[ noa takes the offered dessert menu out of politeness, not anticipating he'll actually want anything. he's not a fan of sweets and he speculates a lack of snacks during childhood is the culprit. you can't crave the taste of something you have no point of reference for. his real vice is salt -- even after eating an expensive meal, the thought surfaces an image of cup noodles after cooking in boiling water for a few minutes, firm and ready to be slurped up.
kaiser's interjection breaks that dangerous imagery, and for the better. noa gently shuts the menu he barely skimmed and hums quietly. ]
Do you want it to be about a question, or something else? [ because they're so normal and don't need a coin to dictate the flow of conversation, right? (...unless--) ] What are your plans after this?
[ "after this" as if he didn't make up a very spur of the moment dinner date just to see if kaiser would take the bait. ]
[ to that question, kaiser tilts his head up from the dessert menu and gives noa a look that conveys some sort of mix of dismay and the stoicism of a kid being very brave about getting his shots. he thinks noa can guess the answer to that question, actually, and he's feeling a certain way about that! ]
Perhaps read something, perhaps watch something, a shower, and then bed. Unless there's another mysterious event that I was not aware I had scheduled?
[ he's onto you, sir. not that it was being particularly hidden, kaiser is realizing in retrospect. ]
Why? Are you going to offer up a prize that takes up my time?
[ he's not going to keep up the charade anymore, they both know he gaslit gatekept girlboss'd kaiser into having dinner tonight. but also, kaiser had to have realized they didn't make any plans and still chose to take him up on the meal! this says a lot. ]
What sort of prize would you like? You aren't very materialistic. Would you like to monopolize my time then?
Oh... sure, that sounds good. That's quite valuable, and I'll take it whenever I can.
[ since time something scarce and in high demand — all the more so when it's the time of somebody like noel noa. kaiser has a deeper sense of the value of time than most in his age group, in some part because he really enjoyed drinking the "do you spend every waking moment towards becoming the best?" kool-aid, as loathe as he is to admit it. ]
Then, you'll give me some of your time. Let's say, about as long as dinner has taken?
In a roundabout way, that's quite flattering towards me. Okay, deal.
[ with that settled: kaiser looks up from the dessert menu, the universal sign to waitstaff to come over for to take an order. kaiser asks for the flan before handing the menu back. ]
I already know what I'll spend the time on. Do you?
I don't have a plan going into this. But sometimes that's more interesting, as long as the stakes are low.
[ he is not always making 100 chess moves ahead of time in the span of a minute! sometimes letting things unfold and playing it by ear can be a more enjoyable and pleasant surprise. plus he thinks he has tortured kaiser enough for a day, any further and he might need to assess if their relationship is bridging into possessive obsession. ]
[ actually, kaiser would prefer it if they could put down some more concrete boundaries about what this will involve first... and maybe eat a bit of his dessert for fortification, but he is aware that insisting at this point will make it seem like he's trying to run away from something. a coward he is not, or at least, he tries not to be. ]
Alright. It'll be tails.
[ if he says it enough, can he will it into existence? he's thinking it'll be tails, it'll be tails, it'll be tails so loudly that he may as well be mumbling it under his breath as he flips the coin into the air, catching it into his palm just before it hits the table.
without uncurling his hand fully, he slides his palm flat against the table and pushes the coin forward slightly, lifting his hand up so that noa can see it but such that kaiser's own hand is blocking his view. is there a point to making noa announce it? maybe. maybe not... ]
[ noa doesn't believe in the power of manifesting, but it is of no surprise to him that kaiser does. it's hard to not be curious what kaiser has in mind for ninety minutes of his time when he's so anxious about winning this flip than any other. as for him? he has no preference, and never has through the evening. low stakes like these don't excite him, so he has no need to win or lose. but he thinks he has trouble getting excited about anything other than a difficult game these days...
he peers down the coin when kaiser lifts his palm, expression betraying nothing as he sees the result... ]
Hm. Tails.
[ a dull announcement, but he thinks it'll please kaiser that he could wish upon a coin and his dreams would come true. ]
[ kaiser isn't so delusional as to think that he's actually manifesting anything, but it doesn't hurt to attempt to add some mental pressure to the situation. and it pays off in this case, so: yay yippee hooray! ninety minutes is quite a bit of time — almost an entire match, as long as it doesn't go to extra time — he'll make the most of it!!
and it does make kaiser smile just a tiny bit, though in a way that suggests relief more than smugness. it evokes a feeling of: oh, wow. something went right for a change! ]
Then, I want about 30 minutes of street ball. The rest of the time, I want to see a beach with a nice ocean view around sunset.
