Remnants of the Earth
AEDOLIS => Haviah => The Citadel => Topic started by: Rhi-Rhi on September 27, 2011, 03:18:00 pm
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Last night had been an experiment.
Having his own apartment, finally, was awesome! Not just because he got a place to himself to decorate however he liked, but because of the oven. The oven was what made this place glorious and he'd put it to fast use. Over the past week or so that he'd been Stage 5, he'd baked more things than he knew what to do with and so had given them away to various Pilots and personnel. It had been years since he'd gotten to do this (because despite his best attempts to improve the quality of the cafeteria's food, they never had allowed him back into the kitchen) and maybe he'd gone a little overboard, but it was fun!
And it left his whole apartment smelling like home.
Today, however, his baking had a purpose. He'd tried his hand at his mom's carrot cake recipe (a recipe that dated back to his great-grandparents, at least), which involved grating carrots by hand and making up a cream cheese frosting. It turned out great for a first try, if he said so himself! Which was good, because it was for Pilot Meadows.
For ease of delivery, he'd made cupcakes instead of a cake, put them into a large Tupperware container and a bag, and then he was on his way--after making sure he looked decent, of course. He was trying out something new and had straightened his hair.
Considering the work Pilots did, coffee was always readily available in the Citadel, either through vending machines if you just wanted a quick cup or through the cafe, and Dakota stopped off there before he headed for Summer's office. It didn't take him long before he reached it and he rapped lightly on the door.
"Knock knock! Special delivery!" he called.
-
Let's see, what had Summer been doing last night? Oh, that's right. She'd been right where she was now, practically glued to her desk chair. There was a time for work and a time for play, but right now she had shit to do. All Pilots got assigned duties, generally based on their strengths regarding psionic ability. As a teletechnopath, Summer generally got shoveled into computer and tech work. Right now she was monitoring VCN activity. Generally it was a pretty boring job, really. Occasionally a pop-up would alert her to 'activity of interest', but it was almost always minor enough to be simply noted and more or less ignored.
It was a pain to pull an all-nighter, but she did her work diligently, and Zenith was even asleep! Her mind was blissfully clear of his nagging for a change. Right now she was simply waiting for her relief to log on so she could log off. In another hour or less, she would finally be free to go home, take a hot shower, and crawl happily into bed. Maybe Zenith would even let her sleep peacefully for a full eight hours. Maybe that would be asking too much.
The only sounds she'd heard for hours had been from her computer, so when she heard a knock at her door she nearly jumped out of her seat. Absolute murder burned in her eyes for a moment, but then she heard Dakota calling out in his always overly cheery way. Rubbing her eyes tiredly she got up, every bone and joint in her body seemed to creak and pop in protest. Oh yeah, her relief better hurry his punk ass up, she was getting too old for this shit.
"Candidate Lewis, you better come bearing a peace offering or I'm gonna put my boot up your ass for bothering me!" With that said she opened the door, green eyes flashing in annoyance. The kid was her Candidate, she'd been mentoring him for years now. He'd taken some getting used to, that was for sure, but he was alright. She had even become rather fond of him.
Tilting her head slightly to the side she studied him. Oh wow, she smelled carrot cake, yeah, that would work. Can't be too pissed off when the kid brings you cake! Besides, she was starving, and bless his little bleeding heart, he'd brought coffee too! She opened the door further and stepped aside so he could enter. "Eh? Well if you've come bearing offerings, then I guess you can come in."
-
Dakota was smiling brightly when Summer opened the door. He knew she didn't really mean that, and that it was said with love. "I always come prepared, ma'am!" he said cheerfully. "What kind of guest would I be if I didn't bring treats?"
He breezed inside the room as soon as she moved to admit him and settled the goodies down onto her desk. Besides, not only was it just polite and good manners to bring food to share when visiting someone--at least, that's how he'd been raised, in an environment where food was love and cooking ran in the family--but it never failed to smooth things over. People couldn't really scream in your face when you had an armful of fresh baked goods.
It was a great defense mechanism!
He set the coffee down and opened the tupperware container to let the smell of carrot cake waft through the room. "You look awfully peaked. Long day?"
-
Summer made a noncommital sound as he stolled into the room, going on about being a good guest by bringing treats. Gods, but he was a strange boy. Well, young man, now, she thought dryly. He'd grown up a bit over the years, hadn't he? Now that Dakota was a Stage 5, she should probably start thinking of him more as an adult and not as a child. He was almost there, practically in the clear now. Not that she would say so out loud, but Summer was proud of him. Sure, he was still weird, overly pleasant, much too chipper, and not nearly messed up enough in the head(compared to some Pilots), but he'd come far and was a good kid. Young man. Fuck, but it was hard to view him as something other than a kid.
She'd moved to flop back down in her computer chair, throwing her feet up onto her desk. With a quick glance at the computer screen, she sighed, nope, the next shift hadn't logged on yet. Bastard. The first thing she reached for was the coffee, inhaling the rich scent before taking a sip. Very good, he was such a good Candidate, knew just how she liked her coffee and everything. Would suck when he graduated, she'd have to whip another kid into shape. Ah well, she was looking forward to Dakota being a Pilot, it would be another success to her name.
