Summary:Rachel Roth and Robbie Reyes go out on a date. They crash a college homecoming dance. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The day has finally come. It's the day of the homecoming dance for the ESU students. The dance that Rachel and Robbie Reyes are going to crash, to have their mutual first-ever date. Rachel is very nervous. She wakes up too early and can't go back to sleep. Then, around the middle of the afternoon, she's exhausted after making sure she has everything set for that evening — her dress, her shoes, her accessories, her jewelry, her makeup, the hair style she wants… And, after taking a second bath of the day, she passes out on her bed for a while. It's a good thing, because she wasn't able to get very restful sleep the night before.
However, when her alarm goes off to warn her that she's got to be ready in two hours, she wakes with a start and makes herself eat something. No one's said anything about her eating habits, yet, especially when coupled with her slightly-too-thin frame, but…Rachel's biological make-up makes her need to consume lots of calories in order to not get even thinner. So, she has to stay fueled up or she'll get tired easily and drop weight. So! After a large meal of a steak sandwich and twice-steamed veggies, she brushes her teeth and rinses her mouth out a few times.
She spends the next hour and a half getting ready. Everything's already planned out, so all she has to do is check off each task. Hair, done. Makeup, done. Accessories, on. Nails, did and dried. Perfume, walked through. Edibles, added to matching clutch. The last thing to do is put on her heels and she's not doing that until Robbie is there and ready to go. So, she floats upright, so she doesn't wrinkle her gown, and watches TV until she senses Robbie's emotional signature. She lowers to the floor and talks to him at the intercom, "I'll be right down. Unless you wanna come up?"
Robbie was about as nervous as Raven was. When he woke up that day, he put in his hours at Canelo's, but thankfully put in ahead of time that he couldn't work the evening like he sometimes did because he had a date. With a girl. A pretty and odd girl that just clicked with him in all the right ways. Unlike Raven, he didn't have much to do in terms of preparation aside from ironing out all the wrinkles that his suit mostl ikely had.
It was a little…rushed? Rushed is a good word. But, thankfully, he was able to do whath e had to do just in time to have two hours to burn. So what to do? He hung out with Gabe for a little bit, picking him up from school and playing with him via Gabe's toys and just being a good Big Brother. Its all they really have. Before he leaves, he tells Gabe the situation and that he has a date, which no doubt gets him a great many teases from his paraplegic brother.
With this in mind… Robbie got in the Hellcharger, even if its not quite the unholy beast that it is when Robbie's out on patrol. Now its just a simple 1969 dodge charger. Still a beautiful car and a wonderful piece of American Horsepower.
Arriving at her apartment complex and when he's intercommed, he smirks. "I can come up." He was a little excited to -really- see Raven. A part of him was mildly worried that she was going to half-ass it just a little bit, completely unaware by the smokeshow he was about to see. But he gets into the elevator, and he makes his way up!
(smokeshow=WOW.)
Rachel buzzes Robbie up and she opens the door before he really has a chance to knock. When she does, well. Her hair is swept up into what looks like an elaborate updo, her efforts giving it 1920s finger waves all around her face, and the rest piled atop her head in looped coils — not too poofy, though. It's quite flattering, really. But, Rachel seems to have a knack for things to do with beauty, like makeup and hair. Her look tonight is a bit heavier than usual, her eyeliner thicker, her eyeshadow more dramatic, her lashes enhanced with falsies, her lips glossy and black (color name: Stygian Soul).
Her dress (http://i.imgur.com/PtWv1R1.png) is a somewhat formfitting one, all black with finely-sequined lace overlay with varying shades of silver accents, (http://i.imgur.com/MOePYIH.png) scoop necked and sleeveless, the silhouette somewhere between a trumpet and a mermaid, and the back quite open until the lower half, which leads down to a small train in the back. Her heels are simple black pumps with rhinestone accents encasing the heel portion, and they're clutched in one hand. Her clutch is…clutched in the other. She smells like expensive perfume, and she's wearing dangling earrings that don't demand a lot of attention, which match a bracelet she's wearing on her right wrist. Her nails, of course, are long, immaculate, and painted black, with little rhinestones on the base of each one.
"Hi. You look nice," she says, finding it hard to look him in the eyes. "C'mon in," she steps back and motions him in, much as the last time she did the same thing, except she's holding her shoes in that hand, now.
Robbie comes up the elevator and right before he's about to knock on the door to her freakin' penthouse, she opens the door! Good thing he stopped himself or Rachel would've been knocked on the forehead. "Oh, hey."
He gives her a once-over and his eyes kinda widen. He was NOT expecting that. But judging from the way he was looking at her? Its a solid sign that Rachel's efforts were NOT a wasted effort. "and you look…perfect." Robbie says in a starstruck kind of way. He was plain by comparison! He wore a pitch black three piece suit, except for the tie, which was a reddish-orange color (like the flames of the Rider) and a silver watch on his shoulder. Robbie probably blew his cash on that watch, the suit is a handmedown.
But of coourse, no way he'd tell her that. (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3e/8b/f2/3e8bf2f80f7c3caea76a3a487985ed82.jpg)
He has with him a simple object: a corsage. He knows its a bit outdated perhaps these days, but if its her first one, he wants it to be as awesome as possible for her…even the cheesy stuff. "I uh…got you a corsage. I didn't know if you would like it, so I took a risk." (https://img0.etsystatic.com/029/0/6521906/il_fullxfull.580753848_m1te.jpg)
Though he looks her in the eyes. "The car's out front." he mentions, as he holds out the corsage for her, as if offering to put it on her wrist if she allows.
