In the restaurant Kurtis hurried to be the one to get the place next to Lara. Kazuya's reaction was unreadable and as happy as Kurtis was that he had gotten the better seat, this didn't satisfy him at all. For all he knew, Kazuya was gladly taking the place opposite Lara, since it would make it possible for him to look at her all the time. Kurtis halted for a moment, realising that he had all these jealous thoughts. He tried to push them aside.
The waiter came to their table and handed them the menu. When they had ordered their drinks, he left them alone to pick their meals. After a moment of silence, Sally spoke up.
"So what are you guys having?"
"Don't know yet." Lara replied.
Kurtis stayed silent, still studying the menu. Kazuya shut the menu and placed in on the table. "Number 38, Chicken spicy." he replied.
"Number 39, Chicken Sweet-Sour." Lara said a moment later, placing her menu on top of Kazuya's.
"That's a good choice. I will take the same." Sally said and then looked at Kurtis who was still reading.
"I will take the duck," he finally said.
The waiter returned with their drinks and was ready to take the order.
"We will have Number 39 twice for the ladies and I will have Number 38." Kazuya said and looked expectantly at Kurtis.
"Number 68 for me, please."
"And I would like to have chopsticks." Kazuya added.
"Me too," Lara said.
"Ehm, I guess I will try it as well." Sally said.
The waiter looked at Kurtis.
"Fine, I will try," he said hesitantly and handed back the menu.
The waiter collected the menus and left.
"I am not sure I can eat with chopsticks. But I will at least try." Sally said.
"It's not that difficult. I learned it in no time." Lara told her.
"Well you learn everything in no time. Shooting guns, driving motorboats, you speak dozen of languages..." Then she looked across the table to Kurtis. "Have you eaten with chopsticks before?"
"No," he admitted.
"At least I am not alone." Sally said and then sipped at her water.
The other three were silent, so Sally felt she should start another conversation.
"Kurtis, can I ask you a few questions?"
He looked at her quite confused that she wanted to ask questions about him. Then he finally replied.
"Yes, that's fine."
" Where did you meet Lara?"
"Sally, I have told you." Lara said unnerved.
"Yes I know… but I want to hear his version of the story."
Kurtis sighed. "So where shall I start? Where I've first seen her? Where we first came eye to eye? Were we first talked?"
Kazuya rolled his eyes. Kurtis didn't notice but Lara, who sat opposite him, did and under the table she kicked him. He threw her an annoyed glance in return.
"I see this was a bit difficult," Sally teased Kurtis "Lara told me you met in the Louvre."
"Oh yes. We were both after one of the Obscura Paintings. Lara had actually gotten her hands on it and I needed to take it from her. So I had to disarm her," he said grinning and Kazuya looked annoyed.
"Then we were chased and the painting was taken from me, too."
Kazuya grinned and shook his head as if he wanted to say 'You should have left it with Lara, it was much safer there.' Kurtis, again not noticing it, since he was looking at Sally, rambled on.
"Later on we had to work together to get the last Obscura Painting and to stop Eckhardt, the one who killed my father, from awakening the sleeper, the Angel of Darkness," Kurtis continued.
At the mentioning of an Angel, Kazuya stopped grinning and frowned.
"That's Lara, always in trouble or after some rare artefact." Sally hid it well that she had no clue what he had just talked about. After all she wasn't that interested in the details of Lara's treasure hunts. She soughed for a way to integrate Kazuya into the conversation, so she slightly changed the subject. "That's why you were in Tokyo as well, wasn't it?" Sally said to her.
She did not reply, so Sally turned to Kazuya. "What has she been up to back then?"
Kazuya made a mental note that he would ask Lara about the Angel of Darkness later and turned his attention to the question Sally had asked.
"It's a bit too complicated to tell you everything in detail," he began. "Let's just say she was after a crystal that was in my father's possession."
"Unusual circumstances… So you caught her breaking in?" Sally asked amused.
"No, we have met before that. Let me start where I've first seen her, where we first came eye to eye and where we first spoke to each other," he said in reply to Kurtis' earlier statement and threw the other man a nasty look. Kurtis was not amused by it and did not hide his anger on his face.
"We met at a martial arts tournament where she wanted to spy on my father." Kazuya continued.
"She told me you are a fighter as well?"
"Yes. I was participating as well. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have been there. I'd definitely not go to an event just to watch my father."
"Lara didn't tell me what you are doing exactly?"
"Karate."
"I see... So what happened at the tournament?"
"I invited her to a drink during the break. And after my fight I took her to the club."
"He had parked his car so I couldn't leave." Lara explained. "I didn't have much of a choice."
Kazuya shrugged. "Don't pretend you couldn't have left."
"Ok, I admit, I didn't want to."
This comment caused Kurtis to make a face again, but no one took notice, since at that moment the waiter returned with their meals.
Sally hesitantly picked up the chopsticks that had been placed besides her plate. Then she looked at Kazuya to see how he was holding his.
"How am I supposed to hold them?"
"I have read that you are supposed to hold them like this." Kurtis said placing his chopsticks between his fingers.
Kazuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "If that makes you happy…"
"Asshole," Kurtis muttered while Kazuya turned to Sally to show her how to eat with chopsticks.
"It's like holding a pen. You have to figure out which way you have the most control." Kazuya explained.
Kurtis slammed down his chopsticks and grabbed his fork and knife. Lara had a question mark on her face, when he looked at her.