[ is this asking a lot or a little? put in an unflattering way, kaiser's baselines wants tend to be childish; to say it in a more positive way, they're rather pure. ]
[ noa isn't normally stupefied, as he's reasonably confident in his ability to read people relative to the situations they are in. he rightly assumed kaiser would ask for a one-on-one match, as he's never been shy about enjoying the brief times they play against each other. a "friendly" match without the external pressures of having to win, but with all the benefits of learning for a real competition with stakes.
it's that he only allotted thirty minutes to that match, and wants to spend an hour watching the sunset on the beach. that's excessively romantic for both their standards. he wanted to ask "is that really all?" but he doesn't want to make a discussion out of it. kaiser won the flip and his requests aren't egregious, so he will be rational as ever. ]
I accept. It's your win, you can use it for what you want.
[ he just doesn't understand why he's using it for something so... simple, and certainly pure. ]
[ objectively, kaiser understands that walking along the beach at sunset together is romantically. subjectively, he has specifically asked noa because he assumes noa knows more about the nice beaches in barcelona and there's like, a 0.5% chance that kaiser might mentally flip out at the sheer depths of the sea and need adult supervision. he has also generously factored transportation time into that 90 minutes because it seemed fair to him somehow!
anyways, kaiser is sure noa can read his mind and understand it's not like that at all! ]
I was informing you, not asking for your agreement.
[ a deal's a deal! kaiser is in a better mood now as he takes a sip of his wine. ]
... Also, I thought about it, and I don't mind answering your last question for free. It's because I saw a ball on display and I liked the way that it looked... perfectly round and white, like a full moon. So I bought it and made use of it, that's about all there was to it.
[ on the one hand, kaiser being overly pleased is never a good thing for him. him being noa, who knows a happy kaiser is far more of a headache than a solemn one. but strangely, he neither feels inclined to squash or diminish it. sometimes kaiser can get a win and have something going right for him in life, and that can be ok. there's no downside to it at least.
he even got an answer to his question, though he isn't sure what to say about it. as simple being drawn to the ball, like a moth to flame. noa was drawn in too and found a reason to live through the beautiful game. but... if he's not mistaken, it isn't the game that interested kaiser but the ball itself. the tool, not its surrounding context, is where he found purpose. hm. ]
You should be careful. I'm going to stop thinking you're mysterious and complex if you keep revealing how simple you really are.
[ this is a joke, he has never found kaiser to be mysterious and he would only give him half a mark in complexity. ]
I don't think you're a monster or a cyborg, and you don't think that I'm mysterious or complex. Fair is fair, isn't it? [ oh, the agony of perceiving and being perceived... ] As long as you still acknowledge that I'm Germany's most beloved football princess of the current era, I don't really care.
[ in the blue lock universe, twitter user wusialalover69 doesn't exist because neither half of wusiala does either. ]
... But does anybody start playing football for a particularly complex reason? I find that hard to believe, personally.
Like you, I don't defy human understanding. I'm just an inconvenient kind of egoist to deal with... as a teammate and as a rival.
[ so no, kaiser doesn't think of himself as complex. he makes something of an attempt to actively obfuscate that, unlike noa, but at his core — everything he does can be rationalized using reason and logic once a person understands that kaiser is somebody who can treat himself as both chessmaster and a piece on the board, and that he plays to ensure everybody else loses just as much as he plays to win.
now, as for what he says, that's completely different. but is a youth not allowed to run his mouth every once in a while?! ]
You think I defy understanding? I'm a very simple person. Simplicity is also a part of rationality.
[ he was born with certain gifts that put him a step ahead of the game next to his peers, but so what? there are many geniuses who come in and then burn out after a few years. noa wields discipline like a tool, understanding that if he doesn't hold himself accountable then the world will. and should it come to that, he will be struck down without mercy. ]
[ and in lieu of adding or implying, "in that aspect, i'm acknowledging that we're similar", kaiser elects instead to lightly kick at noa's ankle underneath the table. playing footsie is less disgusting than having to admit that! ]
Whenever you do something that doesn't make sense to me, I always know the real issue is that I haven't yet understood the full picture. You can be so much nicer to me and tell me what's on your mind more often.
