Barrel watched her closely. He and his siblings had been defying undeath since they had the rickety old birdcage elevator, so he was extra cautious with a new guest coming in. Unlike the vampire twins, Agatha couldn't simply turn into a bat and fly right in. The last thing he wanted was a misstep.

When she reached for him to grab his shoulder, Barrel tensed. Was she falling? Oh, Death, she was probably falling! Thinking quickly, he quickly grabbed Agatha's waist and pulled her into the opening with him. He lost his own balance and tumbled backward, leaving her awkwardly on top of him in the opening barely big enough to hold the two of them lying down together

Agatha was surprised but elated when Barrel put his thick hands on her waist and pulled her toward him. She nearly swooned in his arms -- but then they were falling. Like the true gentleman he was, the youngest trickster used his body to break her fall. Not that she really needed it, of course (she was a denizen of Halloween Town after all, and that alone brought with it a certain resilience) but still, the gesture was noted and appreciated.

Agatha felt a strong urge to just lie there for a moment and cuddle her date -- squeeeeeee -- and peeked up at his face to see if he was thinking of the same thing.

Barrel just lied there for a moment and stared at her. He felt his cheeks turn gray as he hoped he didn't just embarrass himself. But Agatha seemed to be okay and wasn't mad, so he relaxed a little and gave her an awkward smile, accompanied with a reassuring pat on the back. Good, things were still going pretty well.

Relatively.

He quickly cleared his throat.

"Um. Sorry."

Barrel carefully pushed himself up and shifted to let her down so he could climb into the lair. Now that the trickiest part was over, he felt better about letting her climb in after him on her own.

Once inside, Barrel quickly gave the lair a once-over to be sure it was as tidy as it could be. His drums were in their proper spot on the roulette wheel, with Carver's xylophone, Lillith's theremin, and Carmilla's synthesizer in their proper places. The guest couches they kept down here were cleared off, with Lock's guitar in its case and gently leaned against a favored beanbag chair. All of their microphones, cords, and other miscellaneous equipment were properly put away, leaving the lair clear and empty-feeling now that Lock, Shock, and Carver were off doing whatever they were doing tonight.

In a way, he was kind of glad Agatha was here. He hated being alone for too long.

"So, uh...ready for dinner?" Barrel asked, once Agatha had joined him.

Don't forget to apologize, he reminded himself. Just get through this, and everything will be fine.

Agatha smiled back, thinking to herself that Barrel was even cuter when he blushed. Then he seemed to realize what they were doing. For a moment she was confused why he got a bit flustered as he sat up and helped her into the lair, but then it dawned on her that, as a true gentleman, he would find it inappropriate to be so... intimate before they even began their first proper date. Right, she needed to be more genteel. Fawning over Jack hadn't worked for her aunts, and it likewise wouldn't work here. She needed to do things in a more refined manner.

Agatha straightened her posture, smoothed her dress and hair, and put on a polite smile that reduced the visibility of her level of interest. "Yes, I am. Shall we?"

Barrel smiled and gestured towards the jagged door at the other end of the lair that lead to Oogie's old living quarters. The living room to the left had their main couch and a stack of comic books on the coffee table, along with a cracked television set that had seen better days. To the right was the dining area, which...immediately looked different from how he left it.

The table could comfortably seat up to six, though it now had plates set on either end for him and Agatha. A few candles lit it up, but the thing that caught Barrel's attention most was the dusty white tablecloth covering it. When did they get a tablecloth?! And how did it...?

Probably Lock, Barrel realized. Shock and Carver were already long gone before he even started dinner, so who else could it have been?

Was he around here somewhere, watching to make sure things went right? Lock never did specify what he meant about "finding something else to do." Barrel quickly looked for places his older brother could be hiding, but so far as he could tell, the little devil was nowhere in sight. Before he could get too involved in his search, he turned back to Agatha.

Fine, Lock. If this was part of a game, he'd play his part perfectly. Barrel walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for his guest. At least the candles gave the table a proper dark, creepy setting perfect for a good, unsettling meal.

"So, um. To start with, I have some bread and stuffed toadstools," Barrel said, before he noticed the chipped wine glass beside the plate. "And uh, anything to drink? We've got cider and swamp water, at least. And I think a bottle of wine..."

Agatha gasped quietly when she saw the table set up. She glanced over at Barrel, who avoided her gaze and ambled nervously about the room.She was simultaneously amused and touched at this display of his softer side.

