faemused | Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post 2

It's a good thing the waiter shows up, because that minute of staring feels a bit weighted. Awkward, really, which is not aided by the fact that Aziraphale isn't entirely sure where he wants the conversation to go. He's not leading it, really, and another evening dining at the Ritz should not feel so pressured, but...something's different tonight. Something good, he...thinks. But it's there.

He's sipping his wine when Crowley speaks again, sparking up his attention once more. "Me? Again?"

"In Rome." Crowley grins. "You invited me to join you for lunch. First meal we ever had together."

And that despite Crowley having been in one of his worst moods ever--dealing with Caligula had turned even his demonic stomach--and having jumped on him at first. But Aziraphale had been happy to see him. Actually happy. He'd heard it in the angel's voice. When had anyone who actually knew him ever been happy to see him? Ever?

Crowley's grin grew wider, more teasing. "Could've marked it down to your general fondness for food, mind, but I decided to take it personally anyway."

Oh, he sees that grin. And hears that tone. And definitely remembers that day, so long ago. Such inconspicuous scenes, he feels, some things Aziraphale hasn’t thought about for so long. Moments he didn't think would mean more than what they did at the moment. But it just goes to show that he really doesn’t know much at all.

He smiles, a mix of fondness and coyness, but his lack of refutal is marked. It’s not that his intentions were all that complex back then, but Crowley pointing out what happened then, the way he does, even if the demon doesn’t voice all of his feelings about it...it makes something in Aziraphale’s chest feel gently fluttery.

“Well...it was a good lunch. Oysters.” He’d been growing more enamored by the food the mortal made. Such craftsmanship and originality. “ To be fair, I’d been growing a bit bored. So, I figured.” Said with a smile all the same.

Being away from Heaven for the most part. On Earth, among the mortals. Work was work, but not everything was terribly exciting. “Seeing a familiar face was...well, it brightened up the day.”

A beat. “You did look a bit glum, however.”

Crowley snorts. "Glum is putting it mildly," he says fervently before taking a long drink. "I was bloody hating everything that day, above and below and all around me, all of it."

Himself included, truthfully, for a while. The decade or so after the death of Christ had been hard. The conversation he'd had with Jesus had been deeply uncomfortable in many, many ways, that he's never told even the angel about. Strange, astonishing person, Jesus. Crowley wonders sometimes how he and Adam would have gotten along. Either Adam, really.

"Fortunately you showed up to improve things." Another affectionate smile. Lot of those happening today, and Crowley's not even sorry about it. "Brighten them, even."

He watches the demon curiously, vaguely considering asking him for more details about that day. But then Crowley smiles at him, and all he wants to do is to keep the conversation light and pleasant as it's been. He smiles right back.

"Well, I'm glad." While time doesn't often have much meaning to creatures that existed well before it, it's still strange to think about back then, and about how they didn't know each other as closely. "And I was right about the oysters, wasn't I?" Cheekily, but softly.

Crowley laughs. "Yes, you blessed gourmand, you were right about the oysters. They were marvellous. Never had any since to match them."

Which might've been the company or the astonishment of the event, but who cares? They were good oysters.

Aziraphale chuckles - giggles, really -, taking another sip of his wine.

"We should go for oysters again. I haven't had them in so long. But it's so difficult to find somewhere with the same level of quality."

They do have all the time in the world, however.

"Nothing stopping us." That's never going to not be a thrill. No hiding, no justifying. No paperwork! Crowley's grin is brilliant. "Could go on a tour, find the world's best oysters. Wouldn't it be something to actually go somewhere on purpose together, instead of running into each other once we were there?"

While it doesn’t take priority, Aziraphale is actually rather thankful to not have to do any more paperwork. Every blasted thing was paperwork. And he is very good at paperwork, but even he has his limits.

The angel’s practically glowing, smiling giddily and sincerely. “Oh, it would be thrilling.” It could be. It can. Oh, it’s so exciting to be here, past the soul crushing anxiety. He gives it just a second, vaguely wondering if this is another line. Are there lines to cross, still? “I would like that. Very much so.”

