theprguy (theprguy) wrote in quidditchprose, @ 2014-03-30 18:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | blythe parkin |
Who: Blythe Parkin and Davey Gudgeon
When: Saturday, March 22
Where: Some swanky restaurant
What: A blind date | An Unexpected Meeting
Warning/Status: In Progress | Complete
While Davey was single for the time being, what he hadn’t expected to be approached with the prospect of a blind date. But this was what a family friend decided to tell him and since Davey was single right now, then who was he to say no? Really, it was just one date and in all honesty no harm of it would come, so he accepted it. Instead, he headed over to the restaurant, which had a name that Davey could not pronounce, even if he tried. And confirmed the reservation he had there. Once there, he was promptly shown his table. And waited for his date to arrive. Till then all he could do was speculate what this Blythe lass was like. Blythe Parkin was never late for anything. She had mastered the art of attending dates and being well-behaved throughout; her upbringing had taught her well.She’d learned early on that it wouldn’t do to be late when meeting someone, that being late gave a bad first impression, and that it caused one to form all sorts of negative opinions… therefore, it wasn’t something that she did. With her wristlet in hand and her wand tucked into her hair, artfully hidden, she approached the maitre d's stand. She was exactly five minutes early. As the tuxedo’d man led her to her table, she allowed herself to relax a bit. She wasn’t nervous. She was a pro at blind dates. The reveal was one of her favourite parts, just because it meant meeting someone she wasn’t yet sick of. (Currently, it also meant seeing someone who was Not Kenneth- double points.) In the back of her mind, she cursed her Gran for setting up something so elaborate, as well as the fact that it was apparently “necessary;” it indicated that her grandmother was not confident in her skills as an almost-thirty-year-old woman seeking her own future partner. If she was completely honest with herself, she was tired of it and quite content with the idea of becoming an old maid… but a date less than once a month generally never hurt anyone. Blind dates were a lot like interviews. As she would for a professional event, she wore black - simple, yet elegant. Upon arriving at the table, Blythe quickly realized that her interview was with someone she recognized from the League, but wasn’t a player… at least, not a starting player. Well played, Gran. Instead of letting her face betray her, she put on a genuine smile and greeted him. “It’s Davey, isn’t it? I’m Blythe.” Davey wasn't nervous himself if you wanted him to be honest. Things with the girl he was seeing before their break was at a lull. They kept getting into fights over the stupidest of things and he was seriously contemplating ending things on a permanent basis the next time he saw her. Still, he did wonder who he'd be meeting up with. And he dressed accordingly to make a favorable impression on the lass. Though when he saw the gal in question, he put on a bit of a smile and allowed himself to relax. He had seen her in the league though she looked a bit younger than what he was expecting. No big. Age was a number after all. First impressions, on the other hand, left a lasting impression. So, he stood up, ready to get her chair and be all proper if need be. “It is quite nice to meet you, Blythe,” he told her, the name now registering. She played for Caerphilly, didn’t she? Well, Davey wasn’t going to bring up work on a date. “And yes, it is. Davey, it is. Mind if I get your chair for you?” he offered, gesturing to the aforementioned chair. “Likewise.” She even managed a grin. Dates were happy events, and even if things didn’t work out, there was networking to be had. Blythe made a mental note of the fact that he’d stood to greet her and offered to pull out her chair, although they weren’t particularly stunning actions. She’d noticed their absence on other dates, though, and counted them as look-fors despite their antiquity. The poor host looked a bit flustered as Davey offered to get her chair; he stood nearby, at the ready. That was his job. “Thank you,” Blythe said to her date, hoping the man off to the side would go on about his business and leave them to it. Much to her relief, he did. She stepped out of the way to make room for the chair. It was a nice chair, in a very nice restaurant, in a wonderful neighborhood; everything was in place. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why on earth anyone would choose it for a first date. Expectations were absurdly high. Yes, Davey knew that it was usually the job of the maitre d’ to do just that, but he wanted to put on a favorable impression. Besides, he felt as if it was the right thing to do, despite the fact that they could be considered simplistic or rather even outdated by others. Though in his mind, every man should try to take the initiative to do just that. Or maybe Davey was biased. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of a relief when it was left to the two of them, though that was when the nerves started to seep in. Davey really couldn’t remember the last time he went on a proper first date or if he ever attended a place this fancy. Obviously, this date could end in a variety of different ways. And hopefully Davey wouldn’t make an arse out of himself. But for now, it was time to make small talk. Ice breakers and all that. That was what people did on dates after all, yes? “So how has your day been so far?” As soon as she sat down, Blythe made sure to put her napkin in her lap and be ready; it was the thing to do. She was pleasantly surprised when he asked about her day. No one ever asked about her day; there wasn’t anyone around to do it, especially since she’d moved out of her childhood home. “I can’t complain. Work, of course, and I took a walk around town before coming here. It’s bitterly cold, but it was lovely out.” She shifted in her seat a bit, hoping she had not said too much or ruined the natural flow to the beginning of the conversation. “Your day was alright, then? You were able to arrive here early,” she pointed out. It didn’t mean anything either way, of course… but she’d noticed. Davey did notice that Blythe put the napkin down on her lap and promptly followed suit. Because it was the right thing to do and really, he did want to put his best foot forward in all honesty. Blind date or not, plus it was nice to ask how somebody else was doing. “Well, that is always good. The town seems lovely from what I’ve gotten to seen. And the cold weather does seem to work wonders.” And then the question was prompted at him. “It was, yes. I mean, I did work as well and go for a jog before coming here to shake off any nerves,” he admitted, trying to actually keep cool. Even if he was a bit nervous himself. “It’s been a bit since I’ve been on a blind date.” A quick meeting of her teeth and her lower lip kept her from chuckling as she dropped her gaze to the table. That was rude, so she returned her attention to Davey, amusement still dancing in her eyes. “You haven’t any reason to be nervous. I’m not intimidating. You don’t seem like an easily-intimidated man. Therefore, this date can’t be… well, it’s not going to be anything to be nervous about, is it?” Flawed logic, but it worked in a pinch. It occurred to her that the bit about her not being intimidating might not be entirely true, but she didn’t mean to be scary. Usually. “For what it’s worth, my fripping grandmother keeps setting me up with colleagues. Least nerve-inducing date ever, yeah?” Although Blythe was not in the business of making self-deprecating comments, she was working on making people feel better than feeling like crap. It was something that she felt was slightly lacking in her captaincy. She could do pep talks, but the actually heart-to-heart part was difficult. There was also the matter of not wanting to scare Davey away. He wouldn’t be the first. He didn’t mind that she averted his gaze. Though maybe admitting that he had nerves was a bit of a silly thing. He was in his mid-thirties, mind you. He wasn’t a child. Besides, he should have the knack of the dating thing down. But in all honesty, he wasn’t nervous about the date. Rather it was about other things. “Actually, you aren’t. It’s not because of that as to why I’d be nervous about things. I just don’t want to make a fool out of myself.” Especially in front of someone as pretty as her. It was silly that he was even allowing himself to think of that. It was just one date and then they’d probably never see each other again. “Ouch. My mates were the ones who decided that I needed to date after my ex ended things,” Davey mentioned, it was best not to mention that his last relationship was on again and off again. But really given how things ended...maybe it was time to nip it in the bud. Besides, he couldn’t deal with arguments over petty things all the time. “Though I would love to hear about your job. As well as just getting to know you in general.” That much was the truth and that was the purpose of a date after all. She nodded to Davey and then politely thanked the waiter as water and bread were served. She wanted to tell him that he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself, honestly… but she also knew that it wasn’t her job to pat him on the back and say there-there. Not here. Not in this situation. Blythe