Faster

[Sammy Wilder]

Outfit Reference

Sammy wasn't going to lie. She had been looking forward to this date with Beau that she had breezed through training and classes just so she can co-ordinate her outfit for the night. In the end, she settled on a simple ensemble of a soft pink chiffon dress with black straps, her black mid calf boots and her washed out and worn denim jacket so she wouldn't get too cold at night. She had done up her hair in a simple ponytail with her fringe parted on the left and put less make up on than she usually did. Which wasn't even much to begin with. Just a simple application of baby powder on her face, a little bit of eye liner and lip balm.

Being on time or early for meetings had always been Sammy's promise to everyone. It was something she knew she was able to do. So a quarter to six, she did final checks. She made sure her phone was fully charged and nothing was out of place in her room before leaving her dorm to meet up with Beau where they'd promised to meet.

She didn't mind waiting for people so when she saw that Beau wasn't around yet, she leaned against a wall and took out her book. Over the past few days, she had gotten into the thick of the book and Alex Colliard was getting unsavoury by the chapter. It left Sammy wondering how deceiving he had been in the first half of the book. She thought that was rather clever of the writer, luring you into a false sense of loyalty for the character and then slowly making him out to probably be the bad guy.

It really was a good read, all in all and she was going to enjoy dissecting it with Beau. Though she did expect him to make her forget about the book altogether. In the meantime, she kept reading, her eyebrows furrowed in the middle in concentration.

[Beau LaRoux]

To Beau's credit, he really meant to get there a little early. He'd spent some time making sure to look just right, not wanting to get overeager or anything. Gel met his hair in an agreeable combination, giving it a well-styled look that only took fifteen minutes to manage, thank God. He hadn't wanted to get too girly or freaked out about this, but he still couldn't quite help it. He'd picked out one of his nicest pair of jeans, a fairly stylish pair he usually reserved for dates and concerts, and a fairly decent shirt. His ma always said that you needed to at least wear something with buttons to the first date, and Beau figured his black button up shirt would work alright. Didn't want to overdue it.

No, the late thing was 'cuz Beau was holding the battered, library copy of Nephew in one hand while trying to finalize everything. He'd been reading it; dang thing was actually pretty good, but he wasn't sure how much Sammy wanted him to read. He'd only gotten about halfway through, what with having to balance, you know, life. He finally tossed the book into a corner of his dorm, grabbed his phone and threw on the best, most stylish jacket he had: dark denim all the way.

Beau almost jogged to where he was due to meet with Sammy. He smiled and waved at her as he drew close, coming slowly to a stop. "Sorry 'bout keepin' ya waitin'. I know it sounds silly, but I was tryin' on readin' more o' the book afore I got here. You know how it is: procrastinatin'. Got halfway though,' and then Beau finally breathed, as if relieved that he'd managed to complete his homework. It was during that breath that he actually got a look at his date. "Well, dang, you do dress up even prettier, don't you? Folks 'round here gonna be jealous when they see you with me."

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy almost didn't catch half of what Beau said because she was so concentrated on her book. Snapping it close when she heard his voice, she quickly slipped the book into her bag and her smile widened as he admitted to having actually read the book.

This boy wasn't kidding when he said he was going to. That was weird. Only because not a lot of boys would actually get out of their way to do something a girl had asked them to do. Briefly, she wondered exactly why he was so eager to please her. That led her to feel so flattered her cheeks heated up, causing her abilities to manifest in the form of heat emanating off her in rolls.

"Um...thank you. You...look good yourself, wow. You..." Sammy finally looked at him properly and everything just fit so well on him. She blinked up to look at his face when she caught herself staring and she smile sheepishly at him. "I want to think it's the other way around but we'll go with what you think. That makes more sense." She nodded with a small chuckle, pushing off the wall and looked at him expectantly. "Shall we?"

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau just grinned at Sammy's comment. Okay, so, yeah, he knew it was sorta true. But that didn't make his comment about people being jealous of him any less true either, at least not in Beau's eyes. He also wasn't surprised to see that she still had the book. Maybe he should have just kept the dang thing and read it on the way here. That would probably impress her even more (and certainly didn't have anything to do with Beau's wondering what the hell was up with the uncle and if he should really be rooting for a guy that shady).

