7067/The Joys and Wonders of Dim Sum

The Joys and Wonders of Dim Sum
Date of Scene:	25 July 2021
Location:	Royal Dragon Restaurant - Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	New friends, tasty meals.
Cast of Characters:	Wanda Maximoff, Atlin, Cael Becker

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Wanda Maximoff has posed:
New York's got Chinese joints. It has probably every kind of food invented and some probably still being verified as real. For authenticity though, Hell's Kitchen is the place to be and a good tipoff sends the Scarlet Witch out to confirm if this is the case.

Not that she shows up in full Avengers regalia. Wearing civilian clothes helps her to pass as simply another person in a bustling city. Here, a tourist possibly. Rather than wear red, she wears a green tunic-style shirt over a pair of grey capris. A bracelet with the three faces of Hekate stamped inside a circle cuffs her wrist, currently lifted as she tucks her hair behind her ear.

For a Saturday, the Royal Dragon is busy. Loud and bopping, the best way it should be. The hostess asks, "Table or bar?" on welcoming repeat, and for a moment, Wanda has to decide which option to pick. Hesitation is telling, just for now.

Atlin has posed:
Given its hidden location and insular nation, Chinese food wasn't particularly common in Bana-mighdall. But for a certain blonde envoy? It was quickly becoming a favorite. For all the strangeness of the city and how different the women of 'man's world' tended to be from her sisters? The variety of new experiences had been...well, quite the experience!

Wrapped in her civillian clothing since people still seemed to freak out at the sight of an armored amazon in their midst, Atlin was dressed in a simple pair of black jeans and a deep red tank top that looked faded enough to be from the 'donations' her handler had offered her.

Still, if it drew looks? They seemed unnoticed by Atlin as she sought the prize of a meal, pushing through the doorway and nearly bumping straight into Wanda's back!

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Chinese food seems to be just about everywhere, some variation on it. The dim sum offered in bamboo containers and on plates gives a hotter, spiced variation than other areas of China, which is part of the charm for Wanda. She skims a look over the smattering of seats at the bar, then to the one open table. "I don't want to take up a space a group might nee--"

Right as Atlin comes in, the door opening triggers something in her prioperception. Something, but not enough to get fully clear. She steps to the side.

Right into a potted plant signalling good luck! Just briefly though, the leaves swishing over her hip. "Pardon." Her accent's light but there. Awfully exhausting sometimes to keep track of everything, but the worried look on her face might expect a gangster falling to the ground riddled by bullets or a starving New York holding out a hand for their takeout.

Okay, not so much. Atlin seems quite safely whole. Phew.

Atlin has posed:
A little shift of her form, Atlin's hand comes up reaching out to try and stabilize the stranger she'd nearly plowed into.

"Apologies," the tanned blonde woman speaks, her own accent clearly marking her as not-a-local as surely as Wanda herself.

Having managed not to topple the other woman? Atlin moves to face the wait staff. Apparently not sharing the same concerns as Wanda, she seems to be making a beeline for the table that was free.

Her gaze flicks back, should Wanda still be hesitating, and she lifts her hand. "You may join me, if you seek company while you eat."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda doesn't amount to very much, tall as she is. She is more a lightfooted person tending to move through the world with a certain grounded quality that's more superficial than actualized. Atlin steadying her and the plant both must be appreciated by the alarmed hostess holding up a laminated, multi-paged menu as a shield against the dracaena toppling over on her or the podium she organizes the restaurant from.

"No, I'm sorry for being in the way," she insists. Her hands come up to banish any notion of blame squarely weighed on Atlin's shoulders.

She looks back to the hostess, and then to the blonde. "I would like nothing more. Have you been here before? I could use some suggestions on where to begin."

That's no small feat considering how long the menu is.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Stepping in through the doors of the busy Chinese restaurant just as Wanda and Atlin head for the last table, Cael is dressed just as casually as the other ladies - in jeans, with a tank top, and boots to finish off the look. Of course, unlike the other women - she doesn't have more distinctive or off-putting clothing she could have chosen to wear instead. Glancing around, the place looks pretty full much to her frustration. "Aww, hell," she mutters under her breath, looking down at the watch at her wrist, as if trying to decide if she has time to wait for a seat to clear. "What the's wait like?" she asks - in a voice with a hint of impatience showing.
    Not enough to be rude, mind. After all, it is New York. Folks are used to a little impatience.