An eye-roll had been given when he'd told her she looked peaked. Yeah, that was one way to put it. "Long night, been here since early yesterday evening. I was supposed to be relieved at midnight, but noooooo, someone found themselves a nice excuse and I had to stay over and work a double." She took another drink of the coffee, very glad for the caffiene, then glanced at the cupcakes. Man, they smelled good, now her entire office smelled edible. She could live with that, she supposed. Still, she eyed him suspiciously.
"Okay, pretty boy, what's the occasion? Coffee and cake, and I don't remember asking for you. Should I start getting pissed off now, or what?"
-
Dakota affected his best kicked puppy look. And he was quite skilled at pulling it off without making it too extreme or comical, eyes wide, lips slightly pouted, and head tilted down so his red hair fell into his eyes. He let his shoulders slump, just a tad. Somehow, even though he was taller than Summer, he could make it seem like he was looking up at her. "I need an occasion to visit you?" he asked, pouring hurt into his voice.
What could he say? It was a carry-over from candidacy. Looking pathetic and harmless and non-threatening sometimes worked wonders!
And alright, so his visit hadn't been entirely altruistic, and he'd been planning on buttering her up first before he got to that--but apparently on top of everything, he'd picked a pretty bad time to try it. She was in a bad mood, and rightfully so! But boy, did his timing stink.
-
Summer's expression didn't change from the suspicious glower she had fixed him with. Oh no, he wasn't giving her that kicked-puppy bullshit. Although, even she had to admit he did look pretty pitiful when he pulled it. It was a good thing he was so cute, she might have felt the need to reach over and smack that pout off his face otherwise. Ah, well, her expression changed into something just tired and resigned. Whatever it was, it couln't be too bad, could it? He'd never given her too much trouble.
Sighing and rolling her shoulders she reclined further in her chair. "You know you don't need an occasion to visit me, Dakota. I'm your mentor, I'm supposed to be here for you, night or day. Or something like that..." She waved a hand dismissively before taking another drink from her coffee. "Anyway, what's up, buttercup? Might as well just go ahead and lay it on me, I'm already in a bit of a pissy mood anyway, if you couldn't tell. Might as well get all the bad and, or annoying, news out of the way first. You can cheer me up afterwards."
-
Dakota shifted awkwardly, nudging the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Well, it's just...okay, so like, you remember that thing we talked about a few days ago? The shopping trip? The one we were supposed to go on?"
Sure, he could have gone alone, but that was never as much fun and his friends were booked for the week. So he'd decided to harass Summer instead. Maybe she didn't remember? After all, she had a lot on her plate! But he thought it couldn't hurt to try.
He gave a helpless shrug and a sheepish grin. "I need more hair clips."
-
Wait. What?
Had she agreed to go on a shopping trip with Dakota? For the life of her she couldn't remember. Summer hated getting old, there were fifty billion things she needed to get done, and another fifty billion she forgot to do. Well shit. With a groan she rubbed her eyes. An alert came up on her screen letting her know that her relief had logged on. Finally.
"Hair clips? Seriously? You're going to drag me out of the Citadel for hair clips?"
She logged out and stood up to stretch, then gulped down the rest of her coffee. This was going to be a long day. There could be worse things to spend the day doing, she supposed.
"Whatever, but I'm not going anywhere without a shower and change of clothes. So you'll just have to hold your horses there bucko. Are you coming up or should I just meet you in half an hour?"
-
"Well...maybe lunch, too?" Dakota offered with a sunny smile. "It's not just hair clips, though. There's a couple other things...but it shouldn't take too long and it should be fun, right?"
As Summer stood, Dakota picked up the muffins he'd brought her. "How about I carry these for ya? I don't mind hanging out at your place! I could do your hair?"
Please, please let me do your hair! Hey, it was fun! He'd wanted to be a beautician before he'd come into the program and his love of it had not faded a bit. All it meant was that he tried to make everyone his guinea pig--and there was a great big pool to draw from here.
So many Pilots and candidates were so...blase about their appearance.
-
"Lunch? Hmm. Okay, but only a real restaurant. None of that fast food junk." It had been a while since Summer had gone out shopping. Maybe there would be something interesting worth picking up. Maybe.
When he offerred/asked to do her hair Summer couldn't help but cringe slightly. The most she did to her hair on most days was to simply wash and brush it. Usually even the blow dryer was ignored. She just didn't really care about making herself up pretty or whatever. As long as she looked presentable she didn't much care. What did a Pilot need to be dolled up for anyway?
"We'll see. If I let you and you make me look stupid, I swear I will kick your scrawny little ass."
Grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair she slipped into it and headed out of the office. It would lock itself behind Dakota. She didn't doubt that he would follow her into the halls and towards the elevators.
"How and why do I get talked into these things again?"
-
Dakota looked appalled, nose wrinkling in disgust.
"You know I eat organic."
