Valentine's Matchmaking ♡ [IC]

Sapphire Rose · Feb 14, 2021

♡ MATCHMAKING EVENT 2020

In celebration of the overblown, romance-promoting, capitalist horror that is Valentine's day, we've got a fun little challenge for you!

IT'S DATING TIME!

In this event, players have signed up with a character who is looking for love. That character was then assigned to another player who has created that character's date. The pairs will roleplay here together, and the pair with the most chemistry wins!

Want to know more about the pairs? Please visit the OOC!

♡ Couples list

Helene Sarget and Jaques Thump

KiritoFan21 and John De Bruges

Jules Valentin Polnareff and Freya Blanchard

Fred Carpenter and Alden Delgado

Joe Line and Arthur Majors

♡ Writing

The IC thread will open on February 14th. At this point, you will have two different writing partners- one who has created a character to date yours, and one who you have created a date for. You must work with each of your partners to roleplay the perfect date for your characters (or, at least, an entertaining one...). But keep in mind: each couple may only go on one date, and each date must be contained in a single post. That's right- you'll only be writing two posts for this whole event, so make them good ones! And get them done and submitted before February 25th at 5PM CST (GMT-6).

♡ Rules

♡ One post per couple.
♡ One date per post.
♡ Minimum 500 words per post.
♡ No extensions- this is a quick 'n' dirty event.
♡ Speaking of- PG-13 rating. Please, be tasteful and fade to black.
♡ Pokémon world or real world- decide with your partner. No other fandoms, please.
♡ Follow all other RPT and PC rules ofc!

Still confused? Need more clarification? Feel free to ask away!

text by aquacorde // css by sapphire rose & aquacorde
header image by seviyummy on deviantart // footer image by ghetsis on aminoapps // Nidorina and Nidorino image by Xeohelios on Deviantart

QueenNothing · Feb 24, 2021

Jules Valentin Polnareff X Freya Blanchard (Eleanor)

This isn't really different from any other day of the year, but the calendars mark it as a day to celebrate love- a good excuse as any to spend the evening going on a date with someone new, Jules thinks to himself.

As he waits in the calm winter breeze outside what he considers the premier ice cream parlor of Lumiose City, Jules takes the opportunity to do last-minute touch-ups to his makeup- it's nothing too fancy, he went for a natural look to give a good first impression- to pass the time. He can't really complain about his date showing up late, since he made sure to show up ten minutes early, so all he can do is slip the compact in and out of the pastel pink purse slung over a similarly colored coat.

Speaking of first impressions, Jules always makes sure to wear an outfit he feels reflects himself on a first date. Tonight, that means he matches his coat with a skirt in a pastel yellow that reaches to his knees, with his scarf and leggings in the same color.

His date has followed a similar approach, but has reached different results. Freya walks towards Jules in her black trenchcoat, black leggings and black platform boots… not the most exciting color choice, but that is not where she wants Jules's eyes to go. For that matter, she's also not too enthusiastic about her black lipstick, nail polish and eyeshadow - if anything, she's probably overdone it again.

No… she'd rather Jules's eyes to settle on her cute two buns in her light blue hair, her big eyes, or the spiked collar she's wearing around her neck. Rather than focusing on one particular piece of her outfit though, he briefly scans her to get an analysis. He's impressed- most first dates he's had, they'll often come as someone they're not, going more formal than is fitting for them when they know who they're going out with. Freya isn't that it seems, she likely picked out her attire without any regard of what scorn she might receive, and Jules reads her choice of clothes as a form of honesty- something he appreciates most from people.

"Oh- why hello there!" Jules turns his body towards the girl in black to greet her. "I take it you must be Freya, and I must say, that is a nice name."

"Oh… hello, Jules." The girl grins as she takes a better, close up look at Jules's outfit. The execution is just beyond her expectations - maybe he's on the right path to become an acclaimed cosplayer like her… and that's besides the point. "Yes, I'm Freya! And thank you."

Jules's outfit, to put it straight, is just not what you would expect from a boy. But he's out there on a blind date, wearing just that with such nonchalance, and this realization hits Freya right in the feels. Could this be the one? Even besides the outfit, those eyes, those long blonde hair…

She's already starting to blush a little - not that it takes much to light up her otherwise white as snow cheeks. "I'm just… well, what can I say. Your outfit is such a nice surprise."

"Oh, thank you!" He reacts by turning his face away and covering it with his left hand- maybe just a little exaggerated, but he wants to get a reaction from Freya. "I could easily say the same about yours though, very bold I must say."

"Aw, please!" Freya lets out a chuckle. "Bold you say? You like… this kind of look?"

The first word that comes to her mind is, obviously, goth, but "bold" works just fine. And if this leads into him actually liking her outfit… well, that's an amazing sign to start things off.

"I like all kinds of looks, really. But right now, what I have my eyes on is what I'm interested in." Jules softly giggles, waiting to see how Freya could return that.

That's the kind of boy he is, uh? Also a good sign. "Well, Jules… what if I told you this isn't even my final form? Let's go inside, so I can unveil it." Freya finally pulls out her hands from her coat's pockets, only to gesture towards the nearby building. "This here is the place, correct?"

"Of course." He grins. "Only the finest ice cream parlor in all of Lumiose. The sheer variety of flavors available is what always draws me here. Just… one thing. I misplaced my gloves, so my hands have grown numb from sitting in the cold for so long. I would really appreciate it if you could hold the door open for me." He pleads, although his hands are fine- he just wants to see if she'll do the romantic gesture.

And she does. She enters the parlor first and leans right on the door, keeping it open for Jules. "Hey, I can't stay here for long! The ice cream is calling me!" She laughs playfully, looking back at the boy, who displays a delighted smirk as he follows suit. "Very excited, I see. Why don't you order first?"

"Oh, with all these choices, I can't promise anything!" Freya answers right away, still smiling. "In fact, I think we're better off picking a table first - what do you say, Jules?"

As the girl finds out by taking a quick look around, that happens to be an awfully easy task. Not many people come here when it's winter, after all!

Jules usually takes a while to decide what he wants from here, so it's a saving grace she pitched the idea. "Certainly!" He gleams as he finds himself approaching the closest empty table.

"Yay!" Freya smiles. This way, she can finally take off her coat and move on to her next form, as she hinted. "Say, Jules… don't you feel a bit rebellious going out here eating ice cream in winter? With someone dressed this way?"

'This way' being a high waisted pleated skirt with a red pattern, coupled with a long sleeved shirt… a black one of course, with the sleeves made out of lace. A belt with a large heart-shaped buckle keeps the outfit together. Nothing very rebellious compared to what Jules is wearing, probably… but she's proud of what she has.

Reaching the next form feels like a big achievement for Freya. She's not used to opening up this quickly to new people… but Jules is clearly different. She already can't wait to get her plan under way - just a few moments should be fine to shed any remaining doubt.

Eating ice cream during winter doesn't really register as rebellious to Jules, but Freya's excitement is quite charming. He'll play along. "When you phrase it like that, it sounds far more enticing than just eating ice cream- so yes, I suppose it is. And to be honest, I enjoy that added thrill."

"Ding ding, right answer!" Freya tries to reach to the other side of the table, her objective being to simply give Jules a nudge on his nose. "Would have expected nothing less from you, since the moment I saw you waiting for me…" She giggles.

Jules snickers back, immediately taking note of how willing she is to make any sort of physical contact. A good sign. "I'm curious, what rebellious activities do you get up to in your spare time? I'd love to hear all about them."

"Well… stealing noses apparently. Hugging people, too." She replies with a grin, showing that she's getting more and more confident. The boy seems totally ready to know at least this thing about her.

"Jokes aside… I do like cosplay. Dressing as some of my favorite fictional characters, or just borrowing some of their style… to compensate for my lack of ideas. Sounds familiar, Jules?"

"I am familiar, although I can't say it's something I've done myself, but, I certainly wouldn't mind trying- I'm always up for something new."

Good enough of an answer! "That's great! You know, even now I've picked most of my clothes and accessories from characters I like. I'm not the best at putting everything together so the results can get messy but…" Freya is talking way too fast at this point. "Well, if it isn't cosplay, may I ask where you find the inspiration for your outfits? I've seen only one so far but…"

Girly? Weird even? Freya blushes just a bit more. "It looks so… cool and unusual!"

Jules titters. "Thank you. But as for inspiration, it's hard to say- I've always just picked what feels right, and usually that includes lots of pink." He then glances over to the register and gestures towards it. "Anyways, are you ready to order yet? I think I've figured out what I want for the night."

"Oh…!" Freya yelps. "I'm sorry but… you know, I had other thoughts on my mind, if you know what I mean." She smiles, hoping to turn this otherwise embarrassing moment around. Not that she's wrong of course - Jules's answer feels even more intriguing.

"That's the beauty of a double entendre." He giggles once again, gazing at Freya with a manner as if he's trying to make her flustered. "But we can talk out the details later- I'm about to give my order, and you can go with me if you'd like." He scoots his chair back enough to free himself and walks towards the counter slowly enough for Freya to catch up.

"W-well…" Freya starts to read even faster, clearly panicking - what if he thought she was only wasting time? - but finally settles on a single choice. She quickly runs after Jules, catching up with him just as he reaches the counter.

"Hi."

His only response is a chuckle before turning towards the cashier to place his order- a scoop of passion fruit flavored ice cream, of all things, topped with chocolate sauce and a single cherry. Once the person behind the counter starts preparing the dessert, Jules takes a step back for Freya to give her order.

That happens to be a chocolate sundae with whipped cream, hazelnuts and even more chocolate on top. Not exactly that classy compared to Jules's pick, and case in point… she turns to him right as she's done with her order. "Passion… fruit, uh?"

Jules nods. "I haven't tried it yet, but I always make sure to get something new whenever I'm here. New experiences are everything to me, regardless of what, so I'm hoping tonight you'll show me just that" He gives the same look as earlier, definitely in an attempt to appear seductive.

"New experiences?" Did he really just say that? Maybe her kind of experiences is pushing it a little too far, but this is still music to Freya's ears. Her cheeks turn as red as the cherry on Jules's ice cream. "Yes! Yes of course!" She lets herself go, leaning against the boy as her eyes sparkle. "Well, I am a new experience every time, you know!"

"Oh, that's just perfect- I'm looking forward to what you have planned for the evening."

Freya grins as they walk back to their table. "Well… this date is already something special, I hope, but… I can always think of ways to make it better on a whim!"

She didn't think of anything, really. She had just a small idea in mind, and Jules was giving her all the right signals, but… if she wanted to pull that off she had to be way more subtle about it. And at least in this case, she really wanted things to go as planned.

"Say, is there anything you would like to do tonight, Jules? I can help with that once we're out of here." She smiles once again.

