La Fille Sans Armure

## Content Information

Tamzen grumbled as she flipped through the contents of her closet for the fourth time since she had returned home that morning. Did she really not have anything that was suitable for a nice dinner out? Well...she had that one dress, but she had worn it on Thursday, and even if it hadn’t been rather more the worse for the wear after all of *that*, she really didn’t want to reopen those wounds so soon. In all honesty, she should probably just burn that damned thing - she wasn’t sure she could ever bring herself to wear it again.

“Linny… help! I don’t know what to wear tonight!” she called out as she took a photo of her closet and posted it to Twitly.

Arsling shouted from her room "come here! I got something you could wear" Arsling said smiling as she got up from her bed and grabbed one of her many suits from her closet, Arsling didn't really get fashion well other than her own sense of dress of course.

Tamzen popped into the room, wearing an oversized sweater and a pair of denim leggings. She paused as she saw the outfit that Linny was offering. “A… suit?” She thought about this for a moment, then sighed. “You know… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a dress, actually.”

Her phone chirped with a notification from Twitly, and she blushed bright red as she read Xander’s response to her plea for help. She quickly sent off a twit in response and returned her attention to her roommate. “You don’t have anything a little more… feminine?” she asked, plaintively.

Arsling looked confused at the feminine comment, before removing the tie from the ensemble "look it's a suit, you'll look brilliant in it, it's feminine enough and if you want that low cut thing dresses go for...well at least I think that's the term" Arsling undoes the top two buttons.

Tamzen hesitated, and shook her head. “No, it’s not right either. Sorry… he’s taking me somewhere *really* nice, and I just need to look perfect…” She blushed. “Not that there’s anything wrong with the suit… I just think it’s wrong for me…”

Arsling frowned "one day I'll get you into one of these, maybe when Botato makes it royal dress code" Arsling says shoving her suit back into the closet

Tamzen stepped off the trolley as it reached Ambergleen street, and looked around, getting her bearings before heading off in the direction of her meeting with Iva. It was a short walk of a couple of blocks before she reached the intersection with 12th Avenue - when she arrived, she looked around until she spotted Iva Mavros, and hurried over to catch up with her. She hadn’t met the other girl before, but she knew her from all of the news about the Student Government Association elections, and she knew she was a friend of Xander’s, which made meeting up with her to go dress shopping *slightly* less weird.

“Hi… Iva, right? I’m Tamzen… um… that’s No1Erysimum on Twitly.” Tamzen smiled, a bit hesitant , and held out her hand.

“Iva Mavros, I guess my twity is obvious. I was the one who dropped off for painkillers the other day.” Iva smiled in turn, accepting the hand and giving it a firm shake. She was sporting a denim jacket with a silk-green top. “I take that everything was okay with that and all?”

Tamzen’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh - right! That was you!” She smiled again. “Yeah, she’s doing okay, I think. It’s been a hell of a couple of weeks for her.” She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “So… uh… thanks for being willing to help me go shopping for an outfit. Xander’s taking me to *Fantasie* tonight for dinner, and… I *really* don’t have anything good enough to wear there.”

“Glad to hear that she’s doing well.”  Iva nodded in comprehension. Upon hearing the place in question, her eyes lit with recognition.

“That would explain the urgency of that twit.” She chortled, though a thought came to chide Xander on something later, “*Fantasie* is no simple dining, so I can understand entirely.”  She took a step back, “Let’s see what I’m working with..” Iva took a brief step back, and observed the other girl from the face down to the feet. It was only for a brief moment before Iva finally spoke,  “Sorry about that. Let’s try *Amori,* it should be a block from here.”

(Some time later…In the bathroom of Amori...)

“Hold still,” Iva spoke softly but sternly while corralling a hand full of hair over Tamzen’s head.  A smartphone was positioned upright on the sink with a photo of a formal loose bun from four sides, saved for the back. It was a struggle to get the other girl to trust her enough to braid the back of the head loosely, but once that was finished, it was no more hard task than styling it into a fashionable loose bun on the top with loose, but fashionably placed locks on the sides..

“It’s been eight years since I did something like this, with some of my little cousins in a distant part of my family...” Iva spoke, thinking back on her strangely mixed family origins. After some time, Iva had released Tamzen from the chair.  After clasping a matching floral hair barrette, she took a step back. “Sometimes, when in doubt. Go for the classics.”

Tamzen took a deep breath and faced her reflection. She almost didn’t recognize the girl in front of her, hair pinned elegantly back, wearing a navy blue spaghetti strap dress with a cream-colored floral pattern that fell to just above her knees. She rubbed at her exposed upper arms, liberally coated with freckles. “Are you *sure* I can’t wear that really cute cardigan with this, Iva? I’m going to *freeze*…”

“We can buy it, but not for tonight. There is a nicer way for you to keep warm and not mess up such a good dress...Time to find the ideal, but pretty shawl or occasion wrap for those arms. We can probably find a nice necklace while we’re at it.”

