orendalogs | Yowamushi Pedal/Noblesse

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Yowamushi Pedal/Noblesse

Who: Tadokoro Jin, Tao
What: A little break from the hectic life back in Korea, Tao makes an unlikely friend
When: Between Volumes 6 and 7 of Noblesse.
Where: Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan
Warnings: TBA

"Yes. Yeah. Yea~h I know. Geez, I'm not a kid, I can be on my own for five minutes, you know? I'm just looking for something to eat and tired of M-21 brooding," Tao sighed, clucking his tongue as he chattered on his cellphone. Takeo called about as often as a worried mother, checking up on Tao as if he couldn't navigate his way around Japan. Granted, he'd gotten off at the wrong stop on the train, but Takeo didn't know that and his lack of faith was insulting, however merited.

"Yeah yeah yeah, come on. Lay off. I wanna do a little solo investigating. Shopping. You know, for computer...things." It was a terrible cop-out, but Tao knew M-21 and Takeo found his hobbies painfully dull, which made it easier to buy himself out of the worry-wart vortex.

"Yep, gonna shop til I drop. Black credit card, courtesy of the boss, you know! He said have fun and I intend to. Right now I'm going to eat, then I'm going to check out one of those little maid cafe things, then--I'M KIDDING. Calm down! Yes. Alright. Yes. I promise, I'll meet up with you guys at the hotel, ten o' clock. Alright. Yep, see you then."

And here he thought he'd get his Sunday off free of the other two. He was more of a night owl anyways. Getting up early hadn't paid off at all and he felt miserable without breakfast. Tucking his cell into the back pocket of his tight white jeans, the modified human sighed, inhaling deeply.

Holy hell what was that divine scent?

Charcoal-colored eyes darted around, mouth already watering as he sought the source and landed on--

"A bakery? Oh, bless, yes. Thank you sweet mercy," the man crooned, swaying towards the Tadokoro family bakery with a lazy smile. His silky, large black, off-the-shoulder shirt with splatter white paint graphic billowed around a spider-thin body as he sauntered in range of the racks of baked delicacies. He wanted one of everything but wasn't sure of the etiquette for Japanese dining. He'd been told that Korean and Japanese behavior wasn't too different, but the language was worlds apart. Fortunately he knew the tongue, even if not the attitude. Dusting his black bangs out of his eyes and tugging lightly on his white forelock, Tao flashed his brightest smile.

"Ohay~o!" he called into the shop, cheery as could be. Looming over the racks, at 5'11" he was no joke, even if he looked like a strong wind might fling him out the door. "I'd like to buy something delicious!" he chimed, salivating at the very idea. Sure, Takeo was blowing up his phone with texts, but he was on vacation and deserved the best. Spoiling himself with every food under the sun was just the tip of the iceberg. He wanted to enjoy Japan while he could, live the life, explore the countryside - anything, all starting with a goddamn sweet bun, if he had anything to say about it.

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"Ora! Welcome to Honeybee's Bakery!" A loud booming voice called out from behind the counter as a chime let him know someone had just come into the shop. Tadokoro stepped out from the kitchen area, a large bear of a man standing at 6'1" and broad of shoulder and chest.

He started for a moment at the thin frame in the doorway, but he recovered quickly. For a moment he almost thought he'd seen a ghost, or rather a spider.

"We have plenty of delicious things," His voice rang out as he gestured to the rows of sweet breads and pastries.

"Holy...woah...." Tao started briefly, just as taken aback by the teen as Tadokoro was him. He too thought he'd seen a ghost for a moment and it wasn't a good shock! When he realized it was just some PTSD he laughed it off nervously, cleared his throat and tapped a finger on the glass near the register, black-painted nail glistening in the shop light.

"A~nd, how much for one of everything?" Because he told himself no goddamn limits and damned if he wasn't going to sample the whole of Japan if he could.

"Sorry, my Japanese isn't all that good," he chuckled, though his Japanese was, in fact, quite flawless, at least for a foreigner. "The menu...do you suggest anything?" Tao asked, smiling a fox-smile and clasping his hands almost demurely in front of himself.

