[V-DAY EVENT] Something Improbable [Lili + Lukas]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together Bondevik. Bondevik. Was there anyone in London that didn’t know this family’s name? Probably not, and Lili was no exception. She was matched to a Bondevik, as incredible and far-fetched as that sounded. It was almost too unexpected to process and believe. Was she excited? Just a little bit. She was nervous, mostly. She’d help the family’s prestigious head with a few of his many parties by supplying flowers according to scheme, but she was pretty sure no one in the family even knew her by name, though why should they even? Lukas, he was the eldest son, wasn’t he?? She really had to look her nicest. In the end, her theme was red and orange, mostly determined by the hairpin she had only just finished a few days before this nerve-wracking date. The flower was Caesalpinia pulcherrima, known by many names. It was the Red Bird of Paradise, the Pride of Barbados, the Peacock Flower. No matter the name it took, the vibrant red and orange stood out tremendously against the humble yellow of her hair, with long outstretching tendrils framed against frilled petals. She was a little bit adventurous with her dress, but not too much! The dress was red, strapless, the hem of which was decorated vaguely with dark patterns of roses circling around the circumference. The look made Lili blushed at herself in her mirror, so she covered her shoulders with a shawl that matched the color as best she could. … she was way too nervous. Was it even a good idea to sign on with this whole ‘blind date’ thing? What guarantee did she have that it wouldn’t go horribly wrong? What if she did something wrong? What if she ruined it all on her own? She was sociable, sure, but she could hardly make a romantic date out of her most beloved interests. Lukas doubtlessly had much better things to do than humor a girl like her. ‘Okay Lili, calm down. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work. You’re just testing the waters. Experimenting. Seeing who you can meet.’ Reasoned the little voice in the back of her mind. It was chilly when she went outside to meet up with him. She actually regretted the action quite a bit when she realized she had to stand outside in the cold air. She had a fairly heavy coat on, but her mostly exposed legs were forced to bear through the brunt of the frozen wind. She shivered and pulled her coat tightly around herself as she surveyed the area. And carry me away as light as a feather.

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He glanced at his watch. 'Alright, it doesn't seem like I'll be late.... If I was, that sure wouldn't be good...' he thought, returning his gaze up to his surrounding. He was only a block or two away from the place he was supposed to meet his 'date'. The one he was matched with.

Lukas's mind went back to earlier, when he was notified of who he would be spending the evening with. Lili Zwingli. It sounded a bit familiar, and judging by that it probably wasn't a big name. The Norwegian wasn't sure where he heard it before, but he would probably find out at some point.

He was mostly wondering why he even signed up for this in the first place. Out of a whim, perhaps? As if there was some force that made this whole thing seem worth while? Maybe.

Snapping back into reality, he made it to the location. He was glad that he knew the place well and it wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Cremorne Gardens seemed like a nice enough place to be. It was astonishing. Well, to Lukas it was, at least. It was probably one of his favorite spots throughout London, especially if he needed somewhere to hang around when he got into an argument with his father.

"...I hope this doesn't end up being a waste of time..." he sighed under his breathe. If his date ended up being one of those leeches asking for money, then he would probably just turn and walk away without another word. He couldn't do that now, though, since he didn't exactly know what kind of person the other was. Might end up being tolerable for all he knew. The least he could do was wait and see what happens.

Glancing at his watch, he wondered if there was even a chance that he would be stood up. He doubted it, since most people he knew would rush to wherever if it meant being able to be in the same room as him. It got kind of annoying...well, really annoying. Why couldn't they just leave him alone for once?

Sighing slightly, Lukas ran a hand through his hair. He really hoped he wouldn't regret anything.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together Lili briefly removed her phone from her purse and flipped it open. It wasn’t too late, so she knew she wasn’t late. Lukas hadn’t shown up maybe—no, there he was! She knew his face from the photo posted up on the website. Yes, she could see him in the bright given off by a nearby lamp. ‘Okay Lili, breathe.’ Slowly, softly, she made her way over to him. Her heart pounded, gosh she was trembling too! Shyly she pulled her coat even more around her, as if she were hoping to hide behind the fabric and insulation. He hadn’t noticed her as he stood there in the cold, looking around for a sign of another human being. Probably think he was being stood up and then judging her for it. Agh… “Hello, are you Lukas?”

