Against All Odds [Amelie, Valentine's]

Well, there wasn't much that Amy could say about her peer's words. She had gotten the answer she wanted, after all. "I'm glad that you're so accepting of your new position. I gotta say that it fits you."

As weird as this conversation was, the brunette couldn't deny it was very enjoyable; sure, maybe it had to do with the fact that she knew this person, and that they already had some history together, even if not an overly long one. At the very least, she was aware of Asher's antics, and while they could be mildly annoying at times, they were mostly funny.

Just like his answer about being 'the best at being the worst'. Adopting a thinking expression for a second, Amelie's addled mind had a bit of trouble processing that notion, even if finally she smirked a bit at those words. "I mean. I guess it really takes talent to be the best at something. Even if that's being the worst." A pause, followed by some laughter ensued. "You could've picked a better thing to be the best at, honestly. Like the best blind dater!"

Was that a challenge, or maybe there was something else about that proposal? Could their date even be considered a 'blind' date? Had Amy drunk too much and was beginning to talk nonsense? Those were all valid possibilities.

And considering how their conversation followed, the third kinda became very likely. Being 'happy' wasn't a bad thing, but it kinda made the situation all the more unpredictable. "Wai~t." Amelie's speech came to a sudden halt. "Why I should have any notes on Stalking 101? You're supposedly the adept at sta~lking, not me!"

Had she taken that offer way too seriously? Considering that the brunette was snickering at the moment, that was highly unlikely. "If anything, I thi~nk you're the expert in here. Maybe I should ask you for a tip or two in case I wanna begin a career as a pro stalker!"

Which Asher maybe was, taking into account what he said next. However, Amy didn't seem to mind those words; in fact, she reciprocated those with a small smirk. So, Asher wanted to play that game? He was on!

"We~ll, well! You could've said that you wanted to hang out that often sooner! It'd have saved us a lot of time and effort, don't you think?" Of course, the brunette was exaggerating the situation as much as she could. "You could say right now that you're cru~shing on the prettiest girl around, and I'd have understoo~d!"

As the implication of her words floated in the air, she just danced away from the topic as if she had said something totally innocuous. The food challenge was undoubtedly something that caught her interest, anyway. "Squid ink is a cla~ssic in Mediterranean cuisine! It's pretty good, so you should definitely try it along the li~ne. Especially in pasta." A small pause followed, another thinking expression taking over her features. "Bu~t, if it's something I haven't tried, what about gri~lled eels? I've wanted to try them for a while, but never had the opportunity!"

Truthfully, the wonders of the internet were something that wasn't alien to Amy, even though the thought of using their power to get personal information about known people wasn't something that had crossed her head yet. "That sounds li~ke a lot of effort. I think I'll pa~ss for now. Especially when you're in front of me, you know? If I wanted to know anything, I~ could just ask." Of course, that wasn't always simple, and the redhead could just refuse to the information requested, but it wasn't like she would remember any details tomorrow. Or, well, least not clearly.

Just like he didn't even seem to be able to 'remember' her name. Instead of getting worked up in the face of such an obvious offense, Amelie just pouted, puffed her cheeks a bit and jabbed Asher's arm with a little more strength that she'd do in the face of a funny joke. Probably not enough to even make him flinch, but good enough to express that it wasn't a funny joke. At least for her!

Happy to know that wasabi beer would be a one-time thing, the brunette moved onto their next silly assumption; namely, the fact that this could have been rigged by somebody called Dice-tan. As interesting as that idea was, in the end, and even if Amy had proposed it herself, she found it kinda unlikely. "Besides that Venusmon that's sta~ring at us with dreamy eyes, I doubt there are bets going on. After all, you're the famous actor and I'm the ple~beian, right? It should go in your favor, if anything!"

Whether that statement had been mostly a joke or a serious one would probably remain a mystery, especially given how Asher had been pretty much dragged to the dance floor! "Ju~st shut u~p." She promptly responded to his tease/question. "Are you aware that you're the one supposed to invite me to dance and not the other way around, right? That's what guys usually do!"

