Worst. Date. Ever. (2/2)

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
Notes: Mentioned: Aslvor

Thayde

She'd hardly eaten, but that was probably for the bet since they planned to
go into the water. Irabel nodded, then stood and removed her shirt and
skirt, revealing her suit which she had worn beneath. "That's one of the
best things about this place - it's always warm so you can always swim."

"Agreed. It would be hard living somewhere that has a real winter." There
were just some things that required a dolphineer to be _in_ the water,
which was difficult in the cold. Thayde kicked off his shoes and shrugged
off the button-up shirt he'd been wearing. Seeing that the humans were
finally moving toward the water, Ada squeed happily.

"Southern Boll doesn't really have a winter like other places. It gets
cooler, but it doesn't get _cold_. Not like places such as Emerald Falls.
Irabel didn't think she'd be happy there. As they stepped into the water,
Kerchek joined Ada with his own set of chittering, quite impatient for them
to 'get on' with it. "We're coming, we're coming." She called to the
aquatic mammals as she waded further until she could actually swim, arms
slicing through the water with smooth strokes.

As soon as Thayde was waist-deep in the water Ada was by his side, nudging
him with her bottle-nose for attention. Running his hand over her sleek
head, Thayde spent a moment caressing the tender places beneath her fins
that she enjoyed so much, before he turned back and looked toward the Hall.

"This is my favorite time to be out." He told Irabel. The Hall, built into
the cliff the way it was, towered over the water, light from its many
windows dotted the blackness of the night like stars.

Irabel stopped when Thayde did. He was taller, so the water reached up to
her neck, her touching the ground beneath the water. As he gazed at the
Hall, she followed it. Gentle lights flickered in windows, the wonder of
electricity which could pierce the darkness. "It's quiet. Peaceful." She
murmured by way of agreement. "Sometimes it's nice to get away from
people."

"It is," he agreed. "Although I like being here with you pretty good."
There was a hint of a tease in his voice.

Even in the shadows cast by the moon, Irabel's cheeks brightened. "I like
being with you too." She managed in reply, though halfway unintentional.
Still, she'd voiced the thought, she wasn't about to rescind it.

It was the first time Irabel had ever said something that really made
Thayde feel as if she might like him as more than a friend. So maybe this
whole date thing hadn't been a bad idea after all?

Irabel studied the landscape a moment longer, then leaned back to float
upon the water. Kerchek chattered, then circled around them before he
flicked his tail to shower them both, though particularly Thayde, with
water.

The moonlit swim was relaxing and peaceful, like usual, and by the time
they waded back to the shore, Thayde was more than ready for some more of
the snacks that he'd brought. "There's almost nothing that brings an
appetite like swimming." Although Thayde could think of one exception to
that rule.

Irabel nodded. "I'm always famished afterward." Which was another good
reason to wait to eat the bulk of the food until after. She took the hint
and began to head back toward the shore. The moons had crept up higher
into the sky, shifting the shadows, shortening them. As soon as the water
was too shallow to swim, Irabel stood and walked the rest of the way to the
blanket. Sand covered her feet, a useless covering, but she didn't mind
it. Dolphineers lived with the constant company of the tiny grains. "How
often do you come out at night? Irabel had done it herself, but she'd
never seen Thayde for some reason. Perhaps they had just managed to miss
each other. When she'd settled back on the blanket, Irabel became a little
more bold in procuring some food for herself and popped some fruit into her
mouth.

"Not as often as I would like, probably only once a night every other
sevenday or so, it depends on what I have going on in the infirmary at the
time." Thayde admitted. He liked coming out near midnight because most of
the other Hall residents were asleep.

Well that explained it. Irabel didn't do it on a regular basis either, so
they had just managed to miss each other every time. "What made you decide
to go into healing?" She queried as she transferred some of her attention
to some cheese. The swim had helped relax her and she thought if they were
friends, possibly more, then it was time to get to know him better. She
_wanted_ to get to know him better.

"I didn't really have a strong interest in it until I got into the classes
regarding healing here at the Hall. It just clicked for me, it came far
more naturally than studying star charts and weather patterns." He picked
apart a piece of fruit. "Then when I was at Jade Harbor I got to work with
the regular healers on human diagnosis with the dolphins- that was
fascinating, and it felt good to be able to help people that way."

