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Penelope bit her lip as she read the text from Harper. It was hard to blame her for calling Mr. Moreau a jerk--he had come up unexpectedly and uninvited and… well, made himself at home at the table. On the other hand, wasn’t she a bit to blame too? She had accepted, if not asked, for his help, and she had not yet asked him to leave. While the ginger beside her peeked in the menu, she dared to send another text. ’Not really a friend… but I know him. I think he likes you. What should we do?’

When candy-apple eyes sought hers, the discrete girl buried the hand containing her cell phone as deep as the clutch would allow. She smiled apologetically. The blush once again spread across her cheeks, so keeping his gaze did not last long. She was more embarrassed at the fact that she could not salvage this evening. She did not want a fight, but how could she ask someone who was now trying so hard to help them to leave? But if Harper was uncomfortable… how could she not? She took a deep breath to try, “Um… well, I actually don’t eat beef, Mr. Moreau. I appreciate the help, though. We can ask a waiter if we need anything more. Do… do you need to go back to your table?”

Never let it be said that Penelope had not tried.

He was so caught up in his quest to remember what the word venito meant that he had completely missed the part where he had fumbled at the goal line. Penelope was kind and polite as always, and that only made her all the more desirable, but her meek act did not cover up the fact that she was obviously asking him to leave.

And over beef? She didn’t eat beef? That was an immediate turn off for the confectioner, but he tried not to let his disgust be seen in his red eyes as he straightened up. Her question if he needed to go back to his table was no question at all, but a request, and one that Richard was almost willing to oblige. He wasn’t quite sure he was willing to date someone that didn’t like beef. “Well, I prefer venison myself, but I suppose I can understand that.”

He would have left without too much of a fuss with that, but the moment the other one spoke, the saucy vixen with the short pixie cut, he could practically feel the venom seeping into his already opened wounds that was barely masked beneath her mock-polite tone. To add salt to that wound, she snatched the menu away, and Richard did nothing to hide the hurt expression as he gave a huff. “Oh, I see you’re a spicy one. A little too spicy, but hint taken! Please, do have fun with your meal.”

With that, he was on his feet in an instant and had managed to tuck the chair back in with his foot, silently hoping to knock the saucy one’s knee on his way out, hoping to hide his walk of shame. Only when he had completely turned around did he allow the depth of his anger wash over his features, and while it earned him a confused expression from a passing waiter, he kept his bitterness to himself. Somewhat. “Well, that was a bust. I think I’ll have another steak…”

Just in spite of his rather humiliating failure… if a steak didn’t make him feel better, then what else would? ’Was really looking forward to a threesome...’

Did he..? Surely he did not. Being waved off as 'spicy,' she could have perhaps let go, for Pene's sake. At the worst, a few more words would have been exchanged at the sacrifice of the other patrons' quiet evening in the restaurant. Yet, the redhead had most assuredly hit her with a chair, however discreetly his skills did hide the deed from anyone not at the table. This meeting had gone beyond some pickup maneuvers.'Pene will just have to get the vapors, because no way am I---" Her thought was paused when, to her surprise, Pene herself stood up first to give Mr. Moreau the riot act - the pink tea party version, but nonetheless.

Harper was rather proud, and she was willing to let her best friend so strongly take the reigns if she desired. Likely scenario, Mr. Moreau would be shamed by the entire audience and Harper could simply sip her cider, silently reclining in the shared conquest. Then the tears started. And that smug sense of satisfaction morphed into a fan that rekindled the smoldering coals of utmost contempt. She had worked so Goddamn hard just for her best friend to have a special birthday as she deserves and this chucklehead swoops in and manages to destroy it with a few choice sentences. Thus, Harper sharply stood from her seat and decked Mr. Moreau right in the face.

"Apology accepted."

Penelope had no time to stop the events going on around her. She could not fully accept Mr. Moreau's apology because, while he apologized for upsetting her birthday celebration... he did not apologize for hitting her best friend. She could not stop Harper's punch because the athletic girl had always been the stronger of the two of them, and... even the kind-hearted girl had to admit that the candy man deserved exactly what he had coming to him. She sniffed and reached for the napkin that had fallen from her lap, bending her knees to lower herself because no lady would bend over to reach for an object on the floor while wearing a skirt.

The birthday girl dried her eyes and bit her lip as she watched the man place the money on the table. He left before she had the chance to return it... so she looked at Harper with reddened eyes. The crowd around them seemed an uneven mixture of amused, confused and angry glaring. To avoid it, she dipped back down into her seat and hid her face into the menu. "Um... I guess Mr. Moreau just bought us desert? Maybe the entire menu, really..."

It was a quiet, small joke... but there had been enough unpleasantness tonight. All she wanted was what she had originally come for - a wonderful meal with her best friend. With a determined look on her face, she flagged down the waiter, "I'm sorry, I can't read this but... if you have chicken alfredo, I want that. Harper, what will you have?"

The two of them were going to have a normal, fun night for the remainder of their time there... she would not accept anything less. She drained her pear cider out of sheer stubborness, using the sweetness to erase any less pleasant taste that may have lingered in her mouth.