[PP-F4] Jomei, Baldur, and Big Mac vs Ramen

[Baldur 0]

The early evening on the 4th floor was always cold, but Baldur had been remiss about going there lately and checking in on Cordelia... and he only needed the barest of excuses to enjoy some warm ramen. The 4th floor really was the best floor to enjoy hot ramen on too. So the gaijin samurai tugged his haori about him as he made the short walk from the settlement, out the gates, and to Cord-chan's ramen shop. It wasn't particularly large, but it was enough to keep the snow off of them, and the heat from boiling water and the lamps filled the small space with an aura of welcomed warmth.

Baldur pushed aside the canvas that hung down to keep the weather off her patrons and sat down at one of the stools.

"Konbanwa, Cord-chan."

He settled comfortably at the counter as he thought about which one he wanted.

"Can I get some Tonkatsu Ramen with garlic?"

He smiled at her as he heard what sounded like others approaching the noodle bar.

"Looks like I got here just before the big rush. How have things been here? You've seemed quiet lately."

@Cordelia @Jomei @Macradon

[Jomei 0]

The concerto played, silently, within the ginger's head as his eyes slowly scanned the piece of sheet music before him. The pencil between his fingers gently tap.. tapped against his chin while his toe followed the same beat. A simple work, but one that meant a lot to Jomei, that served as his autobiography of sorts. Since the close call that was the previous floor's boss fight, Jomei knew that his life would not be as simple as it was before hand. He could no longer assume that the floor raid would be successful, and that the players of SAO would be one step closer to reaching the 100th floor. No.. the last boss fight was a tough reminder that Jomei's life could be extinguished at any moment. Part of him wanted to retire, just finish planning this wedding with Telrenya and find a new home on another floor where they could quietly live out the rest of their days here. However, the ginger knew that life could not be that simple, for he was one of the few remaining, higher leveled players that the frontliners could consistently rely on. 

As he reached the final bar of music he had written, Jomei closed his olive eyes and sat back in his chair with a soft sigh. Silence fell over his music hall for just a moment, interrupted by a low grumble emanating from his stomach. He had been at work for a couple of hours now, not even realizing that the sun had set and the darkness of evening had fallen over the Aincrad. Placing a hand over his empty belly, Jomei stood with a small smile and placed the collection of papers upon the top of the piano that sat in the corner of his workshop, before leaving the room and returning to his living room on the upper floor. "Hey Estelle, wha-"  he began to his finacee, before noticing that she had fallen asleep on their couch, along with each of their familiar companions. Tel's ghostly like familiar, floated above her chest with its eyes closed, while Adere, Jomei's owl, sat on the back of the couch resting as well. Jomei could not help but crack a smile at the serenity the three shared. Grabbing a blanket and gently placing it over the blonde's frame, he placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I will be back later." 

After changing from his simple clothes into his signature green coat and cloak, Jomei made his way towards the center of town with dinner on his mind. "Hm.. Maybe I should try someplace new tonight.." he said to himself as he approached the center of town, trying to think of a random number between one and twenty five to decide which floor to explore. He stood on the platform for just a moment in thought before finally calling out, "Warp, Fourth Floor: Snowfrost." Moments later, the ginger found himself not in Taft, but in the center of the snow covered settlement of the Fourth Floor. 

After a bit of exploring, trying to find a place that caught Jomei's attention, the Irishman stumbled upon a new sight. A simple building, with three closed walls and one open, with simple pieces of cloth hanging down to help keep some of the warmth in. Jomei could feel the heat of the interior as he approached, as well as smell the fresh food being cooked. Pushing past the hanging flags, Jomei saw the place was mostly empty, save for one other player on the interior whom he recognized. There were not many players who sported the samurai look, and if they did, Baldur always sold it the best. "Hey, Baldur. Didn't think I'd run into anyone I knew out here." he said as he slid into a stool next to his friend.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Jomei

[Macradon 0]

“Grumbling through the snow,
on two legs that gets too cold,
walk through all this wind,
heavens know where to …”

The knight tried to comfort himself, getting lost like this was stupid … or rather, being instructed to get lost was stupid. “It’s not even November yet … why the fuck do they want me to dress up as some freakish Santa. I shouldn’t do all this volunteering work anymore, even if I help those orphaned kids, it just doesn’t feel right for me.

