1322/Dinner Date

Dinner Date
Date of Scene:	21 March 2024
Location:	Italian Restaurant
Synopsis:	Sayaka takes Bow out to a fancy dinner. She looks great, and Bow overwhelms her with compliments.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Bow
Tinyplot:	Princes and Princesses Prom

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
It is time Sayaka acted on the offer Hinoiri, has given her, so after buying her dress with help from Ula, she has contacted Bow to meet him in front of the school gate. There is conveniently a pretty luxurious restaurant not too far from the school, so the two of them can just walk there. She has told Bow what kind of restaurant they will be about to go at.

Sayaka is admittedly feeling pretty nervous, because the outfit she went with is not something she usually does, so she is very much worried about how it would come across on her. When Bow first sees her, she is she is standing at the school gate, arms crossed, wearing a dark turquoise sleveless dress with grey veils over the shoulders. It falling down with a slanting cut that reaches just above her left knee.

At her waist the dress is cinched by a blue belt with a metal buckle in the shape of a G Clef, while blue pumps cover her feet. She is also surrounded by a minty fragrance, and a discreet blusher has been applied to her cheeks, with the final touch of a rosy lipstick.

Bow has posed:
When Sayaka sent him the text about the dinner date after school, Bow's instructions were brief - apparently he should wear something nice. After returning to his room from school work, he went through his meager wardrobe, and finally put together something that would work.

As he arrives at the front gates, Bow is dressed in a nice long-sleeve button up (no abs today!) of grey with blue trim. A pair of dark blue trousers are matched, with a black leather bely and shoes. Approaching Sayaka, he gets his first look at the young woman... and how beautiful she is. It's reflected in the small 'wow' motion he makes with his mouth.

"Y-you look amazing, Sayaka." he admits quietly, when he's close enough to speak, picking up on the light fragrance she's putting off and light application of makeup makes his heart beat a little faster. "Just wow." She clearly has a very nice effect upon him.

His hands take hers to give her a soft grip of warmth, before he smiles warmly at her. "So, I think I might have underderessed." he says with a small laugh. "I'm sure someone would tell me that, at least."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka gives Bow a smile when she sees him approach with his get up ready made for the occasion. He is very much dressed nicely for the occasion despite his worries. Sayaka spends the next few seconds waving with embarassment at him, dazed both by her own nervousism and how nice he looks to her.

Sayaka hugs him when he comes close just as much because she is happy to see him as well as for her own benefit, Bow's closeness having a calming effect on her nervousism. "I do?" Sayaka asks by reflex. "Thank you, it really means a lot to me coming from you."

"If somebody tells you that, ignore them", Sayaka gives him a much happier smile than what she had when he first approached. "You look awesome", she adds, lightly kissing him. "Is it ok if we start walking now?"

Bow has posed:
When Sayaka takes the initative to pull him into a hug, Bow's arms wrap around her comfortably. She already knows that he's strong from all the time he was not magical and trained with the bow and in a war, but there's also the small scent of sandalwood and cedar on his skin to mingle with the mint on her own skin.

And leaning over, he accepts Sayaka's kiss, returning it warmly before he pulls back, his arm offered to the bluenette. "I mean, I hope I'm not glued to the spot." he offers teasingly, waiting for her to wrap her hands around his arm and the two of them start to walk. "So, how's your day been?" he asks curiously.

"A new friend of mine, Adrien, has offered to let me come over and look for an outfit to wear to prom." he offers to Sayaka as they walk. "He's a bit smaller than I am, but he's confident it will be altered in time - he apparently does modeling work?" he asks curiously, as if still unsure what that means. "But I figured it'd be worth a look."

"And Ami and I came up with an idea of what to do with the Eclipse Zone generators. But they want to make sure some people are at least warned on the day we carry it out so that they'll be safe." Another concept that Bow is having trouble grasping.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka does appreciate Bow leaning over: even with the pumps's heels, kissing him is still quite hard, so the kiss lasts for quite a few seconds, appreciating the warmth of his lips on hers. "If I start having a thing for the smell of wood, I know who to attribute it to", Sayaka smiles, blushing a little due to her unusual flirting impetus.

