smash_logs | BLIND DATES: C TABLES

Entry tags:

BLIND DATES: C TABLES

Who: We shall see.
What: BLIND DATES
Where: Restaurant off-campus.
When: 29th November, 2013.
Warnings: It is a mystery.
TAG YOUR CHARACTERS WHEN YOU REPLY. It's the sexy thing to do.

[This restaurant is the most fanciest, and also doesn't offer food specific to any particular location, but is heralded for the chef that runs it. The decor is sleek and professional, just as the other costumers themselves look for the evening. Some diners may find themselves sitting out, but it's fine; the weather may be usually be cold outside (baby), but the heating from the building and how clear the day has been will keep you cosy enough.

The music is classical, and pianos and violins the main components of the most of the pieces. Diners will have been told to dress their best. They will also want to pick from their menus wisely, as the foods and drink can get expensive. There is a drinks bar available.

The candles here are white. Beside each candle, there's a card. Each card has a different letter-number combination. Find your table!

GordonConnor sandwich.]

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Ike lit up, surprised that Clear knew not only the name of his homeland (even though he didn't know Tellius), but some of its recent history. He nodded once.

"That's right," he responded with a smile. It was weird to hear that he called it an important part of history. Ike never had the chance to consider it as something to be remembered as an important event, but that was exactly what it was. "You do know something of where I'm from."

He was glad to hear that the victory was recorded as one gained by Crimea. He remembered that as one of the many concerns the Crimean Army had to think about once Begnion reinforcements joined their cause.

"Yes! It is still not very much," Clear admitted, giving a nod of thanks and an added word of gratitude as the waitress dropped their drinks off. "But I do think it is interesting. There are very many worlds and different universes! It is fascinating, though it can also be... a little overwhelming."

He paused, a gloved hand reaching for his cup of jasmine tea and holding it carefully. This was glass, for sure. It had to be super fragile.

"Uwaahh... Do you ever think about that, Ike-san? How there are so many places and people we have not seen or heard of. It's a little scary..."

Edited 2013-12-01 20:45 (UTC)

Ike took a sip of water from his glass, thinking about what Clear said. "I guess so," he said, shrugging one shoulder. "I didn't think about it so much before. I knew about my own universe, but that's it. I didn't know there were more until I got here. Now I don't know what to think of it all."

Curiosity was his main feeling. There were limitless options out there, all places waiting to be explored by new eyes.

"I think it is a lovely thing, Ike-san! Intimidating, yes, but that also means there are many more beautiful things for us to see!" Clear's voice was perhaps a little higher than it should have been in an upscale restaurant, but he really didn't think about it. So many things excited him so easily, and this was but one of them.

"I think we should see some of the world together," he suggested, unwrapping a given straw and placing it into his glass. Carefully, he adjusted it and...

Doink.

Into the mouthpiece of his gas mask it went.

Wow.

How...

Weird. Ike tilted his head, his mouth slightly agape while he just tried to understand this puzzle of a person. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but he just hadn't experienced somebody acting like this before. Wearing a mask and opting to drink his tea through a straw rather than just taking off the mask...

"I know you said the mask is for comfort, but that definitely looks uncomfortable," he commented.

Well, that's the last thing that Clear ever wanted to talk about. He flinched, carefully swallowing the jasmine tea in his mouth so he wouldn't choke on it. That... really would not have made anything much better at all. Seriously.

"It isn't. Please do not worry," he added with a shake of his head, the straw swishing around in the glass as he did so. "I am fine, Ike-san."

Okay, maybe he wasn't, but... he could bear it.

He wasn't sure about that. It didn't look fine at all.

"Alright, if you're sure," he responded. He wasn't going to let himself get too hung up on this over all else. If this was just drinking, then how would he do with eating? Ike wasn't sure he wanted to ask. He'd have to find out instead.

Speaking of which, the waitress quickly returned with their appetizer and promised she'd be back soon to get their orders. Ike thanked her and realized now that he had food in front of him that he was hungrier than he thought. He grabbed some of the bread and ate it without bothering with the fancy tapenades or butters they supplied with it - he hardly noticed they were there. "It's good."

"Eh? Thank you, miss!"

Clear nodded happily, accepting the bread bowl in terms of taking one from the stack, carefully placing it on the default, small plate before him. He lifted his eyes to Ike's, and, just when he thought he wasn't looking...

Pop. Off went the bottom half of his mask, just long enough for him to swipe a bite of the bread.

"Mmm~! It is very good!" Oh my god, he forgot his manners. Talking with his mouth full really wasn't very becoming.