Oh, right! The corsage! Rachel awkwardly dips to put her shoes on the floor and quickly lifts the hem of her dress to slip her feet into them. (Yes, if Robbie thinks to look, her toenails are also painted black, to match her nails, but no rhinestones there.) She lifts a few inches taller as she steps into them, and offers her now-free left hand for him to put the corsage on. She smiles shyly and nods, "Okay, then. Let's get going," she closes the door behind her and locks it up — multiple locks, different keys, takes some time. But, she places her keys in her clutch, snaps it shut and begins walking with Robbie toward the freight elevator that leads downstairs.
Exhaling, she takes a moment to look up at Robbie on the way down and then turns her gaze to the exposed bits of floors going past as they descend. Once at ground-level, Rachel unthinkingly uses her telekinesis to open the elevator, as she usually does (she has nails to think about) and steps out, using her tk to also keep her train from dragging on the floor. It's a minute use of tk and it's just barely keeping the train from touching the ground, so minute as to be practically unnoticeable to everyone but Rachel, most likely. She walks out into the warm night air and takes another deep breath, this time just of the city's air and looks up at the growing evening darkness.
Then, she lowers her gaze to the Hellcharger, which is a very handsome vehicle, indeed. She steps up to it and looks it all over, "Wow, it's a beauty. You must really love it." She waits very briefly for Robbie to step in and unlock and open the door for her, in case he plans to do it from the outside. Otherwise, she'll try the handle herself and, if it's locked, she'll straighten and wait for him to open the door from the inside.
After he slips on the Corsage onto her wrist, Robbie lookedl ike he was about to say something like she didn't have to drop her shoes, then he realizes that she's putting on those heels, which makes them very close in terms of height. Maybe about an inch apart, if not the same height period. He then watches with great amusement as Raven deals with the significant amount of locks. "Expecting company?" He asks her jokingly.
…even as he offers her his arm.
Whether she takes it or not by the time the freigh elevator opens back up to let them out, Robbie will lead her to the car. "I try to keep it in good condition. I'll tell you the story of how I got it on the way." and, since he learned some decent manners while he grew up, he knows standard chivalry. He does indeed open the passenger-side door for her and help her take her seat (and make sure the train of her dress isn't in the way) before he closes the door.
She has five seconds to stay composed before Robbie is in the driver's side, and he looks at her. "This should be fun." and, with that said, He'll start the drive towards the college. Raven is one of the first people aside from Gabe to ride in the Hellcharger.
Rachel grins and lifts a shoulder, "It's New York. You never know when someone's gonna decide to try to break in, right? Better safe than sorry," she replies. She falls quiet as he offers his arm. She's seen this hand-on-the-forearm thing, before, on TV. She puts her clutch in the hand of the arm with her Queen of the Night tulip corsage on the wrist, and places her free hand on Robbie's arm. It feels awkward, but she feels awkward, in general.
Then, she's outside and the door is opened for her. She sits down mostly gracefully, drawing her train in before Robbie closes the door. She puts her seatbelt on, clicking it into place, and she barely has a second to try to compose herself before he's already sliding into the driver's side. She places her clutch on her lap and folds her hands atop that, looking out of the window as he settles in. "I sure hope so," she murmurs in response. She's keeping herself reigned in pretty tightly, thankfully.
Well, the fact that Rachel is still in the car and hasn't forcefully stopped it with Telekinesis is a very good sign! Robbie must be doing at least something right. Even as she murmurs that she very much so hopes she has a good time, Robbie smiles lightly at her. He lets her look out the window, and he doesn't speak with her….until the silence is awkward.
"..do you have any siblings, Rachel?"
Might as well ask! she knows about Gabe, but Robbie doesn't know if Rachel is an only child or not. So far, it'll be about three more minutes until they reach the college proper.
Rachel is actually grateful for the silence, because it allows her to focus on calming techniques and also to mentally go over things she might like to say or talk about. But, she doesn't seem to mind the question as it pops up. "No, sadly," she shakes her head. "I'm an only child. Raised by my mother and my teachers," she says softly, smiling a little. "I was kinda sheltered a lot, being taught school things by my mother and meditation things from my teachers," she says, still looking out the window. They're almost there, now.
Well, somethings just never change. Robbie pulls the Hellcharger into an empty parking space (a miracle, really) and the music and the lights can already be heard. He puts the car in park and he looks at Rachel as she admits being sheltered as a child (which would probably explain at least some of her anxiety). "Nothing wrong with being an only child." of course, she doesn't speak about her father. Its probably a personal subject for her, and now is…really not the time to ask about that.
"But…we're here. So…lets go have a fun time, yeah? Its my first homecoming too. So if something bothers you, let me know, alright?"
He waits for her answer before he'll get out of the car and open the door for her. He'll offer her his hand then, to escort her and also…you know, date stuff.
Rachel smiles and nods, looking at Robbie in the halflight that makes it in through the windows. "It means a lot to me that you're saying that. Because, well, I just want to be sure we're on the same page. I'm not really looking to date, because I don't even know what that would be like, in my life. I want things to happen naturally, and I think you want that, too, for yourself. I appreciate that you, as a friend, have invited me to this dance, crashed or not. 'Cause we both deserve to experience what it's like. So, thanks, Robbie," she finally says, exhaling as though getting a weight off her chest.
She steps out of the car when the door's opened for her and she climbs out, accepting his hand while doing so. She then walks alongside him toward the gathering, the music growing louder the closer they get. "I swear, if they're asking for IDs, I might just barf," she mutters with a half-laugh. "I mean, I could get us in, no problem, but… I'd rather it not be a thing," she reassures Robbie. "Do you think they'll check for IDs if we have our picture taken? Do they take pictures?" she wonders.
Robbie listens to her words, and he chuckles. "I see it like this. If anything happens between us…then it happens. I've found that stuff happens for the sake of happening. It is what it will be." then they walk together hand in hand, side by side. If they were in their vigilante gear, then most people would run for the hills on sight.
