[IC] Moon's Tale (DrivingPark x HylianRose)

[HylianRose]

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his. What was with this guy? He was so sweet and she just didn't know what to do with herself. This was the weirdest day of life and for some reason she never wanted it to end. She felt like tomorrow everything would go back to normal and this guy would just return to whatever dream world he came from.

She shook her head and smiled up at him. "Yes, way." She replied, feeling a bit shy.

"Anyway, yes. I'm.. fine. Just my pride is a bit bruised as always." She told him, standing up and brushing the sand off of her clothes and... tongue. Once done, she stood in front of him and smiled. "There's no reason for you to be so upset. I just tripped over my own feet. It wasn't your fault, Mr. Life guard." She teased, trying to get her bearings again. She walked over to her things and picked them up and then walked back to Lucas. "Anyway, it's late. I... I really should go back to my apartment and get something to eat. I have to get up early and go back to work tomorrow." She told him.

No, Liar... you don't want to leave this... handsome dream guy.

She shook her head and smiled up at him. "It was nice meeting you Lucas!" She shouted, holding out her hand for him to shake, her smile so wide it forced her eyes closed.

[Driving Park]

Dude. Offer to walk her home. It's the perfect chance.

Are you serious? No way! This wasn't even a date, and she scrammed at my first hint of affection. You're an idiot.

I'm an idiot? You're the one who said that stupid compliment.

We both said that stupid compliment, you jerk. We're the same person.

Oh right. Dang it. ...well it was your idea!

Oh, like yours are so great.

You'd better believe they a-

The Noodle Incident. Care to explain that one?

I...I hate you.

Thought so.

"Well, ok, if you're sure you're fine," he responded to her assurance that she was fine.

Lucas looked at the darkening sky. He wanted to keep talking to this girl, but she had to get up early for work, and he didn't. He wracked his brain for a way to stay in contact with her. Asking for her number, too creepy. Offering to walk her home, too soon. He could...wait.

"Maybe I'll stop by the coffee shop tomorrow," he said. He almost said "Just for you," but bit his tongue. It was too early for that sort of thing.

"OW!" he suddenly exclaimed, and then looked embarrassed at Claire. "Sorry...I bit my tongue."

He took her hand and shook it firmly. "It was really nice to meet you too, Claire," he said, smiling warmly. Her huge, eye-closing smile was the cutest thing he'd seen in a long time. "...y-you know, I could walk with you until I have to turn off to go to my own place," he added quickly, basically blabbering.

That smile had killed him. Killed him dead.

[HylianRose]

She opened her eyes, her warm smile still there and nodded her head. "I don't see why not, Lucas." She told him. "And... I'd love to see you at the coffee shop. It'd be a nice break from my day. You should come by around noon. That's my off time." She told him as she turned toward her apartment. She walked a little bit and then turned to look at Lucas. "Coming?" She asked, winking at him.

Where the hell did that come from?

She turned back, her cheeks red again. It was a roller coaster kind of evening. She wanted to keep talk to him but she had no idea what to talk to him about. "W-What kind of.. coffee do you like?" She asked without turning around, her cheeks still red from winking at him. Where had that come from? She didn't know. She felt like she was trying to hard but she also felt like if she didn't she'd miss it. This guy felt like a dream... Ugh...

[Driving Park]

Lucas' world was turned completely upside down.

Claire had winked at him.

Dude. DUDE. Can you say GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Not now. I'm too busy freaking out.

He freaked out by standing still twitching, trying to decipher what on Earth had just happened. But then he realized she was over there, so he practically sprinted to get back next to her.

Now, he was really flustered.

The barely coherent babbling continued. "Coffee? Uhhh, well, I uh, I like...I like nut. Hazelnut." He hoped she wouldn't notice his blushing in light of him noticing hers...she'd probably notice.

Okay, pull yourself together dude.

She WINKED at me.

Yes, good, you can use your eyes. Pull yourself together.

It was a WINK! A full on wink, right after she asked "Coming?" to the direction of her apartment! I just...I...

