Someday in Jakarta (Lucy)

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner was still somewhat new to this whole dating thing, so when Lucy actually - miraculously - agreed to go out with him that Saturday, he needed some help figuring out just what they should do. Dinner seemed like a nice thing: traditional, low-pressure, and an opportunity to actually talk unlike at a movie, since they seemed to actually hit it off when they talked. Also, it allowed him a chance to flash his credit card, and what guy didn't like to show off financially to his girl?

But as for where they would dine, that was the question, and he turned to his House colleagues for guidance, essentially asking anyone he felt comfortable asking without naming who he was going on the date with. Melody suggested Shake, Sprinkle, and Roll at the mall, but Tanner figured that place was too cutesy for Lucy (and him), and besides a mall date was just kind of lame. Callie had suggested Chains of Kindness, but that place would just make him look cheap. Cynthia suggested Mimosa Sundays, but that place was on the other side of the spectrum and seemed kind of hoity-toity from the outside (though this shouldn't have surprised Tanner, given the source). Finally, Lucah suggested Honest Abe's - evidently he'd just been there and said the food was good but that he couldn't say much for the company - and that seemed to fit the bill.

So Saturday night came, and Tanner was standing outside of the House at seven, when and where they said they would meet. It was fairly chilly out, but he was only wearing a light jacket due to his high internal temperature eliminating the need for anything warmer. Really, the jacket was mostly to conceal the gift he had gotten for her. It wasn't much, but he figured it was thoughtful and she might actually like it. Under that was a white collared shirt and a pair of dark khaki pants. His blonde hair was spiked up as it naturally was, and he was clean-shaven: hey, looking good was the least he could do.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy hadn't really thought much about what was going on on Saturday. She wasn't organised about dates. On a calender or otherwise. She didn't write things down - she remembered them.

Truthfully, she forgot anything was going on.

That was until she had a sudden recollection about half an hour before she was supposed to be somewhere.

Now, a normal person would rush. They'd think tardiness was worse than looking like utter shit. Lucy didn't agree with this. No one likes to look shit, she reasoned, for dates or otherwise. So Lucy was late. By about fifteen minutes. So she supposed it wasn't that bad.

"'Ey." She spoke out, her hands tucked into the pockets of her faded khaki parka. She kept the hood up, a grey scarf around her neck for good measure. Black skinny jeans and worn combat boots. Truthfully, she didn't look all that different from how she normally did. But it had been a year, and this wasn't the face she remembered.

He looked better.

"Me and the cold, y'know?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders and even trying a smile. "We can't all be personal heaters."

[Tanner Larson]

A few minutes after seven, just when Tanner was starting to get nervous that perhaps one or both of them had mixed up their dates, times, and/or locations, he recalled that she had been fairly late for their first date, so much so that he had started feeling the same exact way back then. So he relaxed, though only a bit, because really he still didn't totally trust that even if she did show up, it wouldn't be without another one of her notes.

He'd kept that note, as a matter of fact - not for sentimental value, since the two had only gone on two dates before falling out of touch - but because it was just too priceless. She'd walked all that way just to tell him, in writing, that she wasn't coming. Who does that? And it had taken every tactic in the book to get her to stay, but then she did, and the night had gone surprisingly well.

Okay, maybe it was a little special.

When she finally did arrive, he smiled: worth the wait. Even though she was bundled up - something Tanner never had to worry about - she still managed to look good, which was no small feat in winter. That, he had certainly never forgotten about.

"Hey," he replied lightly - almost, nervously? - as she greeted him, and he attempted to resist the instinctual temptation to puff out his chest. (Hey, he'd been working out.) "Right," he agreed with another smile and a nod in response to the heating comment. It wasn't lost on him that she'd managed to make a joke about him that wasn't questioning his sexuality or his profession. Maybe she was more into this than he thought. "Well, we'll get inside soon," he said, gesturing towards the direction in which they would be headed.

