InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "O Captain, my Captain"

Lucy Spinks (addingvalue) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-07-31 15:03:00

Entry tags:

character: bryn cadwallader, character: lucy spinks

Dinner Date
Who: Lucy and Bryn
What: It's a date
Where: Susan's ~~house~~ garden
When: Friday 31st July, evening
Rating: SFW

Under normal circumstances, Lucy would have been completely confident to host a dinner for two. She was a good cook, and super organised so that things would always be ready right on time. All day at work she'd been quietly anticipating her evening - until she got home and went to set the table. She was used to her own house in Tufnell Park, where her efforts went to ensuring an evening free of interruptions - but Susan's grand dining room posed an entirely different problem - it was too formal. Though she'd been staying here for some months now, Lucy wasn't used to it. No matter what she did to the room, it felt too imposing.

Starting the cooking gave her some time to think and at the first sensible interval, she dashed outside to set up Susan's garden furniture. They might be a bit squashed, but it was infinitely preferable to feeling uncomfortably stiff all evening. Lucy didn't think Bryn would appreciate that any more than she would. Satisfied, she checked on the chicken, stirred it a bit and then went upstairs to change.

With all the extra work, she was only just back downstairs, dressed and ready, in time for Bryn to arrive.

Picture for later

(Post a new comment)

nowinaminute
2015-07-31 04:47 pm UTC (link)

It didn't look as though the weather was going to turn to rain or otherwise start pretending that it was already autumn, so Bryn was taking a chance and actually dressing for July weather. The light blue shirt was one he had mostly reserved for when he was playing at open mic night and not working; dates were few and far between. But Chris had given him the thumbs up before he'd left home, so that counted for something.

"Er, hi." Bryn smiled a little nervously when Lucy opened the door to him. In his hands he clutched a small posy of bright blue cornflowers for her, but now he wished he hadn't because bringing flowers on a date was silly, wasn't it? "I'm not late, am I?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-03 12:22 pm UTC (link)

Lucy checked her reflection in the mirror by the door before opening it, then smiled. "Hi. Come in." She stepped back, her gaze taking in the rest of Bryn as she did so, having focused on his face for the first instant. He looked good, and she liked that they'd chosen about the same level of dressiness. "No, you're right on time, I think. If you'd arrived any earlier you'd have had to wait on the doorstep while I finished changing so even if you are late, you're definitely forgiven."

It was only after Bryn was inside and the door closed behind him that Lucy really registered he still had his hands full. She'd never been brought flowers on a date before. Wine, sometimes, or chocolates but never flowers. "Oh you - Shall I -" There was a vague thought in the back of her mind that they might be for Susan, as thanks for letting them use her house, and she didn't want to make a big fuss of them (though they were beautiful) if they weren't supposed to be for her.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	nowinaminute 2015-08-05 08:12 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, it isn't raining for once, so I'm sure I could have coped with a few minutes on the doorstep," Bryn joked. A touch more seriously he added, "The wait obviously would have been worth it." He felt even more nervous when she noticed the flowers. "Er, yes, these are for you." He offered them to Lucy. "Just... because." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-06 03:28 pm UTC (link)

Lucy beamed at Bryn's compliment, even if she didn't feel particularly dressed up for the evening. She'd changed out of work clothes into something more comfortable - and more reflective of her personality. "Speaking of it not raining, I thought we'd eat outside. Susan's available rooms are a bit... huge."

She stepped close to take the flowers, her fingers brushing his lightly as they made the exchange. "They're gorgeous," she said, looking up. "Thank you." She touched the explosion of bright blue petals. "We can put them on the table. They'll be perfect."

She led Bryn into the house proper, pausing in the kitchen to make sure everything was getting along nicely without burning or sticking. "So how was your first week?" she asked.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

nowinaminute
2015-08-09 07:35 pm UTC (link)

"That sounds good." Might as well take advantage of the summer while it was lasted.

Bryn smiled warmly, pleased that Lucy liked them. "Great." He hesitated, considering whether to kiss her cheek, but he lingering just a moment too long and then she was leading him into the house. Merlin, he was out of practice at dating.

Feeling a touch awkward, Bryn found a spot to lean. "It's been lush. Lots of people coming in, lots of compliments. I'm tired, but it's a good tired."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-10 03:15 pm UTC (link)

Lucy stirred the chicken, decided it was done and reached for the plates she'd set to warm earlier. "What do you want to drink?" she asked as she did so. "There's white wine or cider in the fridge, if you want to grab something." With the flowers and the plates, she had her hands somewhat full already.

