This thread is permanently archived
[Setting] The Centerpiece Restaurant
| >>831962
>Inside the shop lay a small dining room, furnished with decades old memorabilia from all corners of the world, along with a massive counter separating the dining room from the kitchen, which stood fully in sight of any potential customer
>The counter itself hold much of the appliences used to cook, such as an oven and a massive grill
>In addition, a row of stools lined the customer side of the counter, allowing them to gaze at the whole process of their meal's creation
| >>831964
>Today however, where would normally stand the imposing and menacing Lilik chef, instead stood a smaller young lady
>With glowing purple eyes and longish black hair, and sclera noticeably black in color
>Holding her head and sweating up a storm
"Will... I even get any customers? W-What'll happen then? Just thinking about all the nuyen's worth of ingrendients I had to defrost going to waste..."
>The girl goes pale
"Master, please come home quick... Heno can't handle this."
| >A short Oni enters the restaurant, grumbling something about socks and boots
>She had pale cream colored hair and red irises, and looked barely over 12.
>And yet she wore a GCPD patrol cloak with pride. Her golden oak leaf, the insignia of a major, shone brightly.
>It's her.
>The Major.
| >>832225
>The girl behind the counter instantly stiffens as the door's chime rings
"Welcome to the Centerpiece, uh... where meat is plenty and so is the... huh... the meat."
>She sounds unsure about her own words, but quickly catches herself
"We're running a more limited menu today since the owner is... uh... gone, again... but feel free to have a seat at the counter and check out the menu."
>She seems to finally be getting herself under control
"I uh... wrote them myself."
| >>832242
>The Oni takes a seat, taking off her cloak.
"Don't be so nervous lady! I'm not going to eat you!!"
>She laughs, showing off her sharp fangs.
"But meat huh? I like this place already!"
>She took the menu, reading it intently.
| >>832340
"Err... okay?"
>The girl simply narrows her eyes
>The menu is made up of a multitude of meats, all offered in various ways and with a ton of sidedishes to accompany them
>The classics take up most of the space on the handwritten menu: Pork, Beef and Chicken
>But there are also meats from more... exotic animals on offer: things like bear, deer, rabbit and boar.
>The smallish girl is now sharpening a large carving knife while taking deep breaths
| >Another figure enters the restuarant; a fairly lithe woman with her dark blonde hair done into a french braid. Her fair complexion contrasts against the vintage khaki trenchcoat. She strolls over to the counter, taking a look around.
| >>832375
>The small girl sharpening the knife turns to the new arrival
"Hey there, uh, welcome to the Centerpiece, we got meat... ahah-ha...haha..."
>She sighs, face pale
"Err... take a seat by the counter and check the menu, if you got any questions, I'm right there."
>She puts down her knife and kneels behind the counter, standing back up with a big ham and setting it on the counter
| >>832382
"Looking ominous there, chum. You've got meat, huh?"
>The woman says, looking at the knife the girl was sharpening. She scans through the menu before looking up and ordering with a smile.
"Can I have a steak? Just salt and pepper steak, rare. I'll take mashed potatoes and salad too for the side. Please, and thank you."
| >>832384
>The girl lets go of her ham and nods
"Got it, rare steak with some sides."
>The girl kneels again and fetches a slab of marbled beef, she carefully takes it out of it's minimal packaging and begins cutting the slab into a portion fit for consumption using the massive knife
>She seems utterly focused, but seamlessly turns back to the customer
"This here is Snow-Aged beef, it's one of the rarer forms of aged beef you can partake in."
>She explains as she fetches the spices
| >>832370
>Chanka gives the menu a look before nodding
"I'll take some elk! I haven't had any since I was a kid!"
>Said the one who still looked like a kid
"Oh and a beer too! A big one!! In a glass!"
>She seemed happy, salivating at the thought of getting to eat meat.
| >>832403
>The girl nods to the Major and begins deftly handling the two orders
>As she does, she pours out a large pint of beer for the small oni
"Err... I hope lager is fine, I'm kinda bad at the whole alcohol thing."
>She opens the pack of Elk meat and begins cubing it
"Any preference on how I cook it?"
>>832384
>While she does all of this, she's still handling the steak, rubbing pepper and salt into it before heating butter in a pan
| >>832386 >>832434
"Looks nice, I'm excited."
>The woman in the trenchcoat replies. Hearing the major ordering drinks, she orders on as well.
"Oh, do you guys have wine here? Red wine, if you have them, but I'm not exactly fuzzy about it."
| >>832467
"Oh, there's a few vintages lying about, I'll get you one once I'm done with this."
>The girl keeps preparing the meats, beginning the cooking process for both the steak and the elk cubes
>She even weaves in the peeling of potatoes
>No doubt, when it comes to effeciency, this small one has it mastered
| >>832474
"Okay, thanks."
