The Perfect Date

[Riley Forrester]

So, this is it. Riley thought with a silent exhale, walking towards where she knew Zoe's room was. Was she nervous? Ok, maybe a little. But honestly, she was excited too. She felt pretty giddy, like some hormonal teenager going on her first date. But she kinda was, in a sense. Well, not the first date part. She'd gone on dates before. But she was definitely a little jittery. So she had to force herself to calm down a bit before she knocked on the door to Zoe's room.

She had dressed relatively nice but still casual in a sense. She didn't want Zoe to feel too freaked out with formality. It was a date after all. Of course, a date that Riley had spent a lot of time thinking on perfecting to the best of her ability. Sure, things could go haywire. She knew that. But the possibility for improvising only made it more thrilling and before Riley realized it, she was grinning in even more anticipation. Seriously, it took me a while to get all this together. Thank god I know Stan and he owed me such a huge favor. Otherwise I would've never gotten them to come in so damn quickly. She internally mused. Yeah, it had taken a lot and one major favor called in, but Zoe felt like it was worth it anyways. Plus, she couldn't wait for the show herself.

But she cut that thought off as the door opened. Riley gave her trademark two-fingered salute from her temple and smiled. "Hey! Ready to go? I gotta admit, I'm pretty excited about all this." She confessed, her smile turning into a somewhat lopsided grin as she ran her fingers through her hair instinctively. "Even if this is basically the second time we've ever met." She added. Way to call attention to it Riles. No really, you're as smooth as sandpaper. She mentally reprimanded herself

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

How many different hats did Zoe own? She'd cycled through far more of them then she'd cared to admit, most of them berets of various kind. At least she'd managed to get through the rest of her wardrobe, albeit taking up a good portion of the day to do so. her phone kept buzzing too, Vera, Devyn, and other friends continually offering advice and suggestions along the way. Zoe had at least followed through with some: she flushed just thinking about agreeing to go along with Vera's very insistent suggestion. The dress she wore should work well enough for whatever though: a pleasant affair of red and black patterns that extended to just above the knee. A light leather half-jacket could go over that well enough. Makeup and hair had been done well too: the curls mostly tamed and the freckles partially hid (votes had been mixed on that latter). Zoe was fairly certain she could manage the heels too (Vera and Di had been most adamant about heals). Hair had been twisted upward into a loose updo that left curls falling over her face. She'd actually put on and removed gloves, seeming to have forgotten that she was most definitely passed that.

She did slide both the antidote and preventative into a small clutch purse, however. Because she definitely didn't want to end up sending her date to the hospital over extended hand-holding. Plus, one of her doses was nearing expiration anyway.

The girl had finally just given up on hats when she heard the knock. Zoe had jumped, squeaked, and ended up dashing over to the door. At least she managed to take a breath and calm herself before opening. "Hello," she offered, a slight flush already rising. Riley had dressed in what struck Zoe as a strange combination of both Vera's and Devyn's styles. Which was, of course, just one more detail she'd have to remember to report later. "I'm excited too!" she said, her eyes lighting up for a moment. She lifted her hands up to try and mess with one of the trailing curls. "You look quite fetching: I love the jacket," another warm smile and slight flush. She could do this. She pretty well had a stream of text messages all but saying the same thing, some lewder than others.

[Riley Forrester]

Riley's smile widened at the outfit Zoe had chosen. It was definitely cute, and looked great on her. "You look amazing too. You really work the dress." Riley complimented with an easy smile. Dear lord she's mastered the cute blush. Riley thought with amusement at the sight. It really was adorable. "I'm glad you're excited! I really hope you like this first bit!" Riley voiced, offering her hand to the girl to hold. When she did, Riley felt an odd tingle in here hand, as if it were falling asleep. But she ignored it for now. "Well, here we go!" She said before gently leading Zoe away and heading towards the auditorium.

