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hikariale · 5 months

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你吃了吗？

When a stranger sits at your normal table, the adage that Fengjian Teahouse is a place of encounters rings true.

word count: 1,872

content warning: n/a, ask to tag

It was unreasonable to ask the server to save your seat, but you didn’t think that you would take so long to grab your wallet. In your race against the weekend dinner rush, the only thing you needed was the one thing that you left behind. Though you raced back home to grab it, you could already hear the typical raucous behind the doors of the Fengjian Teahouse by the time you got back. And at your favourite spot, though there were few other ones open anymore, sat another person, conversing with your server.

Nobody was to blame, but you couldn’t help your annoyance. With the seasons turned cold, your snug corner spot was the most comfortable place to be. Due to the layout of the restaurant, your merry-weather spot would get blasted with cold air every time a person entered or left the building. The upper floor was far too cold for a party of one to ignore.

As you tried to decide where to go from there, the server and the customer sitting in your spot noticed your blank stare. The way that the server jolted made you jolt as well, rushing to give a good-natured smile and wave to say, ‘It’s no big deal, don’t mind me!’ Truly, it was inconvenient, but it wouldn’t ruin your night or your meal. Still, the server looked between you and the other customer and waved you over.

After another server gently pushed past you, balancing a tray holding a full tea set, you hesitantly walked over. Once you were within earshot, you tried to apologise for putting the other two in an awkward situation, but you cut yourself off when you got a closer look at the person taking your table.

Though hooded, glowing eyes peered from the shadow cast over the stranger’s face. The occasional blue or green-eyed traveller would pass through at times, but glowing eyes was something out of mythology. Because it would be rude to gawk, you turned your face away and weakly ordered your normal beverage.

“I have no problem moving to another table if you are uncomfortable,” the stranger said. Despite the polite tone, something about it was intimidating. You felt like a smuggler trying to converse with the border guard.

“No, no, that’s fine—! I mean, you’re alright...” you trailed off again. The chatter of the surrounding tables kept the awkward silence from being suffocating, but you were still just standing at your seat with the wooden edge digging into the back of your legs. The stranger blinked up at you expectantly.

“Ah,” after a quiet exclamation, the stranger’s hands lifted from the table to pull back the cloak’s hood. Beneath the heavy fabric was an ordinary looking individual, not nearly as intimidating once the shadow was gone. As a sign of respect, he gave you a slight bow, wrapped hands meeting in a salute that wasn’t uncommon to see in the area. “Apologies for my bad manners. My name is Liu Kang. Your waiter was telling me that this seat was reserved when you walked in. I did not mean to intrude.”

He had a kind face. His expression was quite sincere, and your gut wasn’t screaming to run. Disgruntled, you finally sat down. The similarly proper greeting that you tried to give sounded off. Despite that, he smiled at you with relief, and you didn’t have the heart to turn around and say ‘Nevermind actually, I want to eat alone.’

“So, are you a martial artist?” trying to break the ice as quickly as possible so that you wouldn’t slip up any worse, you reached for the easiest question. Wrapped hands, strong figure, and that very particular greeting that you always saw from kung fu practitioners, of course you already knew the answer. Liu Kang’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but it was hard to tell if he was simply humouring you. Something gave you the sense that he was not very aware of his own demeanour.

“You could say that, yes.” that slightly obtuse answer with no follow-up made you panic. Most of the people in Fengjian were familiar. It had been a staggeringly long time since you talked to a person who lacked the ability to carry on and on with some conversation about local happenings.

“Oh, well,” you wracked your brain for something else to say. When the door of the restaurant opened again, you suddenly found a great segway. Though it wasn’t the pair you had in mind, just seeing two people amble through the doors reminded you. “There are two guys who might be planning to get into that. They’re pretty well known around here since they tend to get into scraps over silly things. You might get a show if they come in tonight!”

“They fight inside of the restaurant?” Liu Kang questioned. There was a twinge of disbelief in his voice that nearly made you laugh. By now, things like that had become so normal that it was easy to forget that most people would consider it a disruption of business.

“They’re Madam Bo’s students, so she puts them in their place if they get too rowdy,” you reassured. “But hey, they’ve got a lot of potential. If you keep coming here, you’re bound to see it one day... Do you teach?”

