Some Prize(Mae-Lim)

[Alkaiser]

(OOC: It took a while and it's kinda barebones, but it's a start )

"Hey there!" Alkaiser remarked after returning to pick Mae-Lim up on his bike. He wasn't really sure how she'd react to his ride, so instead of complicating the situation with words he just greeted her again as he took off his helmet and offered it to her.

Eventually, the two would get on the road to Taiku's selected restaurant, wherever that might be. Conveniently, Steve happened to know where it was, as it was on the same road as his apartment, just a few miles down.

The place was a small yet elegant seaside dining hall, complete with a huge window that faced the bay, just tall enough to get a glimpse of the moon. Steve was surprised a little himself at just how nice the atmosphere was. The waiter would bring them to a table right away, even though Steve didn't feel much like eating.

[Mae-Lim]

There was an almost creepy smile that crossed the girl's features as she looked at the tranportation method. No cabs, fancy cars or limos. Good. She wasn't easily impressed and this screamed I'm not trying to either. If he was she took no notice.
She began to walk over to him, accepting the helmet with a polite nod of her head. Unfortuntaly, with her hair pinned up as it was, putting on this thinger was going to be complicated. She'd just have to mess it up and then fix it up later. Or keep it loose, whichever.

Her hand reached to the back of her head, where she pulled the tooth-y pin...clamp thingie for her hair off and put the helmet on. 'At least if he causes an accident, I'll be the one with more chances to live' she thought randomly, hopping on and hesitantly reaching around him to hold on. Just as she thought, physical contact was still an issue she had to get over, and it wasn't getting any easier for some reason. Probably that stupid kiss Seth had given her way back when had ruffled her feathers enough to make her fall back to square one. That jerk. But now wasn't the time to reminense and spoil her relatively good mood.

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Her eyes scanned the area, her bored gaze scanning practically ever single inch of the premise as though she was checking for potential traps. However suspicious she seemed to be, it was just her way of knowing exactly where she was. Of course, she had to stop at some point when she and her date were seated. Quite quickly too. That was quite the service...

Mae-Lim took a seat and looked up towards Steve. She felt the need to say something, but striking up conversation...or at least pleasant conversation wasn't her thing. She pushed aside any mention of school as she could only see it turning a bit sour....
Her eyes dropped to the menu and with a quick look-over of the things to get, she finally settled on something to say.
"What will you be getting...?" she asked softly, her tone almost completely devoid of emotion. She cocked her head and gave her menu another glance, not really reading anything but just acting as though she was. "It's my first time here, I'm not sure what's good or not..."

Actually, she didn't go out to any restaurant usually. Her diet consisted of a whole lot of microwavable things. Even when she'd visit her legal Guardian, she was there with him and her brother and those two didn't know the meaning of cooking. Quite Frankly, neither did she. 'Maybe if he takes something that sounds good I can just casually say that's what I wanted to get too...'

[Alkaiser]

Steve looked over the menu, trying to decide what to try after Mae had asked him what was good. He resists the urge to just find the most expensive item on the menu and cite that as the best, considering it was all going on Taiku's tab anyways. Instead, he just answers truthfully.

"Actually, I have no idea...This place is just a little too swanky for my tastes..." This wasn't a very helpful response though, so Steve continues with a smile, "I'm sure they couldn't mess up spaghetti, though."

As interesting as the meal was, Steve was hoping to get a better idea of who Mae-Lim really was. After a few moments, he begins investigating, "So, Mae, what interests you?" He meant for the question to be so off-beat and open-ended, so that she could answer however she felt was best.

[Mae-Lim]

'Crud.' Mae thought at his first response, feeling as though she might have to get something she wasn't sure tasted...okay. As he continued, Mae seemed to get a slight flash of hope. If she got the same thing, let him try it first and he didn't keel over and gag, then she could safely assume it was alright!
She closed her menu, feeling satisfied before giving a nod. "Then I'll try that." she half-whispered. 'Wait. What if he takes something else? Changes his mind?' Ah, she'd just have to wait and see she supposed. 'But I mean...how badly can someone mess up spaghetti? I know I did one time...but if they work here they SHOULD know how to cook...'

