Over a Starlit Tide [Vanyel/Violet]

Violet was home after her interview, planning to tell Vanyel all about it when he got back, but something was feeling… off. To distract herself, she began doing the dishes and even thought to try and make one of the bigger recipes Vanyel taught her, but on her own. As she was getting things out and ready to go, a little jingle rang out from her phone and she went to check a message from Vanyel.

[6:42:05] Out of my meeting! Sorry it took so long, but, everything's okay. Making a stop on the way, meet me at the beach where we met.

'This... is new...' Violet thought, staring curiously at the message for a few seconds, analyzing and dissecting every possible meaning of this. 'Where is he stopping? Why are we going to the beach? It's a little late, so it'll be co-... What if everything is not okay? Did something? The meeting was with that Lilith woman, right?!'

Slipping into some shoes real quickly, Violet snatched her hoodie off the hook, grabbed the hat she always wore now, and then hurried out the door, barely remembering to lock up and slid the keys in her pajama shorts... 'Should I ch-... No!' Violet didn't care. She hurried her way to the beach, knowing it was going to be about a ten minute run there. Yes, a run... And by the time she got there, she was out of breath and wiping sweat off her face with the sleeves of her sweater.

Thankfully, he managed to get to the dry-cleaner's before it closed. Before he made his way to the beach, he changed into the outfit, his best suit. Dark, oceanic blue jacket with a plaid interior, matching pants, a white dress shirt underneath, and black dress shoes. He was one who usually took to formal wear whenever he was working, but, for a night like this, it was certainly unorthodox, and unquestionably a different outfit compared to what he left the house in.

Everything was set up, and he hoped that everything would stay as perfect as he could get it. He did a once-over on himself and the setup across the pier, before taking in a sharp breath to calm himself, turning to the sound of someone running, seeing Violet out of breath and wiping sweat off her face. He waved her over, a wide smile and excited look on his face, illuminated by something behind him.

"Vi, over here!"

Upon walking over to him, Violet would see what was causing the light: a series of Chinese paper lanterns in the water on the side of the boardwalk, trailing all the way to the pier, as well as lining the posts of the boardwalk itself, all perfectly complimented by the setting sun. The pier itself had a simple table, a white tablecloth, two chairs set side-by-side, and a very obvious setup for dinner.

A small shack was also on the pier next to the dinner setup, which, given that he could see she was in her pajamas, she'd likely need it soon. Vanyel rocked back and forth on his heels, bearing a sheepish smile and a light red to his complexion.

"Um...surprise."

Violet's eyes fell on Vanyel when she caught the sound of his voice over the ocean waves and saw the white of his hair under the darkening sky. She walked at a brisk pace up the wooden ramp that led to the pier, nervously reaching him and coming to a stop when she took in the scene before her. The pier was lined with lit, beautiful paper lanterns that were giving the ocean a soft golden glow as the fire within them flickered, the normal venue lighting clearly turned off.

Violet was stunned, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes lingered on Vanyel for too long. It didn't matter whether it was the sunset, the lanterns, or the suit didn't matter. Violet was entranced by him, so much so that she could not find a single word to stay, and she stood silent, still... and very under-dressed.

"I-I..." Violet's eyes wandered over the scene again, heart racing. This was out of a movie or a book. This was beautiful and intimate... and romantic. Her hands wandered up to her face, covering her face, a clear showing of her surprise. "Y-You look... amazing..." Violet said, closing the front of her jacket and holding the zipper closed with tight fingers. "Is... Is all this... um... for us?" she hoped...

At first, her not saying anything worried him. In all fairness, he was...probably overdoing it a lot right now. But, he didn't care. Part of Kenichi had sort of rubbed off on him, and, when it came to dealings of the heart, displays as grand as this felt...right. All the while still, he couldn't stop smiling at her, chuckling softly as she started to bring her hands to her face.

Gently, he cupped her hands and brought them back down to her sides. Then, the question he knew would be asked was said, and, without much delay, he nodded, releasing her hands to rub the side of his neck.

"You look good, too. But, uh...y-yeah. I hope that's okay...is it okay? ."

His hands had found their ways to hers again, gently cupping them as his thumb softly brushed the backs of hers. Despite the smile and lightly flushed complexion, Vanyel could feel his heart crashing against his chest. Was this too much? Would she even want something like this? Anxieties crept into his chest, causing his hands to tremble lightly, though barely noticeable for Violet.

