DJB: Blind Date

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Eilen sat within a diner where she never expected to find herself. The place was nicer on the inside than she expected, though to her, that only meant the food on the menu would be pricier. Truth be told, getting expensive food wasn't exactly her idea of a great time, but today, it was worth a shot. Today, she had a date. That being said, she had never been on a date - a real one, with an actual person other than herself - and had no idea how to prepare for one.

For this, Eilen had groomed her fur more than usual - 'usual' implying 'not at all' - though she couldn't quite decide beforehand what sort of look to try and pull off. At first, just being spunky and fun seemed great, yet a nagging voice told her that first impressions were too important to risk coming across as some sort of social rebel. A part of her thought an attempt at beauty might do her some good instead, though brushing the tangles out of her hair just made it look flat and weird, and she didn't dare try mixing make-up into her fur. By the time Eilen had gotten her hair into its typical messy state again, she'd already considered trying something sexy, and then decided against it upon remembering her slim figure didn't have much to show off. The thought of trying to be cute crossed her mind, but not any ideas on how to make it work. In the end, Eilen had simply settled on tying a red ribbon around her hair behind her ears and wearing her usual vest and kilt with a plain shirt and shorts. Nothing too wild, but not quite ordinary either.

In spite of her indecisive preparation, Eilen had arrived earlier than she was supposed to. She for damn sure didn't want to be late for her first date. In addition, she hoped her date might have arrived early as well. But, as the minutes ticked by, it slowly became clear that a half-hour might have been a little too far ahead.

Eilen couldn't help it, though. Nothing had ever quite worked out in her love life before, given her prior way of life, as well as her fairly uncommon physical aspects. Perhaps a chance to sit down with someone on a pre-made get-together would give her a chance to be better known with someone likable. The only real concern, however, was the other part of a blind date: Having a go with a complete stranger. That bit made her just as eager as it did nervous. The biggest drawback as she waited, of course, was that she had no idea who she was looking for.

Eilen pulled up her personal terminal for the eleventh time since she'd arrived to look at her date's information again. It was just a contact number with a name: Kelviin. Eilen had never known a girl with that name before, but then again, the galaxy was a big place. Perhaps she would be a species she'd never encounter, maybe even something as tall and furry as herself.

Growing ever more eager for her arrival, Eilen switched from the date service to her messenger. She had only sent only one message to the saved contact, just a few minutes before:

>>Hey! I'll be at a table near the back-right corner. See you soon!<<

No response yet. Eilen sighed and put away the terminal. Her ears twitched at the sounds of the diner around her. Growing bored as she waited, she began tapping her claws on the table and nodding her head lightly to a tune in her mind. It wasn't long before her imagination took over her senses, trying to envision various dreamy faces she hoped she might soon see sitting across from her.

A sudden scraping noise pulled her back to reality as someone suddenly pulled out the chair across from hers. Eilen's ears shot up as she returned to attention, just in time to see-- a Wookiee?

Eilen had never seen a Wookiee in person, but she'd learned enough through the holonet that the immensely tall, thick-furred being taking a seat in front of her had to be a Wookiee. She'd certainly not expected this, and for a moment, Eilen simply stared forward in surprise.

The Wookiee emitted a bestial noise. [HELLO!] a translator on his arm spoke aloud.

"Uh...?" Eilen was momentarily lost for words. Was this her date? No, it couldn't have been. The best she could tell, it was a male Wookiee. Eilen was certain she had explicitly selected 'Females' on the dating service. At least, she thought she had. A crooked look crossed her face, thinking this Wookiee must have been lost. "...Hi... Um, excuse me - I'm, uh, waiting for someone. They should be here soon... in that seat."

A few more animalistic noises escaped the Wookiee. [AM SOMEONE. HELP NEW FRIEND?]

Eilen's ears fell horizontal. She wasn't completely certain what he meant, but any 'help' seemed harmless at worst. "Sssssure?"

[GOOD! WILL HELP. ARE BLIND?]

Now that was just confusing. "Uhh-- No? No, I can see perfectly fine."

The Wookiee's head tilted slightly as it continued. [AM CONFUSED. THOUGHT FRIEND BE BLIND]

An awkward silence fell between the two of them for a few moments. Eilen's ears twitched again as she gently tapped on the table again in slow rhythm. The Wookiee looked down and brushed his fur, then straightened the clasp on his small shoulder cape. Eilen thought he might be waiting for something, though perhaps he felt the same about her.

