Little Things Done Well [Dorian, Liltotto]

"Even if it doesn't work as well as we'd hope, it's still better to try than not, I'd think."

Ever the optimist, Dorian was. Making sure all the paperwork was neatly arranged before he tucked it into a folder and put it under one arm, he looked back to Liltotto with a bit more cheery a smile, genuine in nature.

"If you aren't busy, I'd be glad to invite you now. Of course, I know that this is unannounced, and I don't want to impose on your free time."

But he was genuinely proud of his own efforts, of course, and he liked to share them with others, even discounting the charity that he always strove to enact with it. Wasn't that simply the way a man should live?

"Guess so." She'd shrug. She wasn't gonna turn down the man's kindness, especially with his persistence despite her detailing that she perhaps wasn't a case he'd ever come across before. His insistence to provide some help was appreciated by her, even if she didn't change much of that bored look she always had to exhibit such, though there was that underlying sense of futility to it... But then again, it's not like he's lived even a quarter of the time she had, and even if this kindness of his was a mere flicker to a long lived being like her, she never forgot such phenomena.

"Oh, nah i'm not busy," She'd shrug, "Honestly was gonna spend my downtime stuck to the couch playing video games. Being a bit more sociable would be a better way to use my time, honestly. Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up."

Without another word, she'd close the door for a moment, silence for a few moments until the door would open up once more, almost like a completely different woman stepped out with the difference between her initially disheveled appearance, to her far neater and presentable look. It was nothing complicated, but she certainly looked less like she had just fallen out of bed to greet the door: a dark midriff obscured by a thin dark coat and long jeans, long brushed locks held back by a headband.

"Kay, let's go then. Hunger's biting."

Hm. She certainly did have a sense of style, which Dorian respected in anyone. After all, it wasn't terribly difficult to look presentable, even if one was struggling, but there was an art in dressing well. He might have commented on it, but one thing at a time. He wasn't trying to barrage a stranger in compliments, and he led the way on, finding them once more in the streets of the City of Lights.

"Any preferences in mind? We keep a rotating menu, and I can't make any guarantees, naturally, but it'll be good to keep in mind."

He could have taken notes on all this, but if there was one thing Dorian was naturally adept at, it was remembering people's palates, what they liked or didn't like, how certain dishes came across. It was simply part of being a professional, even if he'd long since left those days behind him.

She walked along with him into the city, the vague sounds of low humming accompanying her as her eyes kept to the ground with a hard stare. She was rather silent, in her own thoughts until he interrupted her, blinking quickly and looking back at him,

"Oh, I mean..." ..Crap she never really thought of that. She was never a picky eater, not even as a kid - anything given to her was eaten without terrible much regard. With her sharper senses, it was more a matter of quality and flavor than anything specific, "..Dunno, I wouldn't really complain unless it somehow tastes terrible, which in itself is near unreachable for actual food."

She couldn't imagine anything that tastes worse than Hollows or Demons, and she sure as hell hoped to not come across that kind of thing ever, "..Though, I do like sweets, but that doesn't actually count as a meal. Overall? Could taste like shit but it's still better than anything i've ever eaten."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. I've seen things that by all accounts count as 'actual' food that still manage to taste absolutely dreadful. Put enough children in a kitchen without much to work with, and they'll create something you could only ever call a miracle, even if not in the best of ways."

Even if it wasn't the happiest sort of topic, Dorian certainly didn't sink into any grim sort of demeanor. It wasn't that he spoke of that cheerfully or anything, but he wasn't the sort to hide it, either, especially not from someone else who understood the need to eat. Life went on, and he wouldn't be dragged down by the past.

"Sweets, hm? Well, I can't say that we'll be preparing too much dessert en masse, so I hope you won't be disappointed by that. But I worked pastry for a few years, so I'll try and get some of those your way when I can."

Most, realistically, might have assumed Dorian was simply being overly friendly, perhaps even flirtatious. However, he decidedly wasn't. Anyone who had come by his cafe would certainly be able to attest to that simple fact. He simply wanted people to enjoy what they ate.

A faint chuckle left her otherwise rather unreadable expression, "As somebody who's worked with kids plenty of times, lil' squirts are always finding some way to create some kind of catastrophe, both endearing and horrid. Once babysat a few... Imaginative ones. You haven't any idea how many 'lunches' or 'snacks' I had to nicely turn down."

Thinking of the past always put her stomach in a sickly knot, but this time it was met with a sense of wistful nostalgia. No need to dwell on it for too long, especially with being reminded of the gnawing she felt within from her hunger's gradual increase.

