The Princess and the Toad

His nerves melted away the moment he spotted how much work she'd put into looking nice for this, and more than a little pink touched his cheeks.

"Barb," he greeted as he cleared his throat and walked to her, "We're both early, it seems." He looked back at her, letting his eyes take in her outfit again.

"You look damn good."

His dry mouth almost refused to say anything more, until he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Let's uh... get seated."

He dared another look at her, an uneven smile teasing his lips. "Were you as excited for this as me, Barb?" His tone held hope rather than teasing as he accidentally let slip that he'd been nervous.
 
Barbara found herself blushing a bit at his rather blunt compliment, a smile still on her lips as she looked down at him. "Well, I thought it best that I look the part. After all, I've only ever seen you in suits, and I hate looking underdressed." She said with a small giggle.

As Aldric took the lead on this, she merely walked with him to a nearby table. It was a seat yourself kind of place, but they still had wait staff. It made the area feel different but in a right way.

Once they sat, Barbara set her bag to the side and chuckled a bit at Aldric's question. "I can't lie, I was. I haven't been out to anything in ages. Honestly, can't remember the last time I had a chance to do anything besides work at the clinic, go to the gym or take care of my garden! It's wonderful just having some social interaction of any kind."
 
Only seen him in suits... well, aside from the gym, but he assumed it was obvious that nobody looked their best at a gym. Then again, suits were the only thing that didn't make his twisted body look moreso. Figure-concealing clothes left too much to the imagination, and tight things left too little.

Suits, while more formal than most situations needed, were always custom-tailored to help him look the best he could by being tight or loose in the right places.

Still, he appreciated her effort, and it showed in the smile that teased his features. He sat with his bad eye to the wall without thinking

"Same, though my work activities are a different bunch." He shook his head. "Lawyering. Most times not bad, but sometimes I want to punch my clients."

Wait. Shit. Casual sociopathy wasn't exactly primo material, date or not.

"Mostly it's me and my kid," he shifted gears a bit, hoping to draw attention away from mention of violence. "It's fun, but sometimes it's nice to be with other adults, too."

He didn't bother reaching for the menu yet. He'd checked it before coming, and knew what he wanted, and what to suggest for Barb, if she was stumped. Granted, he felt a bit creepy having looked in her grocery cart, but it couldn't much be helped that he'd happened to see some things in there that he assumed she liked.
 
There was a light laugh from Barbara as he commented on punching some of his clients. She couldn't blame him for it. After all, he didn't get to pick only innocent people. He had to defend whoever hired him, whether or not they were innocent of the crime. That also meant protecting some perfectly awful people as well, no doubt. Sitting up a bit straighter, Barb leaned back in her chair as she gently reached for a menu that got left on the table.

"I can understand wanting to punch a client. I've had my fair share of snobby people who expected that I bow before them and kiss their feet. I've had to straighten out a few on more than one occasion as well. So I must agree on having adult company every so often because older patients can be just as embarrassing as kids sometimes."

It was a light-hearted comment, Barb wanting to keep the mood happy and joking as they sat together. Eventually, a waiter brought over some waters and gave them a bit more time with the menu. She did need it after all, as she wasn't too sure about what she wanted to eat just yet. After all, this was sort of like a date. The weightlifter hardly tried to make herself look like a mess because of what she ate.

"Do you know what you are getting, Aldric?" Barbara asked curiously.
 
Oh good. A distraction from his bad comment! Though she took it well. No cringing or anything like that! This was going well so far.

"Yeah. I read the menu online and picked out the egg salad croissant sandwich. The site said it had good levels of protein, and they don't mix in celery, but serve it alongside, so I can ask for some peanut butter or something." He scratched his cheek under his eyepatch as he described what he wanted, then grinned at her.

"It's a messy meal, though. One of the reviews said to ask for a fork for the egg salad that falls out!"

His grin widened.

"You?"
 
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"Well, I am a woman of habit, I'll admit." Barbara started with a small smile. "Usually I"ll get the club sandwich with extra bacon. However, I felt like changing things up today, and I'm not fully sure on what I want. I think I might get the Cesar salad today, make things a little different."

With that said she set down her menu and looked fully at Aldric. It was interesting to see someone who would look at a menu ahead of time to figure out what he would eat. She was always the sort who liked to browse when she got somewhere. Then again, considering he was a lawyer, no doubt he wasn't a man who could waste his time wandering around a menu.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving, the sooner we order, the sooner I can get myself a pastry." She joked a little, chuckling as she leaned back in her chair.
 
That brought a grin to his face. "Donuts, huh?" He looked toward the counter, where sure enough, he spotted some on display, along with other sweet and carb-filled treats. "Those look good."

As he spotted a member of the staff, he shot a hand upward with a call of "Excuse me!"

Some people might have called 'garcon' or something else, but Aldric always made a point of being respectful to staff wherever he went. From what he'd heard and seen, working with customers was hard enough without rudeness.

When he was ignored, though, Aldric grumbled and looked across at Barb.

"Care to get their attention? Seems I'm too short."