Atlin has posed:
A shake of her head as Atlin settles into a chair, her gaze flicking over the menu with an expression of far too much seriousness for someone simply ordering dinner. "No...this is a new adventure for me, but I have come to enjoy suprises when it comes to meals and places like this have been pleasent."

Leaning back, the Amazon lifts her gaze, either settled on choice or planning to pick at random. "I am Atlin," she offers in introduction, "Is this place new to you as well?"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The hostess won't take long to seat Wanda or Atlin. The patrons piling up in the small lobby limit business, both those coming and those going. She tries to set things back efficiently in their place by starting off down the aisle separating tables on the wall from those in the middle, pausing to let servers with rolling carts piled in food and plates go past. The savory smells hang in the air like friendly ghosts come to observe the lively feasting. Some of those bao would be worth coming back from the dead from, you know?

Bouncing auburn hair sways off her shoulder as she turns her head again, almost apologetic to the resettled plant. It wasn't the one talking, but Cael was. She crooks her fingers to her palm, her look lingering a bit too long.

Clearly trying to place the woman, she replies to the immediate question. "Twenty minutes for takeout, the lady on the phone said." She pauses. "Have we met? I don't mean to be rude -- you look familiar." Her apologetic tone makes her Transian accent emerge stronger than before, and inhibits her from immediately taking off after Atlin.

Though it's an unspoken offer to follow if the hostess doesn't suggest Cael go to the bar. The halting path will bring her back to Atlin, sooner or later, for which she tells the blonde belatedly, "Thank you, Atlin. I'm Wanda." Not a common name. Less so for redheads of that quality. "I had leftovers from here once, but it's been so long. So new enough to count."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's turn towards the voice is a bit delayed - as it takes her a moment to realize the woman is speaking to her - and for a moment she wears a similar expression of puzzled contemplation as she tries to place the woman in her memor- oh. "Ms. Maximoff, isn't it?" she answers, before offering her hand. "Cael Becker. We haven't yet formally met - though if this is a bad time..." Her gaze moves towards Atlin questioningly, likewise searching the other woman for some sign of recognition. This time, she finds none, however.
    She follows Wanda towards the table - though she won't sit without some indication that she isn't intruding. Cael can be crude, and brash, but she wasn't //completely// lacking in social graces.
    It just seems that way, sometimes.

Atlin has posed:
It wasn't surprising Atlin wasn't recognized, she wasn't an Avenger or a well known heroine, instead she was an envoy for a country most outside of Wakanda or Themyscira had never heard of.

Even so, the blonde simply nods her head. "If Wanda does not mind than I welcome you, where I come from? More is better."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"That's it. Ms. Becker, how excellent to put a face to a name." Wanda's not merely speaking that for show, her brief but warm smile coming to bear. She has not totally settled herself yet, and then takes Cael's hand for a brief shake. Several rings decorate her fingers, each of them unique in design and material, none alike at all. "This is Atlin. Atlin, Cael Becker." The introductions flow naturally. "You are welcome to join us. Look at all the food. I'm afraid to order something and have enough to feed a small army."

Or Thor. Maybe a snack for Hulk.

She settles herself smoothly enough into the seat, nudging over to leave a little more room. "It all looks excellent. Some tea, please?"

This is asked to a server who approaches, taking the hostess' place.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well - dim sum is always better with a group," Cael agrees, as she slips into an open seat. "Otherwise you order two things, and you're full. Hardly seems worth going to dim sum at all." Glancing around at the various trolleys moving around the room she muses quietly, "I wonder if they have any of the black sesame filled desserts..." It may seem odd that her first thought it of dessert, but she's learned that if you want the black sesame desserts - you have to pursue it pretty early in the meal if you plan on having any success at all.
    And it's so worth it it.
    "Atlin, a pleasure to meet you. You both have such interesting accents - I'm afraid I haven't see much of the world, myself."

Atlin has posed:
"If it makes you feel better," the Amazon muses as she nods to the waitress, a non-verbal gesture accompanied to suggest she was echoing Wanda's order for tea. "Before coming to this country, I had never left my own homeland in my life."