[ when was it that kaiser said to noa that what he wants from noa is predictability? yeah, well, still that. although the only reason he can say that is because he knows noa will never give it; if he sensed that noa might actually acquiesce to the suggestion, he would just be grossed out. ]
Or you can't because you prefer to torture me. [ eye roll! and wine sip. ]
[ he grimaces a touch at the knock, his ankle drawing back reflexively. noa doesn't respond immediately, but then retaliates the moment kaiser starts sipping wine. of course he does it by knocking a foot into kaiser's non-dominant ankle. his courtesy is not going at the good foot. ]
The torture makes you better. [ he has said this a few times now to kaiser, but it still rings true. ] And you don't want me to be nice to you. Be honest with yourself - it would disgust you if I was kind to you, for any reason.
[ fair enough, they are even now. to prevent more shenanigans and also push the boundaries on how gross he can be, kaiser locks his feet around noa's ankle and rests like that. they can save the near ankle-breaks for when they 1v1! ]
Yeah, that is all very true. But I want to ask for it anyways. [ it genuinely reassures him that the answer will always be "fuck no". ] You should keep paying for meals, though, that has nothing to do with my stance on the matter.
[ he shall not be elaborating. but the football princess of germany must be treated by a certain standard. ]
[ but kaiser wouldn't ask for it and that's the problem. this is why it falls on him to do gaslighting activities like tonight's dinner.
the waiter is kind enough to return with kaiser's flan, neatly set on the center of a small platter and with a delicately sized silver spoon. he also props up the server book, check nestled inside, before leaving wordlessly. noa is certain everything is accounted for, but he still opens it up and mentally recounts each item served. ]
Mhm. I'll pay when I invite you. [ that's just basic dating manners. ] May I drive you back home?
[ so if kaiser does the inviting, he has to pay? this is a recipe to guarantee kaiser won't be issuing invitations unless he is in dire need of something... at any rate, he takes a spoon to that flan and takes a bite before answering the question. ]
I'll allow you the honors.
[ kaiser says this as if he wouldn't just be stuck here waiting for an uber if noa doesn't drive him back. or if "juventus" irl is "ubers" in blue lock, is "uber" in blue lock called "juve" instead? either way, kaiser is noa's passenger princess and that will never change.
wordlessly, he pushes the flan forward slightly. he shall also allow noa the delight of sharing this flan, if he so desires. if not, then all the more for him, so kaiser doesn't mind either way. ]
[ "the honors" as if kaiser has any other means back except a ride share.
noa's eyes glance down at the offered flan, his feet twitching in-between kaiser's loose foothold, and decides it couldn't hurt. he takes the shared spoon and carves out a small piece from the side, then slips it into his mouth in a single smooth motion. its sweet, but in a mellow way that noa can take without grimacing. not growing up with the ability to acquire or interest in candy means he can be quite sensitive to a sharp tang. ]
Hm. They make it good here. [ he sets the spoon and nudges the flan back toward kaiser. ] Enjoy it. I doubt we'll have another meal together for a while.
[ his schedule is going to get busy again soon, he just figured since he had the free night he should take advantage of it. he did so by taking advantage of kaiser. ]
Thanks for spending your precious and scarce free time on li'l old me, then.
[ does he mean it? no. anyways... ]
Did you get what you wanted out of all of this?
[ is it FUN to GASLIGHT him? well, noa can answer that, but kaiser is actually more interested in the post-assessment of their dinner date, because that's so normal and everybody does that. even if it isn't the resounding praise for being an incredibly interesting conversational partner that kaiser thinks he deserves, at least he's washing it all down with a delicious not-too-sweet flan, so everything is fine. ]
Better act fast, if there's anything you forgot to check off your list.
[ he acts as if there's a list. there might be, kaiser thinks, a list. like the black book list... ]
[ it's always fun to gaslight, but especially with kaiser. and really, kaiser should anticipate regular gaslighting after what happened in the NEL years ago! ]
I got to eat a good meal and had good company to share it with, so yes.
[ he reaches for his phone and checks to see if anything pressing has come up in the last couple hours. some messages from his assistant, emails... a lot of activity in the team group chat and he can only assume it's something very silly that the kids are getting a kick out of. ]
If you have anything else you want to do, you should also bring it up now.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ noa takes the offered dessert menu out of politeness, not anticipating he'll actually want anything. he's not a fan of sweets and he speculates a lack of snacks during childhood is the culprit. you can't crave the taste of something you have no point of reference for. his real vice is salt -- even after eating an expensive meal, the thought surfaces an image of cup noodles after cooking in boiling water for a few minutes, firm and ready to be slurped up.
kaiser's interjection breaks that dangerous imagery, and for the better. noa gently shuts the menu he barely skimmed and hums quietly. ]
Do you want it to be about a question, or something else? [ because they're so normal and don't need a coin to dictate the flow of conversation, right? (...unless--) ] What are your plans after this?
