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Jasper smiled easily at the attendant as he entered the restaurant, indicating with one hand that he was after a table for two, though his partner had yet to arrive. He was a little early, but that was usually better than being late. He gave his name, and that he was awaiting his sister, before being seated at a lovely table towards the back of the dining room. He selected the chair that would put his back to the wall and allow him to see Arya when she arrived.

Getting time off work was hard, but when Jasper had been signed that Sunday night off, he’d immediately contacted his sister to get together for dinner. Not that whatever he put in his mouth would do him any good, but it was important to keep up appearances. Besides, Fig was busy that night and couldn’t work on his vampire education with him. He was okay with that, as the last few night had been full on and he was looking forward to relaxing.

When the waiter approached, Jasper indicated that he would have a ‘glass of red’, while also making a note to the server that his table mate was mundane, and would like to stay that way. So while he waited, Jasper dined on a glass of ‘wine’, enjoying the crisp and fresh taste. The Restaurant – known as ‘The Fantasy Bite’ – was run by a Family who was on good terms with Rafe, making Jasper feel comfortable being there, as well as bringing his sister through the doors. It was also far enough removed from Indulge that Jasper was able to work on the low down, reporting what he saw and experienced back to Rafe.

Lowering his glass, Jasper glanced towards the entrance way in time to see Arya entering and lifted a hand to greet her, even as she was brought to his table by a waiter. Jasper stood up, and greeted Arya with a hug and a kiss to her left cheek; he tightened his hold a little before letting her go, and once  more claimed his seat. “Do you know what you want?” He asked his sister, even as the waiter gave them both a menu.

Arya worked weekends; they were prime time for flower shops and she accommodated them - it was good money, and she tended to thrive in stressful situations. Probably because the sheer amount of pot she smoked in the evenings and on her days off meant that she'd lost the ability to be anything but chill, but she might have also had undiagnosed ADHD. Who knew? She didn't really have time - or, rather, she didn't feel like making the time - to see a shrink whose advice she probably wouldn't take and whose medication she had quite a severe disinterest in. In any case, her self medication was safe enough; she didn't sample the spiked variations that she sold - partly thanks to her brother. Her brother who, coincidentally enough, had invited her to dinner, and who warned her away from substances she didn't know the origins of. Considering he wasn't championing many of her other life decisions, Arya figured she could grant him some small graces. Perhaps save him from a heart attack in his youth.

The tinkling of the bell attached to her storefront door jingled at 5pm as she turned the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED', then made her way upstairs, removing a her apron as she went.

Staring down at her phone in her apartment, with an unlit joint in her other hand, the woman frowned for some time before sighing, rolling her eyes, and setting down her drug of choice. Jasper didn't like the smell, and though it inevitably lingered on her clothes and hair, she figured she could do him the courtesy of not making it fresh. She tapped a response, then shuffled off to the bathroom to change out of her work clothes and change.

A few hours later, having applied a light face of makeup and spritzed herself heavily with a perfume that smelled of spices, Arya made her way down to Jasper's choice of restaurant. She wore a flowing dress, overlaid with polka dot chiffon, and carried with her a small arrangement of flowers in a mason jar - a gift for her brother. She was known for these little party favours; she loved her job so much that she had difficulty not sharing it with those she loved. After returning his embrace, she offered them to him, then took a seat and looked up to accept the menu from the waiter.

      "Oh, uhh, do they have any tofu here? I'm kinda on a vegetarian kick. What are you having?"

“I’m sure they have something,” Jasper reassured, picking up his own menu and browsing it casually. “Yeah, there are vegetarian and gluten free icons.” Leaning over, he pointed out one of the menu items in question, before turning his attention back on his own menu, clicking his tongue against his teeth once as he considered. The food itself wouldn’t do anything for him, what with being dead and all, but the fact that a good half or more of their clientele were the walking dead seemed to encourage The Fantasy Bite’s staff to make exceptionally tasty food.

Putting the menu down, Jasper gave a wry little smile. “I think I’ll have the poutine.” He grinned, the usual order slipping from his lips without shame. He loved all that poutine was; thick cut potato chips buried under rich gravy and melted cheese curds. Delicious! “Do you know what you want?” He asked, but didn’t wait for a reply as he flagged down a waiter to come and take their orders. “I’ll have the poutine, and another glass, please.” He indicated his empty glass. He was still hungry, and the poutine wasn’t going to do anything to appease that feeling, though he was looking forward to enjoying the process of eating the meal!

