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The sound of a small brass bell chimed, letting customers and employees of the Blue Dragon restaurant alike know that a new set of customers had walked through the door. It was the middle of the week and the sun had just barely begun to set, so business was slow at this Watergate City restaurant, only a couple of families and a few bar patrons were there to keep the staff occupied.
But when two beautiful women entered the establishment, the nearest unoccupied attendant sprung from his seat, used his fingers to make sure his light-brown hair was tucked to the side, and grabbed a couple of menus before greeting the two new customers. These two seemed to be dressed in exceptionally fancy clothes, so he reminded himself to look his best when representing the business.
“Hello there,” he started, “and welcome to the Blue–”
“Shouldn’t you have been waiting at the entrance to greet us when we first walked through the door?” the one with the orange hair and red dress interrupted, making a valid point that made the inexperienced waiter nearly bite his tongue over his own words.
“Doesn’t sittin’ down on the job just to scramble on over to us seem a bit… unprofessional?” The lady with the light-purple hair and white dress made an equally astute remark, leaving no mercy for the staff’s lackadaisical attitude towards the pre-dinner rush.
“I uh… uh, w-welcome to the uh… t-the Blue um…” The poor, yet negligible attendant was at a loss for words. This was only his first week on the job, and so far he had lucked out in serving mostly families or small business gathers, both were relatively easy to please, but this was his first time dealing with a couple that were both critical upon the moment of entry. The worst part? They were both absolutely correct in their comments, so he couldn’t say anything to defend his actions, or lack thereof.
“That’s alright, no need to go through that again. If you could just lead us to a table by window, we’d really ‘preciate it!” The shorter of the two ladies seemed to notice his nervousness, and to either calm him down or progress her own plan for the evening, she shared her desired seating as if to give him an excuse to move on. The taller woman, who gave off a more intense aura, simply nodded in agreement, giving this young man the approval to get on with it already.
“Y-Yes, of course! Right this way, if you please!” the waiter offered to show them to one of their more scenic seating arrangements, not wanting to squander the second chance he seemed to be getting.
He led them past the floor tables, stopped short of the door leading to the outdoor seating, and showed them a booth with cushioned seats, a window view of Pristella’s Great Waterway, and potted local flora that hung just outside the windowsill. Satisfied with their recommended table, the two fashionable women brushed past him and took seats so that they faced one another. The young waiter placed the two menus on the table before taking out his notepad.
“Would you two like to start off with some drinks?”
“I’ll have a local white wine. Something smooth, please.”
“I’d like a bottle of Granhiert, aged 10-12 years if you have it.”
One after the other, the purple and orange haired ladies ordered their drinks without a single hint of hesitation. Nodding after writing the final word, their waiter excused himself and went off to the kitchen. When he was finally out of earshot, the duo of Anastasia and Priscilla exhaled, dropping their regal façade and letting their true selves show just a little.
“A local white?” Priscilla asked Anastasia, arching an eyebrow as if to judge her selection, “Are you sure that was wise? Pristella isn’t exactly known for their in-house wine selection, you know.” She took her fan out from her bosom, lightly fanning herself as she made her claim.
“Local wines have local cuisine in mind when they’re made. Haven’t you heard that old Hoshin saying? ‘When in Pristella, eat and drink as the Pristellans do!’” Anastasia defended her decision, returning Priscilla’s judgement with a playful wink, “Besides, red wine doesn’t pair with fish and the like as well as white wine, so why a Granheirt?” Anastasia tilted her head, genuinely curious at Priscilla’s decision, to which the scarlet beauty smirked behind her fan.
“If you were in the know, such as mineself, you would be aware that the grape conditions from around a decade ago yielded a batch of wine that was much lighter and not as heavy as most reds. The end result was a ‘pseudo rosé’ as they call it, one that pairs well with both land and aquatic meats quite nicely.” Priscilla closed her fan, peering into Anastasia’s sky blue eyes, “Or were you unaware of that?”
Anastasia glared at Priscilla, narrowing her eyelids to show off how much that last little comment got on her nerves. Normally Anastasia was someone who wouldn’t show any kinds of tells, but this was a special person she was dealing with. “Silly me, I seem to have forgotten .” Ana said that last word through gritted teeth, her way of acknowledging that there was some information out there beyond her scope of personal knowledge.
“Now now, no need to feel like the inferior intellectual. There are still plenty of things out there for you to learn.” Priscilla’s words were starting to seem more like jabs to Anastasia now, and the smirk that wouldn’t leave her face only made the former merchant even angrier. Of course, she would never show the full extent of her fury to someone who would see that as a victory. Instead, she simply smiled and shrugged, giving Priscilla the victory she wanted… for now.