Interesting- in this kind of situation, most people just go along with what he says and pretend as if they have a plan, but Jules finds himself pleasantly surprised at how transparent Freya is in this moment, even if this instance isn't that big of a deal. "Whatever it is you take pleasure in- I am here to get to know you afterall, so whatever you'd like I'd have no objections too." He slides back into his seat, eyes intently focused on the girl across from him.

No initiative from Jules, uh? "Well. There is something that's been bothering me, you see, and having someone by my side would really help. But don't say I didn't warn you, pretty boy." He takes the last two words with endearment as he gives another giggle.

"So. My outfit probably gives it away but I also like horror stories, thriller, magic, urban legends, monsters and fairies, possessed artifacts, Ghost Pokémon…"

Freya is interrupted in her blazing fast list by the waiter, who's looking at her with puzzled eyes as he hands her and Jules their ice cream. She stops awkwardly as well, the sparkles in her eyes disappearing all of a sudden before returning, stronger than ever, as the young man walks away.

"What was I talking about… oh yes. Does any of that entice you, even a bit?" This was not something she could predict an answer to, because nothing in Jules's outfit or manners seemed to give this away: so she just stands there, looking straight in the boy's eyes. Even the ice cream in front of her doesn't have the strength to pull her away, and that's saying something.

"You heard what I said, didn't you? I have no objections."

That's just so good for her! Freya feels truly relieved by Jules's words. "Amazing! Splendid! Marvelous!" She squeaks, before she can finally start eating her ice cream. Just as the boy stated, it's one of the best she's ever tried - in fact, she can hardly contain herself from going too fast. "Your choice of places is also very much on point, you know! This ice cream is literally the best!"

"I know all the best spots in Lumiose." He shares, taking a spoonful of his frozen dessert to his mouth. "Unless of course, you know something I don't."

"Well… what I know instead is where we might find some ghosts! I've heard about the ghost of a lonely girl roaming around the streets of Lumiose, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it! Would you…" Freya pulls up her best impression of Baby Doll eyes. "Would you help?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" He responds playfully. "Although I figured it was just a legend- but I'm sure such an enthusiastic ghost hunter such as yourself can prove that wrong."

"Hehe… speaking of which… look! There!" Freya eagerly points towards the window, turning Jules attention towards it, while quickly stealing some of his ice cream to get a taste. Passion fruit sounded too cool not to try.

Jules is pretty upset about that, but he needs to remember to watch his sugar intake. He enjoys the action, something he interprets as bravery that could potentially show itself in more meaningful ways later down the road, and less sweets, even by a miniscule amount, is a blessing in disguise- even if he did want to enjoy every bite of it- but he's pretty confident by now that Freya is more important than ice cream. He gives an elongated chuckle, more excitement present in his laugh than previously, before he clears his throat. "Coming between me and my ice cream is a risky move, I should let you know- more reason to feel good about facing ghosts around you." After enjoying another spoonful, he places his elbows on the table and locks his hands together to rest his chin on.

"Oopsies! I wanted to give it a try, the name alone was intriguing. But if you want you can try mine!" Freya giggles. She is almost done with her sundae, actually, and soon enough it will be time to go from theory to practice…

She looks at Jules carefully once again. So far everything's gone way too well, from his outfit that made her feel at ease immediately, to his seductive replies, his appreciation of her, his cute chuckles. She dove head first into this and it worked, but now comes the most interesting part. Just a few more moments.

Without hesitation, Jules dips his spoon straight into her sundae, seemingly with little concern of where scoops were already taken from, and sticks it right back into his mouth. Based on the way he holds his right cheek, kicks his feet, and gives a soft moan, clearly he enjoys it. "I shouldn't be indulgent, I know, but I just can't help myself."

"Ah! Reminds me of someone." Freya laughs, holding up her hand for a high five. She blushes once again as Jules examines her palm before playfully returning the gesture. It's not something he does often, but he finds it endearing nonetheless.

At that point, the girl just happily finishes her ice cream. When she finally raises her head, she has the most satisfied expression on her face, like a house Persian sleeping next to the warm fireplace. "Once again, that was so good! Now though… wait, what time is it? Should be late enough to see some interesting things."

Jules ruffles through his purse to check his phone. "7:35 it looks like."

"Oh, we'll have plenty of time…" Freya grins playfully.

"Enough time to finish my ice cream as well. Once I'm done with that, how about you show me the way?"

"Well… of course not." Freya now closes her eyes and tries to look more serious. "I'll try my best to follow the ghost girl, but I can't guarantee I'll succeed. I'm not as good of a ghost hunter as those you see in, like… anime."

Obviously.

"As long as I'm shown a good time, I could care less about how skillful you are at it." He smirks, gaze intently focused on the girl across from him. He has a good feeling about this.

♡♡♡

And so, just a couple of minutes later, Jules and Freya are back outside. She seems to have chills because of the cold, even in her trench coat, but quickly gets used to it. Jules, anticipating what is to come, observes her as he follows.

From the pockets of her trench coat, Freya soon pulls out what looks like a weird fingerless glove with a large skull on its back side, and wears it on her left hand. It definitely looks like a discount Halloween decoration… because that's exactly what it is. But she still tells Jules that it will act as a ghost detector, glowing red when one is nearby. She takes the opportunity to check her single Pokéball too, and make sure it's empty. Her companion is out and about, as planned.

"And with that settled, we should probably go… this way. Towards North Boulevard! I know she hangs around there usually."

And with this, the plan has started.

"Bizarre to think there's someone in Lumiose I haven't met." Jules remarks. Of course, his statement is a bit of an exaggeration- obviously with Lumiose being such a big city, it's impossible to know everyone, and it's apparent with some of the puzzled looks shot his way while strolling alongside Freya.

"Jules? Forgive me for the weird question but…" She looks up to him. "You still get weird looks from strangers, uh? How do you handle all that?"

"I've just grown immune to it." He shrugs. "I see absolutely no reason why the thoughts of a stranger should hold me back from expressing myself."

Freya blushes. "Honestly, that's amazing!" She looks down after a bit. "I don't always find it easy to do the same and talk about all my hobbies… I know most people don't like them too much, and I feel obliged to wear like this to make those people aware. But you…" Freya smiles towards the boy. "You being so confident about it makes me feel so good in your company! You struck me right away as someone who would let me be myself and be happy about it."

A little quicker than expected, Jules thinks, but he doesn't mind. Flattered, he turns his flushed face in his palm. "You're too kind, really. Honestly, I didn't think we'd get here until a little into our ghost hunt."

"You're overestimating my patience." Freya giggles as they keep walking. "It's been a while already since I wanted to tell you."

After strolling for a couple more minutes together, Freya feels ready to really start things off. The familiar silhouette she spots nearby is just the perfect cue, after all. Just a matter of putting on her best game face…

"Jules! Jules! Look here…" Freya points to her glove, seemingly very excited… and case in point, the eyes on the skull start to light up. "Looks like there really is a ghost around here. It's supposed to be a girl in a white dress, so… keep your eyes open!"

His eyes widen a little, as he didn't expect the device to actually do anything, but he shakes it off when realizing it's just a feature of the decoration. "I'll be on-guard, but with such a fearless hunter by my side, I'm not sure that'll be necessary." He giggles.

"Hey, you never know. Plus, you have to really focus, or you may not see anything. Or you may steal one of my hairpins, they also help." Freya chuckles as well, probably for the thought of seeing such a pretty boy with a skull-shaped hairpin. Because of course it has to be a skull.

"I'll have to pass, it's really not my style. Besides, what's life without a little risk?"

"Aw, that's a shame! You know, the skull attracts ghosts because their essence used to be inside of one of them once. And it makes that connection stronger!" Freya explains, eagerly. "Right, as for your own question… haha, look behind you."

"Hmm? What's behind m-"

Right there at no more than a couple centimeters, stands the ghost girl. She looks quite angelic, way too young and perfect and with nothing but a long white dress on her. Her gray eyes look empty, as per custom, but seem to have a tiny hint of sadness. Just perfect. Absolutely perfect, and enough to cause Jules to shriek loudly. At most, he expected a wild Meowth to dig through some trash cans and create a sudden noise, an opportunity he'd use to exaggerate his surprise into terror so that way he could grab onto Freya's arm to further set the mood. He still does exactly that, with the only diversion from his plan being he's not exaggerating his feelings in the slightest. Real ghosts certainly weren't something he expected.

Now that he's grabbed Freya though, his arm starts being pulled by the girl. "Run! Let's go after her!" She cheers as she starts to follow the ghost, who is just jumping away gracefully. Her glove is still flashing red, but… hey, so are her cheeks.

Jules hastily runs after, terrified for his life while simultaneously feeling an incredible burst of joy from the thrill.

And so Freya directs Jules around Lumiose, dodging unaware passersby and getting lost in the side routes. The ghost doesn't seem to know where she's going anyway, and at one point appears to be more than happy to just run in circles.

Eventually, though, the two honeymooners end up in a maze of old, torn alleyways that is hard to get out of. The streetlights are more scarce and their light more unsteady. The only thing bright enough, at points, is Freya.

"Guess I picked the wrong month to do this. Whatever…" the girl sighs, her eyes failing to recognize the ghost girl anywhere. "I also don't see her anymore… all I know is that she's near."

Jules, panting, struggles to get a word out. "I… I haven't…" He pauses to take a deep breath. "I haven't had this much fun in awhile!"

"You… really?" Freya asks, but the sparkle in Jules's eyes are probably enough of a cue to answer her question. "That's nice I guess but… you still have to be careful, who knows where this ghost is hiding now. Even then…"

Freya grins. Her plan worked like a charm. "I'm so happy I have you by my side tonight."

"I think I was the one that was supposed to say that." He smickers, swishing his hair behind his neck.

"You don't have to, it's already obvious." Freya blushes, coming closer to Jules just to give him another nudge on his nose. He gives her that expression again- gazing back at her as if trying to be seductive. He gets a good look at her, but raises an eyebrow when his pupils fall on her wrist.

"Uhm, excuse me- I thought your watch is supposed to be glowing?"

"Oh no, you're saying we lost her?" Freya tries to look surprised to the best of her abilities. "B-but she was right here! The skull was glowing and all! I…"

It isn't.

Freya pauses for a moment, trying to look away from Jules. She walks in place for some time, thinking about what to say.

"I'm so sorry I let her escape. Because now we're here, lost and cold, in these alleyways I don't even like… and who knows what could be here with us, if it's not ghosts. I should've been less impulsive…"

"What is there to be sorry about? I'm having the time of my life! This sort of unpredictability is exciting."

"Jules…" Freya now whispers, afraid that Jules - of all things - might ruin her plan after getting this far. "Jules… you're right, things don't always go as planned and I should not feel sorry for that. We lost the ghost girl and ended up in here, but we can always regroup and find her again." She clears her throat. "If you don't mind, could you lead the way, please?"