Which was far, far more expensive, but well worth it in his opinion. That also ruled out fast food restaurants, which were utterly disgusting to him. Goodness, most restaurants were gross to him! He preferred vegetarian ones, but as most people didn't, he'd go to regular ones so long as they had vegetarian options.
"I know a couple good restaurants we can hit up, anyway! And a fabulous cupcake place for dessert, though mine are better," he said as he followed Summer out the door, hearing it click shut behind him. "As for your hair, Summer! Don't you trust me? I'll make you look gorgeous."
-
Summer rolled her eyes faintly, but couldn't stop the barest of smiles to cross her lips. Sure, Dakota might be a bit chipper for her, but the kid sure did know how to eat. Well, she didn't mind meat, but she prefered high quality food to junk. Except baked treats, but who could resist those?
"No dessert. You already brought enough dessert to last me a couple days. Hell, are you trying to make me fat?"
As they reached the elevator she tossed her hair dramatically as she hit the button that would take them up to her floor.
"Did you just imply that I'm not gorgeous all the time? I'm hurt. Here I thought I was smokin' hot. What a blow to the ego."
Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
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"Nothing wrong with a little meat on one's bones!" Dakota said with a cheeky smile, but quickly added, "No, of course not. Why, you're fit as a fiddle if I do say so myself! I'm sure your rigorous training regimen can handle a little sweets here and there."
He stepped into the elevator and made puppy eyes at her. "And I would never imply you're anything short of gorgeous! All I'm saying is I can enhance what's already there and really make it pop! Ah, not literally. I won't explode you, I promise!"
-
"Well, let me tell you something - the older you get, the harder it is to stay in shape, and I'm fucking old."
Sure, her life wasn't even half over, if you considered the average lifespan of the people of Aedolis. She still felt old as dirt most of the time. At least she didn't look like some little old lady yet.
"Mhm. Sure you won't." Folding her arms across her chest she leaned against the back wall of the elevator. "Well, we'll see. Letting you do my hair will just take up time."
-
"You? Old as dirt?" Dakota pressed a hand to his heard and feigned a tiny gasp. "My lady! Do not insult yourself so! You're beautiful!"
The elevator came to a halt then and Dakota swayed from the shift in gravity. With a ding, the doors slid open and Dakota exited, sticking a hand out to hold the doors for her.
"It's honestly sad, really, how self-critical people are, how fragile our self esteem is. Most people aren't nearly as homely as they think they are, but like a butterfly they just can't see their own wings."
-
This time she didn’t even try to be subtle about rolling her eyes. What a load of crock. “I’m old enough, and just …what? Butterflies and wings and what? Where the heck do you come up with these things?” She almost could have done a face palm.
Well, she had trained him well, of that she had no doubt, but sometimes she seriously questioned Dakota’s fitness for being a Pilot. Personality wise. He was certainly physically and psychically capable, but he was such a nice kid, and being a Pilot didn’t lend to kindness. Dragons have mercy on him. Hopefully he would get a gentler one.
Still, he had made it all the way through training with his cheery disposition, so she guessed there really wasn’t much left that could truly get him down. Sighing she stalked down the hallway to her apartment. As they arrived the door slid open, it would close behind them after they stepped into her living room.
Summer didn’t invite people into her home often, Dakota, of course, but few others had seen the inside of her quarters. The living room was specifically designed to be an oasis of calm and relaxation. Soft blues covered the walls, the floors were of bamboo, the curtains and furniture were a slightly darker shade of blue from the walls; there were bonsai trees, zen stone gardens, and water fountains everywhere. The kitchen was much the same, and was only separated from the living room by a bar.
She gestured dismissively. “Make yourself at home, I’ll try to be quick getting showered and dressed.”
-
"It's true if you think about it!" Dakota insisted as he slipped inside her apartment. "Butterflies are so gorgeous but their brains are so tiny and simple and their little insect bodies are all ugly, so they have no idea how beautiful they really are to everyone who looks at them! Just like people, who see only their own flaws when they look in the mirror--the acne scars, the wrinkles, the pudge--and completely miss the big picture. But everyone else sees what they don't--what they can't! It's pretty much life's ultimate tragedy."
He took a seat on her couch and leaned back into the cushions, letting out a happy sigh. Her home was always so nice and relaxing; goodness, but he couldn't wait to have some actual free time so he could spruce up his place. But between shadowing Pilots and training and missions and things, by the time he got home he was usually too tired to bother.
"No rush! Take your time!" he called to her, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, relaxing to the sounds of trickling fountains.
-
Summer wasn’t about to be dragged into some philosophical debate with a candidate so she merely gave him a non-committal grunt at his explanation. She didn’t even jump at the chance to accuse him of implying she had such imperfections. At this point it just wasn’t worth it. Her apartment beckoned; her little slice of paradise. Too bad she didn’t get to properly enjoy it. What she wouldn’t have given to simply collapse into bed and sleep for a good six to eight hours.
Oh well, a promise was a promise and so she headed to her room to get ready. She’d have loved to take a long, hot shower to relax, but the sooner they could leave, the sooner she could come home. So she settled for a quick, cold shower to stay awake. She barely more than toweled off before heading to her closet, which was large and neatly organized, much like the rest of her space. For a minute all she could do was let her eyes move over the assortment of clothing hanging there.
