fandomhigh | Romance 101, Wednesday, Period 4 -- Class 2

"All right, today we're going to talk about" -- Drake snapped his fingers and there was the appropriate sound effect -- "the First Date. Yeah, they can be terrifying. And exciting. The key is just to relax and be yourself. And if it doesn't work out" -- cue another sound effect -- "at least you tried.

"If you're already known the person for awhile, you've got an advantage in knowing what they like to do. If you don't, try to get an idea from their friends. If you're completely in the dark, go for something like dinner and a movie, but make sure you have a back-up plan in case your date doesn't eat the kind of food at your first restaurant of choice. Try a hike and a picnic, or spend some time at the beach or at a zoo, or maybe a museum or art gallery. Creativity is a plus, but don't go too overboard, or you'll have a tough act to follow for the second date.

"Two things are the most important to remember: be yourself. Don't work too hard to impress your date. You want them to like you for you, not someone you're pretending to be. And have a sense of humor. Something is probably going to go wrong -- you'll spill a drink, you'll lose your tickets, you'll set your date on fire -- but if you can laugh it off, you'll be able to relax and have a good time.

"Now, I want you to grab a partner and pretend you're going out on a first date. Decide where you're going to go, then act like you're really there." Drake grinned, and added, "Try to pair up with someone you don't know already so you really get that awkward effect."

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The little voice in the back of Cara's mind that she refused to admit sounded like Kahlan was facepalming.

The hand that had been tapping her leg now curled uselessly where an agiel's handle should have been. "I'm..." Sorry, Cara, sorry was the word you were supposed to use here. "I don't even know why I'm doing this class, Mord'Sith don't date." Her plaintive tone added the 'so how am I supposed to know what to do on one?'.

"Sith?" Ben squeaked.

Well, this is an excellent first date!

The best one Cara had ever been on! Sadly not an exaggeration.

She drew her head up and her shoulders back, it was that or nod frantically. "I am a proud member of the Order of the Mord'Sith," she said. Which was true, even if it meant something different to her now than a year ago.

Ben took a step back, hand going for the lightsaber he wasn't wearing. "What kind of Sith is that?"

Cara recognised the motion of someone moving for a weapon, and her own hands reached for her absent agiels.

"What sort of question is that? The only kind." She wondered if he was slightly deaf, since he kept messing up the name.

"I'm a Jedi," Ben said, desperately hoping she showed no recognition of the name. It was probably instant detention for trying to take down a classmate in the middle of a fake date.

"What's that supposed to be?" So that would be a no on the recognition front.

Though her hand was splayed in front of her in case he was about to start throwing magic around.

"Where I come from, there's not a recorded enmity deeper than that of Jedi and Sith," he replied carefully.

Oh, look, an eye-roll. "You Jedi must have very high opinions of yourselves then," Cara replied dismissively. "It's Confessors Mord'Sith are taught to hate above all." Until you actually ~~became friends with~~ had to start travelling with one, then it got complicated.

"Jedi don't hate," Ben said. "That's for the Sith. We defend."

Which was diplomatic for "they started it. A kazillion years ago. So there."

Cara didn't even have to voice the 'Suuuuuuuuure, you don't. I believe you. Really.' her expression said it all.

His expression got even more stubborn. "It's true."

"It takes two to have a legendary enmity," Cara pointed out. "Otherwise you just have a not-so-legendary people who got wiped out by the other side when they weren't looking."

Ben's mouth pursed. "Yeah, that already happened. They missed one."

"Let me guess, he was then raised in ignorance of his true heritage, probably by some wizard or another, until the time came to take up his destiny and free the land."

She'd had to listen through a lot of epic poetry devoted to and about the Seeker in villages they passed though the last year. Most of it terrible.

"That would be Dad, yeah," Ben said, looking a little confused. "You know that story?"

Well, she knew the story but it was about someone else. "You can't be Richard's child. You're a boy." And she couldn't see him listening to good sense long enough to get an heir on someone other than Kahlan.

Ben stared at her. "No, my dad's Luke."

Cara stared right on back at him. "Then why did you claim to be the Seeker's son?"

Somewhere along the line they'd both lost control of this conversation.

"Who's the Seeker?" Ben asked.

"You don't know who the Seeker is?"

That was what he'd just said, Cara.

Put it together, Ben.

"Oh! The Seeker's kind of like my dad," he said. "In your weird world where Sith are okay."

Very diplomatic. Truly.

It was highly confusing, but Cara thought she had this figured out. Just to be on the safe side though..."So your last name isn't Cypher or Rahl, then?"

She was not going to ask if it was 'Dane' either, because that was a bad, terrible, no good line of thought she wasn't going to go down.

"It's Skywalker," Ben replied.

Without her really realising it, Cara's entire body relaxed. "That's a stupid name."

Oh, there was no doubt that she and Ben would fastly become the best of friends. Really.

Re: Date Time! [Romance 101 - Class 2]

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wrongkindofsith - 2010-05-25 02:16 (UTC) - Expand

momslilassassin - 2010-05-25 02:51 (UTC) - Expand

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