"I went along with this little quest of yours hoping I'd be the one to be courted- but ultimately, I don't really mind. Now then, follow me."

Freya and Jules walk beside each other for what feels like hours, but in reality, not much time has passed. Things seem to be quiet in those alleyways, and while it's still very dark, the two teens' eyes are used to it by now. A sudden scratching noise coming from behind a corner, though, startles Freya. "What the…" She shrieks. "I don't r-recall… no, I don't think…"

You're about to reveal your whole plan! Dammit Freya…

"R-right, my glove is not reacting, so it's not a ghost this time… what is it? What is it? Jules?"

Her frantic, worried whisper is probably too much of a break with the enthusiastic self she showed until some time ago, but she has to give it a try. Jules gets a little jumpy as well, rushing behind Freya and holding onto her arm, this time actually playing up his emotions.

"T-thanks…" The girl whispers again, letting out a nervous chuckle. Jules standing right there gives her just enough courage to peek around the corner.

She sees no people, and really starts to believe that it is nothing more than some small Pokémon rummaging inside the nearby dumpster. "Let's just run past that, alright? And then let's figure out how to get back to Estival Avenue." Tightening his grip, the blonde boy nods.

There's no time to blush now: Freya and Jules turn around the corner and start running past the trash can, leaving it a good distance behind them before turning back to check. "Good, nothing's coming after us." The girl whispers, collecting herself. Only at that point she realizes how close Jules was with fiddling with the controls of her glove, but it's fine - he didn't do anything. And even then, him holding her hand as they ran… it was worth the feeling.

And now, back to the plan. Some heavy breaths, some more looks into Jules's eyes. She's almost there. Just a matter of finding the right setting.

"I knew I could count on a brave soul to guide me through the darknesses." He teases.

"Oh pleeeease."

As the two keep walking and the air gets chillier, the girl starts to mention the ghost girl again. "You know Jules… about that ghost girl. Urban legends say that she always goes after people who are insecure, who are hiding something on the inside, who are scared of the future. Maybe it's true that she can feed off those feelings…"

Jules gives a quizzical expression. "She's clearly not going after me then. Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Uhh… I'm just rambling at this point. Usually I can just see her when she goes after other people, and really… I don't think she's onto me. For now at least." Freya explains. "It makes sense that she is not here, right?"

The girl pauses, and just keeps walking for some more meters, but then lets out one more whisper. "Unless… unless…"

"Well, if she is headed our way I'm certainly not bothered by who I got to spend my last moments with." He giggles.

Freya pulls up a slight grin. "Oh, but you said it yourself… she can't be coming for you. You're just… well I don't know how you do it, but you're not insecure in the slightest. It's me she might come for, not you." She starts talking more and more hastily: the end is near.

Jules gazes back to Freya, giving a serious expression before exhaling. "I have to admit, that's something that seems to have come more naturally to me than others. But that doesn't mean it's impossible for you."

The girl just looks towards him, her eyes never so bright, and loses herself in his words.

"Look at yourself- absolutely no consideration for how others might judge you. That's already a quality not a lot of people possess, and an admirable one at that. Sure, just a second ago I called you a brave soul just to tease you, but I genuinely believe that's an accurate descriptor of you, because to express yourself in the manner as you do is something that requires courage and honesty- both of which are traits I like the most in anybody. If I didn't strive for both of those, I'd have shaved my head and wear a suit and tie- and I'd be miserable if I had to live that life. "

Once Jules finishes speaking, only Freya's excited breath can be heard in the alleyway. She struggles to find the right words to answer - but at this point, the only possible answer to that is to continue with her plan. As soon as possible. Maybe even right there on the spot.

"T-thank you… really. You know…" Freya explains in between breaths. "I never really think it through when it comes to expressing myself, but lately I've realized how… not everyone seems to handle it. It can cause problems, you know. Just like you can get weird stares of course! But you know what?"

Freya pauses, taking some steps forward, then turning around with a smirk. "Now I can't wait to get back out there, holding hands and walking together, and just turn all those people green from envy!"

"Trust me when I say plenty of people will be jealous." Jules giggles, returning to his flirty demeanor. "Although... Wasn't there something else we had to be worried about?"

"Oh… right. That…" Freya replies. But really, at this point there's no need to even ask.

The girl takes some heavy breaths, preparing herself for what's to come. Then, her skull starts lighting up again, this time blinking quickly. "The ghost! The ghost! It's super close now!" She yelps.

As if on cue, the figure in white appears again, jumping down and lunging at Freya from a nearby roof. The sad face has been replaced by some weird, warped, unnatural smirk, taken straight out of some of the best horror shows that Freya likes.

The girl does her part, and screams even louder before backpedaling clumsily and hastily… right into Jules. The two can't help but lose their balance and end up on the ground, laying down beside each other - both on the cold, hard floor of the alleyway. Jules is alarmed at the sudden movements, but catches on to what's been going on.

"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming for me…" Freya points at the ghost while still laying beside the boy. "But… Jules! Jules! You're the one who can dispel my doubts, clear my insecurities, make me truly happy for who I am! If there's someone who can stop the ghost, it's you!"

The girl sheds a tear. "You're the prince I've always needed!"

Jules looks deep into her eyes, widely beaming from ear-to-ear, recognizing that the time is just right. "Well, as your prince I guess I need to lift your curse, don't I?"

Leaving no time for Freya to react, Jules slightly rises off the ground and lightly grabs her chin to pull her closer. He pauses for a second to appreciate the view, and then without a shred of hesitation, leans in to gently press his lips against hers.

That's just what Freya has always wanted! That's what she's created this whole plan for. She closes her eyes, blushes, and enjoys every second of it.

Soon enough, the ghost girl disappears in a flash of light… her body now being transformed into that of a small, black Pokémon. The Zorua runs in for a cuddle with her trainer, as if to congratulate her for the kiss.

"Ah- that explains everything." Jules snickers. "At some point it became a little obvious you were playing a trick on me, but I had fun anyways."

Those words, if taken by themselves, are probably not enough to make Freya truly happy, but after all that has happened… the situation is very much different. The girl lets out a laugh and gives her Pokémon the pats she came for. "That was absolutely amazing! No, you were amazing! I'm so glad you had fun during all of this."

The girl's cheeks flash red once again. "Looks like I've totally fallen in love."

"Mission accomplished." Jules, curling his hair with his index finger, blushes himself, although he has it slightly more under control than Freya. "To be fair, I was genuinely scared the first time I saw your little 'ghost', but that changes nothing. I'd love to give you my number so we can see each-other again, but first… could you please get off of me?"

The girl giggles. "So soon?" She furrows her eyebrows. "Jokes aside… sure. I'm sorry for jumping onto you before… but I had to, you know. I just hope you're ok, and your clothes are in good shape still."

She finally gets up, still wobbly, and helps Jules get up as well, and he dusts his clothes off as soon as he's standing up straight. "Given what pushing me down led to, I don't think that was an entirely bad decision." He rustles through his purse and grabs a scrap of paper with his phone number penned on it to Freya. "I'm expecting I'll talk to you again soon."

"Thank you so much!" Freya grabs the paper with her left hand, the one with the glove that's still blinking red. Very fitting.

"Oh, about this… the lights on this thing were my way to communicate with my Zorua." She laughs nervously. "We put together this plan for a while but it's been hard to find the courage to go all the way with it and find someone to play along. But you did, and that can only mean…"

She picks up Zorua, who grins widely in her arms. "Me and Zorua can't wait to hang out with you again! Even now! After all, we still have time, don't we?" Freya grins. "Let's get out of these alleyways, enjoy the rest of the night, and do those things that couples do, alright?"

Jules examines the dark-type Pokémon, inferring she must have a strong bond with her trainer- if Freya is that close with her Zorua, it might set a precedent for how her and Jules might look somewhere down the line. "That sounds lovely." He holds his palm out for Freya to take, which she does with a blush. "Now then, why don't you lead me through the crowds of envious passerbys? Lots of people wanted to go out with me tonight, but I turned them all down, and it seems I've been matched with the most genuine person- quite frankly, I couldn't be happier."

Groc · Feb 25, 2021

Fred Carpenter & Alden Delgado

It's been years since Alden last had anything even resembling a date, and asking various friends led him to reserving a table at a fancy restaurant.

He's never been here, and he's not even sure what they serve. Hell, he hardly remembers the name of the damn place, but if this is the template for a date, he'll do what he must. Nervously, he tightens his tie that can't seem to keep its form and anxiously taps his foot against the sidewalk as he waits for his date to arrive.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to wait long. Anxious as he is, he's on high alert to sounds, and he hears the soft scuff of approaching shoes on the sidewalk. The woman he's here to meet, Fred Carpenter, approaches the front of the restaurant, nervously tightening her grip on her purse.

"Uh… hi there! Alden, right?" She fidgets slightly, offering her hand for a handshake.

"Oh, uhm… hello!" He responds, taking a second to extend his arm out to return the gesture. "You're… a lot taller in person." He laughs awkwardly, hoping that's not a rude thing to point out.

"Haha, yeah. The picture is a little old, it doesn't really do me any favors." She realises she's shaking his hand too long, awkwardly letting go. "You look nice! Very… very nice."

Alden's eyes widen, and his hands dart to his pockets while averting his glance downwards. "Uhm… thanks! Y-you too!" His entire body fidgets after struggling to get the words off his mouth. He almost doesn't believe any of this is real.

Fred notices his hands go to his pockets, and is suddenly unsure what to do with hers, going back to wringing her purse strap. "So… shall we go in?"

"Right! I uh, was just about to do that!" He meekly grins.

"Great!" Fred offers him her arm. "I was so nervous, I skipped lunch, and now I'm starving!" They enter together, and are shown to their table.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is a lot to take in- especially for Alden. The sounds of chattering patrons, the accompanying music, and the round tables that are spaced evenly but still just a tad too close make him feel cramped. He doesn't show it of course, and instead masks it with a nervous grin that isn't terribly convincing. Perhaps striking up a conversation would serve as a good distraction from that.

"S-so, what do you do for a living?"

Fred glances around at the other patrons, grinning slightly in embarrassment. "Well, I'm actually a construction worker. I mostly do road work, or foundation. Lot of work with stone, you know?"

Alden nods his head along with her words. "That's interesting. I like building things myself, so I think that's neat!"

"Oh, thank you! Most people think it's strange. I mean, they don't say it, but they always give me this look, you know? Like a, 'why would you choose that job?' kinda look. What about you, what's your job?"

"I work as an auto mechanic. I fix cars, but I also like tinkering with machines in general, such as computers." The anxious smile on his face gradually appears more genuine.

