Worst. Date. Ever. (1/2)

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 20th December 2015

Characters: Thayde, Irabel
Description: Thayde asks Irabel out on a date.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 3, day 14 of Turn 8

Thayde

Thayde had spent a lot of time thinking about what he should say or do
concerning Irabel. He liked the girl, she was attractive, funny, worked
hard and had a heart of gold. If that wasn't a winning resume what was? The
main thing holding him back, however, was how difficult he found her to
read. Did she like him at all as more than a friend? She was so engrossed
in her work would she even find the time of day to _go_ on a date with him?
And worse yet, what if she said no?

"If she says no, she says no, stop being a sissy." He muttered to himself
as he pushed out of his chair, and away from his desk.

Evening meal had just finished up, according to the time piece in the
infirmary, so he figured he would find her in her quarters. Leaving the
infirmary, Thayde strode up the steps of the Hall and headed for the
journeywoman's quarters.

The Hallsecond had a moment of hesitation outside of Irabel's door where he
stared at the polished grains of wood for a long moment before finally
lifting his hand and knocking.

Seconds ticked by. Then a minute, or had it been longer? Finally, the
door open and Irabel peered out. At the sight of the Hallsecond, her
expression reflected her surprise. "Thayde." She hadn't expected him.
The last and only time he'd come to visit had been when she'd had that
prank pulled on her and managed to get drunk. Despite herself, as well as
his admonishment that such was what friends did, the memory of that brought
fresh colour to her cheeks. She drank wine like anyone else, but she had
never, _ever_ been drunk before. She had no plans to ever be again, either.

"Is something wrong?" What could bring the Hallsecond to her door? Since
she hadn't been drunk the night before and she had been on time - well no,
she had been early - to her shift, Irabel could think of no reason for the
Master to make an appearance again.

The woman's greeting made Thayde chuckle. Of course that would be the first
thing she would think. The man shook his head. "No, nothing is wrong, I
just wanted to come see you for a moment. Can I come in?" he asked.

He wanted to see her? Why? "Yes, of course." Irabel stepped back and
pushed the door open further so the Hallsecond could step into her quarters
before she closed it behind him. "Do you want something to drink?" She
might as well be a proper hostess if he was coming to call.

Thayde nearly opened his mouth to make a joke about Irabel and drinks, but
decided against it. "Yes, thank you." He entered and claimed the same seat
he had taken when he'd talked her into taking the day off and nursing her
hangover.

"Anything in particular? I have wine, water, and a bit of orangefruit
juice. They brought me far too much this morning." While Irabel often
dined in the dining hall, she'd spent the morning pouring over some records
and thus had broken her fast in the confines of her rooms.

"Juice please." Thayde accepted the glass of juice from her. Taking a sip,
he gathered his courage, and got to the point of his visit. "I was
wondering, Irabel, if you would join me for dinner tomorrow night, like a
date?"

She had just taken position to sit on the small couch across from her
fellow dolphineer when the question took her off guard and she glanced up
at him, half sitting, half standing. Eventually, she lowered herself down
fully, taken aback by the question. "Me?" A date? As in, romantically?

Thayde's lips twisted in amusement as he fought off a laugh. "Yes, you."

The request was unexpected and for a moment, Irabel wondered if it was
Thayde's drink that had gotten spiked. "Oh…" So now what? She supposed
she should answer him. "Um...okay."

Even though the answer was weak and tentative at best, Thayde was going to
take it for a 'yes'. Pushing up from his seat with a smile, he downed the
rest of the orange juice and then set the empty cup down.

"Good. I will pick you up later tonight, just before midnight. Wear a
swimsuit, we're going to be down on the beach." He said over his shoulder
as he strode toward the door.

"Okay." Irabel stood, a bit taken aback at the suddenness of the
conversation and the equal suddenness of its end. Had he really just
requested to spend time with her as more than just friends?