Of course, she wasn't going to point out just how long that life was either, instead looking between the others.

"You two are...colleagues who had yet to meet?" she questions lightly. Small talk, far harder to master than martial combat for poor Atlin!

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The extended menu demands a fair bit of reading, the Mandarin descriptions considerably more evocative than the English ones. That's part of the fun of digging through page after page for something delicious. "As long as we have those steamed buns, I'll try anything here," Wanda admits while flipping through pages for something particularly promising.

That's the danger of this place, they have so much to offer and almost nothing that doesn't meet the mark. "Travelling for work or pleasure makes a great difference. It's not the same to go somewhere for a few hours and never get to meet anyone." She smiles again.

"Yes, I believe it's fair to say Cael was hired into another department. No official meet and greet yet, though we might have to change that." The tone's encouraging, playful.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, I spent a few hours in Germany - but it did mean I got to drive on the autobahn," Cael points out - an amused smile quirking her lips for a moment. "And that was practically worth the price of admission, for me." And then they went to Madripoor - but that's hardly something to comment on lightly, is it?
    "Oh, God, that'd be one hell of a meet-n-greet," Cael mutters under her breath - imagining a break room with coffee, donuts - and Thor, God of Thunder. With Hulk 'accidentally' smashing the table and sending hot coffee showering everywhere. She takes a moment to study the menu herself - though only the English makes any sense to her at all.
    "Isn't there something like at least a half dozen different kinds of steam buns? Chicken, chinese barbeque, pork and veggie, shrimp, red beans... There must be more."

Atlin has posed:
A little tilt of her head, Atlin apparently doesn't get it. She'd met some of the Avengers, Thor himself and the Hulk...but Wanda she didn't know and clearly the unspoken sharing was goong over the Amazon's head.

Still she shrugs, happy instead to turn talk to the buns. "Perhaps that is the task for the evening then? To try one of each? I would dare it if you two wished to join me."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Germany's roads make ours here seem like rutted cattle trails," Wanda agrees, and she teams up with anyone willing to order when the server returns with th etea and water for them all. Any additional drinks will need to be negotiated or ransomed before delivery.

A few plates are certainly going to need to be arranged. "Some kind of meeting would be an excuse for us to get together. Sometimes that's rarer than you would think between missions and schedules." Or Tony Stark, doing the business running matter. None too many details become necessary. "But no need to worry about that or heroing."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "God, they do," Cael agrees with a sigh. "And no speed limit? That's the kind of madness I can really get behind." She joins in ordering with the others - pointing to a particular dessert with mochi - coated in a sort of peanut dust and filled with black sesame paste that she seems genuinely excited about - and she's more than happy to try some of the steam buns, and shu mai, and whatever else the others seem interested in. "Oh. And something with noodles. I'm not too particular - as long as we get //something// with noodles."
    She pours herself some of the tea before adding, "Well - it'd be nice to get to know some of them - before we get into trouble together. That'll certainly be a nice change to how things have been going lately, for me. And at least justify some of the looks I've been getting around the office from the other agents when they found out about my assignment."

Atlin has posed:
Missions? That peeks Atlin's interest, her tea lowered and her own order of food forgotten and waved off in favor of questioning. "You are warriors? Or Champions like the 'heroes' I have seen do battle in the city and fought alongside?"

Subtle as a brick asking outright, but that simply was the nature of someone from a society where everyone from a poet to a queen was expected to be a warrior. It just wasn't quite so common here!

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'm not sure 'warrior' is the word I would use," Cael replies with some amusement. "I'm with the FBI, though, and I have been trained in combat. Lately I've been helping Captain America and some of his friends out with a few things - none of which I'm really at liberty to discuss, I'm afraid, and he's decided I might be helpful working with the Avengers." It raises her profile considerably - and might make her undercover work with the FBI's organized crime division completely impossible, of course. But what was she to do?

Atlin has posed:
"Similar to the...'Shield' that a friend of mine spoke of then?" Atlin questions, although the mention of secrecy earns a nod and a simple wave of her hand. "If it is something you cannot discuss I would not have moods soured while we dine. Having company while eating is something I have missed quite a lot since coming to this city."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "SHIELD?" Cael repeats - her elbows planted rudely on the table and her cup of tea held in both hands so it covers part of her face as she speaks. "Who was speaking to you about SHIELD?" she asks. "I mean - Avengers, and SHIELD used to work together from time to time. And the FBI and SHIELD as well... None those three organizations are really the same thing, though..." And of course the public knowledge about SHIELD these days is something less than complimentary...

