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

[investigatorjane]

Jane's Dad eventually let her off work early on in the night, wishing her a lovely evening as he closed up shop, relieving her duties. The young woman couldn't help but tread home excitedly, unable to hide the wide smile on her face- not that she actually wished to do so. The day had been quite eventful, with the bakery booming and making a new friend, or at least, the potential of a new friend. In her hand, she carried the slip of paper Dirk had given her, excited to read it over and contact the man.

She reached her apartment in record time, unlocking the door and stepping over the threshold. After taking off her jacket, she turned to the lightened interior, excited to tell Jake the news.

"Hey Jake, I'm home! You won't believe what happened today!"

Comments

[investigatorjane]

Jane decided not to pressure Dirk for more information on his little brother. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, though she had to stomp down the urge to put on her sleuthing outfit and figure things out on her own. Instead, she listened in on Jake retelling the story of how they had met.

"I took a quick liking to him," she added onto the story with a fond smile. "We've been inseparable ever since, even getting an apartment together."

Jane cleared her throat softly, trying to figure out what to ask him next, however, it seemed he didn't want to speak much about his own life. Still, she didn't feel overly comfortable talking about herself, and only herself.

"Are you seeing anyone?" she asked, hoping the question would be avoided once more.

Dirk: be really bad at this socializing thing

[coltblooded]

He was a little jealous, maybe. Not that he had an interest in either Jane or Jake, but their closeness was something he'd never really had. (Except maybe with Dave, but that was different.)

He should have seen the follow up question coming, but it still caught him off guard. He couldn't help the way he blushed, and was annoyed to find he immediately thought of Eridan. (Which didn't make sense. It wasn't like he liked him or anything.) He dug his nails into his palms and forced himself not to fidget.

"No." He answered honestly, his neutral expression verging on a frown. That didn't seem like answer enough, so he added, somewhat awkwardly, "I don't get out much."

He found himself almost wanting to share the details with Jane, but he was unaccustomed to divulging personal information, so he kept it to himself.

Jake: Be Encouraging

[olli_lolli]

Jake listened amd watched as Jane asked about Dirk's love-life and the blind's response to it. He found himself reaching across the table without much thought and clapping the other on the shoulder, giving him a big grin.

"Don't worry, old chap! You'll find yourself a lover! I just know it. You're the type people go for, brooding and mysterious. Not to mention, you're quite the looker, so you could easily have any guy or gal you sought after!" Through Jake's hopeful encouragement, a warmth passed through him and into Dirk, almost like a transfer of his own hopeful energy to get the other's obviously downtrodden spirits back up.

[investigatorjane]

Jane tilted her head slightly, wondering if Dirk was really telling the truth. He had seemed more than a little hesitant, though she didn't want to pressure him into talking to her, especially since it was only their second meeting. Not to mention the fact that it seemed Dirk was a little weary around Jake.

As soon as the thought of Jake crept into her mind, he clapped Dirk on the shoulder. Jane hoped Dirk wouldn't take the quick touch in a bad light. She felt like nudging her boyfriend, but didn't want to cause a scene, no matter how small it might have been. Plus, she did appreciate Jake helping Dirk out. He'd always been good about such things.

"And if you ever want to talk romance, I know a thing or two," said Jane, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. Of course, she really didn't believe it. Jane Crocker was many things, but a romantic guru was not one of them.

[coltblooded]

Dirk jerked away from Jake's touch, nearly falling out of his chair in his haste to get away. He felt the rush of energy, but before he had time to really think about it, it was clouding his mind, making him feel... happier? He stood awkwardly next to his chair, not remembering when he stood, but feeling oddly okay with that. Blinking slowly, he sat down again.

He offered them both a small smile. For some reason, he felt a lot better about Eridan all of a sudden.

"You're probably right, Jake." He agreed. "I don't know what I was so worried about."

[olli_lolli]

Jake watched the other jerk away from him with a bit of startlement. What had just happened? He felt a warmth leave him and a sudden onslaught of worry that the lunch date wasn't going all that well for him. He found himself worrying that Dirk didn't much like him or think highly of him. Where were all those thoughts coming from? He hadn't had them before now...

Then, the blond spoke, and Jake had to force himself to pay attention to the words and stop worrying about his own feelings.

"Oh! Yes, of course. I'm not sure what you were worried about either. You'll be fine," he said, albeit a little less convincing than before and refrained from touching the other male again.

"So, do you have any other questions for us, Dirk? Anything you would like to know about us?"