"When the moon hits your eye" 12/28PM (Mako/Nate)

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto was a nervous wreck, but you’d never know by looking at her. She was so buried in her work, turning out plate after plate that she didn’t even realize it was nearly quitting time. As things slowed down in the kitchen between services, she was able to check a clock and decided that she’d best get cleaned up and changed. Tonight she was having dinner with Nathaniel… A man who most likely was someone she knew from a past life; a man who may or may not be an enemy.

She grabbed a couple bread rolls before heading to her office. Shutting the door behind her, Ami’s words echoed in her mind as she took a bite of roll. ”Make sure you eat before you take this.” She popped the lid off her prescription and took one pill, as dosed, with some water. She was going to need a head start on relief.

While she waited for the medication to do its job, she changed out of her toque and work pants and into something a little more suitable for a ‘dinner date’; a straight-line black skirt that came to her knees, a green v-neck sweater and a pair of black calf-high boots to complete the look. She pulled her hair out of its tight bun and brushed it out before styling it into a half-up-half-down hairdo. Next came the makeup which, although she rarely wore any, she expertly applied. She took another bite of bread and another sip of water just before putting on her lip gloss. The guy was a model, she had to at least try to make sure she looked decent should anyone recognize either of them. Happy with her appearance, she grabbed her coat and headed back out to the main dining area.

Shimara waved as Makoto passed her by, and she waved back. Once she’d gotten her coat on, she opened the door, the brisk evening air hitting her as she exited the restaurant. She was surprised how busy the place suddenly was, as there was a line out the door waiting to be seated. Part of her felt bad for working the early shift and she was almost tempted to go back in and help crank out the dinner shift. Almost.

She looked to the street in time to see a Ferrari pull up in a color that could only be described as ‘Fuck-Me Red’. A flush immediately colored her cheeks at the thought, and she quickly looked away, hoping her ride would get here soon.

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

Women were not a new development in Nathaniel's life, even if they all seemed the same in one way or another. Neither were dates, or entertaining, even if the pleasure was short-lived from both activities. They were normal by now, which did nothing to help explain his nerves about this date.

Pizza, he had written to her. Casual. Relaxed. He had failed to include the fact that she still lingered in his mind and in fragmentary dreams, pushing at parts of him that were beyond the wall. He had never been this close before, to answers-- or anyone that ensnared his psychic as well as physical senses in the way she had.

He spent the few hours before the meeting in meditation. It had never worked before, but he wasn't trying to break the barrier now; just to clear his mind to be open to what could happen, anything, big or small. He wanted to meet this Kino Makoto to understand, but if all that happened was he got another one of her kisses...

Nathaniel smiled to himself at that memory, even if it brought back the low-level headache that seemed nearly constantly present since he arrived in Japan. If all that came out of this was that, he would be more than content. Though, hopefully, that man she had spoken about before would not come up.

Traffic was a little heavier than usual as he drove himself to the restaurant. Nathaniel wondered if he should have arrived earlier, but driving up to the place, he could see the hungry patrons queuing up all the way out the door. Street parking here would be nearly impossible to find.

And there she was, striking under the streetlights. He certainly appreciated the V-neck sweater, even from this distance. Signaling, he pulled over, driving up to her and rolling down the window.

"Jump in, Ponytail," Nate said with a broad grin. The crimson Ferrari had never failed to impress before. "Though you're only wearing half a ponytail tonight... I may be forced to call you Makoto."

[Kino Makoto]

As the Ferrari came to a stop, Makoto found it was hard to look away. It was just so. damn. hot. She was taken aback when the window rolled down and a familiar face came into view. This was rather unexpected.

Makoto quirked an eyebrow as he called her by the name “Ponytail” again, then realized that he had actually invited her to get in the car.

She smiled back at him as she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. “Well, Makoto is my proper name after all,” she said as she put on her seatbelt, “but I’m afraid I still do not know yours. Besides being an ‘Alleyway Ambusher’, what name may I call you by?”

Hopefully, he would buy into the lie. Though he’d never actually given it to her, she very well knew his full name, both from finding his fansite a few days before and from the meeting with the others that morning.