As the waiter left with their orders, Jasper smiled sweetly at his sister, turning the little mason jar of flowers around so he could admire all of them; after a few moments of fidgeting with them, he left them alone. “Such a pretty little bouquet tonight.” He smiled. He loved flowers, and had his own little garden on his balcony, though he was partial to lavender rather than the wide range his sister kept in her greenhouse. “How is business?” It could be a filler topic, but Jasper was genuinely interested in the wellbeing of his sister and her shop.

Arya found herself unreasonably pleased that she appeared to have passed her brother's sniff test - all because he didn't cringe away from her during a brief embrace. It was the little things, really. Even though she was a few years his senior, she did so hate to let him down, and while she was by all accounts a successful entrepreneur, there was something about growing up in his shadow that still clung to her self esteem to this day. Not that she'd ever voice as much - it wasn't his fault that he was smarter, and he'd already endured enough bullying without feeling as though he was unduly putting pressure on his own sister's self image.

      "Ooh, poutine. Umm..." She trailed off, glancing across the menu and nodding as he pointed out the icons and waved over a waiter. She wasn't great at making quick decisions, but she found something quickly in order to keep him from waiting. Nevertheless, she was a little flustered by the whole affair, and sucked in the left side of her cheek as she trailed her finger down the line of vegetarian options. "Oh, um, I'll ... I guess mushroom and tofu risotto? Yeah, yes, the mushroom and tofu risotto, please." This was all directed at the man who'd come to take their orders and, as she flicked her gaze back to Jasper's glass, she added; "Oh, yeah, I'll have a glass, too, please. Whatever he's having." Though Arya wasn't particular to alcohol itself, she wasn't opposed to a glass of red with dinner; she'd heard it was healthy every once in a while, and a single glass wasn't about to get her drunk - which was really what she hated about the stuff. The taste itself was bearable. Little did she know, as she finished her order with a smile, what a strange pickle of a situation she was putting her poor brother in.

      "Hm? Oh, thank you," she said then, slipping back into the conversation with no small amount of relief. Flowers; she knew how to talk about those. In fact, she much preferred to talk about work, despite having just come from there, if the other option was facing her severe social anxiety to talk to strangers to make an order, even if it was only for a moment. She missed when they were younger, and it was acceptable that she demand Jasper did it for her. Oh, to be an adult and to have to make your own appointments, buy your own things at a checkout, order your own food at a restaurant - when was society going to excel to the point where they could make food requests on an iPad inlaid in the tabletop? Better yet, she'd heard that some places had QR codes that you could scan with your phone and you could order that way. This place seemed fancy enough to have that, didn't it? Ah, but people weren't usually so introverted as to want that, really; personalised service, that's what the people wanted. Owning her own business, Arya knew as much. All the little old bitties who really just came in for a chat, using the guise of a bouquet for their entryway side tables. Somehow, she was better at playing defense when it came to conversation, especially in the case of her line of work. But needing to interact with the public so often was also a large part of the reason that she smoked so much pot, to be fair. "Business is good, yeah. In fact, I would have put some lavender in there for you but it was flying out the door today. Someone must have spread an article about how good it is for sleep again." She chuckled briefly, pushing some of her hair out of her face and behind her ear. "How about you? The nightlife still serving you well?"

“That sounds tasty,” Jasper approved of his sister’s choice, smiling warmly at her, though he paused when she requested a glass of what he was having. Jasper shook his head slightly to the waiter. “I’m sure a white will be a better combination with the risotto,” not that jasper knew a whole lot about wines and what went with what. But he did know she wouldn’t be at all interested in a glass of what he was having. Jasper smiled reassuringly at Arya as they sent the waiter off on his latest mission, tossing her a playful wink.

“How incredibly rude,” Jasper teased, amused but delighted for his sister’s good fortune and the sales her small business made. He would give up all the lavender if it meant good business for Arya. It was still a pity that none of his favourite flower made it into the bouquet, but he would survive. “I’m glad for you,” he added, in case his teasing hadn’t made that clear. Jasper took pride in his sister and her achievements, and never hesitated to shower affection on her or praise her when things went well. She deserved all the best the world could give, at least as far as Jasper was concerned.

“As ever,” Jasper smiled, taking a swig of his ‘wine’, and smiling appreciatively when the waiter appeared with their meals and his sister’s white wine. “Thank you,” he said mildly, accepting a refill as he turned his attention on the food before him. It was a small portion, but Jasper had no issue with that. He could and did eat foods, but it wasn’t as delicious as it had been prior to his new life. “I’m working later tonight,” he said as he picked at his poutine, forgoing his fork to pick up a fry in his fingers. “But not for an hour or so.” Plenty of time to linger over dinner with his sister before he went to man the bar for Indulge. “I enjoy it! So many delicious people with too much alcohol,” Jasper stuck his tongue between his teeth playfully; Indulge did bring all the beautiful people out to play, but Jasper’s comment was a double edged sword. Aside from random Nulls, most of those in Indulge were delicious to eat, too.

