2517/Date Night Hellfire Style aka Steaks

Date Night Hellfire Style aka Steaks
Date of Scene:	19 July 2020
Location:	The Strait Lace Steakhouse - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Gifts are given and the future is discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Henry McCoy, Carrie Kelley

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Henry McCoy has posed:
The MET was excellent, except the archery contest. He was surely embarrased and terribly frustrated with himself - though not for losing. Still, the evening as a whole was wonderful and had raised his spirits for the most part. Afterwards, he'd sent over a text inquiring if Carrie would be interested in dinner over the next few nights. Plans were made, and after discussing, the Victorian was off the menu. Instead, the Straight Lace was selected. Henry was dressed in a nice linen shirt, slacks and wide shoes as he awaited her at the door.

Upon seeing her, he grinned and waved. "Hey there, young miss. Fancy a dinner date?" He teased to the woman.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley had been to the steakhouse a few times, and knew that it was both satisfactory in food and the attire of the wait staff. She'd only had to peek into the Victorian once to know that was likely not her style of place to go. The steakhouse was much better. Given it was a dinner date she'd opted to wear a light blue dress that fell to just above the knees. Nothing untoward, but suitably fashionable for the evening and it would meet the dress code easily. Heels as well, and a clutch purse tucked beneath one arm complete the cocktail attire.

The sight of Hank causes her to grin as she strides closer. "Oh my, I don't know if I ought to go with such a stranger handsome man," she teases back only to laugh, and lean in to kiss his cheek. "It's good to see you again."

Henry McCoy has posed:
The man purrs at the kiss, offering his hand to her. "I promise, I'll get you home on time." He assures, winking to her playfully. Motioning to the maître d', the other man nods and motions for them to follow. "I was able to get a reservation, thankfully." He says with a chuckle. "You look wonderful tonight, Carrie." He offers over, still grinning.

He's walking on cloud nine as he moves to the table with her, sliding her seat out for her to settle in before moving to his own. "Had an... interesting evening at the MET." The man explains as he takes a seat. "Sorry you couldn't make it."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley chuckles quietly at that only to give a shake of her head in response. Settling into the seat she places her clutch on her lap as she scooches in closer to the table. "It's all right. I had to pull a double shift to cover for someone else," she explains without really getting into what sort of work she was doing. He could likely take a guess. "I'm glad you had a good time though! Tell me all about it," she adds with a warm grin knowing he would likely fill her in on the details.

"And my curfew is pretty late tonight so I think that makes up for it a bit."

Henry McCoy has posed:
He settles in, placing a lapkin over his lap. "I did see Emma and Dick there." The man explains. "I don't recognize who he was there with, but I did get a chance to wave at him. Quite the place to see famous people." A wry grin. "The theme was Faith and War - so I dressed as General Sherman from the American Civil War. I got a lot of compliments on the uniform." The man looks quite pleased at that. There's a bit of concern. "Everything all right, though? With the double shift? No trouble?" He asks.

A hand reaches over for hers, stroking over the back of her hand. "At any rate... it was a gorgeous affair, I wish you had been there. At the same time, I am glad you didn't have to suffer through my frustration."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley chuckles a bit at that only to nod in agreement. "Dick never was one to get out to events, but since he's retiring from being a patrol officer to work private security with Wayne Enterprises, he has a lot more time. Plus he does like to bring his dates to nice places," she adds with a chuckle of amusement. "Oh, no trouble, one of my 'coworkers' was sick. Nothing serious but enough that taking some time to rest was needed," she adds grinning back toward him reassuringly.

Henry McCoy has posed:
The Beast smiles, still holding her hand. "Good, good. I don't want to run you ragged in coming to spend time with me, Carrie." He says, earnestly. "There was an archery contest - I didn't do too well." He says, a slight frown. "More embarassing is that I damaged the English longbow due to ...my unfamiliarity with my fingers." He shakes off the frustration. "I need to sort out a way to repay them for the string - though I imagine it's not too rough a spot, being a string."

"Regardless, I did qualify for one of the prizes." He says, slipping his free hand into his pocket and retrieving a small box to slide over the table towards her. "I thought it would be best for you, it doensn't match my complexion."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Archery?" That actually piques her interest causes her to grin rather bright with a glint in her eye. Oh, now she IS sorry she missed it apparently. The mention of damaging the bow though earns a sympathetic nod of understanding. "They can be tricky to begin with if you're not used to the balance of them," she assures as if that makes all the difference. It wasn't entirely his fault, surely. "No, strings should be fine, they're not that expensive unless it was a traditional one that uses dried intestine... That is a bit different a matter."

Even as she starts to get into details with such things, the withdrawl of the box that's slid her way earns a little tightening squeeze of her hand in his. Already starting to blush she reaches for it curiously. "I... I'm not sure what to say, but thank you. I guess I ought to look at it first," she reasons with a chuckle as she flips it open.

Henry McCoy has posed:
He grins. "True! It could be a furminator." He teases, letting her hand go so that she can open the box. "No thanks are necessary, I would be a terrible boyfriend if I didn't dote on you." He says, a wink. "I hope you like it."

Inside, delicately lain upon a velvet inset, is The Rule of Steel - a cushion-cut ruby nested in white gold, tourmaline, and kunzite. A transformable necklace and ring, as ephemeral as the fortunes of battle.

