Closed Persistence

[Onyx Smirnoff]

Onyx was used to corny flattery. It never bothered her much and she was typically pretty good at ignoring it. Her career was the most important thing to her after all. But when a part giant just wouldn't stop barking up her tree she couldn't help but entertain the notion. Not because she liked Kaelan much, in fact stories she'd heard about him made her not like him very much, but more because she was curious. She always thought if she had been sorted into a house it might have been Ravenclaw for her genuine curiosity - but also perhaps not, she knew when not to ask questions. Like of her superiors.

Onyx dressed nicely, for a more upscale restaurant. If there was anything she had it was good taste in clothing. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she was walked to her seat to wait. She had made sure to show up an appropriate amount of time early so that he wouldn't need to wait on her, and also so that if he were punctual she would not have to wait on him. She wondered what they would have to talk about, in common besides video games. Regardless of those thoughts she waited patiently.

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Kaelan Borisyuk dressed to impressed, but that how he normally dressed if he was going out for the evening. Black slacks and a green, button up shirt. He had taken a long time to get Onyx to say yes to a first date. He was sure that she was just agreeing to him to shut him up. But he would change her mind about him. He knew that his reputation back in Russia wasn't exactly squeaky clean, especially with his old work, but he knew how to impress. And, this magical restaurant would accommodate for someone like him. It was not often that a half-giant graced their presence. And he paid them off to clear half of the restaurant.

Kaelan made sure to apparate right on time of their date. He approached the doors and saw Onyx there, waiting on him. He stuck his hands into his pockets, and smiled as he looked down at her, "Either you are eager for this, or just naturally early." Kaelan was sure that it was the latter, but he could still tease her a bit. It was always fun to make people flustered. He was relieved that the staff took care of the door problem. He grabbed the handle and pushed it open to let her in. "Ladies first."​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

Onyx spotted him before he spotted her. She was seated on a bench outside the restaurant when the massive man approached. He dressed nicely, but she expected nothing less from him. In fact had he shown up in jeans and a t-shirt she would have gone home right there. image was important to her and he wasn't going to bring hers down.

He greeted her and she rolled her eyes standing. "Punctuality should not be confused for eagerness." She remarked before moving to head inside where they were seated promptly. The restaurant was mostly empty and Onyx glanced at him with a raised brow. "Trying to get us some privacy I see." She said assuming it was his doing. Once seated she ordered herself a glass of sweet, red whine. "So have you thought about what we should talk about. I don't assume you'd like me to drone on about work."

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Of course she had to play it like that, which he did not expect anything less. Kaelan chuckled, "I have to inflate my ego from time to time, so I'll just pretend you were eager for it." Kaelan opened the door for her, and walked inside. Onyx seemed to know that this was his doing. How half of the restaurant was empty, as per his request, and he sat down in his chair. He thought about what he would order, and then asked for the same red wine as Onyx. He didn't drink it often, but he would on occasion.

"Well, first date talk and such. I would like to know why you finally said yes. Did you just want me to shut up?" Kaelan smirked. He knew that the answer might have been that she wanted him to shut up. That was the vibe he was getting from it. "Provided that you enjoy yourself tonight, would you be open to a second date?" He was wanting more than just a few dates, since Onyx was attractive, could beat him with video games, and overall a very determined woman. She was what he was looking for.​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

He opened the door for her which had Onyx slightly surprised. Though he didn't keep those expectations up when he didn't get her chair for her. She looked at him as he spoke raising an eyebrow. "Do you want to know that answer?" She asked, hinting that it was indeed to get him to shut up. "I figure if this is the only way to get you to leave me alone about dating you I might as well exhaust the option." She answered. He inquired about a second date already and she answered in a bluntly honest tone. "I highly doubt either of us will be wanting a second date, but if you manage to impress me I suppose I can't rule that outcome out."