“These days, I find myself teaching more than I learn, but I would not call myself a master,” he chose his words carefully. Uptight wasn’t the right word, but it seemed like he was keeping his cards close to his chest. Whether that was some kind of personal creed or just the way he talked, you tried to avoid prying too hard. However, in trying not to step on his toes, you found yourself struggling to strike up casual conversation.

“Is this your first time here?”

“I like to visit occasionally.”

“Do you have a favourite order?”

“I let Madam Bo surprise me.”

“That’s brave.”

The conversation lulled again. Your server dropped your drinks off and you took note of the way that Liu Kang held his teacup. Even once it was filled, he held it at the sides as if it didn’t burn. Martial arts conditioning aside, you couldn’t help but wince as if it burned your fingertips instead.

“Do you want to order dim sun?” you asked, “I can cover the bill.”

“That may be more food than two people can eat,” Liu Kang warned.

“You’re the first guy who’s said something like that. Most of the martial artists I meet could eat the whole pantry! Besides, I ran here from home twice after work, so I’m starving.” you were joking, but the image of Kung Lao flashed in your mind. For the first time, Liu Kang’s lips stretched beyond the courteous smile that he wore while waiting for you to decide on the next thing to say. Like the first drop of rain after a long drought, a quiet chuckle left him, barely audible over the sound of the other guests.

“Then we can order dim sum,” he turned to the server and nodded. Liu Kang slid his teacup across the table to you. He hadn’t taken a sip, so you figured that he was trying to keep up etiquette. He looked younger than the kind of person who would care that much, and you felt a little bad receiving such special treatment, but such a benign quirk wasn’t worth interrupting the easy energy that had finally settled between you.

“You said you like to visit occasionally, right? Are you here to see family?” you asked as he began to pour tea into his new cup. When you touched the sides of the one he gave to you, it was still too hot to grab. Gingerly holding it by the rim and placing it on your palm to drink, you were shocked by the strong flavour.

“I didn’t expect to share tea with anybody, so I ordered pu'er. We can drink a different one,” Liu Kang offered upon seeing the way your expression scrunched up. Shaking your head, you put the cup back down.

“It’s your tea order. I didn’t expect it, but it’s not bad!” with a dismissive wrist flick, you redirected, “I’m sure I would remember seeing someone like you around. I’ve never heard of you before. Normally, the whole town would be talking.”

“I am checking in on some old friends of mine,” Liu Kang explained, “Otherwise, I try to stay out of peoples’ way.”

“You’re not familiar with this kind of place, are you?” after hearing such a humble statement, you couldn’t help but ask. Liu Kang wasn’t someone with his head in the clouds. Rather, he gave off the impression of somebody who lived somewhere above them for some time. Not an airhead, but someone who was used to a different atmosphere.

For just a moment, Liu Kang looked taken aback. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words took a while to come out. Words weighed down by some unknown thing, he responded, “I have not gotten to know the people well.”

Was he sad about that? Ashamed? The way that his gaze scanned the room, like he was just made aware of where he was, made you worry that you said something upsetting. Wanting to avoid another impasse of apologies and write-offs, you cleared your throat.

“Well, the only thing that bites here are the dogs sometimes, so there’s no need to be shy! This is a great place to meet new people, just like what we’re doing right now!” it was an unwieldy attempt to smooth out the wrinkles, but your clumsy words pulled him out of his heavy contemplation. The smile returned to his face, small but earnest, and he nodded towards you.

“I am glad that you were willing to share a meal with me,” he thanked. You weren’t sure why he was thanking you, but you accepted it as gracefully as you could.

“One of the village uncles used to tell me that food tastes better with good company,” some kind of dread creeps up on you when you meet his eyes. It felt like, if you blinked, he would suddenly disappear. A stray dog that walked into a kennel and then went missing without a trace the next week. The idea didn’t sit well with you, so you continued to say, “So you should come by more often!”

Not wanting to stare at him with a plastered-on grin, you took another sip of the pu’er tea. Its bitterness was grounding. Liu Kang considered your words, gazing into his teacup like it was a divining tool. His head turned towards the entrance when he heard the door open, and he sighed like he just stepped out of a shrine and into a night market.

“I am curious about those students that you mentioned earlier,” his smile reached his eyes this time. You wondered if the idea of watching some kind of restaurant brawl for entertainment would seem juvenile from his point of view, but there was a playfulness in his statement. That being said, Kung Lao and Raiden didn’t usually come to Fengjian Teahouse this night of the week.

