Scene #4264: Dining out, Nine's Treat

Owner	Pose
No. 9	Okayyy, he's still limping. It's pretty pathetic, but the ugly hulking cyborg wretch is at least up and about, and he's dragged out friends and family and invited. He's able to walk, which means dragging poor Taro out with him and harassing a few Union over radio. Playfully, but harassing all the same. He's just as hideous, just as ugly, just as foul smelling and just as odd sounding as ever. Worse, a little. He looks sallow, waxen, oddly pale. But he's around, as opposed to... wherever he'd been, whatever he'd been doing. "What is it about solid food that gets your heebies in a jeebie Taro m'man? I'm still tryin t' wrap my brain 'round it."
Taro	Taro meanwhile remains what Nine is not - small, lithe and graceful, handsome in a bishonen sort of way. He's favoring his left arm a bit, but otherwise doesn't appear too worse for wear after Saturday's excitement. He also doesn't mind being dragged out, though his lack of smile might suggest the opposite to those who don't know him. He follows Nine in, taking a seat at whatever table the Golem chooses. His silence is a thoughtful one as he tries to answer the question. "...I suppose it's because normally I have no need to eat. The tastes of foods is not unpleasing, but the process..." He gives a small shrug.
Sigrun Stem	Sigrun has a new set of clothes. It looks identical to the old set. She walks in, bow and quiver strapped to her back, but hands empty. Just because she picked one target out of the set last time deosn't mean she doesn't recognize number Nine, nor that she doesn't recognize the voice. Thus, she heads straight towards him and Taro. "Hey. Sigrun Stem, Monster Exterminator. You can find me on the Syndicate Network. She introduces herself, tone flat. She removes her mask, revealing the face of a woman in her mid twenties, a couple scars on her face, most of which clearly inflicted by fang and talon rather than blade or spear. A flick of her hand means a whole lot of red runes light up around her hand, and line lines seem to transfer energy from, through and to those runes in intricate patterns. Then, a soft light glows and it slowly starts to settle into an illusory likeness of number Nine, then it flickers out. "Likeness captured for future reference. Hope you don't mind."
Toph Beifong	It's a bit curious when somebody admits that they want to harass you and that's the only reason they are seemingly buying you a milkshake. But most of the time Toph is up for a challenge, and hey... she was amused by the honesty of Nine's answer, so why not? Still somewhat bruised Toph doesn't seem to have much trouble walking today, nor is she as pale as she was when fighting the other day. Today she's clad in a casual manner, with an oversized t-shirt as well as baggy shorts and a cap on her head that doesn't even have a sliver of hope of covering all of her hair, with her hairbun sticking out on the back. If it wasn't for the fact that her face is visible one might even confuse her for a civilian as she's not dressed up in her usual clothes that she's seen bending in most of the time. She arrives shortly after Sigrun, walking in and making her way towards the table that Nine and Taro have chosen, clearly having no problems finding them. "You better buy me a good milkshake, buddy," she states firmly.
Xiaomu	"Fried tofu parfait, fried tofu parfait~" a certain sage fox sing-songs as she enters the Bar and Grill. Xiaomu's all but dancing at this point, for that matter; she must really love her fried tofu. That, or she needed a break from whatever she was doing ... and anyone who heard her on Union channels a bit ago could probably imagine why that could be the case. She waves casually to Taro, Nine, and Sigrun - then stops, doing a double-take at the King Golem. "Oh, wow, haven't seen a cyborg like you before ... I'm Xiaomu, agent of Shinra, good to meet you!" Then the earthbender arrives, and Xiaomu calls out, "Hey there, Toph!"
No. 9	A nod and a somewhat still marred, gappy grin, his teeth still cracked and missing, the dentition taking it's time to grow back in. "H-haa, yea all them squishy organic processes... I imagine it'd jest gum you up, come t' think a it, so I guess I kin kinda 'magine it? Iffn I didn' need t' eat it wouldn' make sense to- s' like sleepin when ya aint got a need. Seem like a real waste a time t' me." A glance up as the Unionites make their way in, his grin getting freakishly wide- how wide can this guy's mouth get? "H-HEYYY look who showed up! Th' boys in blue. Or girls in this case. Not tha I'm c'mplainin mind. S' an equal opportunity sorta job, pertectin th' world eh?" And he offers a big hand to Sigrun,despite potentially worrisome runes. "Number Nine. Monster. GOLEM-style ANMC King Unit No. 9 atcher service." But then there's illusory No. 9 and real No. 9 is blinking a bit, his eyebrows drawn high. "WhooooWEE I'm ugly, fuckin hell." A wet, mucky chuckle and he shakes his head. "TOPH!" Catching sight of the blind earthbender, the ugly Fed cyborg goes to pounce on her, pausing before he draws her up into a noogie that would prove quite painful for him. "Whoa Toffee, ya dun look so good! Ya okay? Ya look a lil piqued, an' bruised. Touch plummy 'ere an there, yannow?" A glance over her, before he crouches down. "Whut flavor ye thinkin of? Blackberry lavender? Fireball whiskey? Grasshopper?" Straight to the alcoholics for the kid, yeahh. Good job Nine. A glance up, up and down, down and up, and that gappy grin gets a bit more appreciative. "Whoowaa." an appreciative sort of nod, followed by a chuckle. "Riiiight, right. Ugly? Or particularly degenerate. King Golem Number Nine, nice t' make yer acquaintance." Hand offered as well.