Most of her clothing was comfortable and easy to work with, she did have her uniforms, and formal attire for the rare fancy occasion, but she really needed something kind of in-between. Somehow cargos, boots, and a tank top didn’t seem like enough. Especially if she was going to let Dakota do her hair. Wouldn’t do to have her hair a hot mess and have her clothes look like she was about to stomp a face in.
Well, at least her undergarments were easy enough to pick out, red and lacy, maybe she wasn’t a girlie girl with her choice in outfits, but that was no reason not to indulge herself under that less exciting front. Black dress pants were another easy choice, because like hell she was wearing a skirt or dress if she didn’t have to. Choosing a shirt was next to impossible, though. Sighing she pulled two shirts down, still on their hangers.
In her state of half dress she made her way to the living room, holding up both shirts. One was red and silky with a plunging neckline, the other was also red, but was one of those weird wrap around shirts she could barely figure out how to even put on. “Alright fashion guru, what do you think? Which one?”
-
Dakota soon left the couch to go tinker around in Summer's kitchen. It was immaculate like the rest of her home, but as far as he was concerned, there was always room for improvement--and he just liked kitchens. Before long, he was so absorbed in his task that he didn't even hear the shower shut off.
He had just finished arranging all her cups and mugs by size and color when he heard Summer's voice and looked up from his task.
And nearly swallowed his tongue, his face going warm.
Needless to say, the shirts were not the first thing he noticed.
"Oh, ah..." That was a really lovely bra. Red and lacy. Oh my...she was coordinating her shirt with her bra, and a he felt a little tinge of pride, right alongside the boyish thoughts of boobs. He would not have expected that of her and--oh. He was staring, wasn't he? Raising his eyes back to her face, he smiled cheerfully and did his best to recover.
"Ah. The shirts. Yes." He actually looked at them then, considered one and then the other, and then pointed to the wrap-around blouse. "That one! Those are very in right now. Very chic."
Oh jeez, he just couldn't help himself!
"You're matching!" he gushed, beaming at her.
-
Yes, Summer had walked into her own living room without a shirt on, the fact that Dakota was there was really irrelevant. She noticed where his gaze was drawn to and she rolled her eyes. Really, what was so fascinating about breasts? Really, if he got this bad about seeing her in a bra, she wondered how he would fair seeing a woman in a swimsuit. Heck, the things women wore swimming showed off more skin than bras and panties did. The fact that it might just be because it was her didn’t really cross her mind.
She shook the shirts at him, and he finally seemed to realize what he was supposed to be looking at. When he pointed out the wrap-around one Summer made a face. Figures he would pick the one that took a freaking PhD to put on. Draping the other shirt over the back of the couch she pulled the annoying one off the hanger and slid her arms into the sleeves, which flared at the elbow, red fabric hanging down in what she guessed was supposed to be fashionable frill.
As she attempted to close the shirt properly(a process that never ended well), she gave him a withering look at his comment. “You do realize I am more than capable of picking out things of the same color. Why is it so shocking that I match?”
-
"It's not really shocking that you match. It's shocking that you coordinate your lingerie with your clothing," Dakota said with a laugh, watching her struggle. "I would have never thought, what with all your poo-pooing fashion and all that. Ah, here! Let me."
He moved around the counter then, lightly swatted her hands out of the way, and grabbed hold of the edges of the fabric. "See, you cross it over like this, then wrap it around again and one more time! Then you tie it off at the side like this--or the front or back if you want, but it can be kind of difficult to tie it in the back without help without making the bow look totally stupid. Plus it looks cute like this."
Smiling, he took a step back to survey his work, then reached out to tug here and there at the fabric, adjusting it and covering any gaps. When he was done, he looked her up and down and beamed happily.
"There! Look at that. You look really lovely in this!"
-
Summer could admit that she hardly played the part of a fashionista of any kind, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like to make herself look presentable, or be prepared should certain situations crop up. “Why wouldn’t I? I know I don’t get dressed up very often, be when I do I’m going to do it right.”
With exasperation she moved her hands out of the way and let him help her properly wrap the shirt about her lithe torso. She did watch as he showed her how it was supposed to go. It wasn’t the first time someone had tried to show her how it went. Her ex-mentor, who had gotten her the shirt to begin with, had attempted to teach her how to wrap it.
“Do I? Good, that’s kind of the point. Never know, out at the mall, could run into a really dashing stud.” Her smirk was almost wicked as she joked about it. When was the last time she had actually “picked up” someone? It was hard to even say. “Anyway, clothes look good, then? On to the hair. I can’t believe I’m going to let you touch my hair.”
-
"Oh, yes! For you? It would be easy. And who doesn't dream of being picked up by a Pilot?" Dakota said, and added with a teasing wink, "I know I do!"
Taking her by the arm, he guided her into the bathroom and motioned for her to sit on the toilet. "Face me," he said, and then went about rummaging through her drawers and medicine cabinet for hair product. "Mm, we're going to have to update your stuff here! I have some this amazing texturizing paste that nourishes the hair while it styles it. It's wonderful. Doesn't weigh the hair down at all and makes it so soft and shiny! But I suppose we'll just have to make do for now."