#mortal kombat #mk1 #liu kang x reader #liu kang #i'll linguisticssplain in the tags just a little bit. for those who dont know “你吃了吗” is a common standard chinese greeting #its basically just a polite friendly 'hi' but its direct translation is 'have you eaten yet?' but it's basically a 'how are you'#so that's why the title is what it is. i really love food scenes and food themes. <3

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the-judicial-assistants-notebook · 1 year

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You know, I think what really bugs me about the "Dadworth" dynamic applied to Kay and Edgeworth's relationship is that it usually makes Kay out to be this hyperactive, slight problem child (in the 'stealing and pranking' sense rather than the 'moody and abrasive' sense), occasionally with deep-rooted daddy issues like Edgeworth has, when that's... the opposite of her character.

(This post got away from me, so TL;DR: Kay is a quick-witted and independent young woman who has worked very hard to be both emotionally and practically intelligent enough to be seen as a legitimate successor to her father's legacy. Making her out to be the traits mentioned above, so she functions as Edgeworth's daughter rather than his investigative partner and equal, undermines her character and semi-conflates her with Maya [the deep-rooted issues bit]. Also I don't like it wksgskaj)

Kay is very, very sharp.

The thing about Kay is that she's not actually in the series as much as it feels like she is, which makes it easy for her character to be altered to suit the needs of the story (which I think happens in The Forgotten Turnabout, but I won't talk about that here). She turns up in two cases as herself in AAI (as in, teenager Kay whom we're most familiar with) and shares her role with Gumshoe, Ema and Franziska when she does, lessening her appearances even further. Nevertheless, there are still concrete elements to her personality that we're made aware of right from the beginning, and the first major one which I feel gets overlooked in favour of her hyperactive characterisation is this:

In terms of mainline assistants, I'd consider her the sharpest of all (maybe after Trucy? But I don't remember enough of AJ to comment on that). Yes, she's shown to be reckless and impulsive, but, when it comes to actual investigating and reasoning, she is solid. With Nick and Maya, you sometimes get the impression that they're both fumbling along until Phoenix catches on (most of the time with Maya's usually a little accidental help, and he still has to explain things to her near every time [not Maya's fault. Following Phoenix's reasoning is like being on a rollercoaster in a minecart]), but Kay is very rarely like that with Edgeworth. Within minutes of meeting him, she can predict what he's going to say (or 'steal his lines', as the game puts it), and there are several moments after he uses Logic and is about to explain what he's connected where Kay interrupts with the correct conclusion herself:

Edgeworth: A second Blue Badger that shouldn't exist... Clearly, the true identity of the person underneath is...

Kay: Oh, I know! It's one of the kidnappers, right!?

There's even a point where she tells him off for overexplaining things to her:

Kay: Yeesh, I told you I got it! Do you feel the need to explain everything!?

And, near the end of their first case together, he acknowledges that's she's generally quite quick:

Kay: OK, what should I re-create first?

Edgeworth: ...You haven't figured it out yet?

Kay: Heh, maybe I have, and maybe I haven't.

Even if you don't take these points into consideration, the fact that she comes up with a new way to use Little Thief, and knows how to use it at all actually, shows you that she's a really intelligent girl! Continuing on a bit from the point I made earlier about her being brash, Kay may be reckless, but she isn't irresponsible. Whenever she rushes into situations, she doesn't expect other people to come save her; she's quite assured that she can and will get herself out of them on her own, and, if she needs help, she asks for it in advance. She treats Edgeworth less like her guardian and more like her investigative partner:

Kay: I didn't get permission to enter Allebahst... so we're going to go gather whatever info we can over on the Babahlese side, OK!?

Edgeworth: Alright, I'm counting on you two.

Kay: Right, and I'm counting on you and Ms. von Karma to sniff out clues in Allebahst!

...

Edgeworth: A number of pieces connect in a very complicated way in this case... It's almost enough to make one completely mentally exhausted.

Kay: Let's not over-complicate matters, OK, Mr. Edgeworth? We've been so focused, like a laser, on only what seems strange and out of place... it's no wonder nothing's clicked and we haven't unlocked anything yet. But, if we think things through calmly, the answer should come to us!

