Fly Away to a Cafe

[halfbread]

Who: Everyone who wants in!
What: The V-Day Café! (Yes, that's what we're going with, no, you can't make WWII jokes.)
Where: The Big House
When: Valentine's Day, mostly evening but various times
Warnings: I have no freakin' clue, it's probably going to depend on individual threads

At 6:00 sharp, the doors are officially open on the first ever Camp Half-Blood Valentine's Day Café. The two biggest rooms on the first floor of the Big House have been turned into dining rooms, one decorated in a much more traditionally "romantic" oeuvre for couples and the second into a relaxing place to hang out just among friends. Both rooms are serving the same menu, and both have a good number of tables set up to accomodate visitors. As people finish eating, the waiters and waitresses will roll around a dessert cart for people to make selections from. Enjolras will be incredibly reluctantly providing serenades in the romantic dining room with some assistance from Cosette, while Chiron's boombox has been borrowed and tuned to the local pop station for the casual dining room. Have fun, everyone!

Comments

[wordtechgodhood]

Cry havoc and release the dogs of war, Eponine Thénardier actually has a boyfriend that she's taking out in public!

Dave has no complaints, to be honest, at least not right now with this fine lady on his arm. Say what you will about Eponine but she scrubs up well. He's pulled out a smart black suit with a red tie to match her dress, his ever-present shades on his face as he returns that smirk.

Such a Hermes girl, Eponine.

"Don't think so, but we gotta make these small sacrifices." He flashes her a wry, blood-red glance over the tops of his shades. "You look good. Did I say that already?"

... He definitely did.

[ospreyed]

Small sacrifices. Eponine rolls her eyes bitterly, trying not to let out a small chuckle at that. This wasn't a small sacrafice on her part. It wasn't even a sacrafice. It was straight-up torture. Torture she hadn't even picked herself. Sure, the alcohol was out of her system, and the physical aspects of withdrawal were gone, but the mental part? She was still suffering. And would be for some time.

"Small sacrifices like actually taking your sunglasses off for once?" She managed to say instead. Sure, he wore his glasses to cover up his eyes, but she happened to like them. Plus, they matched their outfits.

Eponine dropped her head, looking at her hands over the top of the table cloth. She could feel the heat from her cheeks. "Ah, yeah. You did. A few times, actually." She felt strange, all dolled up like this. Last time had been the Apollo dance, and Courfeyrac had been the one to spend hours on her. He'd been rewarded with some kisses, and her biting back tears at how unlike herself she'd looked in the mirror. This time, it had been all Eponine.

[wordtechgodhood]

"Hey, hey." His hands went up in mock-defensiveness. "Leave the shades out of this, they didn't do anything."

He rested one elbow on the table, chin propped on his hand and looked over at her with an expression that was clearly meant to only encourage the blushing. There was something nice - strange, but definitely nice - about seeing her made up like this. It was definitely still Eponine.

"I could say it some more, but I think all your blood is already in your face."

[ospreyed]

"Well what if I told you that I like your eyes better than your glasses?" Gasp! She knew, right? "Or maybe I'll start a rumor that you're a cyclops." Harsh, Ep. He's your boyfriend and you like him. A lot. Cyclopses were... not great boyfriend material (just don't tell Tyson).

"I- wh-what?" Eponine stuttered the words out, desperately wanting to bury her face in her dress. "No- I am not blushing," she lied, trying to do her best to get her Hermes girl on. "And I'm... Maybe I'm in the mood to be flattered."

[wordtechgodhood]

"Rude. No one's gonna believe that." He crooks a grin her way but, after a moment, slides his shades off and tucks the arms in, sliding in them into the pocket of his jacket.

"Just so you know, I'm only doing this so I can see the blushing."

Because you're totally blushing, Eponine. He's never seen you go that colour and the Hermes girl act just isn't cutting it. "You sure about that, though? 'Cause I could spin out some wicked lines that'll make you weak at the knees."

[ospreyed]

"Yes, they will. If I tell 'em." She winks at him. She was a very talented liar, after all.

You are the worst boyfriend, Dave. But hey, at least his glasses are off, so she can actually see his eyes. They're terrifying, but she likes them. They make Dave... Dave.

Eponine rolls her eyes, trying to recover some of her pride. "Could you? Do it, then. Let's see what you've got to offer me, Strider."

[wordtechgodhood]

He just makes a soft 'tch' sound like he doesn't quite believe it but when it comes to Hermes kids and lying he knows better than to tempt fate.

"Later, babe. Later," he teases, reaching out to grasp one of her hands and tangle their fingers together. "It'll spoil everyone's night if all the girls here start swooning."

