I'm a little less than sold

ira

She smiles softly at him with a nod once he's done looking over the menu. "It's a good choice. It think it's like, good spicy without just burning your mouth." The staff comes back with their drinks and they order their food. She picks up a glass of the sweet tea to take a small sip from it and turns her attention back to Uldren when he mentions trying one of the crayfish options one day.

"I'd definitely be up for trying it! I've haven't tried anywhere near everything on the menu. Had a few different things when I found this place, but then got stuck on the same. Often got no time between shifts to stop and think, so it's easier to just pick up what I know I like." She chuckles and gives him a brighter smile, as if being a little bit proud over at least taking the time in her busy schedule to get food sometimes instead of just some snacks.

They don't have to wait too long for the staff to come back with two plates of steaming food, hot and spicy, placing each down in front of them before setting down a plate with a stack of small flatbread. Giving the staff a smiling thanks, Ira picks up one of the breads and tears a piece off of it. "I hope you'll like it. Otherwise I'll have to start thinking of other places for next time we go out. Or just settle for your restaurant again." She gives Uldren a smirk and begins scooping up some of her veg and fruit mix onto the bread piece with the help of her fork.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Uldren teases her, bouncing his eyebrows playfully in response before he takes a sip of his water and talks about the crayfish, already planning their next venture out here despite having not tried the food yet. “Guess we’ll have to start plannin’ days we can get here to eat the menu.” He laughs alongside her, for a different reason than she is – though there is some hidden pride at the fact she did eat regular food and not just little snacks here and there.

Luckily, the food comes quickly and Uldren offers a quiet thanks before picking up a piece of flatbread for himself and his fork, getting everything together on the piece of bread before lifting it to his face to take a bite. She’s right in that it isn’t too spicy, enough that he can feel it pour through his mouth but not enough that it hurts or burns, and he sighs contently as he slowly starts to chew, swallowing it down with a decisive nod and a brighter crooked smile. “So good. Now we definitely gotta try the rest of the menu.” He chuckles, preparing his next bite.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

She smirks at his teasing and nods in agreement to making plans to come back. Perhaps on some days when she's got more time between the two jobs, she could pick him up to have some food together, if anything just to have a chance to hang out with him at all between morning and evening on her very busy days.

Some of her attention shifts briefly to her own food as she starts eating, but she casts subtle glances in Uldren's direction. Not wanting to just stare at him, but she is curious and a bit anxious for his reaction when he has a bite of the food. However, when he comments on it being good and that they should try the rest of the menu, she looks to him fully with a bright smile. "Glad you like it! Though, I'm not sure I'll dare try any of the extra spicy ones. Maybe when we've gone through all the other options." With an amused huff of a laugh, she turns to her plate to gather up some more food on another piece of bread.

She spends a short moment focused on the food again, but then starts to smile faintly for herself as if something comes to mind. "This is a bit like our first time out together." She peers playfully at Uldren with the soft smile on her lips and one of her legs nudges his gently under the table. "Did you ever make anything out of those stones we picked out?"

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

As coy as she is, Uldren does notice the little glances here and there. He doesn’t play it up, though, thoroughly enjoying it so far – enough so that he continues to dive into it to sate his growling and upset stomach, relaxing his shoulders with the relief it offers to his ravaged throat. He swallows down another bite and hums a soft laugh, nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah those might have to wait until the end.” This level of spice was more than enough for him, but maybe one day he’d feel adventurous enough to try it, and maybe they’d have enough lasti to cover two dishes for when it was inevitably too spicy they’d at least have something else to eat.

He continues to take a few more bites, at least, looking up at her when she recalls their first official date in public and Uldren snorts, nodding as his leg extends enough to loop around her own, flashing her a gentler smile. “It is, isn’t it?” But he pauses as he thinks on the stones they picked out and his smile tilts a little more playful. “I did, actually. I’ve just been very good at hiding it.” He’d wanted it to be a surprise gift, but with the cat out of the bag he supposes he’ll have to go through with it now.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

While being quite used to this level of spice by now, she suspects the extra ones might be a bit much and she's certain she wouldn't be able to go through a whole dish on her own. So it would have to wait until they both felt ready to tackle that trial together. For now, she's content with working through the food she has, though she's not keeping up with the pace of the starving Uldren. However, she is happy he likes it and pleased that her choice of restaurant is a success. At least now they've got two good places to go to if they run out of other ideas or don't feel up for cooking at home.

Her leg loops around his in return, the next best thing to holding hands while they're busy eating, and a more subtle public display of affection than for example making out in a booth in the middle of a bar. Not that she had anything against that either and would happily do it again. Though when he mentions hiding what he made of the stones, her smile fades into a more puzzled expression and her head tilts a bit to the side. "Hiding? Why... Would you hide it?" She doesn't seem to figure that he might be hiding it from her.

