Old Spaghetti Factory, Mainland, Friday Night

[life_inshadow]

Right, so it was time for Tara and Kennedy to have an Official Date (TM). And to make it extra-exciting, they were even leaving the island. Tara was having an embarrassingly hard time remembering the last time she did that. (She didn't count Azarath.)

It was neat. Overwhelming. There were people out here -- people Tara didn't see every single day. And cars. And a trolley car to sit in right inside the restaurant.

Really, between all of that and the girl across the table from her, Tara was counting this as a succesful date even before she looked at the menu.

"How bad would it be," she asked, "if I just got appetizers and dessert?"

[OOC: For brat_intraining. NFB due to distance.]

Comments

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Oh my god," Kennedy remarked aloud, looking through the menu (and feeling very pleased that they'd scored a table in the trolley car). The semester was over, she got an actual date with her girlfriend, her favorite food was involved... big score, all around. "You have to at least have some of the butter-and-mizithra-cheese spaghetti. And the meat sauce is really good, and-- god, can I just order some of everything?"

[life_inshadow]

"The pasta does look better. But do I sound like an idiot if I don't know what mizithra is?" Tara wondered. "It sounds like a Greek dance, or something."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Halfway there." Kennedy set her menu down and leaned forward, forearms on the table. "It's Greek cheese. Sort of like parmesan, but with a different kind of flavor-- they grate it up and pile it all over the spaghetti."

She grinned and pointed out the paragraph in the menu where it claimed Homer had lived on that particular pasta dish while composing The Iliad. "But who knows? It could have been cheese named after a dance."

[life_inshadow]

Tara read it. "A cheese named after a tacky dance?" she suggested, cheesily. "Maybe. I'll probably get that."

She looked down at the menu for another moment, then: "So when was the last time you were off the island and there was no risk of immediate death? Or, y'know, none except the usual amount. I think it might have been since spring break for me."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

*groan*

Kennedy tapped a finger against her lips, thinking. "Oh, man. Does my Apocalypse class final count? 'cause if not, I think it was spring break for me, too... or, no, when I went shopping for my prom outfit. Every field trip since then has been very, let's just say adrenaline-loaded."

And pretty gross, too. She hadn't been able to completely shake the mental image of Karla holding the maenad's heart; it made Kennedy's expression turn thoughtful. "Is it crazy if I say that makes me appreciate things more?"

[life_inshadow]

"Not crazy at all," Tara said, smiling a little. "It's, um -- sweet, kind of? Like, it's nice to be here anyhow, but knowing how much worse it could be .... it makes it extra-nice."


She reached for some bread from the basket the waitress had dropped off and started spreading it with butter. "What was the apocalypse final? Was it apocalypsey?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy took a sip of her pink lemonade (there had been a tiny splotch of marinara on the menu and she'd thought it said punk lemonade at first, and that had been part of the appeal) before answering. "We were helping these people rebuild after their world got wrecked. It was... pretty rewarding, actually. Nice to be able to actually do something, you know?"

She turned the glass around on the table, watching the surface of the liquid ripple. "Kind of like what Drake talked about all session, too. Making life count for something. Even if I never... You know. Get that thing? I could be okay with that, maybe. As long as I've done something."

She took a breath b"and this is too deep for before the main course, huh?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara was silent for a moment, watching Kennedy toy with her drink. "No," she said. "I ... like it when you're deep. You have interesting things going on, and I want to know everything."

She thought she meant it, too.

"What would you want it to be?" she asked. "If you don't get ... the big thing."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"I don't know yet," Kennedy admitted. "Although I like what I'm doing now, and I could get used to this whole saving the world thing."

Honestly, that was as deep as she was capable of getting.

"I guess... if I can't go out the way I want... I'd just like to go out knowing I made a difference for someone, you know? Saved someone's life, or taught them how to stand up for themself. I just--" She looked up at Tara, serious. "I want to do something that really matters. If I can figure out what it is."

[life_inshadow]

"I know," Tara said, reaching across the table to try to take Kennedy's hand. "And you have done that. I feel so much stronger since I got to know you."

