Charlotte huffed and crossed her arms defiantly, diverting her gaze so she was looking at the floor and not him. She was pouting as best she could, but secretly she was okay with him saying no. She wasn't the biggest fan of public affectionate. There was a very thin line that many people crossed, and she didn't want to be one of them. "Are you any good at strip poker?" she asked after a minute or so of silence. She was teasing him, and did her best to hide the smile that wanted to form on her lips. She was supposed to be pouting!

"Of course I never had a chance!" she retorted, shooting him a side glance. "But it isn't something I usually tell people upfront, so it's not really important." she finally decided. He knew now, and that's all that mattered. She couldn't help but smile as he ducked his head. "Stop doing that!" she squeaked, unfolding her arms and returning her gaze to him. She didn't know how he did it, but Johnny was so good at..she couldn't even think of how to describe him. A smooth talker, that's what he was. She was sure that he could be in a burning building and talk someone into believing that there was no fire. She would even put money on that.

"But dessert's the best part. Unless," and the blonde paused to bite her lip, her eyes wandering around a little. Hopefully she didn't regret what she was about to suggest. "We could always have dessert at my place. I mean. I have whipped cream, and some cherries. And I'm pretty sue there might be chocolate somewhere." she flashed an innocent smile, although her true intentions were anything but. She was getting her dessert one way or another. 

The taijitu did in fact bring a smile to her face. It even elicited a small laugh. It was so nice to be in the company of another elemental mutant. Even if it was mostly flirting. She watched the fish rotate in the figure as her date told of him valiantly saving some innocent boy. "I'm sure that's how exactly it happened." she interjected, sticking out her tongue at him. "I do know what it's like to fight off a bigger guy, though. It's not very fun." she mumbled, her hand finding its way up to her neck. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, and the fact that she even acknowledged it brought back some terror. The hand massaged the base of her neck, where she had been almost strangled some four years before. 

"What?" She hadn't realized it, but she zoned out.She shook her head and  blinked a few times, realizing that Johnny had still been talking. "Oh no, we can save that story for a second date, if you want? " she suggested, forcing a smile. Charlotte hoped he had been too involved in his story to notice her space out, but with her luck, she highly doubted it. 
 
"I do declare, is that a dimple? That's just the most adorable thing I ever did see." She tried speaking with a Southern accent, and it came out forced and...just plain wrong. Accents weren't her thing. She'd leave that to foreigners and actors. "I'm sorry," she laughed, shaking her head. "that was dumb. I've just always wanted to say 'I do declare' to someone." She could feel the heat rising to her face once again, and she quietly cursed herself. 

Strip poker? Johnny couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities with that. Fire engulfed the room and showed him his fanciest imaginations. “Do it!” yelled the candle, its flame standing straight at attention. Johnny could feel its eyes on him and his thoughts. “Risking and clothing and shedding it all, these are a few of your favorite things!” came a chorus of voices, from fires real and imaginary. The goldfish's soprano was particularly enjoyable.

He saw her pout and raised her one smile. It was full of impish delight. “Strip poker? As it just so happens, Ah’m quite terrible at the game,” he confessed, shaking his head in regret. “Ah’m usually the first one to lose.” Add a dash of humility and the white lie was finished. He always lost on purpose. It gave the others an incentive to follow suit. Or rather, out of their suits, if they should so happen to be wearing any.

The candle subdued itself for just the right length of time to add sincerity to his plight.

Her reaction his concession proved that she was smitten. Now to reel her in with the air of a good ol’ boy, never doin’ no harm. “Doing what?” he repeated. This time, though, he knew what she was talking about. Clearly she was aware that she was falling for him and so she wanted to escape his trap. Well, well, well, Charlotte. It seems you’ve fallen into my web.

Suddenly Johnny was hungry, but it wasn’t his stomach talking. “You had me at ‘my place,” Johnny informed the blonde, nodding in approval of her idea. He was quite fond of whipped cream and chocolate together. They both had such different but delectably complementary tastes and textures. He really enjoyed licking them off of cherries. Charlotte knew how to live. “Ah guess Ah can always get some of Ma’s homemade peach cobbler another time,” he said with no regrets whatsoever.