Pull it together man. Do you realize what this is?

A dream?

No, stupid. It's a big chance.

But what do I do?!

...really dude? You're not 12. You know exactly what to do. Not what you're currently doing.

At this point Lucas' cheeks were no longer red. He had his hand on the back of his head, and was attempting - and mostly failing - to act normal.

He asked her an odd question, speaking softly and uncertainly. "Hey...was that a...a wink?"

[HylianRose]

She smiled, listening to him answer his question. Hazelnut? Hm... An interesting choice. She chuckled to herself and kept walking, her mind far away from the wink from before. Well, it was until Lucas asked about it. She blinked, stopping in her tracks.

"I uh... I..." She stuttered, her cheeks turning a bright red again. "I don't know..." She mumbled and then continued walking, a bit faster than before.

Smooth. You're a smooth cookie, Claire.

She took in a deep breath as she walked, trying to get herself together. This guy being around her made her do things she wouldn't normally do, like wink at guys while she led them closer to her apartment.

Gahhhh! Why am I so stupid?!

She was sending him very mixed signals and it would only get worse. She'd already hinted that something might happen but she didn't want anything to happen. She really didn't. They'd only meet today, she wasn't about to bring him up to her apartment. No, she'd let him walk her to the building and then she'd say her goodbyes. Until next time. There... would be a next time right?

[Driving Park]

Why'd you even ask that? Sometimes, I really question your intelligence.

Sometimes?

Good point.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, having calmed himself down a bit. He noticed her nervous reaction and wanted to make it less...awkward. He kept up with her increased walking pace, and soon he reached his "exit", much to his own disappointment. The sidewalk split off into two paths, and his was one to the right.

"Well...this is my exit. My apartment's over there," he said, pointing over to his building. "So, I guess...see you tomorrow?" he asked, sounding almost depressed. He didn't want to leave and go back to his humdrum life, coffee shop or not. For all he cared, this night could go on forever. Well...so long as nothing else awkward happened. "...Noon?"

[HylianRose]

She stopped and looked over at his apartment complex as he pointed to it. She was still embarrassed about the wink thing but she tried not to show it. She looked down the other path to her own home and then back at Lucas as he asked her about meeting at noon.

She nodded her head slowly, her eyes down to the ground.

"N-Noon." She said softly before running down the path to her own home.

---

Time Skip

---

She stretched as she took off her apron, walking over to her little seat by the window. She already had her own little coffee cup sitting over there with a fresh cup of French Vanilla. She grinned to herself as she walked over. James had even made a little cute caramel smiley face on the whipped cream. The guy was like a big brother to her, always watching out for her.

She lifted a hand to wave at James who was now taking over for her. He smiled and waved back before returning to talking to a customer. She chuckled and sat down with her coffee. Her smile faded as she realized something. She looked down at her watch.

12:03

...To be fair... We did say Noon-ish... Right? Doesn't mean he forgot... He might have even gotten into an accident. WAIT...

Claire's eyes shot open as the realization washed over her. What if he's laying on the side of the road dying and she's sitting in this coffee shop, waiting for him to show up, getting angry. Her expression became rather complicated as her brows furrowed from worry and her eyes began to dart from one side of the window to the next, watching for him.

Lucas, you'd better be okay or I'm going to strangle you...

[Driving Park]

Lucas climbed down from the chair as his morning shift ended. It was lucky that he seemed to be never assigned the noon shift. A perk of actually being able to function in the morning, he thought to himself. Plus, he loved seeing the beach open every day.

Looking down at his watch, which read 12:01, he got moving. Fortunately, Claire had only specified "noon-ish" the night before, or else he'd be in trouble. Taking a moment to locate the coffee shop amidst the string of shops adjacent to the beach, he took his bag and walked towards it. He kept periodically checking his watch on the way as he walked at a brisk pace, still sort of nervous both that she was going to be angry/worried about him not being there right at noon and that he was going to see her in the first place. By the time he reached the coffee shop, the watch read 12:06. As he had predicted prior, the coffee shop was exactly a five-minute walk from the chair. Seeing Claire in the window, he managed to smile and wave as his stomach did a little flip.