But thankfully, this is a lovely dance between two people who've never experienced anything of the sort. "I did my research. They do have pictures, and its through cash-pay. No ID needed. Which means we'll have something physical to remember the night by, if that interests you." Robbie smiles at her a bit.
But then he looks at the security making sure no kids bring a giant knife or a handgun to this event. He gives them both a lookover, and he nods lightly. They're allowed in!
Seems Robbie's initial info was correct, and Reyes leads Rachel inside. "See? Do I know my stuff or do I know my stuff?"
Rachel smiles, again, that weird little crooked smile of hers, when she hears Robbie's reply. It makes her feel much better. Less nervous. Which is what she was hoping for, by telling him the thoughts going on in her head. "Oh, I definitely want to take pictures. Just like in the movies, where you stand behind and kinda to the side and put your hands on my waist, like you're about to throw me across the room," she laughs, nodding her head. "I want mementos to put in a keepsake box, like my corsage," she says, looking down at it. "I'll press it and make sure it's perfectly set before I have it laminated and put it in my little hope chest," she says, grinning to herself. This is stuff NORMAL people do!
She's relieved when they're given a quick look-see to ensure they're not armed (hah, little do they know, their weapons don't always need to be visible), and they're allowed in. She looks up at Robbie and grins, "You do know your stuff." She looks around, "Oh, there's the punch table. I wonder if someone's spiked it!" She glances over at the portrait set up and points excitedly, "Look! That's where they're taking pictures! We ought to get ours done before it gets too busy." She also figures taking it sooner rather than later is a good idea, because, well, things happen sometimes and she'd rather do it before any poop hits the fan, if something like that occurs.
Robbie is actually a little touched that Rachel wants to keep this memory forever if she wants to put it in a keepsake box. Robbie finds himself to be pretty forgettable unless someone meets the Ghost Rider, then thats just plain nightmare fuel. But, she was very specific about where she wants his hands and how she felt about it, it almost makes him laugh.
Thankfully, he stifles it down to just a chuckle. "Heh, then lets go take a picture. I have the cash, so it won't be a problem." He'll then help lead her own, giving her hand a squeeze to inform her that they are on the move, but as they do so? they are both getting quite the attention. Rachel, because her beauty and dress is probably one of if not the best one there, and Robbie for his devilish (cue spittakes) charm.
Robbie looks at the photographer and gives him the cash. "A good picture, please. Even if it takes a few tries." the photographer in question gives a nod. "Alright sunny, go with your girlfriend and be all smiles." though the photographer might've been spiked with something already, he seems in his perfectly right mind.
Robbie looks at Rachel with a smile. "Alright, I'll be where you want me."
Rachel follows along, holding his hand, as Robbie cuts a path for them through the crowd, heading for the portrait setup. It's one of those backdrop deals with the dance's theme decorating the chosen 'sheet' for people to stand in front of, the banner reading 'Black and White Ball 2019,' with black and white balloons and checkerboard flooring. Rachel steps into place, using the little taped mark on the floor to guide her, and straightens, making sure her dress is all perfectly draped and taking a quick look at her makeup in a compact from her clutch, making sure her teeth don't have lipstick on them, and her hair is still perfect. She smiles, snaps the compact closed and into her purse, and prepares herself for the picture. She helps Robbie position his hands the right way, so he doesn't have to worry about her comfort or if he's doing it right. Then, she's ready, placing her hands atop his, ensuring her corsage can be viewed easily, too. She smiles, a genuine smile, for the camera.
Robbie doesn't take ANY chances with Rachel. He knows this can go from zero to one-hundred extremely quickly. So, when its time to take the picture, his hands are placed on her hips, but she moves them more to the waist of the front-side, and her hands go over his own. He feels her warmth as they stand front-to-back, and when the Photographer says 'smile'? Robbie does indeed smile a very genuine smile. No matter what happens to them or how they end up?
This memory is theirs. The first homecoming, the first college da- THE DANCE! Speaking of dancing, it seems that one thing is leading to another, and as the Photographer is examining the photo and gives a good thumbs up, Robbie looks at the dance floor, and it just gives him the classic idea.
"After we get the picture…lets go dancing? It was currently just the usual rock music from the trending 100 list of music, but it'll probably go into slow in about ten minutes.
Rachel smiles for each picture that gets taken and wonders if the photographer will let her choose the one they get copies of. Also, she knows Robbie isn't made of money, so she brought some, just in case… But, she really doesn't want to mention it, in case he wants to treat her. The last thing she wants to do is hurt his feelings. But, she also wants to make sure she gets good digital copies, so she can have them printed out, later on, in whatever sizes she wants. Then, Robbie's asking her to dance. She chews on her lower lip and nods, "Yes. I do. I've only really danced by myself, and those weren't really slow dances." She laughs nervously, "But, it's definitely part of the experience, and we don't wanna miss out."
No doubt the Photographer took a few, and he would definitely let Rachel pick out the ones she wants…and Robbie stands beside her just in case the man behind the camera tries to swindle her out of her money for the photos. He asks for Rachel's email address (Or Robbie's) in order to get the photographs to them, something that should make the rest of their night extremely easy. Robbie will give his in the event that Rachel is uncomfortable giving her email to the photographer. Worst case scenario? The photographer is a pedophile or something and Robbie kills him anyway. But thankfully, he seems a cool dude, even by Eli's standards.
But he sees the cute little lip bite that she does, and she agrees to dance, and he nods to her…and its right when the slow music hits. This was the prime time. The finest hour. Robbie takes her hand in his (unless she moves her hand out of the way before he can grab it proper or if she wriggles her hand free), and he'll smile to her. "Shall we then?" and he'll lead her to the dance floor. But as he walks? he whispers. "I'm not good at slow-dancing either so…don't worry about stepping on my toes."
Hey, permission is better than no permission!