His trick with the fiery yang to the watery yin had the desired effect of injecting cheer into Charlotte. “Bubbles!” sang the goldfish. “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish!” He smiled at the Seussical singer. And success! Charlotte believed him! Whether she actually did or not! He didn’t care! He loved thinking in exclamations! “Scooore!” warbled the candle flame. Johnny’s only reaction was to lick his lips as his date extended her tongue.

But then he must’ve missed something because she suddenly seemed a bit dumpy in the downs again. Okay, that meant....uh....she had a past and....he was just going to ignore it. Running away from one’s problems was always the best solution. It kept one mentally fit. Like constantly trying to find new topics of conversation.

Oh goody! She provided one for him! He smiled brightly at her and attempted to look like he’d never even seen her pause. That’s what a gentleman did--they never recognized any imperfections on the ladies. At least, not in public. But even from a casual survey, she still seems well put-together. He wasn’t talking about her expressions. “Maybe a third date,” he said gamely, pushing the envelope as much as he could. “Ah doubt we’ll have much time for talking on the second one,” he said. A nightclub sounded good, but not one he’d worked at. He was betting she was a greatdancer.

“No, that wasn’t a dimple,” Johnny said quickly. Not that he was ashamed of his dimples, he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease her. “Ah cut myself shaving. Really deep. But fortunately, Ah have a secondary mutation that gives me an incredible healing factor, so the lethal gash this morning is only a slight indention now.” He had on his Do-Ah-Look-Like-Ah’m-Joking-Trust-Me-Ah’m-A-Doctor face. It was very believable. He’d practiced that face for hours in front of a mirror, perfecting it down to the last detail.

And as for the accent, he could only join her in laughing.

A hand covered Charlotte's mouth to stifle a smile and a laugh as she watched the candle flicker and grow, showing some amount of excitement. If this was how it was reacting to the idea of strip poker, she was curious as to how Johnny was reacting. She scanned his face for any hints, but as she saw was him smile.

"Well, that sucks for you. Because I'm a pro at that game. I've only lost once." she announced, a smug look on her face. She used the term 'lost' loosely. No one lost in strip poker. Clothing, maybe, but that was about it. It was one of her favorite games, actually. She prided herself in being the last person to remove clothing.

When her date feigned innocence, she couldn't help but sigh.. "Nothing at all." she reassured with a shake of her head. She wasn't going to entertain that. "May I have my leg back, pleaseee?" she pleaded. Granted, she enjoyed her legs touching his, but she was starting to lose feeling and it was becoming most uncomfortable.

Somehow she knew that Johnny would like her proposal, and she gave her a mental pat on the back. "Hook, line, and sinker." she thought to herself. "You could always bring some back with us. I love a nice, juicy peach cobbler. We could always get some ice-cream and cherries, make some sort of sundae." She began chewing on the tip of her straw. She needed to talk about something else before she drove herself crazy.

Her eyebrow raised at the mention of their second date and lack of talking. She was prepared to ask what he had in mind, but was interrupted by Carla. Their redheaded waitress sat their dinners in front of them and took off to tend to another table. The smell of chicken fried crispy goodness filled her nose, which elicited a small groan from her mouth. 

She picked up her fork and peeled back the crispy skin, stuffing a small piece of it in her mouth. Charlotte closed her eyes and munched happily, wiggling her shoulders with excitement after she swallowed. She was a happy girl. "This. Is. So. Goooood." she sang, her eyes fluttering open and focusing on her date. Fried chicken and an attractive man, what more could a girl want? 

"Oh you poor thing. I'm sure a kiss would make that horrible cut feel much better. But, you've dealt with it all day. You can wait a little longer." she purred, breaking off a small piece of the cornbread and popping it into her mouth before smirking at her date. It was so crumbly and bursting with flavor, practically melting in her mouth. He did have good taste in restaurants, she would give him that. 

She found the idea of him losing strip poker to be humorous; he just knew that meant she was stuck in his web. He was the bait and the perfect lure. And who’s to say that they’d ever get far enough in the game to actually discern a winner? Johnny had some ideas about how to go about doing that. Even if Charlotte did have experience at the game, being a ‘pro’ and all. His smile only widened.