settled on a smile. “Exes are dicey business,” she agreed quickly, or at least assumed that they shared the same view on them. If nothing else, it was not really a matter that she wanted to discuss. Even if she and the conversational partner in question were not a couple, she did not talk about ex-boyfriends as a rule. There were too many of them and it reflected poorly. Happy to change the subject, she brightened a bit at the topic of quidditch and took a sip of water before speaking. “I’m Caerphilly’s seeker and team captain.” It was probably best to err on the side of being lesser-known, right? For humility’s sake? “And you work for a team we haven’t interacted with much this season,” she admitted, feeling a twinge of shame creep up. With all luck, she wasn’t turning blotchy-red all over her chest and face. Davey didn’t want his hand held or to be subjected to the fact that he was overreacting to things. At least he could focus on his water or other things to distract his nerves. She didn’t need to hear about how things were and he felt like a fool for bringing it up to begin with. “They are,” Davey said with a nod, deciding to leave it at that. He felt bad for even mentioning the ex situation thing to begin with. It probably made him look pathetic and that wasn’t the kind of impression he wanted to give her. “Well, Caerphilly is an amazing team and I’m certain that they are quite fortunate to have someone like you on their team.” He really didn’t want to focus on himself. Besides, his job wasn’t that important. “I kind of do behind the scenes stuff, so you wouldn’t have seen me around anyways. I do Public Relations for Pride of Portree. Boring stuff. You’d probably be uninterested in it.” The compliment did not go unheard. “Cheers,” she replied, resisting the urge to remind him that he didn’t actually know her or know whether she was a good captain. She had to remind herself that he was being kind; obviously, he was a kind person. He knew how to be polite. It was something she was excellent with. But uninterested? Blythe leaned in and shook her head. “PR isn’t boring. Tell me everything.” She was genuinely interested, even though she’d had plenty of time to learn the ins-and-outs of how it all worked. While he personally didn’t know how good of a captain Blythe was, he could make an assumption. From what he saw, it looked like Caerphilly was a good team and that they played rather well. So, it only made sense to him to assume that their captain was a crucial part of their success. Though he was also being nice and polite as well. He wanted to keep an open mind and learn about her team in the process. “Well, I am glad that you think that. Most seem to differ,” Davey admitted actually quite excited about it all. Nobody really asked him as to what his job entailed. “Well, I’m not sure I should tell you everything, but a lot of the time I find myself writing press releases. When I am not busy doing that, well I am working on doing whatever I can to make Portree appealing to the general populace and just an appealing team in general.” Davey just had to hope that he didn’t bore poor Blythe in the process when he was describing his job. Nodding as he spoke, Blythe listened carefully. “That’s brilliant. It’s important, and it seems like every day holds new and interesting challenges. Like puzzles, almost.” It was a bit of a stretch, but that was the connection she made to the things she enjoyed. She found it refreshing that Davey wasn’t a quidditch player. One could only spend so much time discussing their favourite thing in the whole world. It wasn’t long before the waiter came to ask about their orders, and it wasn’t until then that Blythe noticed the cream-colored menu in the middle of the table. She watched her date to see if he had any thoughts about what he wanted in the way of drinks. He really wasn’t bad to look at… and she really appreciated that he’d kept her attention for so long that she hadn’t had time to decide what to eat. “It is and realistically, I enjoy doing it. It helps my mind to stay sharp. Makes me wonder why I didn’t end up in Ravenclaw,” Davey admitted with a small laugh. The whole thing did amuse him a little bit if you wanted him to be completely honest. “Though I’m rather sure that you being a Captain gives your mind quite a good workout since you are thinking strategically and everything of the sort.” Or so he assumed. And yet the conversation was cut abruptly as the waiter asked for drinks. Davey really hadn’t mulled that over since he was deep enough in conversation not to entertain the topic at hand. He had contemplated water but he didn’t know if that was too dull. Plus, he wasn’t sure if he should be drinking wine at a fancy restaurant. But