Rachel offers one of her many gmail accounts to the photographer, and she picks two of the photos, telling Robbie she'll pay for one of them, if it's extra. She smiles and takes his hand as he leads her out to the dance floor. There's no reason for her not to take his hand, really. She's having a good time, so far, and there are no promises made by holding hands. It's a nice thing to do while on a date. So, she follows him to the floor and, after a moment of nervous energy, she hesitantly puts her hands on his shoulders, the way some other girls are doing with their dates. She begins to slowly rock in time with the music, in tandem with Robbie. She has good rhythm, so it's really not hard, at all, physically speaking. However, it does make her feel kinda…nervous to look up at Robbie's face as she does this. She smiles shyly.
At the dance floor, when Rachel puts her hands on his shoulders, Robbie wraps his hands around her waist, moving slowly with her. He looks her right in the eyes, and if she lets him, he'll give her forehead a light little touch with his own before pulling away just as quickly. "You look amazing, you know." its at this moment that he really notices that her dress is backless. His fingers touching some of the skin there, but his hands don't wander. They don't try and sneak a touch, they don't try and grip her too harshly or tightly. Its very respectful and non-impeding. "Are you having a good time?" he just sways with her to the beat of the music. "Not half-bad for a first date at a first homecoming, is it?"
Rachel doesn't shrink away from the forehead touch, but he can feel how her back tenses a little at first. She relaxes, again, when he draws back and compliments her. She smiles and looks askance, "Well, I spent hours getting ready, so I'm glad it paid off. Thank you for saying so." She exhales a happy sound and adds, "You clean up really nicely, yourself." She touches the watch that rests on his jacket's lapel. "I've never seen anyone do this, before. It looks nice. Is it a tradition or something I'm not aware of?" she wonders. Then, in response to his question, she smiles and nods, "Yes, thank you. I'm having a good time. It's just like I thought it'd be. With the lights and decorations, all the people, the music…" She smiles and shakes her head, "Not half bad for a very first date, and a very first dance. It's actually pretty cool. Like, if we get asked about our first date, or our first dance, and we can say it was both. Never mind the fact that I'm in my 20s," she laughs, saying the last behind her hand for comic effect.
Robbie chuckles a little bit, a light blush touching his cheeks when she compliments him. "Gracias." he thanks her in Espanol, his native tongue. "Well..uh, sometimes when men dress up nice, they'll wear a watch or a nice necklace to complete the look." he tries to explain, but when she admits that she's having a great time and that this isn't a bad date at all…he's touched once again (in the figurative sense) when she admits that when they both get asked about the first date or the first dance, they can remember this moment as being both. Even when she laughs behind her hand after admitting she's in her twenties, it doesn't seem to bother Robbie much, who lightly movesh er hand from her face so he could look right at her.
"It doesn't make you any less perfect than you are right now."
aww.
Rachel's smile turns shy, again, as Robbie pulls her hand away from her mouth and says those words. She shakes her head and grins, "You can't say that, Robbie Reyes. You don't know me well enough to say. It's a very pretty thing to say, though. Thank you." She exhales a soft sigh, but not a sad one. Just a sort of wistful one. Still, she sways along with him, close enough for him to smell her perfume, which blends with her other scents, shampoo and conditioner (lime and coconut), maybe even her toothpaste and mouthwash (yikes! cinnamon, though…her perfume's kinda cinnamony, too). Then, "How about you? Is it what you thought it'd be like?"
Since they were a little closer now, Robbie died indeed get to smell the pleasant scents that she exhuded from her person. The cinnamon of her breath (which isn't a bad smell!), the smell of her shampoo and conditioner, fruitful as they are. He's currently wearing Versache cologne, and his breath smells specifically like spearmint. Not bad, but not as good-smelling as she is, not by a mile. Either way, Robbie seems to ponder. "Ya know…" leading her on like its just horrible. "Like how I imagined it. Except maybe a little bit better." he says with a grin at her. The couple next to them and behind them are apparently kissing, but Robbie isn't paying attention to them at all, he hasn't looked away from Rachel since the moment they started dancing.
A girl for her creature comforts, Rachel truly appreciates the Versace cologne and the fresh, minty breath! She wrinkles her nose with a grin as he leads her to think he might not be having as good a time, shaking her head. Then, he says something very nice, and she's kinda blushing a bit. "Aw, thanks," she mumbles, and tries not to pay attention to the kissing couple. That makes her feel like her heart might just pop right out of her ribcage. "Af—after this dance, let's go get something to drink?" she suggests with a light croak in her voice.
Robbie isn't really bothered by the kissing couples. Most of these people are in committed relationships (or just having one of those college flings that don't really last long) after all. But when Rachel blushes, he seems to just smile as they sway, even if he holds her al ittle closer. The question is noted, and he nods. "Sure, we can do that." He doesn't seem unhappy or upset about it, and if she looked for the sincerity, it was certainly there. After all, one of his goals is to make sure that she's fully comfortable. Even if kissing is a common theme at these kinds of dances. Though judging by the way of the song's winding down, they are probably going to get that drink sooner than later.
Rachel's shoulders relax a bit, releasing tension she hadn't been entirely aware she was holding there, when Robbie agrees to the drinks. She smiles gratefully and nods, continuing the dance, her body close to his as he draws her a little nearer. She tries not to think about the couples around them that are kissing, and focuses, instead, on the sensations of the moment. It's a common meditation technique, called mindfulness, wherein the meditation is one of focusing on the exact sensations of the moment. The way it feels to move, the feeling of closeness, the hands at her back, the shoulders beneath her own hands, the fit of her dress, the way it feels to breathe in Robbie's cologne. She's making a very vivid memory for herself, while simultaneously calming and centering herself.
