple relief to her that she would not be so much of a burden or a freeloader on this outting. "I'll probably start off with a small salad and then work my way through the meat."
"Uh, yeah." Naruto wrinkled his nose and ran a hand through his hair again, trying to remember the name. Brown glass, twisty illustration, some kind of weird mythological beast. "Kirin. That's the name. I knew it was something weird like that." At her refusal, his lower lip might have protruded from beneath the lower. Just a tad. "Why not? It's good beer! Or do you not drink?" The last was uttered in tones of great sceptisisim. Naruto drank like a fish a lot of the time, but his crazily fast metabolism meant that it took a lot to have any significant effect on him.
Or he was just so odd sober that it was difficult to tell when or if indeed he was drunk.
He indicated that they took a left and, once around the corner, the restaurant came into view with its neon sign (a common thing in LA) and squiggly text that looked more like art to Naruto than language.
The look he gave her was obviously a dubious one, but she seemed fun and he was willing to forgive her for dallying with salad. "If that's what you want," he replied magnanimously, playing at being the gracious host. "I hope you're hungry though~" He gestured towards the entrance, with its waiting server. "After you, miss." His grin was cheesy; his amusement genuine.
Looking on, it was hard to resist such a face. Really. Especially with the minute shift of his lower lip which only made the pout that much more adorably hard to deny. -- Was that a little tremble she saw? -- It reminded Tenten of her younger days when she and Lee were still a little too naive to the truths of the world. Sure, he was still somewhat clueless when it came to the realities life outside of Chinatown, but that was part of the charm and infectious personality that had him befriending nearly everyone he came across. And in that same aspect, perhaps that was the reason why she felt so connected to Naruto. Because he seemed to share that same character trait.
"I drink my fair share, on occasion," she murmured while walking past him into the restaurant, "Just don't feel particularly in the mood for it now."
However, if she were to be absolutely truthful with herself, Tenten had to admit that the chance of it could very well be better later on as the night progressed. After all, it was a Friday. She was with a very handsome young man working for a prestigious, albeit somewhat controversial and unconventional, company. The streets of LA were opened to them, the young and adventurous. And she had experienced one of the most highly demanding weeks in her short career. A need for drinks, one at the very least, might arrive before the end of the evening. "But the night's still young, so who knows?"
Still no promises. Just a chance for possibilities.
Hell, that was promise enough for Naruto.
"Sweet," was his eloquent response to her vague hint of conceding to the lures of beautiful, beautiful beer. Inside the restaurant itself (a sleek little place, seemingly flooded with ornate wooden screens and elegant, dark-haired ladies in impeccably neat white shirts and black skirts) Naruto waved enthusiastically at the waitress behind the desk, one he recognised and who obviously recognised him if her warm yet exasperated smile was anything to go by. "I come here a lot," he said by way of explanation when she picked up a couple of menus and came to collect them, bypassing a couple of people who had formed a rough queue ahead of them.
Blatant favouritism aside, it meant that they were seated quickly - always a good thing.
Around them, meat sizzled on the grills, the crackly sound underlaid by the general hum of conversation and the smoky smell of the charcoal mixing with the fragrant aroma of cooking meat. Naruto grinned at Tenten over his menu as he unfurled it. "This'd be a bad place to suddenly tell me you're a veggie."
"I see that..." So the young man was more connected than Tenten initially thought. And by connected, she meant that Naruto must have been a very frequent customer to receive such quick service over others who more than likely had been waiting for a good while.Or at the very least, he was a highly important one. Surely anyone willing to shovel out the money to dine here as often as he implied would be considered important. After all, at the end of the day, it was all about earning one's way through life. At least, that was the case a majority of the time. The jury was still out on Naruto, however.
Either way, unbridled favoritism was never a good way to promote good business. But at the moment, she could hardly bring herself to care...much. Especially with the light grumble of hunger emanating from her stomach. "Oh! Heh...pardon me." Embarrassing much? Very. But there was nothing to be done about that, not now. And so Tenten simply picked up her menu and began scanning through the list of dishes. So many to choose from...
"And yes, this would probably be a bad time to tell you I'm a vegetarian," Tenten muttered from behind her menu, "But I'm not, so we're good." She spared him a glance and even flashed him a cheerful smile as she continued on. "Besides, if I were one, I think the best time to tell you would've been the first instance barbecue was even mentioned, don't you think?"
The sound of Tenten's stomach made Naruto chortle deep in his chest and, oddly, like her more. A gal in touch with her belly was someone he could admire, or at least empathize with. And he liked the fact that Tenten smiled a lot, and was friendly, and easy-going. She seemed...easy to be around, and that was something to be enjoyed.
He returned her smile twofold. "Heh, probably - but you might have been one of those bloody polite types."