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

Nathaniel glanced at her curiously as he signaled again and pulled back into traffic, heading to the Nippongi ward of Tokyo. "I like Ponytail," he remarked, reaching over and giving her hair a playful flip. It felt silky to the touch, and he withdrew his hand, feeling that headache pulse back with a vengeance. Even the texture felt so achingly familiar. "It suits you. Besides, every girl's got to have a nickname, and I'd like to think I'm original."

She seemed so familiar to him that it struck him as odd that she wouldn't know his name. "Nathaniel. Nathaniel Bernhardt. You're a brave one, jumping into a car with someone you only know as the Alleyway Ambusher," he chuckled. "Most girls wouldn't. Then again, most girls would have complimented me on the car already."

Sadly, when he had purchased the vehicle, a good part of the reason was that it would be a 'chick magnet.' But, he just enjoyed nice things, fast things. Things that were well-removed from the hand-me-downs and grime of the children's home in New York, which seemed so far away from the glitter of Tokyo and the quiet purr of the engine. Not to mention the beautiful woman in the front seat.

"So, Ponytail. How was work? Looks like a popular place, at least when I pulled up. Do they all come for you, or is it just me?" It was never too soon to start in with the charm.

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto smirked as Nathaniel insisted on the use of the silly nickname ‘Ponytail.’ Though she’d learned to wear her hair in different styles, as was evident this evening, she had to admit the name did suit her. Before she could come up with a witty retort, he’d reached over and given her hair a flip. It was a small touch that sent chills down her spine, and warmth to her cheeks. So arrogant, this one was, yet he still had a way of keeping her intrigued.

However, tonight was not a night for swooning. It was a time for gathering information. Makoto repeated this over and over in her head as the car sped down the road to their destination. She nodded as he gave her his name. “Nathaniel it is, then.”

She noted that he did have a point. How many women would jump into a car with a guy who’d dragged them into a dark alleyway, accosted them with questions of their past, and then kissed them? And the car… Oh, the car. ’Tonight is not a night for swooning. It is a time for gathering information.’ “Well, obviously, I’m not most girls.” She kept her smirk as she continued, “And the car is nice. But I’m not here to have dinner with a car, you know.”

And then the conversation turned to work. “Work is fine. Surprisingly busy all of a sudden, but I suppose it has something to do with the New Year’s festivities at the palace as well. An influx of visitors to Tokyo, I guess.” She looked over at him with a grin. “They come for French cuisine. They come back after eating my food.”

In an attempt at getting the conversation off her and on to him, she reversed the question. “So what is it that you do, Nathaniel Bernhardt? I’m inclined to believe that being an ‘Alleyway Ambusher’ isn’t your day job…”

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

"Obviously," Nathaniel smirked back at her, reminding himself to keep his eyes on the road. It was proving to be a bit difficult. "I don't think I'd be interested if you were like most girls. You look lovely, by the way," he added, not bothering to hide his sweeping gaze of appreciation.

Road. Driving. Focus. It wouldn't look very suave to have him ogle her and then rear-end someone. And women typically didn't appreciate relentless staring, even if Kino Makoto did seem so remarkably familiar, as familiar as she was beautiful.

"You're not here for the car? That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," he joked. She could banter right back at him; she was obviously sharp. He found himself enjoying it immensely, not everyone could keep up a witty repartee. "I've lived in Tokyo for two years," he continued, "and I don't think I've ever seen this city as full as it is now. Some of it may be for New Year's, but there's a lot of people coming from all around the world. 'Foreigners' aren't so unusual here, anymore." Not since it became the center of power in the world, anyway. At any rate, if she was that sure of her food, he would have to try it. At least he knew where to find her, now. A visit to the restaurant would definitely be in order in the future.

"I only moonlight as the Alleyway Ambusher," he deadpanned. "I work as a model most of the time. Part-time, actually. Don't be too impressed." He was only half-kidding with the last part. The industry was not as glamorous as many thought, and it had never been where his heart was.

He turned into the parking garage across the street from the pizza place, taking the ticket and finding a space. The trouble with a casual restaurant is that there's no valet parking. "It's just up the way here. I hope you like it, because it took me months to find the perfect pizza in Tokyo. You're about to eat the Holy Grail at the end of my quest."

