Maoclades (meant for Willis but observers are cool)

[empress_without_a_throne]

[It's the early evening at Alhambra when the one and only Abyss Empress makes her arrival via TSEN.  She's also wearing a more modern and sensible dress than the ones she ends up sporting whenever she invokes the Abyss Sanction.]

So I'm here to pick up my date for the evening... assuming he didn't forget.

[Whee for the aftermath of this thread.  Anyone who wants to tag along in seekrit, discussing stuff with each other is free to do so, as is pre-date discussions!]

Comments

Pre-Dated to, well, the Pre Date...

[actuallyselfish]

"Pssst, Mizuki!" Dido says, wearing sunglasses (at night), and peaking her head around a street corner.

[empress_without_a_throne]

[Here she was, just heading back to Sakihama with her dress for the evening and now suddenly someone wants to play Super Spies or something.]

... Dido, what are you trying to do?

[actuallyselfish]

"Being your wing-woman!" Dido says, lowering her glasses and winking.

"I mean, this is your first date, right? I'll use my experience and hard-earned wisdom to help you out from the shadows!"

[empress_without_a_throne]

That... isn't really going to be necessary. I'm not doing this because... it felt like a good idea at the time. And if it gets Willis to say anything about himself, so much the better.

Besides, how much experience do you really have with this kind of stuff?

[actuallyselfish]

"Uh...lots of experiences!" Dido says. "And all of them..."

She scratches the back of her head.

"...well, most of them...some of them ended well!"

[empress_without_a_throne]

Right, right.

[Not inspiring confidence here, Dido.]

You just want a free meal out of this too, don't you?

[a_linear_mind]

[And Willis shows up almost immediately after Mizuki says that. As expected, he's just wearing the exact same jacket (That for some reason looks pristine despite being filled with holes a week ago) that he always wears.]

Now that's rude, I wouldn't forget something as important as this.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Good. Don't forget you're paying either.

[She didn't have any hopes that he'd dress fancy either. In fact, you might say Willis has never looked better!]

Good to see you haven't had any surprise relapses either.

[actuallyselfish]

"We'll, I'll never pass up the chance for a free meal." Dido admits, and frowns. "But are you guys actually going to eat anything? You don't eat Sol-based food, and this guy probably eats nanomachines or something."

[a_linear_mind]

Aw, were you concerned about me? We're already off to a great start then.

[Willis is all grins as he says this.]

And don't worry. I keep an emergency fund tucked away just for situations like this. So...shall we get going then?

[empress_without_a_throne]

I'll manage. Worst comes to worst I'll just order water or get stuff for take-out.

As for him... well, we'll see. Willis has to have something going for him to explain how he survived that kind of abuse.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Just do your part and it'll stay that way.

So then... do you have a car on hand or is a place closer by? I've been around Alhambra a bit, but I wouldn't know if it has any legitimate dining areas.

[actuallyselfish]

"Alright..." Dido says, looking far more nervous than you are. "Be sure to call me if you need any backup, right?"

A thought occurs to her suddenly.

"Do you have any breath freshener with you?"

[a_linear_mind]

It's just outside, Alhambra is kind of isolated so we'll have to drive into the city.

[Where he got the car was anyone's guess.]

It was pretty hard to find a restaurant that would serve someone allergic to everything other than things that live around hydrothermal vents though.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Dido.

[Time for The Look.]

This is more about getting the truth about the guy than actually liking him that much.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Not everything... but thanks for actually going through the trouble of checking that.

[Congratulations Willis, you now have two legit brownie points with Mizuki.]

You're on quite the roll now... keep it up and I might not think this evening'll be a complete waste if you just keep playing dumb.

[actuallyselfish]

"Ah. Got it. Sorry for the misunderstanding." Dido babbles, backing up a step. "I'll get out of your way then, and play it cool."

A thought occurs to her. "I don't even think they make breath-mints using non-organic compounds–I'm just running my mouth, aren't I?"

[a_linear_mind]

[Don't worry, he'll be wasting those soon enough.]

Maybe it's all part of my plan to charm you into forgetting about your original goal.

[Once the rented sports-car parked outside comes into view it definitely seems like he's trying to do that.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

I'm not that easy to fool.

[She looks at the car, trying to recall if she'd ever seen it in Alhambra's garages. But then again, she never paid much attention to there since she had her own machine at the ready whenever she wanted.]

... And I suppose this just goes to show what people can afford when they don't have to worry about medical expenses.

[empress_without_a_throne]

You have been, yes.

But we're both probably heading back to Sakihama. If you want, there's still a few things I was hoping we could discuss.

[a_linear_mind]

I know, that's why I'm putting in this much work. Besides, this is just a rental.

[Willis steps ahead of the Abyss Empress to open the door for her.]

I hope knowing that doesn't ruin the illusion for you.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido smiles a little. "Sounds fine by me."

She sticks her hands in her pockets. "What did you want to talk about?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

This isn't a dealbreaker. In fact, you giving straight answers is the biggest reason I agreed to this little joke of yours.

[Settling into the car, she takes a moment to get situated and find the seatbelts. Which... actually take her long enough that it becomes clear she's unfamiliar with these sorts of things.]

... you know...

This is the most expensive car I've ever sat in...

[Her voice just sort of trails off. Solaris had only recently started to get support so it could revitalize itself, so the fact that someone could afford to just go and get a car like this -even if only temporarily- just to have it for driving around in... it's only just sinking in.]

[a_linear_mind]

Well, I expect that you'll be a bit disappointed on that front. Don't know why, I just have a feeling.

[Once Willis steps into the driver's side, a small laugh escapes him when he hears the second part.]

Solaris must have really fallen down hard if it is.

[A few seconds later the vehicle speeds off from Alhambra.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

Well for one... what do you feel about Sakihama? You weren't around during Solaris's glory days so this is really like, the first time you've ever been at a big operation.