Hmm. To have the beef or the pork? And to have marinade or not? Naruto went through the same wracked thought process every time he came to this place and always came to the same conclusion.
One of each~.
"Well, I do like to think that I'm at least somewhat polite..." Of course that might not have been supporting her case where the stomach growling was concerned. But on the whole, Tenten generally liked to think of herself as being a respectful person at the very least.
"Wow, there's a lot to choose from..." It was always a bit overwhelming when she went through an experience for the first time, even something as silly and mediocre as trying Korean Barbecue. It might have been a simple matter withNaruto , and understandably so. He had been here before, on several occasions if his familiarity with the employees was any indication. Intimidating? Just a bit. But it also placed a little pressure on her to hurry up with her own decisions, whether unintentional or not.Tenten did not like to keep people waiting.
So she took the easiest road available to her. "Any suggestions, Naruto?"
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally started for the
nixcore RP comm, but never finished. Dedicated to:
blondandbold. If only we could have finished. 8/For what seemed like the hundredth time since she had left her offices in the costume department, Tenten checked her phone for any voice or text messages that may have come in from Naruto. He had never gotten back to her about whether or not they would head out to the barbecue place right after work or if they would simply meet there. And if it had been the latter, then she would at least need to know the actual name of the restaurant so that she could find it and arrive on time.
Needless to say, the young designer was a bit unsettled and had resorted to pacing back and forth in front of the main entrance of Nixcore. Normally, she would not have agreed to going out with a complete stranger, someone she had yet to meet face to face no doubt. But Minato had been so kind and charming during his fittings, and Tenten could see a bit of him in the comments she and Naruto had exchanged through their journals. It was not too much to believe that nothing but good would come of this...right?
"I'll give him another ten minutes," she sighed to herself, "Then I'll just head home."
While not known for being the tardiest of folk, Naruto still had a bit of a knack for not always being in the right place at the right time, usually if he'd been distracted from his prior task - say, by something shiny, or brightly coloured, or brill! However (for once) an engagement had stuck firmly in his head. Mostly because it had the label of food attached to it, and barbeque at that.
His lack of specifics in regard to just when he was supposed to be meeting Tenten hadn't fazed him much, so when he waltzed out of work, buzzed and energetic from a day that had been fun without being exhausting, he'd counted on his own innate luck that she'd be there. And - lo and behold - an oriental looking lass seemed to be trying to wear a groove in the pavement and, without any regard for the possibility that it wasn't her, Naruto hailed her with an exuberant "Hello!"
His blithe nature meant that he was completely without trepidation when it came to meeting new people - even ones with whom he'd conversed, but hadn't actually met face to face. His lack of inhibition was shown in the broad smile he gave her and the unabashed way he thrust a hand into her personal space, clearly expecting the handshake to be reciprocated.
"Tenten, right?" he said (his 'subtle' way of making sure.)
Without knowing it, the moment Naruto stepped out from the main entrance, Tenten found herself giving off a small sigh of relief. At the very least, now she would not look so stupid meandering about the street all by herself. Sure, the blond hair had been a dead give away. Because as she soon realized after only a week of working at Nixcore, the number of cute blonds working there was few and far in between. And despite never having met face to face, there was something about the way he carried himself that was reminiscent of the confident disposition he held in his comments. Plus, the resemblence to Minato was unmistakeable. But it was always safe to be absolutely certain all the same.
"Yeah," Tenten greeted while she took his hand, "And I take it you're Naruto."
And already, she felt that sense of familiarity with him, as strange as it sounded. Perhaps it was because of the time she had spent with the young man's father. Maybe it was the playful banter the two had engaged in between their journal comments to each other. Whatever it might have been, Tenten was comfortable. And the situation was not the least bit awkward, although the better part of her common sense knew that it should have been, at least a little bit.
However, as things were, this only seemed like the usual charm and novelty that seemed to be the core of the company's social structure. And that was something that Tenten would be more than happy to get used to. "So...I guess it's barbecue time, huh?"
"Last time I checked, yeah," Naruto replied with a crooked grin. His hand rose to ruffle his already unruly thatch of blond hair - an unconscious habit of his that had existed since he'd had hair long enough to do so. "And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one around here." He'd never met anyone with his name and that pleased the independent part of him, the one that relished having something that was, to his knowledge, his and only his. And it wasn't as if someone could ever take it away from him.
The young man visibly perked up at the mention of food, gaining a new sharpness and brightness to his eyes, and the cant of his head even managed to hint at wanting to sniff the air. It had always been commented that Naruto's behaviour could often be likened (and far too cannily, sometimes) to that of a dog. And if science were to ever progress to the stage where they could give humans fully functioning tails, you could be guaranteed that no-one would look quite so natural wagging as Naruto. The prospect of food generally had a positive effect on him and his smile widened in anticipation.
