12250/Dinner by Candlelight

Dinner by Candlelight
Date of Scene:	01 August 2022
Location:	Angelo's Carriage House
Synopsis:	Dinner date and deep conversation. Oh, and a cooking competition. Bronze Chef?
Cast of Characters:	Achilles, Zatanna Zatara

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Achilles has posed:
    And so, the invite was sent, a formal card delivered to the manor. To the staff actually, along with some sample lemon tarts that he baked up as a gift for the kitchen staff. He does love to cater to them, and well.. bribe them. This was delivered as an answer to a challenge.

    You see, a while back, he tasted such a tart baked by the staff, and was challenged to try to recreate the recipe. This is an ongoing game with them. He delivered the best he was able to do to match it. But once that was delivered, the invitation was delivered to the mistress of the house. It named 7pm, Angelo's House. Dinner. Bring your appetite. Formalwear not required. You bring the wine, I will provide the food.

    And he set up so that at -6pm-, he was ready, in case she tried showing up early to catch him off guard. The table is set, two candles burning while food sits in warmers on the table. The food? Something simple. Meat and veggie skewers. Spicy without being hot. Sweet without being overpowered. The meat? A blend of beef and lamb. What? He likes lamb.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    The Shadowcrest cellar contains a treasure of spirits collected by its successive owners since the 16th Century. Zatanna strolled its cool corridors, arched in stone, looking for an offering to bring to the old-world dinner invitation she had received. It fit the sender and charmed her. Likely there would be meat so a red was in order certainly she would find something stronger, evoking the past.

    Promptly at the hour indicated, a purple line shimmers into existence in Brooklyn before the door of a renovated carriage house. A sandaled foot appears and Zatanna steps through in a light turquoise dress. It's square neckline, and loose shape, nipped at the waist has an antique look to it, reminiscent of a chiton. She wears four silver bracelets that clink on the wrist of her bare arms. Two red lead-sealed bottles peer from the top of the raffia wine tote she carries.

    Two taps of the door knocker, announce her presence.

Achilles has posed:
    And how is Angelo dressed? Well, he went with something comfortable and semi-casual. It's a simple Polo style shirt... and some people can't pull it off, but he can. What is he pulling off you ask? I am glad you asked that. It's a salmon pink shirt worn with simple dark gray slacks. On his feet are thin black socks worn under his trademark black leather loafers.

    He reaches with one of those fire-lighter-wands and ignites the candles. But then his eyes flicker her way as the candlelight brightens things just enough. Then he approaches the door to open it. Once he does that, his green eyes take in the sight of the magician, and he seems to almost forget how to breathe for a few moments. Then he shakes his head like he was trying to remember how to think and speak. "My word. You are lovely this evening." he says. Then he grins and adds, "I hope your staff enjoyed my gift."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    Zatanna smoothes back a lock of her dark hair with a faint smile. The compliment is well received, her sapphire eyes sparkle in the ambient light, and she dips her head acknowledging Angelo. "Thank you!"

    "Oh, this is lovely. I love candlelight." She sniffs and looks toward the kitchen.

    "What have you cooked up this evening? The kitchen staff has kept me up to date with your cooking competition, by the way. I now have to report on everything that I eat, I'll have you know. Everything. They were quite clear about it."

    She puts the bottle carrier on a nearby counter and removes a bottle of wine and an oddly shaped bottle of spirits. "We should open this red now and let it breathe."

Achilles has posed:
    Smirking, Angelo shakes his head. "You have good people working for you." he says. And yeah, he really enjoys making everyone feel important whether they are royalty or staff. It's become something of an obsession of his in the last few centuries.

    But he steps forward and reaches for the wine bottle. When his hand closes on it, his fingers brush hers and he smiles. Then he leans in to press his lips to her cheek briefly... before grabbing a quick peck on the lips.

    That done, he retreats like he just stole that kiss and expected to get caught for it. He reaches for the corkscrew he had handy since he -expected- wine. His deft hands work it into the cork, and he steps around the table as he works the cork free.

    "Please have a seat. I will present you with the evening's meal. I decided to go a tiny bit off the beaten path with the food tonight. With the wine set aside to breathe, he steps over and reaches for the old fashioned silver dome lid covering the serving plate. Lifting it off, he reveals the skewer (kabob?) of beef, lamb, green peppers, and yes... small olives added for texture and a little flavor balance. And yet... between the meat, he has placed what amounts to (now) orange slices that are semi-dehydrated. Their juices and flavors having partially soaked into the meat. "I hope you like the hint of orange sweetness with the savory nature of the meat and peppers."

    Then he reaches and plucks an olive from one skewer and holds it out for sampling. "Would you like a quick taste test so you can report back well?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    Bracelets clink as Zatanna reaches for Angelo's waist and she receives the brief kiss as her due. His boyish retreat from the greeting makes her laugh under her breath.

     She watches him open the bottle: the wine merits some ceremony being an excellent cabernet sauvignon from Pessac-Leognan though of recent vintage. It is some 120 years younger than the wide-hipped bottle of Armagnac with traces of dust on it, sitting next to it. Then, she takes her seat, smoothing her dress under her.

    After admiring the dish, he opened with a flourish, "You will have to send the recipe home with me, you know. I will put it to the severest test for your army of admirers. And, I'm sure I will like it. I've liked everything you've ever made for me. And, I hope you like the armagnac I've brought. No ouzo for you tonight."

Achilles has posed:
    "Oh, I never said anything about giving the recipe. You will simply have to divine that after tasting it. Your people are -not- going to have me helping them cheat after all. I am reasonably sure that I failed to get the tarts correct one hundred percent. There was -something- lacking. I am not sure what it was, but I aim to keep trying."