[OOC: So sorry, RL attacked last night.]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy let her have that hand, happily. "Well, you are," she answered in an unusually earnest moment. "I'm just trying to get you to realize it."

[[no worries!]]

[life_inshadow]

"Maybe I have," Tara said. "A little. It's just hard ..."

Her voice broke for a second. "Hard to get everything you heard for 15 years out of your head. But I'm trying. And, wow, talk about 'too heavy for before the entree.'"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy reached out to take Tara's hand between both of hers and squeeze it reassuringly.

"But you're trying," she said, never mind too deep for the moment. "I mean, you heard all of that for so long and you're still the most amazing person I've ever met."

Eloquence was never Kennedy's strong point.

"That's damn impressive, babe. Love that about you."

[life_inshadow]

Tara shrugged a little, uncomfortable with the attention but not disagreeing. "We should order," she said. "I think I want half an order of the dance cheese and half an order of meatballs."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy bit her lip, a little worried she'd pushed too hard, but nodded. "The, uh. The sampler plate looks good." Because what could go wrong with a little bit of every kind of sauce on the menu? "And the extra-large portion, definitely."

[life_inshadow]

She hadn't pushed too hard -- it just wasn't something Tara knew how to talk about when she almost, almost felt like a normal girl on a normal date. But, then, she shouldn't have said anything, and she realized that as she bent over the menu.

"Extra large?" she asked. "Hon, we'll be eating it for the rest of the week."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Neither of them was destined for a normal life. But then, sometimes it was nice just to try.

"Maybe just tomorrow," Kennedy protested. "Okay, well. All day tomorrow. It'll save us the trouble of cooking?"

'Us,' she said. As if she cooked.

[life_inshadow]

"Or the trouble of hanging out in the common rooms until somebody takes pity on us," Tara said, which may have been more accurate. "... oh, hey, did you see Karla's email about the slumber party?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Or deciding where I want to order a bunch of takeout from this time," Kennedy added, nudging her foot lightly against Tara's under the table. "Yeah, I saw it-- you up for going? 'cause it sounds like fun."

Just, you know, lots of people.

[life_inshadow]

"It'll be massive," Tara said, shoving her hair out of her face and seeming like she was concentrating very hard on her soda. "But -- yeah. It'd look weird if I skipped it, right? And her last party was fun."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy distinctly remembered kissing Francine and watching her freak out-- although in retrospect it made sense-- and practically making out with Raven against the wall.

"Yeah..." she said a little vaguely. "Definitely fun. But it's sort of a huge goodbye party for people, so it'd suck to miss out."

[life_inshadow]

"Don't make me think about that," Tara groaned. "Who's left? It's just Francine and Katina, right? And, um, Dinah?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"That's way more than enough," Kennedy exclaimed. "So we totally have to be there. It's like required, practically."

[life_inshadow]

"Definitely more than enough," Tara agreed. "I didn't mean just, like, they aren't worth it. I meant just, like, how many people do we have to say goodbye to, 'cause it always sucks."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." It was still a whole year for her, luckily, and any discomfort there was hidden easily enough by sawing another piece of bread off the loaf and buttering it. "I can't believe that means it's been a year since I got here too, wow. Best damn year ever."

[life_inshadow]

"Really?" Tara was legitimately surprised. "I mean, getting to know you has been awesome, don't get me wrong, I'm just surprised your best year isn't a little less ... apocalypse-y."

Silly Tara.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Um, duh," Kennedy said with a soft laugh. "I finally get to do something instead of just learn to do stuff? Which is just the cherry topping on the sundae of awesome that was meeting you."

[life_inshadow]

"I should have guessed it," Tara smiled softly. "I think coming here is about the best thing that could have happened for either of us."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Got that right." Kennedy picked her glass of pink lemonade up and held it out. "To the best year we could've asked for, and hoping next year comes out even better?"

[life_inshadow]

"To that," Tara said, lifting her own drink. "And to staying together for all of it."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

What did it say that Kennedy didn't even blink at that prospect (or if she was at all taken aback, it wasn't obvious)?

Because that... actually sounded really good.

She let her glass clink lightly against Tara's. "Yeah. I'll drink to that too."