Left, Right, Up, Down

Lavanya’s hooves consistently tapped along the wooden floors of her dance studio, slowly moving this way and as she waited. She had only submitted her blind date application a couple of days ago; now already expecting for said date to arrive. Many thoughts were flowing through her knowing they could step in at any minute. Would her extroverted energy put him off? Should she have agreed to meet up somewhere else? Could she get a second date at the end of this?

Even with all these curiosities, gluttony bun was immensely excited. She hadn’t been on a proper date in some time and had been looking forward to the afternoon. Having made sure to prepare a cooler of drinks, a variety of snacks, and that the studio was absolutely immaculate for today. Ceasing in her movements temporarily to give herself another glance in the mirrors within the space. Wanting to still be presentable despite her light dancing. Taking a moment to adjust her jewelry and smooth out her fur so that she was. That first impression meant a lot to her and she did not want to mess that up in any capacity.  

He took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Finley released the air from his lungs, completely exhaling every last bit as taught in those anxiety apps. His heart pounded so loud that he could practically hear it in his ears. Even with his good looks and charming smile, nothing truly prepared him for dates.

It was all fun and games until he lost the bet with his mods and chat. Should not have put that as a bet. Matentines was just around the corner, so everyone was buzzing with excitement and horniness, including his viewers. They wanted to see their favourite streamer go on a blind date. He laughed it off at the time, feeling confident in his skill, that if he lost the next three matches, then he would go on a blind date. Everyone agreed. Much to his dismay, he actually lost the next three matches. I swear those players were paid actors.

The blind date email gave him the address and name of his date. It also explained a little what the date would entail. He wasn’t thrilled on the dancing aspect, but a lost bet was a lost bet. The door swung open, revealing a spacious studio. 

“Uh…hello?” Finley called out.

Hearing a voice echo within her studio did Lavanya freeze for one moment. Giving herself one last look over before turning to approach the front door. Reminding herself to keep her energy as well as enthusiasm in check; she didn’t want to scare off her date. Offering a warm smile and wave as she came closer to the long eared green bun. Well from what the church informed her of who to expect- he certainly fit the vague description. Oh, he’s so cute! Don’t mess this up, don’t mess this up… 

“Hello! Welcome, please come in.” The gluttony bun politely greeted whom she hoped was her date. Ushering them in gently further into the studio. Leading him to the table where she had set up the snacks and drinks. “I’m Lavanya-” Extending her paw to shake as she introduced herself. “You’re Finley, yes?”   

Finley wasn’t sure what to expect on a blind date. It was, after all, blind. When Lavanya appeared down the hallway, he felt his heart beat faster.  He hoped she didn’t hear, but he gulped at the sight of her. His first gut reaction was to try and be macho.

“Y-Yes.” Damn it. He didn’t mean to stutter. Finley cleared his throat. “Nice to meet you,” he stuck out his paw and shook hers, praying that he wasn’t sweaty.

Lavanya’s beauty struck him through the heart. Her vibrant fur with touches of purple were glowing while the bubbles and fins bobbed with each step. She looked bright-eyed and ready to rumble. He felt like an odd nail, sticking out. 

“Do you come here often?” He spat out a question at random.

There was some internal relief with the confirmation that this indeed was her date. Lavanya wasn’t sure if she would have been able to bare the embarrassment if she had assumed wrong. But if the stutter was anything to go by, he was nervous so she would treat this with extreme care as she was able. Giving a light shake of her paw before releasing Finley and motioning to the foldable chairs for him to sit.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” The gluttony bun said genuinely with a soft smile as she sat down. Having a small quiet laugh at his question. “Suppose the church didn’t tell you; this is actually my studio. Haven’t had it for long but it's definitely a second home to me.” There was a hint of fondness in her voice, after all dancing was one of her greatest passions. Though she was curious as to Finley’s own- not able to give a guess just from appearance alone.