Johnny laughed at her plea for the release of her leg. “That depends,” he started neutrally, “What are you willing to do to get it back?” He arched an eyebrow and stared her straight in the eye. He could think of a lot of things he was willing to accept from her, but most of them shouldn’t be done in a restaurant. Or at least not one he enjoyed. In the meantime, he pressed his legs much tighter against his captive, causing no small amount of friction in the process.

She enjoyed peach cobbler. And she suggested a sundae. Johnny was in favor of this plan, yes please. And the way she kept nibbling at her straw made Johnny more than ever ready to skip straight to dessert. But he must calm himself: he knew it wouldn’t be worth it to pass up on Ma’s cooking. If it was, Johnny would be very pleasantly surprised. But for the moment, he really needed to stop thinking about that. He glanced at the goldfish and waggled a few fingers at it. Sayanora! thought he to the fish. “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu~” crooned the goldfish as it swam one more lap before leaping back into the candle it had spawned from. There. One less influence to worry about, and one less thing to think about.

“It’s a deal,” he said in a lower, more suave tone. And then the food arrived.

Charlotte made a very interesting noise when she got hers. A burning book appeared over her head and Johnny made a note in it to remind himself to investigate how he could reproduce that sound later on. It poofed away in seventy fairy hallucinations, leaving Johnny to inhale the unique smell of his own meal. As he began to crumble his cornbread over the beans and green onions, he noticed Charlotte doing some fascinating motions with her face and shoulders. The fiery book appeared again just long enough for those to be added to the last reminder.

“Now you see why Ah picked this place?” he rhetorically asked her before picking up a spoon of his own. “KFC and all the others ain’t got nothing on this place. True taste of the South, this is.” Regrettably, though, he’d been unable to find a real Cajun place, or at least one that tasted like home. That just made the memories all the more precious. He ignored the phantom flames in the aisle that were impersonating his parents.

He savored the taste of the beans, rolling the spoonful around with his tongue before finally swallowing. There was no need to adjust the salt and pepper levels; he’d never needed to add anything to Ma’s cooking. For all he knew, she was psychic like that. “Ah’m not sure,” he admitted to Charlotte. “It might just take mo’ than a kiss to fix it up again. Ah’d hate to be left with a scar, you know. It might be bad for business.” There, the tragic victim card was out on the table with puppy eyes to match.

Another spoonful of the cornbread and beans went into his mouth, its heat chased down by the icy sweetness of the tea. It reminded him of summer nights beneath tall trees, listening to the croaking of frogs and the buzzing of mosquitoes. “Did you have any plans in particular for tomorrow?” he asked Charlotte casually. Depending on her answer, he might be able to extend their, uh, dessert. He just didn’t want her to miss out on anything in the morning, heck, even the afternoon, if he could help it. And if her schedule was clear, they could just have more dessert.

The tingling sensation that came with her leg falling asleep was gradually spreading up her thigh and starting to affect her other leg. She attempted shaking it free, and Charlotte let out a very pathetic sounding whimper once she felt him tighten his grip. "I'll do anything. I'll give you all the kisses you want, I'll wear nothing but lingerie for a week. Just please let me have my leg." she pleaded, desperation laced in her voice. The tingling sensation was becoming unbearable.

With a sigh, the blonde hung her head. Her concentration faltered, and the water goldfish imploded, small droplets of water being flung across the table. Grumpily, she tore off a chunk of the chicken, pairing it with a small piece of cornbread and popped it in her mouth. "It'd be much more enjoyable if I could feel my legs." she gibed around a mouthful of food. The food was delicious, but the leg trap was torture. And he knew it. This was hell, and Johnny was Satan.

After she swallowed and chased the food with a sip of tea, she shook her head. "I can't stand KFC. Too greasy." Granted, she found most food to be too greasy, but KFC was the worse. They might as well serve a small tub of lard to their customers. As much as he praised Ma's, she did find it a tad greasy. She made a mental note to swim some laps around a pool next time she had a free day. 

"God forbid something happens to your pretty face." she mumbled, a smirk tugging at her lips. He was luring her in, and she was gladly allowing herself to follow. "What would it take to keep a scar from forming?" she pondered, an eyebrow eventually being arched. From what she knew of him so far, she was expecting another date or something more risque. She had given up on guessing at this point. The puppy eyes were a nice touch, but she was the queen of pouting. She stared at him, unfazed. "Nice try." the blonde scoffed, reaching over to lightly flick her date on the nose. He was going to have to try harder than that.

