David Xanatos (selfmade_man) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-07-02 19:39:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, caroline forbes, david xanatos |
Who: Caroline and Xanatos
What: Xanatos and Caroline go out for pizza
When: Thursday, June 4th
Where: ZeroZero39 Pizzeria
Rating/Warning: Low/none
Status: Complete
Caroline felt more relaxed about her second dinner with David. She wasn’t going to some fancy restaurant on a moments notice where she had no time to fully prepare or even wear the right outfit. She at least had twenty-four hours notice for this dinner, considering she had made sure to suggest to suggest the time. And the restaurant was one she was familiar with. Had grown up going to. It may not be as fancy or expensive as the food David was usually used to. But the pizza was still delicious. Part of Caroline wanted to show him you didn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy yourself or food.
She was dressed much more casually this time, in jeans and a floral print top, hair down in it’s usual golden waves. She was sure to arrive early, by about fifteen minutes. No way was she going to let David arrive before her again. She went ahead inside and grabbed them a table, scrolling through some work emails on her phone as she waited.
Xanatos’ driver was good at his job, and Xanatos arrived at the pizzeria no more than a minute or two early. He stepped out of his car, and smoothed his suit jacket as he stepped out. He was wearing another one of his expensive, yet casual seeming grey suit jackets over top a black shirt and black slacks. His long brown hair was tied back, as usual, into his signature ponytail that fell down his back.
The driver drove off as he stepped into the pizzeria, and he spotted Caroline on her phone, and he smiled at her. “Caroline,” he said, as he pulled out his chair and took his seat in one graceful motion. “You’re looking lovely as usual. How are you?”
When she heard his voice she quickly placed her phone into her purse. Mid email reply and all. It could wait till later. For now David would get her full attention. Her eyes glanced over his attire as he took the seat across from her. “You know there’s no dress code here,” she teased smiling brightly. But she had a feeling his outfit was about as casual as David got.
“I’m good. I was just catching up on a few emails.” Not that she needed to explain herself but it did sort of go with how she was doing. “How are you? Good day running the world?” she teased him for the second time that evening.
“A man doesn’t need a dress code to look good,” Xanatos said with a bit of a wink. Her assessment was true though - Xanatos would never be caught wearing something like jeans and a t-shirt.
“Well, the world doesn’t rule itself, but it was pretty good as far as things were concerned. I’m looking forward to my evening off.” He had to push back a meeting with the head of a major weapons supplier to meet with her, but Xanatos felt pretty good about it; the man had been rude and belligerent, seeming to think that Xanatos should kowtow to him if he wanted to sell the technologies he’d been working on, and Xanatos kowtowed to no one. He’d much rather make the vendor sweat, thinking that Xanatos might be lining up another sale for his weapons right now instead. He’d get a better price for them in the end, too.
“You’ve been busy, it sounds like.” It looked like it, too. He doubted that Caroline had been texting her friends when he’d walked in.
“But,” Caroline replied smiling brightly. “It takes an even bigger man to look good without having to dress up at all,” she pointed out. Although she had a feeling David would look just fine in jeans and a t-shirt. Even if she was sure he would never wear them.
“I suppose I have you to thank for that,” Caroline replied in reference to her busy schedule. “It seems someone passed my name around at their party?” Which she of course was thankful for. She needed the work and to build her reputation out here. But still it had left her pretty swamped.
“I’m looking forward to my evening off as well,” she added. She didn’t get many. Sure there were a few days during the week where she wasn’t putting on an event. But even then she was still working on upcoming ones. Or she was with her mom. “So David,” Caroline went on. “Time for the most important question of the evening. What are your favorite pizza toppings?”
“You’ve never seen me dressed up,” Xanatos said, grinning slyly. He could have dressed up at his party a little more, he supposed, but he had thrown the party more to get to know the Dreamers on the Network, not to impress his wealthy guests that he’d been obligated to invite. Since moving to California, he hadn’t once had to break out his fine tuxes and evening wear.
He smiled a little when Caroline seemed to accuse him of making her busy. “Well, I do like to pay compliments where compliments are due,” he said. “It seemed the least I could do after all the trouble I caused. I hope it’s not too much? It seemed to me like you could take on just about anything.”
At Caroline’s question, Xanatos grinned. “That’s a tricky one. The best pizza I had in Italy, was the capricciosa, which is mushrooms, ham, artichoke, and tomatoes, especially if the ham is prosciutto.” He let that hang in the air for a moment, and then added, “but when I was a boy I had a particular soft spot for pepperoni and mushroom. And you, Caroline? Let me guess,” he studied her for a moment. “You’re not a ham and pineapple type of girl, I hope?”
Caroline raised a brow at that comment. “Oh?” she questioned. “If this is you dressed down…” she trailed off briefly not exactly sure where she was going with that thought. “Then I suppose I am just going to have to see what you dressed up looks like,” she finally finished. Which wasn’t exactly a tease like her previous statements, but she was genuinely curious now.