Receiving gifts is still something she's not used to nor expects, from anyone, which had been evident in the confusion she had shown when Uldren gave her the scarf she's currently wearing. She does really appreciate it, however, and is treasuring that soft piece of fabric a lot.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

She doesn’t need to keep the pace with him when it comes to eating, Uldren more than content to wait until she’s finished her meal with no intention of rushing her. He’s just starving - probably from his body working to heal his illness. But their legs loop together and it allows him both hands to work with the food given it’s certainly a two handed job for part of it – the scooping onto the bread, of course.

As for hiding it, though, he looks away from his piece of bread as he scoops another bite onto it to look up at her with an almost cheeky sort of smile, tilting his head slightly as he sits up a bit straighter. “Well, not to ruin the surprise, but don’t you have a birthday coming up?” He bounces a brow toward her, as if to say that she could try as she might to ask him about its whereabouts, but he still intends on it being a surprise.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

The mentioning of her birthday has her looking even more puzzled and even though Uldren talks about a surprise in the same sentence, the connection still doesn't seem to cross her mind at first. "I do, but what does that..." She finally seems to dare put things together in the way they are intended and she cuts herself off, looking more a mix of awkward and well, surprised. A bit of a shy smile tugs at her lips as she briefly looks down before peering up at him again.

"Sounds like I should just pretend I never heard anything about it." The smile grows into a brighter one and she chuckles quietly with a small shake of her head. She keeps herself from saying he doesn't need to get (or make) her anything. Too late for that now and she really doesn't want to ruin it for him either. Even if she's now aware of there being something, it will still be a surprise to see what it is and perhaps being somewhat prepared for it might keep her from reacting too weirdly over being gifted something.

Turning back to her food once more, she uses the fork to hunt down pieces of fruit on her plate, but her pace does slow down more until she has to admit defeat. "Want some vegetables with the last of your food? Not sure I can get much more down." She offers with a small sight, not liking having to leave any food herself.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

Her confusion over the subject of her birthday has that smile broadening ever so slightly, breaking up for a soft chuckle to leave him as her shy smile dawns across her face as the realization hits. He tilts his head gently, focusing his amusement into a smaller, easier smile. “So that being said, I gotcha a birthday gift.” He says, as if that was all the elaboration that was required, focusing on her of course to offer a wink before settling in to finish what was on his plate.

He clears his plate pretty close to empty by the time she asks if he wants some of hers and he offers a softer nod. “Sure.” He rumbles, sliding his plate over so that she can slide the rest of hers onto his and whatever else she didn’t want to eat. Usually, Uldren also tries to clear his plates – but mostly due to the fact that if he’s spending money on it, he certainly wants to get everything he can out of it. (And a smaller, subconscious part of his mind seems to suggest that if he leaves food on his plate, it’s almost as if he’s wasting money).

“Is there any place you wanted to go to dinner for your birthday?” He asks while he works to finish the rest of the food they’ve ordered.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

He clarifies that he's got her a birthday gift and she mouths a small thank you with a soft smile, trying to not feel embarrassed over being slow to connect things. With how much time spent in her own company and not really having people close enough to care or having the time to, birthdays had just been left to pass by without much recognition until they became something she barely cares about anymore herself. However, she can appreciate Uldren caring and doesn't prod more about the gift to let him keep his excitement over it.

Pushing the topic of her birthday away from her mind again, she moves the rest of her food over to Uldren's plate when he agrees to take it. At least she's managed to eat a decent amount herself, so he doesn't need to wolf down a whole second portion. She focuses on finishing her drink instead when he brings up the birthday again and she tilts her head with a soft sigh.

"Honestly, I've not even given it a single thought before now. The day usually goes by like any other." She gives him a gentle smile and takes a sip from her glass while thinking. "Really don't need to make it into a huge thing. We could just be cozy at home, or... Maybe bring something with out to that place in the Tangles I wanted to show you if it's not raining." She offers in an attempt to at least not be completely dismissive of the idea to do something on the day.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

Uldren realizes quickly that Ira harbors some disinterest in the thought of her birthday, and somewhere deep inside opens a yawning little crack of sadness that it has just become yet another day. Likely, because his family had always made it a big deal; always brought the best of everything together to celebrate whoever's birthday it was within the family. Often a nice dinner, gifts, a day celebrating just them. Perhaps that’s part of the reason he’s so close to his family, even if the previous birthday present hasn’t arrived given lockdown keeping the trucks from coming in and out.

Maybe he was just spoiled — as spoiled as a little poor Undunli kid could be. It’s a thought that both warns him but also has him yearning to spoil Ira all the same. Hopefully it’s something she can get used to.

So be chews on the rest of the food slowly now, green eyes watching her as she tries to decide what to do for her birthday. “Let’s do the latter? Make it like a little picnic and you can show me y’favorite place?” He asks with a crooked smile once he’s swallowed down another bite of the vegetables, now out of bread so he uses the utensil that has come with the meals to finish clearing the plate.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling