1543/Of Rice and Dumplings

Of Rice and Dumplings
Date of Scene:	06 May 2020
Location:	Royal Dragon Restaurant - Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	Danny and Dinah have dinner together, discussing a little bit about the Defenders and revealing to each other their origins.
Cast of Characters:	Danny Rand, Dinah Lance

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Danny Rand has posed:
The day had finally come for Danny's agreement to take Dinah out to dinner. She said she liked Chinese, right? Well, he kinda hopes so, because thats the restaurant he texted her to meet him at. Naive fool even ducked out of a business meeting (that thankfully wasn't actually important, more of a formality really) just so he could make an effort to be there early.

The terms of dress was ultimately casual.

Danny was seated at one of the booths in the corner of the restaurant, strategically picked so he could watch the entrance of the shop. What? Part of him was slightly worried that the Hand (or other parties) would follow. If they were bold enough to attack Dinah and Colleen...Well, he doesn't know if those guys were even Hand or if they were just punks from down the way.

Either way, Danny waits patiently. And a little nervously.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance's arrival is announced by the low rumble of her Triumph, the flash of a headlight across the front window. The blonde enters with casual boldness, jeans over biker boots with a crisp, white t-shirt under her leather Canary jacket.

Blue eyes sweep the restaurant on her way inside, catching details before settling on Danny. With a small smile she pauses, tilts her head towards him, and makes her way over.

"I've not even seen the menu and I already love this place." she offers, sliding into a seat across from him.

Danny Rand has posed:
As soon as Danny sees Dinah, he gives her a little wave to invite her over to him. He wore a dark green jacket with a black undershirt and some slightly baggy jeans with running shoes. Extremely simplistic and somewhat rural in his style of dress, even if he's rich.

"Whew, happy to hear it. I was most nervous about the scenery I think." She will probably ask why, but thats up to her. "How are you today? Get into any trouble?" he would say something like 'you look nice', but he fears it would be cliche.

"You look great, by the way." Breaking the standards with...the most common compliment a man has ever given a woman. *sigh*

Dinah Lance has posed:
"You mean the scenery or the wildlife?" she quips back, with a knowing smile. Leaning in a bit, her voice lowers and she adds. "We do need to talk about the idiots who broke into my shop sometime. Colleen can handle herself pretty well, by the way."

Dinah settles back a little, then. "And thanks. You look good, too." At least she didn't say 'nice', right? "I've been doing alright, even if it's a slow day so far."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny chuckles a little bit. "Bit of both, really." he winks at her before she leans in and he does the same, speaking low. "Agreed. Something about that situation seems extremely fishy...but Colleen knew about it before it even happened, sounds like. But yeah, she's extremely good. Could probably give any of us a hard time."

No weak links in the Defenders, yo.

But Danny does blush a little when she compliments him. "Heh, thanks. Nothing wrong with a slow day, yeah? But, the menus are already here. You can order whatever you like, but the best thing this place has is the shrimp. Its beyond good."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance picks up a menu, scanning down the list of entrees. Each one features a picture, because it's that kind of place. "The shrimp, hmm? I'll have to check it out." she replies. Turning the page almost casually, she continues in a low voice again.

"Colleen -did- seem like she was following those guys, actually, but we never got the chance to talk details. Worth a follow-up chat."

She looks up, then asks. "Hot tea?"

Danny Rand has posed:
"The. Best." Danny says again confidently about the shrimp with a smile, looking over the menu himself before he ponders. "Definitely a conversation worth having." When she asks about the Hot tea, he nods. "They have it. Its pretty good, though I don't know if you'd consider it to be mana from heaven or anything like that."

He chuckles a little bit.

"So, tell me about yourself, Dinah? Like..." he ponders. "Why the flower shop? You're a badass in leather who can outbike just about anyone, from what I've seen so far. A flower shop seems surprisingly calm for you."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance settles back, stretching her legs out under the table. Smiling a little, she folds the menu. "Because it was mom's." she declares simply. "Dad was a retired cop, turned P.I. Mom ran the flower shop during the day and was the Black Canary at night. Except she wore a wig instead of coloring her hair."

"I learned about motorcycles from her friends in the hero community... you know how many heroes ride bikes, right? And I learned how to fight from Ted Grant. At least at first."

"When mom and dad skipped town, I picked up both the flower shop and the fishnets. And I've never looked back. I just keep things going, train every day, and try to do the right thing."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny rests his wrists on the table as he listens attentively, a smile slowly growing on his face as Dinah explains a little bit more of her origins. Her father was a cop and her mother was the first Black Canary. Makes ense, right? Its a cool thing, to inherit (approvingly or disapprovingly) such legacies from those who came before you.

He nods softly. "I take it that means you're not naturally a blonde?" he teases her softly with a healthy display of humor. He does nod though. "Man, they all must've been the coolest. Probably still are. And well, if you want to train, I'm always looking to improve. But you trying your best is better than what 90 percent of the world is currently doing. So go you for making a difference, seriously."

THe waiter then arrives and Danny places his order before letting Dinah do the same.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance tilts her head, lifting a (dark) brow at the question. "Why Mister Rand, that's a very personal question, don't you think?" she replies, to the 'natural blonde' remark. "And having a legacy is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I still feel like my mom is watching over my shoulder, y'know?"

When it's Dinah's turn to order she's calm and confident in her choice. And she speaks in fluent Cantonese with the server, who seems delighted by it.

