high-class date

Chanel gracefully approaches the façade of the restaurant where she is set to meet her supposed blind date. This situation reached her through a couple of stray fliers, advertising the Church of Sulfur's matching service, and she'd just gotten her heart broken, so what's the harm in trying something new to divert her from her misery?

The suggestion to rendezvous at such a fancy venue might not have been the most practical choice, but Chanel refuses to be seen anywhere simpler. She does not intend to spoil her image because a stranger potentially wouldn't keep their mouth shut. Adjusting the extensions in her hair and delicately lifting the hem of her draping skirt, she walks up the stairs with anticipation, determined to present her best self to the mysterious and undoubtedly rich Succubun awaiting her.

She is enveloped by dim lights, hushed conversations, and candlelit tables, crafting the quintessential but slightly cheesy romantic setting. Despite this, Chanel finds herself drawn into the elegant setup. In fact, she quite enjoys settings like this; any less would take the sappy feelings away from her. After declaring her reservation, she glides towards her designated table, eager to discover who her new future soulmate is.

Look, Bex’s not going on blind dates because she’s _lonely_ this Matentines! No, that would be ridiculous. She’s obviously just going on these because it’s an exciting opportunity to meet new suckers to swindle into giving her money. That’s the only reason. And if she approaches these things like dates, it’s only because that’s just the smartest way to give the sales pitch. 

These things and more are what she’s telling herself as she sits at the reserved table in this…very fancy… restaurant. It’s not out of her price range, per say, but it’s definitely at a point where she’d rather be spending her money elsewhere. However, it is a good sign about her blind date tonight. They’re probably loaded. And since this is an investment opportunity disguised as a date, that’s good for her. 

She adjusts her posture in the chair, making sure not to slouch. Regardless of whether or not this is a real date to her (it definitely isn’t), she wants to put off the best first impression. She hums, doing her best welcoming smile as she observes the patrons. They all seem to be having their own romantic rendezvous, or at least as much as she could see with the dim lights overhead. 

Eventually, someone seems to be approaching the table. Bex is a little shocked as she sees this bun’s eyes scan the tables for the one matching the reservation. The mystery bun seems resplendent, with flowing clothes and shimmering ears. The way she carries herself, the price on some of those clothes she’s wearing? Bex has to wonder, is this who has to go on blind dates now? She would think that money alone would fix that sort of issue… 

Nevertheless, Bex feels the need to impress even more now. There’s practically dollar signs in her eyes. As her date approaches the table, Bex stands up to move over and pull her chair out for her.

“Are you here for the Church of Sulfur thing?” she asks, trying for a welcoming smile. “I’m Bex. Hope you didn’t have any trouble getting here?”

Chanel is apprehensive, but attempts to match up with the confidence of the surrounding patrons. Her date has been waiting so patiently, and she seems well-kept too, most certainly confirming her status!

"Yes, I am here for the thing," the bunny confirms with a nod.

She pauses, slipping into introspection for a moment, and contemplates, Is this a good idea? Fleeting images of individuals who exploited her vulnerability flash through her mind, but she needs to stay optimistic and seek goodness in others.

"Oh... my name is Chanel; it's nice to meet you Bex. I'm sorry, I'm just a little frazzled," she says apologetically, sitting down in the chair her date so respectfully grabbed for her.

Admittedly, she had a bit of trouble navigating the area, as she often doesn't choose places in this particular strip of the city to dine at. When she isn't having dates, pizza delivery is her best bet.

"But it was okay, just a little rough, thank you for asking." She smooths out her skirt. What is someone supposed to say during a date? She opts for the usual, "You look lovely."

Bex smiles, returning to her seat on the other side of the table. “No worries, I know the foot traffic around here can be a little hectic,” It’s a little comforting to see that she isn’t the only one a little on the back foot about the whole blind date situation; it’ll be way easier to chat if they both were at least a little wary.

