logah | Lunch Date, Don't Be Late || Closed to Dirk and Jake

Jake finished his summer class for the day, sighing in relief when it was over. The lecture had been particularly boring and the lab not much better. The man walked out of the college and grabbed his bike, undoing the bike lock and mounting it. Jane wouldn't get out of class for another half hour at least, and he contemplated just heading back to the apartment to wait for her and her car. However, his stomach growled at him, so he decided to just bike to the cafe. He pulled out the map he always kept in his bag and figured his route, taking main roads to get there faster.

Within half an hour and some rigorous pedalling, Jake reached the cafe, panting with a light sheen of sweat covering his body. Thankfully, he was wearing a pair of light cargo shorts and a t-shirt, so he didn't overheat in the scalding weather outside. Locking his bike to a nearby bike rack, the dark-skinned man made his way inside.

"What a quaint little space!" he exclaimed to himself once inside, looking around and admiring the shop. His stomach growled again, reminding him he was hungry. Would Dirk and Jane mind if he grabbed a quick bite before lunch to tide him over? He did eat like a whale normally, so it shouldn't spoil his appetite.

Making up his mind to grab a small snack, he walked to the counter, perusing the menu and finally deciding on a blueberry muffin after confirming there were no peanuts anywhere near the making process of it. It was inconvenient, but having a deathly peanut allergy made things hard. Once receiving his snack, the man found himself a table near the door so he could wave down Jane when she arrived. He hoped she wouldn't be long. He didn't know what Dirk looked like. So with a slight worry that Dirk would show up first, Jake settled himself down and began munching on the muffin, waiting on his girlfriend and possible new friend to arrive.

Dirk started to regret agreeing to lunch at the Corner Cafe almost as soon as he'd agreed to it. While he didn't think Kanaya would kill him on sight, and he no longer had the desire to do so to her, they still weren't exactly on good terms. He'd been avoiding the café for that reason, but he just couldn't bring himself to say no when she'd asked. With a sigh, he parked his car a few blocks away, on the off chance that Kanaya would recognize it. (What did he expect her to do? Break the windows? Not likely, but leaving it parked outside the cafe didn't sit right with him.)

He entered slowly, pushing his shades further up his nose. He did a quick scan of the place, but didn't spot Kanaya. Unfortunately, he didn't see Jane, either, and he didn't know what her boyfriend looked like. He hadn't even gotten the guy's name.

Dirk lingered next to a table near the door, where a dark skinned man was sitting, and pulled out his phone. He'd message Jane and find out more about this boyfriend of hers.

Jake sat by himself for a good ten minutes before he noticed the door open. A tall, blond man entered with strange looking eyewear. They were so pointy, how did they not catch on anything? The man studied the other for a while, noticing his slight jumpiness and a little bit of a lost look. When he pulled out his phone after scanning the cafe, it finally clicked that this may be the guy Jane spoke with. So Jake, being the gentleman he was, stood to approach the blond stranger.

"Ahem. Um. Pardon me, chap, but are you by any chance here for the lunch date with myself and Jane?" he asked, voice a nice volume that attracted a couple customer eyes without him realizing it.

Dirk, of course, noticed the attention they were drawing, but he ignored it. (Or pretended too, anyway.) He shoved his phone back into the pocket of his hoodie and nodded to Jake. (Who the hell talked like that?)

"Yea, I'm Dirk." He answered simply. After a moment of silence, he added, "You must be the boyfriend who wants to kick my ass."

(That's it, Dirk, perfect first conversation with someone.)

At first, when the man addressed him, Jake thought everything would go well. Then, he mentioned something about Jake's desire to kick his ass, leaving the dark skinned man blinking rapidly in surprise at his frankness. That didn't last long before the man burst into laughter, slapping his knee and clapping Dirk on the shoulder.

"Well, Dirk, I wouldn't say I want to kick your ass, but I sure as fire wouldn't mind a bout of fisticuffs. But that is neither here nor there. Come and sit, fellow! We just need to await Janey's arrival and then we can begin this shindig," he stated, leading the blond to the table his small plate sat upon, resuming his seat and growing quiet. Were they supposed to talk more without Jane there or wait for her? Would she be much longer? Now that he was alone with Dirk, Jake found that he didn't quite know what to do.