Atlin has posed:
A frown, a furrow of the blonde's brow. "I...A friend of mine..." she begins, considering her measure. "Someone who has taught me a lot about fitting in this world."

She trails off, reaching down to retrieve her mug and lift it to her lips. "But I do know of the Avengers, those I have seen. I did not realise I had invited one of them to my table. "

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael nods her head before offering, "Well. Can't fault your caution - SHIELD is not well thought of these days. I'd be careful who you spoke to them about." Perhaps this isn't news to Atlin - perhaps this is why the woman was so vague about her friend. She decides to leave it at that.
    "I hardly qualify as an Avenger. I'm just their government liaison, essentially, working with them to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed when it comes to law enforcement matters. Ms. Maximoff, though... she's an Avenger - goes by 'The Scarlet Witch' sometimes."

Atlin has posed:
"A sorceress?" Atlin repeats, as if such a thing is perfectly normal conversation. "I am surprised. Most I have enountered are...more ornate in their appearance."

Still she lowers her drink, a smile offered to the other woman once more. "But you play your part none the less, I am told the laws of 'man's world' are...more complex."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "The law's of... 'Man's world'?" Cael repeats - surprise and amusement evident on her features. "And what sort of world are you from?" she asks. She takes a sip, setting down her glass as some of the food arrives - plates set out on the lazy susan at the center of the table. She starts turning it slowly as she fills her plate with some of the food they ordered.
    "I'd argue that there's no such thing as a 'man's world.' Not anymore, though that certainly used to be the case. Things... well. Still skewed, but..."

Atlin has posed:
It's an ironic little similar name for a slightly different and more literal definition. Still, the blonde woman offers a little shrug, apparently taking the question seriously. "It is what we call the rest of the world...their ways and culture."

A shrug, she gestures to herself lightly with one hand. "Men are forbidden in Bana-Mighdall, it is...a very different place."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...huh," Cael remarks at this bit of news. "Men are forbidden? Seems a strange way of- so, what? Everyone there's an immigrant unless your mother happened to arrive there while pregnant?" And happens, one presumes, to gives birth to a girl. Would they kick a boy //baby// out? Or only a adult men? "Sorry, I just- I've never heard of a place like that. I mean, there's plenty of men around here I wish I could kick out, but... generally that's against the law," she states in wry tone. "And I'm supposed to be upholding it."
    She squirts some vinegar and soysauce with a little chili oil into a dish - and dips a shu mai in before taking a bite.

Atlin has posed:
"It is...complicated," Atlin offers in perhaps a 'cop-out' answer. Outdated customs and magic make for strange bedfellows after all.

"But I admit, I'm coming to appreciate how different this place is, the people and its way....especially all the different foods and some of their inventions. We have...limited ourselves by being insular."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Insular," Cael repeats - confusion on her features. "How could a nation of people with no men be //insular//? Do you only take your citizens from the women leaving a specific nation?" A smaller subset, or sub-culture, within a better known nation, made up of only women? She ponders over this as she nibbles at the noodles - before sprinkling them with a little sriracha. It's better spicy.

Atlin has posed:
Questions complex, but thankfully Cael had offered a 'mostly true' excuse. "We do, sometimes. You must understand, I am an envoy to the broader world but...well, there is a lot I have found myself having to learn before I can share."

A bun retrieved, the Amazon takes a bite for herself, a soft murmer of approval offered before she chuckles. "I imagine you see me as strange?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I see the concept of your nation as a strange one," Cael responds honestly. "Simply because I'm trying to imagine how a nation with only one sex could have - historically - sustained themselves while carrying on their traditions and cultures. I suppose - in the modern era - science provides solutions to that." After all - with IVF they could even produce only female embryos, as long as they could continue to secure sperm from the outside world.
    "I don't know enough about you personally to decide if you're strange or not," she adds with an amused quirk to her lips. "But given the folks I've been hanging out around lately? You're probably fine."