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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 27, 2017 4:52:49 GMT
Tony's Pizza had been Elsa's first pick for the second chance date. But for some reason, she wasn't exactly in that kind of mood. She had decided to go with something, ironically, set up as a cliche romantic spot. The La Ratatouille French Bistro had been recommended to her by Anton Ego, a French food critic who had sided with her in a case of food thefts. She was now waiting outside the doors. The red sky was seemingly...romantic now. That could also be the couples and their PDA actions. The place was semi-formal, which meant there was no rush of being overly fancy. Her ice blue maxi dress, which was rhinestoned but not by much, glistened in her hands; nervous frost. Would he actually show up?
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jun 27, 2017 5:47:28 GMT
Suddenly the distant sound of feet pounding on the ground could be heard and steadily drew closer. From the sound of the slapping, the feet were quite large. In the next instant, the large form of Ralph appeared from behind a nearby corner and headed straight towards the restaurant.
Panting, the Giant quickly spotted Elsa and came to a stop several feet in front of her, panting heavily. He had lost track of time while preparing for that evening, quite forgetting to check his clock regularly. It had been so long since that first date with Elsa, that date that had gone so wrong, and he had wanted to do his best to make a good impression this second time around.
He had taken so long getting cleaned up and dressed for the evening that when he finally finished shaving and glanced at the clock in his apartment, he had been dismayed to see he only had 15 minutes to get to the restaurant. So much for good impressions.
However, despite losing track of time, he had managed to arrive at the French bistro exactly on time to see Elsa standing in front of the doorway. He stood for a moment, trying to catch his breath and looking at her. As always she was beautiful, dressed simply in a blue dress with only a spray of rhinestones to adorn the fabric. He hoped that his own outfit didn't look too casual in comparison; a plaid red button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his massive forearms and brown dress pants.
Once he had finally caught his breath, he tried to form a greeting or compliment for the lovely lawyer. Unfortunately, his words came out jumbled up.
"Hi evening, you look nice this Elsa."
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 27, 2017 6:00:01 GMT
The booms of feet were usually a bad sign. But Elsa could tell that the pounding was far from something to be afraid of. Besides, the really big crowd wouldn't be here in, if her watch was synchronized right, twenty minutes.
Poor Ralph looked flustered. But, much to her surprise, he looked...was handsome the right word? Handsome in a rugged way.
Elsa smiled. So he did come. Good. She was worried that a hole-in-the-wall bistro would scare him off. Drinks at the Bourbon would have been traumatizing, for both of them. True, the man who ruined that night was dead, but still...
No. No bad thoughts. This was the present. A present where Ralph mastered the art of speaking backwards. Thankfully, though, Elsa understood his confused phrasing and gave a small laugh and genuine smile.
"Thank you. You clean up well yourself."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jun 27, 2017 6:29:31 GMT
A second after speaking, Ralph realized his words had been mixed up and blushed slightly. Seriously? What was wrong with him! It wasn't like this was the first ever date he had gone on in his life. Heck, he'd even gone out with Elsa at least once before so he had no reason to be so jittery or nervous.... and yet he was.
Thankfully, Elsa didn't seem to care. Indeed, she just gave a musical laugh and offered her own small compliment. And when she smiled at him, he couldn't help but smile right back at her.
"Thanks."
He smiled down at her a moment longer before taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. This was his second chance at a relationship with Elsa and he wanted everything to go perfectly, yet a small voice reminded him that the thing that really mattered wasn't that every little thing went off without a hitch. No, what mattered was that he showed her he had changed for the better.
"Um, shall we go inside?"
The Giant didn't wait for the answer and instead stepped over to the entrance and held the door open for her. Even if the evening had started out a little rocky, that didn't mean it had to stay that way.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 27, 2017 15:30:04 GMT
Ten seconds of silence passed between them. Compared to the silences they had shared in the past after the attempt at a relationship shattered, this was the shortest silence she had shared. Elsa hoped the trend would continue through the date.
Ralph had walked to the door, holding it wide open. French music poured from the door amid the din of diners talking, and she smiled.
"Yes. We beat the dinner rush, too. Best get our place now while we can."