"Tomorrow?" she echoed, slipping another piece of the chicken into her mouth. The chewing gave her a minute or two to formulate an answer. She didn't want to seem too desperate or eager. "Well, I have the day off. But I was thinking about going for a swim. And maybe get some chores around the house done." She had absolutely no plans. It was her day off, and she had set aside a large amount of time to sleep and eat ice-cream. She threw in the swimming comment for her date's benefit; she knew he'd enjoy whatever visual he created. And besides, she didn't do chores. Hah!

Charlotte glanced up at him as she pulled the rest of her chicken off the bone, piling it between her last bits of cornbread. "Did you have something in mind?"
 

Johnny stared at Charlotte for a very long moment. In fact, it was probably several moments, but who’s counting? He gave an exaggerated huff and an eye-roll that would make a sullen teenage girl proud. “Fine, fine, Ah’ll release your leg...” he drawled slowly, “but only on the condition that you send me a picture everyday. For proof, ya know. Oh, and can Ah get that in writing?” Smiles and mischief were temporarily suppressed; it wouldn’t do to let Char figure out that it was only a joke and possibly not send him anything.That would be an unfortunate outcome.

But Johnny was a man of his word. Of course, he tended to twist words around or substitute their definitions for completely opposite meanings, but he still followed through with what he said. At least when it suited him. The performer withdrew his legs back to his territory after safely escorting his hostage back to its designated half of the under table space. There, now they shouldn’t have to worry about any more negotiations over border crossing. Next time, he’d have to break out the handcuffs.

With the death of the water fish, the taijitu was gone. Johnny couldn’t help but wonder if that was symbolic or something.

Johnny brought a spoonful of beans to his mouth. So what if they were visibly steaming and obviously very hot? He couldn’t feel it. Things made warm by fire could never bother him. He was pretty sure that Charlotte had muttered something fairly complimentary about him, but he didn’t know its specifics. It never occurred to him that it could’ve been insulting--those things just didn’t happen to him. And then she asked a question, so he must give an answer. Even if she failed to be impressed by his pitiful expression.

Then flick. Johnny blinked. Did that really just happen? She flicked him on the nose? Was he a dog? “Uh!” he said in surprise, blinking a few more times before finally getting his face under control. It was time to do a different expression, it seemed.

“Do the cool one! The cool one!” chirped the candle. “I like the cool one! So do the ladies! Please! Please please please please!”

What could Johnny do in the face of such adamant desire?

The pyromancer leaned forward and assumed The Most Interesting Position In The World, smirking a smug smirk and arching his eyebrows suggestively. His eyelids lowered a bit. (”Yaaaaay!”) Time to step up the game on his end. “Ah could tell you what it’d take to prevent a scar,” he began, slathering on the charm, “but then you’d probably smack me. At least for the public’s sake.” Slow wink, full of meaning. Charlotte was good; it was only fair for her to receive what she gave. Karma was a beautiful concept.

He leaned back and slowly shed himself of that persona. He took another bite of his beans as he listened to her schedule for the next day. Right off the bat he froze for a moment before recovering. The yellowish candle flame darkened to red in fear. Swimming. Don’t shudder don’t shudder don’t shudder. Because as nice as she might appear in a skimpy little bathing suit (he could dream, right?) the thought of being around all of that water was a major turn-off. When one went swimming, one got things wet. Wet things put out fire things. He didn’t like being without fire.

“No, no, nothing in mind,” Johnny said quickly before looking down at his beans, preparing himself to quickly take another bite. He was not going to try to make a day of it tomorrow, then. Not if she was going swimming. Maybe he’d invite her to the nightclub--he was on the schedule for at least a tango, going off of what he vaguely remembered. His schedule was back at his apartment. “But, uh, maybe you’d like to come see me perform tomorrow evening?” Was that a hopeful, distracting question designed to completely cause one to forget about the previous topic? Yes yes it was.

