➻ steakhouse!

@aaron k。 Lips pursed to mitigate a bashful smile, Sooah turned her attention to her own water. She liked to think she was pretty confident—assured in her looks at the way people perceived her—but there was something different about hearing such affirmations from another person. "Thanks," she finally said after a few moments. "You're right...though it doesn't any less," she added with a short laugh.

Releasing a steeling breath, she tucked some hair behind her ear and decided it'd be better to just eat her sides. "Anyway, enough pity party," she started, spearing a couple of rainbow carrot medallions and popping them into . "Let's talk about nice, pleasant things. Mh...like what we do! What do you do for a living, Aaron?"

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@sooah k。 Another chuckle escaped the lips of the male, impressed that even in this heavy situation the girl was in she could still manage to let out a joke. "Who even orders well done? Kids?" He joked along with Isabel before taking another bite of the food.

Aaron listened to the response nodding his head along, not realizing what she was getting at, at first. He then shook his head. "No! You're a beautiful lady! I'm sure you're personality is just as well. That jerk just can't see straight." He stated before shaking his head. "I'm sure anyone who's been on a blind date has been left alone before though." He took a sip of his water as he leaned back in the chair just a bit.

@aaron k。 "And that's how it oughta be!" the young woman replied with a validated laugh. "Ordering well done should have been a red flag from the jump." His a lighthearted joke, one among the many she can't help but tell to lighten up the otherwise heavy situations she often found herself in.

Sooah hummed in response to the assurance that she didn't quite believe, but appreciated nonetheless, and ate another bite because she knew her salt levels weren't where they needed to be. At his ideal scenario, she idly pointed a finger. "Yeah, exactly. It's common decency," she said before her lips pressed together in a pensive line. "I mean─I get it, it's jarring. I'm..." she trailed off, gesturing vaguely to herself. "It's *different*, it takes getting used to...but I deserve decency. You, though? I can't even imagine you getting ghosted you're like─" Another vague gesture, directed to him with a much more positive flourish than hers. She had enough shame to not outright tell a stranger he was hot.

@sooah k。 Aaron shook his head lightly. "It's fine." He started. "I couldn't in right mind just ask for free food pretty much." He insisted on letting the other pay. "It won't hurt me too much, least I could do." He chuckled lightly at the others comment. "Oh yes, at most I like to have mine medium, typically." He took about of the steak, seeing how tough it really was. Shaking his head.

"Well it's nice to meet you Isabel." He smiled politely once again before shaking his head at the others comment. "No, you didn't look stupid." He added quickly. "Honestly, I think that guy did, if you plan on leaving someone on a date at least wait for the food to get there and take a few bites. Though, I really don't quite like leaving anyone on a date, it's quite rude." He continued. "I offered to come sit with you because I personally know how it feels."

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@aaron k。 Sooah's eyes widened minutely at the offer, her response delayed after having finally popped the cut of meat into . "Oh, no, you don't have to.." she uttered, a hand raised to cover for modesty. In truth, she'd been fully prepared to pay for everything. It was the same song and dance for so many of her blind dates that she was always left wondering why she agreed to go on them each time.

The way the man had moved on so quickly from the offer told Sooah that he wasn't exactly looking for protests, though, so she quietened otherwise and offered a small chuckle along with his. "At least *you* have good taste," she laughed before lightly clearing . "I'm Isabel. Nice to meet you, Aaron, erm...thanks. For this, I mean. I know I must have looked pretty stupid." As she spoke, she lowered her gaze to the plate before her, finding her appetite to be nowhere near where it needed to be to finish everything.

@sooah k。 It was a strange situation, asking a complete stranger if they could accompany them. In fact it was something that Aaron hadn't done before, however the male couldn't allow himself to sit there knowing the situation. Although surprised at the approval from the other to take the seat, he did so.

A friendly smile appeared on his face as the female offered the abandoned plate. "You sure you don't mind?" He asked before reaching his hand towards the plate. "I'll pay for it." He hoped the other didn't think he was trying to mooch some free food.
"I'm Aaron by the way." He grabbed the silverware before cutting into the steak. "Not the biggest fan of well done, but what can you do." He chuckled lightly.

@aaron k。 Cutting through the steak that wasn't nearly as tender and butter-like as rave reviews claimed (suppose it was more of the day's rotten luck, at least it was salty) already had Sooah more irritated than her predictable date. So, when a shadow fell over her and the table, she fixed a glare on the man in preparation to tell him off, but the expression was quickly dashed as he spoke.

The 20-year-old went on a face journey encompassing all the stages of grief in a moment's further embarrassment before offering a cooperative smile. "Sure, why not?" she replied. Things couldn't get worse, so what's the harm? She gestured to the abandoned plate, motioning for him to take it if he pleased. "I hope you like them well done," she added, expression betraying her own distaste for the cook preference.

@sooah k。 It was common for the male to go out to eat alone. He had just gotten off work and didn't feel like cooking for one, so after changing out of his uniform, he headed out. It was nice for him to be able to move at his own pace where there would be no rush.

The male had just received his drink that he ordered and asked for another minute on deciding what he needed to eat, when a small scene caught his attention. A male had quickly headed off towards the exit leaving a girl behind. A date, he assumed. Perhaps things weren't going well. Still, it wasn't nice to leave a lady at a table alone like that.

Aaron did his best to ignore the situation, however, when the waiter brought the food over to the table for two, he couldn't help but want to accompany the girl. He looked around for a moment to see if his waiter was in sight.

"Excuse me." He found himself already up and standing next to the table with the lone girl.

"I don't mean to bother you, but I noticed that your date abruptly left, and I was just making sure you didn't want company." He offered. The female reminded him a bit of his younger sister, so he just intended on making sure the female didn't feel lonely or like she had done something wrong. "Of course-- I understand if you say no." He stopped before he continued rambling on and gave the girl some time to answer.

@aaron k。 She knew that look.

He tried his damnest to hide it—the anxious posture, the fiddling, the way his eyes would flick between hers and the area around her shoulders where her chair's hot pink upholstery peeked out—but it was so obvious, so typical that she could spot it a mile away. Sooah sighed inwardly, a naturally trembling hand grasping her complimentary water as she took initiative to continue the conversation that effectively stopped after names, pleasantries, and exchanging orders.

"So, what do you—"

She's cut off almost immediately by her lovely date standing abruptly from his seat, the scraping of the chair against the wood floors grating and earning the attention of a few nearby tables. She watched, listened, to him sputter out the bathroom excuse before hurrying off in that direction...though it was also around where the exit lie.

"New record," she murmurs, adjusting her low-cut top as a sudden chill washes over her. She takes a large swig of water, lamenting the fact that it's not something harder, while their waiter comes around with their food. mpecable timing. After sending them off with a customer service voiced "thank you!" and "no~pe, that's everything!" she drops the facade for something more stoic and slides the other plate closer to her side, intending to enjoy all of what her money's going towards.