OOM: Surprise Blind Date with Nancy
May. 30th, 2012 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
After his heart to heart with Demeter, as they were always heart to heart with her, and all the confusion he's felt between his body, mind, and most of all his heart, Gus is more at ease than before but without any answers. He's already told The Devil once and for all it's off, he doesn't want to be that guy that keeps an open option - especially not an open option that could destroy him... and maybe still would. He's not that guy at all. Instead, he's been going through the motions; closing the case and helping get everything ready for the impending party.
The day after Juliet's birthday party, he gets a text message from Shawn telling him to be at Milliways as soon as possible at a bench by the lake. Later, it would occur to him that Shawn was clearly up to something - but as he walks a slow circle around the bench in the pink silk shirt and black slacks he'd worn to work for the day and waits for his friend to show it's more annoying than anything.
The day after Juliet's birthday party, he gets a text message from Shawn telling him to be at Milliways as soon as possible at a bench by the lake. Later, it would occur to him that Shawn was clearly up to something - but as he walks a slow circle around the bench in the pink silk shirt and black slacks he'd worn to work for the day and waits for his friend to show it's more annoying than anything.
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Date: 2012-06-23 11:13 pm (UTC)"I'm ready now, then."
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Date: 2012-06-24 12:32 am (UTC)But, Nancy seems to know what she's doing. As he leads her to the door, he says; "It was close to dusk when I left, so it should be cooling off nicely and we'll be close to the Ocean."
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Date: 2012-06-24 08:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-24 06:33 pm (UTC)"Welcome to the Psych office," he says with a casual wave of his hands. He's actually pretty proud of it, being that it's the base for the business he and Shawn have been running for almost six years now.
"This is where Shawn & I do our paperwork and hang out when we're not doing other things."
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Date: 2012-06-24 06:34 pm (UTC)"Nice office. I like the personal touches, it's your own company?"
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Date: 2012-06-24 08:08 pm (UTC)"Yeah, well - me and Shawn. We've been in business together about six years now. I know it doesn't really look like private detective agency, but I assure you we are all professional." Well, he is... Shawn uses cats as witnesses and hero worships and art thief.
"You can check it out if you like," he offers, going over to his desk to subtly flip over an issue of Maxim. "I don't really know what's interesting to you."
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Date: 2012-06-24 08:12 pm (UTC)"I wouldn't know what a detective agency's supposed to look like, except Philip Marlowe's in the pictures, but I don't see anything wrong with yours."
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Date: 2012-06-24 08:34 pm (UTC)Watching her, waiting for something offensive to pop off of Shawn's desk, he tilts his head to the door. "We should probably head out before Shawn shows up..."
Things are going well and he's having a good time, and no doubt Shawn is expecting him to come back feeling further rejected.
"How spicy do you like your food?"
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Date: 2012-06-24 08:37 pm (UTC)"Not too spicy, I'm not really used to it. I like fish, though, and you said this place was by the sea?"
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:05 pm (UTC)"Walk with me?" He offers his hand somewhat tentatively, "It's not far - just the other end of the boardwalk, a little further from the pier."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:11 pm (UTC)"It's a nice day for a bit of a walk."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:28 pm (UTC)"And it's getting late enough that the families are starting to head in for the night."
Smiling warmly, he gives her hand a gentle squeeze and leads her past the row of offices and small boutiques - away from the noise and action of the boardwalk. "My apartment is a little bit closer to the city, but it's still not bad."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:30 pm (UTC)"I'm a city girl", she says lightly. "But sometimes it is nice to get a bit further away from it all."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:48 pm (UTC)"Santa Barbra's pretty nice like that. Like, you're in a city - but it's not like being in LA or something where there's so many buildings and people and it's all traffic and noise." He shakes his head at the thought, "it's a small city, pretty much anything you want is within walking distance but you're not packed in too tight to breathe."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:50 pm (UTC)"Not like London, then. I mean, you can get most things in London in walking distance and it's really a lot of little villages packed together... but big. You couldn't walk from one side to the other."
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:55 pm (UTC)He's always wanted to go, but never really traveled overseas.
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Date: 2012-06-24 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-24 10:03 pm (UTC)Looking back out at the ocean, he squeezes her hand again and tilts his head toward a row of food trucks that like to park on this end of the boardwalk after the businesses start closing for the day to catch people on their way home.
"There we go, see the one with the big red, white, and green flag by the tables - that's my favorite food truck in the area."
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:06 pm (UTC)"Food truck?"
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:14 pm (UTC)Stopping their easy gait, he points at the closest of the three trucks; "That one is sort of Italian food, he does a pretty good meatball sub, but last time Shawn and I ate there he got sick. I think it was because no grown man should combine gummy worms and marinara - but he's convinced he got food poisoning." He laughs dryly and points to the furthest; "She's the pretzel lady, but she does popcorn and peanuts and corn dogs too - good for snacks but nothing really substantial. Usually the sandwich guy is there but once a week he takes a day off to take his kids to a ballgame or something. It's pretty cool."
Not really realizing he's rambling, Gus continues to share his rather extensive knowledge of the food truck industry of Western Santa Barbra. "We," he gestures toward the third truck parked in the middle; "are gonna go to Julio's - kind of a Mexican-slash-American-slash-delicious flavor place. He makes the best fish tacos you've ever had."
Granted, they'll be the only fish tacos she's ever had, but that's beside the point.
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:19 pm (UTC)"I've never had Mexican, I'm looking forward to it. I don't think we have people selling food out of trucks like this, either, but it's a good idea. Must save on rent."
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:31 pm (UTC)Almost as if on cue, a large Hispanic man with a thick accent raises his hand to wave to Gus. "Hey! Where's your amigo, huh? He didn't come last time either - you two didn't break up?"
His face warming, Gus quickly shakes his head; "Naw man, I told you - it aint like that at all. We're just friends and he's been a little busy." He looks toward Nancy and tilts his head; "I'm kind of out with someone special right now... and she's never had a fish taco. I told her you are the guy to come to."
"You got it, ¿cuántos?"
"How many do you think you'll eat, maybe two? We can get more later."
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-24 10:55 pm (UTC)"You got it, two mild and two that'll make a grown man weep." The man goes to quick work, laying out smaller flour tortillas and then adding shredded cheese and cabbage before heaping spoonfuls of grilled, marinated fish and his special sauce.
"Julio's are special because he grills his fish, where a lot of the guys batter and fry them. It's a little healthier - and I think more tasty."
"Yeah, you tell that to the gringos at the surf shop - they don't like 'em. Diet Coke?"
Letting go of her hand, Gus is quick with his wallet; "Not today, I'm feeling a little bold - I'll go with the horchata." He points to a large machine with a lever turning a white-brown mixture. "And you?"
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Date: 2012-06-24 10:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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