Then he looked back up to her. [WANT DATE?]

Eilen's expression twisted awkwardly. Her tapping stopped, and she tucked her hands between her knees under the table, growing confused and somewhat nervous. "...I am... waiting on a date, right now, actually. Eheh..." She slowly lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

The Wookiee then reached into his bag and pulled out a terminal of his own. [WHICH DATE?]

At that point, Eilen wasn't sure how to respond. She sighed, while the Wookiee turned his terminal toward her and held it over. "Well, if you absolutely have to know, her name is Kelviin, and she'll be arriving any minute."

A confused glance crossed the Wookiee's eyes. [KELVIIN HERE, BUT KELVIIN NOT DATE.]

Eilen shook her head, getting mildly frustrated. "What are you talking about? I have a..."

Before she could go on, she looked at the terminal he was showing her. A calendar was displayed, with today's date marked. Eilen stared for a moment, trying to figure out why he was bothering to show her the-- date. Suddenly it clicked.

[IS KELVIIN MECHANIC, YOU ARE EILEN?]

Eilen's eyes flicked back up to the Wookiee's face. Was this actually Kelviin? There had to be some sort of mistake, somewhere. This wasn't a date with a mystery girl, it was just a Wookiee who had seemed to mix up some words. Unless she had mixed up her own words somewhere, she realized. But no, that couldn't be it, so how-- Eilen was lost. Worse, she probably wasn't getting a date.

Disappointment took over as Eilen planted her elbows on the table and her face into her hands. She'd expected things to be weird today, but this was just unorthodox and embarrassing. Her ears drooped as a quiet, awkward groan escaped her.

Kelviin dropped his terminal and spoke up again, sounding concerned. [OH NO, DO NOT SAD! WHAT ARE WRONG?]

Without picking up her head, Eilen muttered, "I was hoping to meet someone special today..."

[SPECIAL?]

"I dunno, a... pretty girl, or something."

[MAKE NEW FRIEND?]

Eilen lifted her head, resting her chin on her fists, and shrugged with a nod. "Sort of."

[AM HELP!] Kelviin suddenly grew excited. [FIND NEW FRIEND FOR NEW FRIEND!]

The fur on Eilen's neck stood up. "Wait, what?" Kelviin seemed like a very friendly Wookiee, but she had a bad feeling about this. Her ears folded forward, alert but concerned. "No, no no..." she started, "I-- I appreciate it, but I just want to..." She suddenlly realized she couldn't quite tell what she wanted in that moment. She felt completely derailed.

Kelviin's excitement continued, however, with a gesture toward Eilen. [ARE TALL AND FUR!] He then gestured to himself. [IS TALL AND FUR AND MAKE FRIENDS. AM SHOW HOW!]

Was he offering to help her find that special someone she was looking for? Eilen figured it was either that, or just introducing her to some locals. Or maybe he thought he could teach her something. She wasn't entirely certain, but it was clear he had good intentions. At least, that's how it seemed. This translator would take some getting used to if he was going to stick around her.

Eilen sighed. Friendly or not, she really didn't know if she wanted to just follow a Wookiee stranger around on some sort of friend quest. "I," she started, though her mouth simply hung open as she thought about her next words carefullly. Eventually, Eilen shook her head and shrugged. "...I guess I really don't have anything better to do, now." She rolled her eyes and lowered her ears, still disappointed in the turnout of this 'blind date'.

Kelviin clambered up from his seat, his chair screeching back as he did. [NEW FRIEND COME WITH!]

Eilen tapped her claws on the table a few moments more, then smiled lightly and stood up. She was actually surprised - it wasn't often she had to look up to see someone's face. The thought of it was almost intimidating, but at the same time, she felt a sort of a comfort in not being the only tall, furry person around. Eilen's smile became a bit more genuine as they started walking toward the door.

"So... You're a mechanic?"

[AM MECHANIC.]

"That's cool," Eilen nodded. She thought for a moment, then decided she might as well share a bit about herself with this 'new friend'. "I'm a pilot," she said proudly.

Kelviin looked down at her, his head tilted, and let out another grunt in his bestial language. [FLY IN SPACE?]

"Sure do! ...Maybe we'll see each other on a ship sometime." A light skip picked up in her next step. "...So, your turn! Tell me something else about you."

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