“Not too much,” she assured him. “I don’t take on more than I can handle.” Even if his party had come pretty darn close to testing her limits.
She wrinkled her nose at his question. “Fruit does not belong on pizza.” She didn’t really like to eat her fruit warm either. “Pepperoni and sausage for me. Or just plain pepperoni.” When it came to pizza she liked to stick to the classics. “As delicious as your Italian pizza sounds, I say you go with your childhood favorite tonight.”
“Next time I have an event to dress up for, I’ll be sure to add you as my plus one,” Xanatos said. The problem, of course, being that he had seen what he assumed was one of her best dresses already, and while it might hold up to scrutiny, it would do so only barely. He’d have to make sure to take care of that before hand.
“Well, that’s good.” He said. “It would have been a shame if I had spoken so highly of you only for you to not live up to expectations because you took on too much.” It certainly would have reflected badly on himself if that were to be the case.
He laughed at her distaste for pineapple. “Good; it’s an insult to an Italian classic, if you ask me,” he said, grinning. “Should we split one then? Pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom?”
“Oh,” Caroline said, not sure what to make of that statement. “That wasn’t what I meant. Besides I’m sure there are plenty of women dying to be your plus one.” She wasn’t necessarily one of them. Though, she wouldn’t say no.
“Please,” Caroline scoffed. “Do I take you as someone that doesn’t live up to expectations?” She usually made sure to go above and beyond in all aspects of her life, but especially when it came to work.
“Perfect,” she agreed with a bright smile. “Good thing we both like pepperoni.” She didn’t mind mushrooms either. She was a fan of most pizza toppings actually, except pineapple.
“Perhaps, but none that I’d be interested in taking,” Xanatos said. He’d met very few interesting women in New York, and even fewer here. Certainly none who seem to try to exceed expectations at every turn.
He flagged down one of the servers and ordered their pizza - large, and then ordered himself a beer. He rarely drank beer, but then, he rarely ate pepperoni pizza, so it seemed appropriate.
Caroline raised a brow at that. He wanted to take her? She wasn’t sure exactly what these dinners with David were, but she was pretty sure they weren’t dates. It just seemed like something he did, at least the first dinner had since he apparently took people that did a good job for him out. This one she wasn’t so sure other than they had talked about it. She wouldn’t think much about him inviting her as a plus one either, if it wasn’t for that comment.
Of course Peeta entered her mind. She had only had one date with him, but she did like him. Still agreeing to another outing with David seemed harmless. And she was kind of intrigued to not only see him dressed up but also the kinds of events he attended. It might be good for her business. Besides he probably hadn’t even meant it anyway. Luckily the waiter came by and she didn’t have to respond.
Beer wasn’t usually Caroline’s preference either but it did go well with pizza. And if David was having one? She figured why not, ordering one for herself as well. “You’re full of surprises,” Caroline commented once the waiter had walked away.
Xanatos grinned at that, a nearly cheshire cat grin. “I do like to keep people on their toes,” he said. “In life, and in business, remaining unpredictable ensures the best results.”
He leaned back in his chair, draping one arm over the back of it as he took in the restaurant around them. “So, Caroline, do you often come here to eat?”
“Is that why you made so many last minute changes to your party?” Okay so it was really just the kids area with twenty-four hours notice. But the whole thing in general had been super last minute.
“I did when I was growing up,” Caroline replied as their beers were brought over. “This is actually my first time since I’ve been back.” Since high school really. Hopefully it was as good as she remembered. Part of the reason she chose this place was to show David food didn’t have to be expensive to be delicious.
“That was more about wanting to make a good first impression,” Xanatos said, waving a hand airily. “Like I said, the move in general was a very last minute decision, and if you throw a party weeks after you arrive, it tends to give people who are looking for an weakness the impression that you’re unprepared.”
He grabbed his beer and took a sip, and once he placed it back on the table, he leaned forward, steepling his fingers together. “So why did you move back? It looked as though things were going well for you in New York.” Professionally speaking, at least. It wasn’t as if he had looked into her personal life.
There was a brief sadness in Caroline’s eyes at his question. But she quickly brushed it off, placing that smile of hers back on her face. She didn’t want to talk about her mom. Or think about that right now.
“It’s home,” she said with a small shrug. “Besides it seemed the best way to start my own company.” Even if most of her contacts were back in New York, she didn’t want it to seem as though she was stealing from the company she used to work for. She wasn’t at all surprise that David had looked into her professional past before hiring her so she didn’t bother to question him on how he knew. Instead she took a sip of her beer and chose the turn the conversation back around on him. “The same could be asked of you,” Caroline commented. “Especially with the last minute move. Why did you>/I> decide to come out here so suddenly? Pretty sure things were going pretty well back for you back in New York.”
Xanatos was observant enough to notice the look of sadness in her eye, but he didn’t bother to wonder at it. Whatever sadness Caroline was carrying was hers.