((Photo found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fVZrJ14xn-0rlcHLBpwDYWL46jq34RJP5j8A8KgbaZ0/edit#

He watches, hoping she likes it.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Holy crap." The words break from her lips as she just stares at the necklace within mouth lightly agape. This was something she was most certainyl not expecting in the least. A broach, or perhaps a pin with the Met logo. Not something quite THIS grand. It takes her a moment to shake her head quickly getting her senses back to her. "This is ... Oh my god, Henry, this is way too much..." But she pauses her protest about spending so much on her when she recollects his tale, and instead chews lightly on her lower lip. "It was a prize, though?" Of course it was. He hadn't gone bankrupt trying to get something extravagant for her.

Looking back across the table, still a bit overwhelmed, she reaches out to squeeze his hand again. "I can honestly say I never expected anything like this in my life. It's amazing, thank you."

Henry McCoy has posed:
He nods to her. "It was. And when I accepted it, all I could think about was how radiant you would look with it on." He says, quietly. He squeezes her hand in return, looking relieved. "Did you want to try it on tonight?" The man asks, smiling as water is brought for both of them along with bread and the menues.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley laughs warmly at the question with a quick nod of agreement. "I think I might be able to pull it off with this dress," she agrees with a broad grin. At least she was wearing a dress tonight. It wouldn't fit most of her other outfits. She pauses when the waiter comes at least to steal up her glass of water to take a long drink before placing it down again much relieved. "Thank you," she murmurs as she reaches for the menu only to pause, and then reach instead for the necklace. It's pulled out carefully and drawn up against her neck with her hands slipping behind her to fasten it in place.

Still smiling, blushing a bit, she looks across to Hank beaming. "How's it look then?" She asks even as her fingers drop down to gently touch the central ruby a single time ensuring it's properly centered.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank's eyes are full of adoration, smiling as she dons the necklace. He takes a sip of his own water, his mouth dry. "Breath taking, Carrie. It pales against your skin." He winks, his hand taking her's again. "I am glad you like it - just... I imagine it'll give the siblings more to rib you about." He winks. "At least it was not a Tiffany rose or some such." The man teases.

"So, now that you are extra-stunning, shall we decide on food?" The man winks.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley laughs warmly, "They can deal with it," she decides only to nod in agreement at the mention of food. "I think a nice steak would be lovely about now, don't you? Oh and they do these marvelous potatos here," she adds trying to recall the name of them. "It's a style not many make anymore. I think it's sauteed then baked in the oven?" Ah, the name was escaping her! Her of all people who easily remembers things. She was just a bit flustered still.

Henry McCoy has posed:
He thinks on the name, grinning. "Au Gratin? Or Twice-Baked?" He guesses, tapping at his chin with his free hand. "I think that sounds perfect, regardless. Medium Rare." He suggests, regarding the steaks.

He takes a few moments, just really absorbing how she looks tonight. "You really are stunning, Carrie. I'm a lucky guy."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Ah, neither. Scalloped I think," she reasons as she stares at the menu one last time. Her eyes lift away from the page to stare across at him with a warm smile in turn. "Same for my steak, please," she adds as she slides the menu back toward the waiter. A deep breath is drawn and let out only for her to shake her head lightly in turn.

"I think I'm the lucky one. You're amazing, Henry, you know that? Inteligent, funny, confident, caring and understanding... Seriously. And," she adds with a little teasing tone, "You purr. Can't beat that."

Henry McCoy has posed:
His foot scuffs under the table, the man blushing despite the fur. "Confident in some things, terrified in others." He winks. The menues are collected and the pair are left to their discussion. "I see all those qualities in you, Carrie. You have a courage that is amazing. You have an insight into people, even blue furry ones, that speaks volumes of your empathy, intelligence and wisdom."

He does purr for her, all too amused that she enjoys his quirky way of displaying happiness. "You have the wonderful affect of making me very happy."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley leans her chin into her free hand while grinning quite broadly so that her own cheeks start to heat up. It was impossible not to smile at this point. "And I feel ... safe I suppose is one word, but... comfortable around you. Even before we got together. I always enjoyed finding you at an event because you were like a rock of calm amidst all the madness."

It's only once the waiter has left that she allows her voice to drop, "I guess being around people that wear masks all the time makes it easier to look past the surface of things. Blue fur isn't much different."

Henry McCoy has posed:
A nod and a smile. "I think so. Sometimes, it gets hard when folks have two lives." He says, honestly. "It's good and bad to be open. It... can endanger friends, families and loved ones." He says, with a sigh. "That's my greatest concern, I suppose."

"And... I still need to bring over those old photos of me from college, if you really want to see them." The Beast grins.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Yes. But it is nice to have someone to share that concern with instead of hiding it, too," Carrie reasons with a softer, perhaps a hint of a sad smile. "Even if I can't share all the details yet." Yet. Someday she hoped to, but it wasn't entirely all her choice on that. So far at least the family seemed to be okay with her choice in him. Her brothers certainly had done worse in many ways.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry McCoy nods. "I hope that I can be an empathetic ear for you. It... has to be difficult for those who don't have anyone to talk to. To vent to." He smirks. "I have faith that if it is something important for me to know, you will tell me. Other than that, I have no need to pry into your secrets." A chuckle. "SO! I have been looking at various apartments." He says, on the sly.