The interior of La Ratatouille was just as charming as the exterior. The carpet was an off merlot shade. Potted plants framed the eaves near the ceiling, all of them simple greenery. Black, wrought-iron metal work kept the green from growing down onto the varnished tables. The cushioned chairs were made from the same carved metal. Diners were sitting in comfortable attire, dining on meals seasoned with thyme or black pepper or rosemary of all of the above. A round faced girl led them both of a table, looking at Ralph and asking if we would like extra support; the key way she asked it was polite and concerned, non judgmental. This was another reason Elsa kept coming back, their respect for Others and the needs they had.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jun 27, 2017 23:57:26 GMT
Once Elsa had stepped inside, he followed behind her and looked around the restaurant. That atmosphere was reminiscent of the kinds of cafes you expected to find down alleyways in Paris but wasn't overly fancy, which suited Ralph just fine.
A friendly server appeared and quickly led them to a table, asking if Ralph needed some extra support for his seat.
"Um, sure. Yeah, that'd be great."
As the young woman gave a simple nod and left to get a sturdier seat, the Giant couldn't help but feel a small bit of relief. After all, the last thing he needed was to try and take a seat and end up crushing the chair under his larger weight and bulk. He and Elsa only had to wait a few moments before their server was back with a larger chair.
"Thanks."
Ralph took his seat across from the beautiful young woman and tried to look at ease. As nervous as he was, he had to keep reminding himself that this was his second chance at a relationship with Elsa. Despite what had happened that first time, both of them still held feelings for each other and were willing to try at romance again.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 28, 2017 1:14:32 GMT
Elsa smiled back in return. Accordions were playing the background, amid all the diners. NThe good news was she had no cases to interrupt her, or rude people calling her out at her job. She unfolded her napkin, settling it onto her lap.
From her date to her reflection, her eyes darted around. This was go around number two, and she was...well..yes, she was nervous. After a while of silence, she took a breath, and, out of irony, deciced to break the ice.
"So...how goes the P.I. work?"
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jun 28, 2017 1:34:06 GMT
Once they were seated, the server took their drink orders and then left. For a time, neither of them spoke and merely sat and looked at each other nervously across the table. Despite his own worries, Ralph only had to look at Elsa's face to see that she too had some anxiety over this second date. And strangely enough this realization helped calm him somewhat. They were both nervous, sure, but it was ok.
"Hmm? Oh, well things have been ok. I finished up several cases recently, so my funds are solid right now. And now that I've got that case for Omar... but you already know all about that."
He couldn't help but give a small smile as he thought back to that time only a few days ago when the three of them had been talking. The Troll, the Giant and the Lawyer. It sounded like the beginning to a bad joke and yet their discussion being very serious. At least until Omar had straight up asked them why they didn't just ask each other out? It was so ironic. He'd only been talking with them for about half an hour and yet he'd picked up on the lingering feelings they still held for each other.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 28, 2017 3:34:27 GMT
The waiter took drink orders, and Elsa decided to keep it...simple. There was no need to make this a big deal at all. That, and she had lost her taste for some of the bars' takes on her signature drink, the Winterfront. Water would be fine for just this date. At least the ice had thinned for them to talk.
Ralph mentioned Omar, and she found herself smiling just thinking about it. It had only been a week since that conversation even took place. Both of them agreed to help Omar, for different reasons that at the same time warped into one another, and then Omar gave them advice on love, almost bouncing the ideas they were giving him since he admitted of being smitten with a Seelie. She had then invited Ralph to try her favorite ice cream in the end. Now, they just were at a French style table on a date.
"I need to find time to get that adoption I promised him set up. I have to talk to Namine, see when she has some free time, and then call him back. Then off to the courthouse to make it legal."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jun 28, 2017 4:36:41 GMT
"Well with you on the case, I'm certain it'll be done in a flash. When you set your mind to something its like nothing can stop you until you've seen it through."
A moment later the waiter returned with their drinks, a water for Elsa and a soda for Ralph. Normally he would have considered getting something with alcohol in it, but just thinking about it tonight only made him feel unease. After all, he and Elsa had been heading to a bar to get drinks when they had run into Frollo and everything had gone so horribly wrong.
Even if it was silly and made no sense, he didn't feel like tempting the fates and steered away from the alcohol. After taking a sip of his soda, he tried to think of something they could talk about, a safe topic to discuss over dinner.
