[PRP] Blind "Date" (Nienna x Velma Doo)

[Ruler]

A lot of internal groaning and minimal fuss over her typically messy hair, Nienna was on her way to "restaurant row", an area of the small town in which she lived that contained most of Bone Town's eating establishments. She was huffy, running a bit late as per usual (she was always on "farm time", which was simultaneously early in the morning but late for... everything else). And as social as she was, she really wasn't looking forward to this dinner.

The restaurant she was headed to was great, really - it was settled on by her friend, Allie Oop*, who had set her up on this date - and she had to commend the choice. Yes, Nienna - legendary for being born jaded and over the idea of love, was going on a date. Thus, the groaning. But when Allie Oop, a dear friend of hers who lived out of town, found out that she was moving to Bone Town, the other pony immediately set on wearing her down to go on a date with a mysterious pony, claiming they were a "perfect" match, as if there was such a thing. Nienna knew... absolutely nothing about who she was headed to the restaurant to see. It filled her with all kinds of jitters.

Arriving and bursting through the door rather dramatically, Nienna nodded to the host and set about looking around to see if she could spot her mystery date. She wasn't sure how she planned to figure out who this was, but she did plan to shut things down immediately. She had been completely worn down by Allie Oop and had agreed to go on the date to get her off her back, but she really didn't intend on enjoying it or giving the other pony any sort of a chance. This was to be mechanical and she was to remain aloof. Tough for her in normal circumstances, she knew she would clam up in a romantic setting.

{* Not a real character}
@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

It was very rare that Velma ever left her house. Occasionally, she would have visitors, whether they were fans that found out her whereabouts or one of the few friends who continued to stop by with little regard for her work life. As a writer, she did all of her writing at home. The only times she ever went out were to mail her manuscript to her editor or to go out and get ice cream from the shop around the corner.

Yet, she was out tonight. A fan turned fan, Allie Oop had barged right into Velma's house for a book signing, startling the mystery so terribly that her book's progress was delayed by two months. It's what inspired Velma to start locking her door and caused Allie to try and come up with new ideas to make it up to Velma, each more ridiculous than the last. This latest one, a blind date with a pony sure to "give you eternal happiness!" was easily the most absurd. Velma had only really said yes to get Allie to shut up about it. Velma wasn't interested in romance! That was outside of her genre. There was a reason that none of her main characters had romances in her books. Some of the side characters were married, which she based on her own parents relationships, but it was safe to say that when it came to this kelain, she was certain she wasn't ready for the dating life.

I say that, but here I am. She thought, glancing at the clock in the restaurant. The atmosphere was supposed to be a classy mix between casual and formal. There was a white covering on the table, but it was made of paper, not cloth. The glasses looked like they'd be more fitting at a bar than a date night venue and the paper menu wasn't laminated; it had a stain the color of her main on the bottom right corner. So far, Velma wasn't impressed. And looking at the clock, she wasn't impressed with her blind date either. Allie must have known that her friend would be late, because she'd given Velma a vague description of her. Black with red stripes and a red mane.

Whenever the bell jingled at the door, announcing a new arrival, Velma would look up to see if her mystery date had arrived. After ten minutes, she stopped looking up. After fifteen, she was debating if it was worth ordering something to go and going home. At twenty, she was raising her hoof to get the attention of her waiter, when the door banged open, spooking her and causing her head to turn. It couldn't possibly be her date, could it? Allie wouldn't set Velma up with such a noisy pony on purpose, would she?

Standing at the door, talking briefly to the host and then looking around the restaurant was a mare... black with red stripes. Her mane wasn't entirely red, but Velma had little doubt that this was her date running late. She got up to greet the other, struggling to keep her stomach from churning as she moved towards the mare. She was a unicorn, Velma noticed. How could Allie possibly think it was a good idea to set Velma up with a breed that was known for their magic?! Something like this wouldn't work out longterm, even if Velma had wanted it to-which she didn't. And getting closer... oh goodness, she could see fangs. Did that mark this pony as a Ghoulie or one of those feral animal variants she would see wandering around. Did... did she eat meat? Velma was rapidly losing her appetite, but she forced a small smile and struggled to remember the name that she'd been given.

"Hey, Nienna, right? I'm Velma Doo... I'm uh, Allie's friend. Our table is over here." She said and turned around, returning to her seat and waiting for her companion to join her. "I realize you may need a moment to decide on what you'd like." She gestured to the menu in front of the opposite place setting. "Be my guest. I've had plenty of time to make my decision on what I'll be having already."
@Ruler
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[Ruler]

Nienna didn't have to wait more than a moment for her date to rise from the table at which she'd been seated (for nearly half an hour) to come greet her. And, well, Allie Oop had been right about one thing: this kelain was very up Nienna's alley. Not that she had an alley, really, but if she did...

Velma Doo. How cute! Her name almost sounded as if she were a character herself in some sort of children's story rather than the name of an upstanding pony. But that was judgemental (in the slightest), and Nienna stopped her thoughts after "how cute!" Nienna scrambled to follow Velma, in a bit of a huff. "Truly, it is so nice to meet you, and I am terribly sorry. For many things, really, but chief among those being so late! I'm a farmer, and... we're not exactly known for our punctuality. But that's no excuse and you certainly don't deserve to be treated that way." The apology came out in a flurry, all in one breath, and caused Nienna to take a deep gulp of air after blabbing it out.