    That said, Angelo selects a skewer and places the tip upon a plate before simple using a fork to slide the items off of it and into a pile. That plate is set before Zatanna and he grins. "No magic divination now. That'd be cheating." he adds before he plates his own food up and then sits.

    Once seated, he picks up the wine bottle and pours a glass for his companion before pouring himself one. "Please. I await your reaction to the food." he says.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
After admiring the meat glistening with oils and spices on her plate, Zatanna savors a mouthful, humming her approval. "Hmmm. Not going to share it are you?" She asks archly, "Since when am I in the middle of your food competition?"

    After smelling the wine, and taking a tiny sip, "It needs to breath a bit more to be its best. In the meantime...." Zee takes another forkful of meat and closes her eyes as she chews.

    "Well, obviously oranges, for the acidity. Rosemary. Thyme? And, I finely chopped garlic." She opens her eyes, "What have I missed?"

Achilles has posed:
    Smirking, Angelo takes a bite himself. He chews thoughtfully, "Well, I could answer that, but then you really -would- be between the competition. Wouldn't you?" he asks. But shaking his head, he smirks a bit, "I think that I would need a bit more incentive before giving your people some sort of unfair advantage."

    He smirks then as he chews thoughtfully, "I wonder what you might do to convince me..." he thinks, "I have money. I have no need of ..." He pauses, "Well, I'll let that one go unspoken. And let you wonder what I was about to speak about."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    Pretending to not understand, though her eyes glint with a smile, Zee lifts her chin, and looks down her nose at Angelo, "I will not stoop to more elaborate bribes than a bottle of 1842 Armagnac, monsieur. I will take my report to the staff and only answer questions if they bribe me appropriately. Though they already do such a good job, I wonder what they would have to pull out of their hats?"

    The only sound for a moment is the tink of a knife, cutting a slice of lamb. "How has it been for you to adjust to new technologies? I imagine that if you cooked when you were young, it was over a fire."

Achilles has posed:
    Smirking, Angelo shakes his head, "I am sure they will wheedle it out of you... and they are good enough that I bet they could smell your breath and know what I did. I am only barely keeping up with them. You have fantastic staff." he says. The truth is, he isn't trying to beat them. He is just trying to keep them engaged so that they know he is treating them as people and equals. It's pure charisma, not competition to him.

    "As for technology, yes... I have cooked in many different ways. But you must remember... as a young man, I cooked to sustain, not to enjoy the flavors. That came later, when the renaissance brought about so many different things purely for the enjoyment of those involved."

    He takes a bite of his meat and then gestures to the wine, "Do you think it is ready yet?" he asks.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    Zatanna lifts the glass and swirls the wine, enjoying the gold and amber glints of color through the transparent ruby. She puts her nose in the glass and sniffs then takes a tentative mouthful which she follows with a more frank sip."Absolutely."

     Raising the glass, she tilts it slightly toward Angelo in a salute, "To your wonderful food. To us." A larger sip follows and she nods appreciatively at the glass.

    "It has lived up to its reputation. My father knew how to pick wines. This was one of the last he bought before he passed. He knew the vineyard owner and took it on their recommendation when it was too young to be drank."

Achilles has posed:
    Inclining his head, Angelo offers a smile. He lifts his own glass and says, "To new friendships. To growth, and to an enchanting young lady who apparently had a wise and wondrous father."

    Then he digresses a bit and smirks, "I suppose to me, most everyone on the planet is a young man or young lady. But..." He inclines his head. "It strikes me that despite all of my experiences... I will never know what it was like to grow up with a father who cared enough about the person I would become rather than the heir that I would be..... anyway. I envy children in this age. Most of them are well loved by their parents as I am sure you were."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
    Zatanna snorts a laugh at being called young and raises her glass to him. In terms of years, she counts herself as young, just being on the cusp of thirty. In terms of experience, she has seen more in the last ten years than many sorcerers see in a lifetime.

    "It's only normal," she reassures him with a smile. "We are all babies compared to you, O Ancient One!"

    "I think that royal children have difficult lives because of the expectations placed on them by their parents and the world. I don't envy them."

    After reflecting for a moment, she sets her glass down, "I had an unusual childhood. Home schooled in one of the largest occult library collections in the world, following my father from city to city after my mother died. He taught me to set up props and assist him on stage while he drilled me in sleight of hand. I knew he loved me, there was no question."

Achilles has posed:
    Nodding sadly, Angelo remarks with exaggerated dramatic tone, "Indeed. Everyone is so young. It sickens me." a pause and he adds, "Sickens me I say." But then he smirks and takes one more bite of the meal. He washes it down with a sip of the fantastic wine, lifting his brows in appreciation.

    "I know everyone wants to say that -their- version of an event was better... or worse than others were. But do not forget the prophecy about me." he says with a sigh, "That the son of Thetis would become greater than his father. My father tried to prevent that. But he refused to have his son killed. He was a petty man. And yet, he let me sail off with our entire army when I was but fifteen years old." He shrugs, "Who can understand the ways of insane kings?"

    He smiles warmly though and lifts his wine glass once more, "You are a warm person deserving of love. I find myself gladdened by the fact that you had it as a child."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I've read about the lives of royal children. They are not studies in joy, certainly. I studied your story, as well. My father insisted that I read the classics." This last said with a slight smile which sobers when she adds, "You had all the hardships of royalty and godly parents, too."

    Zatanna's smile mirrors Angelo's, "Thank you for that. You are a man of depth, deserving love. It warms my heart knowing you."