Xander stood just inside the front door of Carter Hall, the agreed upon meeting spot to start he and Tamzen’s date from.  No Fae were going to mess with them tonight, or at least if they were going to be messed with they’d be walking into it together this time.  Seeing that Tamzen was going to put a lot of effort into her attire, Xander decided he should go all out as well.  Dressed in a sleek black pinstripe suit with a tie, cufflinks, shined shoes, the whole nine yards, Xander looked a far cry from the usual casual all the time appearance he was known for.  To top it all off he’d even slicked back his hair with a bit of gel to keep it in place, his normally messy locks now straight and still.  He checked his watch, seeing it was a minute until the time they said they’d meet.  He was nervous to say the least, this would be the first date he’d ever been on, and he desperately wanted to make sure he showed Tamzen a good time.

Xander could hear footsteps hurrying down the hallway towards him a moment before Tamzen appeared from around the corner. “Sorry… I just got back and I had to drop something off before…oh...” she started to apologize, breathlessly, before stopping as she took in his appearance. “Oh...*wow…* you look… wow.” She blushed, and looked down at her own outfit. At Iva’s insistence, she had added a sheer pashmina shawl in a cream color, and a floral necklace made of enamel and mother-of-pearl that complimented the hairclips Iva had used - though Tamzen had won one battle, settling for simple ballet flats for shoes - just in case.

Xander’s eyes went wide, and a big smile formed on his lips.  “I… just… Tamzen you look absolutely *stunning* right now.”  He strode confidently to her, giving her a quick hug and kiss, then offering his arm.  “Well, shall I escort you to tonight’s transportation *madame*?” he said, putting a slight accent to his voice.

She smiled and took his arm, “Lead the way, *monsieur.*”

Xander guided her out of Carter and down to his car.  With a flourish he released her arm, opened the passenger side door for her, and bowed.  “Your chariot awaits... *mon amie*.”

She carefully slid into the passenger seat, and took a moment to ensure that her dress and shawl were carefully tucked in close so they wouldn’t get caught when the door closed. She smiled up at Xander. “All set!”

He gently closed the passenger side door and maneuvered around the car to slide into his own seat.  Starting the car, Xander gave her a playful grin.  “Well my dear, hope you’re ready for a fanciful time.  Fantasie awaits!”  He put the car in gear and began the drive to the restaurant.

It wasn’t a long drive to the restaurant, so Tamzen stuck to making small talk as Xander navigated the streets of Night Falls. He pulled up in front of the restaurant, and hurried around the front of the car to open Tamzen’s door for her. Tamzen took the offered hand, and got out of the car, running her free hand nervously along her dress, making sure everything was still in place. As Xander handed his key to the valet, Tamzen turned her attention to the restaurant.

The exterior of *Fantasie* was understated in it’s elegance - as if the place was so assured of its quality that it had little to prove to anyone walking by. There was almost an *arrogance* to it - a statement that if you couldn’t appreciate its exterior for what it was, that you weren’t the sort of clientele that they catered to after all. Suddenly Tamzen felt very small, and somehow *still* underdressed, despite Iva’s efforts.

Xander guided Tamzen through the double doors, entering into a room that had seemed so much smaller on the outside than it was on the inside.  The walls were adorned in various pieces of art, ranging from what looked to be Renaissance period pieces, all the way to modern minimalistic affair.  The tables all had wonderful bouquets of varying flower arrangements as centerpieces, and pure white linen tablecloths covering them.  In the middle of the restaurant sat a small fountain, the liquid inside seemed to be bubbling as it cascaded down into the basin.  All but one table was taken, as very well dressed individuals filled each, dining away in near silence aside from a few quiet conversations.  In a far corner a violinist and a pianist seemed to be preparing for their evening set.

As Xander and Tamzen stood at the front desk, a sharply dressed man approached them.  He greeted Xander with a warm smile.  “Monsieur Crossman, always a pleasure to see you sir, your table is already waiting for you.”  He looked to Tamzen, and gave her a smile just as warm and inviting.  “When I heard you were bringing a lady here tonight, I thought you had meant one of your siblings or your grandmother.  Who might you be mademoiselle?”

Tamzen glanced briefly over at Xander, then smiled hesitantly at the man. “Tamzen. I mean… that is… Tamzen Shaw.”

“Well Mademoiselle Shaw, welcome to Fantasie.  Here follow me.”  He led them to the only open table, a two seater table in the corner away from the musicians, and sat them down.  He pulled out their chairs for both of them, and gently handed them menus.  “I’ll send Rebekah over to take your orders soon, and though I don’t know if you are of legal drinking age or not, I shall leave you a drink menu nonetheless.”  He slid the drink menu to her, and gave Xander a playful side eye.  “Monsieur Crossman however, I best not see any drinks in front of you young sir.”  He walked away to check in at another table, leaving the two alone.