First they got me to prance around fancy clothing so they could feel like they were at a gala. Then they got me into a bunny costume to hide Easter eggs for the kids. Now they want me to play Santa … in fucking who know what month anymore.” he grumbled to himself while treading heavily into the snow. He wasn’t wearing much, only the light Santa costume the orphanage lent to him. He still wasn’t sure why he had to go to the 4th floor, and why he had to traverse the snowy wilderness. All he knew was that he had to do it for some god forsaken reason.

He would walk for hours, feeling the cold get to him, itching his bare skin. He would try to shrug it off as best as he could, his Survival skill helped him not die from the possible digital hypothermia, but that was probably all it did. The negative impact sensation the NerveGear stimulated his brain with were still more than enough to make him feel discomfort from the harsh weather.

It has been an hour at least since he went out and he still wasn’t sure where he was headed exactly. He would try to get a hold of them at the orphanage later to get all the information down to the tee instead of literally aimlessly walking around in the tundra. There wasn’t much light out in the fields at this time of evening, all the light he could see was the light pollution in the distance, coming from some kind of minor settlement. “Perhaps I’ll take a short break there …” he thought and began his trek.

As he finally got to the minor settlement, he noticed a nice fragrance, something smelled real delicious and he just had to take that break wherever that yummy thing would be. Following the scent he arrived at what seemed to be some kind of Japanese noodle bar, somewhat resembling the ones he saw in anime. “Guess I’ll get some ramen then.” he said and went to the stools. To his surprise he met a good handful of familiar faces. Not only was this noodle shop owned by one of his acquaintances, Cordelia, but at its stools were two patrons that Macradon knew, Baldur and Jomei.

“Hey guys, fancy seeing you two here. What’re you up to?” he asked, “Oh, and hey Cord. Uh … I’ll just go with miso chicken, lotsa spice, I need the heat.” he ordered, took a seat, and looked back over at the Gaijin Samurai and the Irishman. “What brings you guys to the 4th floor? Just the ramen?” he asked.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur was making small talk with Cord-chan when the flaps of the ramen shop were pushed aside, and ginger he wasn't expecting to have with his order walked into the small, warm, oasis in the snow. The parsley green it was paired with immediately told Baldur it was the robin hood of Aincrad, the ginger who stole hearts and helped the poor. The gaijin samurai flashed a smile at one of the few remaining old timers of the frontlines, Jomei.

"Konbanwa, Jomei-San. How are you?" The brunette gave him a warm and welcoming smile, gesturing that the man should feel free to join him. "I didn't expect to run into anyone here tonight, but I would love it if you would stay a while, I don't know that we've ever been able to share a meal together."

Only a moment or two after Jomei was settled, Macradon also came and settled into the ramen shop, but Baldur's eyebrows climbed up his forehead.

"Mac... what... what are you..." His blue eyes looked Macradon up and down once more, "Isn't the halloween event going on right now?" Suddenly his eyes narrowed, "You lost a bet to Mari, didn't you?"

The elder player let out a jovial laugh and gestured that he should join them. "Why don't you join us? Jomei just happened to walk in too. Nothing like some good ramen on a cold night, eh?"

[Jomei 0]

The ginger returned a smile as warm as the steaming ramen being ladled into bowls on the other side of the counter. "Likewise, I was just looking for a new place to grab a bite to eat," Jomei said to the brunette as he sat on a stool beside him, "And no, I don't think we have. Can't say I recall the last time I actually sat down and ate with someone aside from Telrenya." The ginger's eyes scanned over a menu before him for a quick moment before raising them to the server to place his order. Immediately, the ginger recognized the woman across the counter as Cordellia, with whom he had briefly gone on a quest with before ((one that was never finished *cough cough* @Cordelia)) After a polite greeting, he placed his order, "I'll have a spicy miso ramen, please." 

