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 Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:23 pm
"No. Not dances. Dances are dances. I mean taking her out. Showing her a good time. Date dates." Oh Malodore couldn't be serious. Calder pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back up. "You are telling me that in all this time you two have been together, you two haven't had a proper date? You never once went to the movies or had a romantic dinner with just the two of you or even took her out for a good time someplace? I'm not talking about hanging out. Studying. Doing experiments. I mean an actual date with the express purpose of nothing more than being romantic and devoting your attention to just your relationship and getting to know each other better. You've done that at least, right?" Calder looked over at the other, hoping he just heard it wrong.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:14 am
Malodore shook its head with complete bemusement. Since Calder had specifically ruled out studying and experiments... "Ah... no, I don't think so... just the dances, truly. I should do that? Take her somewhere to be romantic?"
It sounded thoroughly confused.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:14 pm
Calder left to his feet, gripping his hair. "Oh. My. Jack, Malodore! YES! You don't live the romantic life of a teenager without the many trials and memories that come from the magic that is dating! You, my dear Plague Doctor, are not living out your relationship potential!" To which he pointed an accusing finger at the undead.
Oh, he was getting flustered, and started to pace. "Hanging out and doing homework is all well and good, but that doesn't do anything but keep you in the comfort zone of friendship. She can get that from anyone. You and you alone provide the security and desire she so wants. You, Malodore, are who Riley wants and you of course have chosen her. You need to continue to remind each other that you are not just friends, but have moved on to something more. To share those personal, heat-pounding feelings that you wouldn't just fess up to the first stranger that waved hello of even experience with anyone else. Dating fans the flames of PASSION and if you just go on a hum drum little way as if you were just study buddies, that flame...." Calder didn't even want to think of such a tragedy, but turned to move in front of the doctor and with a fluttering gesture as if the last embers of light in the world had just extinguished, looked at the undead. "...would burn out. Now you do not want that and this is why.." Calder placed his hands on Malodore's shoulders, being mindful of the large spiked peeks that shot upward. "....you need to go on an official date with Riley."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:24 pm
Malodore's eyes got wider and wider behind the lenses as Calder's passionate speech continued. There was a long pause after the kelpie finished speaking. "I, ah... yes, clearly! The f-flame of passion! Though, ah, could we call it something else? Fire... undead... si..."
It took a deep breath, then, for the calming effect. "Va bene. What do you think I should do?" It was going to figure this out, damnit.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:54 pm
Calder paused at the mention of flames. Another metaphor. "Well then.... The crashing, pounding waves of passion. Nothing like the storms of romance to turn the waters wild." He thought flames would be better than a more kelpie-friendly imagery, but if Malodore was willing to take it, sure! Calder rattle off lists of metaphors for romance. Give him a teacup and he could relate it's durability and fragility to the waving trials and tribulations couples went though. "Or even the age-old idea o "chemistry"." Calder said with a wink. Science romance metaphors - HAH! Those whatever involved Riley had to be volatile with plenty of warning labels about prolonged exposure.
As for the next part, Calder was full of ideas. His room was brimming with the knowledge that he called upon, and Calder went back to pacing, tapping his chin. "What do do. What to do?!" He seemed far more excited than perplex. So many ideas! But which one would suit this particular couple?
Calder glanced at Malodore, seizing the clueless undead up and down a moment before turning about. "Romantic dinner. I'd say a movie, but with all the hanging out you two have been doing, you really need to jolt that cold corpse that is your relationship. There that matter of privacy..." Calder thought. "Hmmm." He looked about, than started to smile. "...I can go scouting. We can find a place on campus somewhere, close if off, decorate and set the setting so that everything will be perfect. Maybe a nice walk after a private meal. Know a few trails that I have always imagined would be nice for hand holding." It would feel like getting away without getting away, and Calder could help in the preparation without the messy variables that came with going to some restaurant in town that might look down at them for being young, might make Malodore nervous for being so exposed, or might just be ruined by a terrible waiter.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:31 pm
"Cold... cold corpse?" Malodore tilted its head once again. "But, technically, I am a...."
Right. No. Picking at semantics because it was nervous wasn't going to help at all. Another deep breath, and Malodore squared its shoulders and met Calder's gaze directly. It liked the chemistry bit, at least... "So we produce a proper location for the experiment, isolate the variables, control the environment, and... begin?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:54 pm
Calder looked at Malodore for a good minutes.
