[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]

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.

[hell_in_highheels]

The desire to touch him is almost overwhelming. But he is too far away, in more ways than one.

She remembers his response the first time she touched him uninvited.

She settles for reaching out her hand to him, laying it palm down on the table.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He's a little too irritated to even consider taking it at the moment.

But at least he sees it. He looks up from his alcohol to her and then shakes his head ruefully. "Nevermind. The long and short of it is we were all infected." He arches an eyebrow. "I died. They didn't."

There's also the small matter of one of them killing him, but he really shouldn't go into it more than he already has. It's grim and not the sort of thing one talks about on a psuedodate.

He lets out a breath. Let's change the subject, yes? "Have you decided on a dessert?"

[hell_in_highheels]

She withdraws again, respecting his wishes in both matters.

She takes a moment to look back at her menu, her eyes not really focused on the text. "Something chocolate I think. Gelato."

She looks over his shoulder to the rat, raising a finger to get its attention. "Chocolate gelato, just a small serving. And for you?"

She's still looking down at the menu.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He's not that fond of most sweets, honestly. It takes him a moment to find something that won't overwhelm him with sugar. Thankfully the menu, which is rather thick, has divided things up and all he has to do is find the appropriate page number.

"Just a scoop of mint vanilla," he decides. His flavour of choice may have ulterior motives.

Not like that. It'll drown out his sense of smell for a bit.

[hell_in_highheels]

Right. A moment of awkward silence, then. And then she's looking at him again, watching him for an idea of where they stand.

She knows enough not to offer false platitudes, and decides to let him make the next move.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He takes a sip of his Everclear. Strong stuff, that Everclear.

"I'm sorry," he says after a moment, meeting her eyes. "I'm afraid I've killed the mood."

He didn't mean to.

However, he's acknowledging that there was a mood to kill.

"Must be the predator in me." It's a poor joke, but he's trying.

[hell_in_highheels]

She smirks at him, relieved at the joke. "No, not at all. It's more likely my foot and mouth disease."

She takes a sip of her port and licks her lips. "We have plenty of time, don't we? I mean, we don't have to learn everything there is to know all in one night."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan snorts despite himself.

"No, of course not," he agrees. He doubts she wants to know everything about him, anyway.

"I'm certain there's plenty about Milliways you haven't discovered yet, either."

April first isn't that far off, after all.

[hell_in_highheels]

"April Fools, then?" She laughs. "Milliways seems to me one of those places that I'll never fully understand. I'm content to let it reveal its mysteries at it's own pace."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"I was going to present that option," Ryan says mildly. "I've known scientists before. I know how you lot are."

He's rather amused.