Once the slow dance's song is over, and Robbie begins to lead her off the dance floor, Rachel's feeling pretty calm, again. She smiles and walks along behind him as he once again makes a path for them to the refreshments table. She scouts around for a free table for them to sit at, once the drinks are acquired, and spies one, "If you don't mind getting us the drinks, I'll grab us some chairs over there," she points and, unless he stops her for some reason, she'll head in that direction, keeping her train from being stepped on with a fraction of her mind.
Robbie has no clue about any of this meditation stuff, but honestly? Especially with Eli, he has a good memory already and isn't one to forget. After all, Eli's been teasing him about Rachel ever since they met. When its finally time for the song to end, he rubs her back with his hands a bit, as if comfortingly and to remind her that she's safe. Then he takes her hand, and starts to lead her off.
Though when she asks him to get drinks, he releases her and he nods. "Alright, I can do that. Do you want anything in particular? Looks like they have a small selection up there." but, either way, he agrees to Rachel's plan of action.
Though he sincerely hopes that she's not freaking out or something.
Rachel looks over at the drinks area and looks contemplative. Her instinct is to get one of everything to see what's best, but that's wasteful. So, instead, she says, "Anything that has, like Sprite and fruit juice in it." There's almost always some kind of punch like that, right? "Or, something with pineapple juice in it?" she grins and waves a hand. "I'm sure you'll pick something great," she says and moves to claim their spot at a table. There are plenty of tables, and a lot of wallflowers sitting at them. But, she does manage to find two chairs next to one another, though there /is/ a couple arguing with one another about something.
Rachel tries not to pay attention, but it's kinda hard to do when the girlfriend is shrilly recounting the guy's roving eye problem, and the guy is angrily pointing out how she never texts him back, so can she really blame him if he's always looking out for someone who might treat him better. Rachel's leg starts to bounce a bit under the table as the couple's negative energy looms like a cloud next to her. She really wants to chill them out, maybe help them decide to amicably break up or something. But, that would be meddling and it's not a situation where someone's in danger or anything like that. However, she looks up gratefully as Robbie returns, smiling in relief.
Robbie smirks at her. "I'll figure something out, I promise." and he'll give her an affectionate wink before he moves on over to pick out some drinks. He manages to find some classic fruit punch (you know, the kind in those big glass bowls?) and he gets a few scoops of it for the drinks. with two drinks in his hands, he makes his way back over to Rachel and he notices her just brighten up when she sees him coming.
"Miss me?" He asks her, before he looks at the pair of twenty-somethings who are arguing. He narrows his eyes, thinking about doing some targeting for the Ghost Rider work, but instead? He just looks back at Raven, gives her the drink, and he sits right next to her.
Tonight, he's all hers and he wasn't gonna go back on his word.
Rachel accepts the fruit punch, not really a huge fan of the drink but can tolerate it without issue, and smiles as Robbie sits back down. She leans in as he sits down and whispers, "These two are about ready to have a real blow out. I could defuse it, but I try not to mess with people unless there's a good reason, like lives being at stake or something." She sits back and takes a deep drink of her fruit punch. Then, she smiles, "Thanks for getting this for me. You ever get dry mouth when you're feeling nervous? Do you ever get nervous, anymore?" she wonders.
Robbie wasn't a huge fan either, but to him it was better than looking around for countless minutes to try and find something acceptable. So, to that end, Robbie turns hish ead so she could whisper right into his ear. "Yeah, I noticed." he whispered back. "I'll leave that to your discretion." Then he looks at her. "Your nervous?" he reaches for her hand to hold it again if she allows, both comforting and a little flirty. "Don't be." as for him? "Once you've seen what I've seen, nervousness kinda fades away after awhile…even if I'm nervous tonight too."
Rachel grins and shakes her head. It's too tempting to mess with people like this. But, it's homecoming. Or prom. Or the Black and White Ball. Whatever it is, should she let this couple's disagreements ruin their memory of the dance forever? Probably, yes. But, it wouldn't hurt to nudge it just a smidge. Just a little. So they maybe don't have a huge blow-out fight. Right?
So, as Robbie leans back, Rachel takes the angry silence the couple's settled into as a perfect opportunity. Rachel does a special bit of empathic alchemy: the desire to just stop fighting, the craving for it to be over, the numbness that comes after a big fight where no happy resolution can be made, the acceptance that neither is happy… She weaves the strands of their own emotions into a complex braid that focuses on the 'getting over it' and 'reaching a conclusion' stages for both of them. If they decide to stay together, that's still on them, but Rachel can feel they're both on the tipping point. Neither one pleased with the other and being mean out of spite. She leaves the anger and bitterness to flag, dwindling gradually so it's less noticeable.
Taking Robbie's hand, she gives it a squeeze and releases it to rest on her lap. "I think they'll be calmer, now. It won't be a happy ending, but I'm only working with what was there. Not changing anything," she says softly. "It's too easy to think to myself, 'I can fix that,' and know that I can definitely do what /I/ think is right, but…that's so pompous, to just assume I know what's best, when I don't. So, I try not to meddle, even when I'd really like to. Sometimes, I give in and do little things to help, but I try to never, ever change what's already there."
Robbie's hand rests on her lap now, perhaps doing that classic boyfriend thing where he rests it specifically on her thigh as if somewhat protectively, but also with affection. It might be nice, might be weird. Who cares? Its College prom-dance-homecoming-ball-thing. But he can kinda tell when Raven puts in the work, as the two people seem to at least calm enough to stop being so aggressively verbal about it.
"Well done." Robbie comments on Rachel's work. "But..Ih ear you. I don't think I'd want to do that with that kind of empathic thing that you've got. There's only so much that you can meddle with before it ends worse than what it was, ya know? So…proud of ya for not messing with whats already there."
Because crossing that line is SUPER-VILLAIN TERRITORY.