>The woman says with a nod, before turning to the Major.
>>832403
"You must be Major Chanka, I just realized. Do you remember me, major?"
>The woman asks.
"I've heard about elks, never tried some. Are they good?"
| >>832625
>The small girl deftly places the steak into the pan and begins rapidly mashing the softened potatoes, flipping and managing the steak all the while
>She places the elk cubes in a pot along with a diced onion in between rapid management of the steak
>After a few minutes, she takes out the steak and plates it, adding the mashed potatoes and finishing off with some greens
>She places the meal in front of her client and serves up a glass of wine
"Here, err... enjoy?"
| >Into the restaurant walks two men, one of average stature wearing an ill-fitted, ratty green jacket and another an absolute mountain of a man, seemingly covered head to toe in bruises.
>The smaller of the two slow claps while walking into the restaurant backwards, facing his guest.
"Way to fuckin' go, Russ! Absolutely knocked that loser ass over tea kettle! Figured I'd take you for some dinner as a reward."
>Russ smiles reluctantly but jokes back.
"I ain't a cheap date, Step."
| >>832625
>Chanka gives you a somewhat friendfly grin, but there's confusion in her eyes.
"Oh, have we met before? Sorry I'm kinda bad with names!"
>She looks over the trench coat wearing woman, her brain shifting gears into memory mode.
>Too bad she had no memory mode, and thus was just switching gears endlessly.
"Elks are really good! They're really juicy and gamey! It's a Nevada classic!"
>>832434
"Anything and any way is fine lady! You're the expert here!"
>She smiles widely.
| >>832678
"Thank you, this looks amazing."
>The blonde patron compliments with a kind smile. She takes a sip of wine before diving into her meal.
"Tastes wonderful as well."
>>832770
"We met at the chicken place, maybe you don't remember, that's alright. My name's Elise, it's been nice meeting you again."
>She says when she cuts out another piece and takes a bite of her steak.
"Well, you're selling it for me, maybe I'll give it a try. Another time, perhaps."
| >>832759
>The girl stiffens up at the new arrivals
"He-Hey there... welcome to the Centerpiece, just have a seat and I'll be right with you..."
>>832770
"Err... ah, yeah?"
>She pours a broth into the pot and begins stirring, spreading a sweet meat and onion smell through the entire room
>She leaves the pot to simmer and adds the remainder of the diced potatoes from earlier to the meat and broth
"Err... it'll be elk nikujaga... Do you like carrots, Major?"
>She's holding the carrot
| >>832775
>Chanka nods
"So long as you don't cut them into tiny pieces! they get stuck between my teeth you see!"
>She once again shows off her sharp dental implements, her teeth look like they could cut through steel.
>It's the fangs of a predator.
>>832774
>Chanka shrugs
"Oh, yeah? I remember you! Definitely..."
>She doesn't.
| >>832778
"If you say so, Major."
>Elise giggles a little.
"To be honest, I didn't expect to see you at this kind of place, how'd you end up here?"
| >>832775
>The pair of men sit down, the smaller of the two; Step, sits slouching in the his seat. While the bigger man; Russ, seems very stiff and rigid.
"Yeah sure, we've got time. Time and money for once."
| >>832778
"Yeah, I get that!"
>For once, the girl seems to be very excited
"Things just get stuck in my teeth all the time, and the toothbrushes keep fraying and breaking!"
>She smiles wide, showing off teeth that while not as sharp as the major, are just as triangular
>>832781
>She immediately goes red in the face however, as the other man addresses her and clamps up again
>She looks down at the pot silently, eyes swimming like the nikujaga she stirs
|
| >>832782
"You guys have some sharp teeth around here, huh?"
>Elise comments, taking another sip of her wine.
"You are both adorably shy and intimidating at the same time, you know that?"
| >>832782
>Step sits up straight in his seat and balls his fist on the table in front of him.
"I've seen somebody with sharp teeth like that before, really used to freak me out, but nothin' surprises me anymore. This city really is something else."
| >>833228
>The girl behind the counter goes red in the face and merely turns away
>>832778
>She then coughs once to dispel the awkwardness and serves up a nice warm bowl of the elk nikujaga to the major
"I hope you like it."
>She scratches the back of her head awkwardly before putting away the pot into a comically large sink
>>832781
"A-Alright, so what would you two like to have? I've got plenty of any meat you could want."
>She wipes her hands on her loose apron
| >>833232
>Chanka nods with ablomb
"Thanks lady! time to eat!"
>And so she does.
>Despite her personality, the major seems to atleast have respect for table manners, she eats slowly and cleanly.
>She even makes sure to blow on the food before putting it into her mouth.
>It's like how a well behaved kid would eat in front of their parents.
>"Mom can I have dessert after this?"
