6/27 Instance: Curt Pulls All the Stops

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: current


Curt: Curt moved the seat out and indicated with his hand to Laura. "Please, take a seat." He offered. "You pick the dress out yourself, or did Jess assist? Because it's gorgeous." He admitted.

Laura: Laura sat where indicated and looked over their table before looking around the rest of the dining area as she answered, "Thank you. Jessica did help some."

Curt: "Your hair is nice, too." He said. Got door, check. Dress, check. Hair, check. Don't order for her, be sure she sits/orders/everything else first.

Laura: At the mention of her hair, she reached up to tuck a strand behind her ear, pulling her attention away from checking out the surroundings to the menu in front of her. She looked back up at him, brow furrowing as she considered him. It was good to say nice things back, correct? "I suppose your hair looks nice as well."

Curt: "Thanks. I was looking for an elegant coif and settled on the Will Riker look."

Laura: "I... do not know who that is..."

Curt: "Don't sweat it." He said with a wild smile. "Well, I have something else for you." He looked up and with his mechanical hand, waved to the waiter. The waiter came over with his small viola and began to play a low, soulful, slow tune. He smiled as another busboy came over with a dozen roses.

Curt: "I was hoping to give you the full spread, in terms of what a date can be like. As authentic as can be." He smiled and winked at her. "Candles, too." He pointed. "They match your dress actually. What a coinkydink."

Laura: She looked between the people and back to Curt, head tilting curiously, "It is proving to be interesting so far."

Curt: He smiled, wider. "Interesting is good." The busboy waved over the waiter as the viola player stepped back. The waiter approached the lady and smiled. "What will the mademoiselle be having this evening for a drink?" He asked politely, his ticker-mustache twitching on his upper lip at the beginning of each word.

Laura: She raised an eyebrow at mademoiselle and answered, "J'aurai l'eau, s'il vous plaît."

Curt: "Oui. And may I say," he smiled at the young lady. "What wonderful french you have. And the sir?" He looked to Curt who was obviously impressed at Laura's linguistic skills.

Curt: "Uh... well, I suppose a water as well. But please, when we do order our meals, if you could bring the--"

Curt: "'57 Cognac, sir. oui." the waiter added without a single change in facial expression.

Laura: "Merci," Laura gave a slight smile back, glancing back to the menu after the server had gone to fill their orders. She'd completely missed Curt's impressed face.

Curt: "So... how long were you in France for?" He asked, assuming that must have been where she had picked it up.

Laura: She shook her head as she considered her options, "Not very."

Curt: "Hm. Well, your French is astonishing. What other languages did you learn? Or even more interesting, what are some other places you've visited?"

Curt: He sipped his water as it came to them both. He also looked through at his menu, but was sure to pay more attention to Laura.

Laura: "Spanish, German, and Japanese, but I've been to a lot of places for work," she answered with a small shrug, "What would you recommend to eat?"

Curt: "Oh uh... well I know the lobster dishes here are all amazing, but the spiced italian sausage and rab is quite excellent as well. I'm going to probably stick to what I know best, and go with a nice veal steak with the alfredo broccoli and cauliflower blend."

Curt: "Also, I hear their Manhattan Clam Chowder is very good too, but you can't go wrong with any of the pasta dishes either." He looked at what was left on the menu that he hadn't mentioned. "Basically, everything." He chuckled.

Laura: "Then, I am sure I will not be disappointed," Laura reasoned with a small smile.

Curt: "Whatever you get, no matter the price, I have everything covered tonight. Alright?" He looked as the waiter approached. "You set? If not, I'll just let him bring us the wine."

Laura: She nodded, "I believe I have made a choice."

Curt: "Tres bien." The waiter said as he approached. He put the chilled wine in the ice bucket after he popped the cork and poured two glasses with incredible skill, not spilling a bit. He placed the glasses at each of their places and smiled to the young lady. "For you?"

Laura: Laura settled for trying one of the pasta dishes and ordered before reaching for her glass, waiting for Curt to finish his order before asking, "Have you traveled?"

Curt: "Have I?" He laughed. " M'from Australia. Ya can hardly tell sometimes. Been here too long, I suppose." He shrugged. "But aside from the adventure to the States, not really. Australia's a lot like the U.S. though, lots of different regions full of their own seasons, weather, land formations, bodies of water, and so on. I lived in Queensland."

