Scene #1647: Lloyd and Riva's Date

Owner	Pose
Lloyd Irving	Having finally taken care of some business that was occupying a great deal of his time (mostly outfitting Iselian guards with new armor), Lloyd has the time and ability to make good on his charity arrangement. Of course, while some no doubt had hilarious or unpleasant dates for theirs, Lloyd anticipated that his would be a good time. And so, he has set reservations in a fairly upscale restaurant in Urbania, sent a formal invite to Riva Banari, and is now waiting outside the restaurant. He's dressed in a well-tailored suit, deep blue with dark red cuffs and accents. Golden cufflinks, shined black shoes, a neat and pressed white shirt with a long black necktie over it. He's even, through some miracle of science (also probably hairgel) managed to work his hair back and cause it to lie flat, giving him a crisp, sharp appearence. He hadn't been on a date in some time, and his face reflects some measure of nerves. But he wears an easy smile all the same, looking forward to the evening.
Riva Banari	Riva thought about pulling some shenanigans for a while, but decided that Lloyd was too nice a guy to do that to him. So this is why she shows up at the restaurant in a nice white dress, with silver hoop earrings. Her red hair is like a rose in a lily bouquet, and she has a nice white wide-brimmed hat to go with it. She walks up in heels, smiling to Lloyd as she reaches the agreed-upon spot and spots him. "Well now." She says with a smile, making no bones about looking him over intently. "You cut a pretty nice figure, Mr. Irving." She steps forward and gives him a wink. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you tonight." She chuckles.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd is glancing around as Riva approaches, and as he spots her his smile widens a bit. He offers a small yet somewhat sweeping bow as she approaches, noting her attire with a careful look. "You look really stunning," he says, scratching the back of his head nervously. He blinks a few times at her words, then tilts his head slightly. "What does that mean?" he asks, before shaking his head. He offers out an arm. "Anyway, shall we? I... I don't do this often, so I figured we could have dinner and decide what to do after that? I'm unsure of exactly what a date really entails." He shrugs his shoulders, then leads the way inside. Their table is seated near a false window, in which is displayed a starry cityscape from a rooftop perspective. The menu is diverse with many rich foods, and a bottle of champagne rests on ice near the table. Lloyd pulls out Riva's seat, waiting for her to take it before taking his place opposite her.
Riva Banari	Riva shakes her head. "Look at yourself, you're fidgeting. relax." She winks. "There's no expectations, right?" She walks into the restaurant, arm in arm with Lloyd. "Generally, a date involves getting to know each other and just enjoying each other's company. Simple as that, right?" She is seated, and arches an eyebrow as Lloyd pulls otu the chair for her. "Thank you." She says pleasantly as she sits down, and folds her hands together. "So, we've never really had a chance to meet and talk much in person, have we? That will give us a lot to talk about, I think."
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd shrugs again, chuckling slightly. "Sorry," he says, "I just want to make sure this goes well, you know? When I do something, I like to be successful." Getting to know each other? That seemed like a good place to start. But how to begin... He casts his mind around for a starting point, then remembers. "Well, we met at the Secret Santa exchange, though I was pretty distracted by some work I had to get done at the time. So I wasn't the most talkative then." He chuckles again, then inclines his head a bit. "Alright. So, outside of Union business and things, what do you do? Like, hobbies and such?"
Riva Banari	Riva leans back in her chais and nods. "You're a bit of a workaholic, aren't you? Not /quite/ as bad as Fayt, though. You're safe from an intervention." She says, teasingly. She sighs, and takes a moment to adjust herself in the chair, as if looking for the precisely most comfortable spot. "I can appreciate wanting to do something right when you decide to go through it. You're a diligent man." She pauses as she gets asked about herself. "Well, primarily I'm an artist, when I'm not dealing with all the other... stuff. I My preferred medium is watercolor, but I can also work with other paint types fine. I also like cooking, reading, watching movies, playing video games, long walks on the beach, swimming, and annoying people on social media. I love cute things and tend to express approval and support physically. I love seeking out new experiences, trying new foods, exploring new places. Things like that." She leans a bit forward, resting her chin on her fist. "How about you? You're not all about shuffling paperwork and blacksmithing, are you?"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd laughs at that. "No, I'm not quite so devoted to my work as Fayt. I can seem that way sometimes, but I know when to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak." As she lists off her hobbies and interests, Lloyd blinks a few times. As she sends the conversation back to him, he freezes for a moment. He had, in recent times, become mostly invested in pushing papers and blacksmithing. As he ponders, though, he starts to become a little more at ease. "I like to travel," he says, "Mostly around my world, but to any interesting spots I can find. I enjoy beaches, but more than those I love snowy areas. When I'm not working, I spend a lot of time in Flanoir, a village near Celcius' Seal where it snows year-round. I have a lot of good memories there, and it's the most peaceful place I've ever seen." He smiles a bit serenely, then comes back to. "Cute things, huh?" he says, "Then I'm in luck!" He laughs a bit, "Just a bit of a joke," he adds a moment later. He shakes his head. "I also spend a lot of time working through the motions of my combat style. It's sort of a meditative ritual at this point, but it keeps me sharp and fit. When I'm not working weapons or armor for jobs, my actual specialty is jewelry. If it were a more peaceful world, that's probably all I'd do. I love seeing the glint of a gem in just the right light as it's set into a fitting." He gets glassy-eyed for a moment, then comes back to again. "I could show you around to some of my favorite places sometime after this if you want."