>Is the impression she gives off
"Lady you got dessert in this place??"
>See?
| >>833321
>The girl shuffles on her feet
"Uh... depends on what you want? We don't really do deserts... all that often anyway..."
>She looks away again
| >>833473
"Hmm, so you're implying that you do serve desserts here sometimes."
>Elise muses teasingly, chiming in.
"What do you have in stock?"
| >>833232
>Step laughs a little, and shoots Russ a glance.
"Well, what type of meat do you recommend? My boy here is an athlete, an absolute monster. We need some good protein!"
| >>833635
"Ah, the owner does... I'm not really trained to make them... yet."
>She looks away, a little sheepish grin on her face
"Unless you just want plain chocolate and ice cream... I can make that much."
>>833750
>She turns back to the two man and smiles, showing her pointy teeth
"Well, in that case, chicken is your bet. It's lean with plenty of protein, and uh... it's also really light, so you can go wild on the seasoning."
|
| >A purple haired lilim enters the shop and heads over to the counter to look at the menu. They're dressed in a black, single breasted coat, black pants, and athletic shoes.
| >>833916
>Chanka finishes one mouthful
"Chocolate sounds good, anything sweet!"
>She says, before resuming her eating.
| >>834472
>The small shopkeep begins sweating again as the new arrival walks forward
"Err... hello there, you can check out the me- you're... already doing that."
>She looks absolutely defeated now, clearly she had no idea that many people would show up
"Just... uh, call me when you know what you want..."
>>834768
"Understood... I'll do my best."
>She flinches and begins moving about the kitchen
| >>834947
>Nym briefly looks away from the menu and gives the shopkeep a small nod.
"Will do."
>After another minute or so of deliberation, the lilim looks towards the kitchen and raises a hand in an attempt to catch the shopkeep's attention.
| >>835009
>Chanka gives the new arrival a glance
"Oh, someone new!! Take some meat! It's good you know!!"
>She says in between bites, shovelling down the food she was given
| >>835009
>The small shop keep notices your raised hand and walks over, putting down her currently held tub of vanilla ice cream
"Err... yes, so what will you have?"
| >>835013
>Nym squints for a moment as if unsure if they recognized this person or not.
"Er, thanks but I'll just wait for my food."
>They give a polite smile and then turn their attention towards the shopkeep.
"Hm... an order of yakitori and gyutan please."
| >>835078
>The girl nods and begins preparations
>She keeps eyeing the lilim with a strange look on her face
>Her glowing purple irises focus back on the food after a bit however
>She takes out a full chicken and begins cutting it's thigh into smaller pieces
>Thus begins the prep work for the yakitori
| >>835083
>Nym raises an eyebrow at the girl's look but after a few moments, they look down at their commlink to check on some things while waiting for their food.
| >>835078
>The small Oni scratches her head
>Her thick eyebrows are furrowed as she keeps eating
>What's a Yakitori?
>She turns to the cook and taps her tiny fist against the counter
"I'll have some of what she's having too! and a big beer!!"
>She declares, pushing forth her now empty plate
"It was tasty, but I'm still hungry!!"
>She laughs boisterously, as is her nature
| >>835089
>The girl is still prepping the skewers as she opens the grate of the grill baked into the counter
>She prepares the skewer with precise movements and begins roasting them
>All in the meantime, she also takes out beef tongue and begins grilling it next to the skewer
>>835092
>The oni's sudden words make the girl jump up and start sweating again
"Hyaa!? Uh, ah, okay!"
>She begins preparing a second portion
| >>835092
>>835097
>Nym's eyes go to the oni for a moment before the lilim turns their attention back towards the cook.
"I'll have a beer too actually."
| >>835092 >>835097 >>835098
>Elise watches the scene unfold with an amused grin as she finishes her steak.
"Make it three for me, eh, chum? Oh, and another glass of wine would be nice."
| >>835098
>The small cook jumps again and begins plating the servings along with the bottle of beers
>>835103
>She also adds another serving and a glass of wine
"W-Why is this suddenly an izekaya..."
>She bemoans
| >>835105
"Don't know, but I find it cute when you're panicking. Plus yakitori sounds interesting."
>Elise replies as she picks up the glass of wine.
"Cheers."
| >>835110
>The small chef goes pink in the face, all the way to the tips of her pointy ears
"C-CUTE!??!"
>She's trying very hard to not break into a full-blown anxiety attack
>She twirls her hair and tries to hide her face, failing horribly
"I-Is this what they call being hit on?"
>Despite her confusion, she also seems to be trying VERY hard not to break into a huge grin
"N-No, we don't know each other good enough yet-!"
>She seems delighted in some strange way, despite everything
| >>835207
>Seeing the chef's reactions, a mischievious grin appears on Elise's face.