Not even another moment passed as the sound of shuffling of boots hinted Jomei to look over his shoulder. There, he saw another companion who he was a bit more familiar with, Macradon, who was donned in his usual red of the KOB guild and matching... Santa hat..? Jomei chuckled at Baldur's comment about the ongoing Halloween event and Mac's, apparent, early celebration of the December holiday. "Unless, of course, this is his Halloween costume.. A great way to get more use out of the ensemble and save Col." the man jested. "Yes! Join us! I was just telling Baldur that I don't think the two of us ever really had the chance to hang out and chat outside of a boss raid.. and I believe that goes for you as well. Usually we chat while fighting something." As the newcomer got himself settled, Jomei looked between him and Baldur, "You mentioned Mari. How is she doing? I saw her a while ago and meant to check in with her but never had the chance." 

[Macradon 0]

He broadened his smile and accepted their invitation to sit with them at the stall, it was great company to have with buddies like them, not that they’ve done much together socially, it had mostly been questing and boss raiding, never actually been something as nice and soothing as sitting down with your pals to grab some soup. He chortled and scratched the back of his santa hat “Aye it’s a bit early for Christmas celebration, and even though I wanted to use that as an excuse, it ain’t my Halloween garb either.” he replied to the two.

“I’ve been aiding an orphanage on the first floor for a while now, and since I hadn’t been shy on wearing costumes to soothe the children, they don’t seem to back down on having costumes made for me every now and again to help the children feel more at ease … now as to why I’m wearing this in October … that I’m not sure about myself to be honest.” he said with a lighthearted chortle. He nodded at two and agreed “Yeah, there actually that many people I’ve really hung out with outside of quests and raids … I think it’s a nice change of pace to be able to hang out with you two, even if it was just out of sheer coincidence.”

He would sit up comfortably on his chair and accept the steaming soup, placing it neatly in front of him. The slightly cloudy miso broth filled his nostrils with a nice scent of comfort, the added spice gave him a sensation of warmth that would fill up his cold exterior that he had gathered from walking in the snowy fields for so long. He would switch focus back to the others and add a final comment on his attire “I think they wanted me to help make a route for the children to find a place to open presents or something, gotta check up on that later.”

He would take a sip of the broth and savor the flavors of fermented bean paste and enjoy the tingling capsaicin covering his tongue, it was amazing how microwaves could do this to one’s brain, making it believe in the sensation of touch and nerves to this degree, it was like sci-fi or something. “It’s nice Cord, thanks.” he said to the owner, making sure that her works was appreciated.

[Baldur 0]

"You know, you're both right. Sitting down for something like this is something no one seems to take enough time to do. Though with the fishing event this past easter, it reminded me how nice it was just to catch up with people... it made me think about going around and checking up on everyone, and just catching up..." he let the thought linger, as he realized it was something he never followed up on.

"That settles it." Baldur said as Cord-chan laid the bowl of ramen down before him. "I'm going to have to start hosting some dinner parties at my place, get caught up with everyone. But nothing big like the floor boss meeting. Something small enough that everyone can get a chance to talk." Baldur put his hands together, and said "Itadakimasu" with a small bow before he summoned his UI and manifested a pair of dark lacquered chop sticks, smiled at the bowl, and took some noodles.

"There's just something about warm ramen in the winter that's delightful." He said with a satisfied smile.

He looked over at his two equally eccentric frontline comrades, Baldur felt in good company with them, and tried to get some conversation started.

"What have you guys been up to? I worked pretty hard leading up to the boss meeting, so I've used some of the time between to try and relax and center myself, and get settled into my new home. I had felt like I was going non-stop since last Halloween. Honestly, the new home has done a lot for managing my stress levels. I want to do a shinto home dedication ceremony with a few of my closest friends, and then I had intended to do a larger house warming party. I hope you'll both come to that."

 

[Jomei 0]

The friendly smile the ginger wore softened when Mac revealed his true reasons for being partially dressed as St.Nick, though for why the holiday was being celebrated by these orphans in October was unbeknownst to any of them. "Hey, who cares why. As long as it makes them happy. Good on you for being such a charitable lad." Jomei turned in his stool again to face forward once Macradon joined them, listening to his two comrades speak a bit. A fishing event for Easter.. this Halloween's event.. I really have been out of the loop.. I can't remember the last event I was a part of, the Irishman thought to himself, the joyous smile fading for just a moment. At this rate, not only was he losing friends who just up and disappeared.. but his own activity would create a distance form those he cared for as well. 

