Gentlemen and a Joker

[Zenophilia]

[Stygian Jett] I glanced in the mirror just before leaving the house. My thick dark brown hair was in it's classic shark fin-like spike, but still looked casual and slightly messy. Nothing in my teeth, which were very straight from braces a couple years ago, but they weren't too impressively white. My eyebrows were somewhat thin, but short, and my facial features were mostly in proportion, save for a slightly large forehead and mouth. My skin was tan, more so than usual due to the warm summer weather I've been out in so much lately.
I glanced down at what I was wearing. A striped black and white polo with blue jeans that weren't ripped, which automatically made them fancy in my book. I had a wallet, phone, ice breakers mints, a candy wrapper, car keys, and a keychain toy duck that whacked loudly when you press a button on it's head. All the essentials, of course.
"Later, Dad. Stephanie." I called, waving to my father and step mother as I stepped out the door. I think they called something after me, but I wasn't paying attention. My mind was on this 'blind date' my best friend, Forrest Kipling, had set up. Supposedly, she was a friend of his girlfriend. I've met his girlfriend, though, and I don't like her one bit, so my hopes aren't too high.

~

It was an hour past the time the date was supposed to start. and I have done nothing but draw zebras, penguins and other black and white animals all over the napkins at the table.. Alone. Obviously, I was stood up. Well, I'd already ordered my meal-The hunger finally got to me. Forrest is too busy making kissy faces with Mrs. My-friends-stand-up-blind-dates to even answer his phone... So I got to eat dinner alone, or so it looked. Being alone was the one thing I'm terrible at, but I imagine the food will make it better, once it gets here.
I looked around the restaurant curiously, seeking out anyone I might know or could talk to. The only familiar face I spotted was Daniel Trevor, who was working as a waiter, and I couldn't stand even looking at him.
"This is going to be a long dinner." I muttered, wishing I'd never given into temptation and told the waitress that yes, I'd really like this ribeye steak there on the menu. I just can't walk away from steak.

~~~~~

[Daniel Trevor] Work had been busy, until later in the evening, where it really began to slow down. It was getting close to closing time, which meant I'd be off in.. An hour and a half, according to my watch. Maybe it's not as late as I thought.
I didn't have any tables to tend to, so I took a quick seat in one of the booths. I imagine that my light brown hair was beginning to fall apart from when I combed it this morning. All I could think about was closing time, until I heard the sound of another group of people walking in the door. Smiling like serving them was the highlight of my week, I approached the family and showed them to their table after collecting the appropriate menus. I'm not sure if they noticed, but I don't think my smile quite reached my light gray eyes.
I noticed Stygian had been sitting alone at a booth seat for more than half an hour by now, maybe even an hour. I really can't stand him, but I was beginning to feel the slightest bit sorry for him. Must have been stood up or something, because his friend Forrest wasn't with him for once in his life.

[Note: Stygian's date isn't your character. ^^']

 

[AwakenLove]

Sheridan Fitzpatrick looked in the visor mirror to check her makeup. She hadn't had time to put it on the way she wanted to, and she was not about to go anywhere with smudges. "Sher, if you look in that mirror one more time, I am gonna make sure to spill food on your dress when we get there!" her best friend Bridget said laughing.

"And if you do that, I'm gonna tell Trenton you snore in your sleep!" Sheridan threw back at her which made the girls in the backseat laugh hysterically.

"You better not!" They were on their way to a restaurant like they always do every week. It was a ritual Sheridan and her friends made up just to get out of the house every Thursday night. "So what's this place called?" she asked Bridget after discussing whether or not anyone at the school got any surgery done. Bridget shrugged, "I dunno. It's some place my sister went out to eat at a few weeks ago. She said it's really good."

"Yeah but your sister is vegan," she said raising an eyebrow.

"They have other stuff too, you carnivore! Besides, you don't need anything fatty--- I think you're getting a muffin top."

Sheridan looked down quickly and then playfully shoved her. They finally pulled up to the restaurant and parked nearby. It wasn't that big (which was a relief) and it wasn't too packed either. She hopped out of the car first, straightened her short, white dress and after Aubrey purposefully tripped Bridget, they walked inside laughing and being everything but quiet. Sheridan immediately smelled steak and hamburgers, and looked around for a waiter to seat them.

 

[Zenophilia]

[Daniel Trevor] Right when I was considering leaving early, a group of girls had walked through the door. It wasn't so bad, though. Smiling and flattening my hair with one hand, I walked over to the podium right beside the door. "Hello, ladies!" I greeted, nodding to them. I picked up a couple of menus, and mentally reviewed the open tables. 15 was the only one I knew for sure was cleaned. "Right this way!"
I led them through the restaurant, to a table in the center. I placed the menus by the chairs, and smiled again at them. "I'm Daniel, your waiter for tonight! Let me know if there's anything you need!" I looked them I the eyes as I spoke-eye contact was always a habit-but I realized my gaze lingered on the brunette with long hair and a white dress a bit too long. Shyly, I glanced down at the ground before I turned and left back to tend to other tables. I'd always quite liked girls with long hair.

