To Try Something Blindly (Rook and Skell)

[ohnojenny]

How had she gotten herself into this? It wasn't like her at all to go into things blindly. Well, she was known to take chances every once in a while... But nothing like this. Was she even herself when she signed herself up for this?

Alas, she was. Caught up in the lovely thoughts of Valentine's Day, and submerged in the attitude all of Twilight Town had bolstered just for the holiday. It wasn't a bad holiday, no no. Even though she didn't have someone to share it with. Or. She didn't anyway.

In the busy main street of this world, she stood leaning against one of the stone walls, waiting. She got there early because that's just who she was. She didn't like being late to meeting people. Even if it was to meet someone she didn't know.

Yes. A blind date. All she knew was that they agreed to meet outside the nicely decorated doors of a decadent restaurant. Pastas and salads -- always safe for someone.

In the meantime, she pulled out her sketchbook and started sketching what she remembered some Nobodies to look like. The Dancer sort.

[Rook]

Rook stood at the corner of the market across from the restaurant, looking about. How in the Worlds did he even get roped into this? A "blind date"? He'd never even been on a REAL one! Note to self... never sign up for any mail-away gift offers again... They put your name down for the most ridiculous things.

But Rook played by the rules set out for him. Always did. That was instilled in him early on by a friend. And so he stood there looking ever the drifter, his jeans worn, red sleeveless shirt as clean as he could get it. The only thing that might have set him apart from his everyday wear was the fact that he... well, he had zipped up his vest in a sorry attempt to look a bit more presentable.

But even with his limited means, he still found the time to pick a dozen flowers from the station heights overlook. And earned enough munny to pay for whatever meal they found themselves hungering for. And to Rook, that was pretty much anything. He never did have the chance to eat much, just when he could.

His eyes scanned about, before falling to rest on a cute girl with a sketchbook. Her hair fell about her head and her clothing made his own look quite rightfully third-place.

He sighed, "Great," he whispered, shoulders sagging, "This oughta be embarrassing..."

With a deep breath, he put on his best smile and approached her, flowers in hand, "Er... hi? Hello... I'm- ah... I'm Rook... I think these are for you?"


Yep. He was a suave one.

[ohnojenny]

A few minutes had gone by, and she was nearly done with her sketch of the Dancer. She furrowed her brow at it slightly -- it'd be nice to not have to work from memory and have an actual model, but they were so hard to even stumble upon, nonetheless keep in place. Such slithery creatures, Nobodies were...

And then a boy with a bouquet of flowers in hand approached her. He announced his name, clarifying that he was indeed the one she was waiting for. His introduction was endearing, and so she gave a warm smile. Skell's eyes glanced at the bouquet before accepting them, her gaze returning to the man in front of her. He was a cute one -- had an interesting fashion about him. She did eye his vest zipped up to its very top, however; that seemed very out of place and uptight. She had an inkling of a feeling that he didn't usually wear it that way...

"Aww, thank you! You really shouldn't have..." she gave the flowers a quick sniff and glanced at him; he seemed nervous. Not that he had reason not to be. This was a bit weird for her, too...

She quickly fussed with her pack to put her sketchbook away, "Nice to meet you... I'm Skell," she held out a hand to shake, but frowned. Was that too formal? Rethinking the gesture, she pulled her hand back and leaned in to give him two kisses on the air on either side of his cheeks. Something she was a bit more accustomed to.

"So, I gather you're new to this, too?" she gave a soft laugh. This day was going to be awkward -- not matter what she said or did. She decided to go ahead and embrace it now, "I guess we'll just have to go where the current takes us, no? C'mon... I don't know about you, but I've grown to be quite peckish..." And, offering her arm to be linked with, she stood there waiting for Rook with a smile.

[Rook]

Yes, Rook blushed. Just a teeny lot. His brow creased as a faux-coy smile crossed his face. To his naive and inexperienced mind, this date was going pretty well so far! But yes, it didn't stop the awkward as he raised his arm to take hers, realizing mid-motion it was the wrong side. He stopped, and corrected himself, taking her arm, examining it for a brief moment as it to doublecheck the math, "Yeah, same here. Kinda hungry, too."

Leading the way, he held the door for her (he may be a bit inexperienced and lacked the booksmarts most folk his age had, but he was a gentleman, by god), and offered for her coat, "This is a first for me... date, seeing or blind. Sooooo I'm sorry if I'm, uh... dumb."

[ohnojenny]

Watching his slightly fumbling movements, it only made him more endearing to her. This one was a bit impressive with his manners, if anything -- holding the door open for her and taking her coat. Huh. Guess chivalry wasn't dead after all. She thanked him kindly each time after every offer.

"It's quite all right, though... I got it," she said, slipping off her coat as she juggled the bouquet of flowers in her hands, "Don't worry about it, you're doing quite well if you ask me. I hardly go on dates myself, I always thought they were a bit silly growing up... people getting their hormones all tied. It could be cute, but sometimes it was just too much, you know?" She draped it over an arm when she was done, standing patiently, waiting to be seated.