It didn’t take long for their waiter to return with their alcoholic beverages, one bottle a white wine with a turquoise label depicting the city of Pristella, and another bottle that was dark green that masked the color of the liquid inside, bearing a white label that showed a vineyard covered in snow. He placed them on the table and uncorked them both, allowing the wines to air out and breathe as he took their food orders.
“Would you ladies like any appetizers this—”
“No.” Priscilla abruptly stated, closing her menu and looking the waiter dead in the eye, sending a sharp chill up his spine.
“Aha, what she means to say is that we’re short on time, so we can’t really be dawdlin’ around here all evenin’.” Anastasia clarified, worried that Priscilla’s words were causing unnecessary worry to the poor boy.
“Mmm, quite.” Priscilla didn’t refute Anastasia’s translation, ignoring her in favor of handing the visibly nervous waiter her menu. “I will have the seared Great River fish. Lean more towards rare than cooked.” The waiter took her menu and nodded, writing her order down and underlining her instructions several times. This was definitely a customer he didn’t want to have sending her food back to the kitchen.
“I’ll be havin’ the steamed mudcrab, thank you very much!” Anastasia handed her menu to the waiter as well, who wrote down the order with a little more peace of mind than her companion.
“Alright, I’ll have those out to you shortly!” With a chipper tone to mask his nerves, the young man once again left the two elegant women to themselves. And once again, as soon as he passed the double doors to the kitchen, the two began to talk again.
“Mudcrab? Goodness, you should have told me you intended to go camping in the wilderness like a savage! Mineself would have brought insect repellent.” Priscilla teased, poking fun at the less-beautiful animal her dining partner had chosen to feast upon. She expected to see some sort of verbal retaliation, but Priscilla was surprised and confused to see Anastasia chuckling to herself, her eyes closed and her head shaking side to side. When Anastasia opened her eyes and looked up at Priscilla, the expression on her face was one of pure pity.
“ Actually, the species of mudcrab that’s native to Pristella is notorious for having a far richer flavor. Not only because of the abundance of local marine plant life, but this is the time of year they all start to bulk up for mating season.” Anastasia raised a finger like she was an enthusiastic teacher giving a fun fact to her student. However, her face very quickly turned smug when she made sure to look right into Priscilla’s ruby-red eyes. “But you already knew that, right?”
Gripping her closed fan with nearly all her might, Priscilla fought the urge to point out the ridiculousness of knowing something so obscure about off-Kararagian cuisine. But still, she had to give her some credit for making an educated order. “Of course I already knew! Who doesn’t?” She turned away, getting sick and tired of that cute face staring back at her with that know-it-all aura. “I was merely thinking of how my selected pairing of wine and food is still superior. That’s all.” Priscilla reopened her fan, covering the lower half of her face so that only her eyes remained unobscured, staring Anastasia down to take her bait, who’s eyes lit up to take on her challenge.
“Oh-ho-ho? I admire the dedication to tryin’ to be right all the time, but I’m pretty darn confident in my palette. I don’t don’t what you got isn’t gonna be anythin’ sort of delicious… just that mine might be just a touch more delicious. That’s all!” Returning Priscilla’s antagonizing choice of words, Anastasia spoke in a tone that made it sound as if she had already won, which made a fiery-orange eyebrow arch downwards in anger for a brief moment.
“Boast as much as you like, for even a featherless bird can carry a tune. Your meal may be satisfactory, but my meal is sure to be one of the best this restaurant has ever produced. If you’d like to admit that you’re incorrect now and save us both the trouble, mineself will generously grant you an audience.”
“Not gonna happen!” Anastasia declared, slamming both palms onto the table’s surface to just barely rattle their silverware. “We’ll see who’s right when our food comes out, and when I turn out to be the winner, promise me you won’t look too sad for me, yeah?” Anastasia leaned in a little, getting her face onto Priscilla’s side of the table.
“And when I win, just remember;” Priscilla leaned in over the table, her forehead and the tip of her nose almost touching Anastasia’s, “I offered you a way out!” The two glared at each other, neither wanting to be the weaker haggler by backing down first. It was only after several, long, harrowing seconds that they mutually got tired of their positions and sat back down normally. Almost as if they rehearsed it, they reached for their respective bottles of wine, poured themselves a glass, and hastily took a sip in tandem, glaring at each other in accusation of copying the other.
Anastasia and Priscilla waited for their meals observing the decor within the restaurant and the pleasant view of the city outside, sharing obscure pieces of trivia with each other to try and catch the other as the one with lesser knowledge. Priscilla would boast her intelligence on matters such as Pristellan imports and the influence other countries had on the making of this city, while Anastasia would regale her insight on Pristella’s exports and how the City of Water impacts other countries. Needless to say, they were both well studied and informed of current and historical happenings, so their battle of wits kept ending in an unsatisfying stalemate.