"Wait a second, a mechanic?" Fred grins as she mentally makes the connection. "So, you fix cars, and I fix roads? That's too perfect!" She laughs, slapping the table.

Alden flinches and instinctively scoots back from the sudden movement. His palms cover his ears, but he laughs as he lowers his hands onto the tablecloth. "Hehe, yeah…"

"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you…" Fred's jovial grin drops at Alden's reaction. A few people at nearby tables look over in their direction, some even shooting dirty looks. Before she can say anything to explain herself, a server comes by with two menus, leaving them to decide.

"Th-thanks." Alden says to the server as they depart, and turns his focus to the pages of the menu. He gives it a good look before his mind shuts off- barely anything on it is something he recognizes. The entrees listed are expensive, which fortunately isn't a problem since he came prepared for that after the most he heard about this place is that it's pricey.

"Wow, that much for a drink?" Fred mutters to her own menu. Alden is more bothered by the lack of sugary drinks, so he'll just have to settle for water. "Don't worry! I can pay whatever you'd like!" If only he could decide what he wanted…

"You sure?" Fred looks at some other items, not sure what half of them even are. "Well… that's really generous, thank you Alden. Not sure what I want yet, but at these prices they have to be good, right?"

"Uhm… yeah, definitely!" Currently his pupils rest on the lobster on the menu, simply because it's the only thing he recognizes without having to read the tiny text below the entree name. "A-and don't worry, I've brought enough money to pay for this, so price isn't a problem."

"Right, you mentioned that…" She keeps flipping back and forth through the menu, trying to find something she wants. "Hey, you said earlier you like to build things? Like what? What kind of things do you build?"

"I guess I do more fixing than actual building, but when I was a kid I used to help my dad build furniture- that was his job. These days I'm usually pretty busy with my job, but I've built computers for some friends of mine. They say I'm a huge help there, at least." He says, scratching his chin. He can never help himself with that when freshly shaved.

"Well, there you go, that's something! I don't have a clue how computers work, so the fact that you can build your own, or at least fix them up, is pretty neat! I'll know to give you a call if I ever need a new PC."

"Th-thanks! You can, uh, count on me for that!" Alden buries his face into his menu, hiding how much he's blushing. "I.. think I'm ready to order…?"

"Uh…" Fred flips the menu over one last time, before snapping it shut and putting it down. "Yeah, me too. Excuse me? Garson?" She raises her hand, looking for the server from earlier.

After a moment, they return to the table. "So you know, ma'am, 'garson' means boy."

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know that…" Fred blushes slightly from embarrassment.

"No need to apologize. Are we ready to order?" The server pulls out a notepad and a pen, clicking the pen with a slight flourish.

"Yes!" Alden interjects. "I'll have the, uhhh… just give me the lobster. And I just want water for my drink."

"Excellent choice, sir. And for you, miss?"

"I'll also have a water, with lemon, no ice, please. And the chicken parm, that looks good."

"Very good, ma'am. I'll be right back with your drinks." They collect the menus and head back to the kitchen.

Fred waits until they've gone to speak up. "So, that was awkward. I thought that's what you say."

Alden snickers. "That was a lot of work to go through just to give my order. For such a price I have to imagine the food is really good… well, not like, the actual price like the joke you made earlier, more like, y'know, metaphorically. Because…" He stops to exhale. "Damnit, I think I ruined the joke."

Fred chuckles at his attempt. "Yeah, kinda. But don't worry, I get what you were trying to say. It just got lost in that funny head of yours."

"Yeah, I guess my head is pretty funny…" He timidly snickers. There is some truth to that- most people probably aren't so thrown off by the sound of someone slapping a solid surface. Ever since that and talking to the waitress, the background noise only seems to grow louder, even if in reality the volume is no different.

Small talk attempts are made although they don't go very far, and the food seems like it takes an eternity to arrive. Alden's headspace doesn't exactly make this go any faster.

Eventually the waiter does arrive to serve their food, and Alden wipes sweat off his forehead. "Oh, thank god, I'm starving." He grabs a fork, getting ready to eat, but actually seeing the food further throws him off. An entire lobster is served on a plate with all kinds of garnishes he can't even name.

His date seems similarly thrown off by the dish. "Oh. Oh, jeez, that's just the whole lobster, huh? I didn't think they'd actually serve it like that, I just… I just thought it'd be the meat or something!" Fred doesn't look directly at it, finding the whole thing rather unnerving.

Alden isn't even sure where to start with his meal. He's not sure how he's supposed to cut it or what parts he can and can't eat. It's overwhelming just how much of it there is. "Oh, th-that's not a big deal! I'll just uh, eat the sides first!" He looks away from the lobster and over to his side-dish, which happens to be some kind of salad of all things- just when it seemed things were getting shaky, this just had to be thrown in. He intently focuses on it, dreading the idea of having to eat vegetables, but there's no way he'd share his disdain of vegetables out-loud. He's an adult after all, and it sure as hell would be embarrassing to refuse it like a child. This is what he gets for not actually reading the menu, it seems.

"Alden?" Fred watches him, noticing the intensity in his gaze. He's just staring, not even moving. "You okay over there? Something wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing! Just, uhm…" He has no other choice than to quickly take a forkful of his salad into his mouth so Fred wouldn't catch on, but he regrets his move as soon as he can even slightly taste it. His face scrunches up and his eyebrows furrow as he struggles to chew, even planting his hand firmly on the table before gulping down his first bite. Once that's done with, he pants as if he's out of breath. "It's... fine, I swear."

Fred frowns at him, one eyebrow slowly raising. "That doesn't look like nothing. First the lobster, then it looks like your salad is biting back? You're not exactly giving me confidence in the food, here." She takes a bite of her own food, a bit hesitant. It's fine. Surprisingly bland, but not terrible.

"I-it's not that, it's just…" Alden groans. "Okay yeah, it's not that great. Honestly though I just… really dislike vegetables, so this salad has been a challenge. And the lobster, uh, I'm not even sure where to start with…" He places his elbows on the table to hold his head. "I think I might have had too much confidence in myself when I made reservations here…"

"Hey, it's fine." Fred reaches out to touch his hand. "Honestly, I'm not really into this. This place, I mean! You're great, I didn't… You wanna get out of here?" She smiles at him, taking his hand.

"Oh, uhhh… thanks! And yeah, I'd really like that." Alden blushes. "Just let me pay the bill first… but boy, it sucks how much I wasted on a meal I didn't even eat. Oh well, I guess."

"Well, you tried, at least." Fred quickly drinks the rest of her water, grimacing at the lobster again. "Maybe next time don't go for shellfish."

"Trust me, I think I've learned my lesson. Since I've shown I'm not at all good at picking out restaurants, maybe you know somewhere better? And well, preferably less expensive." He chuckles.

♡Later!♡

"So, this is where I like to come after a long day." Fred proudly shows off the "restaurant". It was more of a bar, but they mainly sold donuts. "I found this place a couple years ago, and there's nowhere better if you want fried dough and a cup of coffee."

Despite the place being much smaller than the previous restaurant, it somehow feels far less compact, although that might have something to do with the lack of customers- not many people would get donuts at this time of day. "This works much better for me… although I can't really say the same for my health." He snickers to himself.

"You kidding me? It's fine! I come here all the time, and look at me." Fred gestures to herself, even flexing to show off her arms. "It's all about balance. Stay happy, stay healthy, right? And what makes people happier than a donut, huh?"

"I can't argue with that. Especially after having to stomach that salad." He shudders.

"Shh, it's okay." Fred puts a hand on Alden's shoulder. "There are no salads here. This is a safe space." She cracks up at her own joke, leading the way to the large display shelf. The entire back wall is lined with a variety of donuts, baked fresh every day, and the older man behind the counter waits patiently while they talk. "Come on, what are you in the mood for?"

Alden scratches his chin while looking at the selection. It's probably much wider than what the menu at the fancy restaurant offered, but at least he's familiar with donuts. "It's hard to choose, but I could really go for a strawberry frosted with sprinkles."

"Ooh, sounds yummy! I'm going with a classic, a Bavarian cream filled with the chocolate icing. Hey! Let's split them! We can share and each get a taste."

"Yeah, sounds good!" Alden finds himself more open about himself than at the start of the date. It is awfully nice to feel like he can be himself as opposed to someone he's not, which is what he picked up from his friends' advice- then again, his friends don't have a lot of experience in this field either. At least he knows now to think twice before taking romantic advice from them.

"Thanks, Glen!" Fred hands the man a 5 as he hands her the bag. "Keep the change." She grabs some napkins and a plastic knife as she returns to Alden and they pick a table.

"So…" Fred puts a napkin in front of each of them. "Small talk was hard at the other place. Maybe here we can just relax?" She cuts his strawberry donut in half, putting one half on each napkin. Then the same for her Bavarian. "We can have some fun, yeah?" She sticks the plastic knife in her mouth, carefully cleaning off the custard on it.

"Small talk has always been pretty difficult for me, but probably not as much now because I don't have a million eyes on me." He reaches out for half of the strawberry donut, taking a large bite from it with a smile on his face. "And well… maybe being around you makes that less difficult as well."

"Aw, that's sweet." Fred smiles back, also trying a bite of the strawberry. "Oh! That's sweet."

Alden reaches over to grab a bite of the Bavarian. Very different from the strawberry, but still very good. "Oh man, I really needed a palette-cleanser like this. But uh, I meant it when I said that- y'know, I don't feel super comfortable around a lot of people, and it's hard to be, well, myself, because I'm just so damn shy. But it's… it's different around you."

"Really?" Fred looks down, but is smiling. "People aren't usually comfortable around me. They say I'm loud, I'm too intense, I'm too… big, they say." She looks back up at Alden. "I'm glad you can be yourself around me. I like to see that in people."

"Those aren't necessarily bad traits- well, loud noises aren't my favorite, but I think what's more important than all of that is that you seem to… well, you really seem to care! Errr, assuming that doesn't sound too weird since we just met not that long ago… but I dunno, the way you wanted to stay with me after seeing how bad at socializing instead of just thinking I'm weird like anyone else would, I think that's a good sign."

Fred takes a moment to process that. "Wow, uh… I guess I do care. Sure, you were a little awkward, but it's a first date, who wouldn't be? Under all that, I can tell you're a nice guy. I mean, I do think you're kinda weird, but like… in a good way! Weird is interesting! Normal is boring, who wants to go out with someone normal? It's great that we tried something fancy, if it made you nervous. Well, it's not great that you were nervous, but it's great that you tried! And hey, it didn't work out. But maybe we just like things simpler. More casual. We can be comfortable and casual and caring together, what do you say?"

Alden giggles. "I like the way that sounds. I'm not really one for super complicated things- wait, that's not entirely true, I'm a mechanic for Christ's sake- err, you know what I mean. Simple is good."