Curt: "My ma has a tree that grows fresh avocados every spring. She picks 'em and makes guacamole and other avos-dishes. Can't really do that in other parts of the continent."

Laura: She listened intently and nodded, admitting, "I have not been to Australia."

Curt: "You are coming." He said happily. "Next time I go? I'll bring you." He raised his glass for a toast. "To new friends and new places."

Laura: "Thank you," Laura replied and stared blankly at him raising his glass, not exactly sure what she was supposed to do.

Curt: "This is where you also raise the glass, clink it against mine, and say 'to new friends and new places', and then we sip our wine." He said, trying to hold back a smile.

Laura: "Oh..." she cast a glance around and lifted her glass, clinking it against his, "To new friends and new places."

Curt: "Splendid!" he exclaimed. He sipped his wine and then, as if on cue, the viola and the waiter returned, behind him two bus boys with two large plates of food.

Curt: The first bus boy placed down a plate of shrimp pasta prima vera before Laura

Laura: Laura thanked the guy after a sip of wine and looked over the plate of food. She wasn't sure she could eat that much, however... "It looks good."

Curt: "Very!" He said as the veal (medium rare) came to his table. "So... one thing that has bothered me... how long were you going to keep this kill squad secret? Because... Adam is very good at removing blood... but Lizard pays attention to more than that. He's not the best mate to have around, but he's useful. And he has a... thing for bones. Lot of bone debris on those uniforms lately."

Curt: He continued to eat, showing that he wasn't truly bothered by it.

Laura: Her face remained neutral, as it had for much of the evening, while she considered the question. She was under the impression X-force was not something they were supposed to mention and feigned ignorance, "Kill squad?"

Curt: "I'm not sure if it's an intentional one or not, yet, but I'm sure it'll come out eventually. Lizard has reason to believe you're out killing things without him. While I would personally never take part in it, and never allow my lesser-half to do so... I can't say I disagree with the idea of it, should that be the case. Convenient that Lizard's curiosity piqued right around the time the Essex stuff got worse."

Curt: "But..." he continued to cut into his steak, and wearing his smile, "there's honestly no reason to assume that other students can't be reasonable or understanding. Granted, most will be flat out illogical, but hopefully the ones who matter won't be. And don't worry, you don't have to admit anything, but I will be sure to keep it under my cap." He looked up at her. "For you."

Laura: She made sure her expression didn't betray anything as she debated whether she should inform Professor Drake about the conversation. "Well, I have killed plenty of things without him, though not recently," she replied, adding, "I have stabbed Danny, but Jessica assured me that it is something I should not do again. To anyone."

Curt: Curt shrugged. "I think Danny could use a couple stabs. Word is he and Jess are out to stab me because Lizard was an ass and puked on the carpet. Sorry about that, by the way. I deprived him of 'play time' for a week or so because of that."

Laura: "She was displeased, as was I. Carpet cleaner is an unpleasant smell," Laura made a face as she recalled the scent and went for a bite.

Curt: "I assure you, if you speak to Johnny, you will find that it could have been much... much worse." He sighed and remembered the large ... carcass. Whatever it was. Pulled halfway through the window.

Curt: It made him more hungry.

Curt: "So do you want to go for a walk in the park or something after the meal, or is there somewhere else in the city you would like to visit?"

Laura: Laura considered the offer, "I would not be opposed to a walk in the park."

Curt: "Fantastic!" The waiter came over after they finished, offered them desert. Curt said he would take a coffee and the check after Laura chose her desert, if she wanted any.

Laura: She politely declined any dessert and waited for them to bring Curt the coffee and check.

Curt: He sipped the coffee quickly as he signed off the bill (tipping generously). He then got up, helped her with her chair, and the two left the restaurant for the park.

Laura: Having made their way to the park, Laura walked alongside Curt as they made their way along a path. She carefully studied their surroundings as they walked, not particularly bothered by the silence that had overtaken them.

Curt: Curt let his arm reach out and wrap around hers. Arm in arm, he strolled with her and decided it was an appropriate time to ask something stupid. "So... any history of boyfriends?" He asked.

Laura: "No," she answered, allowing him to take her arm.