He sprayed some mousse into his hands. "We'll just have to pick some things up at the salon while we're out!"
-
“You do? Why? Pilots are sadistic assholes. Just look at me. That should be enough to scare someone of Pilots forever.” Summer was only half joking as he led her towards the bathroom.
Taking a seat, she watched him rummage through her things, not really worried about it. Someone else going through her things might have ended up with some broken fingers, but she had kind of brought this on herself by agreeing to let him do her hair. Plus it was Dakota.
“The salon…” She could only give him a skeptical look. Did he actually think she would do any of this to her own hair? The only reason the mousse was even being used was because he was the one using it on her. “You are not talking me into buying a bunch of useless junk that I won’t even use, just telling you now.”
-
"I don't know. Some people like a little excitement in the bedroom," Dakota said, completely straight faced and serious. "So the added element of danger--though a safe kind of danger--can be especially spicy to them."
He rubbed his hands together to evenly spread the mousse over his fingers before he ran them through Summer's hair and began teasing the strands.
"And it's not useless junk! In fact., I bet once you see the things it can do for you, you'll be sold! Especially since this is easy stuff. So easy even you can do it, and without a beautician's degree nor license! Really, there's no excuse, because it takes like five seconds of your time, and you've got such an easy style to work with. There!"
Pulling back, Dakota smiled at her and his handiwork. He'd gone for the "sexily and stylishly tousled" look and, if he did say so himself, it suited her wonderfully.
"Why don't you take a look in the mirror now. Tell me what you think!"
-
Summer was half-tempted to ask what kind of ‘excitement’ Dakota was interested in when it came to the bedroom. She thought better of it, though. Satisfying her own curiosity wasn’t worth the harassment she would end up enduring if she encouraged him even unintentionally.
It took effort to hold still while he teased at her hair. It felt weird having anyone messing with her hair; even she didn’t fool with her hair. Washing and brushing were about the extent of her concern. He finished and suggested that she take a peek in the mirror.
“You’re such a girl, Dakota.” She teased, although she kind of meant it at the same time. The candidate was certainly more girlie than her, at the very least. Moving in front of the sink she peered at herself in the mirror over the sink. Turning her head one way and then the other she gave a satisfied nod. “Not bad, looks like it’s all still there, and here I was worried.”
-
Dakota laughed. "Hey, so are you!" he said with his usual perky smile, completely unfazed by the remark. "Nothing wrong with being a girl! Girls have better clothes, anyway."
Which he often wore. Because he found mens' clothing rather dull and boring. What did guys have? Oh, shirts. Pants. Shorts. How dull. But women had it all, everything men had plus skirts and dresses and all that fun stuff, and gender roles could go bugger off!
Turning to the sink, Dakota rinsed the sticky remainders of the mousse off his hands. "Aww, I wouldn't make you go bald! Promise! You have such nice hair, that'd be a shame. Now, you said it's 'not bad', but do you like it?"
-
Summer scoffed. “You’re more of a girl than I am, and I’m the one with the breasts.”
She opened her make-up box and pulled out a few items and began to do her make-up as Dakota rinsed off his hands. With a hum she didn’t answer right away, leaving him in suspense. She knew he wanted to hear her say that he had done good with her hair. He’d wanted to be a beautician before being recruited to the program
“It looks good, not that I’m really big on making myself up. Next time I have a hot date I'll be sure to cal you first so you can fix it.” Summer rarely put this much effort into her appearance. Except right now, because they were going out and she really did want to look good. Considering how crappy she felt, maybe looking good would make up for it a little.
-
"...She says as she paints her face," Dakota said with a little laugh, taking a seat on the toilet seat to wait and watch as Summer prettied herself--and as he waited an answer to his question.
Which she was taking her sweet time in providing.
Just when he was about to repeat it, just in case she'd forgotten, she answered, and Dakota smile brightened. "Good!" he said, then added slyly, "And weeeell, if you want to get technical, what with you getting all dressed up and us going out on the town it kinda is like a hot date!"
-
“You paint your nails…” She quipped right back. Really, if he was into that, then that was his business, she really didn’t care if he liked wearing skirts or dresses, as long as he wore his uniform when it was appropriate. Still she did poke at him with it all, but it wasn’t hostile, just teasing.
His comment about it being a hot date this afternoon about had her poke her eye out with her eyeliner pencil. Luckily she narrowly escaped a painful accident. Blinking a couple times as she examined her eyes to make sure her make-up looked good, she shrugged slightly and picked up a nice red lipstick and put it on.
“I don’t think of it as a hot date, but people can and will think whatever they want.” Policing a person’s every thought was too exhaustive a task even for their military. Done with the lipstick she put everything back into the box and turned to Dakota, smirking. “Well, how does the finished product look?”