"So, Mae, what interests you?"

She lifted her eyes to meet those of Steve. For a moment her eyes were doing simply that...staring. While it seemed odd, she was really just thinking of her answer, but, showing him that she'd heard him and intended to answer.
"Drama." she said briefly, shifting slightly in her seat. Drama? Her? She had as much personality and life as a rock! However, regardless of that she was rather good at what she did. Drama was all about acting like something else, right? So no matter how much life she gave off as Mae-Lim, as something else she was completely different.
"Otherwise I suppose animal care is another one....since I help out at a shelter. You wouldn't happen to want a puppy would you? Or a goat?"

With a no, she'd simply go on, with a yes, she'd tell him that she'd give him more info on it later. Regardless of the answer, she'd move on.

Come now, these weren't her only interests. Think TV? Outdoors? Gah, she wouldn't go on about watching Spongebob as a straaaange strange quirk of hers...While she was no where NEAR ashamed, she didn't suppose that random bit of info would interest her date.

Finding herself a bit stuck on what else to mention, how ever boring she was already, she decided to save herself and just return the question. "And you? What does a cheery fellow like you find interest in?"
'Something exciting I bet. I wonder if I should try skydiving one day...'

[Alkaiser]

"Heh...no, I can't say that I'm interested in goats. Still, that's pretty cool. I wouldn't have guessed you for a pet-lover." Steve says playfully. It was nice to see that after that the conversation was just naturally starting to pick up between the two, and the awkward fears that engaged the night had subsided. "Actually, I love acting and being on stage as well. I was in the winter production for the theatre troupe, and it was a blast. Do you think you'll be trying out for the spring play?"

As she replied, Steve would call the waiter to come over and they would order. Then, once that was through, he would ask another question that he had been curious about. "So I have to be honest, I was surprised to see you at a people-raffle on Valentine's Day." Then, a little pause for her to ask him why, and then he would continue, "I mean, I thought you and Calloway were together for more than just Revelation..."

Steve's presumption wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knew him well enough to realize how outspoken he was about just about everything. Still, his 'date' had only met him twice, and he was just a tad too dense to realize what he was saying. It wasn't that he was that ignorant, but instead just really laid-back to the point of being perhaps a bit too casual.

[Mae-Lim]

"Spring play?" she asked, obvious interest beginning to show. If Alkaiser was hoping to get the girl's attention, he'd done so quite well. "Deffinately."

Before she could inquire much further about this Spring play, the waiter had come by to take their orders. Mae-Lim waited for him to order first, this way, when it came to her turn, she'd just have to say "Same for me." Which, of course, she did.
She thought about bringing the topic back up then, however Steve had already begun to speak to her.

What he said didn't really surprise her. She didn't expect to be there either, and yet, there she was...dragged to a place against her will. All of the things that happened tonight seemed to be forced on her and Mae-Lim lacked the mental strenght to care by that point. At least, that's what she blamed it on. At any rate, she figured she may as well question the boy as to WHY he'd asked her. She didn't think he knew her well enough to be surprised at her being there because of her being...her.
"Why so?"

And then he said it. Mae-Lim remained awefully silent, but her eyes grew as round as golf-balls, the corner of her lip giving a slight twitch.
Her?
Seth?
TOGETHER?
What the hell?!
She would never acknowledge that there was ever any sign of them being as such. Could a girl not hang out with a guy often and just be his friend!? Ahh, but she had to calm down, even if her mind screamed "Get him. Maim him. Destroy." She surpressed this urge figuring that any type of outburst would lead to the assumption that she was in denial. Yelling at him would probably prove to do the same.

Well now what? Both her usual options were written off.