 "Oh thank god!" she sighed, her leg finally free of their entrapment. It felt like an eternity, and for a split second she wondered if she'd ever be able to walk again. Okay, she was exaggerating, but still! Charlotte made a face at her date, somewhere between a frown and sticking your tongue out. "I don't send pictures." she retorted, leaning forward slightly. "You could always stay with me that week and make sure I do it. And if I don't you could, ya know, make sure I stay in line." she finished, rubbing her leg against his. That's exactly what had gotten her in trouble last time, but it complimented what she said very well.

His reaction to her flick was priceless, and the blonde let out a full-bellied laugh, tossing her head back and all. It was exactly what she wanted, and he still looked cute doing it. "I couldn't help it." she giggled, flashing Johnny an apologetic smile. She didn't think she it him that hard. It was meant to be playful, not painful.

And then he did some sort of pose. What was that? Was he trying to be Barry Manilow or something? Sure, that would probably work on her grandmother, but definitely not her. But she couldn't insult him, could she? He was trying so hard, so she would play along. For the most part. She batted her eyes innocently, recreating the act of swooning as best she could. Her next sentence, however, but anything but innocent. "I don't slap people, Johnny," she cooed, mimicking his position. "Unless I'm in bed, of course." she added with a wink.

And then something happen. It was just a glimpse, but Charlotte saw something falter in her date, and she was curious. But that was a conversation to have on a completely different day. Maybe there was more to Johnny than she had originally thought.

"I would love to come see you dance, actually." she said before sipping her tea. It was starting to water down a little and was becoming more tolerable. "It'd give me something to laugh at." she teased, flashing another smile. She was sure he was a great dancer. She could practically picture him on the dance floor, his skin slightly sweaty as he twisted his body to the music. Oh yes, she'd be going. But she definitely wouldn't be laughing.

"If you wanted, and this is just a suggestion. Feel free to say no." she offered, hoping that he'd be more inclined to after she gave him leeway. "But you could stay at my couch, and then tomorrow we could go to the park or something. Make a day of it. Then I could come see you dance, and after that. Well." her voice trailed off, letting Johnny finish that in his head however which way he liked. "And there wouldn't any water." she added, mostly under her breath.

“No pictures? What a shame. Guess Ah’ll just have to resort to the ones Ah already have,” Johnny said with an exaggerated sigh. Woe was he. However, he had to admit that her alternative idea was particularly appealing. He told her so. “Ah have to admit that your alternative idea is particularly appealing,” he said, staring off into space as if studiously contemplating the thought. Pros? Lots and lots of things. Cons? Only lasting for a week. He rubbed his own leg alongside her as he spoke, but moving his limb much higher on her than she had on he.

She claimed she couldn’t help flicking him in the nose. Well, if she had self-control issues so severe as that, perhaps he oughta escort her home. To make sure nothing happened to her. It’s be a shame for her to accidentally do something that she could regret later on. At least he’d be there to make sure that if something happened, it was entirely on purpose.

He rolled up his straw paper and flicked it at her. Then he put on his Cheshire smile and sat there looking as pleased as punch. Just because he’d accepted her apology didn’t mean he couldn’t still retaliate. And if it did, well, what was she going to do about it? Hopefully something quite memorable, along with all the other things they had planned for later.

He left the interesting position, but not without noticing Charlotte’s similar stance. Mmm. They worked well together, their body language and chemistry. She could make a great dance partner, the way she could mimic his moves and flow right in in a perfectly complementary way, like the watermancer she was. It was almost as if the two of them were pawns in a story or game between extradimensional beings who controlled their every action.

If so, then he was perfectly willing to go along with the flow.

Adjusting his tie, Johnny grinned openly at Charlotte’s implications. “Well,” he drawled, “It seems that Ah just can’t tell you what it would take to stop the scar right now, then. Later, maybe.” He sent his own wink scurrying after hers.

He took another bite of his meal.

The firefighter chortled to himself at what Charlotte said. “Ah’m just going to stop you there,” he said, holding up a hand. “Ah assure you, there’ll be nothing funny about me dancin’,” he promised her with a half smile practically overflowing with self-assuredness. Because it was true. He loved bragging about himself, but his favorite boasts were the ones he could actually back up. And if there was one thing he was good at (amongst an incredibly long list of such things) it was dancing. “You’d just have to restrain yourself from throwin’ yourself at me right then and there. Course, that’s what we have bouncers for....” Because that stuff happened all the time. Not really. Only a few instances here and there. But still.