"I get it." Fred chuckles. "Complicated work, simple life. All about balance. You're not at work, you don't have to worry about anything complex with me."

His face bright red, Alden tilts his head down while tapping his fingers against the table. "Y'know, you said something at the beginning of all this that I think summarizes what I expect from this: I fix cars and you fix roads. I just hope I don't drive you crazy." Alden smirks, hoping for some kind of reaction from Fred- he's confident enough by now she won't be too hard on him for his bad joke. Fred just covers her mouth, shaking slightly as she tries not to laugh. She fails, and cracks up a little before bursting out in a laugh, and Alden, infected by her contagious laughter, joins in as well, howling in amusement as he looks towards Fred.

A joint post between Groc and QueenNothing.

Eleanor · Feb 25, 2021

❤ Helene Sarget & Jaques Thump ❤

Written with Xorn

"Road's straight and wide here, time to speed up!"

"This'll be fun, let's see who gets to the gym first!"

Helene grinned, bracing herself for the challenge. "Alright girls, I'm comin' for you!"

She turned the corner and started to gain speed, zipping past other people on her skates. Her two friends, who acted as her teachers for the occasion, were still preceding her, but she didn't want to give up.

The rush of adrenaline got stronger the further she skated, and so did the desire to go even faster. If her friends can do it, why can't she? Helene kept going, right until she reached the gym. It's about at that point, however, that something went wrong. Maybe she messed up her positioning, maybe the road wasn't perfect, but the result ended up being that... she just fell ruinously in the middle of the road. "Ow! Girls…?" She groaned, but her friends seemed to be taking their sweet time getting back to her. And so, as the pain in her ankle grew stronger, her frustration did too.

Suddenly, Helene felt someone bump into her, and turned around quickly. The culprit was a large and extremely tall man, wearing gym clothes and seemingly not looking where he was going.

The imposing figure looking over her made Helene inevitably shudder, especially because it didn't look like she was getting herself up from the ground anytime soon. And if that wasn't an option…

The girl's right skate hit the man's ankle with full force. "What are you tryin' to do? You ain't one of my friends..." She hissed.

A second look at the man's face, however, was already a hint at the fact that… that was the wrong move. With her friends still not showing up, Helene should have tried to ask for help no matter what… she was lucky, however.

Jaques still reached his hand down to help her up, with what he hoped was an earnest smile on his face. He wasn't sure what had just happened but if there was one thing he believed in, besides that football commentators should be invited to congressional meetings, it was in helping out a lady when she was down.

Some moments of hesitation from the girl followed, until she eventually grabbed his hand. She looked away from his face for a moment, too embarrassed and ashamed to connect her eyes with his, and focused on the ground instead.

Jaques pulled her to her feet, all the while trying to figure out what to say after. Introduce himself? Too cliché. He decided to just go with his tried-and-true greeting. It had never failed him before. "So… nice weather tonight." he said with a pause.

Still wobbly as ever on her skates, Helene was forced to hold onto the man she was just trying to get away from in order not to fall once again. It was almost like a hug, the difference being that the man was way taller than her. "U-uhm, I'm so sorry for that, I-I didn't think, I… what?"

Helene sighed, unsure of what to reply. Eventually, though, she did. "It be g-good skating weather, yeah. And thanks, by the way..."

Jaques released her and stepped back, stumbling a little. "Uh, thanks. Yeah I'm.. Jaques." he said, pronouncing his name with a bad Kalosian accent.

"Nonononono…" Helene mumbled worrily, her pain still too strong to ignore. "P-pick me up dammit, pick me up…" She ended up once again rolling into Jaques's arms, holding onto him in order to stop herself from falling. "Name's Helene, by the way."

It's in that moment that, after what seemed like an eternity, the girl's two friends came back to look for her. The worried look on their faces quickly turned to a smile and a blush as they realized what was happening. "Prince Charming came to the rescue… literally!" One of them giggled, prompting Helene to send a pout her way… even though she was, without a doubt, totally right. In fact, even the bystanders seemed to laugh, smile or even clap their hands at Jaques.

Feeling encouraged, Jaques took a leap of faith. "Do you… want to go out to dinner sometime?" he asked. Onlookers gasped. He visibly crossed his fingers. How would she respond?

"I-I… uhm…" The girl standing in his arms did not expect that question. Denying that seemed like the most logical choice, since Jaques so far didn't seem anything more than a weird, huge man that happened to help her get up. Not someone she was really close with or anything. But…

"Yes, Jaques! Of course!"

Wait, that wasn't Helene's voice. In fact, it was almost surely one of her roommates' voice. What were they thinking?

"Give him a chance, girl! I'm sure you won't regret it!"

Helene's eyes seemed to fall out of their sockets. Were her friends really doing this? What did they see in this man… or what did they not see, if anything? Maybe they didn't hear his amazing question about the weather today.

The mahogany haired girl looked back at her savior - and really, what else was there to say… he seemed to really want this. Maybe he did genuinely like her. And she had to act like a princess if she wanted to find a prince - confident, demanding even, but noble at heart.

"Alright, Jaques… Up for it."

💝💘💝💘💝

Jaques was ready. His outfit was ready. His five topics of conversation were ready. He was wearing his second best suit, having discovered that his best suit had the jersey number of his favourite football player written on the back in sharpie. At the time he'd hoped it would show he had character. It hadn't gone over well. But this time wasn't going to be like that time. This time he would be suave and not ramble one bit. As long as she liked football, politics, or bodybuilding. If not then there might be a problem.

Arriving at the restaurant, he found it to be much fancier than he expected. He hoped he could afford this place. His doubts were not assuaged when he saw his date outside the window, riding up to the restaurant on a shining, majestic Galarian Rapidash, of all things. W-wow, she really is rich, he thought.

A little befuddled, he waved as she dismounted, walked in towards Jaques's table and greeted him with some sort of nervous smile. She seemed to stutter for a bit but eventually said "Hello there, Jaques!" and bowed her head courteously, as she took the seat in front of him.

"H-hey there.. how was the weather on your way here?" He asked nervously. He had to distract from the fact, which he'd just realized with alarm, that he couldn't quite remember what her name was. Shit shit shit. What was it?

"Weather? Probably same as what you saw-" Helene replied right away, stopping herself in the middle of the sentence as she remembered her friends' advice. She had to act kind and collected at all costs. "Uhm, I mean. It was nice, couldn't ask for anything better."

"And speaking of which…" Helene ran her fingers through her hair. "You picked such a fancy place for tonight! Color me impressed."

A fancy-looking waiter made his way over to their table and inquired about drinks. Helene settled for some "zero sugar" lemonade of all things, after skipping most sodas and especially avoiding the wines list. She added in some appetizers as well, but only a few. The waiter turned to Jaques next, with a polite "and for you, monsieur?". Jaques stuttered. "Uh… I'll have… well…" his ability to carry a topic was nearly at its limits with this simple question. "...did you see the game last night?" he finished lamely. The waiter blinked at him in confusion.

"Oh, he just asked for a coke light." Helene intervened, feeling like she nearly avoided a complete facepalm situation. To the waiter and Jaques's puzzled looks, and she just responded with a fiery look and a confident smirk. "That's what you wanted to know, correct?" She asked the waiter, who nodded and wrote down "Jaques's" order.

Jaques wasn't sure what had just happened, but it could only be a good thing. As the waiter left, he decided to press his advantage, beginning a winding political rant which took several minutes to get to what could be considered a point.

Acting kind and understanding was definitely a harder task than expected with Jaques, but Helene pressed on, at least at the beginning, putting on a smile on her face and nodding her head occasionally to show that she at least cared a little bit. The rant was relatively harmless, all things considered, as long as the man didn't raise his voice…

"I mean, sure, politics is complicated. You have to consider everyone's take on things and decide without animosity." She tried to reply as soon as Jaques stopped talking, hoping that it was good enough for a reply.

Jaques latched onto that. "Yes! That's just what I've been saying! Finally, someone who agrees with me." He grinned at Helene.

"Of course." The girl replies. "In fact I don't think I'm cut for the job… I have other dreams, you know." Maybe that could let Jaques talk about something else that's more interesting, because he's not quite getting anywhere this way.

"Like…" Jaques' mind quickly flashed through other topics he knew. Nothing seemed to fit here. "...what?" he ended lamely.

"Oh, you see… My biggest dream is to be a princess, of course! But acting works as a marvelous second choice." Helene gushed, running a hand through her hair again.

"Tell me more," Jaques said a little too loudly. He felt like a man drowning. Shit, he should have prepared for more conversation topics than his usuals. He was such an idiot!

"Well, alright." Helene grinned, her eyes staring right into Jaques's. "When I was a young kid, I went on a school trip and visited a large Royal castle. I was totally mesmerized by the atmosphere, all the different rooms, the old paintings and portraits, and just… how life used to be in there! I wanted to be just like that. But…" she sighed. "But of course I wasn't from a noble family or anything, so all I could do was pretend and act like a princess. And from there, my passion for acting blossomed! That is what I came all the way here to study. I'll be a famous actress, playing many different roles and I'll enjoy every second of it!"

Helene's voice, which was calm and collected at first, started to get more excited. Her talking speed increased gradually, and so did the effects of her accent. But when she was talking about being a princess or an actress, that didn't even cross her mind. Just like Jaques when he was talking about politics… except Helene's answer was way more coherent! Maybe there really were some contact points between the two, but they were not that strong in the first place.

Jaques face was completely blank. It was obvious to everyone that he had no idea what was going on right now.

"Hmm… that should give you a pretty good idea of who you've asked out, right Jaques?" She tried to look at least slightly alluring.

"Um… you too. Thanks. I mean, yes. Yes, definitely," he babbled.

Helene couldn't help it but raise an eyebrow at that answer. "Well… alright." Things weren't going the way she'd expected, but maybe there was one last thing she could try. "I just hope you're not regretting your decision! But…" She breathed in, trying to stay calm. "What about you? Any other big dreams or ambitions you have… besides politics?"

"Hey, do you think beer is too expensive? I think beer is definitely too expensive," Jaques said, not really acknowledging the previous question.

"I don't drink that, sorry. Better get this out of the way fast." Helene replied, quite sternly this time. "But I get it if you like it and want it to be cheaper, sure…"

How did he even get here? That really made no sense. One more look around the place made it all even more… hilarious and terrifying at the same time. "You also are complaining about that after inviting me here? You have quite the audacity to do that."

"Oh... I don't know, I was very confused. I think I'd just found out that the gym in this town was a Pokémon gym and not an actual one and then I bumped into you. I'm… not sure what happened after?"

"Uh…" Helene seemed to start losing her cool at that point. "I'm the one who's confused now, what do you mean with all this?" Her eyes stared blankly at the man… no, child in front of her. Not necessarily because of the comment about the Pokémon gym, even though that was definitely shocking on its own… but because of everything else in the sentence.

