Moments in the Making

[Poppy Lockwood]

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| Tagged: Patch Adams |
| OOC Note: Continuation to Waiting for the Wind |

The hours passed by with anticipation. With every hour that ticked by, Poppy Lockwood caught herself glancing at the clock, waiting for the sun to set.

Besides breaking for lunch, all she did was read and stroked her cat. By the time the clock struck six, Poppy knew she better get ready if she did not want to be running late. Now came the struggle most people faced before a date.

What do I wear?

Since they were meeting up at the bar, she opted for something casual. Settling on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved lacy white shirt, she strapped on her combat boots before slipping on a jacket and made her way to the bus stop.

By the time she reached the appointed destination -- without getting lost -- it was only five minutes after eight. Since it was still early on a weekend night, the place was not full yet. Striding over to the bar, she ordered a glass of Coca Cola and sent a text.

2007 HOURS Message Sent

To: Patch

I'm the lonely girl by the bar waiting for her date ;')

[Patch Adams]

Time seemed to speed up for Patch after the phone call and by the time closing time loomed upon him, he realised he had to take a shower. And change. And it was already eight.

"Damn it." He cursed under his breath as he waved off the last employee before closing up. Could he get away with just spritzing some of his dad's cologne? Yeah, maybe that was ideal. It was just a date after all. Was he supposed to put his best foot forward on the first date? He thought he had given Poppy a good indication as to how he was last night so first impressions were over and done with. Right?

He did, however, run a comb through his hair to look mildly presentable, rolling up the sleeves to his long sleeved shirt before switching everything off and doing a proper closing of the place. He thought he had heard a buzzing on the counter a few minutes ago so once he made sure everything was cleaned and switched off, he went to the counter to grab his phone.

Another curse under his breath and he was out the door, his coat hastily put on as he locked up the shop. He was extremely glad he chose a place that was nearer to the shop and within a few minutes, he was walking through the entrance and immediately spotted Poppy at the bar.

Hanging his coat over the back of the seat beside Poppy's, he greeted the younger woman with a slight touch of the shoulder. "Hey. I'm really sorry I'm late. Last minute orders and customers thinking an 8 o'clock closing time meant a 7:59 showup would be absolutely fine." He shrugged before ordering a rum and coke. "You look great by the way."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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After the text was sent, she tucked her phone in and waited. The girl was not usually a patient one but that night she welcomed it. When was the last time Poppy Lockwood went on a date? She could count the number of times she did on one hand. It was just one of those rare moments when she decided to give her social life a shot and explore what was there for her outside of her novels and dorm.

As she waited, she drank her drink. By the time her date arrived, she was already on her second one. She turned to greet him when she felt the light touch on her shoulder. "Hey," she said with a smile. Patch looked like he did yesterday -- with his long sleeves rolled up, showing off his nicely toned arms that she remembered all too well about.

"You're not that late." She was pleased that he had showed up at all -- of course she had not doubted otherwise. "Hey, maybe they just couldn't help themselves and just had to get the book right that second." That feeling was very familiar to Poppy. "You know, you're lucky they actually showed up before the closing time. I know someone who also owned a bookstore. He umm well last night this girl showed up after the store shut because she so badly wanted this book. But he was so awesome, he entertained her the whole time." A grin split her face as the brunette retold their first meeting.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself."

[Patch Adams]

Poppy's reassurance had Patch smiling and nodding. Accommodating as always. When she reminded him inadvertently of what had happened with them yesterday, Patch's laughter grew before he rolled his eyes. "This place is lucky it's filled to the brim with pretty people or I wouldn't have entertained any of this late comers." He shook his head.

He looked down at himself and smiled at her comment. "Now you're just being nice." He said before accepting his drink graciously. "So how far into my namesake's history have you delved into?" He asked with a smirk.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Instead of blushing to what he had said, the girl grinned and thanked him again for the night before. Regardless of how the previous night had played out, the bookworm was immensely relieved for achieving her first goal when she decided to head to the bookstore.

"Pfft just stating the obvious," said Poppy, because they both knew she had a penchant for doing so. She had done it quite a few times throughout their conversations. Then he reminded her of the little fact of how he and one of her favorite book characters shared the same name which only broadened her grin.

"Well, I reckon it's a nickname. Even Patch from the book was just a nickname. His real name was Jev. But anyway, I highly doubt that your parents named you 'Patch' even if they hoped you turned out like the doctor. Ooooor do you secretly get in fights and patch up afterwards?" Poppy said with a playful smile tugging on her lips.

[Patch Adams]

"You do seem to have a knack for doing just that." He grinned, taking a sip from his glass. It wasn't the best but it will do in a pinch. As she spoke about her book, Patch nodded before laughing at her question.