Now then. A proposal. But the fun kind, not the serious kind he’d much prefer to stay the heck away from. He thought it over very quickly. Everything sounded great. Only the couch part wasn’t what he’d prefer, but he was certain he’d get plenty of chances to convince her into letting him crash somewhere with more room and perhaps a bit warmer. And she had decided not to have any water around. Okay, that was strange. Oh, she caught me. Whelp. It wasn’t really a big deal though. He could claim he was terrified of kraken attacks. Irrational fears are irrational.

But despite the wildly flickering candle flame, Johnny smoothed back all excitement from his face, leaving only a smug Yeah-Ah-Totally-Knew-You-Were-Going-To-Offer-All-Of-That-Because-You’ve-Hopelessly-Fallen-For-Me-And-This-Kind-Of-Thing-Happens-To-Me-All-The-Time expression on his features. The amount of truth and lies in what that face suggested were indeterminate. “Since Ah don’t have any early plans in the morning,” the New Orleanian drew out, “Ah guess Ah could just stay over.” Joe Cool, that’s him. Actually Joe Hot, but tomato/zucchini. Now she should be falling utterly in love with him, since he finally deemed her worthy of being in proximity to his magnificent presence for an extended duration.

If she only laughed at him, that’d work too. Humor was an excellent way to woo a woman.

"Maybe it could be extended to longer than a week. If you're on your best behavior." Charlotte added quietly, the last piece of her cornbread finding its way into her mouth. It was safe to say that she was full, if not stuffed. There was no way she'd have any room for dessert. At least, not of the peach cobbler variety.

A manicured hand shot into the air to swat the straw paper away, but her aim was horrible, and the small ball hit her cheek. With a frown and a "Hmph", the blonde dipped her fingers into her nearly empty glass and retrieved a small ice cube, tossing it lightly at Johnny's chest. Two could play at that game. 

She liked how playful Johnny was. He was a free spirit, and she needed someone like that in her life. The firemancer was as flirty as she was, if not more, and that was a nice change. Although, he was a little cocky. Okay, a lot cocky. There would be plenty of times for her to bring him down a notch or two. 

Throw herself at him? Did he honestly think she wouldn't be able to restrain herself? Obviously it would be an internal struggle, but she wouldn't let him know that. "There won't be any need for bouncers. I think you're going to be the one that may need to use some restraint." she taunted, flashing a smile afterwards. 

Charlotte's gaze drifted to the wild candle as Johnny thought about what she said. His response was calm and collected, unlike the flickering candle. "You aren't very good at hiding things, Johnny boy." she thought to herself, allowing her blue eyes to find their way back to his face.

"I mean, you don't have to come if you don't want to." the blonde said, a hint of sadness in her voice.  "I'll just sit at home by myself..in my lingerie..with no one to show it off for.." She let her gaze drop to the table and sighed, her bottom lip starting to pucker slightly. Charlotte was the queen of pouting, and her date could probably take a page or two from her book.

An extended stay based on behavior? “And if Ah’ve just been baaaad....?” Johnny asked with an air of academic interest. He could think of a few punishments he wouldn’t mind. In fact, they might both enjoy them quite a bit. Of course the whole thing depended on how serious she was--if she was serious, he’d hit the jackpot!--but if not, he couldn’t show too much excitement. String her along, string her along. Tease her and entice her, and then see what happens next.

A retaliatory ice cube bounced off his chest (muscles like steel for the win!). It left a small dark spot where condensation marked his jacket. With reflexes like a viper, he managed to catch the cube before it struck anything else, capturing it in the cup of his hand. Blue eyes narrowed as the hand moved up to his mouth before a waiting tongue extended, slowly encircling the cube before pulling it into his mouth along with the tip of his finger. He pulled the finger back out slowly before finally smirking at Charlotte. If anything, it was a small taste of what might be to come.

So Charlotte didn’t see the need for bouncers. Well, that was alright with him. He wasn’t overly fond of crowds in the beginning of a relationship anyways. Her word choice, however, seemed to be unfortunate for her, as he saw a way to twist them to his advantage (or hers, depending on how things turned out). Her smile was just a challenge. “Don’t mind if Ah do,” he said. “Restraints can be quite satisfying at times.” His eyes flashed with implications.