"Yup. The place isn't far from here - only a couple of blocks, really." His words brimmed over with the enthusiasm Naruto usually applied to life. He shrugged into the leather jacket he'd carried out, adjusting the collar and then looking at Tenten expectantly. "You ready to go?"
"Nice to finally meet you face to face." The sudden uplift in his spirits at the mere mention of food was hard to miss. If the guy had ears like a dog, they would certainly be lifted and alert. And let's not even think about how fast his tail would be moving. So expressive, she thought. Yet another quality of the Nixcore staff that Tenten was growing more and more fond of. It was refreshing to say the least. After spending only a few months as an intern at a major fashion label down in San Diego, she had begun to insane with all of the stiff, ill-tempered hypocrits that trolled about the company. Thank goodness for second opinions.
Smiling particularly at the way he ran his fingers through the tuff of blond hair -- Tenten could not help but note with some relief how it seemed like a nervous tick. Whether that was true or not did not matter much -- she stepped aside and gestured for him to take the lead. "Lead the way." And they were off.
Hard to believe it had only been less than a month ago that Tenten had been on a similar (yet not so much) outting with a good number of girls from Nixcore. And much like now, it had been unplanned, spontanious to a certain degree as the original intention had been to spend the afternoon shopping with only Sakura. However, things had turned out for the best. Even though their little group kept getting separated, Tenten had been able to get to know the others a little bit better than before they had started out. She could only hope that this would turn out the same.
Naruto was happy to prance on enthusiastically towards the restaurant, but he was vaguely considerate enough to moderate his pace so that he didn't leave Tenten behind - he rushed when he was hungry, and his legs were longer than hers. It was only fair to go at least a leeeetle bit slower than he would were he on his own. As it was, he obviously thrummed with anticipation and his stride had an energetic tinge to it despite its slowness.
"You're going to love it," he said with all the confidence of a person for whom food was a satisfying thing and who assumed the rest of the population also consisted of walking stomachs on legs like himself. "They give you whopping great bowls of meat and it smells bloody brilliant when you toss it on the grill." His eyes took on a comically wistful look and one almost expected him to drool on the spot.
No, Naruto was never going to be a suave one...
"Oh," he added, almost as an afterthought. "And they do give you lettuce and vegetables and all that, if you're into it." He looked sheepish. "I don't eat much of that." Naruto and greenery got along passably, but he was never going to waste stomach space on weeds when there was meat available. Naruto could very feasibly be seen selling his soul for a well-cooked bit of beef and not regretting it all.
Still cheerful at the prospect of food (lunch seemed a very long time ago at this point) Naruto slanted a look Tenten's way that managed to be both sly and hopeful at the same time. "And they serve that fun Asian beer there, the one with the wankered dragon thingy on the front. If you want." Food was good. Food plus alcohol was more than good. Food, plus alcohol, plus spending time with someone new...well, that was Naruto pleased, there and then.
"Wankered dragon thingy?" At that, she quirked a curious brow in his general direction. That...was certainly an interesting way of describing a sake bottle. At least, that was what she believed he was describing. Under the circumstances, who could be sure? Regardless, Tenten let a soft chuckle slip easily from her lips as her brows furrowed just the slightest bit. "As tempting as that sounds, I think I might pass on that this time."
It was about this time that she began wonder just what exactly had she gotten herself into. Granted, the cheerful disposition surrounding Naurto and the animated way he spoke helped to set the stage for what promised to be a fairly fun evening. But what was that about there being big, heaping helpings of beef? Sure, she enjoyed her fair share of meat, and on more than one occasion Tenten had proven that she could pack it away along with the best of them. But even she held her limits.
Well, at least I'll be easy on his wallet, she thought. Not that it was Tenten's belief that the young blond had any financial worries to concern himself over. On the contrary. If the stories about Minato were true, then the young lad and his father were fairly well off as far as money was concerned. Still, whether he could afford to support both of their appeties that evening, it was just a simple relief to her that she would not be so much of a burden or a freeloader on this outting. "I'll probably start off with a small salad and then work my way through the meat."
"Uh, yeah." Naruto wrinkled his nose and ran a hand through his hair again, trying to remember the name. Brown glass, twisty illustration, some kind of weird mythological beast. "Kirin. That's the name. I knew it was something weird like that." At her refusal, his lower lip might have protruded from beneath the lower. Just a tad. "Why not? It's good beer! Or do you not drink?" The last was uttered in tones of great sceptisisim. Naruto drank like a fish a lot of the time, but his crazily fast metabolism meant that it took a lot to have any significant effect on him.
Or he was just so odd sober that it was difficult to tell when or if indeed he was drunk.
He indicated that they took a left and, once around the corner, the restaurant came into view with its neon sign (a common thing in LA) and squiggly text that looked more like art to Naruto than language.