"Oh, you have no idea. My parents love the idea of making a joke out of everything. They wanted me to be that doctor. Although I guess credit goes to me for making the nickname stick. I couldn't actually say my full name when I was a kid. Kept calling myself Patchik instead of Patrick. So they went with it." He shrugged. It was a little embarrassing anecdote from his past, but one he hardly thought damaging to his overall persona.

She might even end up thinking it was cute.

"And no, no fights for me. I don't think I can handle abuse to any part of my body. I bruise easily, man."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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And she did.

She did find the story from his past quite cute. There was something about little kids with their inexperienced tongue and not being able to pronounce certain things clearly that Poppy found adorable. "Okay don't hate me for this but your parents sound awesome." They saw the chance and took it. It sounded like something she would have read on Tumblr. It also reminded her of a book she had read where the couple named their daughter after the protoganist of the book they loved.

"Oh I see. Wouldn't want anything to happen to that stunning bod of yours now do we?" she said teasingly. Since he had shared a part of his past, the brunette decided to do the same as well. "When I was a kid, I thought my name was spelled with a 'u' instead of an 'o'. So I was quite mortified when I found out about puppies and that my parents had named me after an animal." Laughing, she shook her head and sipped her drink.

[Patch Adams]

Patch laughed when Poppy complimented his parents. Though he would be the last person to say otherwise, this was at his expense. He wasn't going to let it slide that fast. "Yeah, of all things to be awesome at, they were awesome at embarrassing their own kin. And it doesn't help that when my baby sister came around, they named her Emma. Plain and simple Emma." He chuckled before shrugging. It wasn't like it was such a big deal.

"I have worked hard to maintain this physique. The least you could do is respect it." He frowned, although he couldn't keep up with the act as two seconds in, he was laughing already. He had never been self-conscious, nor would he want to start being such.

Her little anecdote made him bite his lower lip before he laughed out too loud. "Oh...Poppy. That is unbelievably cute." He shook his head and took a drink, anything to keep himself from busting a gut laughing.

"Okay, no more embarrassing kid stories. Tell me something about yourself I still haven't found out about. We'll start off with something simple. Favourite dish?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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"Oh damn this joke would be trolling you to no end now would it." His parents little action whilst it might had seemed small, Poppy found it quite humorous and terrifically adorable. Especially after they named his sister with a simpler and easier to pronounce name.

His failed attempt at a serious expression got the nineteen year old laughing as well. She was glad her date with Patch was starting off joyfully and with laughter. Instead of all serious like. That was what happened she guessed when two people traded embarassing childhood stories.

The day four year old Poppy found out about puppies, she had been shocked and refused to talk to her parents for the whole day. It was pretty funny as she retold it. Moving on, it did not take her long to reply to his question. "I love hamburgers and sesame prawns. Though not necessarily eaten together. How about you? And favorite place?"

[Patch Adams]

"You have no idea. And the kicker is, Emma actually envies my name. The poor kid doesn't know how lucky she got it." He chuckled with a shrug. He would have to drill in his sister how fortunate she really was. But again, he didn't actually mind that much that his name was a bit of a joke. He wore it proudly. At least they didn't decide to name him after another Robin Williams' character. It would probably be a lot worst had they named him Smoochy or something.

When Poppy answered his rather simple question, he nodded, wondering what sesame prawns were for a moment before giving a good think about his own favourite dish. He didn't want to be a cliche and say whatever his mother made but it was entirely true that his mother's cooking was his favourite. There wasn't a dish she made that he didn't like. "Well, everything my mother makes is amazing. Half of what we sell at the cafe is her own recipe. You'd have to taste her fruitcake come Christmas. I can't sing her praises enough."

When asked what his favourite place was, Patch actually felt a little torn. While he loved Kalispell and had since called it his home, he still missed his old community something awful. He had spent such a huge chunk of his life there that it seemed a part of him. It was one of the things that actually kept him sane, come to think of it.

"It depends I guess. What is your definition of favourite place?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Yes, Patch's answer did sound quite cliche. It reminded the girl of the summer camp she attended when she was younger. Most of the campers -- female especially -- wanted to sound "thoughtful" and "sweet" so they praised their parents during ice breaking and story time. Ten year old Poppy wanted to gag at how fake they all sounded. Bleh.

Of course on that night she did not feel like gagging because Patch truly sounded genuine about his mother's cooking. Which got the brunette thinking about her own mother's cooking. Well... Samantha Lockwood was not necessarily the best cook but she has her moments. Like when she made hamburgers -- and managed not to burn the patties and or buns.

"Oh yeah? Sure, maybe I will. So the hot coco last night, her recipe as well or was that all you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

His question was definitely a valid one since she had not been specific with hers. What she had asked him could be interpret into a variety of meanings. Poppy pondered on it for a bit. Favorite place to think, eat, run, swim? Favorite place to vacation, travel? Favorite place to dump a body? So what was her definition of a favorite place?

