Inside a tent with a sign portraying a steaming bowl of ramen with five stars underneath it, a man in an apron hands Pavel a bowl of ramen.
Man: … And an extra big helping for the little Red Tide King.
It steams merrily and has all the fixings, hard boiled egg, naruto, chives and carrots tucked in amongst the meat and noodles. The man winks and whispers behind his hand.
Man: Please don’t steal my soul!
Pavel, with his headdress’s jaws open as wide as they go, grins playfully at the cook.
Pavel: I make no promises.
And then he ducks his head forward, face first into the ramen bowl, and begins to slurp up noodles and broth- no chop sticks required.
Vanna: PAVEL! That’s absolutely DISGUSTING!
The Morenas sit on tall stools right in front of a counter which separates the kitchen from the dining area. It’s a warmly lit space full of pink and purple fabrics (in the carpet, the draperies, and the placemats) and golden lamps that dangle amongst string lights hanging from the ceiling. A radio perched on the shelf above the oven puts out soft music that goes well with the cheerful atmosphere of the restaurant. The man who had given Pavel his ramen, who seems to be the cook, leans towards the pair on his elbow, his oven full of pots and pans right behind him, and around the room other customers mill and chat amiably, relaxing as the festival winds down. A server ferries a bowl off to another table and two women in festive dresses clink margarita glasses.
On the far side of the room, at another counter decorated in candles, a pair talks quietly between themselves. A woman with a bandanna tying her hair back nurses a mug of orange liquid while her conversation partner, a bald man with an eye patch, drinks sake.
Man with eyepatch: Then she swung a SWORD at ‘em, and they all scattered… And she floated off into the fog.
Bandanna woman: But… seaghosts don’t attack other seaghosts… Sounds like a weird rogue Fata Morgana to me.
Man with Eyepatch: Nah-- I’ve seen lots of necromancers out on my rounds… This girl wasn’t alive anymore… But… it was odd. She didn’t seem as brainless as the rest of ‘em… It’s… It’s like she SAVED me.