"Oh," he added quickly, stopping in his tracks before pulling a small package out of his jacket. "I got you something. Merry Christmas, and all that." The package itself was wrapped in a dark pink paper and decorated with a yellow bow. He wouldn't offer this information if not asked, but he hadn't wrapped it himself; Melody had insisted she do so after he'd mentioned his upcoming date. "It's a set of markers," he said, not really doing the product justice. "From the Book Nook. For your art stuff."

Yeah, he did good.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Did he seem nervous? Or was that just the way the weather inflected people's tones?

"Okay, good." Lucy replied definitively. For someone who'd been around the weather so long, she really sucked at climatising. "I'm gonna walk by you. Cause seriously, you're a bloody fire right now." And with that, she made the motion to walk closer to him. Even a small step and she could already feel the difference.

But then he stopped, and after a step or so she did too, turning back around to stare at him. She listened to the words offered, but didn't answer as much as she looked from him to the package in his hands.

This was a joke, right?

Regardless, the Australian took it from him almost tentatively; "Could you have picked gayer wrapping paper?" She asked, exhaling on an almost nervous laugh.

It was difficult to unravel with gloved hands, but she made it work to the point where she could see what it was right after he'd told her. The brand, in particular, had captured her attention. Lucy looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing in her own confusion.

"Shit," She swore, literally at him; "I didn't get you anything. I didn't know."

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner certainly didn't mind if Lucy wanted to walk closer to him to stay warm. He recalled that they met at a time when the boy was enjoying showing off his powers, so while he couldn't remember specifics, it wouldn't surprise him if he'd produced a flame for her while they were sitting inside the House, or something of that nature. It was cool of her to have remembered his power, though, since it had taken him a moment to remember hers. One didn't easily forget being shown a tattoo in that particular spot on the female form, though.

No, one did not.

He chuckled at the remark regarding the wrapping paper. Yes, that was the Lucy he remembered. "That was all they had," he replied. Even as he'd watched Melody unravel the paper to make a measurement, he'd felt it was a little too... girly. That was the same reason he wasn't taking Lucy to Shake, which come to think of it was also Melody's suggestion.

He raised a hand quickly as Lucy admitted she had anything for him. "No, it's okay," he assured her, "I wasn't expecting anything. I just... wanted to get you something," he explained. He certainly didn't want her feeling guilty, since this was just on a whim that he'd bought her anything at all. He felt kind of bad for falling out of touch, not that either of them were that invested, but still, he could have done a better job. Heck, he couldn't blame her for being late to their date when he'd waited eight months to ask for it.

"Come on, let's go," he said, leading the way once more. "We're going to Honest Abe's," he added, figuring there was no point in keeping it a surprise since they'd be there in a few minutes anyway. "Hope that's okay."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy very briefly turned her gaze up to him, a crooked grin on her mouth as he spoke about the wrapping paper. "Sure it was." She said under her breath, breathing a small laugh as she went back to trying to unwrap it.

It wasn't weird to feel strange about the lack of gift reciprocation, was it? Lucy wouldn't say she felt bad - really, if he wanted something he should have told her - but still. She definitely didn't expect it. And she definitely didn't expect something useful to appear from the myriad of dark pink and sunshining yellow. "Oh. Okay," She replied finally, looking back down at the gift and stuffing it into her pocket.

"Cheers." It was the closest thing to a thanks she could offer.

When they started walking again, she kept close to him just as she had been. "Ah, yeah. I've been there a couple of times." And she supposed it wasn't bad. Besides, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to talk there than it would be at the place he worked.

"So," Lucy started, smirking; "Totally not a stripper?"

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner smiled as Lucy thanked him for the gift - she was from Australia, and "cheers" was their "thanks," wasn't it? - and held up a hand once more. "No problem," he said, stuffing both hands now into the pockets of his jacket. "I'm glad you like it." She hadn't told him she did, but she didn't have to: Tanner had learned just over the course of their two dates that he had to read between the lines a bit with Lucy, and he was sure she would have made a joke about the quality of the gift itself if it wasn't at least decent. After all, she'd already made a mockery of the paper in which it had been presented.

Lucy, to Tanner, was both in-your-face and enigmatic all at once.