"Seth? And Me?" she asked shakily, trying to keep her trembling anger at bay. Bah, why was she so angry? It was JUST a question. Usually she'd just scoff and say no. She was acting as though he'd insulted her. She had to try ad snap out of it!
"You MUST be joking." she said coldly, her eyes lowering into a deep glare. "What would have you think THAT?"

By the way she looked at him, it was almost as though she was DARING him to say something that would even remotely suggest them being together...

[Alkaiser]

(OOC: Sorry this has taken so long...traveling on spring break and whatnot. Should be able to come up with an actual post tonite.

EDIT: okay, so that was a big pile-o-fail on my part. Still, if you wanna keep this going, here's a post for you )

Not that it wasn't a recurring problem for the outspoken redhead, but it would have seemed that he managed to put his foot in his mouth quite well this time. Mae-Lim was visually upset at the mere mention of Calloway's name, and thus, Alkaiser quickly began thinking of ways to diffuse the situation. That poisoned drink seemed closer than ever before.

"I'm really not sure what made me think that..." he says, stumbling over each word. Although he fashioned himself as a chivalrous young chap, Steve had fought girls before when it was necessary. Still, nothing frightened him more than a woman seeing red. "If there was something there, though, it wouldn't be very bright of me to put on too much charm tonite..." he jokes, putting on a mock-dashing face to try and resolve the problem with his relentless humor.

"Are those two even friends? That was a little more reaction than I was expecting..." he thinks to himself, meanwhile the conversation stales with a moment of silence. "I've got a way to make it up to you. Stick with me a little longer and I'll give you a surprise later."

Barzahd just hopes that his date doesn't walk out on him in the middle of dinner...that always makes for such an awkward rest of the night. The mystery of a surprise usually keeps the girl on her toes as well. He smiles in a disarming way, realizing that the phrasing may have accidentally come across as mildly creepy.

[Mae-Lim]

(No worries, a bit late on responding myself so let's call it even, yes? )

Mae-Lim grinned on the inside, listening to him stumble through his phrase. She'd managed to intimidate him at the least, and that reaction alone was "revenge" enough for what he'd said. Even still, she kept her stern gaze on him until he began to speak again, joking. As he did so, her expression softened, enough to indicate that she wasn't going to leap at him from across the table or anything and try to choke him to death.

Never on a first date.

"A surprise, hm?" she asked softly, not showing much interest, but Mae-Lim was indeed curious about it. 'He better not try anything funny...' she thought. Ah, but from what she'd observed of him, he didn't seem like that type of person. Of course, you'd be surprised but she wasn't too worried. She also had to admit that with her curiousity poked, she couldn't pass it up. Wether the surprise ended up being impressive or not didn't even matter to her much right now. She just started thinking of the billion possibilities, possibly zoning out for a bit.

Her elbows were paced on the table then, and Mae-Lim leaned forward, pressing her chin on the top of her right hand as she stared at his smile. What was his deal, anyway? She wasn't being as cold as she could be but she wasn't exactly being nice either. Still there he was, smiling away. Most people would of found it awkward and the night would of been spent in mostly silence. But not him...

"Why are you so happy..?" she asked suddenly, her eyes piercing through his. There was almost an annoyed look on her face. "I could probably toss you down a cliff and once you'd reach the bottom you'd flash me a smile."
She tilted her head to the right, observing him and trying to figure out why he was like that. Heck, he wasn't just cheery, but he was nice too. No snapping back at her or anything. He was like those...goodie-goodies that helped people, probably. It didn't surprise her that he was made a pillar.

[Alkaiser]

Steve nodded when Mae gave a curious little acknowledgment to his surprise, and thought a moment on the odd question that she asked him. Why was he so happy? He resisted the immediate inclination to blurt out 'pleasant people are statistically less likely to be brutally murdered by their valentines dates '. She continued, and then he answered.

