[PRP] "Business" Date (AandesxSinter)

[Sypon]

Sinter Heilig. Different strokes for different folks. “I’m more of a society at large kind of guy, but I see your point. Good on you.”

Damn. He really knew what he was doing. It wasn’t what Aandes would want him to do. And that was totally perplexing. He occupied himself with his food and drink, nibbling at his second tart. Sinter Heilig didn’t particularly want fame, but he was confident in working from the inside – or so it seemed. Aandes had to give him credit; he was fascinating for a lowblood. No – scratch “for a lowblood”. He was fascinating.

“Oh! Here, you can write your number on that card and I’ll hand you another one. It’s no trouble at all for you,” Aandes smiled. He slid him another card – they were subtly different. The previous was lightly dusted with cocoa and mint accents, where this one was silver and cream. Different strokes for different folks.

He finished off his drink in the meantime.  

[seekingCylem]

“Society at large,” Sinter mulled over the title. On first blush, he would have assumed someone with such interests would be more brash and outgoing. Aandes had proved himself perfectly outgoing at their meeting, but he wasn’t as… glitzy as Sinter would have expected from a socialite. Sinter realized Aandes was much more suited to his position than the stereotype. He was the kind of person that made a troll feel comfortable—in control of the conversation. He was a professional at being liked. From what Sinter could tell, Aandes was very good at his job.

Aandes had saved him from embarrassment by providing an extra business card, after all. Sinter took the new card and admired its different design. It was a very classy touch. Deciding he liked the cream one best, Sinter pocketed it and retrieved the mint one from his vest, along with a pen. He wasn’t completely unprepared. He’d been keeping track of Tamiya’s inventory after all. (Save for those weird plushies. Kabukidad seemed adamant about taking care of that all by himself. Sinter wouldn’t argue.)

Sinter wrote his full name, phone number, and signed it with his symbol. He put the pen away and passed the card back to Aandes’ side of the table.

”Thank you for showing me this place. I can feel the contents of my thinkpan re-solidifying after all the Bloofestivities.”  

[Sypon]

“Aha! I’m happy to. It’s been such a pleasure, this whole thing, but overwhelming. This was a wonderful change of pace,” Aandes remarked slyly. He tapped his empty plate with a finger and sat back in his chair. Sinter still had to finish his cake, after all! Aandes spent the remainder of his date’s meal making casual small talk and filling up on more iced coffee. Where does he work? He is currently mobile, but has some bids for a small space in Four Fronds – land is expensive, but closeness to amenities is simply a must for his line of work. A casual transition into food, and Aandes described his favorite flavor profiles. Creamy, thick dark chocolate with salted caramel was his recent obsession, but only in frozen treats. Ginger was currently the winner for baked goods, along with orange and praline. Aandes wasn’t sure how long the two were conversing, but when both plates and glasses were empty he hardly realized how much time had passed. The two continued, with Aandes ending up trilling and let out an embarrassing beep after realizing how long he ranted about his disdain for celery, which transitioned into a brief rail against his lusus and a flush consumed his cheeks. He never brought up Pops with company. At least, not the Pops he knew.

Thankfully, Aandes was saved by the bill. “Aha!” He swiped it from the table and shot a smirk at Sinter. “My treat.”  

[seekingCylem]

Sinter was having a lovely time. Chatting with Aandes only seemed to enhance the taste of his carrot cake. Coupled with the coffee the whole affair felt so classic, and yet, effortless. Aandes was easy to talk to. It was something Sinter rarely experienced, even with Tamiya there were certain… elements that couldn’t be ignored. Sinter wasn’t sure if his elation was from the comfortable conversation or the sheer amount of coffee he’d accidentally consumed. The latter was likely related to the former. Sinter had lost track of how long this date had gone on. He’d learned his fair share about Aandes. Sinter was certain he had to visit Four Fronds now. It sounded like a wonderful place, and Aandes could certainly get him in touch with the best of the best as far as food and entertainment went. Sinter talked lightly about the stark contrast that was Chittentown, but praised the cozy holes-in-the-wall establishments that would pop up, seemingly from nowhere. He told a couple funny anecdotes about taking Tamiya into town on busy shopping days. He admitted to having tried his hand at writing slam poetry before realizing he couldn’t rhyme worth a damn.

Aandes’ lusus sounds were frankly adorable coming from such a stylish, put-together individual. Sinter waved it off for Aandes’ sake, but made a mental note of the noise. There wasn’t a whole lot he could have picked up from his own lusus. Perhaps his permanent blush could have counted for bioluminescence.

Before Sinter could say as much, the check came. Just as he reached for it, the paper slipped out from under his fingers. ”What- H-Hey!” Sinter glared at Aandes with more self-consciousness than genuine irritation. Still, he wasn’t about to argue in a public place like this, especially after such a nice time. ”At least let me leave the tip,” he grumped.  

