[ romelle hadn't realized that asking james to hang out on valentine's day evening would turn out to be a complicated mess. not that she's really told him anything about how messy it was, but learning about valentine's day and wanting to do things right took some...research. from several different sources, actually. some more helpful than others. but that's besides the point.
the point is, romelle is here now in front of the fancy noodle shop at ecruteak city, clearly dressed to impress in pink with heels to match. surprisingly there are no rainbows here. just a lot of pretty pastels. her hair's tied up in a single ponytail and she even decided to change out her earrings for the occasion, too.
furthermore, she's standing with a rather large shopping bag in her hands. james may be able to see the tips of some roses peeking out; otherwise whatever's in there remains to be seen.
when james arrives, well. remember how her marks were glowing at the wedding? yeah, they're glowing again, but this time they're a lot brighter, a lot more obvious. she waves towards him with a smile. ]
[ One look at Romelle and he's glad he went clothes shopping befoe this. For as long as he's been in this world, he's been on the road, so his wardrobe has not exactly looked classy so much as functional. And for a hang-out between friends, that's just fine, but....
Well. It is February 14th.
He'd agonized about this a little, about whether or not Romelle understood the date, being an alien and all, and how awkward it'd be to assume vs not assume.
What a good thing he assumned at least a little and bought nice pants and a pretty button down shirt. He's handsome and it's actually showing now, so he doesn't feel like a bad date.
... that said, god, it's been so long since he's been on a date. Well, let's go for a bright smile, because it is exciting. ]
I hope I didn't make you wait long. You look lovely! I feel underdressed now.
[ she's glad she'd asked her other human friends for advice, otherwise she would've been a total lost cause. she probably would've shown up in something too casual, given the circumstances, if it weren't for everyone's help; but being here in the dress allura picked out for her makes her feel good. ]
Absolutely not! You look wonderful, James. Truly.
[ and it's true! he looks good. then again, she's always thought so.
before they go inside, however, romelle reaches into that shopping bag of hers and pulls out...a small bouquet of roses. she holds that and the shopping bag out towards james -- should he accept it, he'll see that there's a box of chocolates and two small boxes inside of it. ]
I wasn't sure if gift giving was appropriate, but these are for you. ... If you'd like.
[ Oh god. He'd been ignoring the bag in the small desperate hope that they were just unrelated elements because this is so much and it's so cute but it also means that he is hideously underprepared in comparison.
Which he is.
Fuck. ]
It's... It is appropriate.
[ Just give him a second here. He'll accept the gifts, but aaaaaaaaaa. ]
Admittedly, I wasn't sure how formal this was going to be, so I didn't want to do too much and... well.
[ NOW HE IS SO UNPREPARED FOR SOMEONE WITH SELF-PROCLAIMED DATING GAME. ]
[ MAYBE A LITTLE. there's heat that rises to her cheeks, even though he's accepting the gifts, and she pouts a little, embarrassed. ]
I-If it helps any, you didn't need to get me anything! I'm the one who asked you to accompany me tonight, after all! A-And it isn't as if we'd established formalities in the first place, so there's nothing to worry about.
[ see? it's fine. IT'S FINE. how does she salvage this... ]
I'm just...very, very grateful for your company. That's more than enough for me.
[ This is so awkward, can the ground SWALLOW them now? Romelle is adorable and he does not mind at all that this is turning out to be a capital D Date, but.... help. All his smoothness and all his experience is helping him zero. He needs to calm down.
Deep breath. Okay. You got this, Griffin. ]
I'll make this up to you on another occasion. We may not have laid this out as clearly as it should have been, but that's no reason to let your lovely efforts stand one-sided. Also I'm paying the meal, just so you're prepared.
[ his offer gets her marks to glow again; they light up with her face and her smile is bright. james griffin, you have a way with words. she's not entirely sure how she got to this point, but regardless of how and why, she likes how he makes her feel. ]
Then I'll pay for the next one! That'll make us even, won't it?
[ your man pride means nothing to her james. nothing!!! ]
[ He is comprehending the glowing right now and part of him preens with pride, because sadly, he is that stuck-up jerk still. But she's also very cute and he's slowly getting over his immediate horror at the preparation inequality.... and also he just doesn't want to explain human gender dynamics to her, that doesn't seem like such a good and romantic idea. ]
I suppose it would. Your efforts and my money today, my efforts and your money next time.
Of course. I tried the noodles here once and they were delicious. I hope that you'll enjoy them as well.
[ she walks inside with him and a waitress immediately escorts them to a quiet corner of the restaurant. there's a large open window to their left with a nice view of the garden outside. a pair of cutiefly flutter around a small pond. fitting, given the day it is. she smiles at the sight of them before turning back to face james. ]
So... The Kanto gym challenge. I've been meaning to ask you about that. Allura, Keith and I may have roped Shiro into joining us on our badge quest once the gyms open again next month. Do you plan on pursuing it as well?
[ The ambient here is nice, James is already finding himself rather satisfied with her pick for a date spot. Begrudgingly, he might just have to admit that she's really good at this and he'll have to find a way to up this now. Hm.
They settle down into their seats. ]
I absolutely do. These challenges are surprisingly fun as a pastime, I'm going to actually feel a little sad once I reach my goal and complete them all.
[ ... ah. He can't deny he deserves this, the gentle sincerity of the request. He had been making himself scarce, turning it all into a game of emotional hide-and-seek even after he'd agreed with her that they should make friends again.
It's still a little awkward and he looks more serious himself now. ]
I'm more than just considering it. Building one huge camp all the time might be a little awkward, but I'm definitely going to join you guys occasionally. We have the same travel route, it would be a waste to not hang out.