There's an independence to her proactiveness that kind of forces Edgeworth to meet her on equal grounds, and this too is an element that gets lost when the Dadworth dynamic comes in because it involves making Edgeworth responsible -- or feel responsible -- for her actions and general wellbeing when Kay has never expected nor wanted that. She does things on her own terms, and she walks the path she's chosen by herself:

Edgeworth: Preposterous! On what grounds do you suspect her of such a thing!?

Shih-na: The fact that she calls the Yatagarasu. That in itself is a more elegant proof.

Kay: Ms. Shih-na.

Shih-na: Yes?

Kay: I... have no intention of taking back any of what I've said.

Shih-na: ...?

Kay: I am the Great Thief Yatagarasu. And I refuse to allow some imposter to claim that name as their own! The path of justice that my father pointed me towards... I will walk it the best I can!

Her relationship with Edgeworth works as an inverse to that of Nick and Maya's in the way that, where Nick and Maya have deep respect for one another beneath layers upon layers of playful insults and messing about, Kay outwardly respects Edgeworth first (and expects that respect to be returned) and razes him second -- that, too, never to an extent she wouldn't with anyone else or that crosses a certain boundary. Her messing with Edgeworth is shown to be more an attempt to get him to lighten up or not take himself too seriously than an act of (platonic) intimacy as it is with Nick and Maya (which makes sense because Nick and Maya have spent years together, while she's known Edgeworth for all of two weeks) or genuine obliviousness/silliness (although it definitely sometimes is). This is pretty obvious simply from the fact that she always calls him 'Mr Edgeworth', though she's perfectly comfortable calling Gumshoe and Badd, people whom she is more familiar and comfortable with, 'Gummy' and 'Uncle Badd' respectively. Also Kay, in general, is quite polite? Edgeworth calls something she said rude at one point and she gets insulted, and, when you ask for her opinion, she doesn't go 'What?' or 'What is it?', she specifically says, 'Yes?' (this changes in AAI2, which I promise I'm not discussing here) Upon meeting Oldbag, she has this exchange with her, where Kay chooses a more formal mode of address than what is actually offered:

Oldbag: My name is Wendy Oldbag. But you can call me "Wendy", or "Granny", or whatever suits your fancy.

Kay: Nice to meet you, Ms. Oldbag! I'm Kay Faraday.

She's also had moments where she calls Edgeworth out for being 'tactless', and she's shown to feel very strongly about rudeness throughout the whole game. I'm not saying she isn't mischievous or playful, she very much is, but the point is that she's really quite respectful, and this extends to her relationship with him. Her characterisation in Turnabout Ablaze, where she's considerably more excitable/high-strung than in Kidnapped, seems largely due to them chasing down Calisto Yew. Edgeworth even comments on this:

Edgeworth: Kay, you need to look before you leap. You tend to lose your cool when it comes to anything related to that woman.

Generally, though, you can tell that she was obviously raised with an adherence to certain formalities. She's not looking for another parental figure (because she doesn't need one, which I'll go into after this), but, if she was, she'd make that clear.

Kay's a very straightforward person at heart; she doesn't hide any part of herself, even the part that should be hidden (i.e. the Yatagarasu). There are points where she suggests that Edgeworth reminds her of her father, but, in AAI, she specifically mentions that it's both Edgeworth and Gumshoe who remind her of her father and Detective Badd. It's not about her seeing Edgeworth as a father figure; it's about their and her own dedication to the truth. Even in AAI2, where her comments could be read as leaning more towards the former angle, she doesn't get cut up about him not picking up on that or really paying it much emphasis at all, because it doesn't matter. The fact that he reminds her of Byrne is just that: a fact.

Returning to the point about Kay not needing/wanting another parental figure, I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but to put it succinctly: Kay has the guidance she needs without him.

To put it less succinctly, Edgeworth's possibly the worst candidate to go for for emotional support and guidance in the first place, and by the time she meets him again, she's basically processed her father's passing and has a better handle on herself emotionally than Edgeworth does (not a brag; most characters have higher EQ than Edgeworth); what she wants isn't necessarily closure for Byrne's death in the emotional sense but in the I-want-answers-to-this-mystery-that-will-restore-my-family's-honour sense. You could make the argument that Kay becoming the second Yatagarasu and shaping her entire future around continuing her father's work prove that she isn't over his death, but I don't think that's true and more of a result of conflating her with Maya a bit.