Once there, there were two pretty impressive looking guys out front by the doors, almost like body guards. They were pretty intimidating, but Riley just waved to them with a grin and they waved back, smiling. As she entered, the auditorium was super dark, with only little floor lights marking where things were. The stage itself was curtained off, and even then completely darkened. Riley led the way towards seats in the middle with the best view of the stage. Not too close and not too far. She sat down and motioned for Zoe to do the same with a wide grin. "I hope you like it." Riley whispered before giving Zoe's hand a squeeze and letting it go as she settled into her chair.

Riley really did hope she liked it. Because Stan would kill Riley if he came all this way with his actors on so short a notice for it to be a bust. A minute of two passed before suddenly music began to swell an the curtains opened. Light slowly came on, revealing scenery equipment that was definitely more expensive and detailed than what would normally be in the school. And then, people began coming out onto stage, who were clearly not from the school and professionals. The song was familiar too....

...Riley had managed to get the couple a private viewing of the Broadway musical Wicked.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Work the dress? Zoe could almost hear Vera complimenting her before effectively shutting the door on the other voices. Tonight was going to be about her and Riley, enjoying themselves and having a good time. Riley certainly sounded excited, and it was the kind of excitement that was infections, practically making Zoe bounce on her feet.

A hand took hers, and she again felt like she should warn. Too long of exposure to someone not resistant to drugs or whatnot would result in that numbness creeping up. Surely Riley would notice before it got to that point; most people did. At least they could avoid that awkward conversation for the time being.

instead Zoe was left wondering where they were going. They didn't seem to be heading for any of the exits, or at least, none of the ones that Zoe knew about. She kept looking around for details, finally figuring out that they were heading toward the auditorium (a helpful sign certainly helped in that regard). Why were they heading there?

Zoe thought about asking, but managed to just keep silent. instead she nodded, going along and taking the seat indicated by Riley. "I'm sure I will," she said in response, offering another slightly nervous smile. She did pull her hand away slightly, mostly not wanting to fully numb her date this early in the evening.

The music swelled and soon Zoe's eyes were going wide. She thought she recognized the opening but... "Wicked?" she said, her voice going up an octave while she looked around. "You... is this a rehearsal? "she said that in a much lower tone, her attention still being drawn toward the stage. Just how had all this... happened?

[Riley Forrester]

Riley couldn't help but grin at the look on Zoe's face. She definitely seemed shocked that they were watching Wicked. "Mhmm." Riley confirmed, looking back at the stage as it went on. Stan certainly wasn't slumping on this performance. It was amazing so far. "Nope. This is the real deal." She corrected, her voice still low as to not disturb the show. "A friend owed me a big favor, so I called in and he brought his troops out to perform." She explained quietly as the musical progressed splendidly.

"You like it?" She asked hopefully as it went on. She did hope Zoe enjoyed it. But as the Elphaba came out, even Riley was shocked. Stan had gotten... Idina Menzel!? Wait, what? Holy crap Stan. Now I owe you. Seriously Riley thought. How the hell did he get her to come? Oh, whatever, Riley just wanted to watch and make sure Zoe had fun.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

at first Riley seemed almost blase about it, as if this was just something that happened. Whole casts of major Broadway plays (well, not on Broadway anymore) just showed up at schools like this and did performances, apparently private performances, for people. Zoe worked her mouth for several moments, but actually producing sound seemed to be beyond her reach for the time being.

"Yes?" she managed, the voice coming out as a squeak. Zoe looked back, her eyes going wider still as Elphaba actually came out. Was that... no, it couldn't be. Surely it must just be someone who looked a lot like her. Zoe could only gape in sheer astonishment, her mouth hanging open. The woman was the star of one of Zoe's favorite movies too (Frozen, thus matching her with millions of girls across the world).

The expression of sheer shock just kept growing with each passing second too, as Zoe's disbelief just spiraled almost dangerously out of control.

[Riley Forrester]

Riley's guess was only confirmed as the girl began to talk and sing. Yep. Thats her. That's friggin Idina Menzel. Holy shit Stan. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Riley grinned widely, sending a mental thanks to Stan wherever the big lug currently was. Thank god Riley had saved Stan's life. Maybe she should try to do something like that more often. Who knew what other goodies she could get? Cause this was certainly amazing.