“What is it that you do? Whether that’s your job or for fun? I figure maybe we can get to know each other a bit more before hopping into any dancing- if you’re still interested in that.” Letting Finley know there was no rush to anything or any pressure to actually dance if he had changed his mind. Gesturing to the snacks and cooler should he be peckish or thirsty. “Also, help yourself if you’d like.”  

Her gentle approach made him feel more at ease, until she mentioned dancing. That made him tense up again. Finley could probably make a killer streak in dancing video games by using the d-pad, but to actually dance…

“Your studio?” This was a nightmare. Not only was this a dance date, but the lady he had been set up with is a professional. “Wow…,” he gave the place another look around. “You own this place?” She must be well established to be able to open up her own dance studio. The situation got worse considering his two left hooves.

Then the topic turned towards him, as expected. “I, uh–” It was hard to explain what he did for a living. Streaming was a relatively new genre of entertainment. He figured he should just come clean about it, but not without trying to make it sound more cool than it was. “I embark on virtual adventures, solo usually. People are interested in seeing what sort of quests I can complete.” Was it too vague? Or maybe it was too far from the truth? If he weren’t standing in front of his date, Finley would have clutched his head in his hooves and screamed. What was he even saying?

In an attempt to cover up his nerves, Finley reached for the cooler, ignoring her suggestion to dance in the meantime. “What would you like, miss?”

“I do!” A sense of accomplishment accompanied Lavanya’s tone. It had been admittedly a long term goal she wasn’t sure that would be realized. But now she got to walk in every day; instructing other succubuns that shared in her love of dance. “It’s very recent though; maybe a couple of months since opening?” She hadn’t exactly kept track but knew it wasn’t more than three to four months old at this point.

Though when Finley went onto answer her question, he had her full undivided attention. Tilting her head somewhat curiously due to the particular phrasing he chose. She could hazard a guess at what he meant but she didn’t want to guess incorrectly either. Figured there was no harm in trying anyway.

“So… you do virtual reality and record it?” The gluttony bun hummed, intrigued at the thought. She didn’t have much time for video games though wasn’t against trying a few if she got the chance. Considering maybe dropping by an arcade after would have her date feel more at ease. “What kind of adventures do you go on?” Lavanya asked, hoping to get a better idea of what kind of games he played. “Oh, just water is fine too- thank you.”  

He handed her a bottle of cold water and picked up a bottle of orange juice for himself, then he sat down on the chair next to Lavanya. 

Her guess was off, but he had only himself to blame for that. “It’s..uh not quite virtual reality…I mean…there are VR games….” Stumbling over his own words again, Finley started to get frustrated. He should just outright say it to avoid any more confusion. “In summary, I stream video games for buns who want to watch.” Not that it was a shameful thing, he just wished he had more to show for it, like a whole studio. Whenever he talked about his career, it seemed near-ridiculous to others. The number of times he’s got ‘you do what?’ has made him feel stupid despite the cash he was raking in. People have also thought he was a cam boy, though popular in Burrowgatory, it was not what he was doing.

“So, I guess I go on whatever adventures are available in game format…” He averted his gaze, hoping that this revelation didn’t screw up his chances with her.

It just dawned on him then that he was actually starting to care what this bun thought, someone whom he just met. Wait…this was supposed to be due to a dare. Was he actually interested in her?

“Oh, my bad…” Lavanya sheepishly laughed, just the tiniest bit embarrassed she had guessed her date’s occupation incorrectly. “But that sounds plenty of fun still!” Genuinely meaning her words with delight in her voice. Her imagination ran with the possibilities of what Finley played when his following answer seemed to suggest he dabbled in various adventures. Trying to think of the latest game she heard about in passing, wondering if he would play it or already had.

“May I ask where you stream? I would love to watch some time.” The gluttony bun’s tone continued to be sincere as well as gentle. Hoping her interest would either cheer him up or get him to return her gaze. She didn’t want him to feel uneasy or ashamed of what he did- especially not if it made him truly happy.