[ "after this" as if he didn't make up a very spur of the moment dinner date just to see if kaiser would take the bait. ]
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Perhaps read something, perhaps watch something, a shower, and then bed. Unless there's another mysterious event that I was not aware I had scheduled?
[ he's onto you, sir. not that it was being particularly hidden, kaiser is realizing in retrospect. ]
Why? Are you going to offer up a prize that takes up my time?
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[ he's not going to keep up the charade anymore, they both know he gaslit gatekept girlboss'd kaiser into having dinner tonight. but also, kaiser had to have realized they didn't make any plans and still chose to take him up on the meal! this says a lot. ]
What sort of prize would you like? You aren't very materialistic. Would you like to monopolize my time then?
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[ since time something scarce and in high demand — all the more so when it's the time of somebody like noel noa. kaiser has a deeper sense of the value of time than most in his age group, in some part because he really enjoyed drinking the "do you spend every waking moment towards becoming the best?" kool-aid, as loathe as he is to admit it. ]
Then, you'll give me some of your time. Let's say, about as long as dinner has taken?
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Of course, you'll give me the same amount of time if I win the flip.
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[ with that settled: kaiser looks up from the dessert menu, the universal sign to waitstaff to come over for to take an order. kaiser asks for the flan before handing the menu back. ]
I already know what I'll spend the time on. Do you?
no subject
I don't have a plan going into this. But sometimes that's more interesting, as long as the stakes are low.
[ he is not always making 100 chess moves ahead of time in the span of a minute! sometimes letting things unfold and playing it by ear can be a more enjoyable and pleasant surprise. plus he thinks he has tortured kaiser enough for a day, any further and he might need to assess if their relationship is bridging into possessive obsession. ]
Go and flip. I'll be heads, you're tails.
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Alright. It'll be tails.
[ if he says it enough, can he will it into existence? he's thinking it'll be tails, it'll be tails, it'll be tails so loudly that he may as well be mumbling it under his breath as he flips the coin into the air, catching it into his palm just before it hits the table.
without uncurling his hand fully, he slides his palm flat against the table and pushes the coin forward slightly, lifting his hand up so that noa can see it but such that kaiser's own hand is blocking his view. is there a point to making noa announce it? maybe. maybe not... ]
no subject
he peers down the coin when kaiser lifts his palm, expression betraying nothing as he sees the result... ]
Hm. Tails.
[ a dull announcement, but he thinks it'll please kaiser that he could wish upon a coin and his dreams would come true. ]
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and it does make kaiser smile just a tiny bit, though in a way that suggests relief more than smugness. it evokes a feeling of: oh, wow. something went right for a change! ]
Then, I want about 30 minutes of street ball. The rest of the time, I want to see a beach with a nice ocean view around sunset.
[ is this asking a lot or a little? put in an unflattering way, kaiser's baselines wants tend to be childish; to say it in a more positive way, they're rather pure. ]
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[ noa isn't normally stupefied, as he's reasonably confident in his ability to read people relative to the situations they are in. he rightly assumed kaiser would ask for a one-on-one match, as he's never been shy about enjoying the brief times they play against each other. a "friendly" match without the external pressures of having to win, but with all the benefits of learning for a real competition with stakes.
it's that he only allotted thirty minutes to that match, and wants to spend an hour watching the sunset on the beach. that's excessively romantic for both their standards. he wanted to ask "is that really all?" but he doesn't want to make a discussion out of it. kaiser won the flip and his requests aren't egregious, so he will be rational as ever. ]
I accept. It's your win, you can use it for what you want.
[ he just doesn't understand why he's using it for something so... simple, and certainly pure. ]
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anyways, kaiser is sure noa can read his mind and understand it's not like that at all! ]
I was informing you, not asking for your agreement.
[ a deal's a deal! kaiser is in a better mood now as he takes a sip of his wine. ]
... Also, I thought about it, and I don't mind answering your last question for free. It's because I saw a ball on display and I liked the way that it looked... perfectly round and white, like a full moon. So I bought it and made use of it, that's about all there was to it.
no subject
he even got an answer to his question, though he isn't sure what to say about it. as simple being drawn to the ball, like a moth to flame. noa was drawn in too and found a reason to live through the beautiful game. but... if he's not mistaken, it isn't the game that interested kaiser but the ball itself. the tool, not its surrounding context, is where he found purpose. hm. ]
You should be careful. I'm going to stop thinking you're mysterious and complex if you keep revealing how simple you really are.
