For Wilke: New York Christmas date

[happy_dsign]

Daphne wasn't going to waste the chance to have an awesome 'Christmas in New York City' type date with no expense spared, even if any shopping would probably not survive the change back to the island. She was okay with that, it would still be fun shopping without a budget.

She also wasn't going to sit around and wait for Wilke to come up with the idea. She had a feeling the island wouldn't stay like this long enough for that to bear fruit, after all. Which is why she bundled up in a cute mint green and cream striped sweater, jeans, and a warm coat, and marched up to Wilke's apartment, knocking firmly.

"Get your coat, you're taking me on a date," she announced as soon as he opened the door.

Comments

[happy_dsign]

Daphne snuggled close against him, partly for warmth and partly because she just wanted to. "The Russian Tea Room." She smiled at him, resting a hand lightly on his knee. "It's probably my only chance to ever eat there."

[more_than_that]

"Not sure about that. I mean, I know the Kennishes pretty well after all these years and if you even hinted you wanted to see all of this for real, they'd make it happen."

It was touchy ground, he knew, since the Daphne sitting next to him hadn't accepted her birth parents yet. Not like the one he'd last seen directing a zombie movie in their back yard.

[happy_dsign]

Daphne shook her head, ducking briefly before looking up at him. "I couldn't ask them to do that. Besides, my mom would have a fit if I tried."

[more_than_that]

Because he could almost feel the ice cracking under his feet, Wilke decided the best course of action was a complete and total subject change. "So why the Russian Tea Room? I mean, there are a ton of famous restaurants here, right?"

[happy_dsign]

"Oh yeah, way too many to visit," Daphne agreed, then shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "I'm kind of going for the whole 'tourist' experience, you know? The things you hear about in every New York City movie or book. The windows at Saks, skating at Rockefeller, eating at the Russian Tea Room."

[more_than_that]

"Does that mean that after dinner we're off to the Empire State Building's observation deck?" Wilke guessed, "Becaused I'd definitely plan something like that. Especially if there was a chance a very pretty girl would maybe kiss me up there."

[happy_dsign]

Daphne hadn't actually thought of that, but now that he'd mentioned it she couldn't believe she hadn't. "I think that sounds perfect," she replied, laughing softly. "Even if it will probably be too cold to stay for long."

[more_than_that]

"Dunno if anything can compare to being ass-first on a sheet of ice," Wilke commented, "but yeah, it'll be cold. Good thing you'll have a tall, physically fit guy up there to block the wind and keep the cold away."

[happy_dsign]

"Mmmm. Yes I do," Daphne all but purred, leaning up to kiss him on the jaw. "So dinner, Empire State Building, then...back to your place?" She smirked at him and arched an eyebrow.

[more_than_that]

He wasn't about to put any meaning on that question, or the smirk/eyebrow combo. Not if he wanted to focus on anything else for the next hour, that is. "Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed before leaning in to kiss her softly as the cab slowed to a stop.

[happy_dsign]

Daphne pulled back from the kiss and smiled at him again, then slid across the seat to get out, looking at the unassuming front of the restaurant (aside from the red awning, but there were quite a few of those to be found in New York). "I wonder if they're going by New York liquor laws, or the ones on the island," she remarked to him with a little grin. "Have you tried ordering a drink anywhere?"

[more_than_that]

"I've been to a couple of clubs since we've been here. Ghost bouncers didn't look twice at me, neither did the bartenders. Can't imagine the waiters here would be any different," Wilke said before exiting the cab and holding his hand out to help her out, then waiting until they were warm inside to continue. "You thinking wine with dinner?"

[happy_dsign]

"I don't know, something like that," Daphne agreed with a little shrug, keeping her hand in his as they moved toward the restaurant. "Just want to keep our options open." She laughed softly and bumped her shoulder against his arm, glad everything was working out so well. This was an awesome New York date.

[more_than_that]

"Nothing bad with a few open options," he agreed with a smirk, then held the door for her before following inside.

One thing he was sure of, he thought as they were shown to a table a few minutes later, if this was the real New York City, their wait would have been more in the time frame of hours and not minutes.

[happy_dsign]

Daphne smiled at him across the table, then picked up the menu, scanning for vegetarian and seafood options. There were a few that sounded really good, and she chewed on her lip as she looked back and forth between the bass, salmon and shrimp dishes. The salmon got eliminated simply due to the fact that she didn't know how to pronounce the dish, and she felt a little self-conscious about trying to get it right without being able to practice speaking the word. That was okay, though, the shrimp sounded pretty damn good.

"What are you getting?" she asked when she finally looked up from her menu.

[more_than_that]

If he was being honest, just about everything under the beef menu looked incredible, but since this was her big date he wasn't going to go tossing meat in front of her. Hell, if he really wanted to try a Kobe steak, he could come back tomorrow night and get it then.

And the way his mouth was watering over the tuna, it wasn't like it was a hardship or anything.

"The grilled spiced tuna," he said at last, setting the menu down. "What's tempting you?"

[happy_dsign]

"The noodle-wrapped shrimp, I think," Daphne decided, setting the menu down and looking around the room. Oh, she wasn't likely to see any celebrities, and even if she did they would be ghosts, but this place had so much history. It was fascinating to just look around and think of all the people who had sat in this very room. "I don't know about drinks, though. Should we just get wine, or maybe try a cocktail?" She reached for the drink menu to see what their specialty cocktails were.

[more_than_that]

"Mom always had white wine when had fish for dinner," Wilke noted, "but I can't stand the taste of it. I'm probably going to stick with beer even though it'll probably make the waiters sneer at me or something."

[happy_dsign]

Daphne nodded, grinning as she asked, "Do they even have beer here?"

[more_than_that]

That made him pause and pick the menu back up again. He looked through it, then his face fell. "That would be a no. If I don't want wine or vodka, I'm relegated to theme drinks of the hard liquor variety. Any of those tempting you?"

[happy_dsign]

She hadn't been entirely serious, but it probably shouldn't be a surprise that a place like this didn't exactly have beer on tap. She looked through the cocktail list, reading the descriptions. "I think I'm going to try the Ballet Russe," she declared, setting it down again. "What about you?"

[more_than_that]

As much as he told himself he wasn't thinking about what might or might not happen later, this was one of those decisions that might very well decide the matter for him. Hard alcohol was his fast track straight to stupid.

"I'm probably going to look through the wine list for something familiar. I don't think I'm going to trust a ghost wine steward, just in case he's got a grudge against the corporeal," he finished with a smirk.

[happy_dsign]

Daphne wasn't looking for stupid, but a little more relaxed was probably a good idea, for what she had in mind. "I want to taste whatever you pick," she remarked with a little giggle at the ghost steward comment.

Just then the ghostly waiter drifted over, poised to take their orders.

[more_than_that]

It didn't take him long to find one of the wines his mother usually drank, then closed his menu and waited for Daphne to order before he did. Even absentee parents managed to teach some manners.

[happy_dsign]

Daphne quickly gave her order, still finding interacting with the ghost citizens vaguely creepy, then smiled at Wilke as he finished his own order. As the waiter wandered away again she stretched her hands across the tabletop, leaving them resting invitingly within reach of his. "Thank you for doing this with me," she said quietly. "I'm having a lot of fun."