[Kino Makoto]

“Thank you.” As an attempt to hide the blush that had risen to her cheeks at the compliment she’d received, she glanced out the side window of the car.

Makoto nodded along at Nathaniel’s assessment of Tokyo. It was already a large city, and only getting bigger with all the people moving in to be closer to the central government. It was definitely good for business.

“A model, huh? That’s different, but not in a bad way I assure you.” She pursed her lips in thought for a moment, and decided to dig a little deeper. “So since this is only a part-time gig, what do you spend the rest of your time doing?”

As the car came to a rest in a spot in the parking garage, Makoto smiled at Nathaniel’s description of the restaurant. “The Holy Grail of pizza…” she winked to him before reaching for the handle and exiting the car, “…we’ll just see about that.”

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

"You're welcome, Ponytail," he said, curious at her reaction. She could banter with him, but a compliment seemed to disarm her. Curious, very curious. Perhaps, it wouldn't be so difficult to begin getting answers, though his flattery had been sincere, and he probably would not run out of sincere compliments before the night was over.

"It pays the bills," he responded with a carefree shrug, obviously not too invested in his own career. "I spend the rest of my time pursuing... hobbies. The fun things. After I got my degree, I figured I could continue with this until I was past my prime, or find a stuffy corporate job like everyone else does. I went with this." Obviously, his job more than payed the bills, if the car was any indication, but it would not last forever. There was a limited frame of time where he would be marketable as a model, but he wanted to use the time he could to come here, follow Carol's advice, and find what he was searching for. But, hobbies was a better way of saying: 'I came to Tokyo to find my destiny.' That would just sound crazy.

"Ah ah ah!" Nathaniel scolded her, wagging his finger as he hurriedly jumped out and came to her side, taking the door. "Opening doors is my job. In addition to moonlighting as an Alleyway Ambusher, I occasionally act like a gentleman. And before we get inside, I'll tell you right now that I'm going to pull out your chair, too. And pick up the tab." When he took a woman out, he didn't do anything halfway. And certainly not with her.

He could smell the food, even across the street, and looked both ways before crossing, his hand naturally finding its way to the small of her back. It was small and cozy, and luckily the evening crowd had already passed. Pizza parlors in Tokyo seemed to prefer the traditional wood-fired oven way of cooking, and the smoke could be seen rising from the top. "Like I said," he grinned, opening the door for her this time. "The Holy Grail."

[Kino Makoto]

’Hobbies?’ She thought to herself. Well, that didn’t answer anything at all. However, the night was still young, and there was still plenty time to flesh all that out.

Makoto quickly pulled her hand back from the door as Nathaniel scolded her. She smiled up to him and muttered a quick “thank you” as he held open the car door and she exited. He certainly was quite the gentleman, a considerable change from their first one-on-one encounter. She reminded herself yet again, ’tonight is not a night for swooning. It is a time for gathering information.’ “You really don’t have to go through all that trouble,” she grinned and continued, “but if you insist…”

Her back straightened and tingles traveled from head to toe as he placed his hand upon her, guiding her across the street. It was such a natural feeling, yet slightly unnerving as she fought to maintain her composure. She mentally patted herself on the back at remembering to take her medication earlier, noting that her headache had begun with a much lower grade of intensity.

She inhaled deeply as he held the door open for her. The restaurant was small, and the scent that permeated the air was fantastic. Her stomach growled and she chuckled. “It seems we’ve arrived just in time. I’m hungrier than I thought!”

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

"I insist." She liked it, he could tell. So polite, too, it was really no trouble at all, or perhaps she was just saying that. But what was most important is that she seemed flattered by the attention. So far so good.

He chuckled with her at the audible sound of her stomach growling. "You mean, you don't get to taste your own fare in the kitchens of the lovely French restaurant? Well, there's plenty to be had here... Order what you want," he offered, leading her up to the counter. There didn't seem to be much of a line. "You really can't go wrong here with the food." Nathaniel caught the cashier's eye. "I'll have a beer."

Glancing down at Makoto, he added smoothly, "American men are quite predictable, I'm afraid. We all like pizza and beer." The one thing he missed out on in Japan was sports in the pizza parlors. He missed and HDTV and a good game; and despite the international zeal for soccer, football to him would always involve a cone-shaped ball and touchdowns. Though, sumo here could be pretty entertaining.