The sound of weighted ceramic on the counter before him snapped Jomei out of his dazed state. The heated fumes from the bowl of spicy noodles before him tingled the insides of his nose. Not wasting any time, Jomei grabbed at the pair of chopsticks placed beside the bowl and fiddled with them between his fingers before digging in. The heat of the miso broth paired with the various spices warmed Jomei's throat and belly as he finished his first bite. "This is delicious. I don't remember the last time I had ramen this good... or ramen in general to be honest." he immediately went in for his second bite. 

Baldur then addressed the two of them, asking about their current lives outside of this wintery ramen shack. Chewing the noodles in his mouth, Jomei swallowed the bite down before answering. "To be honest.. not much at all.. I can't even say I've done much since the last boss fight either. I apologize, I've been a bit distant, to be honest." The solemn look the man wore for a moment faded as the corner of his lips pulled into a confident smirk, "But I'm not gonna let that get to me. I'm hoping to show my face a bit more again and rejoin society. And it starts right here with these noodles." As his chopsticks plunged into the miso soup once again, Jomei stopped. The thought of the boss fight reminded him, "Oh Baldur.. I almost forgot." With a quick swipe with his free hand, Jomei went into his inventory and procured two, small potions that he placed beside him. "I owed you some damage potions from some boss fight. I picked some extras up since I needed to make my own preparations for this next boss anyway." 

Traded:
2 x Liquor of Light (+3 DMG) to Baldur

[Macradon 0]

Macradon smiled and agreed “Yeah, something like a nice dinner party could be cozy enough to unwind from the daily struggle thoughts of boss raids, labyrinth scouting, and whatnot. Could be nice to connect with the fellow play- people in here, and get to know them.” he said before slurping down some noodles with a big gulp enjoying the savory taste of the beans and the smooth feel of the ramen. The heat helped him get back up to temp and it felt really nice to just eat a nice hearty meal like this, and hang out with your buddies.

Listening to Baldur’s smalltalk initiation, Macradon would ponder for a few seconds, trying to think of what he had been doing the last few days since the raid meeting. “I’ve mostly been grinding quests I guess, undertaking different event quests to maximize gain right now.” he said and kept pondering “I have just been preparing for the upcoming floor boss raid and helping the orphanage, no real me time … so this right here.” he said and slurped up a good portion of noodles “Really hits the spot. Eating nice warming soup with the guys during a cold winter like evening.” he said with a chortle and kept eating.

The knight had been too focused on getting stronger, preparing himself, getting everything he needed to do an optimal job at the raid more than he did the last raid he attended, where he also had the position of tank. He would stir his soup around and slurp up some more noodles "It's dangerous to have cozy fun like this" he said and chuckled "I could get used to unwinding with buddies and relax from time to time." he added while trying to contain a laugh.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur opened his mouth to assure Jomei that no one at this table was going to judge him for needing a break. They had all done it. Honestly, from what it sounded like, Baldur wasn't sure if he dodged a bullet by skipping the last boss fight, or if his presence would have changed how things played out. He did some guilt about how it played out, and not being there after the scene he had caused, but his fight with Hestia had taken a lot out of him. He felt betrayed by someone he had trusted so much.

But then Jomei handed over two potions, and it made him smile, his thoughts changing to the sight of Jomei and his lady, Telrenya? It had been good to see them happy together.

"Thanks, I was just about out, so the timing is perfect. Thank you." He took the potions and put them into his inventory with out examining them. He trusted Jomei.

"I owe you an apology by the way. I voted you to lead a raid I then didn't follow through on..." He wanted to say more, but stopped short. "So we'll call everything even. We all need a break from time to time, but it does my spirits good to see you out and about again. I'm looking forward to knowing you're there with us on this fight."

Baldur smiled at Mac. The man had been a force of nature lately, and had been a source of strength for Mari as well. The man was reliable in a way no one else was. He had become a presence felt by the whole of Aincrad.

"I get that, Macradon, but with how active you've been... I've got to assume you've passed Calrex for the highest level player. And while I haven't seen it in action, I've only heard rumors about your legendary weapon you've got on your hands. I gotta say... I'm anxious to see you show it off in the boss battle." He realized, as he said it, that he brought the conversation back to war. He sighed slightly into his bowl of ramen.

