#c: lorelai tseng

[foster-notmatty]

—Starter for @lorelai-tseng Location: Lunch Box

"Hey, Lorelai, right?" he asked, because while he definitely remembered the face, he wasn't always so good with names. "Foster. We met at the farmer's market? Talked way too long about squash?"

[foster-notmatty]

When he used to dream about seeing the world, he never quite realized just how much he would succeed at it. For the kid who didn't graduate high school and never expected to live beyond the age of 25, he hadn't done so bad for himself. It felt nice, at times, to be reminded of that. "Well, that sounds like a story I'd like to hear sometime," he said charmingly. "I'll let you get back to your shopping, but next time I get a free night, I'll be sure to check you out."

Lorelai gave a nod of agreement, knowing that nights off were probably few and far between for him. That was the life of a chef. Whether early mornings or late nights, all the prep they needed to do and countless hours spent in the kitchen. It just made it difficult to have a life really outside unless one was extremely determined to be extroverted. As he listed off all the places, she raised her brows and nodded along. "My, my. Well that's a rather impressive list. Ah, well your secret is safe with me. I can't say that I've always been a pristine citizen of wherever I was either." She shared with a smirk, knowing that there were only a small amount of people here who could back that claim up.

@foster-notmatty

[seongxhyunwoo-archive]

LOCATION: Saturday morning Farmer’s Market WITH: @lorelai-tseng

It was truly a mystery what Hyun Woo hoped to achieve wandering through the stalls of fresh produce and local artisanal crafts. After all, it wasn’t like his hotel room was equipped with a full functioning kitchen. Even if it was, Hyun Woo would do little more than burn a few pans before resorting to calling for delivery or room service anyways. Nonetheless, there was something charming about seeing the families meandering through the rows, stopping to sample locally produced delicacies. Thinking of his own childhood, he could recall no such memories with his family. They would see each other for meals and as he got older, sometimes not even those.. There was never a carefree moment to just enjoy each other's company. So maybe the draw was about making an actual purchase and more about soaking in the simplicity of the activity that drew him to the bustling community market. As the thought passed his mind, his eye was drawn to a stall he was surprised to find, featuring a challenge that marked his childhood: dalgona candy making. Walking over, he poured the sugar mixture onto the thin metal sheet, trying to carefully maneuver around the edges of the star-shape to avoid breaking the thin sugar cookie. And as he struggled, the woman beside him made it seem like it was a walk in the park. Either she was exceptionally talented, or he was just very unskilled. “You're a pro. Mine always crack right as I’m getting to the end." Hyun Woo asked, far too focused on the task for what was supposed to be a lighthearted little game.

[seongxhyunwoo-archive]

WITH: @lorelai-tseng LOCATION: the silk road

He wasn’t actually sure if he would find Lorelai at the restaurant if he just walked in on a random day near closing. Their run in at the Farmer’s Market had been unexpected, and though he recovered from the shock of seeing her there, Hyun Woo had also been agonizing over the prospect of talking to her about why his presence on Providence Peak needed to be kept a secret. The fact that she did not speak with her parents regularly gave him a bit of relief. But that wasn’t enough to assure him that should the conversation happen, sooner or later, that he would come up. And he knew his parents. Any loose threads, they would tug until they unraveled the entire secret that he was trying to keep from them. Which was why today, he hoped to catch her at a time when it wasn’t as busy. Approaching someone at the front, he tried his luck when they told him that unfortunately, the kitchen was about to close and they likely wouldn’t be able to seat him. Wouldn’t his parents be proud? Pulling his name in order to get his way. “I’m actually here to see Lorelai Tseng? Not sure if she’s in, but if so, could you let her know that I was hoping to take a moment of her time? The name is Seong Hyun Woo.”

[foster-notmatty]

There was something almost clinical about this, but after spending years abroad, it didn't throw him the way it once might have. A casual midday hook-up, picked up at a sandwich shop, like scheduling an appointment with a doctor to get a nasty wart removed. It kind of felt that way, the removal part, only it was another person he was trying to extract from his mind.

"God bless the Brits," he chuckled under his breath, but in a way he missed conversation, the act of gently having to coax someone into silence. This was good, though — this was better. He had no reason to even remember the other existed. "Lead the way."

"No pressure." Lorelai hoped there was at least a little pressure in the situation. At least for him to know that she was expecting a good time. She knew she could make for a good time though so really it was up to him to hold his end of the deal. She had a feeling with his level of boldness though, Foster wouldn't have a problem. She was usually a good judge of character in those regards at least. It was not a big deal to her to do this, and unless he was trying to prove something to himself, Lorelai presumed the same was true for him.