[/b] Lili greeted carefully as she closed the distance between them, standing only a few feet away from him. Her eyes lit up curiously. He looked younger than she suspected. If he was older than she was it could only be by a couple of years. “Yes. Hi, I’m Lili! I had your picture…”[/b]

She smile she gave him was nervous, almost hesitant. If this were simply someone she was meeting, this would be entirely different. But this was intended to be a date of all things. And for once, her brother was nowhere in sight. “I um—I’m pleased to meet you. I think I might have seen you briefly before.”[/b]
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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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Lukas glanced over where he heard a voice call out to him. It was light, very pleasant. He looked over and saw a woman a little younger than he was. "Oh, hello. Pleasure to meet you as well," he smiled slightly. She was rather pretty, he had to admit that.

"I have to say, you have a really nice name," he added, glancing around. It was a nice enough day, wasn't like it was raining. Well, for now at least. He returned his gaze to Lili. He wasn't entirely sure what to say now, since he hasn't really had a real conversation with a regular civilian before. It's not like he didn't want to, it's just his father always shoved him towards other rich people. At least he didn't have to worry about the woman being a snob in anyway. Besides, already enough she seemed nice.

"Compliments aside, I suppose we should get this date moving along then, shall we?" he asked before hesitantly holding out his hand for the other to take. "It is rather cold, so I suppose it would be in our best interest to head inside a restaurant of some sort, yes?" he went on. In all truth, he was probably all new to this dating thing as she was. He usually just charmed, bedded, then went his separate way, never seeing whoever he was with again. Of course, this moment was different. He had no intention of this ever ending with a bedroom whatsoever.

No, he actually wanted to have a proper date for once. Never has he actually had one, so he was a bit nervous about how everything would work out, but over all he was a bit happy about it.

Seems like all he can do is calm his nerves and let things run their course...

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together He smiled! That was a good start already! She halfway expected the elder Bondevik brother to be… unsatisfied with the date he was matched with. She tried her best, but part of her felt as if her ability to dress herself for romantic things was lacking. One could hardly fathom why! In response to his smile, though, hers could only grow. Just seeing a pleased smile on his face was enough to elate her. "I have to say, you have a really nice name,"

[/b] Lukas replied. He looked around, almost awkwardly. Lili briefly wondered if something was wrong and a small prick in her chest forced her to break the silence that ensued after.

“Thank you. It’s a—“[/b] No wait, hold on. Don’t tell him it’s a flower. He does not look like the flowery type.

Lili swallowed, breathing a monosyllabic laugh. “Well, anyway, it’s a name I like so I’m glad I have it.”[/b]

Smooth. Very smooth. Lili just tripped over her own words and fell face-first into the metaphorical pavement.

Lili silently resolved to stop saying things that were laced with stupid. This was probably the first real date she’d been on in a while, she needed some time to get back into the pattern.

Perhaps sensing the unstable atmosphere, Lukas prompt drove the topic into another direction, expertly avoiding the cliff of awkward that lay just ahead. "Compliments aside, I suppose we should get this date moving along then, shall we?"[/b]

He held his hand out, the look of which seemed surprisingly gentle. The way he held it to her resembled a request or an offer, rather than a demand.

Her own hand hovered over his, hesitating for a moment before she finally took it.

"It is rather cold, so I suppose it would be in our best interest to head inside a restaurant of some sort, yes?"[/b] He continued when she had her hand securely locked with his. Her grip was soft and delicate, like the leaves of a flower winding a support post.