-
"I do!" Dakota proudly agreed, wiggling his fingers at her to show her that they were indeed painted--alternating pastel blue and pink and perfectly clean and manicured. He had done them the night before, though he feared they wouldn't last long. It was an unfortunate side-effect of his job that he tended to demolish his nails as soon as he'd prettied them up.
"I could do yours, too! Oh. Careful with that pencil. Are you okay? Sorry if I'm distracting you!"
Soon she had finished, though, and when she turned to face him and asked his opinion, he curled his fingers into the "OK" sign and held up his hand. "You look fabulous! Absolutely ravishing! You'll fill many a person with many a dirty thought tonight, so I'd keep your shields sealed tight!"
With another teasing wink, he rose to his feet. "Well! Shall we get our hot date started, then?"
-
Summer just smirked as Dakota so proudly showed off his painted nails. She was not letting him paint hers, knowing him he’d take on close look at her hands and want to give her an entire manicure. That was just going to take up way too much time.
Instead she had finished her make-up and grinned as he described her as ravishing. Well she didn’t usually care if she was stunning or not, but when she wanted to dress up, well…she cleaned up rather good if she did say so herself.
She rolled her eyes at his statement, but smiled anyway.
“One hot date, yep. Let’s do this. Hair clips and lunch, right? You sure know how to show a girl a great time. I just can’t understand how you could have not had another date and needed to use a fill-in like me.” She chuckled slightly.
-
"A fill-in? You?" Dakota clicked his tongue and shook his head. "That just won't do. I just can't abide you putting yourself down like that! You better watch it, because every time you put yourself down, you get a makeover! Starting now! Next insult earns you a pedicure."
Only Summer would be so opposed to pampering, which amused the crap of him. "I know, I know. 'Oh no! Not a pedicure! Anything but that! Don't let him massage my feet!' Complete and utter torture, I am a cruel sadist like that. Watch your step!"
Stepping out of the bathroom, he offered her his arm. "Shall we do lunch or shopping first?"
-
“Is that so? Well, I had better start being nicer to myself. Can’t go ruining my carefully groomed image as a hard ass by letting you make me all soft. Not to mention the wasted time.” Amusement flickered in her green eyes.
Every insult earned her a make-over, eh? There was no way that Dakota could enforce such a declaration, but it amused her greatly. Maybe she’d have to take him up on that. Next day off, just call him and start berating herself about everything she could think of and have him come right on over and watch him treat her to a free spa experience.
She eyed the offered arm, then shrugged and linked her own arm around his. Why not? She already looked ridiculous. “Hmm, surprise me. I really don’t care. I just want to get shopping over with so I can come back here and crash.”
-
"Crash? Oh, we'll have to get coffee along the way, then! It's too lovely a day to waste it sleeping," Dakota said.
Not that most days weren't lovely in Haviah, considering the domes and perpetual lack of weather.
Arm linked with hers, Dakota lead the way out of Summer's apartment and, once again, into the elevator. He hit the button that would take them to the upper level; Dakota had come from the upper caste and so was quite familiar with it, and he had missed it terribly after spending so much time locked up in the ATC. It really was liberating being able to visit it again.
"Alright! So here's the plan. We'll grab some coffee, knock the shopping out of the way, and then settle down for a nice lunch after we've worked up our appetites with all that hardcore walking around and looking at things! As for the place, that'll be a surprise. I know some great spots."
-
Too lovely of a day? It was always pleasant in Haviah. Not to mention she had been awake since the previous morning, or did he not realize that? Summer rolled her eyes. Well, they would go out and when they got back, he really couldn’t tell her how to spend the rest of the day. Not that he could actually tell her what to do now.
She walked arm and arm with him, listening to the plan for the day as they rode the elevator. She grinned as he talked about it. Leave it to Dakota to make something boring (shopping) sound even mildly interesting. At least he was sure to keep her entertained.
“Oooooooh, a surprise huh? Sounds great. You know how I just love surprises.” Actually Summer hated surprises. Surprises were nothing but trouble most of the time. Then again, how bad of a surprise could lunch be? “Well at least you get to be the subject of all the envy of the masses as they watch you walk around with me on your arm and get all jealous.”
-
"Oh, yeah!" Dakota agreed. "Got my arm candy right here. Is that what they call it? Arm candy? No, that sounds wrong, and doesn't make sense..." He furrowed his brow, then shrugged it off. "Ah, well, you know what I mean! Maybe if we're lucky it'll cause a scandal and we'll get on the news
Soon they had reached their floor, and Dakota lead the way out and into the city. There was a large mall across the way, over the sky bridge, and that was where Dakota headed.
"Don't worry, the restaurant isn't in the food court. It's far classier than that," he told Summer as they walked through the automatic doors. "Ah, now, hair clips! There we are!"
Tugging Summer along, he brought her into a cute little accessory shop where everything was bright and colorful and sparkly. Also, almost everything had a face. There were decorations of smiling cupcakes and happy fruits, of kittens and puppies and even penguins. They even sold stationary of it. Smiling, Dakota waved to the clerk who was clearly familiar with him. "This is like my favorite place."