Arya let a frown colour her features for a moment, though it was of a more quizzical nature than disappointment. "Since when do you know anything about wine?" Not to mention, she wasn't interested in the taste so much as that red was healthier than white, as far as she knew - but the waiter was already gone. The woman considered huffing; she had actually, for once, picked something out without demanding that someone else do it for her - but of course, that was the other side of the coin. She wanted to be babied in these scenarios. If she kicked up a fuss, perhaps Jasper would avoid it in future, and she'd be left to flounder when she truly did need his help. So, with a wistful last glance at their retreating server, Arya returned to their conversation in time to be teased. She wrinkled her nose.
      "Yes, all these people and their impeccable taste in flowers - how dare they!" Of course, this playful haughtiness dissolved into a true smile when Jasper proffered his real thoughts on the matter. "Thank you."

As their meal arrived, Arya traded it for a brief, superficial smile, then settled in to hear Jasper's spiel, complemented sourly by a brief sip of her wine. It was bitter and dry - just how she hated it, but she nodded along with his tale and smiled through the cringing sting of it on her gums.
      "Beautiful people, huh? I could do with one of those lately..." She was looking down at her food, then, pushing the rice around on her plate rather than to actually scoop any up to eat. "Do you think I could come with you? Tonight?" Finally lifting a fork-full, Arya shoved a heaping serving of rice and mushroom into her mouth, almost as if to keep herself from saying anything more, or emoting in any way to his imminent response. Of course, she expected him to say no, and she wasn't amazing when it came to rejection. She wasn't very used to it, see, so having a face full of rice was likely to soften the blow of her puppy dog eyes. She didn't hope to sway him too much; she wasn't beyond understanding how having his older sister around could limp his reputation and capacity to fully satisfy his clientele - whatever that may mean. Additionally, she wanted him to want her there - even though she knew he wouldn't, presumably for the aforementioned reasons - rather than convincing him to let her come.

“Since I started working behind a bar,” Jasper teased lightly, not taking offence despite sticking his tongue out at his sister in jest. He had learned a lot about booze in the past … decade? Was it really twelve years he’d been working for Rafe at Indulge? That seemed about right. He’d learned a whole lot in the past couple years since becoming a vampire, though. Not that he could tell Arya that; she didn’t handle it the first two times he told her, and Jasper didn’t figure a third time would be the charm, as the saying went.

Jasper blinked blankly at the request from Arya, tilting his head as he considered his sister. “If you want to,” he said, shrugging slightly. “But I’m not footing the bill for your drinking, though.” Arya didn’t need him to mix her drinks off the books; there were plenty of lovely, lonely people at Indulge that would foot the bill to get her drunk, if she wanted to play that game. Or she would end up in some Vampire’s lap as a feeding toy, which Jasper didn’t really approve of, but he was pretty good at removing memories from people who didn’t want them, his sister included. Which was a really lucky skill, considering he could barely feed without maiming his latest toy.

“It’ll be kind of quiet,” Jasper added after a few mouthfuls of food and a sip of his ‘wine’, shifting his attention back to Arya with a raised eyebrow. “Sunday,” he added, as if that explained everything. Which it did, really. Most of the partiers were out on Friday and Saturday nights, Sunday rarely made a splash, especially if the following Monday wasn’t a holiday itself. But hey, if Arya wanted to dance the night away, Jasper would hook her up with the appropriate people on the floor. And then hope for the best.

[size=20]F[/size][size=12]or a moment, Arya appeared embarrassed; of course Jasper knew about wines. But then the core of her meaning re-registered, and she scrunched her nose.
      "And pairings with food? That's connoisseur stuff, not bartender at a nightclub stuff." She stuck her tongue out at him - which was perhaps something of a faux pas in a restaurant as nice as this, but she could hardly help herself, and giggled shortly thereafter.

      "I won't be drinking," she said, brightening even further when her little brother confirmed that she could tag along. "So you don't have to worry about that." Following this, Arya shoveled some more food into her mouth and washed it down with some more wine, briefly cringing at the taste. "I don't know why I try to drink this stuff. I always think it's going to make me feel like some posh adult, but all it usually does is ruin my dinner..." She sighed lightly, leaning forward to instead pour herself a glass of water from the table-provided bottle.