"My day has been good", Sayaka says. "You know, dealing with exams, keeping people safe, dreaming of my wonderful boyfriend, the usual", the bluenette comments, clinging to him as they walk, quite emboldened. "Besides that, I have been focusing on finding info about Double Trouble, but no help so far."

"That sounds good, and if nothing you find there satisfies you, I could buy you something", Sayaka offers. "Just a present for you, don't start minding it, ok?"

"I knew you would have a breakthrough. How does the plan work, exactly?", Sayaka asks, eyes gleaming with the confidence she has in Bow.

Bow has posed:
After the kiss is broken and the two are on their way, Bow feels a blush when Sayaka goes on about her day went, a little laugh. "I hope I'm not too much of a distraction, finals are right around the corner." he reminds her. And while he has a pass due to showing up so late in the year, she does not and he wants to makes sure she's studying.

"Don't focus so much on Double Trouble. Apparently she's known by some of the others." he points out to her. "I mean... thank you for the help. And I really appreciate it. But you don't have to do this alone." A slight squeeze of the hands on his arm.

"I don't want to be a trouble to your wallet, bluebird." he points out to her. "You already pay for so many of our dates, and I'm excited to get a job so I can start carrying my weight in our relationship." A grin. "I mean, I don't think you'd complain about things we do together, I just..." he trails off and shrugs, changing the subject when she does.

"We're still working out all the details, and I kinda want to make sure I have it right before we go talking about it, but I think it will surprise Obsidian and just... hopefully make things more difficult for them."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You are not a distraction that would cause me to lose track of school", Sayaka says earnestly. Yes, he does occupy a good part of her time, but it's time well spent that leaves her refreshed for the actual time spent studying.

"I was just checking something", Sayaka tries to reassure Bow. "There was never a risk, Bow, really. I was safe the whole time", she gives him a peck to put him at ease. "And we haven't been really doing any dates that need money, you know? There was very little of it I used, so if it doesn't work out, know that it is no problem. Just a present for you."

Then she will wait until he is ready to tell her. In the meantime, they have approached the restaurant, so Sayaka gets in with him, at at the approach of the staff, the bluenette says she reserved a table by Sayaka Miki. "How do you like the place?", Sayaka smiles after they are led to their destination and given a menu.

Bow has posed:
"I'll let you know if I need the assistance." Bow admits as he gives her a grin. He's been so busy with prom planning that he's kind of set himself to the side. And has probably done the same to Sayaka, even if that is on accident. That includes asking her to prom, which he hasn't realized he needs to do yet - he's running on the assumption that they are, and there's no need to ask.

As they come upon the restaurant, Bow's eyes widen slightly and he chuckles. "Why do I feel like this is one of those suit and jacket places I've heard about?" he asks in amusement, because his girlfriend did really go all out.

With a reservation even. There's a little breath as they manuveur their way to a table and once they are settle in and presented menus, he considers it. "I ... this is really nice, Sayaka." he admits quietly. "I feel like I'm at a dinner in one of the Princesses' castles." There's a small smile at that. "It's really amazing - but the company is the best part of all." His dark eyes flick to meet the warm blue of Sayaka's gaze. "You really do look amazing, bluebird." he admits quietly, reaching to hold her hand and waffle their fingers together.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka nods as she gets that reassurance from him. As long as he is confident, she is perfectly fine with that option. She just doesn't want him to restrict himself from asking her a favour.

She clings further to him when he starts worrying about the dress code. "It's ok, Bow, you look great I already told you." She wants him to enjoy the evening, and she will do anything that's needed to make him do that.