Being honest with herself, Amy knew that her taste in music (or regarding this song in particular, rather) wasn't the best, so getting less than optimal reactions was expected and pretty much accepted; just as long as nobody exploded in laughter, that is!

Even if 'slightly' inebriated, the brunette's sense of rhythm was mostly intact. It was somewhat obvious that this wasn't the first time she danced like this. The end result was just having fun, after all! And even if Asher couldn't quite follow suit, that was fine. Watching somebody struggling with dance moves was fun, anyway!

After a couple more tracks of what frankly could described as 'normal nightclub music', things took a dramatic shift, finally slowing down for some reason, even though anyone curious enough would notice that a certain Venusmon was now in the DJ's booth.

Take things as they came, right? She promptly made the motions to begin 'slow dancing', as if to test the waters. Would the redhead follow along or... decided he had enough? Time to find out!

Amelie had to admit that this date was the land of weird of first timers; in a sense, this was her first time in the Digital World, her first time at 'blind-dating' somebody she already knew, and, in all honesty, the first time she had this kind of weird chemistry with somebody. Sure, Asher could be annoying and/or cocky at times, but the brunette could discern —or at least hoped— that he could tell where the boundary that separated harmless teasing from outright rudeness lied. Or maybe she was giving him too much credit and this had been done unwittingly. No way for her to know.

There was one thing Amy couldn't deny, however. Genuine or not, there was a strange kind of charm on the way he had to carry himself. That, or her taste was awful; knowing herself, both seemed likely possibilities.

Frankly enough, even if she had tried to adopt a thoughtful expression, the redhead's statement had been pretty bad at making her keep her composure; or, maybe it was the alcohol's influence? A small bout of laughter ensued. "I'd say it takes some ego to believe that, especially with your date in front of you, you know?"

Would that reaction be interpreted as something favorable or... the other way around? She was aware that Asher wasn't being really serious about this, but that didn't mean she couldn't capitalize on it! "But, that's fine, I guess. It'd be too rude to tell somebody they're delirious, don't you think?"

Delirious; definitely an interesting word to use. And... yeah, that may have been a bit on the mean side, but at least on her mental scoring board, Amy was still a fair bit behind her date on that department! The wasabi beer alone was enough to put him at least one hundred points or so ahead; this was totally fine!

That may have not been exactly accurate, and the brunette wasn't this 'rude'; she could owe some of the current quirks of her personality to the alcohol's influence, yet the more rational and, at the moment, inactive part of her brain hoped the redhead would take it well. Or something; why she was giving it that much thought?

In any case, the stalking matter was more interesting, yes. While initially raising an eyebrow at the notion of him sharing 'some stalking secrets', and even in her not-so-sober state, she couldn't but look slightly worried at what looked like a pretty valid piece of stalking advice. "Reasons, huh?" Amy's voice trailed off a little bit, then they were followed by a sudden, impish grin. "Like~ a blind date, for exa~mple? I just hope there isn't another random person stuffed inside a sack in your basement or something. That would be~ kinda mean, you know?"

Replying a bad joke with another one; wasn't that what life was about? Probably not, but it seemed like a fun prospect at the moment! Of course, as with most teasing games, it progressively had gone way way too far, mostly the pair refusing to back down; quite stubborn! On a setting like that, one could say that discerning which statement was true and which was just harmless teasing was a bit difficult. Yet, one question lingered in the air; did it even matter?

She couldn't help to blush a bit at that, however. Probably whatever remained of her sobriety holding her back? Maybe! "Goo~d question." The brunette seemed thoughtful for a bit, but eventually smiled, deciding to answer that question more truthfully. With another question. "Would I~ have any reason to no~t believe you if you did?" That one was dicey; how would the redhead answer that?