"Alright gentlemen. New rule of Noodle Club. No talk about boss floors. If you need to get something off your chest, that's fine, we all need to vent that, but surely we can talk about things other than death."

He took a sip of his soup and was about to ask about ladies, but decided against it.

"Do you have a house Jomei? I'm sure you do Mac, but I've never seen either. I put off getting mine until the right floor presented itself... but I have to say, I'm pretty happy with what I was able to accomplish on the 24th floor."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's brow pinched as Baldur admitted that he owed the ginger an apology, his expression a bit puzzled. Apparently, Baldur felt a bit of guilt for nominating Jomei to take the head at the last boss fight and then not actually showing up at the fight itself. Turning his head, Jomei looked down into his noodles for a mere moment. It was true that Baldur had put so much faith into Jomei, seeing him as a level headed leader that would be able to bring the two opposing forces during that meeting together. However, despite taking on the challenge, Baldur was no where to be seen; along with Shield and Beat. He had to admit.. the fight probably would have gone smoothly with two heavy hitters and another unstoppable force of a tank. The past was in the past, however, and, despite, Jomei never held any of them accountable.

Turning back in his stool to face towards Baldur again, the ginger smiled. "Ah, I never blamed you to begin with. So no harm, no foul." He reached a hand over and placed it firmly on Baldur's shoulder, before returning to his soup in front of him. Taking his chopsticks, he shoveled another mouth full of ramen into his mouth as he listened to Macradon's current whereabouts. It seemed that Mac had been in the exact opposite boat as Jomei, keeping himself busy and grinding away. Jomei wish he had that determination to become a better SAO player. Mac would serve as a fine role model for many up and coming frontliners to come, and even some of the lower tiered players such as himself. 

Before Jomei could comment on Mac's obvious strength level, Baldur brought an end to the topic of fighting and bosses. He deemed that, for the rest of the night, they avoid the topic and enjoy the night as three friends. The ginger smirked, "The Noodle Club.. I like that. But if you put a name to it.. it just means that we will have to keep up our reputation, eh? Have regular noodle meetings to talk about noodle agendas." he said with a laugh. He appreciated the change of topic, it helped remind them that they were still human, and not mindless fighters.

Raising his bowl to his lips to drink some of the broth, Baldur asked about Jomei's living conditions. He nodded as he swallowed the warm liquid, "Yeah, I do. A nice little town home in Taft on the Eleventh Floor. Telrenya and I live there. Nothing too fancy.. but its home." Curious about the way he ended his statement, Jomei pried a bit deeper, "What did you accomplish on the Twenty Fourth Floor?" 

[Macradon 0]

The knight snickered at Baldur’s remark and would look over with a smug face “Boy does this sword hit hard, I tell you.” he said and quickly went through his inventory to find his Blade of the Bloody Dictator, quite the weird mouthful to ever say, but it fit the weapon’s narrative it was made from, so Macradon didn’t really mind the long edgy name “This bad boy has been great to use,” he introduced and brought out his long slim silver sword. A heft flared tip narrowing through the most of the blade and widen out back at the base, silvered edges and gilded inner spine surrounding a blood red ruby spine layer, and then an overly ornate guard that looked more dangerous to use than it protected.

“Chunking out a good fourth of an event dungeon boss with a single hit, now that felt like real power.” he said and flexed his arm that wasn’t displaying the sword “I’m quite proud with how far it has taken me, how many raids, how many battles it has aided me in, and how much more help I’ve been capable of giving others with cheap mercenary work.” he flaunted with a big grin like a kid showing off the newest coolest game console.

Macradon would begin to slurp a good mouthful of noodles once again as Baldur and Jomei exchanged a few familiarities regarding the raid and doubts about it, the knight just listened and slurped in the background, like a fly on a jackhammer in the small recording studio. But when Baldur asked about the level difference between him and Calrex, the knight could do nothing else but to chuckle “We hit a level caps it seems, some kind of soft level cap. We can’t get higher than level 88, Calrex hit it, Hestia hit it, then I hit it, and we aren’t gaining any new levels, but our experience points and skill points keep rising by doing quests, so I guess it’s a bug or glitch in the matrix
- I guess it’s a bug or glitch in the matrix,” he said, making a snarky reference to the Matrix movie franchise as he repeated himself like a deja vu.