"I've never had Japanese pastries or rolls. No breakfast today so I'm very hungry. I bet you know the best thing to eat, hm?" the mod grinned, arching a fine black brow.

What was up with that reaction? Granted he'd been surprised too but, nah it was nothing.

"One of everything?" Tadokoro let out a bark of laughter. "Well you look like you could use some meat on your bones!"

He listed off a price that was literally everything including their basic breads. "But f it's pastries and rolls you're looking at then I suggest these." He gestured to a row of various meat buns and rice balls. Further down there was a whole section of Swiss rolls and cakes.

"We have some canned coffee and milk tea if you want something to drink with all that."

"Do you guys allow dine in, even for foreigners?" he asked, being warned by Takeo that there were some places it was just considered socially unacceptable for non-Japanese people to go. He didn't what all those places were, but if he'd been more informed Tao might have turned his noce up. He didn't plan on going to host clubs and maid cafes, no matter how much he teased.

Well...maybe just one maid cafe, because they sounded cute.

"I suppose if I buy one of everything it'll probably spoil before I can make it through it all," the lanky man reasoned with a sigh, looking considerably disappointed by the fact.

"Also, I'll have you know I eat a lot! I just can't seem to keep any weight on. But believe it or not, I'm totally rockin' under these clothes!" he barked, pulling up both arms in a flex before posing to one side, mouth in an "O" and brows furrowed in his most masculine look.

Not...really intimidating at all.

Clearing his throat and coloring in the cheeks slightly, he realized proving a point to someone with Tadokoro's bulk was probably, in all, pointless.

"Oh! Rice balls! Nice. Well...yeah, how about I sample all your savory stuff, then. That seems like a healthier breakfast than the Skittles and soda I had when I woke up. What's your favorite?" Tao asked, smiling brightly and tilting his head, fluffy hair tilting along with the motion.

"I'll start with that. And whatever drink you suggest to best bring out the flavor. I'm Tao, by the way. Nice to meet you.....?"

Tadokoro let out a hearty laugh. "Of course we do! What kind of place would we be if we didn't?"

"Can you?" Tadokoro looked as if he was willing to watch that challenge go down. He ignored the comment of what was under his clothing, but that attempt at a flex only made him laugh again. "Sure, if you say so." He wasn't going to believe that with as thin as he was.

"I prefer the tuna and mayo." He gestured to the middle row of balls that already had a few missing. "The pork belly and salmon are good ones too." He reached into the case and started pulling out one of each along with a few pork buns.

"Tao?" Tadokoro tried the name out on his tongue. "Chinese? I'm Tadokoro Jin." He grinned. "You visiting?"

For just a flicker of a moment Tao's expression darkened, the cheery front shadowed by something. The moment passed as quickly as it came, however, and he smiled all the more for it.

He didn't know where he was from. He didn't know if he was Chinese. He didn't even know if Tao was his name. That was the trouble all former members of the Union faced. They were blank slates beyond their lives as modified humans. Tadokoro didn't know it was a sore subject - even Tao hadn't realized it bothered him, since no one ever brought it up back home. Might as well play it safe.

"Sure! Korean citizen, though. My Chinese is terrible, don't ask for a demonstration," he drawled, rattling off a little before clearing his throat and laughing the whole thing off a little awkwardly.

"Mm, yep. My friend is Japanese and he insisted we all come out here and see the sights. I'm more interested in the local color. He wants to ride the train all over the place and see like...literally everything. I think I'll just hang out here and enjoy the break from work, honestly," Tao replied, pelased to have conversation that wasn't utterly devoid of cheer. Talking to M-21 and Takeo could get real gloomy real fast. After all, Takeo was traveling all over the place seeing everything in Japan in the hopes of jogging his erased memories. Tao didn't think it would work that way, but he was willing to support a friend.

Pi pi pi.

