Delphine indeed put on a smile just as fake as his own at his request, but couldn't seem to accept that what he told her was true, that the soulmate she dreamed about wasn't work finding, that she was better off just playing the part with him instead, much less thank him for the privelidge. He let the lack of answer slide though, for now, only recognizing it with the barest suggestion of a frown for he was back to that feigned smile.
Their food was set before them, along with an assortment of utensils, and while they'd hardly been touched but for a nibble here or there, the tray of breads and cheeses was taken off and replaced with a fresh loaf of Foccacia di Recco, a flatbread baked with cheese and seasoned with butter and garlic, Delphine's salad was taken away and both their glasses replaced with new ones filled with a specially-chosen 'table wine' suited to pair well with their dish choices. Darien nodded respectfully to Amadeo, who had accompanied their food to the table and shared some pleasantries in rapid Italian while he waited, watching first Darien carefully divided his tender-looking, savory cutlet with his knife and fork and take a bite, and follow it with a sip of the wine provided, complimenting both. The chef then turned to watch Delphine, with some excitement to see how she reacted to her meal, not leaving until she had tasted everything and approved.
Which of course she did, regardless of what she thought of the food, Delphine wasn't one to insult anything a person had put so much work into. Darien spoke again only once he was finished with his first piece and had wiped his mouth with the provided cloth napkin in a gentler tone.
"Delicious, reminds me of childhood, and family. It's comforting. I do hope you enjoy it, Delphine, it took me half a year to convince Amadeo to immigrate and another half getting the resturant up to his standards. Worth it, though, in the long run. There's so little traditional Sicilian cooking on this side of the ocean." He stated calmly, without any sign of the previous intensity of his quiet 'outburst', making small talk that sounded only somewhat forced as his mind wandered elsewhere, into the past.
It was a shame so little of what Darien had to say was about anything but people who were dead now, but most people he had ever known well were no longer with them. Finding new topics of conversation as something he would need to do now that he had Delphine....she didn't want to know anything but the most superficial details of his work, and besides his work and his past, Darien had very little left in life worth mentioning.
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