"Another thing I'm terribly sorry for is just... this whole thing in general." She gestured about. "Absolutely no offense to you, I simply... I don't date and Allie was so sure she'd found my match, I just..." Nienna smiled and rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head. "She really made it impossible to say no. I really don't want to, ah... waste your time? Although, I recognize, I've wasted some of it already, I..." At a loss for words, she decided to finally stop speaking and allow the cute Velma Doo to say her piece. Realizing she had been making possibly too much eye contact, she glanced down at the menu as if she needed to review it. She was familiar enough with the restaurant's offerings, she just simply didn't know where else to look. She felt terribly awkward about this whole, messy thing.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Velma's ruffled ears flicked in acknowledgement at the first apology. She would've left the table had the mare not apologized. Rudeness was even less of a turn on, no matter who it came from. Velma was opening her mouth to accept the apology and she was ready to badger through the evening and then never speak to this mare again. Yet, when the mare went on, she looked up from the menu she'd been glancing over again, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I...You..." She let out a long sigh, took a breath and then smiled, genuinely at Nienna. "You have no idea what a relief it is to hear you say that." She admitted and rolled her shoulders back. "Allie's... a well-meaning pony, I'm certain that she had the best of intentions for tonight, but I never have been interested in fiddling with romantic endeavors." She waved a hoof, as though waving away the very idea. "If anything, I'm in a long and committed relationship with my work. I tried to tell Allie how I can't afford any distractions right now, not with my deadline coming up..." She looked to Nienna sitting across from her. "It sounds like you've had your fair share of Allie's antics in the past. I'm sure you know all too well about how difficult it can be to dissuade her from an idea once she gets one in her head."

A glance at the clock. Nienna was already here and so was Velma. It was late enough that even if Velma returned home this moment, she wouldn't be able to get back into the swing of writing before she was due to go to bed, so...

"Since we're both here and we seem to be on the same page... let's stay...and start over" She reached over the table and extended her hoof. "Hi, I'm Velma Doo. I have no interest in being anyone's special somepony now or in the future, but I'd be happy to share a meal with you before we part ways." She introduced herself, a second time.

@Ruler

 

[Ruler]

Something in Velma Doo shifted perceptibly, and it removed a great weight from Nienna's shoulders. As the other mare spoke, Nienna found herself smiling and nodding along. Allie's quirks were something she was all too familiar with, and as much as she loved the pony, it was nice to hear someone else having the same issues.

The black and red-striped mare found this to be a great idea. She was already here, after all - why not make the best of it? Besides, Velma seemed nice, and she had very few friends... maybe Allie's persistence would pay off in a nice, platonic way.

"I'm Nienna, and I have no desire to date. Period. Although," she started, "I am quite interested in all this work you're so passionately wrapped up in." At the very least, Velma Doo had a compelling aesthetic. She just looked every ounce as interesting as Allie Oop had portrayed her as being. Not that that changed anything for Nienna, but it did pique her mind's eye.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Folding her hooves in front of her after she lay her menu down and to the side of the table, Velma smiled at the other mare and inclined her head. She was always pleased to tell those who were interested, about her work.

"I'm pleased to tell you about it. I'm an author. I can't say I'm particularly well-known about it, though I have enough of a following to have secured the ability to write more books in the series. That is to say, I write The Beverly Thrills Mysteries, following the adventures of Beverly Thrill and her friends as they embark on solving various mysteries. My first book was Beverly Thrill and the Crooked Horseshoe. I've since written three books since and am working on the fifth, which should come out sometime next year." A busser stopped by and refilled her water glass, to which she took a drink and cleared her throat.

"Are you much for mystery novels, Nienna? Or do you prefer another genre, perhaps?" She pushed her mane back over her shoulder. She knew she should've tied it back in her usual ponytail. She left it long and styled because her editor insisted that it made for a better author picture. She'd had the style for her first novel and Quick Quill had said it struck such a mysterious look that all of her following author pictures would have to be with the same hairstyle. No, they couldn't use the same picture forever. Yes, she had to keep it for the book-signings she was to attend. Yet at home, Velma tended to pull it all back. Some days, she even thought about cutting it off altogether, though she was certain she'd burst poor Quill's heart if she ever followed through on it. @Ruler

 

[Ruler]

The body language of the other mare gave off the impression that she was pleased at the interest, and began talking matter-of-factly but what seemed to be excitedly about her books.

The title of the first book felt so familiar, and then it clicked. Nienna held back a bit of a laugh at the coincidence and waited for Velma to stop speaking before blurting out, "This feels so strange to admit, but a friend actually lent me your first novel, uh... a bit ago... I just haven't gotten around to reading it quite yet. I was wondering why your name sounded familiar. I guess I should actually buy the book next time, huh?" She felt a bit bashful all of a sudden, but brushed past it.

"I actually usually go the nonfiction route; I really love a good memoir. That's not to say I won't enjoy the occasional novel!" At that moment, Nienna noticed Velma Doo's hair. It was long, voluminous, and absolutely to be envious of. Especially considering her own tangle of mane. She couldn't help commenting, "Oh, I love your hair. Although, I bet it looks even better pulled back. Not, uh, I mean, no offense- you just have a really... good face?" The black and red mare laughed and rolled her eyes in an effort to be a little less awkward. She meant it in the most platonic way possible - Velma was certainly pretty - and she hoped that came across. Truly, she didn't want to overstep any bounds and she most certainly didn't want to suggest any of that kind of interest in anypony.

@belloblossom