“But you also don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.” Adding on softly before taking a small swig of the water. Not wanting him to feel pressured to show more his work if he was that shy about it outside of its setting.  

When she apologized, it made him feel worse. I should have just been upfront, he scolded himself silently. Her next question surprised him. Finley thought that maybe Lavanya would tease him about his career, after all, many others did. He was pleasantly surprised when she said she’d be interested in watching. At the same time, he was scared to tell her because what if he was complete shit? That would be embarrassing.

After a while of staring at his date’s face, he decided that he may as well come clean about this too. “Yea…uh…it’s on BunTube. Channel is called FinTv.” Finley wished he said it with more confidence after the words left his mouth. He straightened up, cracked open his drink and drank it. Why are you so scared? 

Lavanya didn’t know it yet, but Finley was a different persona online. In front of his fans and viewers, Finley came off as an active, confident and extroverted bun. However, in person, he was much quieter and reserved. “If you do attend a stream, do let me know!” He tried to hype himself back up. She was interested in his career…that should encourage him.

On the topic of career, his mind went back to the fact she dances. “So, what sort of dancing do you do?”

“FinTv- catchy, I like that.” Lavanya smiled happily hearing where her date held his streams. Making a mental note of the channel to look up some time later. As much as she wanted to search for it in that moment on her phone, she wanted to give Finley the proper attention he deserved. “I will, looking forward to it~” Hoping that their schedules did align and that she could actually attend a stream sooner rather than later.

“Lots of kinds; though I lean towards more lively and faster paced ones. I like to feel the rush of keeping to the rhythm whether it be solo or not.” The gluttony bun took another sip of water to keep her excitement in check. Knowing all too well how enthusiastic she could be about her own career. “But I know plenty of slow dances and enjoy those too. Would you be interested in trying that?” Keeping the same soft tone before as she asked. Anticipating to possibly move their date elsewhere if Finley declined. Wanting him to have fun and be comfortable no matter how they decided to spend their date. 

He gulped again. Slow dances? Did that mean they had to get close and personal? The very idea made him feel excited and nervous. Although he would like to hold her one day…perhaps doing something lively will loosen up his potato-body. Or maybe it’ll be too vigorous… A million and one thoughts went through the sloth bun’s head.

The silence lingered on a bit too long after her question. He came to when he noticed that he had not actually answered her. “Oh–uhm–uh,” he panicked, “Let’s do a fast one? I mean…I would love a slow one, but like I play a lot more fast paced games. M-maybe that will--I mean–I will have better chances at that.”

Lavanya felt the silence she received was answer enough; ready to assure her date it honestly was alright. Unable to hide the glint of joy in her eye that he still agreed to try dancing. Surprised how he even suggested something more fast paced. Though the stutter had her convinced that they should start slow and ease into things.

“Let me see your steps and we’ll determine where to go from there.” The gluttony bun set her bottle down and hopped off her chair a little giddy. Extending her paw to Finley then leading him further into the studio. Gently showing him where to hold her before stepping backward, to the side, forward, and to the side again. Leading him into a slow dance that deviated from the previous pattern until it flowed into another and another still.  

When she gestured where to place his hooves, the studio suddenly went up a few degrees in temperature. He wondered how much touching he should be doing. Was he applying too much pressure because he was nervous? “S-Sorry,” he apologized as she adjusted his hoof so that it lay lower on her back. Lavanya was patient with him.

His legs felt weak, Finley felt he might collapse. But as Lavanya guided him along, he started to get into the rhythm. It was like a game, just repeated steps over and over again. While he was focused on his hooves, he forgot about his nerves and was swaying to her. It took him a while to realize there was no music. Not that it mattered, he was enjoying this surprise date much more than he had ever anticipated. Finley made a mental note that he better watch what he says online should she appear in his stream. I need to make sure I get her username. His chat was going to be ecstatic.