Riley chanced a glance over at Zoe, and saw the utter disbelief in her expression. Riley was a tad worried that a fly would make a nest in Zoe's mouth, so she lightly tapped the girl's shoulder. "You still with me?" She asked gently, teasing a little with a faint smile. Riley feared Zoe's jaw was going to get unhinged from how wide it was hanging open in shock. But she was satisfied as well, oddly enough.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

That... was actually her. Zoe still couldn't quite believe it. Nor could she believe how utterly amazing this version of the play happened to be. Zoe's father had taken her to see it before, but she certainly hadn't had seats like this, or, well, anything like this. the sheer enormity of it threatened to overwhelm Zoe. She almost felt like crying, not quite believing that someone would go through this much trouble for her.

A tap on her shoulder made her jump. Zoe let out a little gasp and turned to her date. Oh, right, date. "Yes, yes, I'm..." she managed, pausing, fighting the urge to lick her lips (which would smear her lipstick). "I just... I can't believe you'd go through all this effort," she looked back at the stage, practically feeling the music coming from it now. "I... I don't know if I'm really.... really worth all..."

Zoe gestured at the stage, words failing her. How did you explain something like, well, this?

[Riley Forrester]

Zoe seemed to jolt a bit, and Riley had a feeling the girl had forgotten about her. However, that only made Riley smile, because that obviously meant she was enjoying this. But as Zoe went on, Riley's smile faded and she blinked. Whoa whoa whoa. Hey now, don't be so down! She thought before Riley slowly shook her head. "Hey... Don't say that." Riley said, surprisingly gentle and trying to be as sweet as she could. "You seem like a really sweet girl, Zoe. I'm sure you're worth it. And I promised to make this date perfectly tailored to you. When I make a promise, I keep it." She stated firmly.

Annnnnndddd the winner of the cheesiest line goes toooooooo: Riley Forrester! She thought with a dry internal chuckle and an internal face palm. Maybe she should stare in some 80s Batman show.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Now she'd made the smile fade. Zoe inwardly winced that, certain that she'd messed things up somehow. She was all ready to start apologizing or something when Riley negated it. Zoe supposed she shouldn't be that surprised, as more sweet words came from the girl who'd actually purchased her's mouth. it struck her being almost surreal, sitting there, listening to Wicked while her date insisted that this was worth it, that Zoe was worth it.

Zoe worked her mouth, but again words failed her. She ended up closing her mouth, flushing, nodding slightly. "Um, i do, um, they're already there," she said, pointing and turning to the show. "So, ah, we should probably... watch?"

Which yes, was avoiding the increasingly awkward conversation. But it was also turning Zoe's own attention back to the sheer spectacle unfolding before her, the one that she simply could not believe was actually happening. Here. Now. With her. And this apparently amazing girl who Zoe had somehow impressed by just standing there.

[Riley Forrester]

Zoe blushed again- So adorable- and motioned to the stage when she could say something. Instead she nodded and went back to watching. She was, admittedly, glad to step away from the awkward conversation herself. She already felt cheesy enough, so she mentally thanked Zoe for changing the subject and got lost in the show.

It was... Well, it was Wicked. It was simply glorious. Riley herself caught herself joining in to some of the songs, using her power to match the voices exactly as she did, in part so she didn't disturb the show, and also just because she could. It was truly perfect, and Riley was either smiling or grinning the whole time, not even noticing how sore her cheeks were from holding the expressions for so long. When Intermission came, Riley actually rubbed her cheeks, getting the feeling back. "Wow. Ow. Note to self: do not smile for so long." She said, mainly to herself before glancing at Zoe. "So! Need a drink or anything?"

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

The show was just amazing. It always was to watch a play live, even when done by amateurs who just loved theatre and wanted to express themselves. These people were a long way above amateur, in many ways they were at the absolute peak of their profession. It showed in the performance, and Zoe again found herself utterly enraptured by the story and the songs.

