The Apartment Above Luke's, Sunday Night

[spin_kick_snap]

So, Anders had graduated and he and Dante were leaving for a two-week trip tomorrow. Kathy felt that was enough of a reason to splurge on a fancy dinner-date, so after putting in a ridiculous order for tapas downstairs (with enough to feed Raven, too, of course), she set about making her room into a romantic little evening hideaway. Her desk with a cloth over it made for a lovely table for two, candles scattered about gave the whole area a nice kind of ambiance, and while a pitcher of sangria wasn't the most romantic drink in the world, it was fruity and delicious and that was really what mattered. She turned her ipod on low and, confident that everything was ready, sent Anders a text:

Hey graduate. Shift almost up? Dinner's ready whenever you are. <3

[For the one named and SP!]

Comments

[not_every_mage]

already on my way, Anders typed back, smiling even as he did it. Which might have looked a little odd, since he was in line to pay for a bottle of wine, but he didn't care. He was looking forward to this night as much as Kathy was.

[spin_kick_snap]

Good. Gives me a chance to change into something pretty, she sent, realizing that she had spent a lot of time making sure her room was presentable that she'd forgotten to make herself that way, too. door's unlocked. You can come right up.

[not_every_mage]

But you're already something pretty, Anders teased. No need to change.

He paid for the wine and left the store, quickly walking the few blocks to the diner.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy, hair brushed and now wearing a flirty little sundress, couldn't help the grin when Anders made his way inside. "Hi there, graduate," she said, holding her face up for a kiss. "Feel all grown up now?"

[not_every_mage]

"Practically elderly," Anders said. "What do you think, is my hair going gray?"

He leaned in for that kiss, which may have made it rather hard for Kathy to answer the question.

[spin_kick_snap]

She didn't really worry about answering. Kissing was better. Kissing was MUCH better. Still, she was happy to run her hair through his blonde waves as she kissed him back to make sure he knew that she still thought his hair was perfect.

Such a giver, our Kathy.

[not_every_mage]

She was the soul of generosity. Anders made a soft, pleased noise before he reluctantly pulled away.

"Guessing that means I'm not too mature for you."

[spin_kick_snap]

"So long as you don't mind that you're dating a girl who didn't technically graduate," Kathy teased, reaching for his hand so she could bring him into her room where there was a feast spread out in his honor. "Such an embarrassment, I know."

[not_every_mage]

"Completely, especially for somebody from a world where almost no one graduates. I'm not sure how I'll show my face," Anders told her, voice trailing off as he spotted the food. "What's all this?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'll have to see if I can get Hardison to make me a pretend diploma of my own to combat your shame," Kathy teased. "And that's dinner! Have you had tapas yet? They're little side dishes of deliciousness. Closest thing I've found to banchan yet." She offered him a smile. "I hope you like it. They're good for nibbling on and sharing."

[not_every_mage]

"I like nibbling and sharing," Anders said hopefully. "I'm ready. You haven't fed me anything I really hated yet."

Such high praise!

[spin_kick_snap]

"And nothing here is terribly spicy," she promised. "So hopefully I won't break my streak of 'nothing truly terrible.'" She was laughing at him, yes. "This is nothing like the time I tried to get Dante to eat silkworms in Japan."

[not_every_mage]

"Silkworms," Anders said, blinking. "As in, bugs that make silk."

A pause.

"Is there a famine on in Japan?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's a common East Asian treat," Kathy said, snickering at his expression. "In Korea, we call them beondegi."

[not_every_mage]

Anders stared at her blankly.

"I'm still missing why you do that. How tasty can they be?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Really good actually," Kathy said, still laughing at him. "They are! Sometime, we'll pass by a street vendor that knows what he's about and I'll get some and you can try them!"

Kathy you were rapidly killing the romantic vibe of the evening. Also possibly your relationship.

"There's nothing like that here, though!" she promised. "It's all good, normal food! Promise!"

[not_every_mage]

"Should I trust what you think is normal food?" Anders wondered, also laughing. "For all I know, you're trying to feed me chopped-up crickets and figuring I won't be able to tell."

[spin_kick_snap]

"No, no, I promise, I'm not!" Kathy protested through her giggles. "I mean, if we ever visit Korea or something, no promises, but for now, you can trust me! Besides, nobody every chops up crickets, that's just silly."

[not_every_mage]

"Why?" Anders asked, genuinely curious. "We cut up everything else we eat. Why not crickets? Better than crunching on the legs whole."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That's usually how they're eaten though," Kathy confessed. "Toasted, roasted or fried. They're kinda good though and really healthy."

Weren't you learning all sorts of new and exciting things about your girlfriend tonight, Anders?

"...Not the romantic conversation I was picturing us having tonight," she added with a husky chuckle. "I win at seduction."

[not_every_mage]

"I'm ready to take off my pants right now," Anders said, with a straight face. (18-year-old guy. It was probably true.) "Should we eat before we talk about bugs more?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Wait, no, go back to the thing about taking your pants off," Kathy said, already filling a plate with bite-sized samples of the spread. "We can skip the bugs entirely if you promise we can talk about that instead."

[not_every_mage]

"Talk about taking my pants off," Anders repeated, amused. "I wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure how much there is to say about it. Are you confused by my technique? And" -- he'd gotten very interested in the food, now -- "is that shrimp?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy laughed at him again. "I was going to try this smooth line where I got you to demonstrate your technique or something, but I see where your heart and mind truly are." She added more of the shrimp to his plate--she certainly wasn't going to be eating it. "Hey, eat up. You might want plenty of energy for later."

[not_every_mage]

"What exactly do you have planned for me, Miss Li?" Anders asked, reaching to claim the plate as she finished piling food onto it. "I can't say I mind the idea of you wearing me out."