“Don’t mind Frank, he’s an old friend.  I’ve been coming here since I was little, and he’s just always been here running things.  Funny story, he’s not even French,” Xander snickered, “He was raised in Atlanta.”

Tamzen smiled. “Well, he seems very fond of you, that’s for certain.” She glanced at the drink menu, then pushed it aside, instead picking up the main menu and perusing it. When she noticed that there were no prices printed next to the items, she flinched slightly. She knew exactly what that meant, and it was not something bound to make her less nervous about the date. *Maybe I’ll just have a salad…* she thought.

Xander didn’t even touch the menu, he didn’t have to, he knew exactly what he wanted before he even walked in.  Watching Tamzen flip through the menu herself, he remembered that this was probably her first time at a place this upscale.  “If you want any suggestions on what to get, I’m well versed in the menu.  Don’t worry too much about what you order, so long as it’s what you’d actually want to eat ok.”

*Uh-huh… sure. No stress here…* Tamzen glanced through the list of entrees one last time, then smiled at Xander and handed the menu to him. “Since you seem to be a regular here, I think I’d rather let you surprise me.”

“Alrighty then,” Xander took the menu and placed it gently down in front of him.  “Funnily enough I don’t think we’ve ever covered any food based allergies or preferences.  So uh yeah, anything I should avoid ordering for fear of having this turn into a surprise trip to the ER?”

Tamzen shook her head. “No, nothing that I know of, at least.” She laughed. “And, no, it hasn’t really come up yet, has it?”

“No it hasn’t,” he laughed in return, “So probably best to let you know now, I’m really allergic to shellfish, just for future reference.”  He mulled over the options in his head and seemed to have settled on one.  “So, ever had filet mignon before?”

“Not at any place as nice as this,” she said with a smile. “But...yes, I’ve had it before, and enjoyed it.”

Xander gave her a wink, “Well then I do believe I know what we’ll both be having tonight.”

As he said that a young-ish looking woman, who wore a suit that could easily make Arsling jealous, came walking to the table.  “Evening folks, I’m Rebekah, though some of you already know that.”  She gave Xander a quick playful nudge with her elbow.  “I’ll be your server this evening, how about we start with some drinks?”

“I’ll just have water,” he gave Tamzen a quick smile, “Anything for you dear?”

Tamzen hesitated, then smiled up at Rebekah. “Could I have a ginger ale, please?”

“Sure thing ‘dear’,” Rebekah gave a coy smile in Xander’s direction, then shifted her gaze to Tamzen.  “Thanks by the way, you finally broke up one of our longest running bets here in my favor.  So that ginger ale is on the house tonight.”  With that she spun around to go visit another table.

Xander gave an awkward half laugh.  “That’s Rebekah for you, she’s Frank’s daughter.  I’ve known her since I was kid too, though she’s only a couple of years older than me.”  He rubbed the back of his neck furiously.

Tamzen looked at him, one eyebrow raised in a pointed question. “So… are we going to talk about this bet that I just helped her win, or…?”

Xander sighed and turned his eyes to the lovely pattern on the ceiling.  “The bet she’s referring to is one I’m aware of, and it was whether or not I’d leave my family to become a celibate monk in the mountains.  Technically she hasn’t won yet but…” He blushes really hard and gives Tamzen a stare of sheer embarrassment.  “I suppose she is correct that the possibility has decreased drastically, if only due to the wording of the bet.”

Tamzen gives him a wide-eyed, innocent look. “I don’t think I understand what you mean…” she prompted, trying very hard to not laugh.

Xander’s face is almost completely red at this point.  “Oh the hell you don’t,” he blurted out before nearly melting in his chair.  “R-regardless who knows, maybe I will still become a monk w-who lives out in the mountains.”

Tamzen laughed delightedly, then reached out to brush her hand against his. “Well, we have some very nice mountains nearby, so at least you wouldn’t have to go far.” She looked thoughtful. “The celibacy thing might put a bit of a damper on the relationship though…” she teased gently.

Xander, embarrassment giving way to brashness, leaned forward and winked at her.  “Hence the celibacy portion of the statement lying nearly on the floor.  I didn’t say she wouldn’t still technically win, I just said maybe shaving my head and living on a mountain would be preferable to the alternative.”  He laughed, giving Tamzen’s foot a small nudge with his own from beneath the table.

She responded by running her own foot lightly up one of his calves, while smiling serenely at him and giving no outward hint that she was doing so. She looked at her right hand and held it out to him. “So, I think that I should finally be cleared to start fencing again this week - any chance I can convince you to give me a little extra *private* tutoring so that I can make up for lost time?”

