[oom: Dinner with captainryan]

[hell_in_highheels]

[from here]

River arrives in the bar just before seven in the evening, and secures a table for two in a cozy corner of the bar.  She's dressed casually, wearing her favourite Irish sweater, jeans and her tan field boots.  But she has to confess, she's spent a bit more time with her hair and her face.

For as interesting as Richard is, he is also a good looking man.

She orders a glass of pinot noir, and waits, watching the faces in the crowd.  When she sees him, she smiles broadly and holds up a hand.

Comments

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He shouldn't encourage her, some part of him warns. Has been warning.

"Like where?"

It's only dinner and a conversation, right? There's nothing serious about that.

[hell_in_highheels]

"The Monteverde Cloud Forest. There are bridges in the canopy of the rain forest. The birds are like flying jewels and there are fresh water crabs living in the bromeliads, three hundred feet up in the air."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan looks intrigued. He didn't see any of that the last time he was in a jungle.

Then again, he hadn't exactly been there for the sightseeing.

"Crabs in the trees?" he repeats, not dubious exactly, just... "How did they get up there?"

[hell_in_highheels]

"Carried by birds, most likely. It's beautiful, though. Green and alive." Her voice has got quiet and she poking at the last of her meal, her eyes downturned, her lips curled in a secret smile.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan leans in a little as her voice softens. Habit, he tells himself, from when he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"I'd like to see that some time," he says.

Wait. Did he just agree to a second outing?

What's so wrong with that?

He turns back to his food which is, too, almost gone and finishes off his steak.

[hell_in_highheels]

Something in his voice makes her look up and meet his gaze. She feels a touch light-headed and the words coming out of her mouth feel like they're coming from a great distance.

"What about tonight? Say a late night walk, after coffee and dessert? It's just a few steps away through my door."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He wasn't expecting this.

He shouldn't get attached. Getting attached is a bad idea.

Since when is visiting someone's world 'getting attached?' It's not like he hasn't done it before, with people he knows even less well than the woman sitting in front of him.

This is different, though. And he knows it, smells it.

She's just going to show him the Library. Dinner and a tour. What's the harm in that?

All that flits through his mind as he frowns. "Uhm. What phase is your moon in?"

It's a valid concern, but also one he can use to buy himself some time.

[hell_in_highheels]

She shakes her head. He's considering saying yes, she thinks.

"That's the nice part, Richard. There is no moon. Not unless I program one up. My world is entirely within the data core."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He hadn't forgotten, but he hadn't thought he'd be automatically pulled into the computer as well.

She called him Richard, he realizes.

"Oh," he says absently, gazing at her.

[hell_in_highheels]

She bites her lower lip as he thinks. "Well?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Right, there's a question he's supposed to answer.

Deep breath, Ryan. Mental step back. It's only a tour. This isn't even an official date.

(It might as well be.)

And really, it'd be rude to think about it this long and then turn her down.

And he is genuinely curious.

"As long as you can keep the humidity down," Ryan smiles in acceptance.

He's not getting attached, he grumbles at that part of himself.

[hell_in_highheels]

She smiles, looking baffled. "But, it's a cloud forest. Literally, a forest in the clouds. It'll be steamy and wet and I'll just shut up now, shall I?"

She's blushing furiously now, giggling, one hand over her eyes. Her scent says joy mixed with the thrill of walking along a high cliff.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

His eyes widen as he realizes what he said.

"I didn't- oh, bollocks," but he's laughing too, even if he's uneasy about it. He's not getting attached (he's not) but he shouldn't be leading her on like this either.

It'd be much easier not to do if he stopped unintentionally flirting with her.

Is it really unintentional? He doesn't even know...

[hell_in_highheels]

River's laugh is full and rich, and unrestrained. She waves a hand in front of her face, and wipes away a few tears.

"Moving right along then," she says, still giggling. "Coffee? Garçon!"

The rat appears, peering back and forth between them puzzled.

"Dessert menus?"

The rat disappears and River turns away, biting her thumb as she tries to compose herself.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan takes the opportunity to clear his throat and finish off his Guinness.

He doubts it would go well with dessert anyway.

[hell_in_highheels]

The rat returns with the menus and River takes it eagerly, using it rather as a shield. (Luckily no one has ever actually died of embarassment.)

"Mmm, port. I think I'll have a glass of port. Port sounds good."

Now she's babbling.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan takes his menu off the table where the rat's slid it. He doesn't blame the creature and at the moment he's too distracted to even be look at the thing the wrong way.

"I'd like a glass of Everclear and ice, please," he murmurs quietly. Anything to take the edge off, though he isn't quite so desperate as to ask for Atlantean.

The rat squeaks and scarpers.

[hell_in_highheels]

She's looking at him through her lashes. She knows nothing about him except the one clear fact. Now, she wants to know everything. There is a certain hunger in her voice when she asks the question.

"So. What did you do before you were turned?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He's looking at his menu and doesn't look up while he answers, "I was a soldier."

Then he glances at her to find she's watching him this time. He offers a quick smile before he's trying to focus on his menu again.

[hell_in_highheels]

"Will Scarlett told me you were an officer. 'A leader of men,' he said."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"You spoke to Scarlett about me?" Ryan asks, clearly surprised. That must have been an interesting conversation. He hasn't spoken to the man for ages.

"I was a captain, yes." He smiles a bit wryly. "I still use it as my title."

[hell_in_highheels]

"I had retired to the bar to do some old-fashioned, page by page research. Apparently you're not the only lycanthrope in the bar, so I had to clarify. I didn't mean to intrude. If it helps, he only had good things to say."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"It's not that, I'm just...a shade leery whenever someone mentions my name came up. The other two werewolves from my world aren't all that fond of me and, as a result, most of their acquaintances don't care for me either." His tone is mostly dry with a hint of irritation to it.

[hell_in_highheels]

That earns him a perplexed look. "Sounds like there's history."

Yet again, she puts her foot in it. She can see his armor going back up. She leans her chin on her hand and sighs, wishing she knew the right thing to say to make him smile again.

The rat returns with their drinks and she thanks the creature quietly.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

But the history is easier to deal with than figuring out what he's doing with her.

He harrumphs, scowling. "A mission gone pear shaped. My last mission." He glares at his Everclear rather than at her.