But, he sips his drink, and falls into a bit of a silence. His hand still right where it was.
Then it looks like one of the college kids is either drunk or…really, really, REALLY high, considering it looks like he's barely even alive mentally.
Rachel is very aware of Robbie's hand on her thigh, though it's not moving or doing anything other than just…resting there. She sips her fruit punch and watches the people dance. The couple is still silent for a while, but eventually begin talking. Saying much the same things she expected, based on the emotions that were floating around. Not exactly happy conversation, but better than a screaming match. They part ways and go to find their friends for emotional comfort, which leaves the table less occupied than before.
"Whew," she exhales. "Glad that's over with," she murmurs to Robbie, shifting slightly to cross her legs, which doesn't dislodge his hand, but he probably does have to account for it if he wishes to keep his hand where it is. As the drunk or extremely high, or maybe both, college guy starts stumbling through, she keeps a close eye on him, wondering what's going to happen, prepared to intervene with surreptitious tk, if needed.
Robbie looks at Rachel and honestly, it doesn't bother him. He's not the uh…grab the cat kind of guy. After all, this was a date. Gentlemanly standards are existing here! So his hand stays where it is, though the high/drunk college dude seems like he's digging for a second in his pants, before he pulls out what might be a gu-
Nah, its just a bong-pipe…and security promptly escorts him out.
Sucks to suck, bro.
"Agreed. I was worried they were going to argue in our ears all night long." he chuckles.
Thank goodness for gentlemanly standards. Rachel tries to just let it be, not thinking about it, worrying about it, or obsessing over it and what it might mean. It's just Robbie's hand on her thigh. Nothing crazy. Nothing to overthink. When the college guy starts digging in his pants, Rachel's lavender eyes widen, because it seems like he might be pulling out his pe—-it's a bong. Oh, good. Whew. She relaxes and laughs softly, shaking her head. Then, she returns to her thoughts, and the drinking of her mediocre fruit punch. "What should we do after this?" she asks, turning her gaze to Robbie's face, smiling softly.
Robbie seems to just shake his head at the kid who gets thrown out, before he looks at Raven. A soft grin touches his face. "I'm not sure. We could try dancing again, we already took our pictures. If we're done, I can drive you home and maybe we can watch a movie or something. I'm up for pretty much whatever. Seems these guys are about to get a little wild anyway." It was getting a little late…
Rachel thinks about it for a minute and notes the time. "I think heading out is a good idea. I know it doesn't seem like we stayed for long, but…people are starting to kinda act up and it's getting a bit late," she nods. "Also, you can't leave your brother alone for too long, since you're his only caregiver. I feel bad having you be away from him as much as you have been. I don't know how you can patrol and stuff, with him being on his own," she adds, her voice full of concern.
Robbie looks at Rachel. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's staying at the neighbors, and he's crushing on the daughter big time, so he's probably having a blast right now. Not in the weird way…god that came out weird." Robbie covers his face with a hand but then he looks at her. "Then we'll head out." He stands up and offers Rachel his hand so he can lead her outside and back towards the car. "So…was it everything you thought it'd be? and be honest." he smirks at her.
and yep, Security just tackled a teen who was getting a little handsy with a young lady.
"Oh, thank goodness," Rachel says and she clearly sounds relieved. "I really did start worrying about him, knowing you were going on patrols all the time…. And, the time you were with me… It really does give me emotional hives, worrying about him, not having you there to take care of him," she says, already gathering her things and preparing to head out. She briefly stops to check her phone, her email, to make sure the pictures' digital files are there. Ensuring they are, she smiles and puts her phone away, into her purse, and returns to the process of heading out, keeping her hand on Robbie's arm, to stick together as they make their way through the crowd.
"Don't worry, I'd never leave my little brother alone." Robbie was WAY too protective to even think about doing that. "Though I think it'd be really cool if you met him sometime. He might haze you a bit, but he's a good kid." he then walks with Rachel out of the crowd…who is now starting to go INSANE.
Especially since it just turned into a giant rave, something they really don't want to be part of this time of night for multiple reasons. Better safe than sorry.
But he walks Rachel to the car, and he opens the door for her so she could get inside. After making sure she was nice and safely inside, he closes the door, and slides int othe drivers seat. "So…where to?"
Rachel can breathe more easily once she's out of the dance, which was creating a sort of cacophony of emotions for her to have to shield against, especially as it starts turning into a rave. She can handle it, of course, but it's much nicer to not need to. So, she walks with him to the car and settles in, clicking her seatbelt in place. She takes a moment to just sit in the comfortable seat, and lean her head back on the headrest. When Robbie asks her a question, she doesn't open her eyes…but, she does reply, "Well, it's a bit late, but we can go back to my place and watch something. Maybe pick up some food on the way. Or, you can take me to your place to meet your brother. I'm good with almost anything, except I'd like to get into some more comfortable clothes soon."
Robbie seems to smile as she closes her eyes. That tells him pretty easily that its time to take Raven home. Thankfully, his change of clothes (including his jacket) is in the trunk of the car, so…this is a win-win! Nonetheless, he starts the drive to take Rachel home. "Sounds good. I figure we can grab something on the way if your hungry, otherwise I'll take ya straight home and we can watch a movie. Speaking of which…do you have one in mind? I could buy something off demand." he admits. "Eh, we'll let Gabe have his fun for a bit longer. Maybe for the second date, yeah?"
Might as well ask her now! A curious way to ask someone out but…hey.
Rachel smiles and nods to Robbie as he mentions taking her home. She considers the options of food on the way home. "Maybe that Mexican place next to the bank that's a couple of streets south of my place? El Azteca?" she asks. "And, I wanna pay for this. My treat." Robbie probably knows of the place, an authentic Mexican cuisine restaurant more typically frequented by people who grew up speaking Spanish as a native tongue. "I want fajitas Mary Tierra, and some queso and chips," she groans, her stomach growling at the thought.
