Ana Lucia hits harder. (i_was_a_cop) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-09-26 22:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | ana lucia cortez, tendo choi |
Who: Ana Lucia and Tendo Choi
When: September 4th, during the nightmare plot
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: A long overdue blind date
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Incomplete, will finish in comments.
Tendo had been waiting about five minutes, wanting to get there before she did. A gentleman is always punctual, right? He took one last moment to make sure his hair was slicked back properly and his bowtie was straight. It had been a while since he had been on a blind date, which was essentially what he thought of this as, and he took another glance around for someone else looking to meet up with someone. Tendo had never been above looking ridiculous, going out on a limb, or putting himself in harms way if it meant romancing a lady. A blind date was nothing.
It'd been forever since Ana Lucia had been on a date. She honestly couldn't remember the last time, certainly over a year as she'd spent most of that time looking for the killer of her partner back when she was with the NYPD. It felt like ancient history now, and so did her love life. Which was probably why she was suddenly a little more inclined to try out a blind date. She wasn't desperate, just...curious.
She had fussed over her appearance before she left the car, checking her hair and makeup in the rear view mirror, then smoothing out her light blue cotton top as she got out of the car. She'd gone with skinny jeans and chunky heels since they were only meeting at a coffee shop. When she walked through the door, she too looked for someone waiting and saw a guy with a bowtie and slicked back hair scouting the coffee shop as well. She smirked a little to herself; the combination was kind of dorky looking but somehow endearing and original. She walked across the shop partially filled with quietly chatting patrons, the espresso machine behind the counter hissing, adding to the ambiance. "Tendo?" She smiled, and tucked a lock of wavy brown hair behind an ear in the slightest display of nerves.
Tendo looked up and smiled in surprise.
"I'm not sure if I am anymore. I was not expecting someone this beautiful to walk in. I have to step up my game next time." There was a hint of playfulness but there was no sign that it wasn't completely genuine. He stood up and shook her hand in greeting. "Tendo Choi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
This had been Tendo's favorite coffee shop since he had moved to Orange County. It didn't have the best coffee or the best scones. The only thing it had that no other coffee shop has was the smell. It always smelled like fresh coffee grounds mixed somehow with chocolate and vanilla. Something in the air just always smelled amazing and he loved sitting there during his free time. It wasn't often he HAD free time, but it was a rare treat for himself.
Ana Lucia gave a little laugh and hoped she wasn't blushing, but she probably was. Yeah, he was just as charming as he had been with his texts. It was a sort of on the sleeve, up front kind of charm that was refreshing. "Nice to meet you too." She grinned as they shook hands.
She hadn't actually ordered anything yet, she had wanted to find her date first. Now found, she glanced at the coffee bar. "Well we better get some coffee or I might fall asleep on you." This whole spate of nightmares had really sucked for her, and Ana did not relish going to sleep. She'd already left work early just to avoid any further incidents of narcolepsy.
"There's an inappropriate joke about sleeping together in there somewhere." Tendo smirked. "Lead the way, madam. I can feel my brain shutting down as we speak. Soon I'll be slurring and making weird dorky puns at you and we cannot have that."
This time Ana really laughed, the kind that lit up her face. "I walked right into that." She nodded and walked over to the short coffee line. When Tendo mentioned puns she chuckled. "We can't have that." She eyed the case and picked out the pastry she wanted mentally, then turned to Tendo. "You come to this place a lot? I've only been here a few times." They moved forward and she ordered an extra large cup of coffee and a pumpkin spice pound cake loaf. She wasn't a fan of espresso, but did ask for a shot regardless.
"When I can." Tendo nodded to her. "I like the smell."
He was the kind of guy who could sweet talk any girl into anything but Ana seemed a bit different then his usual. It was a little against his nature, but he let her pay for her own coffee. He would smother her with polite gestures and wooing words later, but this was casual coffee with who seemed a very independent woman, after all. He had to play the right cards.
Man, she looked like the woman from his dream.
"Sometimes I think I've built up an immunity to coffee, I drink it so much." He ordered his coffee black and treated himself to a mini blueberry pie pastry.
"I hadn't really noticed, but now that you mention it, it does smell pretty damn good in here." Ana breathed in the smell of fresh coffee and smiled. "Yeah, you don't actually get this in New York. You get a whiff of people's coffee when you're on the streets, but not in the shops themselves. Starbucks' got nothin' on Baxters." Ana was very independent, she was her mother's daughter after all. And it didn't even occur to her Tendo might have wanted to pay for her food. It wasn't like it was dinner, right? But she'd have to be careful not to be too controlling wallet wise and let the man pay for something if they decided on a second date. It was like she was learning the ropes all over again.
"Well they say it's good for the heart or something." she smirked. They made their way back to the table Tendo had previously claimed.
"Certainly a lot better than Red Bull."
Tendo put half the pie in his mouth to hold it, took two long and quick strides over to the table, and pulled her chair out for her, at least going that far in the charming gestures without hesitation. When his task was done, he pulled the pie out of his mouth and lifted both hands, coffee and pie filled, as an undefined gesture to her. He didn't seem to identify it.
Ana made a face. "That stuffs so nasty. I don't know how anyone can drink that." She was desperate to stay awake, but even with these dreams she wasn't that desperate.
Ana chuckled as Tendo popped the pie in his mouth and pulled her chair out. "Thanks." She settled into her chair, slinging her purse over the corner, then turning back to him. He stood with his arms up, as if Moses but with a coffee and blueberry pie instead of a staff. She tried not to laugh only because she wasn't sure if it'd insult him and so smiled, amused instead. "What are you doing?"
"Not... even sure." Tendo smiled awkwardly, being completely honest. "Victory?" He repeated the motion, seeing if the phrase matched it. He winced, but it wasn't clear if it was from the phrase not matching or the resulting embarrassment. "Been looking forward to meeting you. Thought maybe the fates were preventing it."
Ana laughed. "Yeah you'd think they were, right?" So much kept going on that their original date kept getting pushed week after week. She lifted her coffee cup in a toast. "To victory."
Tendo took a sip of his coffee for the toast and swallowed it before speaking again.
"So, Miss Ana, tell me about yourself. How did you come to be in the OC?"
She smiled but underneath she wanted to wince. Her reason for coming was something straight out of a paperback crime novel. She didn't like talking about it and wished she had a better explanation like most people seemed to on Valar. She wasn't sure how Tendo would react to knowing his blind date had come to California on a vendetta that would have put her on the wrong side of the law if she'd pulled it off.
She opted for the cleaner, still truthful version.
"I was looking for the guy who killed my partner. I was in the NYPD." She looked at Tendo, studying him as she sipped calmly at her coffee, enjoying the sensation of the bitter flavor rolling over her tongue and the knowledge it'd keep her wired for hours. Hopefully.
"Wow... That's like something out of a paperback crime novel." Tendo looked more impressed and interested then turned off. "Not that I'm making light of it in any way. That's just... Intense. I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose people."
Tendo wasn't sure it would be appropriate to touch her in condolences. They just met. He kept his hands wrapped around his coffee cup.