Johnny took in Charlotte’s pouting with delight. My, what a talented woman! Her expression was perfect down to the tiniest details and curves of her lips. Johnny would indeed like to take a page or two from her book, if not other things. However, he could not show any sign of giving in to her feminine wiles. “Ah suppose,” he said loftily, “that Ah could stay over. Ah’d hate to put such a fine lady as yourself out and leave you lonesome.What kind of a gentleman would Ah be if Ah did something like that?” In fact, he’d like to show her exactly how much of a gentleman he could be.

He scooped up the last bits of his meal and imbibed the remainder of his tea. Seeing that Charlotte’s plate contained similar vacancies, he caught Carla’s eye from behind the counter and beckoned her with a few fingers. Johnny was definitely in the mood for dessert, but no longer the kind of dessert offered by the diner. He was fairly certain that Charlotte was feeling the same way; judging by what he thought he was picking up from her, though. The only problem with the flirting game was that sometimes one got lost in it.

Shortly, the engaging waitress was standing by their table, practically blinding them with her radiant smile. “What wouldja like now, sweetie?” she said to neither one in particular. “Dessert? Some pie? Double-chocolate cake?”

“Naw, not tonight, Carla,” Johnny said. “Ah think we’ll just take the check now, please. And tell Dave that was some mighty fine cookin’, just like always!” he said in reference to the chef in the back of the diner. Johnny had been to the restaurant long enough to be on relatively close terms with all of its employees.

With a smile and a bob of her head, Carla whisked herself back to the register in order to ring up the meal. It had never even occurred to Johnny that maybe Charlotte was one of those women who insisted on paying for her half of the meal (and least in the beginning). The pyro-symbiont just naturally assumed he was paying for it all. Southern boy upbringing and all. Not to mention how it tended to score quite a few points with his dates. And he was really planning on winning this game.

Charlotte smirked at his question. Bad behavior wasn't always a horrible thing. In fact, it could be downright wonderful. And she had plenty of ways to.. punish someone, if they decided to misbehave. "You'll have to wait and see. Even bad boys get surprises." the blonde mused, her light blue eyes locking onto his icy ones. 

She held her gaze for a good five seconds, but her concentration was broken by Johnny catching the ice cube. She watched him. He was taunting her, and it was working. She took a deep breath, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile. It was taking every ounce of energy in her body to restrain herself from jumping across the table. She couldn't cave. Not yet. 

The watermancer spared an eyebrow to raise as her date's comment of restraints. Now they were talking. "I agree completely." she responded, the tips of her fingers making circles on the table. "In fact, if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I have one or two pairs of handcuffs in my room. But I might be mistaken.." she added, her voice trailing off. She knew exactly where they were. In the second drawer of her nightstand under a pair of gym shorts. And they would definitely be used in the near future. 

"Oh you're such a sweetheart." she retorted, rolling her eyes at him. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself! "How was I so lucky to have you come into my life?" Charlotte added, batting her eyes as she ran her leg against his one last time. 

She gave a nod and a smile to the waitress, and watched as she walked off. She already had it in her mind that she was going to pay for the meal. Not just her end, but the whole meal. Sure, the tips she made that night were going to go towards a pair of new heels, but she'd get so much more satisfaction knowing that she didn't let Johnny pay for dinner. So when the waitress waltzed back to their table, the blonde dug into her pocket for the small wad of cash she had. Pulling out two twenties, she handed it to Carla before the redhead even had a chance to place it on the table. "Keep the change. And the food was amazing." Charlotte said with a smile. 

She leaned back in her chair, flashing Johnny a cocky grin as she collected her purse and stood up, a hand smoothing over the wrinkles that had formed since she sat. "Shall we?" She was more than eager to get to the dessert portion of the meal. And she hoped it was going to last a lot longer than their dinner had. 

Johnny really wanted dessert. He was getting strong vibes from Charlotte, telling him that she wanted dessert as well. If he was fortunate, it’d be a huge surprise. And then there was something about handcuffs. Was Charlotte starting to breathe a little faster? Was there more color in her cheeks? Was her gaze sharpening, nearly predatorily? (If so, then she was a reflection of his own state.) The little candle on the table was a miniature Independence Day celebration. Grown it had, alternating from deep scarlets to the palest of golds with each erratic flicker.