"Have you ever had it? It's grilled shrimp, fish fillets, chicken, steak, onions, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, and mushrooms… It's so effin' goooooood," she says, already imagining the smell. "I get them without bell pepper, though. I don't much care for bell pepper." At the mention of a second date, Rachel laughs tiredly, "Let me have a chance to digest the first before I agree to a second, eh?" She gives him a warm, kinda sleepy smily.
Robbie chuckles. "El Azteca? Es mi mierda." he smirks a bit. "Thats my thing, chica. Of course I know it." and he starts the drive there, and he's…well, he's not a slow driver, but he's a safe one. Even as he hears her stomach growling. It makes him laugh a bit.
Though the last time Robbie drove with someone and had fun like this….was the day he turned into the Ghost Rider.
He goes silent for a second, but he grins at her reply for a second date. "No problem." Though while on the way, he absolutely does get her the food so she can eat it on the way back to her place, they arrive back at her home all the same.
Rachel smiles as Robbie speaks Spanish to her. She doesn't speak any of it even nearly fluently, but she understands what he says before he translates it for her. She laughs, "I should've known. It's probably one of the best Mexican places around, though you might know better than me, despite my goal of eating everywhere in the city," she allows.
There's absolutely zero chance that Rachel will eat any of the food in the car! She's wearing an expensive gown, and she's in Robbie's prized possession, and she's not about to spill queso and salsa all over the place. Plus, the fajitas take a bit of space for preparation, after all, with the flour tortillas and all. No, she's saving it for home.
She walks with him into the building, riding the freight elevator up to the top floor, and begins unlocking her door. It takes a little time. It's true, she could do it with tk and tends to, when she's in a hurry or on her own, but she didn't want to show off for Robbie. Locking the door like a normal person was one small way she could be…more human. Anyway, as the door opens, she smiles, "C'mon. Let's watch something old. Some MST3K or a black and white movie." She invites him in, already stepping out of her heels and placing the food bags on the countertop. If he comes in, she'll push the door closed and lock it for safety. "I'll go change into something less formal. There's a bathroom over there, if you want to change, too," she mentions, motioning to another area fully walled off.
Robbie did bring his casual clothing because honestly? Wearing suits is such a drag sometimes. Not his style. He prefers his usual street drags. But Raven was looking great in whatever she wore. He was also quite happy that she respected him enough not to trash his car with foodstuff and salsa stains. Its the little things, ya know?
"Black and white? Sounds good to me." he says after she spends about two minutes undoing the ninety-five thesis-version of the locks on her door. Then he enters and takes off his nice dress shoes, instead going for barefoot at the moment. "Sounds good to me. I'll see you in a few." and then he goes and gets changed. the new clothes? Black jeans and a red shirt. Loose fit, very comfy. He then works on folding up his dress suit so it doesn't get wrinkled. He only borrowed it after all!
Raven smiles as Robbie agrees to the black and white movie. Not everyone is into old movies. But, Raven finds they have a special charm all their own, no matter the genre. So, as he disappears into the bathroom, she disappears into her bedroom, with its en suite bathroom. She takes about ten minutes to get all undressed and into comfy clothes. An oversized, scoop-necked, long-sleeve t-shirt in black with the white outline of a hairless cat's head on the front, some black leggings, black and white striped socks, fluffy house slippers in black. Her hair is piled atop her head, still, but in a ponytail, now, that keeps her curled locks in check. She's also removed the majority of her makeup.
Walking out of her room, she notes Robbie awkwardly holding his dress suit and trying to fold it. "No, no, here. Wait a sec," she says and scampers back into her room for a moment. She comes back out with a nice set of hangers meant for a jacket and pants combo. She helps him put them on the hangers and shows him a free hook on her coat tree where he can hang them for now. She picks up the food, some plates and silverware, and two bottles of A&W for herself, on her way back to the living room. "What can I get you to drink? I have root beer, beer beer, apple juice, Sprite, Propel, etc. etc. You've heard the spiel, before," she smiles.
Robbie looks at Rachel when she steps out of her room and he seems to chuckle a little bit at her. "You look nice and comfy." then she runs back in and comes out with hangars. "Oh, thank you." Then he gets the drink spiel as she helps him put up his suit on neatly a hangar. "Beer for me, this time I think. We already tried the poor-tasting fruit juice." he winks at her and touches her back as if to say thank you when she moves to do so.
Then he claims a spot on the couch, and he looks at her. "Do you have a favorite black and white movie? You want an old western or one of those old comedies?"
"'Poor-tasting'?!" Rachel says with a scoffing sound, laughing a little. "Juicy Juice is the best juice in the world! No sugar added, but it tastes amazing! You're crazy," she says playfully, shaking her head. Still, she grabs a beer for him, as requested. Then, she brings everything to the living room coffee table and starts setting things up, seated on the edge of her favorite chair. "Oh, I don't know if I can pick just one favorite. I have too many. I think I'd like a comedy. A Thin Man movie, maybe. Are you familiar with the series?" she asks, putting her food on her plate and motioning for him to do the same with his food. First, though, she sits back in her chair and brings the remote control zooming into her outstretched hand. She starts searching through what she's got saved on her DVR. Snapping her fingers, she lifts the bowl of white queso and sends it into the kitchen, into the open microwave, and sets it to heat up for a couple of minutes…all with TK. She does have to look to make sure she's got the microwave's location right, and to push the right buttons, but hey. It's still handy. "I swear, I'm not lazy. It's just easier, sometimes," she says, grinning crookedly.