If he'd been alone, he might have made a little bit of a scene by tapping the wall with his cane, but he didn't want to embarrass the woman he was with.
 
Barbara was as glad that Aldric spoke up to get someone's attention, but it seemed his height was putting him at a disadvantage. A small pout formed on her lips to see the disgruntled look on his face. The woman would not stand for that, not in the slightest. Raising her hand, she gave a loud whistle with her lips, seemingly getting the whole restaurant's attention. "Excuse me, we're ready to order."

As understanding as she was of working in the food industry, the cafe was pretty empty at the time, and there was no excuse for them not to be seen easily at this point! All the same, she would still be kind and understanding, as she doubted that what had happened was intentional. A young server wandered over to them, giving a nervous smile as they held up their notepad.

"I'll have the Cesar salad with extra chicken and an iced tea," Barb happily said as she looked at the server.
 
"Hello," Aldric greeted briefly. "I'll take the egg salad sandwich on the croissant. You guys still serve the celery on the side with peanut butter, right?" His one good eye stared at the 'poor soul', waiting for an answer.

With a slight gulp, the server nodded. "Yes, sir. We do."

"Great. I'll have that, then. Maybe with some raisins on the peanut butter, if you have them."

The waiter stared, then nodded, "Any drinks?"

Oh yeah. Barb already ordered her drink.

"Ice water, please. With lemon."

"Alright." The young person, whose gender Aldric couldn't quite place by looking, snapped their book shut and hurried off.

Once they were gone, he looked toward Barb, then whispered, "Did you catch the name tag? I'm not sure what to call our waiter."
 
Barbara sat back as Aldric placed his order, waiting for the man to get his food in with the nervous waiter. It shocked her that someone so small could be so intimidating to other people. Aldric was serious and forward, sure, but hardly anything to be shaking in one's boots over. No doubt it was those years of being a successful lawyer.

"I believe it said Steven on it," Barbara answered leaning in closer once more now that their order got placed.

Looking around for a moment, Barbara noticed that it was more or less empty that day, odd considering it was a favorite place. It was a stroke of luck, as it meant their food would come quickly. Turning back to the man sitting across from her, she gave a slight smile.

"I've got to ask, Aldric. What pushed you to ask me out to lunch?"
 
"Hm?" He looked up at her and blinked. "Lucy's teasing spurred me on, but both times we met before were nice, too. Figured I'd see if meeting again would be just as nice."

As he looked toward the wall, his cheeks visibly reddened, and he drummed his fingers against the table. Finally, he gathered his courage and looked her in the eye as he spoke again. "That, and I wanted to ask if you're open to start dating. Seemed better to ask in person rather than over texts."

He wanted to spill everything, but... he didn't want to scare her off. He barely knew her, and explaining the whole situation could easily be taken as an attempt at pressuring her—which was far from the truth. When the time came, he wanted her to be able to choose on her own if she wanted to go through with marrying a dying man for the sake of his daughter, and he wanted to do it right—to do that dating thing, and that relationship thing, before signing legal papers. He wanted to eliminate as many regrets his future spouse might have, because sure, it was easy to marry again as a widow or widower, but any marriage should be done wholeheartedly.

Stupid, romantic dwarf.
 
To say that Barbara was surprised would be an understatement.

Sure, having a light lunch and chatting with another adult was indeed a sweet little treat and some might think it to be romantic on the first go. However, neither Aldric nor herself were your average person. They were both very different and out of the usual norms that most people had. All the same, being so directly and flatly asked to date regularly was not something the tall woman would have expected to come out of this.

Maybe a gym partner, or a lunch buddy, but not a relationship!

All the same, the idea of dating wasn't bizarre either. Barbara, admittedly, liked the kind of man Aldric was. Sure, he was short and had some clear medical issues, but anyone who could handle a child and be a full-time lawyer certainly knew how to multitask and make things work. That, and he was charming in his odd way, it made him all the more exciting and attractive even. Blushing a bit herself, Barb tilted her head to one side and grinned.

"Sure...Why not? Though, I do have to say that we'll probably need to give each other full availability if we are to do more than just lunch."
 
Shit. She said yes. He couldn't hide his surprise, nor the grin that slowly formed and spread.

"Great!" His voice broke slightly, and he coughed into his hand once he noticed.

"I mean uh... what kinds of places do you like to go to? Maybe a museum, a zoo, something like that? Movies make shit dates, because you're not really doing anything together."

He couldn't believe she was open to the idea, though. His heart felt ready to explode from nervous excitement, though he hid it decently enough. It was like he was a damned teenager all over again, but this time with less acne and fewer eyes.
 
"Well, I do like going to parks. The zoo also sounds fun. If anything, I love trying new foods, so lunch and dinner dates could be nice as well. If we do movies, I prefer getting a DVD at home so we can still talk." Barbara said lightly as she thought about what she enjoyed doing.

She hadn't expected to see him light up like that, but it was infectious. A part of her was getting eager as well, the idea of being able to have an actual date sort of thrilling. Sure, it wouldn't be a very active date, due to Aldric's physical condition, but just being with another willing adult, in general, was an improvement.

