Complete Private Dates Are Always Awkward, Aren't They?

[Harveste]

"It was just a California roll," Jaluna said with a nervous laugh. "But it's not great quality, and I admit it's probably not the best choice... But you get tired of eating the same 'safe' thing all the time after a while. I grew up going regularly, so I've had a lot of different hospital foods..." She scratched her neck nervously, not keen on admitting her health could be pretty poor. Her genetics sort of sucked.

Following him to the street without a clue of where they were going, she smiled up at him. "I have special gas detectors and stuff, so it's not so bad. My dad visits a lot, too." Her smile remained bright, despite the fact that it was, in fact, a dangerous condition to have. "Dad's still hoping I get a roommate or something to be safe though. He likes I'm more independent now, but... He still worries, you know?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Oh, then it should be fine." Brian shrugged. Though eating in the hospital seemed like a mood, he didn't comment on it though, even if he was curious about why she was eating this sort of thing in a hospital. Her following words brought a slightly concerned expression to his face. "You... Go to the hospital too often?" He asked.

The mention of gas detectors and everything made him nod, now relieved that she had some countermeasures just in case her lack of smell were to fail her in a more serious situation.

"I see, it is good to know your father cares though. Not that they usually don't care, but they sometimes... Forget to be thoughtful." Brian shrugged, finally getting in front of a restaurant, unwrapping his arm from Jaluna, and opening the door for her to step in first.

The restaurant looked fancy enough, not overly fancy or expensive, but certainly one of high quality.

It showed its variety without someone even needing to check the menu, with a sushiman counter, a grill area, and some part of the more traditional kitchen being exposed through a glass, where it was possible to see cooks working on the food.

At that time, somewhere around the middle part of the afternoon, the movement wasn't that high, so things were just calm along with the ambient music the place held.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

"My health hasn't always been the best," She confessed to explain. "Nothing too serious, but sometimes I end up in the ER with migraines that last for a week, and most of my doctors just work out of the hospital, so I visit a lot..." She scratched her neck again. Had she made things unintentionally awkward with her honesty? But it was probably important for him to know.

At the mention of her caring father, she smiled brightly. "My dad's the best. Mom left when I was little, so he's been doing all the work taking care of me for a long time."

She stared a bit once in the restaurant for a moment with curiosity. She could see the kitchen to some degree! It was amazingly different from the norm in her experience. She wanted to point it out, but since he knew this place, he probably didn't need her to. Instead, she grasped his hand gently again, grinning ear to ear. "Any idea what you're going to have?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Brian listened attentively to her words, nodding solemnly at the mention of the hospital, and deciding to not press the topic for her sake. Though the way her father seemed to care about her was heartwarming, something that Brian approved immensely.

After Jaluna took a glance around, he cleared his throat to reply her.

"I will have what you will," Brian said with a grin, squeezing her hand softly as he guided her to a particular table, almost as if it was waiting for them. Some of the waiters seemed to glance at the two of them, with curious expressions and exchange some whispering.

Perhaps for a moment, it would feel weird that they were catching attention when there was nothing unusual about a 'couple' going to a restaurant, but Brian's next words would probably make it very clear.

Pulling the chair for Jaluna, Brian smiled softly, waiting for her to sit before standing next to the table.

"Now," He smirked, drawing the menu closer to her while still standing. "Feel free to choose what you want me to cook for us. Or should the chef surprise you?"

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Jaluna sat stunned after taking her seat. What did he mean he was cooking? Was that why they were getting all those weird looks and stuff? But more importantly... Wasn't he supposed to have the day off? If he worked here like she suspected from his words and actions of the people around them, then that was basically stealing away his time off!

"W-Wait a minute! You never told me you were going to be in charge of our meal. It's your day off, so shouldn't you be resting here with me?"

Then she remembered something. Hanno had planned this carefully- something she'd appreciated greatly. If he'd been worried about that, he wouldn't have planned it. Shaking her head with a sigh, she took a moment and grinned up at him.