he decided to make an impulsive decision. Hopefully Blythe wouldn’t mind. “Two glasses of your finest wine,” he told the waiter. And besides, he didn’t regret the choice he made. A rare chuckle escaped Blythe's lips. "Cheers, Davey. I was a Ravenclaw." She sat and watched the exchange between the two of them. At the mention of the restaurant's finest wine, her eyebrows crept up toward her hairline. That was fancy and unexpected. The waiter nodded curtly and then left their table with a "yes, sir" and the tiniest of smiles, the sort that lack personality but are expected in similar situations. As soon as he was gone, Blythe refocused her attention. "That was unexpected. But nice," she added quickly. "You're a wine man. What else do you drink?" While not a heavy drinker, Blythe had a few favorites. She continued to ignore the menu. They’d get to it, she was sure. She knew she was hungry. “I was actually in Hufflepuff myself. But I almost ended up in Ravenclaw myself. Almost,” Davey sat with a laugh. But still, he was glad he ended up in Hufflepuff. There were some good memories there, the whole Whomping WIllow bit aside and all. Plus, with Catriona as his boss, Davey was ensured that there would never be a dull day as long as he was working with Portree. “Well, not really. But I figured since the situation merited it, that we could indulge ourselves in a glass of wine or two,” Davey admitted with a shrug, not bothering to look at the menu himself. He’d figure out what he wanted to have when the time came. “Most times I am fond of whiskey or bourbons when it comes to alcohol. But I don’t drink too much. So normally I resort to tea and waters. How about you? What drinks wet your palate?” Somewhat relieved, Blythe made a mental note of his drinking habits. Moderation was a good sign of sanity. “Wine, cider, scotch… tea… I drink a lot of milk.” And there really wasn’t much else; she stayed away from soft drinks and coffee. She didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. After that, she didn’t really know what to say. That made it a perfect time to be the first one to reach for the menu. She took it and was surprised by its weight. The cover was absurdly thick. On the inside pages, she was quick to spot a pasta dish that looked like something she’d enjoy… and wasn’t too expensive, comparably. Nothing was reasonably priced for a first date, though. Her Gran was definitely going to get an earful about the matter. Davey wouldn’t have picked the restaurant himself; that meant a fight with Carys Parkin, and he didn’t seem like someone who had survived a recent battle with the woman. “Did you want to choose something?” “A wide of variety of drinks. I like that. I’m sure you can introduce me to your favourite ciders and scotch someday,” Davey suggested, it would be a good reason for them to hang out in the future. That is, if circumstances permitted. But maybe Davey should look at the menu himself. Unfortunately, Italian cuisine was never really to his liking but he did see a risotto he liked and thankfully for him, it wasn’t a pasta. It didn’t seem to be too expensive, but Davey was already of the mindset that he would foot the bill since that was what a gentleman should do during a date. “I have yes, did you? Because if so, we can get our orders placed and the rest of the date underway.” Someday. If that were any indication of his assessment of their time together so far, Blythe agreed. She wanted to learn more about him. The fact that they’d gotten through ten minutes without her wanting to hex him was a good sign, and it didn’t happen terribly often. “I’m ready,” she answered, closing her menu. The waiter would be returning shortly with their wine. She wondered at the meaning of “rest of the date;” Davey had already proven to have some surprises up his sleeve. Although Blythe appreciated schedules and routine, she didn’t hate the idea of not knowing what the rest of the night held. Her date had managed a few smiles out of her, and she almost felt comfortable. That hadn’t happened in quite a while. Davey had hoped if anything that the two of them could remain friends if anything. It depended on what else the evening had in store and chemistry. But Davey did find himself enjoying her company. He definitely felt comfortable around her and that was always a plus. And right now, he was having no regrets. “Great, then all we have to do is wait for the waiter gets back then,” he said. He was going to make sure that Blythe remained the center of attention throughout the course of the evening and if circumstances permitted, maybe he could walk her home. Though right now he just picked up his wine glass and made a quiet toast to a good date. And hopefully a new friend as well. |