-
“Yeah, they call it arm candy, but I never got it either.” Summer shrugged, smirking at his comment about causing a scandal and getting in the news. “Pilots are in the news all the time, no big deal. Although what could we possibly do that would be scandalous at the mall? It’s impossible to get a real rise out of these people.”
She made a face at the very mention of the food court. “It had better be. Take a girl on a hot date and go the food court? Might as well put a big sign on your forehead that says cheap date.”
She blinked as she was dragged into the shop. Faces, faces everywhere. Summer assumed it was supposed to be adorable. She found it kind of creepy. When he declared it was one of his favorite places she could only give him a flat look. “Of course it is, suits you great.”
-
"Yeah, it does, huh?" Dakota happily agreed. He headed over to a display of hair clips and turned the display until he found a series of clips based on various rice ball and dumpling concoctions. They were adorable! And right next to them was a series of cupcakes and pastries! And were those little tofu puppies?
"Oh my gosh, look at these!" Dakota exclaimed, holding up the tofu puppies. "Aren't these adorable? But I really like the cupcakes, too, though I have a million cupcake themed things so I should really stop. But I like cupcakes, they're too cute. And what do you think of the earrings?" He held up a matching set, little tofu puppies dangling from them.
"Or maybe the little lemons...yellow is such a fun color. I don't know! Summer!"
He let out a sigh and held up his selections. "Which ones?"
-
Summer felt insanely out of her element here. The last time she had worn anything cutesy had been when she wasn’t old enough to dress herself. Once she’d been able to pull her own clothes on she had refused to wear the silly, frilly things her mother had always loved putting her into. She hated feeling like someone’s doll. Then again, she had always been an insanely independent child.
She poked around a bit, looking at a few of the different displays while Dakota gushed over whatever it was he found. Her green eyes were drawn over as he tried to show her the tofu puppy earrings. Did he just ask her for advice on what to buy here? There probably wasn’t a least qualified person on the planet to help him choose what to buy in this store.
“Uh…the puppies? I guess. If you’ve got a million cupcakes don’t get more. I wouldn’t get any of them, but that’s just me.” There really wasn’t anything in the store that truly interested her. This was just a bunch of cheap, sparkly junk. Of course she didn’t tell Dakota that, because she knew he would just argue that she was wrong.
-
"Oh, you're no fun," Dakota teased, slapping her lightly on the shoulder. But puppies it was! He put back the other items he'd chosen and headed up to the cashier to pay.
"The uniforms and stuff are just so boring, after years of wearing that old thing, I just need some color in my life, you know? I don't know how some people stand it."
After exchanging some pleasantries with the clerk and getting his wrist swiped, Dakota grabbed the bag full of hair-clips, returned to Summer, and linked his arm in hers once more. "Now, are you suuuure you don't want to hit up the salon?"
-
No fun? Ouch, well he was only teasing. At least, Summer thought he was just teasing. He better have just been teasing! Sure, she knew she had a reputation for being a bit uptight, anal, hard, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to have a good time. She just didn’t have time to have a good time.
She made a face at him and turned away as he purchased his strangle little tofu puppy items, all while he was complaining about the uniforms. “Mm, well some people look damn good in uniforms.” She pointed out.
When he linked arms with her again she shook her head. “No, let’s skip the salon. You’re going to be picked out by your very own dragon soon enough, and I have no idea what to get you for a graduation present, so since we’re here anyway you might as well show me some ideas so I’ll be prepared.”
-
The dragons! A rush of elation went through him at that thought and he beamed over at Summer. Yeah, it could be any day now, a fact that was surprisingly easy to forget. He'd been a candidate for so long that sometimes it felt like it would never end--and yet, he was literally one step away from becoming a Pilot and beginning a whole new chapter of his life.
All it took was one dragon saying, "You."
His smile turned sly. "Soooo," he said, nudging her. "Presents, huh? What's the budget?"
-
Summer couldn’t help but grin as he beamed over at her. She liked seeing that excitement in his face, she knew that she had held that same breathless anticipation as a Stage 5, just waiting for the dragon that would be her partner for the rest of her life would pick her. And then she ended up with Zenith. Oh the tragic irony.
“I remember that look. Just hope you don’t get one that a sadist, or one that’s just plain nuts, like mine.”
Ah yes, the budget. That was another thing to think about. Dakota wasn’t her first candidate, and as far as she knew, he wouldn’t be her last one. How much had she spent on the other’s graduation gifts? They hadn’t been cheap gifts, but they hadn’t been super extravagant either, not like the watch her own mentor had given her.
“Just don’t go crazy on me, kiddo. And whatever it is, it should be meaningful. Something for you to always remember me by, you know? Once that dragon picks you out, I don’t get to give you a hard time anymore.” Not true, but it would be on a much smaller scale and not on a daily basis anymore.
-
"Oh, they can't all be that bad," Dakota said, waving a hand. Sure, he'd heard some horror stories, even cases of candidates getting maimed, but while awful they seemed pretty rare. And while some dragons could be surly and nasty, there were a lot of nice ones, too! He wasn't worried, he was just excited! He wanted to fly, already! Or heck, he just wanted to talk to his dragon partner, because that just seemed awesome.