Not like the brunette would think about that for a lot; joining the effort at letting the topic fade, food jumped at the forefront of the conversation. That was something more entertaining than the whole trust matter, to be honest! "Excu~se me?" It was honestly outrageous! Doubting her knowledge of Mediterranean food wasn't something she could let slide. "Whi~le I'll forgive your limited knowle~dge of fine cuisine, I don't thi~nk you can judge a dish before tasting i~t. Once we get to Ve~nice or something and eat the~re, I'll take your opinion on tha~t seriously. Not be~fore."

Yup, that reaction had been relatively serious for a mostly drunk person! Could it be that Amelie took pride in her knowledge regarding European cuisine and felt slightly miffed at somebody who hadn't tasted it before judge it so freely? It was a possibility... or maybe she was just too drunk. Either or.

Luckily, her mood improved quickly at the mention of Asher offering to pay up for the eels. That was a nice gesture! "I mean~. How bad they can be? They're just eels." Would she be in for an unpleasant surprise? Or for something that tasted slightly different from a normal fish? Something to be found out the next time they had... a date? Or that they hung out? Not like she would think about given where they stood at the moment.

What had made the gears of Amy's mind spin a bit was Asher's answer to what had otherwise been harmless teasing. Deciding to not ponder on its significance for too long, she just smirked. "I~ will keep that one in mind. Don't thi~nk I'll forget about it!" Right now, she was too focused on the here and now to really think about anything too ask, even if the offer had been surprisingly nice.

Or... busy being all pouty towards her date being unwilling to remember her name. That was ruuuude, and any kind of retribution issued by her would totally be just and fair! What the brunette hadn't expected, however, was for her cheeks to be pinched and her expression being slowly contorted into something else; she was dangerously close to just break off, but ultimately decided to allow it because the following words were kinda sweet. At least by Asher's standards, that is!

"You better." Her tone was difficult to discern; was that a threat or... something else? Probably not even Amy knew. What was obvious is that her ego was even more fragile than usual when inebriated, even going as far as to cascade into their next interaction. She tried to recover an air of smugness, just to look really funny instead. "I~ mean. I haven't been particularly successful at any~thing. Yet; truth won~'t hurt anyone, will it?" After a small pause, she spoke again. "Besi~des, how are being a ple~beian and being pretty relate~d? If anythi~ng, it's easier to be pre~tty that way; not nearly as mu~ch stuff to worry about!"

It wouldn't be a particularly long-lived conversation, anyway. Soon enough, the duo was already on the dance floor! The brunette had to say that she was impressed with her peer's moves, yet not so much by his remarks; it wasn't like she cared, though. She knew that some of her tastes were less than optimal more than well, and a person commenting on that wasn't something she hadn't experienced before. "Oh, hu~sh. You'll pro~bably look cuter when da~ncing, rather than try~ing to make funny remarks."

Least to say, the whole venture was being entertaining! It was a relief that Asher was a pretty competent dancer, and even as the music began to slow down, Amelie could say that she was having a good time. Smiling softly at the proposal, and even if it kinda/kinda not counted, she nodded.

Slowly, one the brunette's hands began to find its way to the redhead's shoulder while the other interlocked with his. Finding it particularly relaxing, she decided to let him take the lead and proceeded to bask the gentle back-and-forth rocking and the rhythm of the music.

What could Amy say? As strange as it was, she was enjoying herself. Deciding to make the most of the sensation while it lasted, the lead was all Asher's now; it was on him to decide when they would stop dancing, or if they would do anything else afterward.

Neither of them would ever give up, wouldn't they? Truthfully, Amelie knew that Asher was making a —bad— joke and that he wasn't probably wasn't delirious at all. Yet... she couldn't avoid being difficult; it was almost as if 'difficult' was her default state of being when Asher was close. Well, at least to an extent!

Was that something good or bad? Amy didn't know, but she couldn't say she wasn't enjoying the whole exchange! "I mean... if I haven't walked away, it doesn't mean you have done something particularly well. Just that you haven't screwed up badly enough for me to want to leave. That's how dates are supposed to work, in case you aren't aware."