[Sypon]

"Mmm... I suppose, if you insist," Aandes decided. Patronizing a redblood was not in his intention. He certainly didn't want to imply his generosity was based off of pity for Sinter's caste. Aandes extracted the appropriate amount of beetles from his currency container and carefully placed them on the bill. Paying with beetles was totally strange, thought Aandes to himself. If only there was an elegant substitute that represented the value rather than scuttling little chunks of change. The thought stuck in his mind briefly before the waitress came by t swoop up his dues.

"What's next for you, Sinter?" Aandes asked. He folded his hands over a crossed knee.  

[seekingCylem]

Sinter nodded curtly, but with a satisfied smile. He pulled out his own wallet and counted out a few beetles, setting aside for the server’s return. Compromising over the bill or even the free cake were hardly the only things causing Sinter to smile that night. If anything, he was restraining himself from grinning even wider and goofier. This had been fun. Aandes had been fun.

”Mm,” Sinter mulled over his upcoming set of tasks. ”I’ve got to help Tamiya clean up the booth. Ugh… I hope she wrangles someone else to deal with the tank while I log the inventory.” He gave Aandes a helpless look and uneasy chuckle. ”After that, well, I’ll be spending the day at Tamiya’s hive and then it will be back to Chittentown most likely. I don’t know if my lusus realized how long I’d be gone…”

Sinter tapped his chin in thought and looked over at Aandes. ”And you?”  

[Sypon]

He grinned back at Sinter and shrugged.

"Gotta help my kismesis pack up our booth as well," he sighed. "Less soda, more slushie spills... And more gross shoes to spray," Aandes fake gagged for comic effect. "We're gonna stay for the fireworks after the awards ceremony, head back to the hotel block, and... Who knows! I'm not sure if she's got her fill of Civisect yet. Then again, the less time I spend around the boxes of skating supplied the better. Maybe we'll head back to Four Fronds."

The waitress returned for the tip. Oh. It was time to go. Aandes felt a sense of relief. His nerves were shot. He was more exhausted than he'd been all Bloodfest. But still, he wouldn't have minded another go. It was bizarre and unnerving for the greenblood, but he supposed he should feel melancholy leaving a business date without securing better information or getting some kind of foothold.  

[seekingCylem]

”Ah, of course. I suppose Bloodfest is just a dirty affair all around, isn’t it? Fun as it is, I don’t think my nerves could handle it more than once or twice a sweep.” Sinter smiled good-naturedly and stood from the table. It felt strange after having been sitting for as long as he had. How long had it been? Sinter was afraid to check his watch. Hopefully he hadn’t kept Tamiya waiting too long… Or that if he had, she’d managed to recruit someone else to help with disassembling the booth. Put that highbloodedness to good use.

Sinter pushed his chair back underneath the table and straightened his breeches. Satisfied with the drape of his clothing, Sinter extended a hand out towards Aandes. ”It’s been a pleasure, Aandes.” Sinter was embarrassed by the sincerity he felt saying those words. It was a simple coffee date, but he hadn’t realized how desperately he’d wanted such an interaction. Sinter felt classy. He felt good.

”Please don’t be a stranger if you happen to find yourself in Chittentown. I’ll be sure to ask for your opinion on tourist activities for my first trip to Four Fronds.”

Sinter felt positively nervous at the thought of showing the tasteful Aandes around his modest local Chittentown cafes, or ending up surrounded by the glitz of Four Fronds highblood culture. Still, he couldn’t deny there was an undercurrent of excitement in the idea. It could be… fun!  

[Sypon]

Aandes stood. Sinter was holding out a hand to shake. s**t. Ahh…? Hm. Aandes flipped through all of the interactions that could take place with a hand and shoved a lump in his throat down into his stomach before taking Sinter’s hand in both of his and giving him a genuine shake. “Y-you too!” He exclaimed.

“I mean to say… That I’ve had a delightful time as well. I really enjoyed spending time with you, I… Hope we’ll be in touch. I promise you, I’ll be in touch.”

He remembered to release Sinter’s grasp and stood up at his full height, looking up at the posh redblood. They were both incredibly put together. Sinter had an air tailored perfectly to his intentions, but he was consistent. He delivered a persona that wouldn’t make waves, but would slide under the radar and pull strings from the background. A perfectly crafted redblood; better than the rest. Sinter was going places. Aandes felt a pang of envy level out his flustered stupor and returned Sinter’s level expression with a firm nod.

“Have a wonderful night, Sinter.”  

[seekingCylem]

Sinter was a touched surprised at Aandes candid reaction to their handshake. He’d been magnificently composed and clearly in his element their entire meeting. This was new, and certainly not bad. Sinter nodded eagerly at the promise to meet again. His belled outfit jingled along.

Sinter was certain he and Aandes looked like quite the strange pair. They were both clearly from different circles. Sinter was formal, but lowblooded—subservient without contempt. Aandes had the look of someone modern and ambitious, but not abrasive or demanding. They were both the perfect pictures of their castes, Sinter supposed. They took pride in their work. There was something admirable, even hopeful about two trolls such as themselves excelling within the limitations of their blood. Perhaps the classic Alternian dream had more to it than the rebel literature claimed.

Aandes was a good troll in more ways than one. Sinter’s lips quirked around his uneven teeth.

”You too, Aandes.”