A waiter came by the table and asked about drinks. Onyx ordered herself a sweet red wine. She only planned on having one or two glasses, she didn't want to be drunk with Kaelan. "So have you been on many dates? I only ask because I have not and am not sure what 'typical first date' conversations are."

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Kaelan nodded since he already knew the answer. She just wanted to shut him up. It was pretty obvious. Kaelan was persistent. And he would remain. And she confirmed his suspicions, which only made him smirk more. He rubbed his chin as he thought about how to win that second date. "You know me so well. Agreeing to do what I want to shut me up really works. Now, I just have to think of the perfect second date." Kaelan had a few ideas. When the waiter came by, he asked for red wine as well, and to leave the bottle.

He could drink a fair amount, and not feel much more than a buzz. And wine was not exactly as strong as his rum was. "I feel like if I am honest, it won't exactly look good on me, but if I lie, it won't look good either." Kaelan thought about how to word it, and then shrugged, "I've had a lot of first dates. But you know why there were no second dates. Typical first date talk is overrated. I want to talk about your interests. Video games. What was your first one?" Kaelan never listened before so the questions were always vague and uninteresting. This was the first time that his attention was actually genuine.​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

Onyx did know him well. At least his surface level self. She didn't know him otherwise and at that moment didn't care to get to know him any better than that. Onyx was stubborn that much was for certain, but she didn't see a problem in that. "You're assuming this date wont be a disaster." She said laughing gently, her dry humor often missed by those around her.

Onyx sipped her glass once the bottle arrived and was poured, waiting for his answer. She was surprised by his candid nature, but it wasn't a poor surprise. It was actually quite welcome. He then caught her off guard with his question about her first game. "Hmm, that's nothing I'd imagine anyone asking me on a date, you're correct. My first game was a Pokémon game, Legends of Arceus - it was released the year My mother was born actually. So it was already a bit older when I got to play it at around nine. Then I went back and played other ones that were older, which lead me to Smash Brothers and all kinds of other old titles." She said smiling. "What about you?"

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Yes, Kaelan was assuming that this date would not be a disaster. He was good at charming, and so far, Onyx did not seem to be melting in his palm. His looks were excellent, and damn near perfect. Someone like Onyx would not fall for it because she had looks that would make him look more like a troll. "Of course. So, if the date doesn't end in something romantic, at least I still have a gaming partner." Kaelan would attempt to keep his flirting down to a minimum if that were the case to respect her boundaries, but that was as far as it went. And then she revealed her first game, and it caught him off guard. He never would have imagined her as a pokemon player. "That game was a great one. I didn't play it until I got my Switch." Kaelan would not mind if he could compare how his account was with hers. He did not play it much since he preferred competitive games. "My first game was Mortal Kombat, on one of those arcade games. It was hard as f**k to play without destroying it, but it got me into video games. That led me to Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart." Kaelan clasped his hands together. "What do you think about PC games?"​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

It seemed like regardless how this date went Kaelan still wanted to remain amicable. It wasn't that Onyx was particularly against that, it was just that often her schedule didn't leave time for socialization with anyone outside her work. So she didn't often make friends. The brunette watched his face, appearing slightly caught off guard by her answer. She didn't remark on it though - after all she was a witch who played muggle video games, there weren't very many like her she was sure. Most people in the magical world didn't partake in muggle activities.

Onyx nodded as he spoke. "Mortal Kombat was not enough strategy for me. I was always able to succeed by button mashing." She said honestly. Though she had only ever played against the AI not anyone else. "PC games sound exciting but I don't have the set up for them. Or the time to put together a set up honestly. Maybe someday when I take some time off..." She mused. "Why, do you enjoy them?"

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Kaelan started to laugh with her remark about Mortal Kombat. She was not lying about it, since it was a lot of button mashing. It did take skill to remember the moves and how to press the buttons in a certain way. It was hard for him to learn them all, but he had Scorpion mastered. "That was how I started to win my matches, but it took me months to learn one person's move set." Kaelan wondered how he could help set up the whole PC area, as she did not have one, nor did she have time for one.

