[attr="class","mon"]

[attr="class","monbody"]Shirotsume Town. A gorgeous, ancient-rome inspired city sprawling with vendors, shops and restaurants jam-packed with interesting attractions that keep Shirotsume hustling and bustling year round. Not a single inch of the city was uncovered by patrons, leaving the streets flooded with bodies moving every which way. The restaurants were no different with many of them having lines stretching out into the streets.

One such eatery, coined ‘9 lives’, was particularly busy today.

“Buurrrgh~. Damn, that was some kick ass sake.” Orion burped, his rosy cheeks and the five empty bottles of sake dotting the table top speaking wonders of the time he’d just had with his best friend, Funkfreed.

The orange Exceed leaned back in his seat, patting his bloated stomach with both of his paws. The surface before him was covered in fish skeletons, all picked so squeaky clean you could see them glisten in the light. His little whiskers were peppered with speckles of fried fish remains, though he didn’t seem to care. Nor did his partner.

“That fish was the best dish, yo!”

The two of them remained seated, sitting in silence for a few moments to enjoy the moment. Almost in sync, the duo opened their eyes and stared at one another. They quickly glanced down at the bill, which the waitress had silently slipped to them just a few moments ago.

A grin crossed Funk’s lips, flashing his pearly white fangs. “Betcha’ it’s over a hundred thousand Jewels.”

“Bet.” Orion returned the smirk with one of his own before reaching forward and sliding the bill off the table, pinching it in between his fingers and bringing it to his face. This only caused his smile to grow more. He placed the receipt down on the table and pushed it across to Funk.

The cat’s brows furrowed in frustration as he saw the amount written. “99,980… How, yo?”

“I know my booze. I didn’t order that much.” Orion said, confident and proud in his victory over Funk. "Doesn’t matter though. Not like we’re gonna pay.”

Funkfreed just laughed. “Right! We’re gettin’ outta’ here yo!” But as he placed both of his paws on the table and readied himself to stand, two massive, burly hands took rest on his shoulders, easily encompassing his body and pushing him back down into his seat.

Orion’s dark eyes immediately filled with fire, glaring up at the stranger, who he now considered to be assaulting his friend. A large, muscular gentleman dressed in what Orion would only assume would be a typical chef’s attire stood behind Funk while a smaller, however more elaborately dressed chef stood next to him. The smaller man wore a cocky smile, folding both of his arms behind his back.

“Mmmm… Orion Glory and.. Funkyfreed? Yes… We’ve heard of you two. You’re notorious for doing the dining and the dashing, and every horrible thing in between! You’re known across Fiore for escaping unscathed from all of these restaurant altercations, but that changes today!”

Orion shifted his arm down towards his sword Raimei, securing the hilt tightly in his palm. With above-average speed, Orion stood and unsheathed his sword, bringing the very tip across the bigger chef’s nose bridge, sending an array of crimson to spray across his face. Many of the other patrons in the surrounding area either gasped, screamed or just downright fleed.

None of this deterred the giant chef from proceeding to rampage however. He roared from the minor cut across his face, moreso from sudden shock rather than actual pain, and viciously ripped Funkfreed from his chair, tossing him to the left towards the large glass windows that covered the front of the restaurant. Orion was swift in his response, moving over to catch his friend before crashing into the panes himself, rolling out into the street among the rumbling glass shards.

The god slayer came to a halt on his knees, one hand gripping Raimei and the other arm cradling his shook Exceed buddy. He raised his burning gaze towards the advancing sous chef, whose ugly mug was now stepping forward with his fists raised, ready to brawl. This brought the biggest grin yet to Orion’s lips, causing a wave of goosebumps to wash over his skin.

This was it. He was in his element here. Most of the time, he didn’t even need a reason to fight, most of the time.

“Oi, jackass… You just gave me the biggest excuse to slice your ugly mug in half.”

---

CURRENT THREAD MP: 10

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT