RP: Dinner date

[tt_james]

Date: 25 March 2002
Characters: Lily & James
Setting: Shacklebolt's Folly
Content: TBD
Status: Private : Open

James put on his best slacks and a white button up, which he promptly rolled up the sleeves on. He even tried to tame his hair, but eventually gave up when he considered magicking it shorter to make it stay in place. No. Too far. Instead he just the hair do what it would and apparated with a frustrated huff to the walk just outside of Shacklebolt's Folly.

He'd made reservations via datapad, though it being a Monday night he doubted it would be too busy, most people seemed to prefer the pub after work anyway.

A pretty mugggle (maybe his age or a year older) seated him and he gave the blond a big smile before she moved back to her post at the front of the restaurant. Then he watched the door, because the whole reason he was here hadn't arrived yet. Even if he'd made sure to be a bit early, he watched the entrance nonetheless.

Comments

[tt_lily]

Lily had been prepping for their date half the afternoon. She couldn't find anything to wear in her own closet so she flipped through an old muggle magazine that had dresses in it. Finally, she found one. She normally didn't do purple, but this one caught her eye. As it turned out, it didn't look too bad on her. She spent the remainder of the time doing her hair and at ten minutes until the appointed time, left her home satisfied.

She arrived at the restaurant, a small purse strap on her shoulder (she had a shrunken overnight bag in it). Lily carefully looked around the place trying to find James, and was pleasantly surprised to see him there. She was a bit excited for this evening, and made her way over towards him. "Hello James," she said to him when she was close enough.

[tt_james]

Lily walked in all dressed up in purple and James felt his breath catch for a second - she really always had been the most beautiful witch he'd ever known. His father had made fun of him more than once while he was growing up for his crush. And here she was, all dressed up, for him.

He stood and said hello in reply, getting her chair for her. Once she had sat he leaned down and kissed her cheek lovingly, "You look amazing, Lil," he told her sincerely.

[tt_lily]

"You look quite handsome," Lily replied. She never saw him dressed up often back in the other world; of he had for their wedding, but it was far a few in between before and after.

Lily had to admit, she was a sucker for a dressed up man, especially her own dressed up man. She had no idea why, but perhaps they seemed more attractive? Lily could never figure it out.

"Have you been here before?" She asked, casually admiring him.

[tt_james]

James couldn't help his cocky grin and how his hand immediately went to his hair when she complimented him. Then he shook his head, "Nope, but Lisa over at the World's End had good things to say about it. I figure if anyone knows, it's her, right? Have you?"

James wasn't really sure what you talk about on a date, especially with someone you know so well and someone who knows things about you that you don't even know. "So how's Leo doing? He must love having a caretaker as an owner, right?"

[tt_lily]

"Lisa does know her stuff," Lily agreed. "Leo is well. Spoiled as usual. And like most felines, he doesn't have an owner; he just has someone trained to feed him and love on him. When I left he was on his usual perch, surveying the land."

"How was work today?"

[tt_james]

"Well, I couldn't help be more interested in curling up on a couch under a comfortable blanket," he smiled, "but it's going well. There's so much to learn. Everything is done with computers and they're incredibly tiny and each is different in it's own way. In a way it's like magic, like charms and spells. Maybe I was born in the wrong decade or something," he laughed, but it was only half a joke.

He was nervous, and it wasn't like him, and he hoped that Lily wasn't noticing as he fidgeted with the bottom button of his shirt just below eyesight of the table.

[tt_lily]

"That is something I will never understand. What's wrong with owls that we can't use them here as well?" A part of Lily was secretly glad she never made it to the modern world. She would be so very lost with all the technology.

Lily was a bit nervous as well, what if she said something silly? What if she spilled water on herself? There was so much that could go wrong.

[tt_james]

"I'll get you up to speed, don't worry about all that," he was determined, if for no other reason than the really adorable angry face she made whenever she was frustrated with something.

"I wonder if they're planning someday to have an owl system here? Or muggle mail? Can you imagine, waiting every day on a schedule for someone to drop your letters at your house, outside, it always seemed pretty inefficient to me," he thought out loud only to realize they were literally discussing the mail.

"Ok though, other than the technology and your total inability to play nice with it, this world is kind of amazing, isn't it?" He knew, logically, that it was the same world they'd "come from" but that didn't stop him from thinking of it that way. "The weather is loads better than London, for one, and have you been out to the hot springs for a swim yet?" He cocked his head and looked her up and down, the sudden thought of Lily in a bathing suit very pleasing to him.

[tt_lily]

"It's honestly better than amazing. Yes, the weather is definitely an improvement. I won't argue that. But it's safe here. I like that. There's no Voldemort breathing down our neck. There is no looking over your shoulder. It's peaceful." Lily stopped to take a breath, "And no, I haven't been to the hot springs yet. I didn't know there were any."

[tt_james]

James watched her with fascination and then a thought struck him, "I'm sorry if my job, if being an Auror, was putting you and Harry in danger. I know I wouldn't have joined the Order or any of that without talking to you first - right? - but... Well, it was my fault, really. That all of that happened to us, to Harry." His voice was small, it was something he'd been thinking since he arrived and learned the truth. He'd wondered why he'd agreed to make Peter the secretkeeper, why Voldemort had targeted them, how he'd killed James and gotten to Lily and Harry.

[tt_lily]

Lily really didn't want to talk about something negative, despite the fact she brought it up. "It wasn't your fault. He would have gotten us no matter what. It was the prophecy. It would have happened regardless." She wondered if James would ever believe that and would stop kicking himself about that.

[tt_james]

"I'm glad you feel safer here, though," he reached out and took her hand across the table.

A tall, dark skinned, waiter joined them and introduced himself with a thick Scottish accent. James ordered water for them both a glass of whiskey on the rocks for himself despite the rising price. While Lily ordered her drink he looked through the menu and ordered a simple dinner of bangers and mash (or, rather, the local equivalent).

"Lily?" he looked up to see if she was ready to order as well.

[tt_lily]

Lily had to look over her menu one last night, "Cottage pie, please." She said, feeling sheepish since she had to make them wait. She was good with just the water.

Lily loved spending time with him, and once the waiter had left, she got lost in her thoughts some.

[tt_james]

After dinner and dessert, James had them put it on his datapad and stood to pull out Lily's chair for her, offering her an arm as they left the restaurant. "I was thinking it would be nice to walk you home?" He asked, hoping she didn't want the night to end just yet as badly as he did.

[tt_lily]

After the enjoyable meal, Lily accepted his arm, "You could come in for a while if you like," she said. She wasn't looking forward to him leaving so soon. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, James."

[tt_james]

As they walked toward the main avenue, he said, "Or, you know, we could watch some more of those awful muggle movies over at my house. I still have another bottle of that red wine you liked." He hoped she'd say yes, he wanted to fall asleep next to her, if he were being honest with himself.

[tt_lily]

"That sounds good too," Lily replied. It sounded much better than going home without him. She did have an overnight bag just in case she ended up there so that wasn't a worry. "Did you have a movie in mind?" she asked as they walked, putting her head on his shoulder.

[tt_james]

"There's this one I've been dying to see in the datapad library, it looks so funny, making fun of the old Star Trek fans from when we were kids? Galaxy Quest? Have you looked through the library much? I love how it's all just at the touch of a finger, I can watch any movie or read any book. It's brilliant. I sit and just search through it sometime to see what pops up." His voice sped up when he got talking about movies, just something he'd come to absolutely love since arriving. Granted, it had bitten into his flying time a bit, but it was exciting, too.

[tt_lily]

"I've tried to go through it. I like the book part, but even then it's limited." Oh how Lily did not like messing with her datapad. Call her last century, but she enjoyed holding books in her hand. "Sounds like a funny movie. My dad loved that show, I thought it was so... odd." Lily hadn't thought about her parents in a long time, she wondered where it came from.

[tt_james]

"Well this is sort of making fun of the show and all of that," James rambled as he set it up to play. "I'll go get that wine."

When he came back in to the family room he had a bottle of wine opened, two glasses, and a warm fuzzy blanket from his bedroom. He'd noticed Lily's partiality to it when she'd stayed with him for the storm.

"I'd hate for you to wrinkle that beautiful dress, but care to curl up?" He gave her a shy grin and the moment he'd set down the blanket and the wine his hand went to his hair out of nerves.

[tt_lily]

"Well, if you give me five minutes or so, I can change out of this dress so it would be more comfortable for the both of us," Lily said standing up and held up her little purse. She had brought a change of clothes for the morning and her normal bedtime clothes and other accessories. She loved magic and the ability to shrink things down.

[tt_james]

James raised his eyebrows in question but merely smiled.

"Why, Miss Evans, did you plan to not be heading straight to your own home tonight?" He couldn't help but make fun of her, even if he'd invited her to stay for days during the storm, and as far as she was concerned they'd had a home and a life and a marriage together, anyway.

He called out, "I've stopped it at the menu, no rush," he leaned over the couch trying to get a glimpse of, well, he didn't know quite what be he liked the idea.