He did know what to do with that look though. He swept into a bow that just screamed "Southern gentleman," then rose with something akin to grace, eventually coming up with an arm. "For the lady," he offered, drawling the words. He added that grin of his, his eyes twinkling. "An' did the lady figure where she'd like to go eat? I got a few in mind, but I already got plans for later."

Oh, and how he really, really hoped the plans worked. He could feel that heat swelling up and he began to wonder if he'd erred in wearing the jacket. He'd just thought "boy, it's cold," not "I'm going to be going on a date with a girl who literally make me warmer." Tough break, but he'd manage, somehow.

[Sammy Wilder]

The bow made Sammy purse her lips, refusing to let go of the giggle that was bubbling in her throat. She was being ridiculously amateur about all this and she really should stop it. This wasn't her first date by a long shot, she had to remain calm.

Slipping her hand through Beau's offered arm, unaware of the rising temperature she had caused, Sammy squeezed his arm lightly. "I'm the wrong person to ask about where we should get food. Honestly, if it really were up to me, I'd want to go to Wendy's." She chuckled.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau was about to suggest that anyone was the right person to ask for food when Sammy suggested Wendy's. He couldn't help but smile at that, nearly losing himself in a chuckle. He had to bring a hand up to his face, trying to make it look like he was stroking his chin instead of smothering any noises of amusement. A bookish girl who would honestly suggest Wendy's for a date; yeah, Sammy was definitely something unique.

"Well, if the lady wants her Frostie, who am I to deny her?" asked Beau, nodding to Sammy and grinning. "I'm partial to dippin' my fries in 'em myself," Beau finished with a wink before leading Sammy out of the dorm, and soon enough, out of Hammel proper. Traveling through the school was easy for Beau by now; being this close to Sammy, however, was taking a little adjusting. Beau was at least thankful that she had enough control over her power that neither of them burst into flames. He was also thankful he actually read the darn book: it gave him something to get her started with. Get the girl comfortable, make her the star of the evening.

Why yes, Beau's mother had taught him that one too. You're catching on.

[Sammy Wilder]

The way her face lit up when Beau actually took her suggestion seriously would have made anybody think Wendy's was a Godsend to her. Even moreso when Beau admitted to doing the exact same thing she loved doing with her fries. "Oh my gosh me too!" she let loose a little giggle as she squeezed Beau's arm. Even her steps looked a little lighter.

"I'm a little overdressed for Wendy's but seriously, I'm more than willing to get this dress dirty if I can just get a hold of my bacon cheeseburger and chilli." She hummed her satisfaction and chuckled to herself. If Beau managed to last through the night with her behaving like a two year old, he really must like her.

Her abilities seemed to wane over time, now that she was slightly less nervous than before. It was still warm but it wasn't "take your jacket off" warm.

They kept up the small chatter as they walked into town, just little things about family, likes and dislikes, the usual getting to know each other stuff.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau had to laugh at the similarity. "Have to watch out that you don't go sneakin' my fries then," he told her. As for dressing up, he just had to chuckle at that and add a quick "So we class up the place." And just like that, they were just walking. The heat seemed to diminish, which made Beau somewhat thankful. Not that he didn't kind of like that little side effect, but it was nice to know that the power he'd picked up wasn't one that was gonna go out of control. Were he more inclined to discuss powers as a whole, he probably would have complimented Sammy on her control. Thankfully, there was the great wealth of small talk to work with. Beau had no qualms about mentioning his massive family, or how he learned instruments, and he got to learn little details about Sammy too, which just made her more... interesting as time passed. It was weird, 'cuz she kept feeling like most of the girls Beau liked and yet, not. He honestly wasn't sure he would have even approached her if she hadn't been pretty and blonde, but now he was kinda wondering if that wasn't a good thing.

They managed to find Wendy's, which wasn't hard, since both of them knew where it was.  As per usual, Beau held the door open, waving for Sammy to go ahead of him. The smell of a burger joint wafted in, and Beau took a deep breath. That, he could get used to.