~~~

[Stygian Jett] As I waited for my food, I couldn't help but notice that the table next to me was suddenly no longer vacant. I perked up, watching as Danny flustered around. At first, I was mostly interested in simply pissing him off, but then I noticed that the girls seated there were kinda cute, specifically the brunette in the white dress.
I decided to wait a bit. Maybe see if they take notice of me sitting here alone, and if they give me the look of 'I'm never speaking to that idiot' or not. Or if they notice me at all. I wonder where my food is, this is just about getting ridiculous.

 

[AwakenLove]

Sheridan followed the waiter to their table with her friends following behind her. She couldn't help but watch him closely and of course the girls were too. Daniel left and they all burst into a fit of giggles. "Ohmygosh he is so cute! Isn't that smile infectious?" she exclaimed. She looked over at him again as he was waiting other tables and she laughed. She wasn't expecting to see any cute boys around.


Aubrey nodded, "I guess we came to the right place. Look over there." A very handsome young man was sitting at a table next to them alone. They giggled again and looked down at their menus when they thought he was looking. "He looks like a model!" Sheridan suddenly wished she had spent a little more time in the mirror. Her mother kept asking her do things while she was getting ready to go out so she hadn't had the time. She wasn't vain or anything. She just didn't like looking like anything. Especially in front of cute boys.


Her friends continued to whisper about the young men while she scanned the menu for something good. There was a little bit of everything there and even a vegetarian section like Bridget had said. Sighing she put down her menu and felt bold for a moment. She smoothed her hair down, turned to the guy next to them and asked, "Are you an underwear model?" The girls got quiet and took that moment to ogle him intensively.

 

[Zenophilia]

[Daniel Trevor] At the request of an elderly couple, I walked back into the kitchen to fetch more drinks. I pushed open the doors and stepped inside, setting the empty glasses down on the kitchen counter. I leaned back for a moment, peering through the small window in the door. I leaned further back, tilting my head-Crash! I accidentally ran into an entire row of pots and pans, then succeeded in sliding to the floor after I tripped.
"Daniel! Are you all right?" A chef ask, running over to check on me. I waved him away, smiling with bright red cheeks. "Sorry.. Slippery floor." I got to my feet and dusted off the waiter's uniform I wore, then went back to fix the drinks for the elderly couple.

~~~

[Stygian Jett] I was thumping out a tune by slapping my palms on the table and trying to keep an eye on the table next to me when I suddenly found myself at the receiving end of a question. I quickly folded my hands in front of me, elbows on the table, and turned, eyebrows raised and my mouth slightly open. Underwear model?
"Yes, but only for Fruit of the Loom, and only if the underwear is powder blue." I answered. "As a matter of fact..." I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and unfolded it, then crumpled it up and shoved it back into my pocket. "My next job is next week on Tuesday, after brunch with my elderly grandmother." I spoke in a casual kind of kidding tone, not sarcastic or mocking. I wasn't really sure if she was asking me seriously or not.
"In my free time, I read poetry and take long walks on beaches at dawn. What about you? Does Covergirl pay well?" I'm pretty sure she was the Covergirl in the one commercial I'd seen. Or maybe that was Taylor Swift. Or maybe it was Maybelline. Oh well, she could probably do commercials for both.
I glanced at the girls behind her, who were all staring at me. "This isn't one of those dreams, is it?" I asked, quickly looking down to make sure I still had my jeans on.

