(Preshow) Preshow Facility

[Dust]

Shinmen Takezo.. It was a name Dust thought would be wise to remember. He was pleased the seemingly older man returned his bow. He suddenly became aware of their common customs and choice in eating utensils. Volk had been raised Japanese and some of the culture was still there, what little survived his brainwashing that the Russians called training. He wondered if this man came from his own world, or if the similarities weren't as striking as they were coincidence. After all, he could have simply came from a parallel world that did not suffer his curse. What luck this man had, but now was not the time to resent his past; He should have done that in the past he resents, even if he could not have. Now was time to respect the warrior. 

As he was also expertly moving his chopsticks around, gathering a bit of his next dish, a few more people entered the mess hall dimension. This would not have normally registered on Wolf's radar, but it was his companion who brought it to his attention. With a mouth full of something cold, he brought his attention to squid who was walking about, casually like it was the most normal thing for a creature like that to do. The stone grey eyes in Dust's head widen. He had seen a number of things in his life, but this was indeed a first. And he could still not believe what his mind was perceiving. Not only did it walk, but it talked. It ordered something from the menu, and then waited there. It was hard not to imagine it contemplating on some calamari, if only because of ignorance in a language barrier. Actually.. What language did squid speak? He was about to ask one of many questions when Shinmen-San began to explain his own encounter with it. 

The younger man listened intently as he slowly chewed the mess of fish and vegetables within his mouth, careful not to chew over his words. It was a short tale worth only a few minutes of concentration, but Dust could picture it all just the same. Imagine that? A contractor with an imagination; enough of one to create a image of a dojo where this brief combat of wills had happened. He set his eyes back on the squid creature as it moved back, almost loosing one of its glasses of wine to the harsh mistress Gravity only to snatch it with a tentacle. He noted that the creature had expert control over those things, and briefly wondered if its beak would be more dangerous, or less.

He swallowed his meal as the swordsman commented out loud about him not having a blade, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck as he answered as vaguely as he could. In truth, he had no idea if he could even compete in this thing. This 'game' as it would seem to be. He turned back, watching the man turn a pile of food into a work of art before consuming it as if he had no interest in savoring the taste for what it was. Then again, everything that the half naked man has tried has been delicious. It would be safe to assume that anything that had any taste that couldn't be described as some form or another of the word 'excellent' was meant to taste that way. Like the 'blue cheese' sprinkled along one of his steaks - which he had ordered with the words 'barely cooked' - while the meat was perfection, the cheese tasted bitter and he just politely ate around. "Worried?" He asked, out of playful banter, his days with his old war partner Drake did not leave him without some use.

But when he looked the man over, he was already refocused on the squid. It - she? - had returned to the other two with a large pizza that would surely feed the three of them. Dust wondered if the squid had any taste - odd coming from him of course - to have chosen such a bad combo as pizza and wine. He has had them each separately when food was just food, but even without refined taste buds he could tell you that it was a bad combination of food. Even if you got the right color, there were better things to get drunk off of while eating pizza. His critisism was cut short as his company took the oppurtunity to think out loud in front of someone who he could bounce ideas off of. 

Dust felt nervous, for the first time, as the swordsman talked about wolves in sheep's clothing. He let out a nervous laughter while he grabbed for his water again, but when he looked the guy over he had to correct his earlier thoughts. No.. This man was not bouncing ideas, he was analyzing the situation, and enjoying the odds. He did not fear the part of being out numbered, no, he relished in it. He was thrilled by the odds. Without knowing anything about this man, and Dust knew so little, he was sure that it was a welcomed challenge because it would indeed be a challenge at that point.

Dust adjusted his way of thinking, and turned to the trio in the corner, sipping the water as he observed them. After a long moment, the cup slid from his lips. Apparently he's also forgotten the thrill of a good hunt, maybe it was fate that they sit beside each other, as the corners of his mouth pulled back into a grin Hokori was hooked with the idea of enjoying this event instead of just experiencing it, his teeth looking already sharp for just a mortal. "Shinmen-san, I can tell you already have the upper hand here, your confidence is contagious; But if you are going to be fighting wolves, wouldn't it make more sense to bring your own?" He turned to his table fellow, new life in his eyes. "As they say, when in Rome.."