- oh hell yea!! I love this follow-up.... I can definitely see a solidarity dynamic between these two, and... I love that tbh.... :")))
The real shame about being in a restaurant was that Brown had little to no control over the food. Though, that wasn't really a "shame" for anybody except herself, given that... Well... Some of the legends surrounding her did involve with her tampering with the food she prepared. "Delicious but deadly" was a common description for her food according to those tales, and Brown found that a particularly catchy tune as she hummed to the man sitting across from her.
Calling him a "date" was a bit of a stretch, since he was technically married, but... He was indeed handsome. And powerful. Place special emphasis on "powerful." Brown thought of herself as honored to be even dining with a man who wielded such considerable influence, one that almost rivaled hers in terms of infamy, and had the flickering hope that this dinner could serve as the background for a favorable political negotiation. She, after all, could use those connections for leverage later on...
"So," the woman spoke to him calmly, while holding her head up with her hands, "it still puzzles me as to why you would invite me, out of all people over for some food, but..." A giggle came out of her before she fluttered her eyes at him. "I can see this going somewhere. Politically, of course. The rumors of myself killing a man, or several, may be ambiguous at best, but think of the repute... People already fear me, cower underneath me whenever I come. Can you see?" Brown stretched an arm out to indicate the completely empty tables surrounding theirs. "I basically destroyed the dinner rush in the restaurant just by being here, you know!" the woman ringed heartily, "Nobody likes to mess with a figure who has so much distortion surrounding her that the truth is impossible to find, dear..."
Such merriment temporarily came to a stop when Brown saw a waiter pass by, and she slammed her hand down onto the tablecloth as some weird, immensely impolite way of summoning them over. What the fuck? She gave the poor waiter a scowl as they scurried over to the table, though she did shoot the mafioso a glance to see if he was paying attention. Hopefully he wasn't, because Brown's gesture likely made them just one wrong move away from being banned from this damn place for life.
"Oh, do not worry about the little punch," the woman cooed to the waiter almost mockingly, "It was just to get your attention, but... Yes, I am ready to order now..." A smile was pursed onto her lips as she assumed a more formal posture, a stark contrast from the slumped shoulders and casual look that she had adopted just minutes earlier. "I can take some... Lobster thermidor, please... And make the lobster medium-rare. No vegetables allowed. I want the damn meat, and only the damn meat." Watch your profanity?
She glanced over at the man before quickly interjecting before he could offer his input, "As for the lovely man seated across from me... He can probably tolerate some escargot roasted with garlic and herb butter!" This was said with way, way too much enthusiasm. Probably because the woman had the feeling that the dish would be so bizarre that he'd be thrown off, and the escargot would go to her... Goodness, she loved escargot and its decadent richness. Though at the same time, she did want to make this entire ordeal fair for later on... Her eyes narrowed as she watched the waiter scribble down the order then take off.
With a sigh, Brown offered coolly, "So... Back to the topic from earlier... Fame is a weird thing, isn't it? I must wonder, dear sir... Has it ever gotten into your head before? It is a cruel question to ask, but... Perhaps we can stir up some discussion while we wait... Wouldn't that be a damn wonderful thing?"
it's time for a follow-up. rip Aaron again wheeze.
Admittedly, the boy was young enough for Brown to claim as her son... Her grandson, even? She had heard of her daughter having a son after she ran off, but... The details surrounding that were a bit misty, probably on purpose. Her mind danced with the idea that this fellow seated across from her was indeed the son of her daughter, while her hand was... Conveniently placed on a fork provided by the restaurant.
It would be a real shame if my daughter ended up yielding someone who was so damn nervous, she thought with the twitch of her lip, but then again, I never expected much from her in the first place. Ouch. Her eyes looked over to the fork as she instinctively clenched her fingers around it, though she really, really had no reason to do so. He, after all, could do her no harm; their last encounter had resulted in the younger party spitting some harsh words at her, but... That was it. No fist-fighting. No screaming matches... Just... Tense words.
It could be worse.
"It does, admittedly," Brown grunted while giving the teenager a dry look, yet... It wasn't even hostile. Instead, it was analytical as she scanned his face for any possible reaction. Her own countenance, meanwhile, remained remarkably vague as she leaned back against her seat. Keeping her fingers curled around the fork, she added, "People never get to know the truth about you when you are famous. They only believe what is projected about you, regardless of whether it is actually true or not. Believe me, you have no idea how the rumors have gotten distorted over time." A smile snaked itself onto her face as she blinked at the younger party.
"For example... I have once been told about a lady who turned into a wolf every night... Just to prey on unsuspecting men. Particularly the heartless, they say, since she did serve as a form of vigilante justice. But oh, how gruesome the justice was served! She tempted them, then ate them! And you could see the remains the next morning too. It was never a clean execution, though that was expected from an animal. I thought it was an interesting story that someone pulled out of their ass, but then they told me that it was supposed to be referring to me."
She barked out in harsh laughter as she exclaimed, "I wish that was what actually happened! Then people would know to never consider me lowly again, for not being as high on the social ladder as my husband!" Brown continued to chortle before it inevitably died down in favor of just... Observing the other party, like some canine who was definitely primed to kill. She had to admit: the rumors did tend to be exaggerated, but she was fine with it. No, she played along with it, encouraged it even. A hand was put up to her mouth as she giggled.
"But yes..." she stated silkily, "It does get better over time..." Then it was silent. Brown was used to this ambiance, as well as the occasional prickling of her skin when she felt that someone was watching her, but... As for the other party, this likely felt like an entirely new experience. She wanted to point the fork at him and tell him that this was normal, because that was what happened when one was guilty of trying to dine with an accused murderer. Her voice would be comforting, motherly even... But it'd retain an edge that was represented by the fork's metallic prongs, pivoted straight at the teenager.
Yet she didn't do that, nor did she really speak up when the waiter finally arrived at their table. Her eyes shifted focus over to the waiter's neck, hidden by the collar of their uniform. She thought of grabbing it if they dared get the order wrong, or just... Happened to rub her the wrong way. Maybe that was because he was ignoring her in favor of the teenager, or... Maybe that was the reason why they were only speaking to him the first place?
She did, however, happen to pay attention to the order, so when the waiter scurried off, Brown turned back to face the young man with a smile. Surprisingly, her reply to his question was... Warm?
"You know me well, don't you?"
Brown rested her head on her hands as she giggled and added, "So... Those rumors may have done you a service after all. At least for now, of course. Medium-rare is by far the best cook that one can achieve on a steak. Char it any more than that, and you just get something burnt and dry." Her lips curled into a slight grimace, though it was clear that she was disgusted by the thought of a well-done slice of meat. "... I just hope that shrimp of yours will not get the same treatment now, hm?" She tittered once more like this was the funniest shit in the world.
Hopefully this entire order was filled out quickly, since... Likely, the sooner both parties were out of this starkly empty place, the better.