"You sent me a message, telling me to meet you here, today, in front of this restaurant. And you were indeed here, so at least you must remember that. Well, you were inside already, and that's not a nice thing to do to a girl, but…"

Helene has clearly facepalmed, at least on the inside.

"Wait, what? Why are you mad at me now?" Jaques was completely taken aback. He might be a little one-note but he was a nice guy, right? What was the problem here? He'd honestly thought this date had been going pretty well. Most women had walked out on him by this point in the night.

"Oh, wanna know why?" Helene's eyes got more fiery, but they soon lost contact with Jaques and looked down instead, just as the girl tried to slightly adjust the position of her chair. What she was going to do was not something to be proud of, especially in that kind of setting. "Look down."

Perched right on the edge of Jaques's seat, nudging against his leg, there was now one of Helene's shoes. She chose a pair of black, Oxford heels for this occasion, with a little red ribbon on the side - not just her favorite pair, but also her fanciest. The one she'd only wear on very special occasions. The one that Jaques was, hopefully, going to praise now… now that he couldn't ignore them anymore.

"First of all. These hurt to wear. I'm sure you don't know the feeling, but trust me. And I put them on anyway to look good for this date. It was a big deal for me, but you just tell me you don't care about it anymore? Just saying, a kick from these is probably just as bad as one from my skates."

Jaques was visibly terrified. Who threatened someone who hadn't done anything wrong? He just wanted to have a nice date and talk about his interests yet suddenly he had found himself in a dangerous situation.. "I… like your shoes," he said hesitantly.

"You'd better." Helene smirked, albeit only slightly. "Same kinda goes for my clothes, jewelry, make-up. I cared about this date and put in effort. At least have some decency an' thank me for it, if you're gonna leave me like this. And if you don't pay for everything we're getting, I'm huntin' ya down with no mercy!"

She was definitely angry now, but still had that sort of weird smirk on her face, which shouldn't have been there. Maybe she was acting this way because she still thought there was hope… she just had to fight tooth and nail to get something good out of this guy. Even if it meant not acting like a princess anymore. Actually, no - who said princesses can't be demons when needed?

Jaques was silent until the waiter arrived a few moments later. He considered begging the man for help. Was this girl going to kill him?

The answer was probably yes, if he had kept acting like that - in that context, the waiter was definitely a saving grace. Helene turned red right away as he arrived and witnessed the girl in that state. She was not sitting straight, being calm and collected, or just acting like people were expected to in such a fancy restaurant. And she knew.

"Uh…" She immediately returned to a more normal sitting position, as fast as she could, and grabbed the menu as the waiter put the drinks that she'd ordered before on the table. "Just a moment, I'm s-sorry…"

"Oh, I can come back later if that's the case, no rush." The waiter politely suggested, to which Helene disagreed… resorting to grabbing the poor man's arm when she couldn't convince him with words. "I got it, I'm getting this Fancy apple curry, please."

She smiled back towards the waiter as if nothing happened, and all he could do at that point was write down her order before moving on towards Jaques.

It took a while for Jaques to notice, he was too busy nervously stewing. But a not so gentle nudge of Helene's shoes on his own brought him back to reality. Curry? "I'll have a… Spicy Rich Curry," he ordered as Helene eyed him angrily. Taking their menus, the waiter retreated from the scene, leaving Jaques in the belly of the beast once again.

"And now, back to what I said earlier…" Helene whispered, still trying to sound menacing. She was going to pull some more compliments out of this boy's mouth with pincers, if needed.

"Yeah… of course I'll pay for dinner. And I do like your clothes." Jaques had gotten used to stuttering by now.

"Limited vocabulary, uh?" Helene replied sarcastically. "Guess ya need no words when you train at the gym, but ya could try a little harder. I can do better."

She took some time to breathe. "You asked to go out with me so soon, like you do this with every girl you see on the street. Got lucky enough I gave ya a chance. And that's 'cause I had hope, but now you left me hangin' outside the place, still keep babbling nonsense or strugglin' to make a sentence, and I gotta hurt you to get some compliments outta you? Well… ya saw that waiter right? Totally shocked. Thanks for that, Jaques."

Some sadness started to appear in her voice… or rather, disappointment. Maybe she was asking too much from him, but she wasn't really concerned with that, at that point in time. She also wasn't too concerned with the volume of her voice, which was starting to get a bit too high for comfort…

Latching on to a tiny part of that, Jaques asked angrily, "What do you have against gym goers?!"

"Oh look, a wild emotion appeared." Helene smirked, pointing one of her crimson nails towards the man. Hey, if this was the only way to get Jaques to sustain a conversation, why not? She tried to act even more heated.

"First, gym goers all go angry easily when you talk about gyms, and forget 'bout everything else they heard and should be held responsible for. Second, they just spend their days indoor on the same boring machines, wastin' money on gym subscriptions, when ya can just go outside and do what I do. Third, they seem to be so ignorant that they mistake Pokémon Gyms for real ones! Oh wait," The girl seems to giggle for a moment. "That was just you."

"How was I supposed to know! The sign just said Gym on it! Who says Gym when they mean Pokémon Gym!"

"There's a huge PokéBall sign in front of that thing, probably as large as you." Helene facepalmed, this time for real. "Don't you know anything about Pokémon? Come on." Now that she got here, she hoped that at least Pokémon could be a topic of discussion… being so ubiquitous all around the world, that really didn't sound like asking for the moon. Maybe he had some Pokémon she could settle things with - in a Pokémon battle of course!

Jaques was thinking the same thing. Standing up and yelling in a crowded and extremely fancy restaurant, he exclaimed "Oh yeah! If you're so smart, why don't you battle me!!"

The looks from the other few people in the room made Helene furious with Jaques, as if she wasn't already. So furious, in fact, that she eventually realized that… the damage was done, and that it was fine to not care about those gazes anymore. Jaques wanted a battle? Fine.

From her purse, she grabbed a Pokéball and called out… not Rapidash. That wasn't really her Pokémon, it was just borrowed from a friend. She then stood up as well beside the table and called out her own Steenee - her only Pokémon so far.

The Grass type promptly jumped on top of the table and from there, lunged at Jaques with a Rapid Spin attack. Helene watched, trying to see how Jaques would even react. "I'm knocking you out."

Jaques called out his Pokémon, only realizing just before he did so that he did not possess a Pokémon and never had in his entire life. Shit. He looked around at angry, gaping faces and wondered if it was too late to settle the situation. He sat back down, sliding his chair a good meter backwards to avoid the incoming blow.

Steenee kept going, missing the target but bouncing back with relative ease from a nearby wall. She was not going to disappoint her trainer now, whatever she was thinking, and aimed once again for Jaques.

Helene, at that point, took the chance to get close to Jaques and stand right beside him. She tried to get a hold of his head, preventing him from turning away from Steenee's incoming attack. "Dodge this now, big boy."

Before the fight could escalate further, the restaurant staff surrounded them. "Both of you. Out. Now." As much as Helene disagreed with that, she was evidently the biggest offender in their eyes - and in fact, after a couple seconds of complete silence, she was the first to run out of the restaurant as fast as she could, crying like a fountain. Steenee was second, jumping and bouncing after her trainer with a worried but somewhat clueless expression.

Before they knew it they were sitting on the curb outside, both fuming. Jaques found himself strangely calm. At least this couldn't get any worse. And it had been an exciting night. His beer buddies would have a laugh about the whole thing.

Despite this, he did feel a little sad as well. Helene had actually seemed sweet. He wished he knew how to talk to her properly.

The girl was still crying, with Steenee chirping beside her and trying to comfort her a little. "Jaques…" She eventually blurted out, her voice still broken by the sighs and tears. "I told ya I was hopeful! My friends were so excited 'bout it too! But nothing went right."

With her make-up totally ruined, and her clothes wrinkled or roughed up, Helene tried to reach for the other Pokéball she had in her purse, that Galarian Rapidash. "Looks like I'm going home. Not like you'd want to hang out with me in this state." She was about to kick Jaques again or something, but this time she had to stop and act more reasonable for once - after all, what good would it have been to threaten him again?

"Yeah… I would," Jaques said.

"Really. You would? For what?" Helene sounded quite resigned at that point. "I've only acted harsh and hurt you so far. Now that I don't even look decent, what's the point?" Steenee still stood beside her as the girl's tears started to slowly dry up.

"You seem… really sweet," Jaques said. He was in uncharted waters here.

"What gives you this impression?" She asked right away, going from resigned to just very surprised. Maybe it was once again a problem of vocabulary, and maybe sweet wasn't the word he was looking for, but whatever that meant… it was a good thing. She had to at least acknowledge that.

"I dunno… just an impression," he began. With nothing to lose, he decided to try extending an olive branch. They had to have some kind of shared interest that he could talk about without being a gaping idiot. Something involving sports… thinking back to how they'd met, he asked. "So… roller skating? You do that a lot?"

"Oh?" Jaques's question seemingly came out of nowhere, but it appeared to be a good sign. She finally sat down beside him - not like keeping her puffy white skirt clean seemed to be a problem anymore. Steenee followed suit, finding some space for herself in her trainer's lap.

"Well… I've started recently and that's why I keep falling, but I'm practicing a lot, as you saw. It's a great way to work out, get around the city, and spend time with friends." Helene explained, trying to let herself go and talk about her hobbies, which for the first time Jaques did seem genuinely interested in. "Honestly. With how you helped me out last time, I wouldn't be so opposed to skating with you. Feels reassuring, actually."

Jaques face lit up for the first time. Skating may not be much of a sport, but it was close enough. "Yeah!" he said enthusiastically enough for passers-by to look over in confusion.

"Yeah…?" Thinking about it, a big muscular man like Jaques on a pair of skates was probably more of a public hazard than she was. Finding the right skates for him would have been hard too. But who knew… she just had to see where the conversation would go. "So you'd be ok with that?"

"Let's do it! How about this weekend?"

"It will be embarrassing at first, but… hey, why not. I'd be up for it!"

Jaques smiled wistfully. "That's okay. I embarrass myself a lot. Life goes on, you know?"

Now that sounded like the hero Helene didn't want, but needed in her life. She had to admit, she did like him at least a bit - after all, if she didn't, she would've left him way earlier during the date instead of acting that way. And surely, it was not all because of his physical appearance, because what he said just then…

Helene blushed slightly. "Yeah, guess you're right. That's something I might wanna learn from you, actually."

Jaques's stomach growled. He realized they'd never actually gotten their food. "Hey," he asked, "want to go get takeout or something? It's too late to find another restaurant now..."

Case in point. Eating takeout was not necessarily something that Helene was happy with - unless it was something like ice cream, malasada or some other quick snacks. But Jaques definitely had a point there… and being in his company made things just that bit easier for the girl. "Alright, let's find a place then!" She nodded.