Right when they were running out of facts to gloat about, the waiter arrived with their orders. For Priscilla, a beautifly-seared cut of fish that had just enough of a solid exterior to lock in the flavor of the meat in the center that was merely kissed by the heat, garnished with lemon and light spices. For Anastasia, the chef had pre-cracked and arranged all the parts of a mud crab so that the meat was sticking out, waiting to be coated in lemon juice and butter. As is custom, they were handed a basket full of steaming-hot bread, which the establishment guaranteed would remain full so long as they dined. ‘Endless Breadsticks’ they called it, an idea they apparently got from a customer from years back.
Without so much as thanking their waiter, who backed off to leave after serving them, the contrasting duo wasted no time in digging into their meals, eager to prove themselves correct by method of their own taste. Priscilla sliced into her fish filet, Anastasia further cracked open her crustacean, and they both squeezed lemon wedges over their meats before taking an experimental bite. After a brief nod of understanding of the food on its own, they took a sip of their selected wines to pair with their meals and solidify their stake in knowing more about cuisine than the other.
They each had their own unique faces they made when they judged their food, Anastasia closing her eyes to concentrate on the combination of flavors, while Priscilla kept her eyes open to let her surroundings influence her overall experience. When they had both finished their first bites, they both looked up to display their renewed confidence with their smug faces, but those looks quickly faded when they saw the other had the exact same face. Neither showed a break in their resolve, so they silently made an agreement with their eyes.
Using the small plates they were given for bread, they served a portion of their meal onto a plate to exchange, then passed their personal glasses of wine over to the other to try the pairing for themselves. Anastasia sipped light-red wine after taking a bite of seared Great River fish, and Priscilla tried some in-season mudcrab with some local white wine. Neither woman looked disappointed in what they were tasting, and their aura of smug confidence in their original picks seemed to wane.
It would seem that both were right and neither were wrong, and that just would not do.
They finished their meal in near silence, both because they were too proud to admit that they might have been wrong, and because their food had been so delicious that they were too busy eating to talk. With perfect timing, their waiter came back not only to take their plates, but also to drop off a pair of teacups and matching plates. The scent of steamed milk and fresh-ground coffee hit both their senses at the same time, their server smiling to himself at their widening eyes.
“I hope you two enjoyed your meals! My manager saw you two being so enthusiastic with pairing our food with select wines, he wanted to throw in a couple of our famous ‘cappuccinos’ before you two left.” The waiter set the two white cups with gold trim in front of them along with the sweeteners, creams, and some stirring tools. Once they realized they had a tiebreaker in front of them, Priscilla and Anastasia immediately went to work on making ‘latte art’ as an old mutual friend of theirs would put it, once again ignoring their server in favor of competing with each other. “I’ll just leave the check right here.” After placing a paper invoice for their meal on the edge of the table, its total number reaching into several digits, the young man nodded his head and left them to… whatever they were doing.
The two competitive women continued to use their little stirring spoons to bring up some of the coffee to the top of the foam layer, making decorative art to show off each of their creative sides. They scooped, jabbed, stirred, and poked away at their ornate drinks, doing just about everything they could do to their fancy refreshments except for actually drinking them. Their craving for exotic tastes were superseded by the primal urge to upstage the other, every ounce of their souls being poured into their crafts.
After about a minute, Priscilla was the first to push her cup forward for presentation. “Ha! Gaze upon my brilliant work of art and take in the true meaning of putting one’s very being into their craft!” She showed off a realistic cat face that had been carefully dripped into the foam, glaring up at its viewers with an everlasting stare of dairy and roasted beans.
Anastasia looked at Priscilla’s creation, looked down at her own, and hung her head in defeat. “Here’s mine…” She pushed her cup forward to show Priscilla her take on a cat, its proportions and eyes making it seem like it belonged in a children’s book, playing up more on the cute factor rather than going for realism. Not only that, but Anastasia had picked nearly the exact same pattern of cat as Priscilla’s both of them making different takes on the same generic cat.
And so they laughed.
They laughed at each other, they laughed at themselves, and they laughed at the fact that simply coming to this hole-in-the-wall establishment on a whim had provided them with just the entertainment they were looking for. After smiling so much, the need to win and the desire to feel superior melted away, the idea of relaxing with each other and spending time together looked like a far more appealing option to them now. As so, after putting a stop to their giggling, Priscilla and Anastasia finally took a sip of their artisanal drinks. Some part of them made the two sad to see their creations go, but the prospect of sipping fresh coffee with one another was a far more promising way to spend an evening.