      "Quiet's alright. I'll just sit at the bar and bug you if I get bored." Looking up from her water, Arya grinned wickedly, winked, and then speared a mushroom with her fork. "So aside from work, do you have anything interesting going on? Any boys I should vet before you get serious with them?" Even as the words left her mouth, the woman knew that she was a poor fit for the protective older sister role. It had always felt pretty much the opposite, with them. Maybe Jasper was an old soul. Really, this was her way of asking her brother about his love life in a way she considered more appropriate than tittering like a school kid.[/size]

Jasper rolled his eyes dramatically, and then raised his eyebrows at his sister. “I work behind a bar,” he drawled, lifting his hands palm upwards as he shrugged. “I know everything.” He grinned, laughter in his eyes. “People talk. A lot. About anything.” Which was his real job, especially since he was Turned. Listen. Learn. Repeat back to Rafe., All things his dear sister didn’t need to know, just like the staff in the restaurant didn’t need to know. Jasper rather enjoyed his work; he learned a lot about a lot of things.

Jasper laughed outright at the admission the drink she had sucked, shaking his head. “It’s an acquired taste.” He teased, “much like you.” He tapped at the tip of her nose with the dry end of a fry, then shoved it in his mouth, still grinning. It faltered and vanished when his love life was brought up, and Jasper deflated as he rolled his eyes. “Hardly,” he drawled, and it was hard to tell if that was a disappointed tone or an irritated one at her questioning him. He’d never been big on sharing his lovelife, especially when he actually had one. It felt like an eternity had passed since he’d been Turned, and broken up with Jake. Jasper couldn’t remember when he’d last seen the other man.

Pushing all of that aside and burying it, Jasper turned wicked eyes upon Arya, “What about you, Oh-Sister-Of-Mine?” he asked, biting his bottom lip as he stared at her. “Anyone I should be vetting?” Jasper fought to keep eye contact, even as he carefully lifted his glass and took a sip. He could totally win this game of staring, he was sure of it. A slight smirk tilted up one corner of his lips.

[size=20]A[/size][size=13]rya was quick to brush off her brother's comments, though truthfully she was sure he was right. He was right about everything; he always had been. Even before his current job - which, as far as she knew, stopped at bar tending. Of course, she assumed that people treated him like a psychologist. That was what all the movies she'd seen told her, anyway. It made sense for him to know things, even if she was going to tease and tug at the underlying source of that knowledge. Little did she know, most of the time, how often she was tippy-toe-ing along the cusp of a world-ending revelation. That she'd already had. Twice. Like as not, Jasper was used to this whole charade by now, but his ditzy little sister remained blissfully unaware, even as he booped her nose and made her scrunch it up amidst another giggle.
      "Alright, I'm not gonna argue that one ... besides, if you say it right, it sounds kinda cool and mysterious. She's an acquired taste, hmm." The woman put on her best upper-class accent, curled her lips into a dignified frown, and touched her fingertip to her temple as though to hold a monocle in place.

Of course, Jasper's response to her tentative probing about his love life put a damper on the woman's playful demeanour, and her frown became a sheepish one.
      "I'm sorry, JJ. I just want you to be happy, you know?" She felt simultaneously pulled to reach out to him and cringe away from him - something in his tone truly chilled her blood, but her response was true enough. Probably, though, she should have known better; she had barely an inkling of how important Jake had been to Jasper. Now, her brother was as single as she was. Perhaps she should have simply assumed that he preferred it that way - just as she did.

When he turned the question around on her, Arya merely guffawed through a mouthful of risotto.
      "No. Acquired taste, remember? No one spends long enough around me to get ... properly acquainted." Though she typically hated eye contact, when Jasper caught her gaze and held it, Arya saw the challenge and ignored her food in favour of a staring competition. He was, perhaps, the only person in the world she felt comfortable doing this with, and it was a welcome return to their childish antics. Who'd have known she was in her thirties? "A staring competition, Jasper? Really? We are adults-" But she broke off mid-sentence in order to squint and lean forward, staring intensely, before breaking into a grin - while maintaining eye contact, of course.[/size]

Sometimes, one of the best things about being classified as ‘undead’, was the fact that Jasper didn’t need to do certain things – like breathe, or blink – they were things he mostly did out of habit, since he had been required to breathe for most of his thirty-odd years of life. But they were also things he could avoid doing at no cost to his own wellbeing, which made staring down his sister all the more fun. He did have to remind himself to breathe, sticking his tongue out a little and biting the tip as his lips curved up into a playful smile; albeit one with a self-satisfied air to it. He was totally going to win this, it was just a matter of time!