Jane let out a small huff as she got back into her car. It completely figured Jake would head out to the cafe without letting her know. She had grown used to him doing things without actually telling her, but they were supposed to go together. Jane only hoped he wasn't being too much of a nuisance toward Dirk, at least, if they had figured who the other was.

She drove quickly, though carefully, refusing to break any laws in her haste to arrive at the cafe before Jake caused too much damage. Not to mention the fact that he was going to receive quite the ear-full from her.

Once she arrived, she walked inside quickly, her stomach rumbling as she hadn't gotten to eat breakfast, which was nearly a sin in her world. Honestly, what would her father say?

Her blue eyes quickly caught sight of Jake and Dirk sitting together at a table, both looking more than a little uncomfortable. With a roll of her eyes, she walked up to them.

"Hello, Dirk! Jake. I see you two found one another," she said, offering up a smile, though it fell quickly when she turned her attention to her boyfriend. "I really don't want to chew your ear off in front of Dirk here, so just know that you and I are going to have a little chat when we get home."

Fisticuffs. Shindig. Was Jake even a real person?

Dirk sat across from Jake, sitting up straight and tense. The other man seemed nice enough, but Dirk didn't get the same feeling of comfort and ease that he did from Jane. He cleared his throat, but didn't say anything. Small talk was not his best skill.

Fortunately, Jane arrived quickly and saved them. He managed a small smile for her.

"Hey, Jane." He greeted, once again not sure what else to say. He fell silent as she turned to scold Jake, wondering what he'd done to deserve that.

The two men sat in silence for several minutes while awaiting Jane's arrival. Jake wanted to start talking to him, but for once wasn't sure what to do. He usually was able to decide and follow through with said decision, but when it came to socializing, he quickly figured out that he needed Jane's help. It was a wonder he even spoke with her when they first met and charmed her enough to agree to becoming his girlfriend. The black-haired man was socially stupid.

However, he was saved from the awkward silence and possible socialization by Jane's entrance. Although, when she spoke, he quickly remembered the thing he'd forgotten to do before coming to the cafe: let Jane know he was going ahead of her. He bowed his head as his cheeks flushed slightly at the chastisement and threat of a talk afterward. He did greet her, even if not as vibrantly as usual.

"Hello there, Janey. I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was coming first... But Dirk and I found each other with little problem." He tried placating her slightly by letting her know he and Dirk at least hadn't fought. When her look didn't change, he changed the topic. "Shall we get lunch? I'm famished."

Jane pursed her lips, though relaxed at the mention of food. Her stomach growled once more, letting her know she really needed to eat something. "Yes, food sounds splendid!" She turned to Dirk, a smile brightening her features. "Are you hungry?"

She decided to let go of what Jake had done for the time being, not wanting to make things more awkward in front of her new friend.

Edited 2016-06-16 04:29 (UTC)

Dirk was starting to feel like he was intruding on their moment. Was it more awkward to sit and listen, or get up and leave? They changed the subject before he had to make a decision, and he started to relax again. Like before, he felt comfortable around Jane.

He nodded, admitting, "I worked through the morning and forgot to eat breakfast."

After receiving confirmation from both parties that they were hungry, Jake smiled widely.

"Tally-ho then! I shall go grab menus, and we can decide on what we want." He stood and made his way to the counter, returning with menus and placing them in front of the other two. Unsure of what to do next in terms of socialization, however, he turned to Jane, looking for her lead in conversation while they all decided on food to get.

Jane took a seat as Jake walked off to grab menus. She offered Dirk another smile, not wanting to begin conversations until the other had returned.

When he had, Jane's eyes scanned over the menu before moving back up to the men that sat in front of her. "So, while I understand that you two have realized who the other is, I feel like it'd be rude of me to not introduce you, so!" she began, gesturing to Dirk. "Jake, this is Dirk, the man I told you about last night; and Dirk, this is Jake, my boyfriend."

It was a good thing Jane thought to introduce them, or Dirk may have never learned Jake's name. He wiped his hands on his jeans, then held one out for Jake to shake, despite already having greeted him.

