Il Pollo, Friday Evening

[gavegoodface]

Face had arrived bright and early at the restaurant, mostly because he didn't want Cassandra to think he was a no show if she got there first, a small bouquet in hand.

In his own, not so modest opinion, he thought he'd cleaned-up well for tonight. He wasn't wearing his best suit (or the blue one), but a trousers, tunic, and vest combo that he thought hit the right balance between making an effort and overdoing things.

So now he had everything he needed for what he hoped would be a successful date, except the actual date.

[For the daaaaaate, but open restaurant is open.]

Comments

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra had eventually been forced to cave to the knowledge that she had no finer clothing than the few items she had bought from Demon Marcus. She was wearing them - the sweater, trousers, and the coat - as she turned up at the restaurant's doorstep a few minutes after their arranged time.

Maker. She hoped she wasn't too late.

[gavegoodface]

Face wasn't letting her off that easily. He grinned when he saw her. "Cassandra, you look good."

[seeks_truth]

"I do?" That had not meant to come appended with a question mark, but she caught it with a, "Thank you. You... brought flowers."

Cassandra approves.

[gavegoodface]

"You do and I did," he said, holding them out to her. Rather than go for a single colour of rose, or something like that, it was a mix of various brightly coloured blooms. "For you."

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra took the bouquet gingerly. If anyone had told her she was smiling at him like that over the blooms, she would have told them they were lying.

Look, no one ever gave her flowers.

"Thank you," she repeated. "They are lovely. I hope I have not kept you waiting."

[gavegoodface]

"Of course not." You were just fashionably late, Cassandra. He offered her his arm. "Shall we go in?"

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra took his arm and gave him a little nod. "It would be strange for us to loiter outside, and attract squirrels. Or worse."

If gremlins showed up to ruin this, there would be murder.

[gavegoodface]

"I think the squirrels are inevitable," Face said as they headed into the restaurant. "But no sense in giving them time to notice us."

[seeks_truth]

"I am also hungry," Cassandra confided, "And I am hardly going to eat the flowers."

[gavegoodface]

"I didn't specify edible at the florist, so that would probably be a bad idea," Face agreed. "The food'll probably taste better too."

[seeks_truth]

"Do not be hasty," Cassandra chastised him - jokingly. "We have yet to try it. We might still be grateful for the flowers."

She kept walking as the waiter showed them to their seat.

[gavegoodface]

"Why Cassandra Pentaghast, did you just make a joke?" Face asked, grinning.

He paused when they got to the table. "Is offering to pull out your chair considered polite or insulting? It varies back home."

[seeks_truth]

"I make jokes," Cassandra argued. "Just because I do not make them often..."

... Anyway. She shook her head, and regarded the chair. "I... cannot speak for anyone else," she said, "But I would not take it as an insult."

Even if he was probably missing out on earning more brownie points by asking.

[gavegoodface]

But would he earn them back by bowing? Because that's what he was doing as he asked "Then may I get your chair for you, my lady?"

"And I wasn't complaining about the jokes."

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra was not terrible enough that there was anything approaching internal squealing, but she did feel a happy squeeze in her chest at the gesture.

"You may," she said, smiling. "And I did not think you were complaining. But I am no comedian, I am afraid. Do not expand your expectations too far."

Then again, Face was comedian enough for the both of them?

[gavegoodface]

"I'll try to keep them reasonable." Considering how Face's singular future attempt at dating a girl with too similar a sense of humour was going to go, it was probably for the best.

He smiled back and obediently pulled out her chair for her. "It'd be my pleasure, then."

[seeks_truth]

"Thank you," Cassandra said again, and slid easily into the chair provided for her. "I hope this week has not been too trying."

[gavegoodface]

"You're welcome." After she was seated, Face when around to take his own seat.


"Nothing major, apart from Professor Skywalker being cheerfully sadistic." He still wasn't sure how he'd been able to move his arms on Thursday. "How about you, how was your week?"

[seeks_truth]

"My week was--" Ridiculously anxious, not that she'd admit it, "Fine, barring that Anders decided to flee his responsibilities this morning and left me to deal with the squirrels."

She had nearly punted one. "What has Skywalker done now?"

[gavegoodface]

On the bright side, it meant the squirrels hadn't had a chance to tell him about her upcoming date.

"He decided we needed to learn to use battleaxes by chopping down trees," Face told her. "Then he subbed in for Lady Ghanima, and there were hundreds of push ups and pull ups.

"I mean I try to keep in shape, but there were sore muscles I didn't even know I had."

[seeks_truth]

There was that. It was bad enough that Anders intended to subject her to some of Face's movies in the future. Not that she was aware of that.

"Such exercise is not usually for those who do not keep to a similar regimen," Cassandra said, though she sounded amused. "Did you need to see a healer?"

[gavegoodface]

At least had prewarned her about them being terrible?

"It wasn't quite that bad," Face said. "And he's old, so I suspect he was feeling it longer, but it did mean Washington's class was the most normal that day."

[seeks_truth]

There was that. Not that it would prevent Anders from getting his ass kicked over it.

"The one where we had to capture a flag?" Cassandra said dubiously. "You felt that was most normal?"

[gavegoodface]

Face shrugged. "All things considered, yeah. It was pretty much in line with what we'd already been dong."

[seeks_truth]

"Which has largely been ridiculous," Cassandra said dryly. "I would say Professor Cara's class is much better, but there were... bears... and other creatures, this week."