~~~

[Daniel Trevor] I set down the drinks on the table, then nodded and walked off. I glanced over, and realized who I'd set the girls from earlier next to. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. I walked over, smiling once again. "Hello, ladies! Are we ready to order?" I asked, folding my hands behind my back.
Stygian was staring at me, I could see him out of my peripheral vision. He had his hands folded on the table, and an ear-to-ear smile on his face. "Hi, Danny! Didn't know you worked here!" He said cheerfully. I chose to ignore it. I had a perfectly good name-Daniel- and why he refused to use it I'll never know.

 

[AwakenLove]

"No but Victoria's Secret does when I pose topless," she joked back. Daniel the Waiter then came back and after telling him she wanted a steak dinner (with a smile back) she noticed that him and the other guy must know each other. Saying nothing, she listened to her friends' orders and realized with a sigh she was the only one ordering something that wasn't a salad or pasta. She knew they hadn't ordered it to look cute in front of the hot guys though. They were health nuts actually. As soon as they were done, she whispered to Bridget to come with her to the restroom.


"Way to bounce back, Sher!" Bridget said once they were inside. Sheridan rolled her eyes and opened the first stall only to shudder and slam it quickly. Her best friend was referring to her bad breakup some months ago. She didn't think she would be able to talk to any guy after that, but obviously it wasn't so hard. "I'm only flirting for the fun of it! Besides, we may never see either one of them again after tonight," she replied. She found a clean stall and went inside. Bridget opened her purse and rummaged around for her lipstick. "Probably not. You know, that Daniel guy looks familiar. I remember seeing him before, but I can't remember where...."

"Really? From school, you think?"

"Maybe but I'm not sure," she said reapplying her lipstick.

Sheridan flushed the toilet. "There are so many freaking boys at our school, you may just be getting him confused with someone else. Probably with one of Trenton's friends," she said. Once they finished up, they returned to their table to find the girls laughing amongst theirselves. Sheridan took her seat and looked back over at the "underwear model". I wonder if it would be weird if I asked his name?

 

[Zenophilia]

[Daniel Trevor] I scrawled down their orders onto a notepad I had in one of the pockets of my waiter's apron. I asked the basic things like "What kind of dressing on your salad?" and "How well-done would you like your steak to be?", and hoped that I wasn't blushing to the point where it was visible. I nodded, and was about to head back to the kitchen when I heard someone trying to get my attention.
"Danny! Can you ask about my nachos? They should be done by now!" I heard Stygian call. I turned around and smiled politely. "I'll ask the chef about it." I promised, and I headed for the kitchen before he could say anything else.
Once I got there and gave them the girl's orders, inquiring about Stygian's order entirely slipped my mind. It turns out that it didn't really matter, because I noticed Becky walking out with an order of nachos shortly after I walked into the kitchen. I had more tables to see to, so I couldn't stay and relax in the kitchen very long.

~~~

[Stygian Jett] I began to wonder where my food was, listening to them order. A few ordered simple salads, and I wondered what on Earth about salads was so attractive to some people. It's literally leaves and tomatoes or something. I'm pretty sure eating it was just as good as eating nothing at all, it definitely tasted that way. Even with the fancy dressings it came with.
Surprisingly, I saw my nachos arriving. There was an older woman with a name tag reading "Becky" on it who brought it out. I grinned happily at the sight of my food. "Here's your food, Hun," Becky said, dropping the plate in front of me. I nodded a quick thanks before picking up the cheesiest, meatiest nacho there was and shoving it into my mouth.
I glanced over and noticed the girl I was talking to earlier and one of her friends had disappeared. Snuck out when I was distracted! Well, I'm sure that was more of a coincidence than anything. I won't hold it against them, I decided, trying to get an elusive tomato onto a chip.
They returned soon, and when I glanced up I accidentally made eye contact with Ms. Victoria's Secret. I actually couldn't think of anything to say, which was rare for me.

 

[AwakenLove]

She watched him put a nacho in his mouth and was about to turn away when she saw he was looking back at her. Well, now I have to say something. She asked him, "What's your name?" Sheridan realized that he didn't look very familiar either. But then again it's not like she had been paying any boys much attention lately. At least not like she was now. The restaurant was a little chilly, and she hoped she wasn't shivering. She didn't want the guy thinking she was scared or something.