"So let's do it!" Crowley dings his spoon against his wine glass, much as he did years ago. Aziraphale looks delighted by the idea and Crowley loves it, for so many reasons. If there are lines left to cross, they aren't ones he's put down. He'll take any ground the angel gives him. "Where are the good oysters hiding these days? France, Spain?"

"Both of those, but I've heard good word about New Zealand and Scotland as well." Oh, the angel is absolutely delighted, yes, and definitely not just over the food.

He's working on crossing those lines. He's quite good at it, he's just recently found out. While there are times some may be particularly daunting still, all he asks is for another moment of patience. But he's well within arm's reach, at this point.

Crowley could care less about the oysters, really. But travelling with Aziraphale? Aziraphale doing anything with him, on purpose, for no reason except that the angel wants to? He'd go to the moon for that. To the ends of the universe and back. He'd wait until the end of the world. Again.

"Scotland's closest." Crowley grins. "Could knock that one out of the way before it's winter and the weather goes to pot or midge season really gets started. New Zealand might take some more effort, but we can work our way around to it."

Edited 2019-10-11 15:21 (UTC)

Well, Aziraphale does care about the oysters. But they're not his top priority.

Travelling, by their own accord-- together. That sounds truly heavenly. That smile might get stuck on his face, or at least for as long as he can think about it.

"Oh, there's a lot to see up there, while we're at it. Perhaps we could go by train. Unless you rather take your car?" As the conversation gently rolls into making unexpected plans.

"Definitely the Bentley, for Scotland." Crowley's grin grows huge. He's still ecstatic that his beloved car has been returned to him. "Assuming you're willing to put up with a three hour ride¹ in it. I'll let you pick the music if it helps. Train for getting to and around Europe, and I don't know, a cruise ship for New Zealand, something like that."

Does he look excited? He feels excited. Travelling, with Aziraphale, on purpose, just because they can. It's a brave new world and no mistake.

¹ It is worth noting that a drive from London even to just the Scottish Borders would usually take at least five or six hours, even in the best traffic.

Much for Aziraphale's future regret, he's too delighted by the idea (and Crowley's giddiness over the whole subject) to even consider what hell might be to do some extended travelling in the Bentley. This distraction will cost him greatly.

"That all sounds wonderful." Said with the most affectionate tone.

If Aziraphale asks nicely Crowley might be persuaded to slow down a little, enjoy the view, or at least the company. It's in the realm of possibility. A lot of unlikely things suddenly are.

"Yeah?" Crowley actually beams. It's not a word he'd admit to, but it best describes the way he looks. A demonic beaming, of course. "When do you want to start? 'm ready anytime you are."

The fact that the world hasn’t become a war field for celestial creatures to settle their scores upon, that the two of them are away from their former head offices and that they are free to make plans such as an international search tour for the best oysters is as unlikely as it is hilarious, and here they are. Dining at the Ritz, once again, smiling at each other and over the future.

It takes a little effort to look away when the demon looks so genuinely happy.

The angel thinks. “Ah, I have some business to take care of at the shop-“ But he stops, just for a moment. Business, in this case, being nothing if not self imposed; receiving his mail, organizing his tomes, some other orders involving some the very few patrons. And, yet, it all hits him as entirely...unimportant, right at this moment. So, he thinks some more, and changes his tune. “— but it can wait.”

"You sure?" Crowley looks surprised. Aziraphale loves the bookshop, after all, and he'd expected there'd be things to organize first. "Don't mind waiting, you know. Not if I know there's something to wait for."

He suddenly flushes and reaches for his wine, because that sounded a little too much like he meant something else. Which he didn't. Though it's true for that too. This would be a really good time for the waiter to come back with Aziraphale's starter.

For what it's worth, Aziraphale is mostly just preoccupied about whether or not he's sounding overeager, albeit, at the same time, a bit excited over the fact that he managed to push through his fussiness and change his priorities.

However, he does vaguely takes note of Crowley's sudden change in attitude, and means to ask, before the waiter does come back with the angel's starter, and Aziraphale's attention is (maybe thankfully) pulled away from the demon's embarrassment.

With a polite thank you to the waiter and an interested glance at the food, he gets back on track in the conversation. "Like I was saying - we can go anytime. No point in waiting."