“I was just about to ask what you wanted to do for this date.”[/b] He seemed to have read her mind before she even had the chance to ask – that or they were both just hungry. “Food sounds wonderful.”[/b]

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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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Lukas's smile widened slightly when she took his hand. At least that meant she didn't hate him. Surely he wouldn't do anything to make that dislike happen. He didn't know what he would do if his date ended up hating him. It would just be really upsetting, especially since this was his first date with anyone, especially someone who didn't seem all that intent on trying to get something from him.

The Norwegian couldn't help but wonder what she was going to say on the topic of her name. She stopped mid-sentence than appeared to have second thoughts about what she was going to say. He wouldn't try to push her for information, though. If she didn't go through with it, surely there was a reason as to why she refrained from saying it, and a good one at that. No use asking about something that's already passed in the conversation. Besides, it would be a bit rude in a way, no? To ask what she changed her mind about, right?

"Is there anywhere you would prefer to go?" he asked, not wanting to take her somewhere she wouldn't like. Besides, if he did have to choose somewhere it would have most likely been that cafe, since coffee did sound good right about now. Then again, he wasn't sure if the woman was the coffee-drinking type.

'For all I know she might be one of those tea nuts like most people in this city, or she might not even drink anything with caffeine. Speaking of which, how can they not drink caffeine? How can they resist the alluring effect it has? They probably have a similar condition to those vegetarians who swear they can hear 'the screams and cries of cows in pain' from steak and hamburgers, and that condition is just pure bullshi-'[/i]

He then noticed the hairpin she wore. "....Oh, that's really beautiful. May I ask where you got it?" he questioned, referring to the accessory. The flower on it didn't seem fake, so surely she must have bought it from a florist, or at least the flower. He wasn't familiar to what kind it was, but he kind of liked it anyway.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together At first glance from a distance, his demeanor was hard, as if any smile he made wouldn’t have the warmness that it did at that very moment. This one moment at the beginning signaled hopefully that this would be a very enjoyable date. She was intimidated by his status, obviously, but he treated her… very normal. It was comforting. She didn’t have much reason to be nervous anymore. He didn’t even point out her stalling mid-sentence! Inwardly she was cheering. She wouldn’t have been able to cope with it if he pressed her and asked her to speak up. She couldn’t just talk about lame interests like that right off the bat before anyone even asked. At least in the flower shop it was both understandable and expected! “I’m not really all that picky…”

[/b] Lili followed alongside him, going through the names of places through her mind. When she did eat out it was normally the same places, but tonight she wasn’t to be a little more adventurous! She wanted to try something different, just like the purpose of this whole date.

"....Oh, that's really beautiful. May I ask where you got it?"[/b]

“Oh, this? I actually made it myself. The flower’s fake, so I never have to worry about it dying.”[/b] If it didn’t seem fake to Lukas, then that mean she did her job well while crafting it.[/div]

And carry me away as light as a feather.

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"Well, I suppose the cafe will be good enough, yes?" he asked, actually surprised that Lili herself made the hairpin. Well, this date will sure be interesting, to say the very least.

"Well, it really suits you. Red and green go beautifully together," he added, glancing around. For once today wasn't a very busy day out on the streets. Usually there would be a lot of people walking around, but today there was just people here and there walking to wherever they needed to go. It was a bit nice, not having to worry about people bumping into you or worrying about getting pushed over in a crowd and trampled over...then ending up having multiple footprints in your back for the rest of the day...

No, it hasn't happened to him, but to a few of his employees it has. Well, future employees.

"Well, back to the cafe. I know it isn't all that big and spectacular, but it should be fine enough for our, uh, date, right? I mean, it's nothing over the top but it's still nice..." he said, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. If she wanted to go somewhere else, then he would. He didn't mind one bit, just as long as she was content with everything and how they were going.

'I needed coffee anyway... My father will probably keep me up all night with his ranting when he finds out that my date is a regular girl... he thought. Whenever his father ranted, he knew he wasn't going to get any shuteye. They usually lasted for hours on end, the old man only pausing to breathe for a few seconds before resuming. Man did he know how to talk. He wouldn't be surprised if he died during one of those boring speeches.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together “That’ll be fine! I normally go for coffee in the morning before work.”