Once the sun had finally begun to sink beyond the horizon and more customers started to pour in for dinner, the employee that had been waiting on the table occupied by those two fancy-looking ladies returned, figuring they must have finished their little competition by now. But by the time he made his way over, they were gone. They left behind only their empty dishes, a neatly organized stack of coins to pay their bill, and a smaller stack of coins that was to be his gratuity, which seemed to be nearly identical to the value of their meal.
He was shocked by their generosity, especially since he thought that he had pissed off that orange haired woman at least a couple of times.
"Keep that for yourself." His manager said, taking him by surprise as he came up from behind without a sound, hastily collecting their payment while leaving the tip for his employee. "You've earned it. I’m proud of you for keeping your head around those two, I know it must’ve been nerve-wracking just being near them." The mustached older man put a big hand on his newest employee’s shoulder a couple times for a job well done.
The waiter turned his head to the side like a confused puppy hearing a strange noise for the first time. "Around who?" he said, causing his manager’s face to go from confused, to lost, to befuddled, then back to confused again.
“Kid, do you live under a rock or something?”
“I don’t get out much, if that’s what you mean.”
“...This country gets its biggest economic boom in history, and yet our educational system ends up failing us. Unbelievable.” The manager pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, wishing that he was old enough to blame what he just heard on his age.
“Huh!?” This just made the younger man more frustrated. He could run out to the front of the restaurant, maybe get a glimpse of them again to jog his memory, but he knew that would just get him yelled at. He wasn’t big on modern trends or international celebrities, not to mention he had never left the safety of Pristella’s walls, so he had no idea of knowing the faces of anyone who hadn’t entered the city. There were always books in school about the nobility, but the odds of ever meeting any were so slim, he never bothered to commit any of their faces to memory. “What, who were they?”
Priscilla and Anastasia did their best not to stand out. Thankfully most of the patrons out tonight seemed to be aloof, not paying too much attention to the people around them when they could be enjoying the food or the scenery. However, those that did look their way all did double takes, not believing what they were seeing, to which the powerful duo would raise a finger to their lips with pleading eyes. Understanding their request to lay low, each Pristellan citizen respected their wishes and pretended not to see them.
After all, it’s not every day one sees the two queens of Lugnica just walking around without any knights to guard them.
When they put in the request to take a vacation so they could celebrate their anniversary in peace, they were met with some resistance from the council insisting they remain in the Capital. However, being that they were the queens and they could do pretty much whatever they wanted (within their borders), they chose to ignore the council and left the castle in the dead of night. They left a note of course, but the Royal Guard would be days behind the swift arial travel of Priscilla’s winged dragon, so they had that much time to enjoy the many wonders Pristella had to offer. Even trying out a small little hole-in-the-wall restaurant was enjoyable when the food was excellent and the staff didn’t make a big deal about who they were.
They walked with their arms linked towards their hotel down the road, opting to enjoy the scenery over taking a carriage around like always. Though their careers and their living spaces were identical, they hardly had the time to focus on each other like they used to back when they first got married. But now in their older age, they began to realize that they weren’t getting any younger, and that they should make the most of their time together whenever they could, and their 10-year anniversary seemed like the one worth rebelling for.
Priscilla looked down to her gorgeous wife, admiring the faint streak of faded-purple hair behind her ear. She found it endearing to grow into her elder years with Anastasia, knowing full well that her orange hair wasn’t as vibrant as it used to be either. The idea of fleeting mortality nipped at Priscilla’s mental heel’s driving her to make the most of every minute! Of every moment! That is why she craned her head down so suddenly, yet so accurately to place a quick peck of Anastasia’s lips. She had a slightly delayed reaction, as if she didn’t realize what just happened, but then turned her head to face her wife with a playful smirk.
“Oh-ho-ho? Was that for me or for you?” Anastasia teased, bringing her free hand up to cover her thin smile.
“Neither, there was simply some leftover foam on your face.” Priscilla stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, sticking her nose in the air like she was scoffing at Anastasia’s question.
“... No there wasn’t.” Anastasia claimed.
“No, there wasn’t~.” Priscilla confirmed.
Anastasia’s eyes lit up, getting that same burst of energy she got whenever Priscilla dropped the rivalry act and got all fluffy on her. It made her feel like she was 22 again. She snuggled harder against Priscilla’s arm, which made her pull Anastasia’s body closer to hers as they approached the entrance to their hotel.
“Happy Anniversary, dear~.” Anastasia whispered, just loud enough for Priscilla to hear.
“Happy Anniversary, darling~!” Priscilla whispered back slightly louder, showing off her ability to be just slightly more bold than her.
It always came back to competitions with them, making every event something they could prove themselves over, whether it be in a restaurant, in meetings, in the bed, or even just walking around. Nothing was safe from their competitive nature and their unending desire to one-up each other, a craving that would probably last into their sunset years.
And they wouldn’t have it any other way.