****

Late that evening, with a basket over his arm, Thayde arrived back outside
of Irabel's door and knocked. He was in typical attire, swim shorts with a
shirt over top that could be easily slipped off when he wanted to get in
the water. He hoped that Irabel had taken him seriously when he'd told her
to put on one of her bathing suits.

When she opened the door, she appeared in a loose tunic, a light skirt and
a towel folded over arm. At the sight of the Hallsecond, she smiled a
little. "Hi." It seemed that he had been quite serious about that 'date'.

"All set?" he asked, extending his arm to her.

"All set." Irabel agreed and slipped her arm into his, though a little
hesitantly. She wasn't used to being escorted in such a manner. As her
arm curled around his, however, she decided it was rather pleasant. "Where
are we going?"

"Just a nice little spot on the beach. You'll see." He promised with a
smile. Escorting Irabel out of the Hall, Thayde led her down to the blanket
that he'd placed there before going to the kitchens for the basket of food.
A few baskets of glows around the blanket gave the area a soft glow.

Irabel stopped as Thayde did and started at the little area he'd created.
The gentle light mingled with the glow of the moons, bathing everything in
a misty mix of gold and silver. "This is lovely." she breathed.

Thayde smiled, glad that she was pleased. "I hope you don't mind that this
is a bit of a double date." he teased. Thayde tilted his head toward the
water where two dorsal fins were visible in the reflection of the moonlight
on the water.

Irabel turned and the glimpse of the creatures brought a smile to alight
upon her face. Although it was dark, she knew immediately that one was
Thayde's partner while the other was her very own Kerchek. "Of course
not. They're a part of us."

Slowly, she lowered herself down on the blanket and Irabel shifted until
was in a comfortable position. On the water, silver moonbeams rippled and
played, dancing away as the dolphins broke through, then converging to
glaze the surface once more in their finery.

"Let's see, I've got us a few things to snack on, I figured nothing too
heavy since we were going to swim." Thayde sat down beside of Irabel on the
blanket and opened up the basket to reveal a combination of fruits, cheese,
bread and wine.

"Yes, eating light would be good." They could always partake of more
refreshments after they were finished. The last thing either Irabel or
Thayde needed was a cramp - and she was certain he'd tease her if he had to
rescue her because of one. As Thayde revealed what he'd brought, Irabel
gingerly reached in and plucked a piece of cheese. "So...this is what going
on a date is like?"

A smile tugged at Thayde's lips, "Yeah, something like that. There aren't
any real requirements, other than spending time with someone you like as
more than just a friend."

Irabel wondered what it was about her that made Thayde think he might want
more. Coupled with that thought was pleasure at the idea. As she chewed
upon the piece of cheese, Kercheck chittered at her from the water. "I
think he's encouraging us to forgo eating."

He could see Ada patiently swimming back and forth, waiting for her human
partner to join her in the water. "I may have mentioned to them earlier
that I would bring them treats…." A slow smile spread across his face.

"Well that explains a lot." Irabel's lips tilted upward in amusement.
There was just something about dolphins that helped put her at ease. "I'm
not sure how long he'll let us stay here if you've told him that."

Thayde shot her wink as he reached into the basket once more and drew out a
bag, "Don't worry, I didn't lie to them, fresh snacks. I grabbed them from
the infirmary before I left." Opening up the paper back, Thayde reached in
and then tossed a treat down into the water near Kercheck.

"The ones that Saelik makes?" The cook was forever concocting all sorts of
edibles for the dolphins to enjoy, and enjoy them they did. From time to
time, Kerchek would bug her about procuring some, though she tried not to
indulge him _too_ muchs, she would oblige on occasion. "He's going to
start liking you more than me now." With that, she reached into the bag so
that she could throw one out to the awaiting creatures.

"Impossible." Thayde shook his head. He noted that Irabel seemed more at
ease than when he had first shown up outside her door earlier that evening.
Popping down one more piece of fruit and a cube of cheese, Thayde washed it
down with a sip of wine. "Ready to swim?" he asked.

Last updated on the December 21st 2015

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Worst. Date. Ever. (1/2)