Lilith [OPEN]

Pink streamers and paper hearts, stalls and couples everywhere you looked. It was like the whole school had been gripped by a new, heart-red fever. Valentine's Day was madness, and if the school had been like this any other year, she might've gone crazy. Somehow instead, by some stroke of luck, she'd found herself sitting across the table from Beata's two-time king, a teenage dream and the secret sweetheart of half the school... or that's at least what she imagined him to be. Sometimes it felt that way, whenever she caught him in conversation with this person or that, but maybe that was just her imagination running wild.

But could she really think about all that, in here, with him? This was really where it'd all started, both of them driven inside by the pouring rain after how many months of not speaking. Right now Evelyn just found herself fidgeting in her seat, fiddling with her fingers, her eyes dart back and forth, looking half petrified and half ready to bolt. Valentine's Day. She'd been dreading and anticipating this ever since the Academy had begun to spruce itself up for the occasion, but at the same time, it was like it'd just snuck up on her. Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day.

God, did she look okay? Make-up, earrings, a whiff of perfume, the snowflake pendant hanging from her neck, prominent as she could make it. She must have spent half the day in front of the mirror, trying to make herself look decent enough for him... but of course, without even trying, he blew her out of the water. How could he be so naturally handsome? It made her feel almost envious, but so grateful at the same time. She couldn't even meet his eye. If she did, her heart might just burst, and then she'd die, and how stupid would that be? She was acting stupid enough without dying, and... aggggh. They'd already gone on a date or two of sorts, but the day made it a hundred times more stressful. Her palms were way too sweaty, and while she wasn't sure she ever looked at ease... right now, it must've been so much worse.

The waitress' cheery greeting made her jolt in her seat. "Welcome to the Café, cutie," she said. Evelyn opened her mouth, as if to say something, but she returned her gaze back to her lap without saying a word. She was tall, young, college-age maybe, with curly red hair pulled back in a bob and a spattering of freckles under her lime green eyes. A natural smile and a cocked hip that reminded her of her king's two-time queen, and even in plain black work clothes, Evelyn paled in comparison. It took her a moment to realize that the waitress only had eyes for Jace; she hadn't even seen her sitting just across the table. "What can I get for you today? You waiting on your date?"

Aside from a few confessions from some clueless girls and a favor or two to a certain school club, as far as Valentine's week went at Beata, he couldn't say that things had been exactly going bad for him. Of course, they were all things he'd never been bothered to make a big deal out of in the first place, but this time around - really everything he said and did seemed to be purely for show; such would soon be the case again for this lovely waitress who seemed all too happy to try and butter him up.

"Thank you, Miss." Jason answered back coolly, leaning forward on the table and peering up at her with a warm gaze. Strange as it was, he couldn't helped but be reminded by his formal Queen as well. Maybe it was the way she stood, or talked, her hair, - or was it the fuzzy pink heart pen in her hands? Either way, this was a game he played for far too long, simply giving the waitress a small grin back. "Something like that, yeah. Why? Are you on break soon?" Maybe he took it a little farther than he should have.

The young man shrugged his blazer on just a little tighter before pointing out a few things on the menu that caught his eye - a warm pot of tea, a warm sandwich, and some treats he liked; including a "valentines" special that was advertised at the bottom of the menu in bright, white and pink littering. Before the waitress could gather her things together to leave, or say much more, Jace's gaze flickered upward - finding the vague area where he knew his date had to have been sitting, taking a moment to notice the way she glanced aside, her hands fumbling in her lap. Bad as it was, he still had to have a little fun with her - and this off-beat waitress too, his smile turning mischievous. "And what would you like, Dear?" He asked in a long, sing-song tune, shooting the winter a small wink. "You can get whatever you want."

Even as she seemed to hide, it was easy for him to see that there was something different about her, then - aside from the fancy jewelery, the sweet perfume, and the make that seemed to only make her blue eyes glow even more. (Compared to the usual natural jeans and t-shirt girl.) That was nice for sure, and she looked amazing - had him staring longer than he'd normally might've, but there was still something else that he couldn't quite put a finger on...

Oh, well. He'd think of it eventually, but for now, he simply had to sit back and watch for the sweet girl's reaction.

Aha. Ahaha. How funny. It really was stupid how easy she got protective and clingy over every little thing. Just a stupid joke, but hearing her breathy giggle in response, sweet as a bell, made her feel as murderous as it made her all kinds of insecure. She sunk deeper into her seat, like she was trying to melt into her chair, but Jace's voice made her jump and freeze, like a deer caught in headlights.

Evelyn died.

"Dear." Just one word was enough of a killing blow, and even though she didn't dare look up, she could feel the waitress' eyes turn on her. "Oh, hi there, hon." She sounded apologetic and added another sweet little laugh, but her voice didn't sound quite as warm as it had only a few seconds ago. "Well, as part of our promotion for today, couples get meals free." The waitress tapped her pink heart pen on her clipboard. "Have you made up your mind?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but for some reason the words wouldn't come out.

"If you need a few moments, I can check back with you in just a sec."

"Tea."

The waitress blinked, leaning in. "What was that?"

"...t-t-t-t-tea."