[/b] Lili replied, breathing in heavily. The chill in the air felt… clean. Cold air always seem to feel so much fresher than warm air, no matter what was in it. It was odd, but she enjoyed it.

Ah red, red and green. They did look nice together, didn’t they? They were complimentary, of course. Opposite each other on the color wheel and thus it made sense that they went to together. It was one of her favorite combinations, since flowers were naturally green. Anything that looked nice with a beautiful stem was easily an instant favorite as far as plants went.

“The dress and pin go well with my eyes, don’t they?”[/b] Lili commented. “That’s why I chose it, anyway. I work with colors a lot. I pay attention to that stuff.”[/b] She felt uninteresting talking about this to him. He probably had a lot of better things to do than talk about this kind of work. It was vastly unimportant.

“What café is it? I don’t know if I’ve been to all of them.”[/b] Lili asked, carefully adjusting her little shawl to make sure it was in place. “I’m always up for some place new.”[/b][/div]

And carry me away as light as a feather.

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"Ah, I see... And yes, they do go rather well with your eyes," he agreed. The dress the Liechtensteiner wore was beautiful, to say the least. "You must be very good at your job then, since you have to deal with a lot of colors, yes?" he went on.

Feeling as if Lili didn't want to say what her profession exactly was, Lukas decided to hold it off until later on in the date. No use forcing it out of her.

"Hm... How about Three Tomatoes? The food there is rather nice as well..." he said. That was an understatement, as anyone who has eaten there would know. Lukas did go there pretty often, since he did prefer Spanish cuisine over whatever the English turn stone.

"Though, if you have some other place in mind, i'm open to suggestions," he added. He was willing to try anything. If the woman liked it, then there was a chance he probably will to. Never knew until he tried, right?

"...Do you have any family here in London?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. Besides, it would be a bit interesting to know, since she might have moved here from elsewhere and left her family behind for all he knew. Her name didn't sound English, that much he could tell.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together “I’d like to think so at least.”

[/b] Lili hoped so. It was usually the bigger jobs that made her the most money. She’d have to have an impressive store for the big people up top to want her, right? “Your father liked y work enough to employ me more than once, so there’s that.”[/b] And then she was left to wonder what happened to all of those flowers in the aftermath. Were people allowed to take them home or did they simply get thrown away?

She didn’t want to imagine the latter.

“Ah—I think I’ve been there before, actually! Yes, I love their food, that’ll be great.”[/b] Hah, there was probably hardly a café in the general area Lili had never stepped into. If he were going to suggest The Three Tomatoes, they probably weren’t going to find a better place than that.

At his question about her family, she nodded. “Yes, I live here with my older brother. Our parents are—well. They’re not here, anyway.”[/b] She breathed a terse sigh. “It is nice here, though. I’m glad he lets me stay with him.”[/b]
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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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"Oh? That's interesting to know. Well, you must be very good then, since my dad only picks the best of the best," Lukas replied. He wondered if she did those flower arrangements he always liked... If she was, then it would make him a lot happier, that he knew. He was glad that whoever went to the events those arrangements were at had the urge to ask if they could take some flowers home. Of course, his father said no at first but then he eventually gave in after a lot of hounding.

He smiled when she said she would love to go to the Three Tomatoes. "Then it's decided, we'll eat there," he said, glad to know that the both of them would enjoy the food. Besides, that cafe had the best coffee out of all of them. The taste was so rich and delicious...once he tasted it, nothing else could compare.

Now to the subject of family. "I see... Your brother sounds like a nice man," he said, not sure if he should talk about the woman's parents. It might be a a sore subject, and he wouldn't want to rub salt on any wounds. If she didn't want to talk about them, he wouldn't bring it up. She would bring it up if she did want to talk about it. If not, then the subject will be avoided as much as possible.

"Were you born in London or did you move here?"