It really was ironic, if he stopped to think about it. Here he was, ordering a beer and sitting with one of the Queen's guards and hoping he'd be able to find out why she was so familiar to him, and what she had to do with the barrier in his mind. And it was so natural. And I thought my life was weird before I met her.

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto laughed. “Have you seen the portions in a French restaurant? If I sampled anything, my patrons would miss out on a full course!”

As the cashier looked to her for an order, she smiled to him. “I’ll have the same, please.” Expecting a questioning look from Nathaniel, she decided to beat him to the punch. “If I’m going to eat at an American restaurant, I may as well have an authentic experience. So pizza and beer it is. I’ll have whatever you suggest, I’m not picky.”

While she waited for Nathaniel to order their meal, she took another look around the place. There were American flags and signs and other sports memorabilia hanging from the walls, though it wasn’t over-done and gave the place a real homey feel. With her back turned to the counter, she caught a side glance of him and pondered over what little memories she had of this man. 'Well, not this man but his former self.’ She sighed as she didn’t find much more than the nagging little headache, and silently hoped that the beer would assist in pain management.

Turning back around to the counter, she picked up the beer that the cashier had set down and took a swig before speaking up again. “So, shall we find a seat while we wait?”

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

"I must say, I have not," Nathaniel chuckled. "I'm a culinary coward, I've never gone to a French restaurant. I was always terrified of trying the escargot and the frog legs. You have no idea how long it took me to adjust to sashimi here." It didn't help that he liked to eat out, rather than cook for himself. He just wasn't that great at it, and would sooner make a protein shake than anything resembling a meal. Menu-planning? Not a chance in hell.

Since Makoto was a cook, Nathaniel fully expected her to take charge of ordering. He was a little surprised by her desire for a 'genuine American experience.' "Well, to tell you the truth, this is just very very Americanized Italian in Japan. Which is kind of how Americans work, you know. We take someone else's food and make it our own, usually involving more grease and commercialism. But it still tastes good." He ordered a large pie, half cheese and half supreme. If she didn't like the supreme, she could try the cheese-- almost everyone liked cheese pizza. "You ever been to the States?" he asked.

"Yup. You pick," he offered, wanting her to sit where she felt comfortable. He didn't have a preference himself, but some people could be picky about these things. Nathaniel pulled out her chair before taking his own seat, wondering what to say for the first time that night. He reminded himself that it was still early. "Do you get a chance to go out much? Other than being the chef whose food the patrons of La Lumière come back for, I imagine your other duties keep you pretty busy."

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto raised an eyebrow at Nathaniel’s confession. “You’re a model, who I am sure has traveled the world, and you’ve never dined at a proper French restaurant?” She tapped a finger on his chest and gave him a sly smile. “We’re going to have to change that, and soon.”

She laughed. “Yes, we learned all about American cuisine at the Culinary Institute. Despite the ‘grease and commercialism,’ the American culinary scene intrigues me in a way that other cultures do not. It’s a huge melting pot of dishes from all over the world that have been fused together. So I am rather looking forward to this ‘Holy Grail’ of American pizza.” She took another swig of her beer, and nearly choked on it at his next question. She swallowed hard before answering. “Oh, gods no!” Her eyes widened as she realized she’d answered that a bit harshly. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it that way!” She chuckled nervously as she tried to wave off the awkwardness. “I have nothing against America… I do, however, have a thing against flying.” She looked up at him with a grimace, then turned away sheepishly as she brought the beer bottle back to her lips. ’Way to go, Mako. Offend the guy right off the bat so he definitely won’t tell you anything tonight…’

Still feeling a bit embarrassed, she chose a table that was situated closer to the back of the restaurant. No need for the public to see one of the Queen’s guards to make a complete fool of herself in the middle of an American restaurant. That and it was close to the restroom where she could call Rei as promised. She took off her coat and hung it on a small hook on the wall beside the table, then sat down as Nathaniel pulled out a chair for her. “Thank you.”