The moral of this story is that Dave never stops being a little shit. Ever.

[ospreyed]

Dave Strider, you are holding her hand, and it's really freaking precious. Her matte black polish is, for once, not chipped, and her small, rough hand fits so perfectly in his.

Meanwhile, Eponine is rolling her eyes. "Please, you know you only have eyes, and words, for me." Biggest little shit ever, guys. "But when we get back to the cabin, I'm holding you to that."

[wordtechgodhood]

"Hmm," he hums, mischief sparking in his eyes as he looks at her. He's sure she'd like to hold him to something else, too. Maybe he'd let her. He skims his thumb over the backs of her knuckles.

"Maybe I do, but envy is a powerful thing, y'no." There's nothing like nonchalant boasting, really. Especially when you don't exactly mean it. "And you're the only person here who can say Dave Strider is their boyfriend."

[ospreyed]

"Ha fucking ha," she smirks, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget, I'm the one here that has boys tripping over each other. So you managed to beat them all out. Congratulations to that." She raises her water glass to him and takes a sip. She wants real champagne.

"But neither have much room to complain. I get to see your eyes whenever I want." And yes, Dave, she'd love to hold you to other things. And hold other things.

[wordtechgodhood]

He raises his glass in return and doesn't care to point out that while she slept with several of those boys none of them managed to claim her as their girlfriend.. and he hasn't even slept with her yet.

Or maybe that's what she means. He's not going to ask.

"You got it. Just, you know, warn me if you're gonna swipe my shades in broad daylight or some shit." He pauses to sip his water. "I still wanna be able to see when I'm thirty."

[ospreyed]

Yes, that is exactly what she means. But it's better if you don't ask.

Besides, there's nothing wrong with sleeping with a few boys at camp. And getting handsy with more than a few more.

"I can do that." Woah, is she compromising? Yes, yes she is. "What's wrong with them, anyway? They're amazing."

[wordtechgodhood]

That would really be debatable, but it's not for Dave to debate and certainly not right now when she's sitting across from him talking and looking all pretty and so on.

"Wrong with them?" He actually looks a bit perplexed by the question, as if he's never had it phrased that way before. "Nothing's.. wrong with them.. I guess. It's the freaky colour. I'm photosensitive."

[ospreyed]

It's simply the life she was born into, in addition to being a very loud cry for help and attention.

"So you were just born with them? They're beautiful. Stunning, even." She finds herself squeezing his hand. "Don't let it go to your head or anything, but you're pretty damn handsome, Strider."

[wordtechgodhood]

"... Heh."

Dave smiles awkwardly, face tinging pink as he looks away from her and rubs a hand around the back of his neck. Teasing was one thing but genuine compliments were something else entirely.

"Uh.. thanks."

[ospreyed]

"Now who's blushing?" She says, nudging his calf with her foot under the table. It's nice to know she genuinely has that power over him, though.

"But you're welcome. I don't just let any random looking guy call me his girlfriend. You gotta be hot."

[wordtechgodhood]

"Not me. Definitely not me." Definitely not him wow you must be seeing things, Ep. He rubs the back of his neck and it's not for a distraction, he just.. has an itch, that's all.

"Nice to know I live up to your aesthetic ideals. That's my year made right there."

[ospreyed]

"I'm starting to think you're a worse liar than I am," she says, grinning at him across the table. Such blushing, Dave. "Maybe I'll let it go, just this once."

She took a sip of her water.

"Then again... You didn't exactly let me get away with it..."

[wordtechgodhood]

"Whaaaat? I totally let you get away with it." He hadn't pointed it out to anyone on any of the other tables, after all, and he totally could have done that.

"You can't be mean to me, I took my shades off for you."

[ospreyed]

"I'm not mean to you," she says fondly. "You're probably the only person here I haven't been mean to."

[wordtechgodhood]

"It's an honour," he tells her, an amused smile quirking at a corner of his mouth and making his eyes glint. "But it's just one more reason for people to be jealous."

[ospreyed]

"Oh, I don't know about that. you haven't really lived until I've made you regret being born."

[wordtechgodhood]

"I think I'm living plenty," Dave retorts, moving his hand to tangle his fingers with hers, stroking his thumb over the soft part of her hand. "I'm dating the most exciting girl in this place."

[ospreyed]

She blushes again, keeping her eyes trained on their hands, as if that would somehow make it all better.

"I can't say you're wrong on that one. Everyone else here is boring compared to me. I'm shrouded in mystery."

[wordtechgodhood]

Yes, good, when she's blushing he knows that what he's doing is working.

"I wouldn't go that far," he retorted with a smirk. "But you keep me on my toes."