"Yeah, your also talking to a guy who's skull lights on fire, so…" Robbie grins at her, especially when she calls him crazy. Wouldn't be the first time anyone's called him that. "Thin Man? No, not really. But I'm okay with new experiences." Suddenly then, there is food on a plate and a beer in his hand, his seat next to hers, though he has the couch and not the chair. Though he thinks that Rachel will fall asleep less than half-way through the movie, he's still willing to watch it. "Mhm, oh sure, sure." he winks, being playful.
This was probably going to be the most relaxing part of the night for the both of them. Might as well seal it with a show, right?
Rachel can't really argue with that. It's true. But, she perks up a bit as he says he hasn't seen any of the Thin Man movies, before. "It's about this husband and wife pair, Nick and Nora Charles, basically. Well, I mean, they're murder mysteries, but they're funny because the dynamic between the husband and wife is very cute and funny. Nick is a retired police officer and works as a private detective sometimes, but jokes that he doesn't do anything because he lives off Nora's money. Nora is, indeed, wealthy, but she loves the whole detective thing and is always encouraging Nick to investigate and trying to go on them with him, but he usually tricks her into staying out of harm's way, when he can." Her expression is bright and her voice is happy, and she's letting it leak out a bit, unintentionally. Excitement. Delight.
She cues up the first one, entitled The Thin Man, and chatters a bit more as she retrieves the heated up queso out of the microwave and sets it gracefully on the coffee table with her tk. "So, another thing to note about the series is that Nick isn't the eponymous 'Thin Man,' but because they were concerned people wouldn't realize it's the same characters, they named each subsequent film with 'Thin Man' somewhere in the title! The Thin Man is only in the first movie!" she fairly chirps, pressing the play button on the movie and turning the volume up to a good level. "I'll try not to talk your ear off during the movie. It'll be kinda easy, at first, 'cause I'll be stuffing my face," she smiles and reaches for the chips, salsa, and queso.
It was moments like these where she was just absolutely adorable. Where she just ranted on and on about movies that nobody really cared about these days except for lovers of the old stuff. Robbie was one of 'em. In his youth, he couldn't afford the new stuff, so he bought the fifty cent old movies and he would watch them with Gabe.
"Ya don't say, huh?" he grins and he listens to every word she says. and she can tell she has his undivided attention. "Well, you can still talk my ear off you know." hell, HE might fall asleep before the movie is even done. But you know what? thats okay. The movie starts, and Robbie seems to be enjoying himself so far.
Rachel smiles as Robbie assures her she can feel free to talk as much as she wants, shaking her head and waving a dismissive hand, which holds a chip in it. She looks back to the TV screen and begins eating her chips, dipping them first in the queso, then into the salsa, before depositing them in her mouth. She eats that for a while, then switches over to her fajitas Mary Tierra, making each rolled tortilla with painstaking care, drizzling some of the queso on the filling before she tucks and rolls them closed, prepared for eating. She murmurs at some point in the early part of the movie, "This is the kinda boring part, where we follow the Thin Man and see him get killed. Nick comes in a little while later. Don't worry, it'll pick up very soon."
She seems very engrossed in the movie, despite the fact that she's clearly seen it many times before. But, as it goes, and Nick makes his appearance, and Nora comes along… She laughs and smiles delightedly, enjoying it every bit as much as the first time she watched it…maybe more. "Their connection is just…so perfect. There's so much chemistry between them. Isn't it perfect?" she sighs happily, finally taking a break from her food after sating the worst of her hunger.
There's only one moment in the entire movie where Robbie actually feels like he's going to fall asleep, only because it started to really get super slow in the movie. But when she speaks about Nick and Nora, Robbie seems to look at her. and he'll reach and touch her hand with his. Its a calm thing, like he wasn't even thinking about it.
It was equal parts attempting to be funny as it was trying to enjoy the moment.
"One might say it was." he smiles at her, then he looks back to the movie. "Took 'em long enough to actually meet though."
Rachel smiles at the touch and lets it linger for a moment before shifting into a more comfortable position in her chair, where she's kinda curled up and tucked into the corner, her head resting on the arm that's closest to where Robbie sits, which gives her the best view of the TV. She nods her head, "Nick seems like her senior, but I don't know how much older he is than her. But, their love so beautiful. Playful and rich, very electric," she sighs happily. She's sounding sleepier and sleepier. She can be heard yawning, too, but she's trying to make it to the end of the movie. At one point, she mumbles, "You gotta get to Gabe, he'll be missing you."
When she rests her head on the arm of that chair, she might feel Robbie's fingers giving her scalp a gentle massage. Its not pressing, and meant to help her relax. Though he notices the time, and Rachel just encourages it further. "Yeah. I better go get him. He'll be upset with me for not playing his favorite video game with him." he teases her softly. He puts the beer down on the table and he rises up to his feet, grabbing his jacket and putting it on, zipping it up all the way. Then he looks at Raven, giving her a smile. "Thank you for tonight. Really. Best night in a very long time."
Rachel does, definitely, enjoy the scalp massage, especially after having her hair all pinned up and stuff, earlier. It also aids in putting her ever closer to sleep. Which is how she's almost dozed off when she finally remembers Gabe and how Robbie needs to get to him. So, when Robbie puts the beer down and rises, she sluggishly shifts in her chair until she's sitting up. "Mmm, thank you for taking me to the dance, Robbie. I had a wonderful time," she smiles, her eyes barely staying open as she blinks blearily. "You were a real gentleman, thank you," she stands up and walks him to the door, since she has to unlock and relock it. She also makes sure he has his suit and dress shoes. "Thank you, Robbie," she says, freely giving him a big hug. "Drive safely, okay?"
"Anytime, Rachel." But then he's hugged! Robbie takes that moment to just hug her right back, and he grins at her. "Promise. See you soon, yeah? I'm just a text away." He smiles at her even still before he'll take his leave once the door was opened and he was allowed to leave. If she watched him leave all the way to the car, he would drive off without incident, on his way home.