He had an idea, and smirked subtly, "Well, if you ever want to try it out, I have a decent set up at my house. Nothing for streaming, but my PC is pretty powerful. I would have to get normal sized keyboard and mouse for you though." Kaelan had ordered the biggest one he could get his hands on, and even then, he had to be careful. A controller worked but had similar issues. "I like them a lot, but I don't play with other people on there." Kaelan would not mind doing that, but he rather have a group or someone else to team up with. He also had to be careful since he was prone to breaking his stuff.​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

Kaelan could not have convinced her if he wanted to that there was any strategy to Mortal Kombat unless you were playing against another player and not the computer. "I suppose if i had had someone to play with maybe I would have a different opinion." She admitted, being fairly candid. After all, the subject of siblings had never come up between the two of them. As far as Onyx was aware she didn't have any siblings.

He talked about his set up and she quirked a brow, giving him a knowing smirk. "A way to get me over for another date?" She teased. "Why don't you play with others? Afraid of losing?" She said, opening up a little more and teasing him. After all she had beat him before. The waiter came back for their order and Onyx realized in that moment she had been too busy talking, and hadn't even been looking at the menu. Was she actually enjoying herself?

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Was that a hint? Kaelan should not look into it, but a part of him wanted it to be a hint, like a suggestion that they could be gaming buddies. Regardless of this outcome, that was what he wanted. If needed, Kaelan would have to curb his jealousy. "I have a few versions at home, so I can write down a list of video games we can try." His work schedule was a bit different though, since his was not exactly set. He worked when he did, and he often put in long hours to make sure that the hospital had the potions that they needed. Kieran would blow him out of the water, but thankfully, Kieran was not in New Zealand. And she saw through that, did she? He chuckled, "My house is an open door for you, date or not." He had a way with words, but could he actually get her over to his place for things other than video games? That might be difficult. "I don’t like playing with strangers I don’t know. I think it is more meaningful to play with friends." The waiter came by, which he waved him off so that they could actually look at the menu."Order whatever you like. It is on me. But if you order the restaurant's supply of wine, we might have a problem," Kaelan joked.​

 

[Onyx Smirnoff]

He seemed quite eager to get her to play more games with him. Onyx would normally find the persistence annoying but in this moment it was sort of endearing. Someone as big, and allegedly scary as Kaelan was just interested in hanging out and playing old school video games. Maybe she had been too quick to judge - though his shallow comments were easy to judge regardless.

"You know, I must be honest. The more we talk the less terrifying you seem to become. I was never afraid of you but the reputation my job gave you made you seem like you'd be... more unapproachable. Really you're just a giant nerd, quite literally." She said nonchalantly, feeling like it was the obvious she was pointing out. He offered her a meal and she of course wouldn't turn down free food. Maybe she should have gone on more dates. "Don't worry, I like wine but not enough to make a fool of myself with public intoxication." She sipped her glass. "I was concerned about coming out but this isn't so bad." She said.

 

[Kaelan Borisyuk]

Kaelan chuckled as she said that he was less terrifying as he seemed to be. He did look and appear unapproachable at times. As if his size wasn’t intimidating enough, add in built muscles, tattoos from head to toe, and several piercings. Yet, at heart, he loved the little things. Almost literally. Swimming, drinking, dancing, hiking, and most of all, video games. "If you think I’m unapproachable, you should meet Killian. At least I know how to smile." Kaelan had no idea why his brother did not smile often at all. The triplets had a gorgeous smile! Women could swoon over it. That’s how he managed to make others fawn over him. "Good, that is unsightly. Public intoxication that is. For anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever been drunk. Tipsy or buzzed, but never drunk off my a**." Kaelan sipped his wine. So, she was concerned about coming out with him tonight. That was no surprise. He was going to treat her well, and thought that a second date would be fantastic. After the night was done, he would walk her home, and leave like a gentleman.

---

​

Fin​