"Gotta admit, I'd rather be here than at some fancy French place," admitted Beau. He'd walk in after Sammy, letting the door close behind them. "An' remember: I'm payin'. Ain't right to let the girl pay," he nodded and grinned, already scanning the menu and mentally selecting options.

[Sammy Wilder]

"Keep your hands to yourself and we'll call it even." Sammy retorted with a light laughter. With a nod, she agreed with Beau and then the small chatter began. She wasn't shy either when it came to talking about her big family. Five boys all older than her, her favourite being Joe. And she actually listed down her favourite foods, starting with anything with cheese and ending somewhere with mashed potatoes. She even let him in on her little celebrity crushes like Idris Elba and Gemma Arterton.

In pockets of moments, she felt that Beau had something else to say but he never did. She wanted to ask, but she never did. Awkward first date moments? Maybe.

Slipping her hand out from his arm and stepping into the fast food restaurant, she whirled around to face him with a grin. "Please don't judge me for what I'm about to order." She took his hand and dragged him along.

She was glad he didn't feel weird having their first date at a fast food restaurant. Sammy knew she would feel a lot less comfortable if it were a fancy restaurant with waiters and napkins on her lap. The paying thing made her purse her lips though. On the one hand, it really was quite gentleman like but on the other hand, she was going to be buying a whole lot. She didn't want to put a dent on his wallet!

"Can I at the very least pay for dessert later? And yes, we're getting dessert outside of our Frosties, bet on it." She gave him a mocking look of warning before a warm smile spread across her lips.

"Can I please have the single bacon cheeseburger, the broccoli and cheese baked potato, one strawberry Frostie and one small chilli." She turned to Beau and grinned sheepishly. "You sure you still want to pay for me?"

[Beau LaRoux]

{OMFG, they both come from large families where they're on the younger end... seriously, I did not write Beau like this on purpose}

If it was one thing Beau knew all too well, it was the bane of being on the younger end of a large family. He was half tempted to make a joke about how the LaRoux family could totally take the Wilder family, but he figured that was more of third date material (assuming they made it that far). Better to stay within the safe topics of the smaller things. Which, thankfully, had gotten them to Wendy's in amiable mood, to say the least.

"Ain't no judgin' goin' on here," drawled Beau, holding up his hands in mock surrender and moving a little more forward into the line. He was now having nightmares about Sammy ordering the super vegetarian platter with extra ranch dipping sauce and a Diet Coke. Naturally he would have to dump her then and there, and nobody would blame him for it. At her insistence on paying for dessert, Beau hemmed, feeling the conflict. On the one hand, it would be rude to just tell her off, on the other, it would be rude to make the girl pay. Best to just think of this as a modern woman thing and compromise. 'sides, it fell in line with Mamma's number one rule: the girl is always right.

"Hey, if you're gonna insist, ain't gonna be no skin off my nose," replied Beau, chuckling. He stuck his hands in his pocket, waiting for Sammy to go first and order. And order she did. Her sheepish grin was met with one of Beau's widest yet. "Ain't nothin' hotter than a girl who ain't afraid to eat. An' don't worry; I got enough cash to handle it. Oh, an' my order," he turned to the cashier. "Double bacon barbecue, large fries, large chocolate Frostie," he winked at Sammy. "Now I know I ain't gotta be bashful 'bout it. Was gonna leave off the barbecue if you'd been all gentle and womanly in your orderin' habits."

And then there was an exchange of cash and a move along the line.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy chuckled lightly at Beau's display of mock surrender. She had to admit, it was charming and adorable. And if she knew he thought she would have a lady's appetite at Wendy's, she would have given him an evil laugh.

His concession to her paying made her grin widely and lean against him a little. "Good on ya." She responded before putting in her order. At his comment, her cheeks started to heat up and this time, she became aware that that would lead to some temperature discomfort so she pulled away from Beau and tried to calm herself down. This was getting ridiculous! Why was she so flustered?

A big, short bark of laughter bubbled from her throat at his last comment as the cashier made quick work of their orders. "There is nothing gentle and womanly about my eating habits. You should just find that out now before we go any further."