"Thank you, Bow", Sayaka joyfully joins her hand with his. She is glad the outfit is to his taste, and that he likes the place too. Because he really deserves something that he will find nice. She is of course glad about about him liking how she personally looks too, regardless of how bashful it may make her feel. "I'm having a chicken with marsala risotto. What about you?"

Bow has posed:
With Sayaka squeezing his arm a bit tighter, Bow leans over, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm okay, bluebird, promise." he responds, a fond smile for the young woman at his side. Once they are settled in their seats and holding hands, he picks up the menu to look at.

And she can see the confusion slowly creeping over his face as he searches out something in the words that he can grasp onto and understand.

And while he has confidence, at the moment, he's confident he may order the wrong thing. When the waiter comes over, he's placing the order for the chicken with marsala risotto for Sayaka, but when it comes to himself? "Can you make a recommendation?" he asks, a glance to the waiter. A slight darkening of his cheeks as he finds himself a bit lost on what he wants. "It's our first real dinner date and... I've never had this type of food before."

"May I recommend the Saltimbocca di Pollo alla Romana, then?" the waiter suggests. "It's also chicken based, so if you and your date wish to exchange bites, you can."

Bow brightens considerably at that. "Sounds great, let's do that!" A beaming smile and a squeeze of Sayaka's hand.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
If Sayaka could hear his thoughts, she would point out to him that being confident of doing the wrong thing is not being confident at all, and that asking a question like he did is perfectly fine. Of course, the waiter answers first, so their dinner is already going to proceed without a hitch.

Sayaka squeezes back when Bow does that, finding the idea lovely too. "I am on board with it, that waiter had a nice idea, and if you want, we could also feed each other rather than simply trade dishes."

Then she returns to the matter of the prom. "Knowing Ula, she already has an idea on what to make me wear. She is the one inciting me. I thought this dress would have been too pretty for someone like me, you know? Since it's a totally different vibe from what I look like usually." She does think she is too much of a tomboy for it.

Bow has posed:
Sayaka's words bring Bow pause. His hand squeezes hers warmly and then lets go as he considers his thoughts on tha matter. "You look amazing, Saya." he starts. "But if you are not comfortable in your clothing, then that's not fair on you." There's a little shake of his head.

"I dated you for who you are, not something you think I want you to be. If your outfit doesn't make you happy, then you shouldn't have worn it..." he blows out a breath. Shaking his head, he makes sure his dark eyes meet hers. "You don't have to change a thing for me, Sayaka." Simple. And eloquent.

"And if you're not comfortable with prom..." he glances down. "Well, it's too late for me, I mean, I have organization and planning and MCing... the only thing I don't have yet, is a date." A pause at that, because he's trying to gauge how she really feels on the matter.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Thanks", Sayaka responds bashfully to Bow making his opinion plenty clear on her looking amazing, which does make her feel a little better, even if she wishes she could work with it, a little better.

And then he gets the idea that she is forcing herself to wear something she doesn't like. "I do like the dress. Very much, in fact. And the fact you like it actually makes me feel better. Because otherwise... I wouldn't feel I am up to it."

She gestures at herself. "It's not really a big deal, but I could work with the dress a little more, that's all. And I actually really want to go to the Prom, that's something that will be very nice to attend. Ula is great at reassuring me on that front when the doubt pops up, so that's what I meant earlier."

Bow has posed:
"If it helps, any at all... and I mean this, I'm not just trying to flatter you. You look really..." Then Bow gets an idea. Standing up, he comes around to Sayaka's side of the table. Getting out his camera, he leans in next to her. "Say sparkleskirts!" he offers encouragingly.

Hopefully she smiles. Because he does. Warm, affectionate, bright as he takes the picture. And the first thing he does is send the picture to her phone. And then sets it as his wallpaper. "There!" he offers cheerfully.

And once he settle back in, his smile turns a little thoughtful. "Oh, has someone asked you to prom already?" he asks, and it's hard to tell if he's sincere or teasing her about it. But it's clear he needs to know the answer so that he can ask his own question.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Really what?" Sayaka asks. She is probably guessing what he is about to say, even if the fact he stopped there is making her heart thump a little. Well, he told her twice he liked her in this so it can't be anything bad and she should just calm herself.