“I thought it was time to expand,” Xanatos said airily. “And being closer to Hollywood would no doubt be better for Pack Media Studios.” He grinned then, as if he was letting Caroline in on the joke, or the secret. “At least, that’s the official story. I’d been hearing rumours of the strange things like dreams that were happening here, and when someone told me that there were actual stoomtroopers fighting Ewoks in the California streets, well, I couldn’t resist coming to see it for myself.”
“And now that you’ve experienced dreams for yourself?” Caroline questioned. Though she had a feeling he liked his dreams a hell of a lot more than she was enjoying hers. But then he was building castles on top of sky scrapers and she was back in high school dating someone that abused her both physically and emotionally.
“Now I’m even more certain that my decision to move here was the right one,” Xanatos said, with a confident smile. He’d been certain of it the moment Kate had helped him walk through a solid wood door. “The things that I can learn here…”
Well, there were numberless. “I think that just being among all of this will help me discover all manner of technologies that can be used for the betterment of mankind, but with my own Dreams added to the mix, I think the possibilities are endless.”
There was something behind that smile that made Caroline wonder what his agenda really was. “Well I guess that’s one way to look at it,” Caroline said with a shrug. She still wasn’t a big fan of her own dream. But then who would be when they dreamt of getting abused? And being a total bitch to her mom.
Their pizza was brought over and Caroline grabbed a slice. She took a bite eyes remaining on David. She had to admit she was a little nervous, hoping he would like it.
“I’ve been looking for some sort of sign of magic for some time,” Xanatos explained. “It’s,” he paused, as if looking for the word, “gratifying to know that I haven’t been a complete nutcase all this time.” He added a wink, and then the pizza was laid out in front of them.
It was different than most of the pizza Xanatos had seen before; for one, it was a rectangle instead of the usual circle. He had to admit, it looked good. He took a slice, and held it up as almost a salute, saying “Bon appetite,” before taking a bite.
He chewed thoughtfully for a moment. The taste was hardly delicate or intricate, but it wasn’t a piece of greasy, meat flavoured cardboard either, like much of the pizza he’d eaten as a child. He smiled. “It’s not bad,” he said. “I can see why you like this place.”
She wasn’t expecting him to say that. Until recently she hadn’t believed in magic at all. Never thought about the possibility that it might actually exist. So the fact that David had been? And was looking for it? She wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that. “You still might be a nutcase,” Caroline teased, nudging his foot under the table. She was feeling way more like herself here than she had at the last restaurant. It was easier for her to joke around. Even if she was sitting across from a billionaire.
There was part of her that wanted to question him a bit more on the whole magic thing. Even with all his money and power he still wanted more? Something that might not even exist? Caroline was beginning to wonder if David would ever be content. But she left those thoughts to herself because he was eating the pizza and he looked like he was enjoying it. “Not bad?” she questioned with a raised brow. She knew it wasn’t exactly from Italy, but she was pretty sure it was better than not bad. At least he saw why she liked the place. “I guess I’ll take it,” Caroline smiled brightly before taking another bite of her own slice.
Xanatos laughed, surprisingly pleased at the unexpected contact. “You would be surprised how few people are willing to tell me that when I make more than some economies,” he said, appreciatively. He did prefer it when people didn’t try to walk on eggshells around him.
“Well, it’s no Alain Ducasse,” Xanatos said, taking another bite. “But then, what is? I’d probably be willing to come back here again, which isn’t something I say lightly.”
“Guess I’m just not like most people,” Caroline replied, taking another bite of her pizza, washing it down with a long sip of beer. “Your career is impressive and all,” Caroline wouldn’t lie. “But you’re still a person.” Yes she needed to have some professionalism, but she didn’t really see the need to treat him differently than she would anyone else. Especially now that they were getting to know each other outside a professional setting.
A triumphant smile crossed her face. “Maybe you should let me pick more often.” That was if they had more of these dinners.
“If you were, we wouldn’t be here,” Xanatos said. He didn’t generally waste his time with average people. He only had so much of it, and if he was going to take some time away from building Xanatos Enterprises or finding the secrets to immortality, then he wasn’t about to do so with someone below his notice.
“I think I can live with that,” Xanatos said. “Perhaps we could take turns.”
Well that statement was kind of flattering, Caroline felt her cheeks redden just a little. However she brushed past it, focussing on what he said next. “Only if you give me more than an hours notice,” she replied. “Especially if there’s a dress code.”
"That sounds like a fair enough deal," Xanatos said, leaning forward, his elbows on the table and his fingers laced together. "How much notice would you like?"
Caroline pondered it for a moment before replying. “Two days.” That would at least give her enough time to plan an outfit even buy one if it was somewhere with a dress code again. “As long as it’s not for a weekend. I need weeks for that.” Given her job she was usually working at least one night every weekend.
“I think I can manage that,” Xanatos said, even if it meant not being able to fill the nights when he was unexpectedly free.
“Then deal,” Caroline agreed giving him one more smile before reaching for another slice of pizza. She wasn’t exactly sure how she became friends with David, but she had to admit she was enjoying it. Even looking forward to more dinners with him. Especially the ones where she got to pick.