At the compliment, Bex grins wider. “Well, that’s certainly a compliment coming from someone as put-together as you look,” Bex says, fixing her napkin in front of her. “I love the outfit, truly.” She also likes the potential of this being a very wealthy individual. Of course, it’s rude to ask overtly, but she decides to start fishing for monetary information early on.

“You know, I haven’t been in this particular restaurant before, but I’ve seen it around. Heard good things,” she lies. She doesn’t eat in this district unless she has to for a business deal. But, if someone dines here often? That’s a jackpot. “Have you been before, or is this your first time?”

Chanel smiles genuinely and thanks Bex for the compliment. Although she often hears praise about her appearance from her fake bubble, it's nice to know someone outside of it believes she deserves it too.

"I've been here quite a few times, I enjoy this place," Chanel lies through her teeth. "The wine here is good, too." Her eyes stray towards the little card showing the not so meager selection of drinks, and she nervously gulps as she acknowledges the pricing.

Ah... the things she'll do to make a worthy impression.

She half-contemplates purchasing the most expensive drink on the menu, but before that, she has to gauge what her date considers pricey enough. "What are you thinking of getting to drink?"

“It’s a beautiful environment,” Bex says, stalling for time as she looks down at the menu. Ah, yes. Expensive wines. This seems like a particular choice to make for sure. She, of course, doesn’t want to look too loaded. Then, there’s no chance that her date will offer to pay. But if she orders the cheapest wine, that’ll be a clear sign that she’s here mooching and expects that. 

It doesn’t help that most of what she knows about wine is the prices, and less about respectability. She hums in thought, and comes up with an excellent idea. 

“There does seem to be a wonderful selection here, you’re right,” she runs a finger down the wine menu contemplatively, and then looks up to Chanel. “What would you recommend? Anything they have special that you’ve enjoyed in your past visits?”

Chanel braces for impact, and worse comes to her. She can't contain her natural reaction as her ears flatten back, and she furtively scans the menu again for the most sophisticated seeming drink.

"The pinot noir is excellent," she says, and what she doesn't mention about her choice is that it'll spare her from another devastating blow to her bank account. She fidgets in her seat. "You can't go wrong with basic, correct?"

Bex is attentively and needlessly scanning the wine menu, intending to let Chanel do the heavy lifting there. However, she does catch the flickering of something there; some displeasure at having to pick. She doesn’t really have the means to read too far into that just yet, but she catalogs it away in her mind anyway.

“Sounds like a wonderful choice to me,” she agrees with the wine choice, tucking the menu to the side of the table. A cheaper one, it seems. Well, that’s good just in case she can’t weasel her way out of splitting the check. 

Unsure if it was the actual ‘having to choose’ or something else related to wine, Bex decides to hail the waiter over and place the order as quick as can be. The date’s moving, she knows a little more about her, things seem to be going relatively well… What next? 

Ah, standard blind date questions, of course. 

“So,” Bex starts, folding her arms on the table. “What sort of things do you do for hobbies?” A dangerous question to ask insofar that Bex typically has to invent hobbies on the fly if the question is returned; but it is a classic.

The question immediately makes Chanel perk up. Nobody - aside from a select few, that is - ever does the bare minimum of asking her about her opinions on things, as pathetic as it is to reflect on.

"Oh! I have many hobbies. I like to sing, play the piano, make videos, and I also love taking care of imps," she begins, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, "Yue - my Avia - she's a sweetheart, and she usually goes everywhere with me. I trained her to sit on my shoulder and she's incredibly polite; I just didn't know if bringing her here would be appropriate, since I know some people hate them. But I just can't see how they'd dislike the critters, you know? I could show you pictures of her, she's too precious."

Retrieving her phone from her pocket, she begins scrolling, only to realize mid-scroll that she omitted the polite gesture of asking about her date's hobbies. "I'm sorry... do you like pets too?"