"Nice to meet you, Jake." Unlike with Jane, Dirk was still unsure of Jake, but he managed a tiny smile as they shook hands. He couldn't stop thinking about how pleased Feferi would be that he was making not one, but two friends. He felt a little like a child, but pushed that to the back of his mind.

"You'll be happy to know he hasn't kicked my ass yet." He told Jane, intending for it to be a joke, but realizing belatedly it may not sound like one.

When Jane introduced them, once more, Jake realized he'd forgotten to let someone know a vital piece of information and actually smacked his head briefly. He then took the proffered hand and shook it strongly and vigorously.

"Oh codswollop! I'm terribly sorry. I seem to have forgotten to let you know my name even though you said yours earlier. As you can see, I'm not the greatest with socializing. Janey, here has actually told me I can be socially stupid," he laughed, pulling his hand back and listening as Dirk continued. Jake then turned to Jane to clarify the ass-kicking statement.

"While I have not kicked his ass, I have asked for a bout of fisticuffs seeing as I still don't appreciate the prank last night and him speaking with you in such an ill manner." Toward the end, his eyes slid over to Dirk as if accusing the blond of doing wrong to the lovely woman next to him.

Jane smiled at how nicely the two were getting along and even letting off a light laugh, however she did have to restrain herself from hitting her own forehead with the palm of her hand. She knew she should've known Jake would ask for a bout of fisticuffs right off the bat, as he'd tried to do the same thing to her when they first met. It had taken her completely off-guard.

"Well, I am pleased to hear that! And Jake, please don't worry about the prank; it wasn't that, nor was it actually Dirk speaking to me. Remember what I said? I can handle my own," Jane said. She then looked at Dirk and rested her index finger on her chin, such as she usually did when thinking about something. "I do think Dirk would be able to handle his own, though. He seems tough enough."

Edited 2016-06-17 03:07 (UTC)

Dirk groaned softly and rubbed his hand down the lower half of his face. Shit. Was Jake really upset about that "prank"? Just the mention of a fight had his hands clenching into fists at his sides, his instincts screaming at him to find a weapon before Jake attacked him.

Frowning, he explained, "I told Jane already, that wasn't me. Long story short, my auto-responder program is an asshole."

His expression lightened slightly as he turned to Jane. Instead of answering, he ventured to change the subject, "Jane Crocker. Any relation to Crocker University?"

Auto-responder program? What the dickens was that? And why in the blazes would he have one? Jake wore a face of confusion for a moment before shaking it off and chalking it up to something above his level of understanding. He turned to Jane.

"Yes, Janey, I know you can handle your own. I'm sorry I got a little heated about the whole shenanigan. However," he began, turning to Dirk this time. "Despite me letting go of the misunderstanding, I do still find myself craving a good bout of fisticuffs from you, good sir. I love me a good brawl and fancy myself something of a brumby. So what do you say, Dirk? Shall we engage in a good natured battle of brawn at some point?" He grinned widely at the blond man, hardly noticing the already tense look pointed in his direction. Jake's green eyes shone in excitement and mischief as he considered the type of fight he and Dirk would have. Jane sure was right, he certainly looked to be able to put up a good brawl!

At the mention of Crocker University, Jane sighed softly, knowing it was bound to come up sooner or later. Her relations with the University was asked about a lot but, while it grew tiring to always have people asking, Jane decided to answer anyway.

"Well, my father said a relation to him runs the University, but all of it is a bit fuzzy to me. I'm not really aware of much, as I firmly believe he's hiding something. Even though I have a strong suspicion he is, I haven't yet sleuthed anything out." Jane shook her head and clamped her mouth shut, unsure why she was giving Dirk such personal information. She'd never gone in great detail about her feelings toward her father and the university with anyone other than Jake. "I apologize for laying all of that on you at once."

Luckily, Jake began talking about fisticuffs once again, letting Jane heave out a sigh of relief. She rested her chin on her hand, awaiting Dirk's response and hoping everything about the university would be dropped.

Jane had a strange look on her face, and even though he wasn't the best with people, Dirk could tell this was an uncomfortable subject for her. He nodded along with her answer, and decided not to ask any more about it.

"It's no problem." He assured her.

This Jake guy really didn't know when to quit, did he? (Dirk still wasn't convinced he was a real person. Who even talked like that?) He had no interest in actually fighting Jake, for fun or otherwise.