"I'll have whatever you recommend. Just nothing that takes an hour to make, okay? I'll miss you if you take too long."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Her reaction wasn't exactly the best, he completely forgot the fact that she would need to wait for him all by herself at a table in a place she didn't know. How he could have slipped noticing this? A terrible move on his part, something that made him vaguely guilt.

"Well... If you will miss me so much." Brian muttered for a moment, looking at her and smirking faintly. "Do you want to come too?" He asked, gesturing to the kitchen.

"You will need to wear some stuff on your head. Hygienics and stuff. Or you can just watch from the counter. Or... I can just not cook either, hehe." He suggested. Hopefully, that wouldn't cause him any trouble. Guests were allowed in the kitchen after all, but it wasn't his work shift today, so he could only hope his boss would be as chill as she usually was with him.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

"I wouldn't be able to help much," Jaluna admitted as Brian offered to take her into the kitchen. "I'm not very good with flames... I avoid pyromancy for a reason." A nervous laugh escaped her. Would she be able to handle going into the kitchen when a gas stove could give her anxiety? Sure, she didn't jump back like she did as a kid anymore, but it was still a little embarrassing.

Shaking her head rapidly, she gave him a smile. "I'll try my best to help, so please let me come with you."

She was fairly red at this point. She didn't know why her face was so hot- was it because of anxiety, or because of surprise at her sudden boost of confidence just by being near him? "I-I'm curious to see you cook, so... If it's okay, then... I'd really like to try some of it!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"In this case-" Brian smiled faintly, offering to take Jaluna's hand to help her off her seat and to guide her closer to the kitchen.

The chef from the shift glanced at both of them, raising his eyebrow but seeming to know the circumstances considering all the whispering between Brian's coworkers.

"Hey Brian, you ass. Don't fool around too much in my shift." The chef scowled, though it was playful in a way. "If you do, you will be cleanin' dishes in your days off."

Brian laughed, casting a glance at him and shaking his head. "Come on man, leave us be." He said, with his cheeks slightly red, now self-conscious about the obvious: Most of his coworkers were seeing this. "Can you get her an apron and a hairnet? I don't want her to get dirt, especially when she is all well dressed and all."

The chef shrugged. "Sure can do, but stop saying cheesy lines in front of me, that's disgusting." He said, going to take the requested items to give to both of them.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Crimson red, the woman took his hand and got out of her seat, following Brian near the kitchen. When the chef on shift came to talk to him, she watched quietly- until the mention of 'doing dishes on his day off'. "Um, I'm pretty good at doing dishes so..." She squirmed slightly. Jaluna wasn't a tidy person, but she'd always been a perfectionist otherwise. Getting dirt off plates was easy for her, and she did it better than most of her family as far as she knew.

When the apron and hairnet were brought to her, she began to stuff her hair into the hairnet carefully. "It's like a loose wig-cap," she noted with a small laugh. Putting on the apron was a bit harder- but she managed to tie it around her just fine.

"I-Is it okay like this?" She was asking to make sure she looked alright and had put things on properly. "Can I help somehow?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"What-?" The man frowned, finally letting out a puff of laugh. "Nah. I'm just jokin'. Come on you two, hurry up before we start getting customers." He said walking away.

Brian shook his head, turning his attention to Jaluna and shrugging. "Ignore him, he is just a bit silly sometimes." He explained, watching Harveste wearing the kitchen gear and smiling warmly at it. "Yeah, pretty much. It is mostly so your hair won't be falling in the food." Brian said, gesturing for her to follow in.

"So you want to help?" He asked, moving into the big kitchen, filled with industrial gear that made cooking much more efficient than a domestic kitchen would allow.

He pondered at it for a moment, while he didn't want her to do anything, he figured it would be nice for her to try and do something. "Well, I was planning on getting some spaghetti. Are you good at cooking noodles?" He asked.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Jaluna stared confusedly at the strange man for a moment, before following Brian into the kitchen when told she was wearing things properly. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at cooking noodle dishes. She hadn't gotten a knack for it yet- figuring out the timing was a bit hard for her. "I'm not very good at it, so I'll just follow your instruction," she told him.