If steam could blow out of Xander’s ears, this was the moment it would’ve.  However, he managed to hold his composure.  *Overt flirting* he thought *I am capable of reciprocating this without making an ass of myself*.  He looked across the table and his eyes locked on Tamzen’s, the piercing blues staring at her with a not so subtle desire.  “Well let’s see now, I’m *sure* I could work in some lessons to my schedule.  After all, as you’re only a beginner, we’re going to need to work a bit more on your *grip* and how you *handle* the blade.  Though I must say, you show a lot of promise in both regards, Tamzen.”  Xander capped it off with lightly licking his lips, and giving her outer thigh a light rub with his foot.

Tamzen glanced away briefly, her cheeks flaming scarlet as she stroked a finger along the stem of her waterglass. “We’ll have to make sure that we start early… we do tend to work up a sweat when we spar,” she replied, with a coy grin. “Though I know I’ll never be able to match your skill at *thr…*” her voice trailed off, and she ducked her head, on the verge of losing her composure entirely.

“Well I’m glad the two of you are getting along so famously.”  Rebekah placed the drinks they’d ordered in front of them.  “Here I was expecting Xander to be a bit too stiff taking a date here, yet you’re laughing away.”  She gave them a warm smile, “So do you two have an idea of what you’re hungry for, or do you need a couple of minutes to finish up what you’re doing?”

Tamzen couldn’t help it - she started to giggle helplessly, burying her face in her hands.

Xander tried to hold a straight face as he looked up to Rebekah.  “T-two haha, two of my usuals p-p hahaha… please Rebs.”

Rebekah gave them both a quizzical look, but smiled nonetheless.  “You got it, we’ve got an even better meat supplier now, so I can assure you it’s even more filling and satisfying than ever.”  With that she left to go out in their order.

For a solid minute after Rebekah had left, Tamzen was incapable of doing anything but laughing. It seemed like she had almost gotten it under control, but then she met Xander’s eyes and dissolved into giggles again. “Oh…” she said, as she tried to catch her breath. “D’ you think she did that on purpose?”

Xander, who was struggling to barely control his own laughing fits, tried to wind down a bit.  “I can’t tell, it’d be really on… hahaha… on brand for her.  But I can’t tell how much of that she heard.”

“We...ahh…” she rubbed tears of laughter out of her eyes. “Maybe we should quit while we still have some semblance of dignity.” She grinned at him. “I’d hate to get you banned from your favorite restaurant.”

“D-Don’t worry, this is exactly why we’re in the corner away from the stiffs.”  Xander motioned around them, “Sound kinda gets trapped over here cause there’s a vent above us.  It’s the perfect place for our type of tomfoolery.  Besides, Frank would never ban me, I’m like his best customer.”  Xander, finally completely over his laughing fit, once more took in Tamzen’s outfit.  In her fit of laughter the shawl she was wearing had slipped down one shoulder.  He focused there first, her pale skin as delicate and wonderful as ever.  Then, slowly, he took in the rest of her.  In the light of the restaurant, with the musicians beginning to play in the background, she was angelic to him.  “Tamzen, I don’t know if I’ve already said this, but if I have it really bears repeating, you look so amazing tonight.  I’m in awe that you’d put in all the time and effort to look this wonderful… for me.  Granted you did this for you too, what with where we are and everything… but, you make me feel really special, is I guess where I was headed with that.”

She blushed again, reaching up to brush a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Th-thanks. Although, you should really thank Iva for coming to the rescue.”

“Well, I suppose I can thank her by making sure she wins the election, but that was my goal anyways so…. Regardless, Iva may have put this outfit together, but you’re the one who went out of her way to seek help for it.  It means you cared about how you looked tonight, which makes me feel like you care about… ah and I’m rambling again… if only I could win some sort of award for that.”  Xander starts twiddling his thumbs.  “What I’m trying to say is thank you.  I’m already having a wonderful time, and I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else right now.”

She smiled, and rested her hand on his. “I’m having a very good time, too…” she assured him. Then she gave him a sly look. “But for future reference? If your girlfriend is freaking out about what to wear to a date on social media? *Pretend you don’t see it.*”

“Duly noted,” Xander tapped the side of his head, “Hear that brain, file that under *don’t ever do again*.”  Xander playfully pauses a second, then looks back to Tamzen.  “Alright that’s been permanently saved, sorry it took so long, I’m running on an outdated OS if you couldn’t tell.”

She laughed softly and took a drink of her ginger ale. “In all seriousness, it’s nice to actually have a chance to go out with you… I’m really enjoying this.”

At that moment Rebekah returned, two plates steaming hot, and laid them in front of the two.  The meat looked elegant and refined, with the sides all looking equally delicately prepared.  “Alright you two, *bon appetit*.”