He glanced sideways at her, "What about you? Why did you choose Meteorology
or Salvage and Rescue?"

"It was interesting. The weather, this world..it's fascinating." Irabel
turned her gaze toward the sky where clouds remained absent for the evening
and the stars twinkled brightly above. "We can only predict so much, but
it's like a puzzle. You have to figure out how the world works and do your
best to understand what's going to happen. Not just with the air and
clouds, wind and rain, but with the currents and the shifts they go through
during the seasons." She paused to turn that gaze down to a piece of
redfruit in her hand. "Search and rescue helps people. And if people need
help, it's useful to be able to read the weather and currents."

Thayde liked the way Irabel talked about her craft, like it was a passion
and not just a job. His eyes were drawn to the moonlight that gleamed on
her lips which were moist from the fruit she was eating.

"Thanks for agreeing to come out tonight, Irabel."

Irabe lifted her gaze to rest upon the man beside her. A smile flickered
as she murmured softly, "Thank you for inviting me."

Deciding that he would take a chance, Thayde reached out and captured
Irabel's chin in his hand. Tilting her face toward his, Thayde closed the
distance between them and kissed her softly, something he'd been thinking
about for days.

The action caught her off guard and she stiffened, uncertain, but she
didn't pull away. After he broke it, Irabel remained close, not sure what
to do, her eyes searching his, wanting to say something, but words refused
to form.

Thayde's eyes searched Irabel's for a moment but apparently the man didn't
find what it was he was looking for because the next place he pressed his
lips was to her forehead before pulling away. "Come on, I'll walk you back
to your room." He stood and brushed sand from his hands.

Already? Irabel hesitated and, after a moment with Thayde hovering over
her expectantly, she whispered, "Do we have to just yet?"

He continued standing for a moment longer, unsure of what he should do.
Everything about Irabel's body language said that she wasn't into him, even
the kiss had said that. Finally he sat back down, forearms resting on his
raised knees. "I guess not."

"Unless...you're ready." The idea that maybe Thayde didn't want to be
there any more flashed through her mind. Had she upset him? What did he
want her to do? Maybe she should try to kiss him back, but the idea set
another glaze of pink to her cheeks. After a moment, she cleared her
throat. "That was…" What? A nice kiss? It was, but Irabel knew enough
that she realised it wasn't quite what he expected or wanted. "I...uh…"

Thayde wanted to close his eyes but he maintained a neutral facial
expression. This was the most painful end to a date he'd ever experienced
in his thirty-seven Turns. At least when most women rejected him they
_accepted_ the offer to be walked back to their room, that sort of ended
things and allowed Thayde to be put out of his misery.

He just sat there. So why had he kissed her? Well, of course he wouldn't
have kissed her if he hadn't been interested. Irabel chided herself and
stared at the piece of cheese that, at some point, she'd pulled out of the
basket. As she turned it over in her hand, she wondered what she should
say. Should she kiss him back? The idea that he wanted to spend time with
her as more than friends had been shocking when he mentioned it. The last
she knew, Thayde had been interested in another woman. Suddenly, without
fully realising it until the words were out of her mouth, she asked, "What
about Aslvor?"

That was the last question Thayde had ever expected to be asked, especially
after kissing a woman. Arching an eyebrow, he finally turned his head to
look at Irabel, "What about her?"

"I thought you and she…" Irabel wasn't sure how to phrase the question,
but the intent was obvious enough.

Thayde did not understand the purpose of the question, if she had thought
that he and Aslvor were involved why would she agree to go on the date in
the first place?

"We're not." he said flatly.

"Oh." Hadn't they been though? Rumours had gone around the hold about it
and she'd seen them together a few times, though not recently, Irabel had
to admit. After a few more moments of awkward silence, she closed her hand
around the cheese, cheeks burning. "I'm sorry...I just…"

Just what? Felt the fool? Very much so, but Irabel wasn't sure how to
tell him that, or that she had like the kiss, or that she wanted him to
kiss her again, very very much. If she could get the courage to do so, she
would have returned it, but at the moment, something stopped her, though
what it was she couldn't truly say.

**You're just not into me, I get it.** Thayde finished for her in his mind.

Last updated on the December 21st 2015

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Worst. Date. Ever. (2/2)