She smiled, genuinely pleased that it had gone well so far. "Well, you deserve all the compliments and more. It's lovely." She was glad she'd thought of this dinner - and even more glad that Bryn had accepted. "Right, outside." Having plated both meals, she gestured to the doors into the garden. "Could you get the door?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

nowinaminute
2015-08-12 08:32 pm UTC (link)

Bryn opened the fridge, experiencing a brief flash of nostalgia for his Muggle-like upbringing as it illuminated. He examined the offerings and decided on the cider, grabbing the bottle. "This'll do nicely."

He shut the door quickly as Lucy asked for his assistance. "That I can do." He almost laughed seeing her carry the flowers and plates at the same time, but broke out into an amused smile instead. "After you," he said, positioning himself by the open door so that she could pass through unhindered. "Something smells good," he remarked, eyeing up the plates."I'm looking forward to trying this."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-13 08:27 am UTC (link)

Lucy spotted the smile and shot Bryn a mock glare for all of about five seconds before smiling back, unable to resist. "Such a gentleman," she said as she passed him at the door and headed for the table. Cutlery and glasses were already there, but Lucy still had an awkward moment where she tried to put the first of the plates down and felt the vase of flowers slipping with it. She managed to save them before disaster struck and gave a breathless laugh. "And to think, I was never a waitress."

Once everything was positioned properly - flowers off to one side so she wouldn't be looking through them at Bryn - Lucy said down and stretched her legs out under the table. "I considered making lasagne rolls, but I figured you'd probably had enough of cheese..." She smirked a little to herself, thinking of the cheesecake for later. Baking wasn't usually her strong suit, but she thought they'd turned out pretty nicely.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

nowinaminute
2015-08-13 08:39 pm UTC (link)

"That's me, proper gentleman." Bryn followed Lucy, setting the bottle of cider on the table. He was about to help her with the vase of flowers when she managed to avoid dropping them. "If you ever want to take up waitressing, I could give you a few tips," he teased.

Bryn shrugged. "I haven't reached my cheese limit yet. But a change is always good." He settled himself comfortably in his chair, able to get a better look at the food now. "So what have we got here."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-17 10:23 pm UTC (link)

"Too late to deny it now," Lucy teased. "You brought flowers and everything." Her smile over the words was genuine, and she briefly remembered to ask Susan if there was some kind of spell she could cast to make the flowers last beyond their natural life span. "I worked in a shop - and the only thing I can think of worse than grumpy customers is hungry, grumpy customers. But I wish you the best of luck with it..." She grinned - feeling confident he would be able to take the light joke now that the shop had been open for a bit."

Watching Bryn examine the food, Lucy smiled. He looked particularly handsome in this light - or maybe it was just known him better, and feeling more certain of his interest. "This is bacon-wrapped chicken, asparagus and pesto sauce. The recipe said prosciutto, but you can't go wrong with bacon, really."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

nowinaminute
2015-08-21 09:27 pm UTC (link)

He grinned along with her. The grumpy customers who scowled and snarled at every little clarifying question could be a challenge at times. It was different to working for Melinda when customers were usually excited to be buying their sweet treats.

"No, you can't," Bryn agreed. This was the perfect light meal for a warm summer evening. First, though, he set about opening the cider. "I can't remember the last time someone cooked for me." Mel, perhaps, but obviously not in a date-like way. "This makes a nice change. I... could get used to it."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-24 03:31 pm UTC (link)

Lucy raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk. "Oh, you could?" That was definitely promising. At lease, that was how she was going to interpret it. "I suppose I could be persuaded to do it again." Still smiling, she tucked into her own portion. It wasn't a new recipe for her, so she wasn't at all surprised to find it had turned out well. She liked to experiment with new recipes, or simply take inspiration from them, but she tended to keep that to herself. If she was serving something to someone else, she wanted to be sure it was at least edible.

"So how's the house?" she asked. "Still getting on with your housemates?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	nowinaminute 2015-08-26 09:42 pm UTC (link)
	Bryn smiled, face colouring a little. Lucy's smirk made him feel a little embarrassed, but in a good way. He liked it. "Yeah, I could." He nodded, chewing on a mouthful of perfectly-cooked chicken and bacon. "Yeah. No one has killed anyone else yet," he joked. "The cat might have made a few attempts, but that's cats for you." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

addingvalue
2015-08-28 11:00 am UTC (link)

Bryn was adorable when he blushed, and Lucy was compelled to take pity - or maybe she'd make it worse, she wasn't sure. She stopped smirking, but she also reached across the table to give his hand a quick squeeze.

"I miss my cat," she said, only mostly joking. "Not mine, really. One of my old housemate's. Watching her try and fight her way out of a cardboard box was endlessly entertaining."

(Reply to this) (Parent)