She made a point to smile encouragingly at him when he finally worked up the courage to officially begin the evening by pulling her chair out for her. "Stuffed toadstools? Sounds delicious!"

The young witch took a moment to calculate whether wine would be appropriate. Obviously her aunts wouldn't have a problem with it -- they had taken it upon themselves to ensure she had an appreciation for quality alcohol a long time ago -- but for a first date? Finally she nodded. "Wine would be lovely, thank you."

Barrel nodded and quickly went to the kitchen. He made a quick check of the items in the oven, then immediately went to the pantry to look for the wine. They usually had at best a few bottles at any given time. Barrel glanced to the top shelf and quickly realized he wasn't sure what she liked. Red? White? Would it matter? Did Agatha follow any of the long and complex dinner rules that the vampires allegedly did? He heard horror stories from Lock about how particular they were about using the right fork and which wine went with which food. Would Agatha notice or care? Normally, the trio just picked a bottle to share with a meal if they felt like having wine that night, and that was it.

Barrel decided to go with that tried and true method.

Using another trick he learned from Sally, he wrapped the wine bottle in a wet cloth and put it in the freezer to quickly chill it, then went to actually serve the first part of the meal. He dished out two small plates of stuffed toadstools and brought them back to Agatha.

"Wine's gonna be a moment," he said. "I, uh, forgot to prep it."

Barrel looked at the plate in front of her, and again wondered how to do this. Should he move it, or just set the appetizer plate on top? He suddenly wished he paid more attention when Lock gave him a rundown of dinner etiquette.

Just do something, he told himself. You've got a chance of getting this right.

He set his own plate down temporarily and moved Agatha's dinner plate so he could place the toadstools before her. He then quickly excused himself to get the bread, and to buy himself a moment to regain his bearings. This shouldn't be this stressful! Just serve dinner and apologize. By the time Barrel returned and took his own place at the table, he was more composed, and had more of a plan.

Toadstools, wine, scampi, dessert. Intersperse with conversation. Apologize at some point. Just keep it simple.

Agatha's own knowledge of proper table etiquette began and ended at the difference between the glasses for red or white wines and champagne, so she wasn't particularly bothered by his lack of familiarity with the ins and outs of fine dining. So long as he remembered to use silverware, she was content to know he was making his best attempt.

On the other hand, his cooking significantly impressed her. The stuffing perfectly complemented the flavor of the toadstools and the bread was just the right level of fluffy for her tastes. Agatha grinned and started to say as much, then quickly remembered that talking with her mouth open would be very unladylike. She used her hand to hide the little bits of food that had started to make an escape. She prayed he hadn't ntoiced that.

Barrel took his own place and stuffed a whole toadstool in his mouth. He smiled as he chewed and savored the flavors. He didn't blame Lock for stealing one earlier; they were perfect even with his limited array of spices. He looked up to Agatha and noticed her covering her mouth. Barrel quickly swallowed.

"Too hot?" he asked. "I thought I let them cool down enough..."

Agatha shook her head as she swallowed. She blushed, thanking the moon she had fallen for a boy so kind he had let his gentlemanly nature drop to make her feel more comfortable about her own lack of manners. She knew he loved food, but to stuff one into his mouth whole would be a bit much if he hadn't done it on purpose, and thus far he had never failed to treat her with the utmost decency and manners. Well... At least when his siblings weren't tricking him into things.

"No, no!" she said once she was certain her mouth was clear. "The temperature is just fine. The food is absolutely demonic!"

Barrel grinned.

"Thanks!" he said. "This is the first time I've made them, so. First time for both of us."

His grin softened into a normal smile.

"Lock 'taste-tested' them for me earlier. Jerk."

Barrel chuckled.

"But I guess if they're good enough to steal, they're good enough to serve, right?"

Agatha smiled and helped herself to another. A gentleman and humble! She was pleased as a cockroach in a compost pile; spending time with him in his natural element, away from the pesky influence of his troublesome siblings, she just kept seeing more and more of his real self.

"Maybe he should learn to cook for himself, so he doesn't have to steal yours," she commented lightly. "Though I suppose he might not want to risk failing to compare to you."

Barrel shrugged.

"He can, he's just lazy. Same with Shock. I don't mind, though. They got their things, I got mine."

He beamed at the compliment.

"Huh. Never thought about it that way."

Barrel finished off another stuffed toadstool, though this time, he took a bite out of it instead of shoving it in his mouth to give himself a moment to think.