Curt: "Strange. You're stunning, I figured someone at some point... but I suppose knowing what I know about your past, it does make a bit of sense. Do you find there's any other guys at the school you would ... want that with?" He snickered, "or girls, y'know?"

Laura: She shrugged, "I have not thought about it."

Curt: "Well... you should." He commented. The light of the lamp posts were orangey-yellow and shined perfect circles that touched, not overlapped, and Curt enjoyed the soft, late spring, weather.

Laura: "I will take that under advisement," Laura replied after a moment of consideration, letting the conversation lapse into silence once more as they continued to walk. She suddenly broke the silence, "This... date has been enjoyable."

Curt: "That's what I was shooting for, if nothing else. Sorry I didn't get the horse and buggy deal, but I figured we're both capable enough."

Curt: He looked at the time on his watch and lifted an eyebrow. "Okay, it's about that time. You ready for the midnight show?"

Laura: Her brow furrowed in confusion at the question, and she looked over to him, "I do not know what that is."

Curt: "Well... you're going to find out." He continued to lead her around the park and then, in the middle, was a small stage with some people gathered around. White, usually considered "Christmas lights" type decorations were wrapped around lamps and bushes, and a few sprayed out on the stage. On stage was a group of musicians, a woman with a banjo, another woman with a fiddle, a man with a guitar, another with a low flute, and they were talking with each other and the audience.

Curt: "This is the Midnight Reel." Curt explained. "Every Saturday at midnight, in the park, they come here and play this." He pointed to the police on horses patrolling. "And, of course, the police make sure no homeless people come to disturb the show." He laughed.

Curt: "Can't tell you how many times Lizard has stumbled onto this."

Laura: "Do they not make sure Lizard doesn't disturb the show as well?" Laura asked curiously as she took in their new environment, slightly wide-eyed as she considered everything that was going on.

Curt: "I make sure he doesn't disturb them." The band began to count off and stamp their feet. "Ohp, here they go. We can join the crowd or stand back here, whichever."

Laura: "I like it back here," she answered, tacking on the explanation, "It is easier to see everything."

Curt: "I agree." he said as the music kicked in. The fiddler started off, the low whistle coming in next. An accordion player had joined them during the discussions and once the full band was in swing, Curt found himself nodding his head side-to-side to the music and tapping his foot. "I'm not sure if this is your type of music or not, but I figured the setting was pretty enough."

Laura: "I do not have a type of music," Laura commented as she listened. It was fairly different from the music that Miles had listened to, but it was still enjoyable.

Curt: "You'll find that they can get very fast and then slow down to almost a crawl, only to blast back into full temp again. They're quite good. And they do it all for free. This is just fun for them." He was amazed, himself. He looked at playing an instrument the same way he looked at science. It was something you did to explore a side of humanity that was otherwise unattainable.

Laura: She nodded as she took in what he was saying, glancing between him and the stage, "So, Lizard enjoys the music?"

Curt: "He... does. Oddly enough." Curt said, nodding. "He's not especially fond of staying still, but music certainly does calm the beast. If you ever find he is a problem, just play a flute or something. He'll shut right the hell up."

Laura: Laura shook her head, "I do not know how to play any instruments."

Curt: "You seem like a fast learner." Lizard made an internal joke about a skin flute that made Curt's lip flicker with a smile before he subdued it.

Laura: "I have been told that before."

Curt: "Never seen it in action though, huh?" He said with a wink. "So what do you think of your first date, so far? Besides the fact that it was with me." He smirked.

Laura: She considered the question carefully before answering, "It is... an enjoyable experience thus far. The restaurant was nice and had good food, and I have never been to a concert. I also suppose the company isn't dreadful."

Curt: He laughed. "That's an upgrade from what I've been getting lately." He nodded to her and continued to smile saying, "You know, it's been good for me too. Nice social experiment we put together, huh?"

Laura: Laura pulled her gaze from the stage to look at him once more and nodded, "Indeed."

[Ult_Sm86]

Laura: Laura thanked the guy after a sip of wine and looked over the plate of food. She wasn't sure she could eat that much, however... "It looks good."

Laura: Laura: Laura thanked the guy after a sip of wine and looked over the plate of food. She wasn't sure she could eat that much, however... "It looks good."

So good, she said it twice. Or it really was THAT much pasta.