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau handed over the correct amount of cash for the order, careful to hide the decent sized wad of cash he had. It wasn't nearly as much money as it looked; people had a tendency to tip musicians in ones for the most part. Beau hadn't been kidding about having grabbed enough money for the night. He wasn't great shakes at math, so he'd just scooped up most of the tips he'd been storing in a jar for just such an occasion.

Thoughts of money soon flew out of his head though, replaced by a chuckle. "Now you're jus' teasin' me," he drawled. He moved to lean against one of the barriers separating the line into little aisles. He could see the workers already getting to work on their Frosties, and he had to admit, he could feel his stomach moving. "Jus' warn me if I need ta get outta the way in time. Gotta watch out for the fingers," he said, wiggling said digits at Sammy. Another chuckle and he licked his lips. "'sides, it's like I said: beats all that fussin' an' stuff. I've seen some girls that won't even order a cheeseburger in front of a guy. Now who would wanna be with a girl like that?" he gestured at the counter. He'd momentarily forgotten that he was, in fact, on a date; that was a bit of unadulterated Beau sliding through all the charm. He even shook his head, as though the whole thing was just beyond him.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy didn't take much notice of the money Beau had produced. Even if she did, she wouldn't have said anything. Money was a tricky subject and one she would hope would never come up at any point of time.

Laughing at Beau's teasing, Sammy rolled her eyes and nodded. "I'll be sure to let you know." She responded in amusement. "Mm, yeah. I mean, to each their own but I'm not going to lie to anybody about how I eat. I love me my mac and cheese, pizza and steak." She nodded with a small chuckle.

The orders were complete by the time she finished laughing so she made to pick up the tray to head over to an empty table.

[Beau LaRoux]

"Add jambalaya an' fried chicken an' I think you hit the basic food groups," said Beau, giving Sammy a wink. The order arrived, but just as Beau moved to pick it up, Sammy darted forward. Again the poor Southern boy found himself stepping back and letting his date do the work. Not that he was complaining: this mean he could follow her to the table. He even made it a few steps before realizing that A) he was staring and B) he should probably get napkins and the like. He darted over to grab a handful of stuff, including straws and such, before heading over to the table. He muttered under his breath as he went, sending up a quick prayer blessing the food and such. Always made dates nervous when you prayed, and Beau didn't need more nerves, thankyouverymuch.

He slid into the seat, setting down stuff and helping Sammy sort out whose food was what. "Gotta admit, this is the first time I've had to check this," he said as he unwrapped a burger. Sure enough, he'd grabbed Sammy's single, which he handed over without thinking twice. At least the chili was easy enough. "If ya wanna share the fries, go right on ahead," offered Beau, gesturing. "That's why I got a big one." He punctuated his remark by grabbing a handful of fries, popping open the top of his Frostie, and gathering perhaps a little too much. Beau figured that the best way to make Sammy comfortable (like that was needed) was to be the slob first. So he stuck the massive quantity into his mouth, already feeling the chocolate dribbling down his chin.

At least he chewed with his mouth closed.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy covered her mouth and laughed silently at Beau's remark. "Oh but I love fried chicken though." She admitted with a shrug.

Bringing over the tray to the table, Sammy didn't even think that Beau would be doing any staring. She just chalked up his lateness to arrive to the table due to him picking up all the essentials.

What a gentleman.

They got a little mixed up with the foods but in the end, everyone had their share and Sammy bit her lower lip in amusement when she found that she had more food than Beau did. She wasn't going to care. He said it was hot. She was going to go with that.

"Aww, thank you Beau. But it's fine. I've got my baked potato and chilli to keep my tummy filled." She patted her stomach before taking a fry and dipping it into her own strawberry Frostie. She was busy looking at Beau to realise that she had kept her fry longer than necessary.

She took it out and chuckled as she took a bite out of her fry, moaning a little at the tastes mingling in her mouth. "Oh man. So good." She finished the fry before taking a napkin and wiping Beau's chin off of the chocolate dripping down from his mouth. "You're horrible." She chuckled before continuing her fries dipping, leaving her other food aside first to concentrate on her fries.

"So how long have you been in Hammel?"