Once they were back at her house, her car in the garage, she moved towards the front door to let him. "Ah thank you, would you like the tour of the bedroom?" Lorelai she smirked, hoping that the small drive over hadn't made him lose his confidence. Unlocking the front door, she beckoned him in, unsure if he'd lose his nerve soon or if his words were true.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

Despite having been gone for over a decade, Foster would always know his hometown like the back of his hand. So when she showed him her address, he already knew vaguely where that was, confident enough that he could find his way without direction. Still, he put it in his maps app just in case. He smirked at her reassurance. "Good. No pressure then..." Except of course there was, because she was a sophisticated woman who knew what she wanted. She reminded him a little bit of Delphine in that sense, which maybe explained more of how this had escalated so quickly.

It was a quick trip, and easy enough to find street parking, meeting her at the front door so she could let him inside. "Nice digs."

"Solid, let me give you the address, just in case." Lorelai shared as she moved to type it out on her phone, not feeling the need to ask for his phone or phone number and just showing it to him. She was unsure if he was familiar with the area or not, best not to assume though, considering she really knew absolutely nothing about him. Foster's words made her smirk and leaned forwards a bit. "Trust me, I only do casual. I am not interested in a deep connection, not to worry. As long as it's mutually enjoyable it can happen as little or often as we want." She gave a shrug, not finding any reason to feel offended if it did happen to be a one time thing, especially if like he said he was just coming off of something. "Don't worry gorgeous, I'm not interested in anything past good sex."

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

If he wanted to be a pessimist, Foster would say it was almost too easy — that something would have to go wrong, because it was never quite so simple. But then again, life had been massively fucking him lately, so maybe it was time things finally went right for once. Either way, he wasn't going to turn down the offer. "I think that can be arranged," he nodded. "I'll go ask them to pack it up. Wanna meet me at the front door?"

Lorelai grinned at his response, it'd been awhile since she'd had sex with a chef. Not that the profession really had anything to do with any of her hook-ups, just that she didn't want to get with any of her employees. Not to mention there was one chef in particular she had unconsciously been thinking about for years and only with stronger frequency since last year. Not that she was putting Foster in same category as the man. Feeling the brush of his foot to her exposed ankle, her thoughts were brought to the present. Her eyes fixing on his as she smirked, she let her foot drag up the inside of his pant leg. "Would you like to take whatever you ordered to-go? We can take an...extended lunch at my house if you're free." She figured there was no reason for her to think he was not interested in this plan, but also was never going to assume something as important as intentions.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

"Well, I'll have to check it out if I ever get a night off," he replied. And he meant it. That was the part of restaurant culture he had always liked best — the camaraderie that came out of a shared goal. "I was all over," he shrugged, and truly it might've saved more time if he just listed the places he hadn't worked. "New York, London, Ibiza, Florence, Berlin, Bangkok, Riyahd. Can't say I was always there exactly legally, but..." There were a lot of places that would look the other way if it was only a temporary thing.

"A humble chef? I've found a unicorn." Lorelai gave a teasing smirk, knowing just how ridden their industry was with big egos. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, but she was also not wanting him to self-deprecate himself too much. Not that she had much say in the man's self confidence. "Ah, that view is nothing compared to the one you'd get up at the top of the Silk Road. I know I'm biased, but nevertheless. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself though. So where else did you find yourself before you came back here? I'm curious to know if I'm familiar with any of them."

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

Lorelai was clearly an accomplished woman, and he felt a bit dumb even comparing notes with her. Not that what he'd done was necessarily anything to sneeze at, but he'd never come close to ever owning a restaurant. His brain had never been good for business, and truly all he cared about was making food for people. "Well, I'm just one cog in the machine," he shrugged, brushing off her compliment, "but I'm liking it. The best part is before service, sometime I can sneak onto the balcony and take in the view."

Lorelai nodded as he shared where he'd been employed for a few months now. "It's a good restaurant, very delicious food, which I guess I've had you to thank in the past few months then." As he shared a bit more about his past experience, she nodded in actual interest. "Staging is fun, one of my favorite parts of the process is figuring out how a dish should look from concept to plating. But I suppose that is because I started my career as a restaurateur." She shared with him as she felt like he might be able to relate with her. "So how are you liking it there so far?"

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

The name sounded familiar, from reputation more than anything he could nail down exactly. "Foster," he replied, holding out his hand to shake. He didn't have anything else impressive to add to his name, but he was used to getting by on very little. "Nice to meet you." He smirked slightly at her question. "If you're asking if I'm guilty, the answer is yes. And I'm no artist, so it looked like a child's... Drawing, not..." the other thing. He quickly changed the subject. "The Silk Road. I've heard of that place. That's impressive."

Lorelai turned profile now as he shared he worked in the food industry. "Really now? I do too. Lorelai Tseng, creator and owner of The Silk Road restaurants." She introduced herself formally now, though she let out a small laugh at the mention of what he found most bizarre. "My, that does take at least a mild amount of precision? Though I suppose it depends who you are asking, to determine whether or not that shows ones talent." She shared with a slight tilt to her head to the side. Though the man she'd been speaking to now had become slightly more interesting now that he'd shared his occupation.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

He'd never heard of a sushi party, though he nodded along as if he had. He assumed it was what it sounded like, but also desperately hoped she wouldn't quiz him on it further. "Oh, I work in food service. You give people enough time with the knives, they'll carve into anything... And not even cleverly. Just loads of dicks carved into tomatoes."