Then he comes close to her, and Sayaka does smile, because the nervousism is quite lower when they are close to each other. His presence actually feels that comforting to her. No wonder she has been around to help him and protect him.

All that would be missing now is to actually offers herself as his knight. Even if she sort of did that a while back, at the infirmary, when she offered him her sword, and he accepted it. Looks like she understood how precious Bow was even back then.

As a result, the photo is actually much better than it could have been. "There what?" Sayaka asks, taking out her own phone. Looking at her photo, she does grin a little bit. Because they totally look like a couple. "You are a dream come true, Bow", the bluenette tells him.

She shakes her head when he brings up invitations to the Prom. "No, and I would have turned them down since we are seeing each other right now. On that matter, I imagine you are equally free, right?"

Bow has posed:
As he was leaned down next to Sayaka's ear, he whispers softly, where only she may hear the word that is for her alone. "Alluring." is the word that he decides upon, a complete opposite of that tomboy thought she was having. Acknowledging exactly how attractive he finds the bluenette, and perhaps, seeing if she'll actually blush at the idea of being found a bit beyond attractive.

"There, now you have a picture to send off to whomever." Probably her ex, since he knows she promised her one. And there's a little pinch to her upper arm, as he adds, perhaps flirting a little harder with the bluenette, betraying some deeper feelings not yet ackowledged. "For you, bluebird, I will never ever be a dream. Maybe a fantasy, but not a dream." A wink at her, before he moves to go settle back on his side of the table, those warm sparkles in his dark eyes as he drinks her in.

But then she doesn't fall for the obvious bait he set out and a playful little pout shows up on his lips. "Here I was hoping that I'd have to sweep in and win your hand and heart," he admits with a sip of water, that playfulness on full display now. "...but as you said, I have been so busy with planning and working and getting a job and everything, there is this one girl I want to ask out. But she said that she's a bit uncomfortable getting all Princess'd up, even if she is totally a Princess to me. I suppose... you will just find out how much of a Princess you are to me on Prom night, hmm? Though I planned to ask you under the Sakura blossoms." But that's okay. Best laid plans of mice and Etherians. And he's no mouse.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
There were many words Sayaka could have used to describe herself, but very little of them would relate to the grade of attractiveness she held for other people (at least, people whose opinion were worth a single yen), and of course, that didn't really go beyond cute (even if that's a term that she would have never applied to herself), and admittedly, she never thought even in her wildest dreams that she could have actually been alluring to someone special.

The result? A veritable explosion of red on her cheeks that outclassed any other shade of red: it was a red redder than red, a crimson more crimson than crimson, a burgundy more burgundy than burgundy. "W-w-what are you saying, Bow?", Sayaka stutters, suddenly unable to look at him in the face. "I can't have that much of an effect on you, can I? I am not really anything special. W-hat are you talking about?"

"I mean, I am ok w-with following the theme of the Prom, just I... I am not anything that special. And t-that's ok. Because I am fine with it. But, when you say that... I just don't know what you could mean..." Sayaka finishes confessing, her heart thumping so loudly in her chest that she wouldn't be surprised if it could be heard on the other side of the world.

Bow has posed:
There was no way that Bow could have realized that this was going to be the reaction that his flirting would get out of Sayaka. She goes from confident in herself, if somewhat nervous to a Chernobyl level meltdown, there is for a moment, genuine concern on the Etherian's face.

Oh dear. Reaching across the table, both hands take hers in his. "Bluebird. Sayaka. Look at me." he encourages gently. "You are always talking about how handsome and attractive you find me. Am I not allowed to do the same for you?" he asks her, dark eyes exploring her face, bright as it is, worrying if she's actually remembering how to breath in all of this.