"I think I can come up with a better opponent for you." He told the man, and left it at that. He already had some plans made up for a robot, and with a few tweaks... "Give me a few weeks, and I'll see what I can do."

He didn't normally offer his inventions up to people who were practically strangers, but for some reason, he already felt like he could trust these two.

Jake perked up at the mention of a better opponent. There would be a better opponent for him that Dirk knew? The man grew excited at the prospect, but he quickly realized Dirk never said who the combatant would be. Which meant it would be a surprise for Jake.

He HATED surprises. One surprise birthday celebration turned bad due to his fight or flight response usually resulting in fight had ruined surprises for him entirely. So the man turned to his new friend.

"Who is it, Dirk? I'm quite curious to know now." Before the other could answer the question, just as a side question, Jake addressed both Jane and Dirk. "Also, have you two decided on what to order? I can go get those put in for us." To punctuate his comment, the man's stomach let out a loud growl in hunger.

Jane very nearly palmed her face at how excited Jake got, though she could also hear the slight annoyance on his voice as he shot off his questions. It was no secret to her that he absolutely hated surprises. Even mention the word around him and he tended to grow huffy, which wasn't a surprise considering the surprise he had gotten at one of his parties. The memories were still quite fuzzy to her.

"Jake, please, simply graciously accept the fact that he's finding you someone and move on," Jane said quickly, shooting a quick apologetic look Dirk's way. The mention of food made her sit up a little straighter in her seat. "I'd say I'm ready!"

"It's not a person." Dirk told him, missing the fact that Jake did not want to be surprised. He wasn't quite ready to share the specifics with Jake or Jane, as he was still in the planning stages. "I'll let you know more when I figure it out."

He hadn't actually looked at the menu, but had eaten here enough in the past to know what to order. He told Jake what he wanted, then held out a handful of cash to the man. He didn't expect them to pay for him, and he wasn't keen on accepting it even if that was the plan.

Hearing Jane's chastisement made Jake shrink just a little in embarrassment, the man giving a crooked smile to them both.

"Sorry, Dirk. I just get curious because I'm not the most keen on surprises. Fight or flight responses prove damaging more times than not, I'll say. I do appreciate the concept of something to fight, though. Thank you!" he commented, allowing himself to explain a little bit of his personality. Really, Jake English was an open book. He didn't keep secrets about himself, but it took the right situation to show or say things.

Hearing both his companions mention what they want, he committed the order to memory. Then, Dirk handed him a handful of money which Jake just stared at before it clicked.

"Oh! There's no need, Dirk! I have plenty of money to treat us all. Please allow me to, especially since I pestered you about fisticuffs and since you're finding me something to battle on the regular! I insist! It's the least I can do." The man raised a hand in a gesture meant to show that the blond could keep his money and stood, grabbing the menus and making for the counter to place the order and pay.

As soon as Jake was out of ear-shot, Jane turned to Dirk. "I apologize if he's a bit much. Jake really does mean well, he simply comes across as a little thick at times." she said, with a smile. "So, tell me a little about yourself! Are you a student?"

"You can fight what I have in mind all you want." Dirk assured him, not actually looking at Jake as he started to space out, calculations and designs running through his mind.

He frowned when Jake refused his money, but the man was gone before he could put up a fight. Instead, he handed the money to Jane. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He wasn't comfortable taking money from near strangers, even if Jake had insisted.

He didn't fidget under Jane's attention, but that didn't mean he didn't want to. He didn't like being the center of attention in social situations, as it wasn't something he excelled at.

He shook his head, trying not to sound too short when he answered, "No. I'm working."

Deciding that sounded like he was shutting her out, he added, "Earning money to send my brother to school."

(no subject)

olli_lolli - 2016-06-24 04:12 (UTC) - Expand

Lunch Date, Don't Be Late || Closed to Dirk and Jake

The Cafe

Dirk: hope no one sees you

Jake: Notice the Stranger

Dirk: socialize

Jake: Be Surprised

no subject

Dirk: socialize better this time

Jake: Be Reprimanded

no subject

no subject

Jake: Be the Man and Get Menus

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Jake: Be Curious

no subject

no subject

Jake: Be the Man and Get Food

no subject

no subject

(no subject)