With Maya, becoming the Master isn't something she chooses; it's given to her by Misty and Mia. With Kay, it's the opposite. Kay's decision to become the Yatagarasu and pursue the truth is wholly her own, and her approach to that goal reflects that. While Maya uses her cheery, upbeat attitude to conceal a lot of self-doubt and vulnerability (and Franziska does the same with her hostility), Kay does not. Her cheerfulness is precisely who she is; it's not a mask so much as it is a distraction. It keeps people from looking at her too closely and realising exactly how capable she is, and, while I don't think it's fully intentional (again, she believes in living her life in a straightforward and upfront manner), she does imply that it's sort of her (or the Yatagarasu's) MO:

Kay: Well! By the time everyone notices, it's already gone! That's the Yatagarasu way!

Interestingly enough, this unintentional tactic of using humour and cheeriness as a distraction from her abilities makes her a mirror to Calisto Yew, who also uses her seemingly always light-hearted nature as a disguise for what she's actually capable of (Calisto's joviality is her true self, too, or at least as 'true' as she can get). The difference between them is that Calisto delights in ironically mocking the world around her, whereas Kay finds joy in life itself, and she's stronger for it.

The only part where we see Kay attempt to mask her feelings is when she's a child, and even then she admits that she feels better after crying, which, I believe, led to her becoming more open with her emotions later in life (see how her older self has a teary sprite which makes pretty frequent appearances where her younger self does not). In any case, to me, this shows that she has people in her life already who are helping, and have helped, her confront and process her trauma. She's not looking to Edgeworth to help her make sense of her father's death and she definitely isn't looking for a replacement (again, literally dedicated to continuing her father's [and Badd's] legacy). Whenever Edgeworth even gets close to becoming parental with her, she dismisses it, unless she acknowledges that she is in the wrong:

Edgeworth: ...Kay, it's not good for you to stay up late, you know.

Kay: Yes, gramps!

...

Edgeworth: ...I appreciate your sense of justice, however... I would appreciate it if you wouldn't go running into the heart of any more raging fires.

Kay: Nngh... Yes, Mr. Edgeworth... I'll try...

Despite her buoyancy and bright attitude, Kay is quite firm that she be treated as an adult (she doesn't see her cheeriness as a mark of youth; it's joie de vivre, it's who she is, and that's that), and, throughout the game, she gets annoyed when people don't respect that (her arguments with Lang are largely over how he calls Little Thief a toy and her crow-girl). She holds her own and relies on herself while being unafraid of asking for help.

Anyway, this post has gone on for long enough and I think I've addressed the points I wanted to. I should mention that I realise that a lot of how many people portray/interpret their relationship is validated by AAI2 but that's honestly a discussion for a separate post HAHA I feel like, when it comes to AAI, the father/daughter interpretation can maybe be argued with regards to the way Edgeworth treats her? Honestly, though, I think he'd treat any young lady who suddenly becomes part of his team/responsibility in pretty much the same way. And, like, he drops the ball almost every time he's supposed to give "fatherly" advice because he's just not that great with it/children!! It's actually hilarious HSKSDHSK

Either way, yeah! I just think Kay is actually given a lot less credit than she's due when the Dadworth card gets played and I just! Want better for her!!

#kay faraday #miles edgeworth #ace attorney investigations #EMBARRASSINGLY long post. i want to add that this isnt an attack on anyone who likes the dadworth dynamic!!! it's semi-supported by canon #and like. it's literally fandom wskdhdk do what makes you happy. i just feel like kay gets minimised a bit when it happens (including when #it's done in game) and i just want people to realise that she's not actually like that!! she's actually so smart and rly mature???#oh i want to add that i generally like both aai games i just prefer the first one. i know some people go for a sibling dynamic between them #rather than a father daughter one (which makes sense bc... they have 10 years between them hskddhk) but im an advocate for friendship being #just as important and valid as it would be if it did mimic a family relationship even if it didnt so that doesnt do much for me either #i just think she wants to be seen as an equal to him as any of his other partners would be #oh i didnt mention this in the post but i also feel like people mix her with ema a bit in the future versions of her?#like she becomes snarky and a little sarcastic (or suave/flirty in a roundabout manner if it's a ship post) when her whole thing is being #direct. she tells shih na to her face that 'those sunglasses dont do anything for her so she'll steal them next time' she's great #the snarky sarcasm thing is again ema. not maya or her but ema. and franziska #ok i need to shut up now im done thank u <3

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