It’s a little cute how quickly the other bun went into talking about her imp, and Bex can feel a bit of a kindredship with one of the hobbies being hanging out with cute creatures. Bex was never much of an imp ‘trainer’ per say, but she does like the little things more than she cares to admit sometimes. 

She leans over the table, more than willing to look at a cute Avia. And she almost gets away with not being asked any questions about herself at all! But asking about imps is basically a lay-up.

“An Avia, huh? Those can be a little tricky to train,” Bex says, making that fully up. Maybe it was true. Maybe it wasn’t. “Honestly, It’s a rare sight that I don’t have my imp on me as well. I have a Phloof, Memmy. He mostly just naps in a pocket or on my shoulder; but I had the same concern about accidentally having a blind date with someone who would dislike them. Though, to be honest, that would be a good sign of when to bring the date to a close. If they say anything, you just walk out.”

"They can be tough, but my girl is incredibly well behaved," Chanel inflates with pride, nodding in agreement. She quickly turns her attention to the other's mention of an imp. "Ah! I've always wanted a Phloof! They're so friendly and easy to take care of, I heard.”

"Tell me more about yours! Did you buy him or adopt him from a shelter? I found my Ming-Yue, it was pure luck, if I'm being honest." She unintentionally follows the other bun's actions and leans forwards as well. She props her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands.

“Ah, I had just barely considered getting an imp when I walked into the Imporium and was immediately very endeared,” Bex says with a grin. “He was just sort of sitting there, sleepy and motionless. But, as I’ve learned, he’s a sucker for warm temperatures. Just sort of snuggled up into my hands and knew I had to buy him.”

The waiter approaches with the wine, which Bex gracefully takes a single sip of before sitting it to the side. It’s absolutely important to pace yourself when trying to look reasonable on dates. Even if wine couldn’t do much against her alcohol tolerance. “I’ve been thinking about getting him a friend recently, but I’m not sure. Maybe if I happen upon a stray one, or something similar.” She shrugs. “You mentioned making videos as well; are those focused around your girl, or another passion of yours?”

"Aww, that's so sweet," Chanel coos, "Yeah, I've thought about getting Ming-Yue a friend as well but.. it might be too much for her to get used to, you know?"

Chanel takes a sip of her own drink and nonchalantly nods along with what she is saying. "Yes! My videos are all about daily vlogs and my pet. I think that having one is a great way of making my content super entertaining and improving my life outside of it too." She pauses for a moment to consider whether that's a common sentiment among buns who make similar videos. Her gaze momentarily shifts to the side as she attempts to find the right words without seeming weird. "Would you be interested in appearing in a video?"

Bex makes the calculations in her mind, thinking about just how profitable she could spin any amount of online notoriety to become. There’s very few bad routes here, she decides, and leans forward with a slightly eager smile on her face. 

“I mean, I haven’t exactly done anything like that before,” she qualifies. “But I can’t say it doesn’t interest me! Would it just be a sort of vlog format, or do you have an additional idea? I’m down for most things, I’ll try anything once.”

"That's alright; a lot of people haven't," Chanel reassures. "The simplest way would be a vlog - or a challenge, if you're into those too! Like... like... eat as many spicy ramen noodles as you can: the challenge!" She wears a triumphant expression as she unveils her definitely unexpected and innovative idea.

Bex shoves down the instinct she has to balk at that prospect, definitely not wanting to be seen by prospective clients red in the face and struggling to talk. She hums thoughtfully, as if considering it. “I like the idea of a challenge,” she says with a nod. “Have you done many of those yourself? I can imagine the spicy one would be a little tricky.”

"I've tried other challenges, but I think spicy foods would be too much for me to eat on my own. My tolerance isn't the greatest," Chanel admits, her whole body practically drooping. However, this doesn't dissuade her from mulling over the possibilities of alternative trendy challenges she had seen online. "There are others we could try after dinner, like how many venues we could hop!"