This place was impeccable for its good service, so soon a man walked up to them, asking, "Reservation for two?" The waiter led them off deeper into the restaurant, as the lights grew dimmer and the music softened. This was quite the fancy place... Skell hadn't remembered it being like this when she last came here with a couple friends.

The waiter pulled her chair out for her and gestured for her to sit. She wasn't used to all this gentlemanly acting. It made her eye the two males in her company briefly as this all happened, but cast her eyes down toward the table as she sat. She wondered what was going through Rook's head at the moment, as she was quite blank herself right now.

But then she lifted the menu and tried to suppress widening eyes. This place was a lot more expensive than she last remembered, too. But then she remembered the portions were large and meant for more than one person. It made her relax a bit.

"Is there anything in particular that you're craving, Rook?" she eyed him over the menu, "I'm not picky..." And, moving the menu further away from her face, her gaze still on him, his statement of being new to everything coming back, she asked him, "And... tell me about yourself, Rook. What sort of things do you enjoy? What do you do in your free time? I don't think I've seen you around these parts before, now that I think about it..."

[Rook]

"Don't worry about it, you're doing quite well if you ask me. I hardly go on dates myself, I always thought they were a bit silly growing up... people getting their hormones all tied. It could be cute, but sometimes it was just too much, you know?"

Yep. She was smarter than he was by a longshot. Don't say something dumb. Don't say something dumb. Don't say something dumb.

The waiter took things from there. From the entrance towards the back of the restaurant, where he sat his "date". Rook waited for her to sit down, before pulling out his own chair and settling into it. He folded his hands over one another as the waiter brought back glasses of water for them, to which he accepted with a light nod and smile. He looked about, a bit selfconscious and uneased. Not completely by the date itself, however. Public places made him... unsettled. She seemed nice enough though. And didn't seem to mind that he was as blind about dating as the blind date itself was.

What was going through his mind..? Don't say something dumb. Don't say something dumb. Don't say something dumb.

"Is there anything in particular that you're craving, Rook? I'm not picky. And... tell me about yourself, Rook. What sort of things do you enjoy? What do you do in your free time? I don't think I've seen you around these parts before, now that I think about it..."

Uh-oh, time to speak. "Uh, no, I'm up for anything, I'll eat just about anything that looks good, really." There it was.

"And uh, no, I'm not from around here, but I travel sometimes. And, um... I'm a--"

Fighter? Vagabond? Homeless ruffian without a proper roof over his head in nearing a decade?

"--Uh... I travel. How about you?"

[ohnojenny]

"Oh, you travel, huh? That's nice..." her eyes wandered around the table -- she really wished she could travel as easily as he made it sound. It'd be great for her Nobody studies, but Twilight Town she knew for sure was abundant in the creatures from time to time, and she doubted that the train would take her anywhere where more of them roamed around.

Skell wanted to inquire more about his travels -- the worlds he's been to, but his quick question made a cut she couldn't really ignore. She picked up on his nervous behavior. Maybe this was too much for him? She had to admit that it was awfully formal...

"I, well -- hey, Rook?" an idea popped into her mind, and she promptly stood up and threw her coat back on her. She then reached for his wrist, "Here, let's leave this place and do something else. I have an idea for something we can do -- and the food'll be free, too!" She pulled softly on his hand, encouraging him to get up and follow her.

[Rook]

It was quiet for a beat. Her hand was on his, pulling gently, away from the table, the dinner they were supposed to have. The redhead flashed a confused look, "Leave..? What else did you have in mind?"

He wasn't too sure what was happening at the moment. Was there another restaurant? Someplace she'd just rather be? Maybe she wanted to end it early. Had he said something? Five minutes into this date and he was already acting like he as about to be dumped.

Throwing the notions aside as irrelevant, he stood anyway, nodding at her, curious. With a soft flash of a smile, he pushed away from the table. If nothing else, this was proving to be unpredictable. And unpredictable was almost always fun.

[ohnojenny]

She smiled at his confused look for her to want to leave the traditional, and was happy to see that he relaxed and went with her plea to leave.

"I'm not really sure -- but we'll find out soon enough!" she said brightly, nearly hopping out of the restaurant. Skell had a slight inkling of what she thought would be better, more relaxed for the two of them, but she hadn't had all the kinks worked out yet.

She led them to a place that wasn't too far off from the restaurant. There were still people bustling about -- she always loved the busy atmosphere. Only, most of the people weren't really around them, but beneath them. Skell had brought them to a rooftop overlooking the town square. She was one to enjoy people watching; sometimes they made for very interesting sights. It came especially handy when she wanted to brush up on her people-drawing, or trying to spot odd Nobodies swirling around.

"Here we are!" she announced, letting go of his hand and turning to face him. She could guess he'd be pretty confused, especially about the food, so she spread out a hand toward him, "Oh wait!" Her other hand first went into her pack and pulled out her sketchbook, then fingering in her pocket for her paintbrush, "There's more..."