Riva Banari	"See! That's my argument too. Work is fine and all but you need to leave time to /relax/. I wish he'd just listen more often." Riva sighs. "I think he's using his work to hide from something though..." She pauses, shaking her head. "But enough about that." She listens to him describe his own deal. "Ooooh, snowy areas. There's a lot to be said for a nice day out in the snow, and then come back to a nice warm house." She claps her hands at that, and then watches Lloyd intently. "Are you saying you're cute?" She asks... And then reaches out and taps Lloyd on the nose, winking. "We'll see~" They get back to business, and by business we mean dating. "Ooooh, jewelry. I can definately appreciate the art of a well-made piece. I'd totally be down with seeing some of your work in the future!"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd chuckles a bit. "I don't pry into Fayt's business. He does what he thinks is right. If he needs to be sent on mandatory vacation from time to time, that's another matter," he adds. He nods, adding, "Yes. I have a room on permanent reserve in the inn there just for that purpose. Wander the village, then rest in front of the fireplace." He blushes slightly as she reaches over and taps his nose, then shakes his head, maybe a little too vigorously. "It was just a joke!" he says, laughing a bit more. He has gotten that compliment before, but he doesn't know how to ever respond to it other than with a joke. He lets the flush fade from his face, then reaches into his pocket. "I guess you're in luck, then," he says, smiling. He holds his hand out and offers it to Riva, and on his palm rests a small golden pendant with a ruby star set into its center. It is already hooked to a fine golden chain. "I thought I'd make something you could remember this by, for better or worse," he says.
Riva Banari	"It's all good. Me and the other ladies are keeping the businesss in the meantime, making sure everything stays in one pieces. It's all honest work and him getting an honest vacation. I think he'll be better for it once he realizes everything isn't going to explode if he gets up and goes to have fun once in a while." She shrugs a bit. When Lloyd gets all flustered, Riva giggles. "And it's a good joke! Boy, I wish the guys were more like you back in college." The production of the pendant causes Riva's eyes to bulge slightly. "Holy... Wow." For a few moments, she's actually speechless. "It's... beautiful." she says, pausing for a moment and flushing. "I... I didn't bring anything like this, um..." She looks down, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. "It looks amazing, but man, um... I couldn't take that, it's got to be way too expensive for something like this..."
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd chuckles nervously. "Thanks! And... I'll take that as a compliment!" he says, laughing a bit more loudly. "Yeah, he's a bit of a worrywort sometimes, but when you invest heavily in your work, these things just run their natural course." He scratches the back of his head with his free hand. As Riva flusters at the pendant, Lloyd smiles a bit wider. "I made it special for you, though!" he says, keeping the pendant extended. "I didn't make it because I wanted anything in return. I... well, I just like making jewelry, like I said, and I like seeing people happy and surprised." He raises his hand slightly in a 'go on' sort of motion. "If you really insist, I can keep it, but I would really rather you take it instead."
Riva Banari	"Well..." She pauses. "I know, I just feel guilty because I didn't even think to bring anything for you, let alone something to match this..." She reaches out and picks it up, letting it dangle on its chain in the light as she watches it reflect off of the gold and star ruby. "You made this?" She says, and looks at it more closely. "This is really amazing work. You have a lot of talent." There is a low sigh. "All right, you win. I'll keep it, but one day I'm going to get you a nice present to pay you back." She threads the necklace around her neck and lets the pendant hang there, then exhales, visbly pulling herself back together and regaining her equilibrium. "Sooooooo! Um, my bad there, You kind of just took me totally by surprise."
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd chuckles. "There's nothing to feel guilty about. Sorry I kinda sprung that on you, I guess. I was planning to do that when we were parting ways, but the opportunity seemed right right then," he says, scratching the back of his head again. As she takes the pendant and puts it on, he smiles happily. "I put my heart into every piece I make, so the quality and detail is really important to me. I'm glad you like it! It looks good on you." He waves his hand slightly. "Don't feel obligated. Trust me, just being able to get away and do something different, meet an interesting person and actually get to know them. It's more than I could really ask for." He scratches the back of his head, blushing slightly.
Riva Banari	Riva smiles, but blushes again regardless as Lloyd describes his thoughts on the matter. "Man, I thought I would just play this cool and just breeze through it, but I guess there's always a new surprise. You've had me all flustered like I was all a little girl again." She laughs a bit, self-depreciatingly. "Ah well. It can't be helped." She thinks for a moment. "So what do you think is the most interesting thing you've ever done?" She asks offhand. "You seem like you've been a lot of places and done a lot of things."
Lloyd Irving	The swordsman chuckles again. "What can I say? I don't know what's expected, so I usually do the unexpected," he says, laughing lightly. "It's just what I do. I didn't mean to throw you off guard." At her question, he closes his eyes. "Wow, that's a hard question," he says, "There's been a lot of things I've done that could qualify! There was Annu, but that... I'm sure someone else has talked about that before. Oh! I would guess that would have to go to the time I was in a woman's body. Some demon bodyswapped me for awhile, and I was a woman for a couple weeks. That was incredibly interesting. And awkward. Had to change clothes with my eyes closed and such." He laughs again. "What about you? I get the sense you have some stories yourself."