When Baldur came to the speech of the Noodle Club, Macradon chortled and nodded his head “Aye, only noodly agendas, nothing else.” he said trying not to crack a laugh. He nodded again, acknowledging Baldur’s knowledge of Macradon’ living accomodations “Yeah I have a house. On the first floor, town of beginnings. I got a large plot around my blacksmith shop and got the estate build there to keep my shop accessible for new players that wanted to go out into the wilderness at least somewhat prepared.” he replied and slurped down some more noodles.

Macradon looked over at Jomei when he asked what had been accomplished on the 24th floor, the knight would excitingly exclaim “Oh boy there’s a lot going on up there. You have to see it at some point. Here I thought my estate filled a lot in the Town of Beginnings.” he said with a bright snickering voice and emptied his ramen bowl.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur felt a small bit of relief that Jomei did not hold floor 24 against Baldur. He respected the ginger bandit, and had not wanted to disappoint him before they had had a chance to get to really know one another.

Then smirked as only a ginger could, "The Noodle Club.. I like that. But if you put a name to it.. it just means that we will have to keep up our reputation, eh? Have regular noodle meetings to talk about noodle agendas." he said with a laugh

Macradon chortled and nodded his head “Aye, only noodly agendas, nothing else.” he said trying not to crack a laugh.

Baldur couldn't help but let a smile crack his normal mask of absolute control which he covered by filling his mouth with Cord's noods, and the conversation quickly moved on.

Jomei nodded as he ate his noodles, "Yeah, I do. A nice little town home in Taft on the Eleventh Floor. Telrenya and I live there. Nothing too fancy.. but its home." 

Mac chimed in, “Yeah I have a house. On the first floor, town of beginnings. I got a large plot around my blacksmith shop and got the estate build there to keep my shop accessible for new players that wanted to go out into the wilderness at least somewhat prepared.” he replied and slurped down some more noodles.

"I didn't realize that was your house by your shop there Mac, that's some prime real-estate!"

"What did you accomplish on the Twenty Fourth Floor?" Jomei asked Baldur with a curious tone as they all continued to slurp up the noddles.

Macradon looked over at Jomei and excitingly exclaimed “Oh boy there’s a lot going on up there. You have to see it at some point. Here I thought my estate filled a lot in the Town of Beginnings.” he said with a bright snickering voice and emptied his ramen bowl.

Baldur would have blushed in another setting, but here just among the boys of the Noodle Club (tm) he beamed out a proud smile.

"Oh, I found one of those not quite floating islands, you know what I mean, they're all over. Well, i found the portal to one that was out in the water of the 24th floor. When I got to the top, there was nothing up there but bandits. So I cleared the entire plateau and then put my estate on it. Shortly behind that, we formed the guild Jacob's Ladder, and we put the guild headquarters up there. It's ended up with us taking up all the space on the top. My estate is more... expansive... with grounds than it is with buildings, and I spent a lot of time trying to get the aesthetic just so. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I'd love to take you both up there sometime for a tour. Mac was there for the floor meeting, but I haven't really entertained people yet. I'm trying to furnish the buildings first and then I want to have a dedication and house warming party."

He beamed back at the two, obviously excited for Jomei to see his hard work.

"Maybe we can have Noodle Club (tm) rotate and meet at someones house? I rather like the idea of meeting periodically to eat good food with good people."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei, sheepishly, brought a hand up and rubbed at the nape of his neck. Sounds like both Macradon and Baldur had quite the land to boast about, with a large estate on the First Floor, and -basically- his own private island on the Twenty Fourth Floor, respectively. "W-wow. Both of you are living pretty large, huh? I had the option for a bigger home when I was gifted a plot of land.. but I wouldn't know what to do with a house that large. I've always been a fan of smaller, cozier homes. But I would love to see what each of you have done!I also have my shop on the first floor of my home, but I mainly use it for recreational purposes, rather than for selling product."  his attention went back and forth between his two companions, landing on Baldur. "And you also fit your guild's headquarters on that island as well? I'm sure that, with your own place, has got to look like a fortress!" 