She opened to a page that had a lavish display of foods -- salads, roasted chicken, soups. Tapping the tip of her paintbrush in thought, her eyes narrowed at what was positively most appetizing. "How about..." she murmured as she ran her paintbrush over a bowl of salad and a chicken pasta dish, taking a step back as the items stretched their way out of the sketchbook and hovered onto the floor only shaking slightly, "Oh, and..." she quickly ran her paintbrush in the air in front of her, busying on the outline of silverware, which promptly fell into the crook of her sketchbook. After also setting down a blanket, she got a couple bowls to appear, and then sat herself down -- legs kicking off the edge of the building.

"Much more exciting than just sitting at a restaurant, right? Food, and a view!" she smiled, gesturing for him to sit beside her, "Are you vegetarian? I can whip up something else if you like..."

[Rook]

Watching with wide eyes, a smile passed his face as the magic of her art slipped into real life, "Wow... that's a useful trick! You can just come up with anything like that?"

With a broad grin, Rook sat beside her, looking over it all. More food had just popped out of this sketchbook than he had seen within the past few months. And now, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded restaraunt, he was a lot less uptight. So much so, he unzipped his vest and resumed his more casual look. This was a bit more his scene. "Much better," he concurred, "Too many people make me antsy. But I'm up for anything! This is the biggest feast I've ever seen, I'm not about to be picky!"

[ohnojenny]

"Oh, well no..." she smiled at his excitement of her paintbrush drawing out realistic renditions of anything food related, "I do have some limitations..." And some heavy ones at that. Some things she couldn't just scrawl in the air, like the banquet of food she pulled out of her sketches. Simpler things, like silverware, she could make without her sketchbook no problem. And yet, there were also more limitations...

Luckily, this was food she made, and her slight weariness from conjuring it all would be soon remedied. Rook's much more relaxed demeanor made her slightly more energized, too.

Grabbing a bowl as she daintily served soup from a pot with a ladle, her eyes persisting on watching the liquid flow, her words were still directed toward Rook, "That's wonderful. I'm not horribly picky myself..." her eyes flickered up at him as she sat on the ledge, "I know you said you're a traveler, but do you mind letting me in on your past a bit? Being a 'traveler' makes you seem very mysterious, which isn't a bad thing... a little mystery to life is always exciting. But," her gaze now looked over the hustle and bustle of the Town Square beneath them, "it'd be nice to know... could work for good conversation hopping, too."

[Rook]

Tricky ground, Rook was treading. Not many people knew about the other worlds out there. And he had been asked some time prior to keep low about it. Besides, not much of his past was... shall it be said, dinner topic conversation. He stared at his food for a beat, and tried to figure out how to direct this conversation that didn't entirely skew things beyond his control.

"Well... have you ever heard of Radiant Garden?" That would help steer things. If she hadn't it had just become a "land far from here", and his tale would have to be cliff-noted. If she had, no harm in speaking up about the whole thing. Can't keep a secret from someone who knows what you already know.

[ohnojenny]

"Actually, no, I haven't..." she lifted her spoon to her lips, maintaining her stare at the people below. The exhibit of people showing minor forms of outward affection was cute and enough to tickle her heart. Usually Valentine's Day was so... gross. But today -- there was just something a lot lighter and fluffier about today.

She then turned her head to look at the redhead, "Where's that?" She paused, blinking, taking in another sip of her soup. She reached down for a slice of baguette and dipped it daintily in her bowl, eating that part promptly before it grew soggy. It hadn't crossed her mind that he wouldn't be open to talk about Radiant Garden, since he'd semi-answered her question to begin with.

[Rook]

That answered that. But despite himself, and knowing better, Rook kept looking for a way to converse with the woman. She certainly seemed accepting of him, and he wasn't one to turn down kindness. He'd only seen so much of it in his lifetime. "Well... you know about the Heartless?"

Who hadn't? They were everywhere they Nobodies weren't, and even then they seemed to cross over here and there. He picked at his salad some. He was hungry, and intended to eat, but had no intention of having this conversation with food in his mouth, or stopping if and when he began speaking. It wasn't exactly a tale that he wanted to spend much time on, nor one that he intended to let hang in the air over dinner. He would answer her questions. But he didn't like the thought of it being the tone of their date tonight.

[ohnojenny]

She gave a soft laugh. To talk about the Heartless on Valentine's Day? On their blind date, too? This day was taking an interesting turn... and she wasn't sure she wanted to go into the topic of such dark creatures. She had a dark, sarcastic sense of humor, that was true. But this? Right now? And something told her it'd be best saved for another day.

"I do... but why let the weight of their darkness in? We can always save this for another time. I suppose where you're from will remain a mystery to me for now..." she cast him a wary smiling, noting him playing with his food.

"Hey now, pardon me for being a food-pusher, but you haven't had a bite!" she took another sip of her soup, her cheeks turning pinkish slightly from its warmth, "Don't make me feed you, now..." she joked.

And then she saw a couple down beneath them on a bench holding up treats to each other's mouths. How interesting...