Edited 2013-12-02 04:41 (UTC)

Ike didn't realize he'd done that. That's why it struck him as so strange, that he was able to say it's good without him noticeably eating it at all. But the evidence was right there. He took a bite, and that much was obvious.

"You must be fast," he observed. "I didn't even notice you move."

"Ike-saaaan," Clear began with a laugh, lifting a forefinger to the mouthpiece of his gas mask. "A man does not reveal his secrets~!"

He leaned over, getting yet more bread, not at all realizing that the straw was still embedded into his filter. He let a soft breath in excitement, his stomach gurgling for more, and that little bit was enough to send droplets of tea all over a fine loaf of ciabatta.

Welp.

"A-Ah! I'm sorry, Ike-san!" He swiped the bread and looked over it, noticing wet spots all over its usually savory, slightly crunchy top. "Uuu... maybe the straw wasn't such a good idea..."

Maybe all of this wasn't. He was already trailing so slowly through the appetizer, and the straw lodged in his mouthpiece just felt a little silly. Maybe...

... No.

He shook his head, sitting back down on the chair and carelessly dropping the loaf of bread onto his own platter.

"Um... Ike-san?"

Edited 2013-12-02 17:47 (UTC)

Ike stared at Clear and the mess he got himself in, perplexed. None of that mask business made sense to Ike, but he didn't expect it to make any sense. All he could figure was that it made Clear comfortable, but the reason for that was unknown to him.

And he told himself to just deal with that. It was weird, but it wasn't hurting anybody.

He looked at those round, glassy lenses like he was making eye contact with somebody under there. "What is it, Clear?"

"Now that I have been eating without this more and more, it... is beginning to feel strange," he explained, talking so casually as if he knew every bit of him, at first. Clear realized this and dove straight into detail, trying to make some better sense to the man who knew so little about him. "I wear this mask all the time because I used to believe my face was strange, Ike-san. I... still do fear that it is, but..."

He curled his hands nervously into the napkin on his lap. "More people have been telling me that it is not. Therefore, I have been wanting to show my face more often. It is still very difficult, but... you have been kind to me through the entire evening, Ike-san, and while I still am not sure if it is good to take this mask off in public..."

He paused, still very indecisive.

"I... want to take it off. Is this okay? Will- Will you promise not to be scared...?" It was a large demand, but he'd been so considerate up until now that he hoped it wasn't as extensive as he believed.

The way he said it made it seem like there was so much weight with that request, that he expected everyone to fear him. It made him wonder what he hid under that gas mask of his.

Still, Ike's response was practically automatic. He had no reason to be scared of Clear.

"I promise," he replied. "I'm not here to judge your appearance. Your character matters to me more."

"Then, um... ... um..."

It took Clear quite a bit of time and fumbling with his straps, the process painstakingly longer than it should been due to trembling, gloved hands. His lips curved in a deep frown, his heart strumming uncomfortably against his metallic ribcage as he carefully, sluggishly pulled the mask down from his face.

Apart from some slight, hardly noticeable discoloration around the skin of his right eye, however, his face was flawless. Not a single bump, scar, or irregularity stood out, nothing but the two little moles dotting his lower lip.

That lower lip, for the record, was still trembling in fear. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"U-... -m..."

And here, Ike had been preparing himself for anything he didn't expect. Seeing him look fairly average ended up being the last thing he expected. He smiled warmly.

"What kind of world do you live in where your face is considered strange?" he asked, amusement decorating his tone. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"There is... nothing with it?"

Clear mirrored his words, an undertone of remaining anxiety making his voice dip so low. He was still trembling as he reluctantly slid his mask into his seemingly-endless pocket, resting both palms on his lap afterward.

"Are you sure, Ike-san? It isn't... scary or ugly?" Maybe it was a bit silly to try confirming this all over again, but his self-consciousness just ran so deep that he was in constant disbelief that he was normal.

"Absolutely. And even if it were scary or ugly, that should be no reason for you to hide it," he stated firmly. "Your appearance is your appearance and nothing more. Those who are willing to look past that will see you for who you are rather than what you are or what you look like. Anybody else who can't see that isn't worth your time."

"Is that so...?" It was different from what he'd ever heard from anyone else, but he knew it to be true. He himself was never going to judge anyone for how they looked, for that was just rude and unbecoming. So why did Clear fear other people doing the same to him when he knew that it was a cruel thing for them to do?

He didn't know, but that deep-seated phobia of his was not going to fade so easily. He only wished it could. Despite that, he felt a lot more comfortable around Ike now, and his frightened expression finally melting into something more pleasant, more free.