“Honestly, no. I don’t really get away too much, but I’m OK with that. I love both of my jobs, and I love keeping busy. While I know that I will have to give up my position at Lumiere as I take on more duties at the palace, I’m quite happy with the way things are now.” Makoto offered a genuine smile. She really did feel that way. Keeping busy with cooking and palace responsibilities was a grand change from battling youma and whatever other enemies Chaos sent their way, though she would keep that information to herself.

She realized that she had become rather talkative all of a sudden. ’Why do I feel so comfortable talking to this complete stranger?’ She winced slightly at a twinge of pain in her head at the thought. ’That’s right…' she reminded herself, '…he’s not exactly a stranger, is he?' Feeling a bit awkward at the silence that had suddenly fallen upon them, she sipped at her beer again for a bit of liquid courage. “So you said you have hobbies of your own… Care to elaborate?”

[Nathaniel Bernhardt]

Nathaniel found himself grinning as she poked at his chest, feeling a little sheepish at her words. "It's true! And you'll hate me for this, but when I was in Paris, I ate at the McDonald's near Les Champs Elysées. I told you, total coward. Someday I'll tell you about London and my experience with black pudding..." he hinted.

"You mean this grand Culinary Institute actually takes American food seriously? I didn't know it could be so academic. I know nothing about food, if you haven't noticed. I just know I like eating it." Nathaniel could tell how passionate she was about the subject, and her genuine enthusiasm made the subject interesting. Her reaction to his question was amusing to say the least, and she was so afraid that he'd take offense. Was that a Japanese thing, or did she actually care that much about his opinion? He was probably flattering himself to think it was the latter.

"Against flying, huh? Well I don't blame you there. Flying sucks. Until I got a long term contract here in Tokyo I used to practically live in airports." At least there were heaps of frequent flyer miles awaiting him should he ever have the need for it. "Did you do your Culinary Institute in Japan, then?" he asked, curious.

As Makoto seemed to relax, Nathaniel did as well. It felt natural and the conversation seemed to be flowing easily. He didn't even notice the time passing. "It's great that you love what you do." He meant it. "There are so many people that I talk to that do nothing but complain about their work; you're living the dream. I respect that." He couldn't help but smirk as she brought up the hobbies thing again. I suppose I should have anticipated that.

"I actually majored in Astronomy, so that's my main hobby. Though, stuck here in the biggest city in the world, it's hard to see the stars, so I'll take day trips into the mountains to get away from the light pollution. Sports is another thing; the skiing is pretty good here." He decided not to mention meditation and aura reading, no need to come off as a New Age quack just yet.

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto nodded at the inquiry of her schooling. “Yes, all of my training was here in Japan. We did travel to several different Prefectures to learn region-specific dishes and techniques. But all of my French training was here in Tokyo. My school brought in chefs from around the world, which was a blessing for me. It would have taken forever for me to get to France by land if I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn here at home.”

She laughed again when he commented that she was ‘living the dream.’ “Oh, don’t get me wrong! There are many days when nothing goes right and I question my own sanity of choosing a career in the culinary industry. Working in the kitchen is not as glamorous as it seems, and I have many horror stories I could share. Seeing as we are about to eat though, I’ll spare you the gory details.”

While she somewhat expected the answer she’d been given, her heart still skipped a beat at the mention of astronomy. Why it had done so was left to be determined. “Yes, I suppose it is rather hard to get a clear view of the sky here in the city.” She was trying to think of other ways to flesh out the astronomy subject when the waiter came over and set a rather large pizza on the table. The smell that wafted up to Makoto’s nose only made her stomach growl again.

“If this tastes half as good as it looks… I… Well I don’t know, but I’m ready to eat!” She laughed at herself. Who would have thought something as simple as pizza would throw off her conversational skills? She reached for a slice and pulled it from the pan onto the plate in front of her. Even though it was still scorching hot, Makoto was hungry and decided to go ahead and take a bite. Despite the heat, she closed her eyes and let out a rather audible “Mmmmm” as she chewed. The dough, the sauce, the gooey cheese, and whatever number of toppings were full of a flavor that was indescribable. After swallowing, she took another swig of beer to wash it all down. “Oh my god. You were so right. This is just… it’s fantastic!” The words were barely out of her mouth before she was taking another bite of the pizza. Heaven. It was heaven. The Americans were officially awarded an ‘A’ in her book.