"What about you? What do you like to do? I can't be the only one that gets to pick what we would do on a date, that's a bit unfair." The woman insisted happily.
 
The more she described what she liked, the more he smiled. It was hard not to: he would never deny that he had a high opinion of people who knew what they liked and said so. It made it easier to talk openly with them. The more he learned about her, the more he was glad he asked, and when she turned the question to him, he tried to wink with his missing eye, only to blush and shove his hand across his thinning hair.

"I'm one of those fuckers who's into trying anything once, especially food. Doesn't usually hurt, not like when I tried bungee-jumping."

His doctor yelled at him so much for that, and he still felt the pain, but the sights then...

"Anyway," he pulled himself from the mental imagery and grinned at her. "Less exciting, but still fun, I like museums. Zoos, food, parks. Not one for sports, or for nerd shit like dungeons and dragons. The DMs get nervous if they introduce any ugly monsters, and it ruins things a bit."
 
Nodding her head, Barbara listened to Aldric list off the things he liked to do. Most of which were right on the dot for her list of enjoyments. It seemed that they would have a lot in common when it came to interests. It was a bit interesting to hear he wasn't into any 'nerd' stuff, as he called it. Barb rather enjoyed the thrill of fantasy shows and the like. But of course, that might have been assuming too much on the man's part.

"Well, it seems like we'll have plenty of fun together. I am a bit of a nerd myself, but I happen to enjoy video games or novels. I am particular to fantasy stories as well, so I hope that isn't a lost point on my part." The woman teased, grinning a bit more as she looked at him. "I also enjoy lighter activities as well, so don't worry about my training happens holding you back. Gardening and picnics are something I also love doing."

It was at this point their food arrived, being placed before them by the waiter only to get a small nod before he scurried off. No doubt because the couple sitting there happened to be naturally intimidating. Aldric with his firm tone and Barbara for her height and volume.
 
"I meant things like dungeons and dragons, for the fantasy stuff," he explained a little too quickly. He did like fantasy shows, some video games, and novels. "Besides, ain't my place to judge you for your interests. Mine got me into my job as a lawyer, after all." His harsh face broke into a big grin.

When their food arrived, Aldric ignored the fearfulness of their server and offered only a brief utterance of "Thanks." He didn't want to terrify the kid, after all.

He took a slow sip of his water first. He'd been talking a while now, and it felt refreshingly cool. He didn't bother with the offered straw, either. Because he had so many issues, he was in a strange place where part of him wanted to prevent more, but another part wanted to know 'why bother being too careful? What's one more issue?'

Aldric looked back toward Barb.

"Gardening and picnics... What do you grow?"
 
"Well, I happen to enjoy growing food mostly. A person of my size can put food away, so I tend to save money by growing it myself. Later in the fall, I tend to get to work pickleing and make making jams on what I have growing. I have a condo to myself, so I use the whole backyard as I like." Barbara answered with a smile on her face.

Taking a bite of her food, she chewed for a moment before taking a sip of her drink and sitting back up straight once more.

"Of course, I also enjoy a few flowering plants as well and house plants too. I suppose it's one of the ways I relax, growing something and taking credit for it is nice. On the side of Picnics, most of them are at home. Sometimes I love to sit outside and enjoy sitting around all my hard work. But enough about me, what about you? Do you have any side hobbies?"
 
Smart, strong, and fun to be around. She knew her way around money well enough to know what was better for her budget, and she was practical about how she managed her overproduction. Usually-furrowed brows raised, expression impressed as he listened, eating a bite of his sandwich while he did. She kept on, about enjoying other plants as well, and how she enjoyed eating outside.

He felt his attraction growing, and once more she turned attention back to him. Small and weak and ugly, but at least smart, he assured himself. He wasn't all negative traits, he reminded himself.

"It's a bit of a mean hobby," he began, eye narrowing as he looked away, "But I like nitpicking. Therapist says I should try to get past enjoying that, but at least I don't nitpick people like I did as a kid. I was a bad kid." That grin returned at the little joke at his own expense, even as he kicked himself mentally for sounding like a damned sociopath.

Quickly, he tried to move on. "Jokes aside," Yes, good start, "I like crosswords and going to the park. My place has a yard, but hiring someone I don't know to come to my house when I might not be home..." He shook his head. "Maybe if I didn't have a kid."
 
Barbara liked the sound of his hobbies, if only because of how relaxing they must be. The peace of a puzzle or the joy of a trip to the park was something she could get behind. The only thing that she felt terrible about was his inability to enjoy his yard. Everyone deserved a nice and tidy yard!

"Well, if this isn't too forward of me to offer, I can take care of your yard. I have weekends because the therapy hall get's closed and I get all my yard and garden work get's done on Saturday. I can always stop by and give your yard a trim on Sunday. I believe a well-kept yard is a wonderful thing to have. It's perfect for any occasion. That, and I can give you something simple easy to maintain for yourself."