Lorelai always appreciated when someone could agree she was correct, as per usual. "I do think someone could make a whole cheeky play on it if you think about it. Perhaps host parties surrounding it. Though have you heard of those sushi parties, so I suppose someone already has." She laughed a bit, unsure if the man was aware of what she was talking about, to her it was a well known thing, but also she knew that it could also be niche. "Yes, I suppose I see where your connection was made now. Really? What is the most bizarre thing you've seen carved?"

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

"True," he agreed with a laugh, enjoying the casual banter. "I honesty have no idea. I was just thinking: cousin of a pumpkin... But people will carve anything if they're bored enough." Or not even just bored. The one time he went to Thailand, he remembered being particularly struck by the intricate way they cut their fruit.

Lorelai raised her brows as he seemed to take it a step further than she'd originally anticipated he might. "Well I meant a fan of butternut squash, but if we're being honest, there's quite a large amount of produce that does take on a rather phallic-shape." She points out to him as he mentions that it was a shame that Halloween season was over. "I mean I know it's a gourd, but do you think someone really would go out of their way to carve a squash? Do people do that?" Lorelai was a little skeptical, but the man may know something that she did not. Though she often would deem herself the most knowledgeable.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

"Of abnormally large phallic-shaped produce? Can't say I've thought too much about it," he joked lightly, the jibe right out there for the taking. "Seems a shame we're past pumpkin carving season, though. I bet someone would do something clever with it." Not him — he hardly had the skill, and his humor wasn't much better — but someone...

"Ah yes you think it had some...enhancements." Lorelai smirked the smallest amount as she looked over towards the man. It seemed like he may know a bit more about that area than she might. Or at least it seemed that he was trying to tell her that. She couldn't quite tell if she was being honest. "I cannot say that there's really any need considering butternut squash is quite a large size to begin with." She shared mostly thinking aloud and sharing her opinion. "Are you a fan?" She kept the question vague as to whether she was talking about the size or just the vegetable itself.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

Direct. Concise. He couldn't say a sandwich shop was the weirdest place he'd ever met a hook-up, but it still was a first. And that's what this was, right? A hook-up? With her answer there was no doubt she was interested, but he wasn't sure about her speed. Did she expect a date first? Did he have to call and arrange it? The idea made him slightly sick, and the sudden idea occurred to him that he needed something quick and mindless as soon as possible to purge Phoebe from his system. No more friends with benefits — he was looking for only benefits. "My type is beautiful women who don't beat around the bush," he replied, his foot venturing out towards her ankle under the table.

"Ah, what a wonderful question." Lorelai liked a bit of back and forth from time to time, but she also enjoyed when things were just easy. The opportunity just falling into her lap or sitting across from her at a sandwich shop. The truth was that Lorelai didn't really have a distinct type, from the line up of people on her recent hookup list some had similarities were fewer than differences. But for entertainment's sake she felt a better answer could be said, "My type today is coincidentally: you. And yourself?" Tilting her head to the side even though she felt there was a high likelihood he'd say the same back.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

You don't seem the type. Funny, because Phoebe had always called him a dirty old man... He merely shrugged, staying silent on the subject, but maybe there was a world where he could relish the difference. This woman was sophisticated, and driven, and as she leaned in closer, he thought she might even be attracted to him. She was, in so many ways, the complete opposite of Phoebe; he decided to test it by pushing it further. "What is your type?" he asked, innocently enough that she could back out, make some joke about root vegetables and that would be his answer. What he wasn't interested in was another long flirtation where things just got messy.

Lorelai laughed finding the honesty of the situation amusing. "Fair enough, well yes there's only so much you can talk about on the latter subject matter without coming off like a perv. And you don't seem the type." She teased before she leaned forward a bit, trying to keep eye contact with the seemingly shy man. "Well what would you like to know then, Foster? I don't mind sharing." A smirk tugged on her lips as she looked him over, interested to see what he had to say for himself.

@foster-notmatty

[foster-notmatty]

"Fair enough," he conceded with a light chuckle. "I've been working at The Glass Onion that last couple months. I just got back into town not that long ago, and it was the first one that just kinda fell in my lap." He wasn't sure it was the place for him long term, but for now it paid the bills. "Before that, I was all over. Staged a lot of places, stayed longer at a few..."

She gave his hand a firm shake as she smiled over at him. "Nice to meet you too, Foster." Lorelai let out a little chuckle and shook her head a bit. "I mean I wasn't actually asking, but I suppose now that I've been told this, I will not be hiring you for the undertaking of my new phallic food events." She smirked and nodded in confirmation of his words. "Yes, the restaurants and I are very impressive. What about yourself? Are you currently working at one of the Providence Peak establishments?"

@foster-notmatty