They started walking down the sidewalk together, the blonde smiling inwardly at the young woman's close proximity. He knew it was just for heat, and that otherwise she'd likely be keeping a safe distance, but it was still nice. They weren't a couple at all, and he knew that, but at least for now it kind of felt like they were, and that was more than enough for him at this stage. "I swear," he said with a chuckle. "I can't say the same for everyone else there, though." There were plenty of other performers, mostly the girls, who showed off their bodies significantly more than he did. "I can ask my boss to set up a suggestion box if you want to change that," he added with a smirk, as he turned to gauge her reaction as they continued walking. A year ago, he never would have come back with that, but he was more expectant of Lucy's particular brand of humor now and knew how to handle it a bit better.

They arrived at the restaurant, and Tanner led Lucy to the hostess' station. "Reservation for 7:15," he told the woman, "last name Larson." It was closer to 7:30 now, but every restaurant had a fifteen-minute grace period; he'd made the reservation for a bit after they were scheduled to meet so that they'd have time to walk there, and it was a good thing he did since Lucy was late anyway.

"Right this way," the woman said, grabbing two menus before showing them to a table; they ended up getting a booth, which Tanner thought was fantastic, since it meant it would be a bit quieter and more secluded. He slid into one side of the booth, taking off his jacket and placing it down at his side.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

His joke wasn't lost on her. Neither was his little amused smirk. Truthfully, Lucy always assumed the pyrokinetic was a little afraid of her. Such was the way with most people when she first met them. "That'd require me actually walking in again." Lucy retorted, shifting a step to nudge him with her shoulder.

The place itself was nice. It was a smart choice, really, considering the fact that they seemed to get along when they were able to talk. She followed along to the table, sitting opposite Tanner. She opted to leave her jacket on for now, at least till she was feeling a little warmer.

"Y'know, your club's hired both my best friends?" She asked, looking up at him, "I'm gonna have to visit now."

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner had definitely been intimidated by Lucy at the very beginning. He'd thought it was awesome that someone - well, multiple people, actually - had wanted to bid on him at the MANifesto, but for someone to bid twice? That had been a boon for his self-esteem, to say the least. But then her texts had been kind of terse (this coming from the boy who always texted and IM'd in complete sentences), and then the note thing... it had been a shaky start to their date, but really it had ended up going fine. The whole dating scene had still been quite new to him, though, so he likely would have been nervous around anyone. At least it hadn't been someone handsy.

The blonde had glanced down at the menu, of which the hostess had left two for them, when Lucy spoke again. He quirked an eyebrow with curiosity and interest. "Oh yeah?" He asked. "And who'd that be?" He knew most of the people who worked at the House, but he didn't know who she might be referring to since he never brought her up when he was there; he'd also been careful not to give her name when asking around for a place to bring her tonight, as he knew the House crew could be somewhat... gossipy. He smiled inwardly when Lucy said she might come to the House again, though he didn't say anything in response to it; he'd already made enough jokes about her wanting to see him, and he didn't want to come off as arrogant (or, worse, desperate) by making it again.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy contemplated for the moment of how to explain the two most important people in her life. The initial word was snarky. But snarky described a lot of people in Pilot Ridge, and she assumed it did the same for the House. "Rowan, the obnoxious Boston dude. And Sawyer, the DJ chick." Okay, they were both a bit obnoxious, too. But the word suited Rowan more.

The ink manipulator glanced up from the menu towards him, briefly catching the little smile on his face. She inadvertently exhaled a small laugh. Something about his smile dragged one out of her. "What?" She asked, lightly given the potential strength of such a stand alone word.

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner listened as Lucy named and explained her two friends who currently worked at the House, face falling somewhat as he heard them; he didn't know either of these people, which was kind of a drag. It would have been cool if they had mutual friends. Tanner wasn't the creepy, stalker-y type of guy to try to get information about Lucy out of them, but maybe he'd be able to gain some kind of insight. They were on their third date, but she still seemed like a stranger to him in some ways. It was simultaneously nerve-wracking and exciting.

He briefly wondered whether she'd mentioned this date to either of them. He understood - though couldn't fathom why - that some people didn't like his friend Lucah because he was dating Callie, another friend of his. He certainly didn't want to be the next victim of their gossip.