"So. Um. Do you cook much?" he asked, to try to make further conversation, "or do you mostly just help your aunts with potions?"

The young witch smiled as he took a more manageable bite the second time. Yes, clearly that first act of mouth-stuffing was on purpose to make her feel more at ease, and naturally he would revert back to his normal gentlemanly manners once that was accomplished.

She took a small bite herself, this time making sure to completely chew and swallow before sending his question.

"Oh, we can all cook pretty well, though it's not a skill we put into use very often. It's a completely different thing, bringing the flavor out of ingredients versus bringing out their magical properties. But potion making and ritual magic are very big on following directions to the letter, and knowing all the rules for what kind of substitutions you can make without running the end product, which makes us very good at learning new recipes. Mostly, though, we eat only two or three different meals regularly, and they're rather simple, compared to this."

She beamed a little bit and reached forward to take a drink, stopping at the last second as she realized her glass was still empty.

Barrel finished his toadstool as she talked. He paid only enough attention to respond and watched her carefully. Agatha seemed to be legitimately enjoying herself.

"I'm not really good with directions unless I'm cooking something," Barrel said. "Even then I kind of wing it sometimes."

He shrugged.

"But that's how Sally taught me. Know the base recipe, and just have fun with it."

Barrel bit into his last toadstool. Upon hearing that dinner so far was nicer than what she usually ate at home, he had to hand it to Lock that he knew what he was talking about when it came to sincere gestures. Hell, that was probably a perfect in to apologize and get it over with. Barrel tried to swallow quickly so he could do just that when he saw Agatha reach for her glass.

Right, the wine! It should be chilled by now. Barrel tried to force the bite down cleanly as he stood up, the apology momentarily forgotten with the new task at hand.

"I'll get it," he said once he'd cleared his throat.

Barrel quickly made his way back to the kitchen. He went to get the corkscrew first to give the wine a little longer to chill, and cursed his siblings under his breath as he realized whichever of them used it last didn't put it back in its proper place. By the time he located it, retrieved the bottle, and popped the cork to bring the now-open bottle back to Agatha, he had completely forgotten about the apology.

"Thank Death for quick tricks," Barrel said as he filled her glass.

As Barrel reached forward to fill her glass, he leaned in close and she noticed that in his haste to retrieve the wine, he had forgotten to pat his face clean with a napkin before leaving the table. She cocked a small sideways grin and batted her eyes at him.

"You have a little bit of food stuck on your lip, there," she said coyly. "Would you like me to help clean it off?"

"I do?" he asked.

Barrel reached up, and sure enough, she was right.

"No thanks," he said. "I got it."

He reached the tip of his tongue to lick off the residual filling. Barrel gave her an awkward grin, then noticed her plate was almost empty.

"And I also got the main course."

He quickly went back to kitchen to get the scorpion scampi from the oven. Barrel made a quick check of the rotten apple dumplings boiling on the stove. The extra time it took to get Agatha meant they were almost done already. With a frown, Barrel put them into the oven after removing the scampi to let them finish cooking and stay warm in the oven's low heat. At least they'd definitely be ready by the time they were ready to eat them.

Barrel came out with the pot of scampi and carefully set it on the table.

"One benefit of living with Shock," he said. "I get my scorpions fresh."

He chuckled as he dished up a plate and served it to Agatha.

"Almost worth all the head smacks."

Agatha's face fell as Barrel turned down her offer. She enjoyed the tantalizing image of him ever so slightly running his tongue over the rim of his mouth, but was worried by his awkward smile immediately after. Bones! She had gotten ahead of herself again! She wasn't entirely sure how to be less subtle about asking for a kiss. Perhaps it was the eyelashes that had done it? In any case, she definitely needed to err more on the side of too subtle than not subtle enough. She didn't want to end up back tracking all of their progress, after all.

She thanked him politely as he brought her the next course, distracted by her calculations.

Barrel dished up his own plate, poured himself a glass of wine, and took his seat again. He took a few bites before he realized the mood had deflated a bit, that Agatha suddenly seemed quieter. Barrel awkwardly finished chewing. He hoped he hadn't messed anything up.

"Is, um...everything okay?" he asked.

Agatha blinked a few times and quickly shook herself out of her reverie.

"No, I'm fine. I just, um... I want to make sure I do things right. I don't want to... ruin things." She almost continued, but then slammed her mouth shut again and looked down at her plate. If would defintely be too up-front if she added, I really want this date to go well.