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"I'll agree to a wine night, then, as long as we're not going to watch one of those awful movies off of your recommended list on Netflix. I'm still not actually sure what we watched the last time." All he could remember was something so awkward that it had made him want to drink more and that had made the excruciatingly painful movie go by both faster and slower. Somehow.

The dip was brought over shortly, for which he thanked the waiter, flashing them an attempt at a warm smile. He always enjoyed getting the spinach dip here, enjoying that it came with an assortment of things for dipping-- pita chips, toasted french bread, regular bread... Always good to have carbs to line one's stomach if one was planning on drinking later.

"Anything good come out of the release parties you went to?"

He glanced up as Court mentioned a new palette, squinting just a bit to see if he could actually make out anything different about his friend's makeup in the ambient lighting of the restaurant. He couldn't, of course, and wouldn't bother pretending that he could. Courtland's makeup was generally spot on and trying to make things up in regards to it would never fly anyways.

"Can't say I've actually been on the computer all that much lately either." If he avoided his social media accounts he could easily continue to say that he hadn't gotten any messages. Job hunting and other distractions had been at the front of his mind anyways.

"You say that like it's not something they do even when I'm not partaking in an internet blackout period." He snorted, reaching for his water to take another sip only to find himself incredibly grateful that the waiter had returned with their actual drinks. That was a good sign. For starters, it meant that they had something other than water to drink and beyond that it meant that their meal would be coming soon after.

"Also, I wasn't trying to figure out the palette exactly. I was just trying to figure out what was different about it compared to your usual stuff."

"I know you lean towards the darker, smokey shades, but every now and then you throw on something neutral with a nude lip or a gloss and you actually look human." The words were meant as a compliment even though they came out with a slightly teasing tone as he reached for his cocktail. He was used to the drama and the theatrics-- used it often enough on his own when he needed to-- but sometimes it was nice to get to see Courtland au natural. When his friend wasn't going for the bold or dangerous he actually preferred seeing the lighter colors that drew out more than just intimidation tactics.

"Remind me later to get you to take a look over the list of shows that are running casting calls over the next week. If I don't pick up this lighting gig I might head to an audition or two." Even if he did get the lighting job, one of the local Shakespeare troupes was planning on putting on a few plays between now and New Years and it had been a while since he'd put any of his classical training to good use.

"You've been keeping tabs on the troupes I like?" His brow quirked, the lightest trace of a smirk on his lips. He appreciated that Court tried to share some of his interests-- or, rather, that Court made an attempt to keep track of his interests so they had something other than cosmetics to talk about. Most of his own makeup experience came from stage and theater with a small bit of it carrying into props and prosthetics, and even then he often relied on others to help him out with his stage face when he wasn't working as part of the crew.

"Are we still on for karaoke next week?"

He knew that it meant more than Court's dismissal suggested, but he let it slide. He could let his friend have that, especially when he'd been brushing things off himself since sitting down across from him. It was, all in all, just another part of the often over-complicated way their friendship worked.

"That means you were hoping that I would forget." His smirk broadened as he brought his glass to his lips once more. "I thought you had fun the last time."

"I might ask you if you remember, but I'm not going to hound you about it if you don't want to go." Just like he wouldn't actually hound his friend over any of the other things that might be going on-- spinning shows, events, faires, festivals....Although he had gotten the invitation to perform with a group out of town in a couple of weeks at the 'Fantasy Weekend' of a renaissance festival just outside of town. That might be something that Court would enjoy...

"Food smells incredible. This place is always worth the price they put on their plates."