Taro	"The textures also leave something to be desired," he adds, then drops that thread of conversation as their (technically Nine's, he just didn't object) invited guests arrive. Talking about how utterly disgusting the act of eating is does not polite cocktail conversation make. Taro's eyes track the masked woman as she approaches his and Nine's table. A quietly appraising gaze, though his faint dour frown changes little. His face can be hard to read, since he shows so little emotion through it. He gives her a small nod as she introduces herself, then makes a small open-handed gesture to indicate himself. "Taro Daisho. Bishop Engineer of SHODAN. A pleasure." Sigrun's own gesture is noted with a narrowing of eyes, though he doesn't interrupt. There's a hint of disquiet in his voice, but he manages, "A good likeness, I agree." A good thing that they chose one of the larger tables, enough for Toph and Xiaomu to join them as well. He and the earthbender have met before, and he gives her a respectful nod not unlike the one he just gave Sigrun. "Good evening, Toph," he says politely. "I see you're recovering well." As for the foxlike young woman, she too receives an appraising gaze when she introduces herself, neother wave nor smile returned. Just another respectful nod of the head. "Good evening."
Sigrun Stem	"Hey Toph and Xiaomu." Sigrun waves to her two fellow Union members, then claims a seat. " And nice to meet you, mister Daisho, mister Nine. Pleasure to meet you, and I've killed uglier things than you." Sigrun tells the cyborg with a confident smirk, "Got paid well for it, too."
Xiaomu	"Well," Xiaomu replies with a grin as she shakes Nine's hand, "whoever designed your exo-prosthetics was clearly more concerned with function than form, but I still wouldn't say 'ugly'." She's also not a girl in blue, but in red and black, but that's beside the point. "Anyway, good to meet you both! Even if the odds favor us kicking each other's ass next time we meet," she adds with a good-natured grin. She settles into a chair and doesn't even bother reaching for a menu; she knows what she wants, and what she wants is a fried-tofu parfait. Hopefully it won't take long for the kitchen to provide one; she's been going through old records and she could seriously use a pick-me-up. Gods help the kitchen here if Xiaomu has to go back there and tell them how to make it.
Toph Beifong	Xiamou gets a wave and a somewhat tired smile from Toph, though there's genuine feeling in it. Sigrun too earns a wave, and Taro earns a brief nod. Heck, even the feeling she displays to Nine is genuine. Genuinely surprised and annoyed, that is. The moment Nine moves to pounce on her the blind girl is already moving, pale unseeing eyes going wide as she didn't expect him to do that! And she doesn't look like she's about to let him noogie her either. "HEY!" she snaps, even frowning as she lifts a hand to point at Nine's face. "One, I don't hug. Secondly, I go by many nicknames, but that one is lame." Seriously, Toffee. Damn E!News. "Third... what kinda milkshake flavours are /those/?" What's wrong with regular chocolate? Once she's sure she's avoided any pounces and noogies she slips into a seat, arching an eyebrow at Xiamou's comment. "Seeing people are way too occupied with 'pretty' and 'ugly' to begin with if you ask me."
No. 9	A chuckling, cackling laugh, showing off those temporarily fucked up teeth. "W-HELL I'll keep tha in mind iffn ya ever come t' kill th' everlovin fuck outta me." He pumps her hand once, firmly but not crushingly before gesturing to the table. "Whut kinda milkshake s' ticklin yer fancy this evenin?" A wet and mucky chuckle and a bit of a mutter. "Here's t' hopin my enemies r' cheap fucksticks." Shaking his head, laughing faintly to himself. A nod to Taro. "Act'lly it's Taro's doin, but he had t' put it in wiffin my physical parameters. It's a lot better n' the shit gear I had when I furst got here lemme tell ya, h-ha! This shit is seriously, the shit, but in th' good way, yannow?" A glance to Xiao, his head tilting and shrugs, smiling. "Half th' fun. Onna th' nice things bout bein a Fed; ya can bump fists n' rub shoulders wif Union Blue one week, hand out concussions n' lose teeth th' next. S' how it's S'PPOSED t' go." A glance to Toph, and he sighs, shaking his head and kneeling down. "Hey, dun knock grasshopper. Creme de menthe is like mint n' chip's older, wiser brother; smoooooooth wif th' ladies n' wanted by all th' guys, while mint n' chip, 'is younger brother s' all rough edged and impetuous n' stuff." "Annaway it's partially tha I'm tryin t' get Taro out n' about a bit more. E's too cooped up bein adult n' responsible n' shit."
Taro	"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes," Taro notes. "Nine is designed for strength and stamina, and his cybernetics reflect that." Then, he arches an eyebrow at Nine. "Perhaps it would be better to stick to more traditional flavors..." He may not get out much if Nine is to be believed, but he frequents the place enough that a pot of green tea and a cup arrive unprompted. He always orders the same thing, thus making it easy on the waitstaff. Even so, he sounds a tad affronted by Nine's asserion. "My lab is well stocked and has a lovely view."