Jaques stood up, offering a hand which Helene accepted with another blush. Still slightly wobbly on her heels, she dusted off her skirt and leather jacket, chuckling as Steenee performed a pirouette in front of her. "Just remember I'm a bit more picky with food compared to you, Jaques."

And off they went, hand in hand down the city streets, as the sun set around them.

Foxrally · Feb 25, 2021

JOE LINE & ARTHUR MAJORS

"KAPOW!"

"WA-TCHA!"

"HO-YES!"

The moon was shining brightly on the streets of downtown AlbaniaTown. The hustle bustle of weekend turned the busy city sidewalks into a veritable racetrack that was tricky and hard to navigate - except for one man: Joe Line.

Faceless, shameless and of course, topless, the titular hero was dancing his way through the streets like nothing could stop him. Crowds of pedestrians and drivers alike stopped to admire him as he cut through them with ease - metaphorically, of course. What were they admiring, you ask? Well take a guess, my friend.

Joe's jawline. Those who found themselves lucky enough to be directly to his diagonal could see it in all its glory: chiseled, sharp, likely a registered weapon. And it looked like it could cut through steel… nay, it could cut through hearts. Men and women alike in his trajectory swooned and fainted from the sudden burst of infatuation and jealousy, only to then be revived by the thought of missing just one more precious glimpse at his jawline.

After a few more minutes of prancing, Joe stopped with a dramatic pose in front of the most exquisite french restaurant in Albania, La Grande Baguette. This… was his destination… for a date. The lucky soul who would have the privilege of witnessing his jawline one-on-one. Chosen by the algorithms of the heavens (and the dating website Thindr). Joe awaited for this individual to notice his Jawline so he could finally be introduced.

Said individual had spent his time picking up a new addition to his wardrobe from his favorite haberdashery in uptown AlbaniaTown. The sleek new bowler hat sat comfortably atop his head as he strolled leisurely down the sidewalk. He checked his pocket watch, seeing that he would be fashionably late to his date. Of course, he did everything fashionably. Arthur Majors may not have cut through the crowd as effectively as his upcoming date, but he looked just as good while doing it.

And there, posing like a bronze statue of old, stood the most handsome man Arthur had ever laid eyes on. He was simultaneously swarmed by admirers and apart from them, as though they didn't dare come too close, but nonetheless they wanted to be nearby. This had to be his date for the evening. He looked just like his picture! With a light touch or a whispered pleasantry, Arthur moved through the crowd to stand before Joe Line.

"Oh. My. Jaw- you're looking like an absolute riot of a man, Mister Majors!" Joe exclaimed as he witnessed the man, contorting his arms into a heart shape while throwing his leg back and his chin forward. He was rarely the first to give a compliment, but his date's impeccable attire clearly merited the praise.

Arthur tipped his hat at the praise, giving Joe his most winning smile. "You're looking rather dashing yourself, Mr. Line. You're the very figure of masculine strength. And, if I may say so, what a figure it is!"

Joe blossomed at the compliment as he struck a new, equally flamboyant pose to flex his impeccably-built upper torso- and of course his jaw. The admirers around him gasped as their eyes darted between him and Arthur; had the posh gentleman earned the honour of actually having dinner with the bastion of beauty before their eyes? It was incredible - perhaps true masculine beauty lied not just in the raw sexual energy of the body, but also in the power of class and refined gentlemanliness, wielded by a man like Arthur.

Joe contemplated these thoughts as he straightened himself and extended an arm towards the door of the establishment. "Shall we, then? I'm looking quite forward to knowing you better~" Joe said. Though he had no lips or facial features to speak of, his voice was deep, suave and charmingly Albanian.

"We shall! Allow me to lead the way." He stepped up, looping one slender arm around Joe's much more muscley arm. The crowd faded into obscurity behind them. They weren't on the list, so couldn't follow, and Arthur only had eyes for one jaw -er, man- at the moment.

They approached the host, who (once he looked away from Joe) recognized Arthur immediately, greeting him warmly. Arthur merely nodded at the formality. "A pleasure to be here, Ryan. My usual table, if you please."

"Bien course, monsieur." the suited host responded. He led the two to their table, situated perfectly between the live piano player and the colourful dancing fishtank - truly a strategic choice by the aristocrat. The other diners gasped and many dropped their forks as the pair made their way through the restaurant.

"Your serveurs will attend à vous soon." the host motioned towards the table as they reached it. He bowed once more and took his leave.

"Allow me, dear." Joe looked at Arthur before fixating his gaze on the seats before him. "KA-PAH!" he called out suddenly, flexing both his free arm and leg at the furniture. Immediately out of politeness and wonder the chair closest to Arthur pulled itself back and tilted slightly, offering the man to take a seat.

"Hmmm…" Arthur hummed in thought. Pulling out the chair for him was a bit of a power move, but an appreciated gesture nonetheless. "Thank you, Joseph. That's quite chivalrous of you. Please, take a seat," he gestured to the other chair, "I'd love to get to know you better."

As the faceless man took a seat, he craned his neck in a way to display his jawline more prominently. "Likewise, mister Majors! I must applaud you for your impeccable taste in food establishments. I've been told that if I had a hometown, it would be french. Are you from there or do you happen to be Albanian as well?"

"Neither here nor there, I'm afraid. I'm from up north, and originally came to Albania on business. I'm on several boards, mostly hotel and restaurant related, but I simply adore this country." He turned to wistfully stare out the window. "I spend most of my free time here. I love the people, the cuisine, but mostly I enjoy the views." He turned back to Joe as he mentioned the view.

Joe's face turned a light pink as he blushed at the man's words. "My, you truly have a way with words, dear." he cooed, placing a hand on his chest.

A server approached their table with a bottle of wine in hand, dressed in a full tuxedo (the bottle too). As he poured it into the two diners' glasses, he asked, "Have vous décided on le menu, messieurs ?" he asked.

Joe stared intently at the laminated paper before them, visualizing every dish inside as the object manifested itself to him. "I'll have the Oysters with Mignonette, s'il vous please." he said to the waiter. "The collagen does wonders for my skin." he added, looking at Arthur.

"And I'll have the Coq au Vin, my good lad." Arthur had barely skimmed the menu before deciding he was in the mood for some good coq.

"Very bien, sirs. I will reviens shortly." the waiter bowed before heading off again.

Some time passed as the two men talked some more, getting more acquainted with each other. It seemed they shared a few mutual friends, most particularly in the restaurants Joe would perform at (at least, that is what he called his flexing act). The night was going well, and with every compliment Arthur would make about Joe's jawline, the faceless man would brim with pride and reflect with another. It truly was a wonderful experience for both men.

"Now, I hope this isn't too forward of me," Arthur sipped at his sherry before continuing, "but where did you get your hair done? I might be in the market for a new barber."

"M-my hair?" Joe replied, bewildered. This was the first comment Arthur had made about anything but his impeccable physique. Had he taken on a bad viewing angle? Was he being blocked by some strange psychic barrier? Had the food dribbled down his chin and sullied the perfect sides of his jaw? Was his bone structure no longer worth mentioning?! How low had he fallen?! "I-I…" he stammered, unable to respond. Wait a minute… Joe had no hair at all!

Arthur watched Joe closely. His reaction was interesting, but it was time for the one-two punch. "Oh, it's all natural? I just wanted to compliment your style. It really emphasizes your jaw. And your lovely eyes."

"Ohhh~!" Joe cried out as he swooned dramatically, tears welling in his metaphorical (lovely) eyes. What a twist! Such a rollercoaster of emotions! Arthur was playing with his heartstrings like no other person had done before. If the man continued, he wouldn't be able to resist grabbing him and embracing him this very instant. Even the oysters on Joe's plate ooh'ed and aah'ed at the gentleman's display of clever flattery.

"Mister Majors, you slay me!" Joe finally said after he recovered from his burst of emotion. "Though I have no hairdresser, I would truly love to take you to my favourite spa one day- their pedicures are to die for and their skin treatments are exquisite~ Going there is quite a hobby of mine."

"A spa, you say? That sounds positively divine, Joseph. Proper grooming is essential, I agree. I respect your dedication and the effort you put into your figure. And again, please forgive my forwardness, but I'm happy to get to know you. You're more than just a pretty face, but a good man as well."

Setting down his glass, he leaned in closer. "But on the topic of your face, and of hobbies, there's something I've wanted to do ever since I first laid eyes on you. With your permission…" and here Arthur retrieved a sketch pad from inside his jacket. "May I draw you?"

This was enough to send Joe over the edge in jubilation. Draw him?! This was what Joe had been meant for his whole life. Nobody had ever thought of recreating his image before - they were either too distracted by his figure, or afraid of producing an imperfect illustration… the bravery, the sheer artistic ambition of Arthur at this very moment, was some of the highest of highs the faceless man had ever felt.

Suddenly getting up from his chair, Joe pirouetted around the table and stopped before Arthur, gently grabbing his hand as he flourished in a pose. "Mister Majors… No, Arthur! I would be delighted to be the subject to your creative process!"

Arthur gasped in delight as Joe took his hand, rising to the occasion. His heart fluttered with joy and in anticipation. "Then let us go! Someplace more private, more comfortable, more…" and as he leaned in closer, "...intimate?" he placed a gentle yet passionate kiss on Joe's cheek.

"Ho-yes~!" Joe exclaimed as his face turned red again. He grabbed Arthur by the waist and spun around with him before posing in a beautiful finish as he dipped the gentleman perfectly, causing the diners around them to erupt in applause.

"We shall go then… to the moonlight itself!" Joe proclaimed, gazing into his date's beautiful, monocled eyes.

"The moon! So romantic..." Arthur sighed, lost in his partner's gaze. He idly fished a single large bill from his wallet, leaving it on the table, then put his arm around Joe's shoulders and lightly hopped into his arms. He's already visualizing the picture. "I think the Earth will look lovely behind you."

Joe put a hand to his forehead as he nearly swooned once more. "Ah, you are too much~!"

He looked upwards at the ceiling, which immediately warped into an open roof out of respect. "Now let us depart! The universe shall be a fitting backdrop to our love!" Joe proclaimed once more, before shooting off into the night sky with Arthur in his arms as his jawline cut through the tether of gravity.

The waiter watched from below as the pair faded into the night with a twinkle. "Ah, l'amour..." he sighed with a smile.

Flowerchild · Feb 25, 2021

KiritoFan21 x John De Bruges

KiritoFan21 had to admit, they'd never had a date in a kirby cafe before. Before their date had even arrived, this was already starting out on a high note because of that alone. Nonetheless, it didn't stop them from feeling extremely nervous. If they'd possessed sweat glands, they'd probably have been a mess right about now. They nervously twirled their hair instead.

