Boutique Tea shoppu

Ace's nose wrinkled very slightly as the Fighter asked if he wanted anything. "I don't want anything, but it would be rude to sit in this sort of establishment without purchasing anything." He picked up the menu and glanced at it to see if they had any varieties he recognized. Of course not. He'd just have to go with whatever the Fighter suggested. Tea, tea ceremonies. It was all such a waste of time and tastebuds. He sighed and looked up in time to see Mesa blushing again, which brought a smile to his face.

He nodded silently. Yes that statement was very correct. If they did not order any thing, then they would have no reason, in the establishment's eyes to be there. And he did not need any further cause for embarrassment. His face and heart had in the last twenty minutes gone through enough. Every time he looked up, every time he heard that voice. It was like he could not control himself.

Willing himself to concentrate on the situation at hand. Looking up at the waiter with a calm face, he smiled a composed and dignified smile that was befitting to his station. "We would like two small kaiseki please. He said folding the menu and setting it back down on the table, where the waiter graciously took them from the table with a small bow.

The waiter left the room and closed the door behind him.
Looking at the door for a few seconds, he finally turned.

"Well would you like to proceed?" He prompted, looking at the other straight in the eye, for the first time without blushing furiously.

Ace sighed and shook his head. "I like it better when you blush. It's damn adorable." He stretched slightly, giving his fighter yet another once-over. "I guess you probably have questions. I'll just try to make this as simple as possible: fighters fight with words, sacrifices take physical damage from it. I'm the Misery sacrifice. You're the Misery fighter. That makes us the Misery unit. And now that we've found each other, other units will want to fight us. It's all very tedious, pointless bullshit. Power plays from the older units, rebellious idiocy from the younger ones. And the politics that your family in particular is involved in happen to be even worse as far as the power plays go."

All self control he thought he had over his face was lost as he was called adorable. Mesatsu had never been called adorable by another male before! And before he could stop it another blush coated his face, ears and neck.

As Ace proceeded, he became more and more astonished by the second. He, Mesatsu would fight.... With words? It sounded vaguely familiar from when he had gone looking through the family library. But he hadn't gotten far, before he was turned out of the library with a sharp look from his mother.

Turning his head away and looking around the room, mostly so he wouldn't have to look at the man in front of him and give beetroot a run for its money. Mesatsu smiled to himself. he couldn't see much but he could hear the quiet murmurs of other customers, the little chinks as the expensive tea cups and saucers made as they touched, the smell of the food. It all brought back little memories. From when he found the place by accident , to when he brought Miss Ayane here along with a few of the others he had grown up with. She, out of all of the group had been the nicest to him.

Catching the sight of Ace in the corner of his eye, he looked startled. he had almost forgotten that he was there. Mesatsu guessed he had been spending too much time alone these days.

Inhaling, he turned his head to look back at Ace. "And what exactly are you implying with my family?" He asked quietly. He knew his parents and grandparents before had kept secrets. But if every one, even strangers knew about them, and not their own son..... It could be bad.

Ace watched his fighter as the boy's attention drifted. He wondered just what was going through his mind, but he kept quiet. Let Mesa have his privacy. For now, he needed to prepare Mesa, mentally, for the fundamental changes his world was about to undergo. And what better way than to tell his lovely little lamb just what his family had been up to all these years? Obviously, they weren't going to educate him.

"Easy, there, Mesa. I'm not trying to put your family down or anything..." He shrugged, trying to think how to explain this part to the boy. "Basically, you're royalty, as far as the unit world is concerned. Aristocrats, they're called. The families that hold all the influence, all the power, and the vast majority of the money. The Aristocratic houses also have a nasty reputation of some seriously screwed up training practices for their heirs...which is why I'm surprised you've barely even heard of units."

Before he could stop it, his mouth fell open. And a few seconds passed before he corrected himself and closed it. "Royalty? I do not think so. And please may we not talk about such uncouth matters. Talk of such things is distasteful and it is how rumors spread. Some thing that i think has reached your ears, because every thing you have claimed just now, i have not heard of. And any other family that is connected to mine, is not 'screwed up' as you say." Pausing for a second he gathered his breath. The long speech and speaking out like that was not some thing he did often.

And it was even worse when he did it this time. His heart was racing and he kept shifting uncomfortably from side to side. It was not as if the gentleman across the table made him uncomfortable, no it was a different feeling. One he could not describe.

"Please, can we not talk about such unsavory topics?" He asked looking down at his fidgeting fingers.

"Just like your parents told you about Units, right?" Ace didn't bother to hide the annoyance in his voice. "Look, if you don't believe me, ask your parents about it. Tell them you found your sacrifice and ask them about the Aristocrats." He hated having to give such a blatant order, but he couldn't afford to have his Fighter second-guessing him. Not about this. Not about anything regarding the Unit world. It was too damn risky. Especially when the boy was so inexperienced.