"Well, besides the great fun that it would be to dive from a cliff...I just find that I can work with people alot easier when I'm happy around them. Then I become sincerely happy because life is easier." It was probably the best explanation he could come up with...or at least the best start to one. Explaining why you're happy is like explaining why Wilma was into Fred Flintstone...she just was. Nobody had anything better than that. "One only makes it harder on himself by going around and evoking pity from everyone by brooding like he's got a terminal illness."

Not able to resist, Steve tries to get clever. Again.

"That...and I was pretty convinced that I could win you over with my great smile." he says, fake-pouting with his bottom lip out for once to see if that made her any more comfortable. This sort of conversation was nice though. Alkaiser was enjoying the fact that he actually had to think before he responded while conversing with her...not many required him to be on his toes just for chatting. That could've been why he was smiling so much, too.

"Do you have a problem with smiling? If I try really hard I can quit, honest I can."

[Mae-Lim]

Mae-Lim's eyes seemed to change a bit right after Alkaiser's first response. She really looked like she was letting the words sink. She shifted her gaze downwards and remained quiet. Being happy did that for him? Life...easier? She felt a tinge of jealousy then as she further reflected upon what he said. Almost as though part of her wished she could see things in that light. But of course, she couldn't. Perhaps it was carved into her personality now, and her cruelty was just part of who she was. They say you should accept yourself for who you are, so, she never really thought about trying the "look on the brightside" thing. Well, maybe when she played certain parts in various plays, but, usually she snagged parts like the Evil Step Mother from Cinderella.

"One only makes it harder on himself by going around and evoking pity from everyone by brooding like he's got a terminal illness."

'Ouch.'

Before she could start feeling like crap though, she was caught off guard (though really, by now she should of half-expected it) by Steve's joke, I guess you can call it. She raised her left hand, covering her face and shaking her head softly with a sigh. She almost wanted to laugh. Was it because he was funny to her? Or because his words were laughable (not in a good way)? She wasn't sure, but she had a serious case of the giggles bubbling in her throat and stomach. It would not, by any means, be released. She forbid herself to.

She finally brought her gaze back on him, tilting her head before sighing.
"I don't have a problem with it, quite the contrary." she said softly. "I guess when you don't do a whole lot of something, you wonder how other people can do it so much....like, ever seen those Japanese kids who spend all their money on DDR at arcades? They're helluva good, but you gotta wonder if they have lives..." she trailed off there for moment, staring at him as though she expected and answer. She'd continue then, whether she'd cut him off or not. "But once you play the game you start to understand a bit. Maybe. Unless you still hate it."

'What am I rambling on about, anyway? I have a point. I understand myself, I guess. I wonder if I lost HIM completely though...

...Should I try smiling? Like a genuine one? Like the one I only seem to have when I'm with my brother? But if I just force it, it'd be fake. Oh. I have an idea...'

"Hey, wanna do something fun?" she asked, staring at him blankly. "You come off as a class-clown type. Think you have what it takes to get me to smile? And I don't just mean like a tiny one...but I mean one that's more like a wide grin."

While she supposed it could be fun for him, this really WAS for her own benefit. She wanted to remember how it felt like to smile for real. Not smirk evilly or smile faintly. But REALLY smile. Who better to do it than someone so....uh. Let's say "Positive". She already knew what kind of reactions she got from hanging out with people you'd consider "bad". She also knew what it was like to be with positive people who were annoying as hell. Steve was bearable. Perhaps it would make a difference? Loads to observe.

"You up for it? If you're REALLY good, maybe you might even make me laugh!"

She hadn't really noticed the time pass. Or even how the food hadn't been brought to them yet. That, however, wasn't that big of a deal. She'd heard that some places took quite a bit of time to wait before orders were brought. Mostly depending on the dish and how many people were there. She was someone who didn't think much about her stomach though (she could go days without the stuff, but to avoid anorexia she ate her fill) so even if it took another three hours, she wouldn't really care or possibly notice.