"I won't be making a fool of myself for his amusement," he explained.
Kazuya shook his head. "As if I care how you eat your food. I didn't suggest using chopsticks," he said trying not to sound too unfriendly. "And if you'd try I wouldn't laugh, there are funnier things in the world."
"Could you two stop it please?" Lara hissed angry. "It's getting ridiculous."
"Lara, calm down. It hasn't been that bad." Sally said to her.
"Yes it has. Since they met yesterday evening they have constantly been fighting each other."
"I am sorry." Kurtis said.
"Me too," Kazuya admitted.
"Let's change the subject and you two will try not to argue," Sally suggested.
Both men nodded. They were all silent for a while and continued eating. After some time Sally started to speak again.
"So why are you visiting Lara? What brought you here?"
Sally looked at both men one after the other. Kazuya was the first to reply.
"This is a business trip for me. I have an important meeting tomorrow evening. I am trying to buy an English company."
"You might be interested to hear that Richardson is one of the other parties who are interested in this deal." Lara threw in.
"Richardson? Annie's father?" Sally asked.
Lara nodded.
"He's trying to get his hands on everything."
"And it's going to be very amusing to see him fail this time. I will certainly accompany Kazuya to the party." Lara said.
"You are very confident!"
"I am pretty sure that Kazuya can handle him."
"But his is a huge company..."
Lara cleared her throat. "So is Kazuya's," she said grinning and Sally blushed.
"Ok, then I wish you two fun."
"That we will have." Lara said.
"And you?" Sally then asked Kurtis. "What brings you to England?"
"I am not sure how much Lara has told you..." Kurtis began. "As I have told you before, my father was killed. I am looking for people who knew him, who could help me figure out what happened. I found one, but he was murdered just before I could get to him. It seems that luck is not on my side." Kurtis paused for a moment. "That's basically it."
"So Sally, now it's your turn to tell us something." Kazuya said to her. "Lara said you just returned from your holidays? Where have you been?"
"That's right. I have been to Mexico. I fell in love with this country when I joined Lara on an excavation two years ago."
"Lara, is there anywhere you haven't been?" Kurtis asked.
"I really envy her. I have only been to Mexico and a few places in Europe." Sally said.
"I have been to quite a few places around the world, New York, Berlin, Shanghai, Sydney, Barcelona, Sao Paulo… but most of the time on business. I haven't seen much besides hotel rooms, conference rooms, and office buildings." Kazuya answered.
"So Lara, tell us where you have been." Kurtis said.
"Almost everywhere in Europe, in Nevada, Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Cambodia, China, Japan, Kenya..." Lara took a break to breath, when Sally interrupted.
"That's enough! Don't make us jealous... So while we are at it. What's your favourite place?"
"Mine?..." Lara began.
"Not you, let the men start. Kurtis?" Sally asked.
"I love Paris. That's why I stayed there. And I like New York."
Sally turned towards Kazuya.
"My answer is going to be boring. I think London is nice, but there is no place like home."
"I have not been to Tokyo yet." Sally said.
"Neither have I." Kurtis added.
"Then you know where to spend your next holidays." Kazuya said to Sally. "I could show you around."
"That's very nice of you."
Lara didn't look very happy when Kazuya offered Sally to take her on a trip through Tokyo, but the others didn't notice.
By now they had all finished their meals, so Sally grabbed the dessert menu. "Anybody else taking a dessert?"
"Why not." Kazuya said.
"Me too." Kurtis replied.
Lara shook her head. "Not for me. And if you'll excuse me, I will go to the toilet."
"Wait. I'm coming with you." Sally said and got up. "Could you order that ice-cream for me?" she said pointing at a picture.
Kazuya nodded to her.
Lara and Sally left the two men alone. Kazuya was still studying the card. When he had finished he handed it to Kurtis who took it without saying a word.
"What's wrong, Lara?" Sally asked when they were in the Ladies Room, washing their hands.
"Nothing," Lara snapped.
"Come on. They are not that bad. They are just competing against each other. Both interested in the same girl."
"I am not certain about that..."
"What? Why?"
"Forget it."
"They are both very nice guys..."
"Yes." Lara said sounding depressed.
"Girl. Make your choice and..."
"Sally. I don't want to talk about it." Lara said annoyed. "And now let's get back to them, before they kill each other."
To Lara's surprise, Kazuya and Kurtis were talking to each other, when they returned to the table.
"I had an Irish girlfriend a while ago, she was a big fan."
"That's really cool."
"What are you guys talking about?" Sally asked confused.
"U2." Kurtis replied. "Kazuya has seen them in a Concert in Tokyo... I have seen them in Paris..."
"So you two actually got something in common?" Lara said surprised but also with a touch of irony in her voice. She only then realized that it was a mistake, when both men suddenly got defensive. They did not like to be compared it seemed. Lara tried to make up for her mistake and picked up their music discussion again. The rest of the evening went by without another incident.
They drove back to the Croft Mansion where Sally said goodbye to them and left.
"I think I'll be going to bed now." Lara announced yawning.
"I think I will watch the late night news before going to bed as well."
"You might think I am crazy, but after I slept during the day I am not very tired. I'd like to go swimming."
"The pool is all yours, Kurtis. I'll tell Hilary to attend to your needs." Lara said. "But I am really going to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." the two men replied.