"I don't know them," he replied with a shrug as a waitress came and placed two glasses of water down on the table. "Have they been around long?" Around the House, that is. He thought perhaps they were new, since he knew of most people who worked at the House. He was honestly surprised - almost impressed - that she knew two people at the House he didn't.

Yet. He'd try and scout them out next time he was there.

His smile reappeared at the girl's question. Was she as nervous as he was? It seemed that way, given her little laugh and one-word question, but he wasn't terribly good at reading people. "Nothing," he protested facetiously, leaning in slightly and crossing his arms on the table casually in front of him. "I wouldn't mind seeing you around more often," he added, referring back to her suggestion that she might stop by the House now that she knew more people working there. It seemed he was getting bolder the longer he interacted with this girl; he figured one had to be plenty confident to keep someone like Lucy even remotely interested. He was still working on that aspect of himself - the whole self-confidence thing - but it was coming along and working at the House had helped.

"So, how's Hammel been?" He asked, as he reached for his glass and brought it to his lips to take a drink. They'd bonded over their mutual disdain - perhaps that was a strong word? - for Vermont, so he figured that was safe enough territory. He wouldn't always play it safe, but he was still new at this.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Were they new? Lucy wasn't exactly sure on the details. "I think so, yeah." Lucy replied, trying to recall when she heard their respective news. "You guys got a fair mob working there now? Hammel people love talking that place up." What little she did know was that everyone who didn't work there knew someone who did.

"Nothing, huh." Lucy repeated. Usually she hated the word and the mystery behind it; nothing almost always meant something.

She watched the way he leaned in, her eyebrows raising slightly when he spoke. The amused grin on her mouth was trademark by now. "You're totally hitting on me, aren't you." She denoted, wondering how he'd react to being called out. It wasn't as if she sounded annoyed or even angry.

"Shit." Lucy replied instinctively. He seemed to remember her dislike for tbe place pretty well. Good play. "As always. Bet you're glad you got out when you did."

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner nodded at the answer. It made sense that he didn't know them if they had only just been hired recently. "Yeah, it seems like every few weeks there's someone new around," he said in response to the next question. He didn't mind, though he still wasn't huge on interacting with strangers. "Most of them are part-time, though, cuz they're still students, which is why we can afford to hire so many." Tanner was working there full-time now that he was out of Hammel, performing several times each weekend and helping Cynthia out with various things.

He smiled widely as Lucy observed that he might be hitting on her, trying his best not to let a blush rise to his cheeks. He needed a good line here, since he couldn't just let that be the final word on the matter. That was no fun. But he also didn't want this to be one-way, so he decided to play it cool. "I don't need to hit on you," he said at length, reaching for his water glass and taking another drink. "You're already here, right?" He smiled again, more faintly this time. He had a theory that Lucy didn't mind a little flirtation, but in small doses and not too cheesy. Whether that was an accurate reading, he'd have to find out, but he would use that assumption to guide their conversation as best he could.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome not being there anymore," he agreed with a nod. "I mean, by my last semester I was ready to burst." He sort of hated being a student, which was why he hadn't gone to college right away, but he was now thinking he might want to do that. "Not having roommates is also pretty sweet." Lucy already knew that about him, though... not that he'd even remotely tried to take advantage of that when she had been over. "And this is your final year?" He assumed.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

A thoughtful expression crossed the Australian's features when he denoted why he didn't need to hit on her. Lucy was trying her very best not to let the amusing aspect of the whole thing overcome her - if she started laughing at how much fun it all was, she mightn't ever stop. "Depends on what you want from me, Tanner." If it was a game - and it seemed like it was - the ink manipulator always came to play.

"I gotta say, I'm jealous." Lucy shrugged her shoulders at the fact. She could give him that much. She didn't have bad roommates, per se. But she'd been at Hammel a lot longer than she needed to be at a high school. The thought alone made his second question more difficult to answer.

"Dunno yet, really." Lucy admitted, though the words sounded as bitter as they tasted to say. "Some uhh- Some shit happened." It was an even bigger admittance. One that surprised her; "Makes trying to focus on one thing an even bigger chore."