There must be a lot you could learn from a giant, ancient, powerful beast like that!
"I'm sure it'll be fine! And anyway, don't act like this is a sendoff or something! I'm gonna be living in the Citadel. You know where my apartment is, and don't think I won't be showering you with cupcakes and love."
As they headed back out into the mall, he suddenly tugged on Summer's arm and pointed. "Heeey. Jewellery store. That in the budget?"
-
“No, not all of them, just enough.” Summer knew there were decent dragons, and dragons that paid no attention to humans or even their rider, except when they needed that rider to guide them through the hostile terrain. Then you had downright vicious ones that enjoyed making their Pilot’s lives a living hell. Some lucky Pilots got a dragon like hers. Zenith was just fascinated with humans and their culture; he loved watching television, and took an active interest in everything Summer did. It was a nightmare.
Sighing she looked over at Dakota and arched a brow at his little declaration of showering her with cupcakes and love. “That so? Well I could think of worse things. Still, it won’t be the same not having you as my own personal whipping boy.”
He drew her attention to the jewelry store. Her own mentor had gotten her a very lovely watch for a graduation present. She hardly ever took it off, even though it was getting on in years now. “Jewelry, eh? Yeah, some of it is probably in the budget, for sure. I’m sure there are a few things in there that are a bit ridiculously priced.”
-
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll still be lower ranked than you," Dakota offered. "So technically I'm still your whipping boy. Oh my."
As for the jewellery store? Tugging on Summer's arm, Dakota made a beeline for it as soon as she agreed that some of it was probably within the budget. Guess they'd just have to find out, because he did like shiny things! "Let's go look!"
Once inside, Dakota immediately gravitated toward a display of various stones, though it wasn't the diamonds he was interested in. Diamonds were boring! He preferred the colorful ones, and was quick to point out a bracelet inlaid with peridot. "That one's really pretty," he said, and looked over at Summer. "What do you think?"
-
"It isn't the same." Which it wasn't, but everyone was lower ranked than her except the Imperial and her fellow Royals. Oh well, she'd have to whip another candidate into shape after Dakota graduated. What fun.
She allowed herself to be dragged along to the jewelry store. Summer didn't wear much jewelry, but she knew Dakota loved it. Her eyes travelled over the stones in the cases, wondering just how much she was willing to spend on Dakota's graduation present. Her green eyes moved to the bracelet that he pointed out, it was nice, she guessed.
"Hmm. It's nice. Are you sure you want a bracelet? I mean, I'm pretty much giving you the green light on whatever you want so long as I can afford it. Just remember that you don't actually get it until you graduate."
-
"I like it," Dakota mused, lips pressed together. But then he laughed and looked back at Summer. "But it's kind of odd, picking out my own present! It's not quite as fun as being surprised, because it's not so much about the object but the thought behind it."
He moved away from the counter and turned to face Summer, looking thoughtful. "So why don't you surprise me? You pretty much know what I like--I gush about it enough! And that's way more meaningful than me picking out something for myself. I want whatever you think I should have."
-
Summer had a bit of a sinking feeling when Dakota laughed after saying he liked the bracelet. She knew it was coming, damn kid, wanted a surprise, did he? It wasn't so much that she hated shopping for other people, it was more that she was really, really bad at it. Surprise parties and gifts were just not something she knew how to do.
"I picked out my own present, you know. You're really asking for it now, kid. I'm gonna end up getting you something you hate. You'll be all polite when you get it, of course, but you'll end up tossing it in a corner somewhere and never wearing it." She honestly doubted it would be that bad, but still, it was just easier for someone to straight up tell her what they wanted. That's what she'd come in here for.
-
Dakota waved a hand. "It'll be fine. Your fashion sense isn't that terrible. Look at what you're wearing now."
Hooking his arm in hers again, he started to guide her out of the store. "Besides, maybe I'm odd, but it just doesn't feel right. It just doesn't pack that same sentimental value. I'm gonna be a Pilot soon--well, maybe soon--and I'll have a salary and be able to buy whatever material things I need or want. So it's really not about the object to me, Summer."
-
Summer sighed, knowing that Dakota wasn't going to let her off so easy as to just pick out his own gift. Not now. Great, now she was going to have to put thought into it herself. "My fashion sense is perfectly acceptable, I just don't exercise it that much."
She hated it when people made valid arguments with her, well, no, that wasn't true. A good debate could only be had when the other side was making reasonable points. Still, she didn't like when Candidates made valid arguments, or any arguments, for that matter. At least Dakota was Stage 5 and not some Gracie.
"Alright, alright. I get it. Maybe I won't go for jewelry...it's kind of typical. Might have to think outside the box."
-
"There we go!" Dakota said with a happy smile. "Now you're getting into the spirit of things! Thinking outside the box is always good. And trust me, Summer, I'm easy. I think you were just over-complicating things. Well then, now that that's settled, how about that lunch?"
He didn't wait for her to answer before he was dragging her toward the mall exit. He winked at her. "I'm sure all this running around and looking at cutesy things was utterly draining for you. I hope you've got a good appetite today!"