"Oh, nah nah, I never imagined there'd be much of that there in the first place. Expectations nonexistent, but... Thanks," A tiny smile curved her lips ever so slightly. She was less charmed, and more a mixed of confused yet accepting of the man's kindness. It wasn't that she didn't expect such out of others, but she certainly was a little shocked that a surprise check in turned into such a thing, representing a level of genuine care she wouldn't have expected from such an occurrence.

"Ah, that's just how children are. I admire that innocence of theirs."

Dorian laughed quietly at the thought, and as they finally made it to his particular establishment, he gestured toward it with something of a flourish before opening the door for her. For having called it a "cafe," it was more akin to a full, proper restaurant, taking up a not-insignificant amount of square footage. The sign above the door gave the name, in neat, modern font that conveyed the elegant name quite simply; L’Arc Qui ne Faut.

"After you."

The interior, perhaps just as opposed to the moniker of a "cafe," was immaculate, the atmosphere one of a high-class establishment that immediately conveyed a sense of warmth and comfort. Dorian's own sense of style had certainly come through in it, though it was by no means self-aggrandizing.

"Would you care for a table out here? Ah, or are you the sort to prefer to talk over a meal? I can't promise I'm much of a conversationalist, but we don't book the chef's table in the kitchen during lunch service, if you'd like."

Dorian was passionate about this place, and that passion came through in his words. There was no sense of arrogance or boastfulness in his words, and he certainly was not inviting the woman simply out of some need to impress her. No, despite his statement that he envied the innocence of children, that very same sort of childlike, genuine excitement at his craft still managed to come through when it came to this.

Liltotto's brows rose when they approached the so-called cafe. She was imagining something a lot more.. Basic, in nature. Least any places that she had ever seen for the purpose of feeding many people didn't have a terrible amount of effort put into it, in poorer cases looking like absolute shit, but the place she was presented with looked so nice she almost felt like she walked into the wrong place. She had seen the place at a glance during a walk or two, but she didn't think it was meant for charitable actions - she thought it was just another upscale place.

"Damn..." She'd speak lowly in her surprise, "This place is a lot nicer and bigger than I was expecting."

She'd look back at Dorian with a neutral yet thoughtful look, ..This guy's a lot kinder than I already anticipated.

Lil had no idea how to feel about someone like her regularly visiting somewhere this nice, but she already agreed to it - regardless of how she felt, it was just how it had to be.

"I..." She was still a little taken aback, but went on, "..If it doesn't knock into your schedule, I wouldn't mind talking and eating. Would help with pacing myself, anyway..."

"Well, part of enjoying a meal is the atmosphere, the environment. If anything, I think that's one of the biggest parts of it. If you get good food, but the atmosphere is uninviting, it won't be something you can relax and enjoy, and you'll just feel like it's an ordeal."

There was an obvious glint of excitement in his eyes when Liltotto agreed to come to the chef's table, though his own polite nature meant that he knew quite well enough not to simply badger her about how much he looked forward to it. Still, he led her toward the kitchen confidently, immediately tying his hair back as he entered and showing her to a table just a bit off to the side, away from the hustle and bustle of the actual kitchen itself. It was certainly a busy place, not overly loud but definitely active, and he clearly seemed to grow just a touch more serious with that change in environment.

"I don't have a lunch menu here in the back, I'm afraid, but I can run through it for you. The starters today are a french onion soup, a baked brie, or a board of smoked salmon. The salad is a beet salad with goat cheese, we only have one during lunch. The main course options are a flank steak with a red wine and shallot sauce over, duck breast and greens with a mustard sauce, a beef and potato casserole, or a vegetable and herb risotto, if you aren't inclined toward meat at the moment. Ah, there is dessert, as well, if you would like a creme brulee or a lemon souffle."

Dorian did, thankfully, make a clear effort not to simply rush through every option, though he spoke all oft hem so effortlessly that it was undoubtable he knew the menu back to front. But of course he would, given he had written it.

It certainly was a flood of sight and smells to be in such a place, even if the enticing aroma of food only made her hunger more apparent. Softly cringing at her symptoms for a moment, she would disregard it to give the man a slight smile in response, "Lotta places i've seen in the past didn't have the means or heart to put nearly as much into making that atmosphere like here, but damn you sure did pull it off." She'd look around the room with a soft, fond expression as she walked with him, "They definitely seem thankful for your efforts."

Coming along and then sitting down at the table away from the commotion, she'd shrug towards the lack of a lunch menu and opted to listening to the options, though her expression progressively seemed more and more surprised as he went on what felt like an entire list of fancy-sounding foods that were a range of maybe had it once or twice, to never having been in a position where she would've eaten it.

That depressing rock of 'I don't think I deserve this' weighed heavy in her grumbling belly.

"..Uh, baked brie I guess," She'd lean forward to stop that sinking slump she was going into, her eyes on the table, "..Thanks."