"Yeah. ...I guess." He hoped that's what Malodore meant. He THOUGHT he put this in simple terms. "We pick a place where no one can just happen on you two and spoil everything yet nice enough not to be distracting. We decorate it in an appealing way. Pick a dish and desert that you can have already prepared so when she walks in, it's already sitting there, presented. Everything has to be ready so that when you two arrive, their will be no time spent on preparations. As for beginning, you two will sit down and enjoy your meal and talk about your hopes, dreams, desires, and all the things that you wouldn't share with just a friend." Calder sat down, scooting his chest closer to Malodore. "Got me, Malodore. Don't talk about homework or the latest experiment you are working on. Focus your attention on getting to know Riley more. The more you two know about each other, the closer you become. Save that idle chatter for another time. Dates are about the person you are with. You have a goal here. Invest your time and attention to your respective other." Oh yeah, best to be simple with Maldore. Wow, for someone this smart, he wasn't really bright with these things. "That's Riley, just to make sure you are the same page with me."
"Now, before that, you also have homework. You need to know what is Riley's favorite food, color, flower, and if there is any place or scenery that she prefers. The beach. Leaky caves. Cobweb-infested dungeon. Places she wishes she could go to or has loved to visited in the past. That will help us set up the place for your date. It's those things that show that you have been listening to her and paying attention when she talks. That you actually care to remember what she says." Which was the complete opposite of what Calder thought of Riley. Ugh, why was he doing this for Riley again? Oh right, Malodore was his bro. Uh, ghoul. It? Screw it. It was still his bro.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:54 pm
"Si - yes, I understand, I think..." It fumbled in its sleeve, then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "Homework... food, color, flower, scenery... this I can do..." Its voice was all serious business. "And I bring this information back to you and we use it to devise the second stage of our plan..."
It looked vaguely uncomfortable for a moment, though. "I do care to remember what she says, though. Have I, perhaps, been giving her mistaken impressions by not inquiring about her preferences sooner?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:07 pm
Calder smiled. The undead was adorable when it was clueless. Calder reached out and patted it's hat. "Noooo. I don't think Riley thinks you are ignoring her. I don't think I've seen you ever do that. Look how focused you are now even." He stopped patting his friend to gesture at the pen and paper. Taking notes! Calder puffed a bit at feeling this important. That his words were worth writing down.
He stepped back and sat back down on the chest. "She probably knows you listen, but remindering a person that you did is nice. Its like saying that even the smallest detail about them is something you care about and that you care about whatever they say, no matter how silly or unimportant it might seem to them. In that way, it makes them feel you feel they are important to you too." Calder turned and leaned over his chest, rifling through a pile of books and magazines he had stacked about, some with covers that Calder quickly covered from Mal's sight, before handing him one.
"This is a magazine I found some ghoul left in the common room. Shriek-teen. They have some interesting articles, but this is what might be your best bet." He opened to a dating quiz. "It's basically just random questions about how best you know your boilfriend, but you can pretend you are telling Riley the questions written in here and actually be asking her the questions we need to know. If you just ask her the entire list, she might get suspicious and we don't want to tip her off about what we are doing. Also, don't let her look at the quiz. If she says she wants to try it, pretend you actually forgot about meeting someone and leave before she can look at the magazine. That way she can't tell you said different questions." Calder handed Malodore the ghouly magazine.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:42 pm
Malodore accepted the magazine solemnly, as if it were a tome of great worth. "Grazie, my friend... I hope, ah... that I can convey some of my affection in a more... proper fashion. As one does." It still seemed a little nervous but with notes and guide in hand, how could it possibly lose?
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:57 pm
Calder grinned. "Like all things, practice makes perfect. As long as you have the will and try, love with prevail." He rose up, already feeling pumped enough and creating a list in his head of all that he needed to prepare. "Alright. You do your homework and I'll do mine. I'll go scouting and then we'll meet up later. Call me on my eyephone and we'll exchange notes. Then we can set up from there." His tail flicked back and forth, happy for the new distraction.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:50 pm
"Yes, insegnante," Malodore said, relaxing a little bit at last; its beak opened in a smile as it stood up. "I will bring back an excellent report, have no fear!"
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:53 pm
Calder laughed. "Well, maybe a bit of Fear. I do need it." He went to the door, opening it up for his friend. "Just try not to make your questioning too obvious. I'll go check on a few things to find the perfect spot. No need to feel too rushed, Malodore, but if you find that she's being open, just ask whatever question that comes to mind. The more you know about her, the better. Oh, and remember to share back. It isn't good to leave it all one sided." He patted the Undead on the shoulder as he passed. "Good luck."
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