... Is that too much? Is it too forward, is it too-- fast?

As though Crowley has ever minded anything being too fast. Anything. Ever. He just looks amazed, with a slow, wondering smile gradually growing on his face.

"Tomorrow morning?" he offers. "Could go right now, but there's this meal to finish. And it's dark. Not that that's a problem, just, you'll probably want to see the scenery. Once we're up there and there's scenery worth looking at." He pretends to reconsider, that smile turning into more of a smirk. "Then again maybe we should start off after dessert after all, London's not much to look at by daylight anyway."

Crowley, in contrast, does not give a blessing if he looks overeager or forward. He's both, always has been. And for the first time since the '70s, it seems that's...okay.

Well, suddenly the already sudden plans are a lot more real and sounding a lot more sudden, and an intrinsic part of the angel feels the urge to gently hit the breaks, maybe slow down, not necessarily stop, but perhaps roll into the next exit on the side of the road and give things a moment's thought.

But, then, another part reminds him of how every reason he's done that in the past is now void. How his fears and anxieties are more akin to echos of past situations, rather than something he should be concerning himself with right now. And while the echoes are still a thing that is, a thing that exists and should probably be dealt with at some point, they're really not as bad as the actual thing and originated them.

Which is all to say: yes, it is okay. He's still finding his footing in this strange new place. But it is okay.

"Oh." Said with a smile and a vaguely surprised tone. "I-- I do suppose." That they can leave after dinner, he means. He does quite like London, at any point of the day. But, scenery, yes. Lots of it. All over the place. He's sure.

Crowley tilts his head, eyebrow raised. "You do suppose what?"

Vague was definitely the word for that answer. In fact it doesn't really qualify as an answer.

He raises the fork to his mouth, but stops. "I, er." He clears his throat. " I suppose we could go after we're done here. With dinner."

His nerves shouldn't be mistaken for uncertainty. Excitement sometimes just has a funny way of showing itself. But this time, at least, it comes with a smile.

Crowley's grin grows like a sunrise, slowly but bright enough to qualify as blinding. "And you said I was fast."

It's not teasing. It might be admiring, or maybe just happy. It's possible Crowley's never looked this happy before. It's possible he's never been this happy before.

He doesn't stop to analyze it, just leans back, wineglass in hand. "Anytime you like, angel. Anyplace, too. Got a particular area in mind or shall we tour the country at our leisure? I insist we stop by Loch Ness, though."

Crowley was originally responsible for the rumors of the monster in the lake, of course. He likes to stop by every few centuries when he's in the area to rile them up again.

The angel purses his lips in a muted but amused smile, coy for all of the implication of that comment. Somewhere, deep, deep inside of him he wonders if they should revisit that - not that he wants to, but he worries, he frets about the times before now. But, before all of that, he is simply eager to to gently make his way, their way, into newfound freedom and into understanding each other better.

But that smile, Crowley's smile - it could outshine the sun, for all Aziraphale thinks.

Those things, though, are a bit too big to focus on during a conversation and planning. So he tries to focus, taking a bite of his food and pausing to think.

He touches his napkin to his lips. "I do think we should take our time." Which is to say, a lot of it. A lot of time, just the two of them. "There's a few spots I'd like to revisit, but there's no need to rush." Ironically enough.

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Every time theres matching zira and crowley icons, another angel gets their wings

That's gonna be a lot of angel wings.

thats fine, a lot of them are just made of wings

Big wings sprouting little wings. Also, trust me that midge season is dire.

I had to google it and oh my god

THEY ARE SUCH LITTLE BASTARDS I CAN'T EVEN. We have songs about how awful they are.

oh my god, songs??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMLona9oelM

xndhsjcn that song is going to come back to me in like 3 days

Yes, it almost certainly will, and I apologize.

That Freudian slip, Crow

He has no idea what you're talking about, and oh look, a distraction.

Expecting a distraction for the angel to show up in a restaurant is just easy mode

What's your point? Crowley cheats a lot.

I'm just saying he's a CASUAL

You say this like he should be offended and he just isn't. ;)

he is unstoppable.......