He was just trying to make the conversation last, and he never was one to be good at starting topics in a conversation. In fact, he was beginning to run out of things to say. Hopefully Lili would jump in and start asking things for once and keep the awkward silence that would soon fall over them away for the time-being.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together “The best?”

[/b] Lili stifled her reply. The best? Oh no, no no. She was good at what she did, surely, but there was always someone better. How many florists were there in London alone that he could choose from? She wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t even the only one he employed. “I don’t think I could accept being called the best. I know I’m not!”[/b]

“I certainly do try my best, though.”[/b] She continued, making a small adjustment to the pin she felt falling from her hair. Whoops! Not tight enough! “Maybe you could visit my shop sometime and see what I can do. I won’t even make you buy anything.”[/b] She joked with a slight smile.

And thus they were on their way.

“I’d be inclined to agree, but many others would not.” Lili confessed. “My brother is, uh… difficult to work with.”[/b] That was one way of putting it. She had his own ideas of the way things needed to go and got extremely irritated when things didn’t gto according to plan. Not to mention he wasn’t a people-person at all and if he had any idea what she was doing he’d be chasing down Lukas waving Betty around like a madman. Nice, when he wanted to be.

“Oh, no. I moved up here recently to live with my brother, actually. I’m from Switzerland.”[/b] Lili finally managed to clip the flower back into her hair, and briefly shook he head to ensure that it was secure.

“What about yourself? Enough about me, what do you do?”[/b]
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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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His smile slightly faded. Not exactly the question he wanted, but it would have to do for now. Beggars can't be choosers, so he would deal with this for now. He made a mental note to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Well, as you most likely know, I do have a company to inherit once my father passes. As of late, his idea of preparing me is dragging me to social events every chance he gets. Though, I think I should be more familiar with the actual building and how it runs, than with how things such as parties do. Yes, I suppose going out and making allies would be good, but so is getting to know the actual employees that work under you. Makes sense, no?" he asked.

He doubted his father knew most of the employees on a friendly level. The old man seemed too busy with making a good image for himself than to bother with those he found 'inferior'. The Norwegian just didn't get him sometimes, the man was an enigma to him as he probably was to the other.

"...Sorry, I'm sure my ranting would bore you..." he said after a bit of silence. He probably shouldn't get lost in his thoughts. "Well, I don't do much other than that since my father would rather handle everything..." he sighed. If only the old man trusted him more to actually let him do something more important than to just stand back and let the man do whatever he did.

'Whatever, I'll just have to figure out everything on my own...and possibly fail more than a good amount of times...' he thought. He really hoped he didn't screw everything up. That would just be terrible for not only him, but all of the employees as well...

He shook his head slightly, no longer wanting such thoughts in his head. "Though, it could be worse... He could have still been disappointed in me like he was in my younger years..." he added under his breath.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together Lili listened with both curiosity and interest. His father didn’t sound like a pleasant man. He was way too preoccupied with silly things to pay attention to things that were important. It was as if he didn’t even know what or who was making him money and just preferred to spend it on silly things just to say that he could. There was a somewhat awkward silence when he finished his speech, as Lili took in his words and pondered what she could say in response. She didn’t own anything aside from her rather modest little flower shop, so it was a little difficult to relate to the woes of owning something big. "...Sorry, I'm sure my ranting would bore you..."

[/i][/b] He broke the silence with a frown. His tone made it clear that the situation was extremely frustrating. "Well, I don't do much other than that since my father would rather handle everything..."

“That’s not very fair, is it? You should be learning practical things, not frivolous things.”[/b] It was a little silly to train your son for a takeover but teach him all the wrong things, wasn’t it? It was like training a new manage for a store but teaching them how to sneak helping out of the soft-serve machine.

“You have a good enough head on your shoulders to know he’s teaching you wrong.”[/b] Lili assured him, attempting to comfort him with a smile. “That said, I don’t think it’ll be too terribly difficult for you to pick it up quickly, since you know exactly what you need. Right?”[/b]
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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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