He opened the door and walked into the little coffee shop, pausing a moment to take it all in before walking over to Claire's window seat. "Hey there!" he said with a big grin. Sitting down across from her and putting his bag down next to him, he explained itself. He had a hunch she'd be a little peeved that he wasn't there sooner. "I got off as soon as I can. My morning shift ends right at noon." Pausing, he added, "So, how have you been?"

[HylianRose]

Her heart started racing when she saw him walking up the street. He wasn't dead and he was finally here.

Oh, goodness Claire. Get it together... You're not in middle school anymore...

She sighed when he walked in, smiling up at him from her seat. She listened to him explain himself even though she'd already forgotten he was even late.

"Oh? You should have told me, we could have scheduled it around you... Not that this is a... d-date or anything..." She began, getting flustered at the end. Who was she kidding? It was a date and they both knew it. "I've been okay... I really just kind of went to bed when I got home. It'd been a long day. And today... It's been pretty normal. James is taking over for me right now." She explained, wrinkling her nose as she motioned towards her coworker. "He's a nice guy. Like a brother to me, really." She explained, putting her hands back onto her drink.

"OH! Can I get you anything? It'll be on me." She asked, getting up so that she could go prepare it for him.

[Driving Park]

Lucas chuckled at Claire's stammer. "If this isn't a date, then what is it?" he asked lightheartedly. He was in a very good mood and was more confident than he had been the night before. "Also, 'around noon' is scheduled around me. You're overthinking...I think," he said, not really sure of himself at the end. "Anyway! Yeah...I pretty much went straight to bed too." He carefully left out the detail that he sat in bed for a long time thinking about her before going to sleep...and sat in the lifeguard chair thinking about her for most of his shift.

Minor details...they aren't important.

You call that a "minor" detail?

...yes.

Ok.

Satisfied with his internal monologue, he turned to look at the guy named James that Claire pointed out. "O-Oh, ...interesting!" he stammered, trying (and failing spectacularly) to hide that his heart had sank when she pointed the guy out to him.

This is going to be harder than I thought...

Nobody said it would be eas-

SHUT UP!

He was thankfully interrupted by Claire focusing on hiim and not James. "Oh, uh...I'll have a cup of hazelnut, maybe?" he asked with a small smile. He didn't really need coffee at this point, but she had already gotten up.

[HylianRose]

"I... I don't know...." She stammered at his question. If it isn't a date... then what is it? Really? What could it possibly be? She sighed and smiled as he told her what he wanted. "I'll be right back with that." She told him and then walked behind the counter.

"Who's that?" James asked as she entered the order area, moving aside so that she could get what she wanted.

"Lucas. I met him the other day and we just kind of... hit it off." She explained, smiling.

"Oh..." James responded, unable to really contain his disappointment. Claire didn't notice, however, and continued to create Lucas' drink. "Where did you meet him?" James asked, leaning against the counter near her.

"The beach... He's a lifeguard, you know? Isn't it neat?" She told James, smiling widely at him.

"Yeah, super neat." James responded, sparing a glare Lucas' way. Claire finished off the drink with whipped cream and then went back to sit with Lucas, not really paying much mind to James. She sat the drink down in front of Lucas and picked up her own to sit down.

"So, anything exciting happen on the job today?" She asked, trying to strike up more conversation.

[Driving Park]

Lucas watched Claire walk over to make his drink...and begin talking to that James guy.

Hmm.

What?

That dude.

Your competition.

Oh, shut up. Not every guy ever she knows automatically wants to date her.

Yeah, but this one does. -wiggles eyebrows-

You don't have eyebrows.

Shut up.

Just then, said James guy gave him a glare. Lucas was not one for subtlety at times and visibly rolled his eyes and shook his head, then giving him a look of "Really dude? Come on." while opening his palms to him.

