tearmeanewone | rendez-vous + APPOINTMENT POST

I could see some of the sky. But there was so much light from inside, it kind of blocked it all out. Some of the brighter ones, sure.

[She swings Gai's hand back and forth a little and looks up again.] But not like this.

[Gai looks at her for a moment before looking up to the sky himself.]

Then we can make that our second date. We'll find a nice, quiet spot and just look at the stars. Maybe even bring a meal along with us.

[It feels weird to be planning an actual date like this; back in his world, the most he would ever do was dinner, and that was only as a prerequisite for getting what he wanted.]

You wouldn't be bored? [Elizabeth looks pleasantly surprised. Back during the last experiment, she started drafting her own charts just for fun and hadn't worked on them since. But she still loved the sky, and she loved any reason to lay back and watch the sky.]

Not with you.

[And it's the truth. Being around Elizabeth is never boring, as he's already come to realize. They just danced on a table in the bar. If that was their first date, what will the second one be like?]

[Even mostly intoxicated, Elizabeth can grasp the gravity of Gai's statement. She'd never realized how... amazing it felt to have someone want to spend time with you. Somehow, she gets the feeling that she could ask Gai if he wanted to spend an afternoon reading together and he would... probably agree?]

[She smiles, shy all of a sudden, and swings their hands a little again.] I would love to do that next time.

Then it's a date.

[Elizabeth isn't the only one feeling a little shy about this, though Gai would never show it. All of his experiences with "dating" (if it could even be called that) were as a means to an end. The idea of having someone that you want to spend time with, even if that time is spent doing something as quiet and uneventful as stargazing, is something that's totally new to him. All he knows is that right now he'd probably agree to do just about anything if she wanted to.

After a quick squeeze of her hand, he takes a step forward to lead the way back.]

Now, I believe we were in the middle of something...

Oh! Right, yes. [She falls into step right alongside Gai. Even though she was just dancing on a table with Gai, she's feeling a little flustered and excited by all of this. This date isn't even over yet and they have plans for another one? That was the best outcome, wasn't it?]

...I left my water on the table. [Whoops.]

I'm sure it'll end up being put to good use before the night is over. After all, you didn't even drink that much compared to everyone else there. It's only fair to give them a chance to avoid ending up sick in the morning too.

[Okay, so it's gonna take a lot more than one half-finished glass of water to ward off the hangovers of all of the patrons still back at the bar, but details. That isn't their problem right now.]

I drank a... good amount! [Two drinks and a shot of tequila was probably more than she should have handled on her first venture out into the world of bars. And maybe if she had still been feeling unsure of Gai she would have held back a little. But after the conversation they'd had before the bar... she kind of needed a bit of something.]

More than you should have for your first time.

[It's gently scolding, though it's clear he's more amused than anything else. At least he can get her sitting down and get some more water into her once they get to his apartment.

Speaking of, they're almost there. And given that she seems a little wobbly, this is no doubt a good thing.]

Only three! How is three too much? [She pouts at Gai and pulls on his hand.] Three is a very solid number. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Very neatly spaced out.

[Gai's only response to that is a laugh. Feeling mischievous, and because it eliminates the risk of her toppling over before they get there, he bends down to scoop her up into his arms.

He also suspects that her reaction to this will be both adorable and entertaining. Ulterior motives, him? Never.]

[He suspects correctly.]

[Elizabeth manages a strangled 'Gai!' and flails a little before getting her arms around his shoulders. She whines and tugs on Gai's hair again.]

I'm not so drunk I can't walk! I know that much at least!

Yeah, but this makes things much faster.

[He tilts his head a little to brush a kiss against her cheek and murmur into her ear:]

The sooner we get there, the sooner we can start practicing.

[An anticipatory, gentle blush rises on Elizabeth's cheeks and she bites her bottom lip to keep from giggling. Well, alright then. He could carry her if that was the goal he had in mind...]

[She settles against Gai, head resting in the slope of his neck, arms still around his shoulders.] You make a good argument.

[Gai's eyes open just a fraction wider, surprised by how her action makes him feel. Protectiveness, yet it's mixed with something else, something he can't quite identify but feels like he should be able to. A bit of pride, definitely, but there's more than just that. Whatever it is, he's pretty sure he likes it.]

I always have been good at that.

[It's a simple matter for him to carry her up the steps into the building itself, then down the hall to his apartment. He knew he chose the first floor for a reason...]

Mm... [Elizabeth nods, letting her eyes drift shut as Gai carries her inside. He smelled nice, and the evening was very quiet. She was noticing so many different things tonight, somehow. She only hoped she'd remember everything tomorrow.]

[They stay that way in comfortable silence until Gai reaches the door of his apartment, where he is faced with a dilemma: namely, how to open the door sans hands. Sure, the Malnosso may fix the door if he kicks it down, but talk about a mood-killer.]

I'm going to have to put you down so I can open the door.

[Who knows, that could be impressive to Elizabeth.]

After you went to all that trouble to pick me up? [She grins and reaches back into her hair and draws a very interesting-looking pin out of it. Slotting the pin into the lock, Elizabeth looks back up at Gai, jiggles it around for a moment, bites her lip--]

[Click.]

[She turns the knob and pushes the door open.]

Child's play. I figured these locks out on day three.

[Did she just--

-- she just picked his lock. With a hairpin. While she was still in his arms. Holy hell, he's pretty sure he's in love.

He'll just take that opportunity to step into his apartment, kicking the door shut behind him and making a mental note to get a very secure lock for anything that he wants to keep absolutely secret from everyone.]

One of these days you're going to have to tell me what else you've figured out in the time you've been here.

[Elizabeth giggles at Gai's reaction, settling back into her comfortable place in his arms as she resets the pin in her hair.]

I had time to learn how to pick locks before I got here. It was simple enough to apply it to these locks.

But locks are easy. Not much else works exactly how it should here.

It's a useful skill to have, even here. You never know when you might want to let yourself into someone else's apartment.

[He might be serious, or he might be joking. It's hard to tell. He is smiling, though, so she can interpret it however she wants.

It's a short walk over to the couch, where he just sits down with her still in his arms.

There. Isn't this much better than the bar?]

[Much. Elizabeth resettles herself, sitting up on Gai's lap.] I try to only break into the places I need to go. I wouldn't break in here unless it was an emergency.

Or... unless you wanted me to. [She smiles back, cheeks going a little pink again.]

I might like a surprise once in a while. Life is boring without any excitement in it, after all.

[His mind is already supplying all sorts of possible scenarios for this and he likes every one of them. Never a dull moment indeed.

That blush is very cute, he will admit that, and he can't quite resist the urge to brush a kiss against her forehead. They did come here for a reason...]

I don't know if I want to surprise a resistance leader. Especially one who glares like you do. [She ducks her head a little to help Gai reach her forehead, which serves to remind her why they came here.]

So... You should tell me what you like.

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