[ this is a joke, he has never found kaiser to be mysterious and he would only give him half a mark in complexity. ]
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[ in the blue lock universe, twitter user wusialalover69 doesn't exist because neither half of wusiala does either. ]
... But does anybody start playing football for a particularly complex reason? I find that hard to believe, personally.
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[ he is not calling him that! ]
So you admit that you aren't complex.
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[ so no, kaiser doesn't think of himself as complex. he makes something of an attempt to actively obfuscate that, unlike noa, but at his core — everything he does can be rationalized using reason and logic once a person understands that kaiser is somebody who can treat himself as both chessmaster and a piece on the board, and that he plays to ensure everybody else loses just as much as he plays to win.
now, as for what he says, that's completely different. but is a youth not allowed to run his mouth every once in a while?! ]
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[ he was born with certain gifts that put him a step ahead of the game next to his peers, but so what? there are many geniuses who come in and then burn out after a few years. noa wields discipline like a tool, understanding that if he doesn't hold himself accountable then the world will. and should it come to that, he will be struck down without mercy. ]
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[ and in lieu of adding or implying, "in that aspect, i'm acknowledging that we're similar", kaiser elects instead to lightly kick at noa's ankle underneath the table. playing footsie is less disgusting than having to admit that! ]
Whenever you do something that doesn't make sense to me, I always know the real issue is that I haven't yet understood the full picture. You can be so much nicer to me and tell me what's on your mind more often.
[ when was it that kaiser said to noa that what he wants from noa is predictability? yeah, well, still that. although the only reason he can say that is because he knows noa will never give it; if he sensed that noa might actually acquiesce to the suggestion, he would just be grossed out. ]
Or you can't because you prefer to torture me. [ eye roll! and wine sip. ]
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The torture makes you better. [ he has said this a few times now to kaiser, but it still rings true. ] And you don't want me to be nice to you. Be honest with yourself - it would disgust you if I was kind to you, for any reason.
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Yeah, that is all very true. But I want to ask for it anyways. [ it genuinely reassures him that the answer will always be "fuck no". ] You should keep paying for meals, though, that has nothing to do with my stance on the matter.
[ he shall not be elaborating. but the football princess of germany must be treated by a certain standard. ]
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the waiter is kind enough to return with kaiser's flan, neatly set on the center of a small platter and with a delicately sized silver spoon. he also props up the server book, check nestled inside, before leaving wordlessly. noa is certain everything is accounted for, but he still opens it up and mentally recounts each item served. ]
Mhm. I'll pay when I invite you. [ that's just basic dating manners. ] May I drive you back home?
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I'll allow you the honors.
[ kaiser says this as if he wouldn't just be stuck here waiting for an uber if noa doesn't drive him back. or if "juventus" irl is "ubers" in blue lock, is "uber" in blue lock called "juve" instead? either way, kaiser is noa's passenger princess and that will never change.
wordlessly, he pushes the flan forward slightly. he shall also allow noa the delight of sharing this flan, if he so desires. if not, then all the more for him, so kaiser doesn't mind either way. ]
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noa's eyes glance down at the offered flan, his feet twitching in-between kaiser's loose foothold, and decides it couldn't hurt. he takes the shared spoon and carves out a small piece from the side, then slips it into his mouth in a single smooth motion. its sweet, but in a mellow way that noa can take without grimacing. not growing up with the ability to acquire or interest in candy means he can be quite sensitive to a sharp tang. ]
Hm. They make it good here. [ he sets the spoon and nudges the flan back toward kaiser. ] Enjoy it. I doubt we'll have another meal together for a while.
[ his schedule is going to get busy again soon, he just figured since he had the free night he should take advantage of it. he did so by taking advantage of kaiser. ]
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[ does he mean it? no. anyways... ]
Did you get what you wanted out of all of this?
[ is it FUN to GASLIGHT him? well, noa can answer that, but kaiser is actually more interested in the post-assessment of their dinner date, because that's so normal and everybody does that. even if it isn't the resounding praise for being an incredibly interesting conversational partner that kaiser thinks he deserves, at least he's washing it all down with a delicious not-too-sweet flan, so everything is fine. ]
Better act fast, if there's anything you forgot to check off your list.
[ he acts as if there's a list. there might be, kaiser thinks, a list. like the black book list... ]
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I got to eat a good meal and had good company to share it with, so yes.
[ he reaches for his phone and checks to see if anything pressing has come up in the last couple hours. some messages from his assistant, emails... a lot of activity in the team group chat and he can only assume it's something very silly that the kids are getting a kick out of. ]
If you have anything else you want to do, you should also bring it up now.
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