The look he gave her was obviously a dubious one, but she seemed fun and he was willing to forgive her for dallying with salad. "If that's what you want," he replied magnanimously, playing at being the gracious host. "I hope you're hungry though~" He gestured towards the entrance, with its waiting server. "After you, miss." His grin was cheesy; his amusement genuine.
Looking on, it was hard to resist such a face. Really. Especially with the minute shift of his lower lip which only made the pout that much more adorably hard to deny. -- Was that a little tremble she saw? -- It reminded Tenten of her younger days when she and Lee were still a little too naive to the truths of the world. Sure, he was still somewhat clueless when it came to the realities life outside of Chinatown, but that was part of the charm and infectious personality that had him befriending nearly everyone he came across. And in that same aspect, perhaps that was the reason why she felt so connected to Naruto. Because he seemed to share that same character trait.
"I drink my fair share, on occasion," she murmured while walking past him into the restaurant, "Just don't feel particularly in the mood for it now."
However, if she were to be absolutely truthful with herself, Tenten had to admit that the chance of it could very well be better later on as the night progressed. After all, it was a Friday. She was with a very handsome young man working for a prestigious, albeit somewhat controversial and unconventional, company. The streets of LA were opened to them, the young and adventurous. And she had experienced one of the most highly demanding weeks in her short career. A need for drinks, one at the very least, might arrive before the end of the evening. "But the night's still young, so who knows?"
Still no promises. Just a chance for possibilities.
Hell, that was promise enough for Naruto.
"Sweet," was his eloquent response to her vague hint of conceding to the lures of beautiful, beautiful beer. Inside the restaurant itself (a sleek little place, seemingly flooded with ornate wooden screens and elegant, dark-haired ladies in impeccably neat white shirts and black skirts) Naruto waved enthusiastically at the waitress behind the desk, one he recognised and who obviously recognised him if her warm yet exasperated smile was anything to go by. "I come here a lot," he said by way of explanation when she picked up a couple of menus and came to collect them, bypassing a couple of people who had formed a rough queue ahead of them.
Blatant favouritism aside, it meant that they were seated quickly - always a good thing.
Around them, meat sizzled on the grills, the crackly sound underlaid by the general hum of conversation and the smoky smell of the charcoal mixing with the fragrant aroma of cooking meat. Naruto grinned at Tenten over his menu as he unfurled it. "This'd be a bad place to suddenly tell me you're a veggie."
"I see that..." So the young man was more connected than Tenten initially thought. And by connected, she meant that Naruto must have been a very frequent customer to receive such quick service over others who more than likely had been waiting for a good while.Or at the very least, he was a highly important one. Surely anyone willing to shovel out the money to dine here as often as he implied would be considered important. After all, at the end of the day, it was all about earning one's way through life. At least, that was the case a majority of the time. The jury was still out on Naruto, however.
Either way, unbridled favoritism was never a good way to promote good business. But at the moment, she could hardly bring herself to care...much. Especially with the light grumble of hunger emanating from her stomach. "Oh! Heh...pardon me." Embarrassing much? Very. But there was nothing to be done about that, not now. And so Tenten simply picked up her menu and began scanning through the list of dishes. So many to choose from...
"And yes, this would probably be a bad time to tell you I'm a vegetarian," Tenten muttered from behind her menu, "But I'm not, so we're good." She spared him a glance and even flashed him a cheerful smile as she continued on. "Besides, if I were one, I think the best time to tell you would've been the first instance barbecue was even mentioned, don't you think?"
The sound of Tenten's stomach made Naruto chortle deep in his chest and, oddly, like her more. A gal in touch with her belly was someone he could admire, or at least empathize with. And he liked the fact that Tenten smiled a lot, and was friendly, and easy-going. She seemed...easy to be around, and that was something to be enjoyed.
He returned her smile twofold. "Heh, probably - but you might have been one of those bloody polite types."
Hmm. To have the beef or the pork? And to have marinade or not? Naruto went through the same wracked thought process every time he came to this place and always came to the same conclusion.
One of each~.
"Well, I do like to think that I'm at least somewhat polite..." Of course that might not have been supporting her case where the stomach growling was concerned. But on the whole, Tenten generally liked to think of herself as being a respectful person at the very least.
"Wow, there's a lot to choose from..." It was always a bit overwhelming when she went through an experience for the first time, even something as silly and mediocre as trying Korean Barbecue. It might have been a simple matter withNaruto , and understandably so. He had been here before, on several occasions if his familiarity with the employees was any indication. Intimidating? Just a bit. But it also placed a little pressure on her to hurry up with her own decisions, whether unintentional or not.Tenten did not like to keep people waiting.
So she took the easiest road available to her. "Any suggestions, Naruto?"