So much so that she was almost surprised by the intermission. Zoe blinked, looking around for a moment, half expecting a crowd to somehow have materialized while they'd been enraptured. Part of her almost wanted to suggest that they open up the performance to a larger group anyway. It felt wrong in some way to be keeping this to herself.

"Well, that's a good pain, at least," Zoe said. She reached up to lightly tap Riley's cheeks, letting her power seep in a bit, the numbness no doubt taking some of the strain away. "And yes," she rose slightly, needing to stretch herself, "some water would be great," Zoe looked around, wondering if there was some secret stash of food she should be looking for or something along those lines.

[Riley Forrester]

Zoe seemed a little surprised at something when Intermission came, looking around. Riley had no idea what she was curious about, but when Zoe tapped her cheeks and took away some of the pain, Riley exhaled in relief and smiled at her. "Thanks for that." She said, even though her current expression was probably not helping. "Although I don't think I'm helping it now by smiling again." She voiced, instinctively chuckling and then laughing at that. Oh great, from bad to worse. She thought. "Sorry, sorry. You probably think I'm crazy. I just... I can't help it!" She admitted with another laugh before trying to calm her smile down with her hands and groaning at her own goofiness. Nice job Riles.

She pooled it together enough to lean down at Zoe's request for water. After a bit of searching, she pulled out the cooler she had placed under the seat next to her and took out an ice cold bottle of water. "Here you go." She offered, getting one for herself to drink.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"You're welcome," Zoe offered, again feeling shy. It wasn't as if they'd really had a lot of time to chat as of yet. They'd met when Riley had purchased her for the date, then fumbled their way through a conversation that had felt almost like profiling. All Zoe really knew about the other girl was that she had a fair amount of money, apparently quite a bit of it, and that she enjoyed music and some other activities.

Apparently she could also be awkward. "it's alright. I just... my touch numbs people," Zoe offered, adding a slight shrug and another smile. "I don't mind. Um, the smiling, but I'm getting better with my power too..." that felt lame even when Zoe said it, and she was already wincing slightly.

Thankfully, water appeared. Zoe offered a thanks as she took the bottle, cracking it open and taking a quick sip. She looked out to the stage as she finished, her fingers playing along the edges, collecting the various water droplets that had started to form around the outside.

[Riley Forrester]

True, Riley really didn't know anything about this girl. But honestly, the more time Riley spent with Zoe, Riley did want to get to know her. Mostly cause she was just so utterly adorable that Riley couldn't help it. Which was probably half the reason she was smiling so damn much. Seriously, her cheeks were already aching again. "Oh, wow. That's really cool!" She said, blinking at Zoe's power. "I can change my voice to imitate voices and sounds." Riley said, because hey, Zoe had shared so why shouldn't she?

"Oh, that's good." Riley said, a tad awkwardly before she snickered at herself. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a goof sometimes, I admit." She confessed with a shrug before listening more. "Oh, you have a bit of trouble with it?" She asked. Then Riley blinked and face palmed herself. "Wow. Wow. Sorry about that. I tend to speak without thinking sometimes." She apologized with a somewhat sheepish smile. "But yeah, sometimes i get stuck in my voices. It's really bad when I get stuck in a guy voice." She admitted with a faint sigh.

Riley took a few gulps of her own bottle before drawing shapes in the perspiration along the bottle, chuckling lightly. She had to admit, this was all a bit awkward, she could just feel it. And Riley didn't do so good with awkward. So finally she sighed and leaned back in her chair, head thrown back before looking over at Zoe. "Can I ask you a question? Is this as awkward as I think it is?" She asked a bit jokingly, a smile playing about her lips. "I mean, we're two girls who randomly met at an auction, I essentially bought you for a day, and now we're just hanging out watching Wicked." She said, looking forward again. Then she couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "Sounds like a cheesy summer movie plot line, doesn't it?" She mused before looking back at Zoe with a strengthened smile, amusement on her features. "And I sound as cheesy as the 80s Batman over here."