"Oh- if I'm in your way, it's okay to tell me," she soon stated with a nervous laugh. "I know you weren't really planning on me joining you back here in the first place, after all." She was excited either way, certain it would be tasty because it was being made specially for her. The thought made her a little shy, but she was smiling brightly even if her face was a little red at the same time. "I appreciate you letting me come with you... and for today in general."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"... You aren't in my way, well... It is a bit distracting to have a pretty woman cooking with me." Brian said, smiling a bit to Jaluna, managing to not stutter saying those words that if it was at the start of their date, he would've probably not even managed to start it. But at this point, he was more than comfortable about her presence, even if she was older than him and everything.

"If anything, this way we spend more time together, right?" He chuckled, then started helping Harveste to get ready with the pasta and everything.

The process was actually rather fast, and Brian tried to show the basics, which since it was pasta it wasn't actually anything too complex aside from the times he had to toss some salt or anything to give it some flavor.

The real deal came when it was time to do the rest. "Here we make our own tomato sauce rather than buying it. And I don't mean to brag, but my tomato sauce is great... Do you like a bit of spiciness?" He asked.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

His words had her crimson as she shyly replied, "I-I can't be nearly as distracting as you in that department." She let herself stare at him a bit awkwardly, trying to prove her point. Jaluna was bad with compliments in general, but especially ones she wasn't used to. Often called 'cute' because of her short stature, even that was usually too much for her. The thing that would surprise people that knew her was that she didn't just outright deny his claims- she just countered them.

She followed his instructions to the letter if he gave her any, but otherwise watched in wonder as he cooked. The part she paid extra attention to was his seasoning method- Jaluna tended to skip seasoning things when she cooked, because she didn't mind bland food the way other people sometimes did. Having grown up with a sense of taste that seemed to differ from normal people a wee bit, she was always afraid to season things based on her own tastes. So, knowing how normal people seasoned their pasta was a godsend.

"You can make tomato sauce on your own?" She asked, rather intrigued. "Hehe, you're making me more excited just from the fact you're the one making it. Ah, and I like mild spice." It was more like, she couldn't handle more than 'mild'- but she was working on her spice tolerance, slowly but surely. She had to fight her body's urge to drool ever so slightly as they talked about it. "Thank you for letting me join you. I'm learning a lot, and it's really fun!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Brian chuckled slightly at her words, bumping on her softly almost like a playful nudge. "I guess we just both distract each other then." He concluded, peeking back at the cooking and continuing it while watching Janula following his instructions as he continued to teach her the basics of what they would be doing. It was an easy recipe, so she should be able to handle most of it.

A sheepish grin crossed his lips. "Yeah, everything here is made on our own. It is only natural for a respectable restaurant like ours, so we need to make sure it hold some good standards." He said, nodding at her answer and catching that by 'mild spice' she meant 'vague spiciness'. Just enough to make the mouth flavor the interesting burning taste.

He continued to show her the steps, though the tomato sauce was a bit messier so he promptly told her to stay away for a moment as he worked on it.

Being experienced, he was swift and smooth enough to not get himself dirt with all the tomatoes and ingredients going into the mix.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

A soft giggle left her when he nudged her slightly, her cheeks never quite returning to their normal pallor. She was having fun, even if she wasn't much help yet. Every move he made seemed well prepared and articulated, whereas even her footsteps were often haphazard. To a fairly clumsy girl, it was honestly mesmerizing watching him work. The fact that he didn't get dirty even working with juicy veggies like tomatoes just made her more intrigued.

"You're amazing," She said suddenly, without her filter on as usual. "Your movements are so precise. It shows you've practiced a lot and are working hard." A soft smile plastered itself on her face as she commended him.

And so, she stayed back and watched in awe. It was a struggle though, because she had an urge to hug him then and there- but she was behind him, so he wouldn't see her face anyway. That meant she didn't have to hide her big smile and flushed cheeks as long as he was working. I'm so glad he can't see me right now... But am I staring too much?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I have always loved cooking-- and eat, for that matter." Brian chuckled, reminding himself of how much he used to eat when he was a kid. Though it reached a point it was pretty much a health issue.