"So what's your story, Danny?" she asks, once the waiter slips off. "Did you really punch a dragon, or was that just Jessica being drunk?" Pause. "And when is Jessica NOT drunk, by the way? Seems to be a regular state with her."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny chuckles a tad. "Sorry, is that too personal? Not that I'm scared to get personal or anything, just...you know, curious." he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm admittedly very bad at this." he smiles a little shamefully, before he perks up when she speaks fluent Cantonese.

<"You speak Cantonese? You surprise me a little more every day, Dinah Lance.">

Then its about his story. "Yeah. My story. Not a happy one, but I did actually punch a dragon. Jessica is always drunk, so that doesn't much change. She doesn't believe me though." He humms. "When I was a kid, my parents took me on a lovely plane trip to the east. We were on our way to India to work out a business deal with one of the major companies down there when our plane went down over the himalayas. I was the only survivor. The monks of K'un-Lun found me and took me in as their own. Trained me, taught me discipline, practically raised me, ya know?"

He smiles. "and while your legacy is that of the Black Canary, mine is that of the Iron Fist."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance grins back, and she keeps the conversation in Cantonese <And yes. It's Miss Clairol Blonde #2, if you're curious.> Her expression softens when he tells of his own history, and she nods slowly.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Danny. And being raised by monks does make a lot of sense, now that you bring it up." Whatever THAT means! "I trained for a couple years with Sensei Otomo in China. He called me 'Siu Jerk Jai' (Little Bird). But I never got to punch any dragons."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny smirks, and he nods softly at her apology at his lack of parents. "Its alright. Life has a way of bringing you to places you need to be. I just wish it didn't seem to require the loss of loved ones for it to happen." he sighs lightly, but then perks up. "Whats that supposed to mean?" he says with a growing smile when she suggests it makes sense that he was raised by monks.

But he nods. "Little bird, huh? Well...I think you're more of a pretty bird than a little bird, nowadays." he might start calling her that! But, he explains further.

"The Iron Fist is a title, of sorts. In order to become the Iron Fist, you have to defeat Shao-Lao the Undying and plunge your hands into his molten heart." which sounds extremely metal. "and thats how I became the Iron Fist. Its okay if you don't believe me, but when I pull out the chi, people tend to become believers pretty quickly."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance wrinkles her nose at the plunging of hands into the molten heart of a dragon. "That sounds pretty gross, yeah." she admits. "But I've seen some pretty unusual stuff, so you don't need to convince me."

Her expression becomes playful, then. "But we -do- need to spar sometime. You'd be surprised at how many guys don't think twice about squaring off against a little blonde girl. At least until I clear the room."

"Which reminds me, I need to get Colleen's background sometime."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny smirks. "Don't worry about it, its more symbolic than bloody. For example, the Dragon is immortal. He comes back every 75 years or so." he rubs the back of his neck. "So -technically- I didn't kill him. But yeah, punched a dragon. Happy someone believes me for once that isn't Luke Cage." he sighs with a smile.

"Agreed. It'll be fun. Just uh, don't cry too much when I get the upper hand." he says a little competitively, while also seeing if Dinah has a competitive streak in her as well. "All I need is a time and place, though my dojo could work fine."

He nods. "Me too, truth be told. I have a feeling she's not telling us everything."

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Her parents were samurai, but that's about all she would say at the time." They must've talked about SOMETHING after the fight, of course. Dinah smiles coyly, then. "I don't cry. but you've gotta' actually hit me first. And your dojo is just fine with me."

"So who is Luke? Someone mentioned him the other day during introductions. I've heard of Daredevil, of course. He's hit the news a few times."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny nods softly to Dinah. "Woah, really? Man, that sounds cool. My parents were just businessmen and merchants..." Danny sounds just slightly jealous. But then again, the Samurai as a lifestyle is an admirable one. Minus the whole ritual suicide thing. Thats kinda wack.

"The dojo it is. Care to call it a second date, assuming I don't do something really stupid in the next twenty-five minutes?" he offers Dinah with a slightly nervous, but no less warm, smile.

As for the question of Luke, Danny nods. "Well, Luke's my best friend. In terms of if the Defenders have a territory, Luke mainly resides in Harlem. He's a bartender by way of profession...and he's effectively bulletproof. Guy's really strong. Could probably bench a car over his head or something like that. He only acts scary, but the guy's a big softie."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Once again, Dinah isn't phased by people who are bulletproof or with super strength. Not when you've met Green Lanterns and Speedsters growing up as a kid. "I'll definitely have to meet Luke sometime, then." she replies.

"And you really should relax, Danny. Having dinner isn't a 'pass/fail' situation, y'know? It's not a test; it's two people getting to know each other."

The tea arrives, then, and the waiter serves it while they wait.

"Just promise me that you won't pull any punches when we spar, and I do mean that. That would be worse than spitting on the floor."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny chuckles a bit. "Definitely. Be on your best behavior and he might just cover your tab." he smirks at her, before he seems to pause nervously, before he breathes. "Sorry, I don't do this stuff often. Still kinda...getting used to just being normal for once when neither of us are very normal. But thanks for being you." he smiles warmly at her, and appears to visibly relax.

the tea arrives, and Danny thanks the waiter in Cantonese. No he does not ask the status of the food, because he knows they painfully make it from scratch.

Pull no punches? Not a problem. Danny seems to agree to that with a subtle nod. "Trust me, that won't be hard. Feel free to use whatever you can when we spar. After all, nobody really knows each other until they fight, and I suspect we're no different."

Danny and Dinah actually manage to sit there and talk for hours on end, just getting to know each other and picking up a little bit on each other's quirks. Danny covers the tab in an act of chivalry, but if Dinah suggests they split it or she wants to pay for it, he'll submit to her wishes.

All the same, a wonderful day with wonderful people.