He was happy. He really was.

"... Thank you, Ike-san. I am very glad that I got to meet you tonight. You are a very kind man, and I hope you are aware of that."

He wasn't sure how Clear could make that judgement so soon, but he stayed silent about that. "I'm not so sure about kind, but I appreciate the thought."

More than that, he noticed Clear loosen up. That was reassuring. "Well, I hope that makes it more comfortable for you to eat! I was beginning to wonder how you did this on a regular basis without going hungry," he commented, all in good humor.

Haha, aww! Well, good humor and all, that did bring a smile right up to his face, accompanied by the sweetest little laugh. Yes, he was finally feeling better about all of this! Geez, he was a little timid when he was submitting himself for these blind dates, at first, but... now he was just glad he did it at all! Otherwise, would Clear even have met someone as enjoyable and friendly as Ike?

...

Woah, no time to think about that! In came their food! At some point during the whole ordering fiasco, Clear had ordered the shoulder of lamb (it even came with mint sauce!) alongside a house salad. It sure looked succulent, too. He wasn't a big meat eater, but lamb definitely sounded interesting.

"Hehe, yay!" Clear clasped his hands together, and, with a careful chant of, "Itadakimasu," he reached for his fork and knife.

"Please let me know how your food is, Ike-san!" Whatever it was.

Ike ordered a fillet of beef. While Clear may not be a big meat eater, that was definitely what Ike was. When their food came into view, he couldn't help but smile because that was something to look forward to. Always. Meat. ~~Hell yea~~

The waiter placed the dishes down and left the scene, and Ike stared at his food. It was so decorative and it was sort of shocking. This must be the type of food royalty enjoyed every day, he thought. (Though, he had no doubt that Oscar could make something just as delicious-looking. It would probably taste like his cooking, too.)

"I've never eaten at a restaurant before," he admitted, grabbing his knife and fork. "This is all a bit much, but I'm sure it'll taste fine." He cut into it sloppily and shoved the cut into his mouth. He was not ready for all of these flavors, but he seemed to be enjoying it.

(Meat Ike was very pleased. Donut Ike was too busy crying to care.)

Clear hardly minded that his manners were... not exactly up to par. In fact, he feared that his own weren't either! He was both built and raised to be horribly formal, so he hoped that he'd already been programmed with the knowledge of restaurant etiquette. Did Grandpa think that far ahead? He might have. After all, he was very intelligent.

"I have not either, Ike-san!" He delicately cut into his meat and dipped the slice into the mint sauce carefully. He didn't want to overdo it, because he knew just how strong mint was, especially if the pure leaf was used in excess. "I just hope I am doing all of this right..."

He bit into his lamb, and as soon as he did, wow. His mouth was assaulted with flavor! This was the most amazing meat he'd ever had! It was nothing like Midorijima's low-quality, imported food.

"Uwaaa...! It's fantastic! Have you ever had lamb before, Ike-san? It's so good!" He's practically squealing over it here, sure to garner some strange looks from other diners.

"Uh-huh," he said before swallowing his food. He was probably like 3 bites in already. Incredible. "Lamb tastes good, too. I can't say I'm very picky about meat. It all tastes good to me."

The stares were directed at their table thanks to Clear's outburst, and while Ike's table manners weren't atrocious, they still weren't expected for a classy restaurant like the one they were at. So both of them were being stared at. Quite unknowingly, at this point.

"I'm glad you like it though. I guess you've never had it before." Ike took another bite.

Clear thankfully didn't notice that people were looking at them in quite a demeaning, if not uncertain, manner, namely over Ike's lesser etiquette and his own energy. It was a good thing he was pretty engrossed in his partner for the night, lest he catch sight of the side-long stares and feel immediately self-conscious about himself again.

"No, I haven't! It is very lean," he noted, slicing into the lamb in a much finer manner than Ike was. He dipped it into the mint sauce and took yet another bite, savoring its delectable flavor and minty freshness to the fullest.

"I can't say that I am quite as fond of fattier meats," he admitted, dipping his fork curiously into his salad now. "They do taste good, but they make my stomach feel a little... strange. Does that happen to you, Ike-san? Is that normal?"

"No. That doesn't happen to me." He chewed another bite and then swallowed before he continued. "But some people don't like fattier meats. I'm fine with them, but not everybody is."

People began to turn away again to mind their own business, even though they were startled by Clear and upset by Ike's manners at first. They had bigger fish to fry. Eat. Yeah.

"What kind of food do you like the best, then?"

BLIND DATES: C TABLES

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