"I guess..." Then one image came into mind which brought out a smile. "The place where no matter where you go, no matter what happens, you'd always find your way back there," she said with a far off look in the eyes. Shaking her head, Poppy snapped out of it. "Sorry, did that make sense? Or just your favorite place to hide a dead body."

[Patch Adams]

He didn't know where his response sort of laid in Poppy's opinion but her question had him chuckling. "Oh, my mom's got nothing on my hot cocoa. I put in a little something extra to give it a kick." Of course, nutmeg was hardly a secret but it did give the drink a different taste to it.

As she seemed to ponder the question, Patch finished his drink and ordered another before a burst of laughter erupted from the young man when Poppy finally answered. "Jesus, you're either nothing or full on aren't you?" He chuckled before he thought about the answer a little. "It's a lazy answer but home. I like being home. I know my parents want me to move out but I'm just too comfortable at their place already. I mean, I'll eventually find my own place but right now, home. And favourite place to hide a body? I can't tell you. You'd be an accessory to a crime and I just met you. That's just mean." He teased before shrugging and thinking of the next question.

"Okay, if you had to choose between spending a year abroad to travel or a year doing something you're really passionate about at home, which would it be?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The man's laugh was infectious and he got Poppy laughing too. Well that and what she had said was something which played a factor as well. "Hey, I've been told it's best to never hold back," she said.

His next answer got the girl nodding her head as she listened to him. It seemed Patch was someone who was close to his parents which Poppy found quite refreshing. "That's nice. That you and your folks are on good terms." There were a number of people she had met at the academy with tragic past -- abused, etc. The occasional few were alright but it was a little tiring to know a lot came from broken homes.

"Stunning and thoughtful," she told him before giving a nod of approval. As the man thought of his next question, Poppy carried on with her drink that was gradually decreasing.

"A year abroad! Definitely." She was faced with a similar choice a year ago. After graduating from high school, Poppy wanted to take a year off before attending college. The plan was to travel to places all over the globe. But then SPRITE put a dent in her plan. Not sure what to expect out of it, the counselors and even her parents advised her to stay to learn how the epidemic had affected her -- which only made her power stronger. "I mean, I would like to do that one day. Some day. Any day really. Sure I can read about it but I think first hand experience wins," said the girl with a shrug.

"Okay, I got one. What's your guilty pleasure?"

[Patch Adams]

Patch simply laughed in response to Poppy's reply to his statement. It wasn't like she was wrong. It just felt a little jarring that such humour came from such a person.

That he and his parents had a strong bond was only due to his upbringing. There had never been secrets between him and his parents. It never felt odd or much of an overshare whenever he spoke to his parents. They always had an open door policy. It did help that he was raised to basically be a hippie like them, so being close to his parents had never been a problem.

So the girl was still on the stunning bit. Patch couldn't help but chuckle. He did like being called such but continuously might become just a tad tiring.

Glad for the change of subject, he nodded at Poppy's answer. It was a good one. Traveling had opened his eyes to so many things, which was probably why he was just so mellow now. He was glad his parents had allowed him the time to take a gap year so he could travel.

"You really should. It will become a cliche if you hold it off and then you'll regret not doing it." He added before chuckling at the next question. "Oh I don't have any guilty pleasure. I listen to cheesy pop music, I eat whatever I want, and I read gossip magazines simply because they're there. There's no use feeling guilty for liking something." He shrugged.

Just then, the hostess announced that a table had opened for them. Patch thanked and smiled at the hostess and followed her, waiting a beat for Poppy to catch up. He held on to his drink until they got to their table before asking the hostess to fill it up again.

"Do you have tattoos? Or are you thinking of getting one?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Poppy groaned when he mention how much of a cliche it could turn out. "Man, you're so right." He was right -- it could become a cliche. Nothing wrong with cliches but this was one bit she did not want. At this period of time, she was not sure if she could take a year off. Maybe during summer breaks? Not much of the planning type, she might just take off on a whim.

"Smart answer," she commented just as she finished her drink. Before she could say anything, the hostess arrived to inform them of their table. Since her glass was empty, she left it where it was and gave the bartender a thankful smile before following Patch.

She was seated across from the man and she ordered her third glass of Coca Cola that night. Her breath caught in her throat when asked about tattoos or thinking about getting one. "Well..." her voice was high pitched. Biting her lip, she slowly nodded her head. "Yeah. I do err have one." Her hand scratched the back of her neck where she knew the tattoo was.

Thanks to her long hair, she managed to cover the impulsive decision her seventeen year old self had done. She had wanted something memorable then. Well it certainly was. Inked across the back of her neck to remind her everyday. "It isn't anything big or deep and meaningful or whatever," her words trailed off as she contemplated whether to tell him what exactly she had gotten.

"It's the words 'fight me' but spelled f-i-t-e and m-e-h," she blurted. "Though I am thinking of tattooing the words 'baby doll' across my knuckles. Correctly spelled, mind you." Poppy snickered.

"Your turn. Tell me a secret, mister."