Even if they remained mostly quiet after he began working on the tomatoes, just having Jaluna there was enough to give Brian a warm feeling. Maybe bringing her to the restaurant he worked on to do a surprise without needing to make her uncomfortable about bringing her to his home was a stretch, but seeing and listening to her smiling and giggling proved that it was a good idea.

He needed to give her more reasons to smile through this date.

"Aaand we are done. Now the rest is mostly putting things together after everything is good to go." He said, finishing stirring the tomato sauce, looking lively and vaguely dense.

Turning to Jaluna, he smiled warmly.

"I think now I can get you back to our table, I won't take too long to get things ready." He said, offering to take her hand.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Jaluna giggled a bit, grinning. "I've always loved eating more than cooking, but I'm starting to like cooking at least a bit more." And right now, she was enjoying learning how more than usual. It was probably because she rather liked her teacher.

What's funny was, Jaluna probably would have followed him home without a second thought. She felt oddly at ease with Brian, even if she was a blushing disaster waiting to happen more than half the time. Still, they had a lot more room in this kitchen than his probably- so, she got to admire his liveliness a bit more easily in her mind than if they'd gone back to his place.

When he held a hand to her, she took it and tugged on it slightly. When she was able, she kissed his cheek, giggling and smiling before awaiting his lead back to the table. "Thank you again for this. It's exhilarating to watch you work."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The gentle tug and kiss made Brian flustered for a moment, but he managed to keep his composure this time, quirking his lips in a grin and gently caressing her cheek with his free hand. "Sure, it is wonderful to have you as a company while cooking, and it will be even better to have lunch with you."

It wasn't the typical romantic dinner with candles, but hey, that would probably end with the two of them mentally drained and dead, so the lunch was much more approachable.

Guiding Jaluna back to her table, Brian pulled the chair for her once again, and after she took a seat, he would smile before quickly going back to the kitchen, preparing the two plates of spaghetti and soon bringing it to the table, no longer wearing the kitchenwear that was needed.

"I hope you didn't miss me" He chuckled, even if he took just about a few minutes to finish the details before coming back.

"Anything you want to drink?"

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

His words flushed her face as red as a rose. "Has anyone ever told you you're a smooth talker?" She giggled softly as she spoke, completely confident in her observation. There was no way she could've said such words as easily as he had, after all- even if she'd been thinking it all along.

When asked if she'd missed him, she pouted playfully. "I did miss you. A lot." With her words came a gentle laugh as she added, "But it was worth waiting for you."

Asking for a simple glass of water, she stared and studied the spaghetti in front of her. She'd taken mental notes of some of his processes and hoped to be able to replicate them for him sometime- not nearly as skillfully as he did it, of course, but it would be worth trying in the future.

When she thought he wasn't looking, she caught herself off guard, staring at him. She tried to keep her eyes glued to her plate, or at least her lap, but she was fixated on Brian. It embarrassed her to no end. Whenever he came back, she'd have to apologize for staring. "I-I know it's rude to stare, but I can't seem to help it..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I'm not used to that, I'm not going to lie." He admitted with some embarrassment crawling in him once again, then peeking Jaluna's pout with a quiet chuckle. "Cute..." He muttered mostly to himself, then smiling shyly at how she return his playful question. "And I am the smooth talker?" He rose his eyebrow.

Brian went for a grape juice, mostly since he wouldn't have alcohol at this time of the afternoon and having a date, so the sweet drink would be a good exchange for the alcoholic version of it.

Coming back, it wasn't hard to notice how much she was staring at him, making he look back at her eyes and clear his throat, approaching and filling their glasses.

"It... It is fine. Is there anything else you want, Luna?" He asked, unsure while pulling a chair for himself, taking a seat on it and looking down at his plate, forking it and looking up at her, waiting for an answer.

@Harveste