"I...really wanted to have a special, memorable dinner with you"

Being complimented back when she knew she looked like she just threw anything on after coming out of a work out in the back yard of the trailer park was unexpected, and clearly a reflexive reply. Violet tightened up the grip on her jacket until he took her hands. She cupped her hands around his, just firmly enough that he would feel her nervous tremble as well. “Y-You did? Vanyel, I…”

The red in her cheeks deepened and her grip on his hands tightened with a drop of confidence, stemming from her joy. “You're so silly... and sweet. You should have told me to get dressed first.” It wasn't like she owed anything that could match him, but Violet would have liked the chance to at least try and look nice.

They were both nervous, her for probably vastly different reasons, but that tremble didn't lie. Hearing her stutter and seeing her face turn even redder than his made him chuckle a little. But, despite the anxieties he felt, there was a part of him that was so overjoyed right now. So, as she mentioned getting dressed, Vanyel, guiding her by the hand, gently pulled her along to the walk down the boardwalk with him.

"Well, about that..."

After a short walk, they reached the end of the pier, the table to one side, and the shack on the other. Opening the door to the shack, he stepped inside, with his date in tow. A table sat in the center, and on top of it, a plain box. Letting go of her hands, he gestured for her to open and look at its contents. He, meanwhile, stood by the door waiting to see or hear her reaction.

Violet thought he would let go of her hand as she followed him, but was thankful when he didn’t. She couldn’t help but focus on the lasting touch until her mind was brought to the shack and curiosity took over. Her eyes were drawn to the table in the middle of the room. His warmth was quickly missed when he released her hand, but looking to him, she was gestured to open the box. She stepped up and pulled the lid off, the silk ribbon falling easily to the side, and unveiling a beautiful, midnight blue, form-fitting dress with spaghetti straps, a plunging V-neckline, and an open back. The term “sexy” would definitely describe the feel.

‘I looked at this like ten times that day…’ Violet thought, recognizing the dress from their trip to the mall a little over a week ago. It was part of one of those fancy dress stores that really pretty, rich women bought clothes at. She pulled the dress out of the box and held it to her chest, imagining it on. “Is this… really for me?”

Vanyel noticed a lot more than some people gave him credit for. He noticed every single time Violet looked at that dress -- even just from the first glance she gave it, he could tell that she wanted it. So, a day or so later, he went back to the store and bought it in secret, originally preparing it just as a regular gift. But, then, things changed. He set this up, and he knew that he wanted her to wear something that she wanted so dearly. But, as she asked, Vanyel gave a slightly cheeky grin.

"Well, it certainly wouldn't look nearly as good on me."

He took a half-step back, a hand reaching for the door as his face turned a little bit more red, missing the first time he lowered his hand to find the doorknob.

"I, uh...I'll step out so you can change. There's towels in here too, and all sorts of, um...lady products. Perfume, hair ties, even some makeup, if you want."

He had asked Lilith on what to get before he came, and he spared no expense nor detail. Would it have been better if he had done this at the house so that she could have had more time and a more appropriate space to prepare? Probably. But, he also wanted to keep the dress a surprise, so, pairing all of it together seemed to be the best idea at the time. Nevertheless, he did step out, closing the door behind him as he went to wait outside for her.

Violet’s smile grew and she giggled at his joke. She watched him, a noticeable look of longing in her eyes, as he took a step back to give her the privacy to change. She gave him a soft nod, and as the door closed, she looked around the room to find the many things he had provided for her. She gave it all a quick once over and decided on a few hair decorations, a choker, some earrings, and gloves to compliment the outfit. She wiped herself down the best she could, applying the obvious things a lady needed to make sure she smelled and looked her best. She went simple with the hair, pulling it out of her normal ponytail and letting it cascade down her back.

When Violet emerged, the creaking door gave her away. She had both hands were cupped together in front of her and her head was lowered a little, though her eyes remained on Vanyel. She shyly moved forward, quietly approaching the table, hoping she looked nice enough to match him. She had never worn anything like this before. In fact, she wasn't sure she had received a gift after the age of... what, eight? This was so exciting, but was this her first real date? She was scared to ask.

Vanyel adjusted the collar on his suit as he waited. To some extent, it was nervousness, but, he was also excited to see how she looked in it. He liked the color, and, while he wouldn't admit it openly, the sexy, somewhat revealing look was enticing. He hoped that he managed to get everything that she would need. It seemed so, as the creaking door made him quickly turn around, fingers lightly drumming against each other as he held them in front of him.

Whatever expectations he had when she came out of the shack, she had blown them out of the water. His lips parted, a light shade of red coming to his face as he looked her up and down. As she stepped forward, he quietly pulled out her chair, waited for her to sit down, before stepping over to his and sitting down himself. Even as he did, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I...y-you look amazing. Other than that, um...good surprise? Date night?"