"So..... you seen anyone from the BPD recently?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 28, 2017 4:40:48 GMT
"Oh, adoptions are always quick. At least, ones where the background checks are already pretty much confirmed."
She smiled wistfully. After being around the Lafayettes and sensing some great tension, a tiny part of her wanted to talk with Weiss. The topic of adoption even made her think of doing something that, well, she was certainly surprised by her own boldness. Did she dare defy the Lafayettes...and try to take custody of Weiss should her worries of child abuse be confirmed?
She shook her head of that. No, she was on a date right now. She didn't need to worry about starting a family now.
"Well, besides Jenna, who, well, lives with me...not really. What about you?"
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 1, 2017 7:39:19 GMT
"Wait, Jenna moved in with you? When did that happen?"
This was news to Ralph, but he reminded himself as he took another sip from his drink that it had been some time since he'd visited Elsa at her house. Mostly they ended up running into each other while meeting with other people from the BPD or working on different cases. Even though the Giant now worked as a P.I. and Elsa was a lawyer connected with the BPD, they were still connected by the fight against crime in Bellerouge.
"Last person I talked to from the BPD was Shadow."
Here he paused as the waiter arrived and asked if they were ready to order. Ralph placed his own order, a dish of boeuf bourguignon, and waited on Elsa before watching the waiter write down the orders and head towards the kitchen. It wasn't until they had disappeared behind the swinging door that he continued speaking.
"He had something on his mind but didn't really talk about it with me. I figured if he wanted to discuss it, he would in his own time."
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 1, 2017 16:58:03 GMT
"She moved in back in October. Her..."
Remebering the promise she had made to her hearthound roommate, Elsa paused. She swore not to tell anyone Jenna's true identity, and would wait until her roommate and friend was ready to confess. Well, maybe she could just talk about the facts she already knew as opposed to spilling the beans on what Jenna really was. That would keep everything going.
"...Her pack kicked her out. She had nowhere to go, what with all this 'anti-Other' bullshit. I opened my door to her, and the rest is history."
Ralph had said the last person from the BPD he talked to was Shadow. Well, that was no surprise. Before Special Agent Rouge Baton, who then fled to work at an Otjers Unit being established in New Mexico with a new partner, the team up of Griffiths and LaCoeur was one for the tabloids. They had been the toughest of the tough, but beneath their gruff exteriors they both genuinely cared; Shadow was just more...protective. A waiter came by to take their orders. She chose a plate of coq au vin, and the waiter left them to speak more about the red and black cop.
"He's always been the type to keep personal matters tight, unless it's someone he trusts. Outside of you, Sunshine, and that Yang girl, he doesn't trust too many. So, yeah, he'll come around."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 2, 2017 6:43:46 GMT
"That's rough, getting kicked out of the pack."
Ralph might have said more on the topic on the anti-Other groups that continued to spew their hate-filled philosophies across Bellerouge, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. Talking about hate-groups like them only made his temper flare, especially hearing about all the things they had done to harm the non-Human people of the city. And while he felt justified in his anger, he knew there was nothing he could do about those evil groups in that moment. Far better to keep his temper in check and instead focus on something positive.
"Well, sounds like this Jenna is lucky to have you as a friend. I doubt most people would open their homes so freely to someone in need. Then again, you've never really been like most people."
Here he paused, hoping that Elsa wouldn't misconstrue the compliment he was trying to give. He wanted his words to sound genuine and true, not merely be some cheap date-talk to try and win Elsa's favor. He wanted her to know that he was speaking from the depths of his heart.
When Elsa then spoke of Shadow's habit of keeping things to himself, he could only give a rueful smile. Heck, it had taken the Giant quite awhile to actually earn enough of the homunculus' trust for their friendship to form.
"Don't I know it."
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 3, 2017 6:07:03 GMT
Elsa's face, for once, was feeling hot. That odd feeling of flying while at the same time not wanting to leave the very place of bliss was coming back. Ralph had been the only person ever EVER make her feel like that. That was because she knew he was a genuinely sweet person. Her lips came up into a graceful, pleasant smile. She swept a hair out of her face, mumbling,
"Thank you..."
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