Unfortunately, the waiter took that moment to come back, asking if they were done with their meals – Jasper was – but he broke the man’s concentration and Jasper’s gaze faltered as he shifted his attention to the waiter, blinking blankly. “Oh!” he bit back the curse he had been so close to dropping, and waved his hand so that the waiter could take his empty plate and whatever Arya didn’t want any more. Then he glared at the back of the waiter, his gaze intense so the man looked back, and Jasper lifted his eyebrows. The waiter scurried away, and Jasper snorted. “Some people have no respect for quality sibling rivalry.” He said turning his attention back to Arya.

“Did you want to get dessert?” Jasper wasn’t interested in any sweets, but he would order something if Arya wanted to get something. Not that there was a huge array on the menu. “Not much point in being adults if we can’t enjoy ourselves,” he added, referring back to her objection to their staring contest. Which she had won, damn that waiter. Well, not next time! Next time Jasper would win! He had, at least, managed to divert her from all things romance. So maybe he had won, in a way.

[size=20]I[/size][size=13]ndeed, Arya had been completely diverted from the topic of either of their love lives by the burning sensation in her eyeballs. Naturally, her competitiveness got the better of her physical comfort, and she smiled brightly at the waiter while Jasper held back profanities.
      "Your service tonight has been brilliant. Please do bring the bill so that I might tip you generously, sir." She'd slipped into a mid-century accent along with the high formalities, and bowed when Jasper glared. "Or maybe they're just on the right team," she retorted, smirking and raising an eyebrow at her brother's gruff acceptance of defeat.

      "Nah. I don't need dessert. Do you reckon this dress is okay for the club?" Whilst she awaited an answer, Arya dug around in her purse for some kind of payment method, happy to pay for both of their meals. Knowing Jasper, he'd probably try to do the same - hence the question about her dress. Hopefully it was distraction enough for her to snatch the bill when it came. She did fully intend on keeping her word about tipping the waiter generously, after all.

Though she'd posed the question with direct regard to their night out, for some reason, she was nervous and, as such, pointedly avoided thinking about what she'd gotten herself into or who she might go home with tonight. It was something she did often - throw herself headlong into situations that made her uncomfortable. Not to mention that, reasonably, these situations might actually be downright and legitimately dangerous if not for the fact that she had a vampire protector for a brother. Not that she knew as much. And the reason for this reckless risk-taking? ...Well, essentially it eluded even Arya. She smoked to ease the intensity of her social ineptitude, but there was a kind of rush about throwing herself in the deep end anyway. Vaguely, she wondered if her brother sensed this, and wondered why she put herself in such positions. Did he think her stupid? Senseless? Perhaps even a little bit crazy? Alas, such was the curse of an overthinker. Maybe he'd be right, anyway. She always felt as though she was right on the precipice of going insane - like some tidbit of information would throw her down a hole she couldn't crawl out of. Fragile, perhaps, she thought. And while she didn't enjoy the sentiment, it wasn't entirely wrong. Thus the avoidance.

When the waiter returned, Arya reached for the bill, acting sweeter than pie in an effort to get him to choose her rather than Jasper for the handover. Surely he was afraid of her brother after the look he'd given him? As expected, he deposited the little booklet into her hand, and the woman smiled sweetly at him, then Jasper, as she flicked out the receipt and jotted down a forty percent tip, slid her card into the appropriate fold, and handed it back over to the waiter.
      "Thank you so much."[/size]

“It should be fine,” Jasper said, a hint of amusement in his tone at her worry. “It’ll be too dark inside to notice,” he added, shrugging slightly, then frowning when the waiter handed the bill to Arya. He cast a dirty look at the other man, who shrugged, and wished he could snatch the bill from his sister without causing a fuss; vampire speed and strength was bound to be noticed, and he really didn’t want to have to compel his sister again, never mind half the restaurant. No, it was better to concede defeat with a glare, so that’s what he did.

“How much did you tip him?” He asked, the tone a drawl of irritation and disgust at what he was sure was an inappropriate amount. Not that he could really talk, since he supplemented his income with tips earned at the bar, but honestly! Some people were far too generous, and he knew winning their staring contest and then getting the waiter to choose her over him would no doubt have had Arya tipping far too high. He shook his head, huffed, and then stood up, pushed his chair back in and held his hand out to Arya.

“C’mon, then. Let’s go party.” He waited for Arya to collect her card and receipt, snatching the latter from her and dancing out of reach. “Forty percent?!” He screeched, not at all subtle (and not noticing the smugness of the waiter) as he stared at his sister in horror. “You clearly have more money than sense. First round at the Club is on you.” He continued to stare at her for a moment longer, ignoring the murmurs and attention from other guests as he turned on his heel and swept through the restaurant, though he waited at the door for Arya, and opened it for her to exit first.