But back to the ‘cuffs. “Mmm, up for a little Cops ‘n’ Robbuhs?” he asked most seriously. “Ah’ve been told Ah’m a bit like Jesse James--quick on the draw, fast to reload, and an excellent shot, to boot.” Once again his features were studiously blank, the only exception being the lazy, smug look about his face. Felinesque in a way. It was the expression of one who is so absolutely confident in their abilities that they feel no need to explain themselves or even engage in debate.

Meow.

For a second time her leg rubbed against his own. This time, instead of trapping it, he allowed it to roam free. He would tantalize it and draw it in with its own curiosity, luring it ever ever so much farther from it shelter and protection. He would make no moves upon it; he would not let it be aware of his lurking intentions. He would play hard to get, make it yearn to approach him. Then, when it had invested so much interest and desire in rubbing against his own legs, he would permit it to gain small victories and successes. By the time the leg had all that it wanted, it would be his, and it would never be aware that it had fallen prey to his master plan.

It was enough to make him grin a slow grin, sliding his tongue across his upper lip in an elegant stroke. “Ah say it was the grace of God, ma cherie,” he responded languidly. “For you have found fortune in the eyes of the Lord, and verily Ah say unto thee: rejoice in this gift from above, that ye may be rewarded for long nights to come.” His eyes re-established contact with her own enchanting hues.

Then Charlotte paid for their meal.

Johnny’s flabber was thoroughly gasted. His mouth formed a perfect circle and remained frozen in position for several seconds, bent forward with one hand reaching back to access his wallet. That….that….wasn’t how it was supposed to work. She was supposed to sit there and enjoy the chivalry and charm of his readiness to pay for their fare, after which she’d reward him most splendidly in payment. Paying for the meal was supposed to be several points in his favor, not hers! She totally spoiled the--oh. Oh. Oh! She was good! It had never even crossed his mind that she might use the meal payment as a way to one-up him and win the game!

He wasn’t going to let her get by with that so easily! Now he just needed to turn it to his own advantage. In a single fluid motion, Johnny had straightened out his face and slid out of his chair in a whirl of navy and white, the candle in his hand. In another step he was at her side, holding his elbow out to her in the most gentlemanly way he was sure Charlotte had ever seen. “If you’re lucky, Ah might even allow you to pay for the next date, too,” he informed her in his smuggest tone.

And then he was ready to follow her to her home and to dessert.

Cops and Robbers? Charlotte liked that game very much. And she liked even more that her date was having similar symptoms to her own. Her appetite for dessert was growing, and she knew she needed to satiate it as soon as possible. What she didn't know, however, was who in the heck was Jesse James? She'd have to do some research later.

"Hopefully you're not too quick on the draw." she said, a devious smirk on her face as she linked her arm with his and led them out the door. The blonde's other hand dug in her purse for her cigarettes. She placed one between her lips and offered another to to Johnny. "They taste like peppermint." she mumbled around her cigarette as she lit it. Her eyes closed for a second as she felt the smoke fill her mouth. "I love a cigarette after dinner." she stated, opening her eyes to watch the stream of smoke float away. 

Charlotte lightly squeezed on his arm, pulling herself closer to his body. "Well, thank the lord, I guess." She wasn't much of a religious person. Sure, her mom made her go to church every Sunday, but she never really paid attention. 

"And I already planned on paying for the next date. Maybe if you're lucky, you can pay for the one after that." she added, nudging him lightly in the side with her elbow. She knew she had the upper hand, and the blonde was loving it. If only she could hear what he was thinking; she was almost positive it had thrown him for a loop. Smiling to herself, she took a celebratory puff of her cigarette, blowing the smoke at a diagonal so Johnny would be forced to walked through it.

They still had a little ways to go, and Charlotte wasn't sure what to talk about. Sure, she had plenty of thoughts going through her head. But none were very...appropriate to be conversing about on the streets. And she was a lady! 

They stopped at a corner, a small group of cars driving down the street. The blonde took this moment to lean over, her lips brushing lightly against the skin on Johnny's neck. She pulled back, a smile on her face as she led her and her dessert-- date! Her date across the street.

"Dinner was amazing. Best fried chicken, ever."