Thankfully, Claire came away to steal (pun intended) his mind away from James. He smiled and shook his head. "The only exciting thing that ever happens on this beach is when I have to blow my whistle to tell somebody to get away from somewhere. People here are too good at not needing a lifeguards help," he said with a chuckle. "What about you? I'd imagine working in a coffee shop isn't much more interesting, if not for the customers."

[HylianRose]

"The only exciting thing that ever happens on this beach is when I have to blow my whistle to tell somebody to get away from somewhere. People here are too good at not needing a lifeguards help," he said with a chuckle. "What about you? I'd imagine working in a coffee shop isn't much more interesting, if not for the customers."

She chuckled at his response and took a sip of her now room temperature coffee. "Well, surprisingly, my day has been a bit more exciting than yours." She began, leaning closer to him.

"We had a customer come in that wanted some weird drink that we didn't know how to make and kept yelling at us because we couldn't understand him. I'm pretty sure he was drunk." She told Lucas, shaking her head a bit. "And then some lady spilled coffee on her self and we had to call an ambulance for her because she burned herself so badly in... all the wrong places." Claire explained, her cheeks growing red from the topic. "But... other than that, it's been pretty normal." She finished, putting her drink down on the table.

"I wouldn't have thought my day would be more interesting than that of a lifeguard's." She told him, chuckling.

[Driving Park]

Lucas' eyes went wide as Claire explained her customer's "situation" that day. "That's an...interesting mental image," he admitted. "I think I'll go ahead and not have it again," he said, smiling. He chuckled with her as she said "I wouldn't have thought my day would be more interesting than that of a lifeguard's."

"Everyone seems to think that lifeguards really guard people's lives all the time, and that it's exciting," he explained with a little grin. "Let me let you in an a little secret: lifeguards here mostly become lifeguards because it's usually the easiest job ever. You get to sit in a chair and do nothing for hours. Now, when someone breaks a rule you have to angrily blow the whistle at them, and when someone's actually drowning you have to bring your A-game, but on a beach like this it's mostly sitting around doing nothing. The people who come here are usually intelligent enough to not let themselves drown." Pausing, he added, "Fortunately, there's lifeguard certification so not just any schmuck who can't really help people can become a lifeguard. I'd like to think I'm not a schmuck," he finished, still grinning a little.

He took a sip of the coffee Claire had given him. "Ooh, this is good," he remarked. "Thanks for making it for me," he said, smiling at her.

[HylianRose]

"Of course." She replied when he thanked her. She'd listened to him talk about being a lifeguard and she had to admit, it was a bit different from what she expected. Maybe she should go for certification? Claire chuckled and pulled her legs up into the chair, sitting cross legged.

"Maybe I should go for certification. I grew up on a lake. I can hold my own." She told him, chuckling. "Still, I'm so fair skinned. I'd probably just bake out there." She continued, shaking her head slightly. Claire sighed after a bit and looked over at all the customers that had arrived. James was working like a busy bee trying to get them all filled. She'd feel guilty later...

"So, what other things do you do besides lazy about all day in your lifeguard's chair?" She asked, poking his arm to tease him. "I mean, there has to be more behind this beach bum, right?" She continued, laughing at herself.

[Driving Park]

Lucas took another sip of his coffee. "I dunno," he said, responding to Claire's comment about going out for certification. "Seems to me like you've got this coffee thing down," he finished as he briefly raised his cup to her and took another sip. He pondered a moment about lifeguarding and the things that came with it, and the only thing he could come up with was "You do have to become very good friends with sunscreen" with a little shrug.

He chuckled at her next question. "See for yourself," he said, opening his palms to her. "There's not really much more to me than meets the eye...I think," he remarked. "I'm no Transformer."

He thought a moment. "At least there isn't now, anyway. This," he said as he pointed to the lifeguard cross on his shirt, "is pretty much my life currently." He shrugged. "Not that that's a bad thing, but...I need to find my way at some point, you know? You can't exactly retire on earnings from being a lifeguard for fifty years," he finished, chuckling.