"Oop, one sec," he mumbled, reaching into his pocket and looking at his cellphone. Smiling fondly, Tao tapped away at the screen, answering the text before putting the phone away. It was good to be missed.

"This all sounds good," the lanky man remarked, reaching over for the tuna and mayo ball, taking a massive bite out and fixing Tadokoro with a dubious look. It swiftly changed to approval.

"Hey now! Not bad at all! You've got good taste!"

Tadokoro's eyes narrowed slightly at the flicker of emotion on Tao's face. Maybe he'd just imagined that. He brushed it aside as a trick of the light. "Don't worry. I wouldn't understand it."

He continued to busy himself with pulling out various rice balls and meat buns until Tao had a plate stacked high with goodies. He grabbed a bottle of green tea from the fridge too so he'd have something to wash it all down with.

He smiled when Tao took the first suggestion and all but grin when he gave his approval. "Thanks!" He ran up the total, though it seemed remarkably cheaper than it might have otherwise been based on the little numbers in front of each item inside the clear case. "Here, you'll be filled up with no problem, and if you don't finish you can save it for later."

"Thank you, as well. Do you accept tips in Japan?" Tao asked, genuinely unsure. There wasn't a lot of tipping in Korea, either, but it seemed like the thing to do and he disliked the idea of being given a service and not paying for it.

Reaching out and picking up the plate of food, Tao swiveled his head about, found a suitable seat and settled in, inclining his head in thanks for the tea as well. Adjusting the plate and drink until he was satisfied, the lean man hurried back over to the counter, withdrawing his matte black credit card, holding it out without concern for cost; he was extremely well compensated for his work.

"What's there to do around here, hm? You know anywhere worth seeing, anything worth doing?"

Tadokoro waived it off. "Don't worry about it. Call it the nice foreigner special." He grinned. He watched curiously as Tao settled down with the tray before rushing back to pay. A black card huh? He'd heard about those sort of things though he'd never seen it in person. He took it from Tao, swiping it and almost expecting it to be a fake and declined but it went through just fine. He handed it back to Tao along with the receipt.

"Not too much if you're staying just in this area, but there's onsens not too far away and this area's not too bad if you're a cyclist." He grinned. "The roads are good for that and the scenery is nice too." Assuming it was sight seeing you wanted to do and not actual racing. There wasn't much time to look at the sights in the middle of a race.

"Ooh. Onsens. The uh, hotspring baths?" he asked, wiggling spidery fingers briefly before glancing off in thought. Might be worth experiencing a cultural thing or two. It wasn't often he had real time to himself. Glancing over Tadokoro he smirked faintly, amused at the image of just a burly beast of a young man chilling in a hot bath.

He seemed jolly.

Tao liked jolly.

"Cycling? Like biking?" he asked, gesturing holding handlebars with his hands and blinking blankly. Surely the man wasn't implying he was a cyclist. Weren't they all rail thin? Like himself, really. He biked once or twice but couldn't get much enjoyment out of it - most sports weren't a challenge for him, being a modified human, so he usually stuck to exercising his brain instead. And once again he was left wondering what something Tadokoro did must have looked like.

It seemed unkind to think, but it must have looked like a circus act. Some burly thing on a bike, like....a bear...He stifled a laugh, snorting a soft giggle into his hand at the image. He had to see it.

"What are the best place to bike around here? For leisure, mostly. I don't have anyone to compete with."

"Oh?" The word compete stuck out in Tadokoro's mind. He wouldn't have judged Tao one way or the other on being a cyclist. He was living proof that a cyclist could be from any body type and any class. That was the joy of it really. It was an even ground where people of all types could struggle against the elements and their own bodies to try and come out on top.

"There's a path not too far from here. There's plenty of hills and straights so you can get a good workout." He grinned and there was a challenging look in his eyes as he said, "If you want someone to compete against I'll race you."

It had been awhile since Tadokoro had had the pleasure of racing anyone. He'd been focused on helping his folks with the bakery and of course Kinjou and Makishima were both busy with college.

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Yowamushi Pedal/Noblesse

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