The grin faded away from his face, a look of slight concern appearing in it's place instead. Was it something he said? That... wasn't quite the reaction he'd been hoping for. It'd probably nice to have seen her blush and look a little embarrassed, yeah, but maybe he'd taken things just a tad too far? Whatever it was, the waitress didn't seem to be helping the situation any. "She'll just - have what I'm having..." He interjected quickly, grabbing for the waitress' attention and offering a quick smile. He kept his gaze on the waitress until she'd completely disappeared into the back room, although there was no particular reason for doing so that he could think of, the same being when he started to stare down at the small decor on the table for a few quiet, passing moments.

He finally managed to cast his gaze her way again. "You look like you could use a drink, Snowflake." He muttered low enough just for her to hear, not that anyone else would be paying attention to their conversation anyways in the busy, love-filled cafe. His tone was light, joking, much like before. "This place is pretty nice in the day too, I think. Although the walk home probably won't be as exciting." He mused, just trying to strike up a bit of conversation.

She nodded, jotted something down on her clipboard, and turned away. "Alright then. I'll get back to you with your order in just a sec."

Evelyn looked up to give him a sheepish, fleeting glance as soon as the coast was clear. "Y-yeah..." she replied with a small smile. A nip of whiskey would loosen her up a little, and things could be like they usually were instead of so... well, nerve-wracking. It was just like any other date, just on Valentine's Day. Why was it suddenly so much harder to speak? Her tongue always had a way of tying itself up in knots, but now she felt almost dizzy, with a dry throat that choked her words and made her even more quiet than normal. "S-sorry..." she mumbled, wiping her sweaty palms on her legs. "Y-yeah... it's... n-n-nice."

Jason let out a soft smile, somewhat uneasy, but relieved all the same. At least he got a little smile out of her, that was better than nothing. For a second, the young man had almost wished he'd brought something on-hand to share with her (her little habits weren't exactly hidden from him at that point), but that would've been pretty terrible of him, wouldn't it? They'd be fine.

He peered down the clearing to be sure their waitress was still gone before leaning closer to Evelyn acrosd the table, a stupid crooker smile on his face. "I've never really liked girls with a lot of freckles," He confessed, thinking back to the girl who'd taken their order. "When I see them, I always just wanna take a sharpie and play connect the dots." Another glance to the back. He leaned into his chair again, playing casual.

Evelyn threw a hand over her mouth, choking back laughter. "T-that's s-s-so rude..." she mumbled in-between stifled giggles. She made a nervous glance to where the waitress had disappeared and smiled broader at him. "Y-you shouldn't s-s-say things like that," she whispered.

The Autumn wasn't so discreet on hiding his grin, running a few nimble fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I know." He let out a small sigh, quite, but melodramatic. His gaze flickered to the back again. It was easy to see when she'd reappear from where Jace was sitting, the area visible just over the girl's shoulder. "You wouldn't rat me out though, would you?" He muttered back.

No, of course not. "Hmm... M-maybe," she muttered back, still smiling. "A c-cake pop would s-s-seal my l-lips, though..."

He let out an indignant scoff, holding back a small laugh. "Is that so?" Jason shook his head in mock disbelief. "You're really gonna blackmail me?" He hid the small smirk on his face. So cruel of her.

"B-blackmails a h-harsh word..." she muttered, resting her hand on her cheek. She was still nervous, but it was crazy how quick and easy he could make her anxiety melt away like that... Right, this was just like any other day. Don't fret. Don't fret. Just stop the butterflies in your stomach... "It's j-j-just... insurance."

The blonde simply laughed and narrowed his eyes at her. His joke may have been ... crude at heart, but it seemed to cheer her up some, and that was alright with him. It was easy for Jace to love this cheeky side of her. "Insurance, right." He breathed, quieting down and fiddling with some silver wear when he noticed the waitress walk by and waited until she seemed distracted by another table. "I guess I don't have much of a choice here."

"Would you like one for now and one for later then?" Suddenly, a brick came hurling at him through the window.

Evelyn smiled, just staring at him and not even looking back up when the waitress returned soon returned to the table with a platter in her hands. Twin orders of sandwiches, blueberry muffins, a warm porcelain pot of tea (spotted with painted pink flowers for the occasion), and their Valentine special: a tiny ice cream cake ringed in cookies and a single white milkshake with two straws. Talk about a cliche. She just wrung her hands, nodding a quick fleeting "thank you" to the waitress before returning her gaze to the plate in front of her.

His gaze, meanwhile, lingered on the Winter for a moment before traveled to the approaching waitress, returning her kind smile as she set all their food down on the table. Before she left, he called the server closer, muttering something in her ear - too low for his date to hear - before she walked away, disappearing again.
Jace finally got a good look at their meal, laughing a bit at the cheesy milkshake. "I've only seen people share those in old movies." He mused jokingly. Flashing Eve a smile, he started to cut up his sandwich. Turkey. Delishous. uwu

Evelyn smiled, lightly pinching her straw between her thumb and middle finger. It was pretty cheesy, but she was a sucker for things like this... She tried to not pay any attention to her lovely turkey sandwich, just hoping that Jace wouldn't say anything. Hopefully he wouldn't be offended, but it wasn't like they were paying.

The Winter was taking a bite out of one of the cookies when the waitress came walking back, a cake pop in hand. Evelyn gave her a small nervous smile and took it from her hands, nodding in thanks. She only smiled back and turned away, back to another table. Evelyn twirled the cake pop around with her fingers, smile widening. "I'll l-let y-y-you off the h-hook this t-t-time..."