A staff member with a kirby shirt approached them, asking if they were dining alone and would like a waddle dee for company. Oh, how KiritoFan21 longed to accept that! Hanging out with a waddle dee sounded like a much better night than another failed date. But no. This was about Love with a capital L. They shook their head.

Accompanied by a poyo sound effect, the door to the cafe swung open. There he was. John de Bruges.

Dressed in a grey plaid shirt and beige slacks, the man looked roughly similar to his photo on the dating website, with trimmed blonde hair and an earnest but not too toothy smile which he gave to the employee at the door. He looked like just about every character you'd find in a caucasian-centric advertisement, likely about some kind of insurance and how opting with LifeDewCareCorp is the best choice for your and your family™. John looked like that kind of man.

He looked around for a moment and his eyes landed on KiritoFan21. He smiled and waved cheerfully at them, probably recognizing them from their dating profile as well, and approached their table.

"And here I was expecting to be five minutes early! I'm sorry for my lateness." the man said as he sat down. "I hope this makes up for it." He handed KiritoFan21 a small red rose with a bow attached to it.

KiritoFan21 wasn't sure how to react to that. Surely something like this only happened in romantic comedy anime? They smiled, accepting the rose.

"You're looking quite wonderful, miss…?" John began but his voice trailed off. "I'm sorry, I have to admit I was never able to get your name from the website."

"KiritoFan21!" they said cheerfully, ignoring the gendered term. KiritoFan21 didn't care what they were addressed as.

"Oh, that's your actual name?" John said, surprised. Realizing he may be a little insensitive, he added, "That sounds quite exotic. May I ask where it's from?

"That is my real name. I'm from Aincrad~", KiritoFan21 said, somehow managing to speak the tilde sound. Under the surface they began to feel tense… how would he respond?

"Well, I've never heard of the place, but I'm sure it's lovely." John replied. "Pardon my poor geography, I'm a bit of a small town man. Never done any traveling outside Southwestown. Born and raised!"

Okay, this was going weirdly well so far, KiritoFan21 thought, pausing for a little too long to consider how to reply to that. Jobs? Jobs were good small talk, they decided. "And… what do you do here?"

"I'm an accountant!" John replied eagerly, glad he could speak about one of his passions. "I work at A.P.W.A.W. Studios, been there for 10 years too! I can't begin to tell you the marvelous quirks of doing managerial accounting for the publishing industry, it's-"

He stopped as he noticed a waitress approaching their table, tablet in hand. The employee was dressed in an enormous round kirby costume, so large that it explained the abnormally wide spacing between tables. The girl inside the costume was struggling to hold the device with the stubby short Kirby arms, and a muffled curse was heard as she almost slipped and dropped it before readjusting herself.

"H-hello and welcome to Kirby's Dream Land, puyo!" the teenager tried her best to sound cheerful. "Have you two waddle di-ners chosen your meals yet, puyo? I recommend the strawberry cheesecake… puyo."

KiritoFan21 didn't actually have any biological need to eat, but that did sound pretty sweet. "Sure, I'll have that… puyo~"

John took a quick look at the menu before looking back at the uncomfortable waitress, "And I'll have a 'maxi tomato crepe', please."

The giant kirby pressed a few buttons on her tablet (which took a few tries) and nodded. "Thank, you, puyo! I'll be back with your orders shortly! Uh, puyo!"

As he watched the waitress leave, John leaned towards KiritoFan21 and whispered, "I'm sorry, have I missed some sort of holiday or celebration today? I'm confused by the costume."

KiritoFan21 was aghast. "You don't know about Kirby? He's the star of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, an ~*~adorable~*~ anime that ran from 2001 to 2003! And also some video games. He's suuper cute, right?" they twirled their hair.

"Kirby? Hmm… You don't mean Jack Kirby, do you? I remember his comics when I was a kid. Guess the man's really let himself go, hah." John joked. "I'm kidding, of course. This place is certainly an… interesting choice for a date, what makes you enjoy this Kirby creature so much? Childhood memories or something?"

"It's because I've seen Kirby: Right Back at Ya! over two hundred and fifty times," KiritoFan21 answered with a completely straight face. "Also, isn't Kirby just perfect… he's pink, he's completely round...."

"So… you're telling me you've recently watched that, uh, cartoon?" John asked, fear rising in his voice. This wasn't a good sign. "I mean, ah, ahem. Yes, he is positively adorable." the man said, clearing his throat. He mustn't make any assumptions, he thought, he needed to give his date a chance.

"Yeah… I was watching it last week… I turned it off though because I decided it was time for my 9001st Sword Art Online rewatch…" KiritoFan21 smiled and sipped their water.

"S-sword… art…?" John mouthed back, trying his best to keep a polite smile. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. Surely KiritoFan21 was speaking in metaphors. "That's over nine thousand...! What sort of media is this… sword art online?"

"Okay so it's an Isekai there's a thing called nerve gear which connects people to a virtual fantasy video game world world including Kirito<3 and Asuna>:( who I hate but anyways then they get stuck in the virtual world because the creator is secretly evil but luckily Kirito is basically amazing and ridiculously good and he manages to..." KiritoFan21 continued to drone on about SAO for a good while without pausing to breathe a single time.

Every time John opened his mouth to say something, he would close it again to allow them to speak. The man's eyes grew wider and wider in bewilderment the more he was told about the anime, and his demise was only cut short by the reappearance of the costumed waitress, clumsily carrying two plates.

"Here you go, puyo! One cheesecake and a crepe for you, puyo." she said, placing the food in front of them. "Can I get you two anything else, puyo?"

"No, we're good, thank you." John quickly replied, eager to get a word in after the barrage of anime plot.

Once the server had left, he looked at KiritoFan21 then at his plate. Grabbing the fork with a shaky hand, he forced a smile again. "That… certainly is… the most I've ever learnt about a piece of j-j-apanese media…" he stammered. "I always thought they were for children, but I suppose their appeal can be… universal?"

"Yeah! I can give you a recommendations list if you want~ there's so much good stuff out there." KiritoFan21 said self-assuredly. The nervousness had long ago left their system, being a weeb was the one thing they had zero worries about. It didn't occur to them to propose watching something together with John.

After a few moments of silence where John cut a piece of crepe, he spoke up. "I have to admit something to you… I am not a huge fan of non-western media. Or melee weaponry. In fact, I try to stay away from them, despite my workplace publishing these… things." he looked down sadly. "I can see they are very important to you, but I don't think I can go further with this."

KiritoFan21 was taken aback. This had been going so well, too. The man seemed so sad. He must have just not seen the good anime. "What about ghibli movies? You don't even like spirited away? Literally everyone likes spirited away. I think you'd love it."

"I… no, I cannot." John looked away dramatically. "I can just… never bring myself to do it! The thought is too terrifying!"

Taking a big bite of their cheesecake, KiritoFan21 considered the situation. They hadn't had that much experience with real people… who weren't anime characters… but there had to be more going on here, right? Perhaps the man's family had been slain by an evil sorcerer, sending him on a quest for vengeance that he must keep secret as the sorcerer has eyes and ears everywhere?

Reaching over the food, they grabbed John's arm to get him to look back towards them. "Want to come over after?" they said excitedly, "I promise you'll love it. There aren't even any melee weapons."

"Wh-what?! Are you sure?" John replied, tears welling in the man's eyes now. "I would not forgive myself otherwise…!"

"Yes~ definitely sure." KiritoFan21 couldn't actually remember if there were melee weapons in Spirited Away. They thought not? They'd seen over ten thousand anime; it was hard to keep them straight sometimes. But a little confidence never hurt anyone.

"Okay, then I'll trust you. Could you please… tell me more about this 'anime'?"

An hour later they were shopping in the anime section of a Hot Topic, having stopped on the way to KiritoFan21's house. KiritoFan21 bought a My Hero Academia shirt with their best boy Todoroki on it, though they insisted on calling the show Boku No Hero Academia for maximum weeb points. John had respectfully declined to purchase one with Bakugo's face plastered over the entire chest, and was holding a large number of other (more subtle) shirts KiritoFan21 had chosen for him.

"I… didn't know there were so many of these anime…" John mouthed in awe at the amount of merchandise in the store.

KiritoFan21 grinned. "We have a lot to get you up to speed on! How about this one for now?" they proposed, poking at a shirt with All-Might in all of his muscular red white and blue glory.

"Ah, Captain America! Now that's more my speed." John chuckled. He took the shirt and examined it. "Does this… anime also have no melee weaponry?"

KiritoFan21 wasn't sure what Captain America was. Perhaps this was one of those non-anime media they'd heard rumours about? In any case, they decided not to correct him for now. "Nope, not a single one. Everyone just uses superpowers :)" they said.

"Wonderful! I'm always proud to wear the great American flag." John smiled, putting on the t-shirt on top of his plaid shirt. "How do I look?"

KiritoFan21 hadn't thought much about it, having been too busy being a weeb tonight, but John actually was quite pretty. The shirt was a good look. "It looks great :D"

"Thank you! I haven't gone clothes shopping in a long time, so I'm glad to have you as my mentor, xD." John said, before suddenly putting a hand over his mouth in shock. What was that sound he'd just made?! ":O!" he produced once more, feeling a new energy within him like never before.

Laughing their ass off, KiritoFan21 took him by the hand and pulled him towards the register. There was anime to be watched and no time to lose.

A couple more hours later the two had made it back to KiritoFan21's apartment. Though the place was incredibly messy, there was a specific spot in the middle of the living room free of any trash or tossed clothes, right in front of the large television. The curtains in the apartment had been blacked out, and the only source of light was the one emitted by the screen. KiritoFan21 and John were huddled in an attack-on-titan themed blanket a few inches away from it.

KiritoFan21 was curled up with their head in John's lap. This had to be the sweetest day of their life. They couldn't help but talk about every little detail. "Those were her parents… and they just got turned into pigs! Isn't that so weird?!"

John simply nodded, completely enamored by the images on the TV like some kind of anime-fueled trance. He dug his hand into a bag of Pocky and pulled two out, handing one to KiritoFan21.

They felt stunned. A Pocky? Nobody had ever given them a Pocky… KiritoFan21 thought this might be the cutest thing anyone had ever done for them. Taking it, they decided that unlike every anime ever, this date wasn't gonna end with a will-they-won't-they. KiritoFan21 sat up and kissed John on the cheek.

"私はグーグル翻訳を使っています." John whispered softly.

Valentine's Matchmaking ♡ [IC]

More options

Sapphire Rose

[I]Only thorns left on this rose.[/I]

QueenNothing

Groc

Eleanor

Princess Era 🎀

Foxrally

[img]http://i.imgur.com/omi0jS3.gif[/img]

Flowerchild

fleeting assembly