"That's a shame... You are awfully adorable though when you're shy like that."
>She continues with a teasing tone.
"I wouldn't mind us knowing each other better though~"
| >>835105
"Thanks."
>Nym accepts their food and drink and starts eating. Every now and then, they glance over at Elise and the shopkeep's interactions with mild amusement.
| >>835560
>Elise notices Nym's glances on one occasion and met their gaze with a cheeky smile and a wink before returning to her mild flirting.
| >>835691
>The lilim gives a light chuckle and promptly returns to their meal to avoid staring too much.
| >>835207
>Chanka looks at the chef
"Well you're certainly pretty! Even I can tell you know!"
>She giggles, waiting on her order
"Say Meat-lady, what's this place anyway? I've never been here you know? despite my love of meat! It's a crime that I hadn't heard of this place before; and I take care not to let any crimes go you know!"
>She tapped her flat chest with a closed fist, a dull thud echoing in response
>She was exuding an air of pride, like a child waiting for words of praise
| >>835224
"N-Now you're just teasing me..."
>She blushes and places the next serving in front of the woman
>She then coughs and looks back around, hoping no one noticed the little grin on her face
>>835822
>Which leads her to strongly latch unto the Major's question
"Ah, this place is The Centerpiece... I-I did say that, no? We're almost always closed since the boss is currently... somewhere..."
>She has no idea where, and it shows
"I decided to open today on my own..."
| "I'm the owner's apprentice... ah, the owner is a lilim from here, name's Erika Gunma. I'm Heno... just Heno, my full name is... well, uh..."
>She drifts up in her speech
"I just thought it was a shame for the place to stay closed while the owner is out... So here we are."
| >>835824 >>835825
"I am, aren't I. Force of habit, sorry. Your reaction was so adorable I had to."
>Elise replies as she sets down her glass of wine and accepts the food.
"Don't be so nervous, Heno, you're doing wonderfully."
|
| >>835951
"Ah, uh, thanks?"
>The girl simply scratches the back of her head and goes back to what she was previously doing: making ice cream and chocolate for the oni
|
| >>836533
"Anyway, I'm Elise, in case you didn't catch that."
>Elise continues talking before taking a bite out of her food.
"Haven't been here before, but I probably should visit more often now that I know how good your food is here. Plus the cute chef too, of course."
>She adds in the same teasing tone.
|
|
| >>837166
"Ah, err... thanks?"
>Heno blushes and finally finishes up what she was working on, a large bowl of homemade chocolate ice cream for the oni
"The owner doesn't do a very good job of advertising... so long as she can cook, she doesn't care about anything else."
>The small chef sighs, clrealy distraugt about that fact
| >>838468
"A shame. Maybe you can help her advertise."
>Elise has finished her second plate by this point, and is now sipping her wine.
"Make this place a little more known."
| >>838526
"That's the plan..."
>Heno sighs as she leans into the counter
>Her glowing irises focus on Elise's face for a moment before she turns away again
"Yeah, it is a shame... Boss' food is heaven compared to mine. Ah, not saying I'm bad or anything, okay? I trained super hard to reach this level... but compared to her, I'm dime a dozen."
>She sighs again
| >>838954
>Elise leans into the counter as well and stares back, locking eyes with Heno up until Heno breaks her gaze.
"You're the best I've tasted so far. If that's true then I can't wait to taste hers."
>She sets the glass on the table with a smirk before she continues.
"But before that, can I try some of that ice cream you made too?"
|
| >>839523
"Oh uh... thanks..."
>The small chef blushes again before continuing
"And yes, if you want some... err... It's really just a simple recipe though..."
>She serves Elise a small bowl of the ice cream
| >>840239
"Sometimes, simple is enough."
>Elise quips with her by-now iconic cheeky smirk in reply as she accepts the bowl.
|
|
| >>840332
"Yeah. Sometimes something simple is best."
>She smiles a little, before mumbling 'Especially if I lack the ingredients...'
>She then ducks under the counter, rummaging a bit before emerging with a very large pig leg, which she begins affixing to a slicing implement
>She does keep an ear out for any new orders, but otherwise seems to be focusing on her ham
| >>841413
"Cheeky bugger, I heard that!"
>Elise retorts, still smiling after she heard the mumbling. Nonetheless, she tries out the ice cream.
"Still not bad, I'll forgive you... for now."
This thread is permanently archived
| >tucked in an alley in the middle of Neon is what many consider a strange sight, a big blocky building fronted by a huge sign: "The Centerpiece! Meat Masterpieces!"
>Not many lurk in these parts, and so the restaurant has never been terribly popular, something it's owner; Michelin Star Chef Erika Gunma could not care less about
>After all, the shop was closed almost 365 days a year due to the lengthy journeys of it's owner
>But today, the 'Open' sign hangs on the open door