Ching Tai, Saturday Evening

[imafuturist]

Okay, take number two on this date. This time without any chemicals in the air to distract anyone.

Tony waited inside the restaurant for his date to arrive, eyeing at a few spots on the ceiling of what he was pretty sure was green paint from a paintball gun. How he knew that could be blamed entirely on Barton. Like so much in his life could.

Hopefully that wasn't a warning sign.

[for the one!]

Comments

[electrocynic]

No, just a reminder of someone you were unlikely to live up to, Tony.

(Okay, maybe that was a warning sign.)

When Sarah shower up, she was dressed in green again (because what else?) but with much less cleavage than last time. Too bad.

"Okay, ready to try again?"

[imafuturist]

Hey, if green was your color, green was your color.

"Ready," Tony replied, offering her an arm for the very short walk to their table.

[electrocynic]

She took his arm. Sometimes it was nice to appear at least somewhat respectable. Even if she was still crap at dates.

"Haven't been to this one in a while."

[imafuturist]

"I've only ordered takeout from here," Tony admitted.

[electrocynic]

"Yeah, me too, since that time." There was a... slightly wary look around. There better not be any paintball snipers hiding behind plants this time. "Good takeout, though."

[imafuturist]

"That time? You make the place sound ominous."

[electrocynic]

She shrugged. "There was a paintball incident."

[imafuturist]

"...is it something that happens in this restaurant a lot?" Because now he was regretting his choice of venue.

[electrocynic]

"It was an island-wide thing."

Which they hadn't spotted before making it to the restaurant. So, really, that wasn't actually that encouraging.

[imafuturist]

Damn it, Sarah. Damn it.

"This place is so strange," Tony replied, shaking his head and sighing as they reached their table.

[electrocynic]

"Gold star for spotting that, once again," Sarah drawled, letting go of his arm.

[imafuturist]

"I'm allowed to be amazed by it sometimes," Tony replied.

[electrocynic]

She gave a quiet snort, and another shrug. "Well, you enjoy that while it lasts. We all end up jaded fuckers eventually."

[imafuturist]

"We're only jaded if we let ourselves be," Tony countered, pulling out the chair for her.

[electrocynic]

That one got an actual raspy chuckle out of her. "Sure," she said as she took her seat.

She'd been jaded about a lot of things for about as long as she could remember.

[imafuturist]

Tony had been too, but for different reasons probably.

"Don't agree?" he asked, moving around to take his own seat.

[electrocynic]

"I think being jaded is fucking inevitable," Sarah replied without a beat. "Well, 'least if you're not the insufferably perky type."

Jenny.

[imafuturist]

Jan. They must never be allowed to meet.

"Perky? No, I can't say that's ever been used to describe me," Tony replied. "Handsome, intelligent, modest..."

He was teasing if the grin was anything to go by.

[electrocynic]

"Smug arse?" Sarah offered.

That was her version of the same kind of teasing. Sort of.

[imafuturist]

"Remove the r in there and we have a winner."

[electrocynic]

Sarah tsked. "'S a bit early for you to be getting all bloody Yank on me," she said. "There's at least a two-drink minimum on that."

[imafuturist]

"Two drinks, huh? Did the last time count as one?"

No, Tony. It did not.

[electrocynic]

You'd earned this eyeroll, Tony.

"Last time counts as nothing but frustration and disappointment."

[imafuturist]

"Which I am willing and able to make up for."

[electrocynic]

"Then this evening is already looking much better than the last one," Sarah told him, nodding. "Have to warn you though, my standards are pretty high."

They really weren't.