"And you are special. From the day you helped me into this world, you have been there. Showing me new things, encouraging me, letting me show you glimpses of my life, and sharing with me your heart, your desires, your wants. I do not know who you were with in the past, or what brought you such sadness and hurt that nearly destroyed you, but I promise you, Miki Sayaka, as long as you want me here, here is where I will be."

A smile, warm and affectionate, reflected in his eyes, his touch to her skin as he caresses her hands. "You are special. Not just to me. I've met your friends. I've met those that have been touched by you. You have so many kind hearts that are willing to do almost anything for you. If I could give you five minutes for you to see what I see in you... you're the accompaniment to my song, Sayaka. Our concert has just begun, and you're going to want to stay around for the crescendo, I promise."

"So, Sayaka. I guess I'll just have to come out and ask, since I can't coax it from you." A grin and he lifts her hand, kissing her knuckles. "Will you go to Prom with me? We don't even need the music, we can make our own."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I mean, you are, t-hat's what you have been doing too", Sayaka shakily says. They have both been exchanging compliments this entire time, she knows that, but they were both normal compliments, right? "It's just that alluring is a whole other thing, isn't it?" She can't be like that, right?

And then she shakes her head when he talks about her being special. "I know that", the bluenette replies, her tone having regained some of its steel. "I know very well that there are people that love me and to whom I mean a lot. It is thanks to them that I am even here. There is no way I would forget that lesson I learned, so you can be at ease, Bow. I know what I want, where I am going, and what I am going to do."

The bluenette shrugs her shoulders at this point, this the only touchy part of her still. "It's just that when I say I am not special, I mean that in regards to my looks. Cute is ok, I suppose, even if that is not really something I do, but something like alluring is way too out there, don't you think?"

"But going to Prom with you would make me very happy, Bow", she stares at him, and the hand he just kissed, her hand.

Bow has posed:
"Are you really telling me how I should view you?" Bow asks, a rise of a brow as he considers the teenaged girl. His eyes search hers, trying to figure out exactly where she was coming from. A soft noise, somewhere between a sigh and frustration escapes him. He lowers her hands and lets them go.

"Do you remember when we were watching the movie?" he asks her finally. "Before Swiftwind interrupted us?" He looks down at his water, figuring out his words. "We were about to kiss. And I mean... I really wanted to kiss you. Not a small little peck. Not a press on the lips that lingers for a few moments. I mean... full... like I'm your boyfriend and I'm going to kiss you like I know I have feelings for you kiss." he tells her, quiet honesty in his voice.

"Would I want to do that if I just thought you were cute. Or adequate. Or whatever word you care to throw out at me." He lifts his face so that his dark eyes can find her blues as his voice takes on it's own steel. "I'm allowed to think you are beautiful. Alluring. Even sexy. You look great in that dress, and I can't keep my eyes off of you."

"But. If that's what you want?" He shakes his head. "It won't happen again."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"No, I am not, Bow, really", Sayaka replies, the interest colour of red still present, even if a bit faded. "Have you really wanted to do that? That t-type of kiss, I mean. You can use those terms with me, I think. So, I will get used to it, you know? To having... that effect on you. I guess it is a bit one-sided, what I have been doing, calling you handsome and everything."

She takes a deeeeep breath to recover. "And even if you didn't give me that kiss, I believe you. Because you are really trustworthy, Bow. So it shouldn't have been my place to doubt, and so, that's fine", the bluenette comments, holding his hand just as much for her own comfort. We have this meal between us, though, right? We can go ahead with it, and enjoy our time together."

Bow has posed:
"Yeah. We do." Bow offers her a smile. And that's all he can really offer to her. Because he's at a loss. "It's fine. We have this meal. And I'll just keep plugging away. Maybe someday you'll really believe me." he says quietly.

And it is about then that the meal arrives and Bow glances at it. "So. Let's share our meal, and just... make the best of the rest of the evening." Becuase that's all he can offer for now, since it's going to be a baby step from now on out.