Grabbing the sides of the bowl in front of him, Jomei lifted it to his lips. He sipped some of the still hot and spicy soup, the broth warming his throat and the rest of its body as it traveled down into his belly. "I personally love the idea of getting food every once in awhile, whether out or at someones home. Help to make us feel less like machines built for fighting monsters, and more like people." 
 

[Macradon 0]

He chuckled with a grin “I know right?” he said while trying not to suffocate on the noodles he was slurping down. It really was a special place he had gotten there, somehow, in some weird way, he got a plot of land to build his estate on the first floor, which was very different from what other people were used to, most would aim for higher floors, floors that might fit a theme, or perhaps just a floor with something more accessible to than others, but for Macradon, his knightly vow, and duty as a KoB commander, meant that he would nearly always put others before him, for better or for worse. Accessibility for newcomers was his priority, a nice place to live only came as an afterthought.

“Don’t feel bad about not having entertained more people up there, I haven’t even invited anyone to my place yet.” he said and stirred his bowl of noodles. “But I do like the idea of a rotating brunch club, sounds … extremely cozy. Something as wack, but also really comfortable, would be a nice step back from crazy chaotic boss fighting. I’d like to volunteer for the next Noodle Club™ meeting, it’s quaint, bigger on the outside than on the inside, mostly because I haven’t had time to really do any architecture work with more rooms than I need, but everything I need built for a brunch meeting is ready!” he said with a snicker.

He looked up at Cordelia and smiled “Another, same deal, perhaps a bit more salt to increase the outcome. It was delicious.” he said and handed his bowl over to the ramen stand owner.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur was please to see the other two men embrace his idea of a Noodle club meeting, and Mac even volunteering for the next club meeting at his place on the first floor. It had been a while now since Baldur had slept in the small attic space above his and Tyger's old shop, but he still spent a decent amount of time on the first floor... though that had gone down since the guild and their island had cropped up.

"That sounds wonderful Mac, I second the motion." He gestured imperiously with his chop sticks before taking another bite from his bowl.

"I know the whole 'I have an island' thing is impressive sounding... and okay, it is, but the intent wasn't for me to have a massive house, but instead for me to house a lot of people. So it still feels cozy to me, especially with how I've tried to tie it in to the landscaping, but it also houses guild members and my dojo, and large gardens and ponds. So it feels more like a collection of homes, rather than one large palatial mansion. What did you think of the place when  you came by for the meeting, Mac?"

He gestured again with his chop sticks, "But I also don't have someone..." He hesitated only for a briefly longer moment than he should have, "otherwise I would probably want something smaller and more intimate with my significant other too, Jomei." He tried to give the ginger a playful wink. He only vaguely knew that Jomei and Telrenya were a thing. Still, she seemed nice and was definitely beautiful. He couldn't blame Jomei for wanting something more personal.

[Jomei 0]

Taking his chopsticks between his fingers once more, Jomei shoveled another small mouthful of noodles into his mouth. One of the stringy morsels smacking the side of his lips as he slurped them up. He nodded along as Macradon offered up his location for the next meeting of the hungry minds, as he dabbed the side of his mouth with a napkin. "That sounds like a great idea Mac." Jomei said with a smile as he finished chewing what remained in his mouth. He took in another bite as he turned his attention to Baldur, who gave a bit more insight into this personal island of his. The ginger couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "Still, being able to house yourself, others, and a personal dojo? That definitely is impressive" He listened to Macradon's personal response about Baldur's lodging before the samurai spoke generally, but mostly towards Jomei.

The ginger looked into his bowl of broth with a smile, gently nodding his head. "Well, the house was mine before Telrenya and I were really a thing, but living in a smaller house gives us a bit of a break from SAO.. a small taste of reality I guess." he lifted his bowl and took another sip of the broth. "Tesseleth was supposed to be my last." he spoke out about the dragon boss randomly. "How long that fight took, how much worry it instilled in her.. I planned on retiring after that." He chuckled, finally turning to the two, "Though, I can't tell you how many times I've thought about retiring.. and even how many times I said I actually would. Maybe I actually will this time, live with a sense of normalcy for awhile while the rest of your clear floors..." After saying that, his face scrunched a bit, "...But that just sounds selfish, doesn't it?" he chuckles. 