[ she says it like she was expecting him to say no. a part of her thought he would. that doesn't matter anymore, because the moment he says that he'd like to join them for the journey -- even if it's only sometimes -- her face lights up. figuratively and literally. the markings that go down her arms light up, too. he just has that effect on her, apparently. ]
I'm so happy to hear that! Truly, I am. When we were all together at Clair's gym, I realized that I really missed having all of us together, you included. Even if you and Keith can be...quite ridiculous sometimes.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
the point is, romelle is here now in front of the fancy noodle shop at ecruteak city, clearly dressed to impress in pink with heels to match. surprisingly there are no rainbows here. just a lot of pretty pastels. her hair's tied up in a single ponytail and she even decided to change out her earrings for the occasion, too.
furthermore, she's standing with a rather large shopping bag in her hands. james may be able to see the tips of some roses peeking out; otherwise whatever's in there remains to be seen.
when james arrives, well. remember how her marks were glowing at the wedding? yeah, they're glowing again, but this time they're a lot brighter, a lot more obvious. she waves towards him with a smile. ]
You're here!
no subject
Well. It is February 14th.
He'd agonized about this a little, about whether or not Romelle understood the date, being an alien and all, and how awkward it'd be to assume vs not assume.
What a good thing he assumned at least a little and bought nice pants and a pretty button down shirt. He's handsome and it's actually showing now, so he doesn't feel like a bad date.
... that said, god, it's been so long since he's been on a date. Well, let's go for a bright smile, because it is exciting. ]
I hope I didn't make you wait long. You look lovely! I feel underdressed now.
no subject
Absolutely not! You look wonderful, James. Truly.
[ and it's true! he looks good. then again, she's always thought so.
before they go inside, however, romelle reaches into that shopping bag of hers and pulls out...a small bouquet of roses. she holds that and the shopping bag out towards james -- should he accept it, he'll see that there's a box of chocolates and two small boxes inside of it. ]
I wasn't sure if gift giving was appropriate, but these are for you. ... If you'd like.
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Which he is.
Fuck. ]
It's... It is appropriate.
[ Just give him a second here. He'll accept the gifts, but aaaaaaaaaa. ]
Admittedly, I wasn't sure how formal this was going to be, so I didn't want to do too much and... well.
[ NOW HE IS SO UNPREPARED FOR SOMEONE WITH SELF-PROCLAIMED DATING GAME. ]
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Oh, quizzak...did I overdo it?
[ MAYBE A LITTLE. there's heat that rises to her cheeks, even though he's accepting the gifts, and she pouts a little, embarrassed. ]
I-If it helps any, you didn't need to get me anything! I'm the one who asked you to accompany me tonight, after all! A-And it isn't as if we'd established formalities in the first place, so there's nothing to worry about.
[ see? it's fine. IT'S FINE. how does she salvage this... ]
I'm just...very, very grateful for your company. That's more than enough for me.
no subject
[ This is so awkward, can the ground SWALLOW them now? Romelle is adorable and he does not mind at all that this is turning out to be a capital D Date, but.... help. All his smoothness and all his experience is helping him zero. He needs to calm down.
Deep breath. Okay. You got this, Griffin. ]
I'll make this up to you on another occasion. We may not have laid this out as clearly as it should have been, but that's no reason to let your lovely efforts stand one-sided. Also I'm paying the meal, just so you're prepared.
[ Let him have this one notion of Man Pride. ]
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Then I'll pay for the next one! That'll make us even, won't it?
[ your man pride means nothing to her james. nothing!!! ]
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I suppose it would. Your efforts and my money today, my efforts and your money next time.
[ HE'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS. ]
Want to go inside and sit down?
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[ she nods at his question. ]
Of course. I tried the noodles here once and they were delicious. I hope that you'll enjoy them as well.
[ she walks inside with him and a waitress immediately escorts them to a quiet corner of the restaurant. there's a large open window to their left with a nice view of the garden outside. a pair of cutiefly flutter around a small pond. fitting, given the day it is. she smiles at the sight of them before turning back to face james. ]
So... The Kanto gym challenge. I've been meaning to ask you about that. Allura, Keith and I may have roped Shiro into joining us on our badge quest once the gyms open again next month. Do you plan on pursuing it as well?
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They settle down into their seats. ]
I absolutely do. These challenges are surprisingly fun as a pastime, I'm going to actually feel a little sad once I reach my goal and complete them all.
... wait, Shiro hadn't completed the quest yet?
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He hasn't, no. I'm not quite sure why, but I do hope that he'll join us for the journey.
[ she looks contemplative for a moment. really, she keeps saying this, but -- ] And I hope you'll consider tagging along as well.
[ all the other times she'd asked, she'd been more energetic, perhaps even naggy. this time, though, she sounds sincere in her intentions. calmer. ]
Even if that means just traveling within our vicinity. That's about all I can ask for, truly.
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It's still a little awkward and he looks more serious himself now. ]
I'm more than just considering it. Building one huge camp all the time might be a little awkward, but I'm definitely going to join you guys occasionally. We have the same travel route, it would be a waste to not hang out.
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[ she says it like she was expecting him to say no. a part of her thought he would. that doesn't matter anymore, because the moment he says that he'd like to join them for the journey -- even if it's only sometimes -- her face lights up. figuratively and literally. the markings that go down her arms light up, too. he just has that effect on her, apparently. ]
I'm so happy to hear that! Truly, I am. When we were all together at Clair's gym, I realized that I really missed having all of us together, you included. Even if you and Keith can be...quite ridiculous sometimes.
[ which is a little bit of an understatement... ]