Flinching at the tone of voice, Mesatsu kept looking down and avoided eye contact. His body felt stiff and weird. But it was like Ace had just instantly persuaded the teen to go ask his parents. The teen felt as if he had to go ask his parents, even though it was the one thing he was dreading.
Sighing he looked at Ace out of the corner of his eye. " W...W-willyou c-come with me?" He stuttered, the stiff feeling giving away to the feeling of shyness.

And now...the boy was overloading his cuteness sensors. Seriously, why couldn't the kid be gay? He sighed, but smiled at his Fighter. "What? Afraid of your own parents? Don't worry. I'll be right beside you, if that's what makes you feel safe." Sucker for a cute face. I'm supposed to be in charge here, but... Why do I get the impression I'm going to spoil this brat?

Looking up he nodded as his face flushed again. Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he tried to meet Ace's gaze, which he did, but then became embarrassed and dropped his eyes to the table. "I think it would be a little easier for me to have you there, but also for my parents.... I think it might come as a bit of a shock." He said still not making eye contact.
His heart was starting to race now. The thought of going to tell his parents about some thing wild and crazy sounding as this. The only reason he could believe it was because of every thing that had happened so far with this stranger.... No with Ace, his sacrifice. Even though it was the weirdest word ever and made him think of barbarians, there was some thing about it that just... Made sense.

Mesatsu couldn't explain it, it was just right. Sighing a tiny bit, the tall teen once again looked up. "So.. Err. What happens now?" He asked. He thought it was a fair enough question to be asking. But before he could do or ask any thing more there was a knock on the door. The waiter was back with their food. "Hairimasu."["enter."] He said looking towards the door.

The waiter came in bowing gracefully as he did so, and without a word set the dishes and the ordered food down quickly and quietly, before leaving them alone once more.

"I doubt it would." He was about to answer Mesa's question when the waiter came with their...Was that food? He waited until the man left to inspect the suspicious dishes. "...I will never get used to Japanese food..." It took him another minute to get around to answering the question as he poked and prodded the food in front of him. "Now...we get you enrolled at Seven Moons so you can learn how to do your job as my Fighter."

Picking up his hashi, Mesatsu looked down at his food "Itadakimasu." He said as he looked back up and watched Ace play with his food. Smiling ruefully, he thought to himself how his parents would take this news, that he was being asked to just pack up his life at his current school and enroll at a different one. I wonder how they would react.
But they must know some thing, he thought. Their library had books and scripts about fighters and sacrifices, some that looked very old and fragile.
With a sigh, Mesatsu started eating, mulling all the information over. After being an only child for so long, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that he now had to look after and protect some one. Not only that, he had to drop every thing at Ace's command.

This was defiantly going to be an adjustment.

Ace sat back, suddenly glad they were in a private room. This way, only his fighter would see how daunted he was by the unfamiliar cuisine, not to mention the utensils. He'd be forever grateful when he could hide somewhere that had forks. It wasn't as though he'd been one of those freaks obsessed with Asian culture back in Ireland. He'd been too busy trying to survive his parents' home. "So, when are we going to talk to them?"

"This... This all h-has come as a bit of a r-rush. And as much as i see the need to talk to my parents. Would i be able to request a day or two. To well get used to the whole situation myself?" He asked swallowing hard. Very few times had he actually have to ask permission for or to do some thing. Usually he knew his place and what was expected of him.

Taking a breath in wards he lifted his glass and brought it to his lips and swallowed a small gulp of water. He did this not so much for the need to quench his thirst, but more as a small distraction for himself while he put all his thoughts into order.

It was defiantly going to be an adjustment period for him. Even more so after living the luxurious life he had been for all his life. Now he would need to bow down to some one else and listen to their commands. Which would be a different thing for the teen as he always had people around him to cater to his every wish. Not that he had ever been a brat of a child. He had never screamed or thrown tantrums to get what he wanted. No that was improper. But he had always had some one to get him his food. Some one to make his bed in the mornings. Some one who tended and catered to every whim. Which from the sound of it was quite possibly what he might have to get used doing for some one else.

It was not as if the sound of it scared him or made him shy away from the thought. It was more the strangeness of the thought. Maybe having to do some thing that he had never done before, for some one he had only just met. Certainly Mesatsu had thought about the people employed by has family and what their lives may be and what they might have to go through serving his family. But never once had he had to actually put himself into that position.

These thoughts ran through the back and the fore front of his mind as he took the water to his lips. But when he sat the glass back down on the table, he looked across at the near stranger and thought once more. What would it be like to serve this man? Would it be like the people employed by his family? Would it be work like they did? And this school that he knew his family was involved in, did he really have to attend?