[Macradon 0]

It didn’t take long for Cordelia to prepare another great bowl of ramen, handing it over the counter to her customer “Thanks a lot.” he said as he accepted his meal. “Round two, start!” he thought and began eating and listening to his companions. He would listen to Baldur’s reasoning, which was very sound, it did indeed house a lot of people there, as well as his guild.

“It felt very wholesome, kinda like a shrine or smaller community, you could feel how everyone who lived there felt at home, even if it was like a guild hall, it felt more like a guild home.” he said while slurping and chewing the noodles.

He knight kept slurping, getting so much salty broth with every chopstick-full hew of noodles. He listened to the chatter and would try to find the perfect time to interject, if he even had anything to say and not be occupied with eating noods. With Jomei making a small comment of retiring for a while, Macradon raised his head from the bowl, face covered in droplets of sweat, steam, and broth.

“Nhoht ah ahl” the knight said with his face full of noodles. He would inhale the mouthful and wipe his face clean again and tried his best to compose himself “Not at all. It isn’t selfish, you need to take care of yourself. The 23rd seemed to be my last raid as well … but I’ve begun training again, sparring with my friends, preparing for the 25th.” he said and sighed relieved after feeling the mouthful of noodles land in his digital stomach “Take your time to relax and enjoy your time with your partner, don’t rush things, the frontlines are always open when you want to join up again. At least I’ll let you join my party.” he said with a broad grin.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur gave Jomei a lopsided grin as he teased the ginger, "We're not supposed to talk about the raids." He shook his chopsticks at Jomei to admonish him.

"But Mac is absolutely correct. One of the most common issues I've seen with players who've turned orange, is that they never learned how to sheath the sword." He took a sip of the broth before he set the empty bowl back down and laid the sticks across them.

"That was delicious Cord, thanks!"

He then turned back to the two, "In Iaido, the budo of my martial art which at one point was called Battoujutsu, or Iaijutsu, as a component of Kendo, was taught to preserve the martial aspect of swordsmanship, but more so the spiritual one. The noto is the physical act of sheathing the sword, but there's a spiritual aspect of it to. Once the blade is sheathed, you stand there for a moment, you breath deeply, and then you let go. In many styles, this is actually demonstrated, you slowly release the handle of the katana, almost regretfully, and then you make a gesture as if you were throwing away a bit of trash. It represents letting go of the adrenaline of the fight, of the anxiety and bloodlust, and throwing it away. When the sword is sheathed, you are you again. The warrior is a hat we wear, and when we're done being a warrior, we put it away. Finding that balance is absolutely necessary to mentally and spiritually surviving any kind of prolonged conflict. And it's a core part of the bushido I teach at my dojo."

Suddenly Baldur blushed slightly, very uncharacteristic for him to lose composure, and then gave out a slight laugh.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to go all philosophical there. Anyways, it's getting late. Why don't we wrap up?"

Baldur pushed himself to his feet, the curtain of Cord's noodle shop hanging awkwardly over one shoulder.

"Mac's place next time, right? How about a challenge for everyone. Bring a joke that makes you laugh every time, and say... how about this. Three statements about ourselves. Two true, one false, and we'll guess at them next time, just to give us something to get the conversation rolling."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's expression became a bashful one, once Baldur helped him realize he broke the one rule of Noodle Club. He let out a small laugh as his shoulders rose and fell with a shrug. "Hehe, sorry about that. Almost forgot we weren't talking about that. I guess that goes to show how one-tracked minded we can get." 

Sifting his chopsticks through the broth to gather what was left of his ramen, he listened to Baldur go on about a state of mind that goes along with his sword form. The gentle prodding with his eating utensils slowed as he became more enamored with what Baldur was saying, until he found himself just silently staring and listening. 

The ginger finally felt himself blink as Baldur seemed to snap from the poetic mode to apologize for going off tangent. "No no, that was really poetic. I never knew that was an actual mental aspect of martial arts. Makes a lot of sense if you think about it." Deciding to do away with his chopsticks, Jomei grabbed the sides of his bowl and lifted it to his lips, finishing off the rest of the broth and whatever remained under the surface. 

Jomei nodded his head in thanks to Cord as the three finished up their meals and gathered themselves to step out into the cold exterior. "Sounds like a good idea, I'm looking forward to it." He looked to the two men, "This was a nice change of pace."