[HylianRose]

"Seems to me like you've got this coffee thing down," He told her, making her giggle. Look at him, complimenting her. If she were so shy, he'd be so transparent.

Isn't that the word? Oh, I don't know...

She watched him, letting out another giggle at his joke. "Yeah, sunscreen is kind of a must." She returned, smiling. She looked over at him with warm as he explained everything to her.

"Well, we're still kids right now, right? We don't have to have it all figured out. We just have to pretend like we do." She replied, waving her hand in the air as if she were pushing the thoughts away. "I can't exactly retire from this coffee shop, yanno? Not unless I own it. And I don't think that's something I want to do. For some reason, I feel like there's still something out there, bigger and better, for me..." She continued, leaning against the table. "I just don't know what that is yet..." She finished, pursing her lips slightly. She'd be lying if she said her uncertainty didn't scare her, because it did. What was she doing with herself? Still, these weren't the kinds of questions you had on a date, right?

"So! What kind of pets do you like?" She asked, wanting to get the topic on a lighter subject.

[Driving Park]

"Bigger and better than this little beach?" Lucas queried lightheartedly, immediately holding his hands up to his mouth and gasping for effect. Claire was right, of course. They weren't supposed to have everything figured out, being barely in college. Still...it seemed like he didn't have an avenue for advancement anywhere. He'd have to figure out his future eventually...maybe she'd be a part of it.

Dude. You just met her yesterday.

That's what the "maybe" is for, numbnuts.

Fine, fair enough.

He happily followed her subject left turn, though he felt a little deja vu from the night before.

"Well, I don't have any, as you know," he said, unsure on the inside whether or not she actually did know it. Just roll with it. "I love dogs, though." He pondered for a while, hoping to scrounge up something more interesting than the most cookie cutter response of all time. Suddenly his face lit up. "Oh yeah! I've always wanted to have a dolphin as a pet," he said, happy with his response. "Dunno if that'll ever happen, though," he admitted with a shrug.

"What about you?" he asked, struggling and failing to find a mention of what pets she had from the night before in his memory and coming out empty handed. He sincerely hoped he hadn't forgotten something already.

[HylianRose]

A long sigh escaped Claire's lips as she put her head on the table. "I already asked you that question didn't I?" She asked, shaking her head. She pulled up her head and sent him a face that said, 'Sorry.'

"Still, a dolphin. That's... impressive? Haha. My favorite animal are sea turtles." She told him, blushing again. She felt weird just telling him stuff like this but she figured it was a good way to avoid the fact that she probably already told him about Kiri.

You're so dumb...

She sighed and looked at the time. They'd been sitting here quite a while. She only had a few more minutes before her break ended. "What about you? Dolphins?" She asked, leaning forward again after regaining her composure. She was dumb but at least she admitted it.

[Driving Park]

"If you did, I forgot," Lucas admitted with a shrug. "So...we'll call it even?" he offered a little smile.

The way she blushed at the drop of a hat was adorable to him. During this not-date he was beginning to realize little tidbits here and there of what he liked about her.

I mean, besides the fact that she's pretty.

Aww, how sweet.

Alright pea-brain, what word would you use?

Ravishing.

Ohplz.

"Sea turtles huh?" he asked out loud, interrupting his internal dialogue. "I'd imagine those are a lot easier to take care of than dolphins," he said playfully.

She seemed at least arms-length interested in hearing more about dolphins from him, so he obliged, a bit nervous that he wasn't being interesting to her, especially since she had just looked at the time.

Dude, that's the ULTIMATE bad sign.

Or...she has to get back to a shift soon.

Sure man. Let's go with that.

"Well, I love the sea, as you know. Dolphins have always just been really cool to me, I guess," he said, shrugging. He sounded like a complete dork. "It would be cool to have a real bond with one, you know? Like you get with a house pet. I mean, I assume anyway." At this point, he let his head fall on the table, quickly picking it up and looking at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you out of your skull right now. I just...you know. Beach life."

I am such a doofus.

You said it, not me.