She stifles a fond laugh at how Chanel seems to exude disappointment from slight discouragement, only to pick right back up again with her next video idea. It’s a little endearing. This video idea most definitely seemed more up Bex’s alley though. It also sounded a bit like a continuation of the date, which Bex was more than willing to go along with. If they were venue hopping, that was also an additional chance to see the potential cash to be made off this arrangement. If videos were worth going to more expensive places, it definitely would be a lucrative arrangement. 

“That one sounds pretty fun,” she says encouragingly. “There’s a lot of good venues in this area, I’d think. It’d also be sort of like a life vlog, wouldn’t it?”

"Mhm, it would fit into the categories of both life vlogging and challenges," Chanel chirps with a smile. How kind of her date to run with her proposals; it only helps her continue to believe the night will unfold better than her initial expectations. She gets another idea - one that is mostly for her benefit, really - and quickly brings it up next. "If you're fine with that, we could stick to smaller samples from the menus so that we can see what each place has to offer. The appetizers here are great."

 “Sounds great to me!” Smaller samples of the menu would be cheaper, so Bex doesn’t have much of a quarrel with that. But she does wonder just how much that would matter to the bun across from her, covered in accessories that look more than a little expensive. She’s likely doing it for the convenience of her vlogs, but Bex puts a pin in that. Are they a bit of a cheapskate, maybe? 

Either way, she’s more than willing to go along for the fun of venue-hopping and maybe-online-fame. “So how does the whole set up normally go? Just recording a short bit during each venue hop and then putting them all together in a video? Or do you do more longform stuff?”

"I shake it up a little," Chanel explains. She makes a less than savory motion with her hands in an attempt to explain, unbeknownst to herself. "I'll record as much footage as I can, and then I proceed to cut them into shorts for some sites, while I post the long content to other sites! I try my best not to keep it too long, though - I'm not a video essay type of bun." She feels proud of explaining what she does to Bex. Yeah; she's a total self-made, influencing star.

Bex nods sagely at the gesture Chanel makes, actively choosing not to comment on it. “Sounds like a lot of work,” she compliments. She does genuinely mean it, this sort of thing does seem like it would take a lot of effort. It is also a full attempt at flattery. “Well, if you’d be willing to have me in something like that, I’d be happy to be involved with something you put so much love and effort into!”

"So splendid!" The white-haired bun exclaims, growing more and more enthused by the second about their new plans. "May I set my phone up? What's the first thing we should try?"

"Yeah, go ahead! Something small, hmm.." Bex wonders, tilting her head to the side. "Maybe some sort of vegetable side or other light food? Just to start the night off easily, haha."

"Sure! What about the ratatouille starter?" she suggests. She certainly did not ask just because it looked appetizing in a hypothetical movie with the namesake.

She has to prepare herself for an audience although it isn't live, and props her phone up against one of the restaurant candles. "Hey everyone! I'm here with my blind date tonight, Bex!"

“Ratatouille sounds perfect,” Bex says, absolutely having no idea what ratatouille is. Sounds like the sort of rich people food she doesn’t get a hold of often. As Chanel turns on the camera, Bex leans over to be in frame. “That’ll be lucky old me!” She grins wide, and tries to look friendly enough.

This was absolutely not what she expected, walking into a fancy restaurant for the blind date. However, she’s not going to complain about getting the chance to venue-hop with a cute bun that may or may not be rich or internet famous. It’ll be fun!

If Chanel wasn't antsy before, she's breaking into a cold sweat now. Her date definitely knows what that dish is, so she'll have to observe how she eats it to not look like a fool. She musters up a happy expression for the camera, and clasps her hands together. "So excited for you all to go on this journey with us tonight!"

Although part of the deal was for the camera, she's excited to explore the vibrant nightlife of the city with someone who seems just as enthused about it. Navigating through various popular clubs or uncovering hidden gems in the form of small, undiscovered local restaurants, the potential for the night stretches infinitely.