Sucking in a breath again he looked into Ace's eyes. "This Seven Moons. Do i really have to attend? If my family is as you say 'royalty' and then you mentioned training practices. Will my family not take care of training me?" He asked finally looking down to his food again.

"You don't have to ask permission. I just need to know the when and where so you don't have to face them alone, right?" He let his eyes wander over his fighter, studying him. There were things he liked, of course. The fact the boy still had his ears, and blushed so easily there could be no doubt to the fact that they weren't fakes. His black hair that hung like so much silk, but was still short enough that he'd make a good impression on the businessmen the boy no doubt had to meet with from time to time. And those eyes.

Ace pried his eyes away, reaching for the glass of water in front of him. Mesa's dark eyes flashed with a strange green light when the light hit them just right. It was unnerving, making him feel like the boy saw right through him. It was sexy as Hell.

And then, of course, there was the one thing about his fighter that he hated, truly hated. Wate. Mesatsu. Heir to the Wate family. The thought hit him like a bucket of ice water, cooling the first stirrings of desire he'd felt since realizing the boy was his. Why did he hate it so much? Because it meant that he would have a fight on his hands almost as soon as the boy's parents found out about him. Because he'd have to be on his best behaviour, just to win the privilege of spending time with his own damn fighter. Because...because he'd hoped...for years...

He bowed his head, closing his eyes against the painful turn of his thoughts. Ever since he'd found out what the word on his chest meant, he'd foolishly clung to the thought that his fighter, his other half, would be able to do what no one else could: love him. The thought had sustained him for a long time, giving him the motivation he needed to do well at Seven Moons. And now... Now he knew better. Mesa was Wate Mesatsu. He had responsibilities to the entire Unit world, to his family. He wouldn't be able to even entertain the notion of loving some gutter-trash, redheaded queer. Ace would consider himself lucky to be the guy's friend.

He should have known that someone named Misery wouldn't find happiness that easily. "You don't--" He cleared his throat, hoping the fighter hadn't caught the note of agony in his voice. "You don't have to enroll. It'll just be better...easier...if you do."

"Well. I. Um. I shall talk with my parents, and see what they do.... And what not." He stammered. Mesatsu was feeling nervous now. He didn't know much, if anything about this new world that he had just found himself in.

Tucking a lock of hair behind his ear, the teen looked up quickly. Only to look back down at his slowly diminishing plate of food. Now he was unsure of what to do or say now. Usually when he talked to people he knew the subject and there was usually a reason behind the conversation. Like talking about his fathers businesses. Some thing he had been trained for his whole life.

Inwardly sighing, he looked up once more. Trying to think of some thing to say. But he was at a loss. Nothing came to mind. So the teen sat there, shy and staring at his plate.

"Yeah, you do that..." Ace dug his nails into his palms to keep from fidgeting as they both fell into their own private thoughts. The silence that hung between them was awkward at best, uncomfortable to be sure. After about a minute of this, he finally blurted out the first thing he could think of that was safe to say. "So, what do you like to do? For fun, I mean." He could curse his lame approach all he wanted, but this was nowhere near how he'd hoped his first meeting with his Fighter would go. He was honest enough to admit to himself that he'd vastly romanticized the idea of meeting his other half far beyond the realm of possibility, and now he was reaping the pain of disappointment. His own fault, really. He didn't even need his mother's insanity to tell him that.

Annoyed with himself, Ace stabbed a piece of food with a chopstick, pleasantly surprised that it actually stayed on the utensil. At least, until he tasted it. Wrinkling his nose, he put the chopstick down and took a long drag from his glass of water. Disgusting. Can't believe people actually pay money for this crap.

After that, the two of them spent a long time just talking, getting to know one another. When the waiter finally came in to tell them it was closing time, Ace paid the tab and walked out into the fresh air. It was at that moment that his cell started going crazy.

Spoiler:

He stared at his screen in shock for a moment before shaking himself free. "Something's come up, Mesa. I've gotta run. Call me." Turning, Ace started running back down the road toward his hotel room. He had to clean up fast if he was going out with Miko.

[Ace has left Boutique Tea Shop and is headed to City Lights Hotel.]

Looking up Mesatsu some what only distantly registered that Ace was getting up and leaving. Standing himself he bowed as the other ran out shouting some thing about calling him. But Mesatsu thought to himself. How on earth was he to do that when he had no contact number.

Nodding to the waiter he slowly and once again headed out the door. As he did so he pulled out his mobile and speed dialed Jun's number.

"He just left. You may come and take me home now." Hanging up he waited until he saw the sleek black car pull up. Getting in he left.

[Mesatsu has left Boutique Tea shoppu [private] and gone to the Wate Estate.]