A pregnant second had to pass for a smirk to take over the brunette's features. "Don't worry about that, though! I'm able to pick jokes just fine. If I had taken those comments seriously, then you could probably bet I would strongly consider leaving. Guess today's your lucky day."

Talk about egotistical right there! This almost would seem like a competition to a casual onlooker. Upon a moment of introspection, Amelie would probably admit that she had gone just a bit too far on several occasions. But it wasn't like there was time for that moment! Especially when she was too busy poking fun at her date.

"I'll give you that point." If the redhead made at least a slight effort, he'd notice that Amelie's expression was evidently mocking him. "If I remember correctly, there's an emperor who set Rome in flames. That's pretty delirious, don't you think?" Of course, that wasn't being very nice, but who'd say that the brunette would play nice. "Personally, I think it means outright crazy more often than not."

For some reason, she took the comments about a potential kidnapping in stride. Or at least, better than everything said about being delirious equating to a good thing. Maybe it was due to the funny face Asher was making at the moment? No way to know! "Oh~." She seemed a bit surprised at the statement. "Should've said you wanted to keep me on your basement all this time. It was wa~y easier than setting a blind date and that stu~ff, you know? Just te~ll me what you'd do to me once we rea~ch that point and we would be go~od!"

Maybe three seconds transcurred before those words were uttered for Amelie to begin laughing uncontrollably, and it took her a while to stop. Maybe she had drunk too much already? "And I~ was beginning to get hyped up about the whole deal. Su~ch a pity."

Before she could continue on with having fun at her date's expense, one simple sentence managed to disrupt her train of thought and throw it into disarray; 'I'm crushing on you'. Yes, Amy had more or less requested it, and even if it was jokingly, she hadn't expected for the redhead to actually comply!

At least the makeup was able to hide to an extent the fact that she was blushing. Why was she? The brunette had no idea; in any case, and after five or so seconds of silence, she managed to speak up again. "I-I still want to meet Whiskers, you kno~w? She sounds like she's a good girl."

It was a weird topic to bring in order to leave a dubious confession at the side. What was that addled mind thinking at the moment? Truthfully, even Amelie was unsure of that, yet she definitely hoped that the situation would diffuse to an extent, or at least for her heart to stop pounding. At least the topic would switch quickly enough, and to something that she could handle way more easily.

"Why~ Venice?" An impish grin was the natural reaction to that statement. "Once we go there, you~'ll get to see why."

Surprises were best left as just that, right? It was a good portion of their charm. And besides, it wasn't like she'd be able to do any kind of lengthy explanation considering both that she was drunk and the fact that she was already —and suddenly— facing yet another compliment. Right from the past, a portion of the blush returned, even if this time it could be controlled way more effectively.

"A~nd it seems that you need a fa~ir bit of alcohol in your system in order to throw some co~mpliments on your own will. It'sa fair tradeoff, I'd say!" Replying like that was undue, but considering how she had gotten her cheeks squished mere instants ago, no revenge seemed to be too tame. That was... their dynamic, more or less. And the truth was that in the face of a corny comment, many more would follow if she didn't put a stop to them! That wouldn't do

Luckily, Asher had been successfully dragged to the dance floor, and the truth was that Amy preferred him dancing than poking fun at her and/or forcing her to drink disgusting things. It was corny and on itself, but for a second, the teenager thought she understood him better like this.

As the second romantic-ish track died down, with her hand taken, an idea regarding what to do next was proposed. Asher's own look was reciprocated by Amy. "Outside?" The brunette parroted, a bit confused at first... just before realizing they were pretty much by the seaside. "Su~re. Let's do that. I~ was beginning to get a bit tired."

Unless any further issues were raised, she'd follow his lead and the pair would exit in relative silence, finally getting out of the club's noisy atmosphere and into the relative calm of the beach outside. The contrast was as stark as it could be; a nice change of pace, considering that hearing music at an uncomfortable volume got old after a while.

Honestly? Probably the best way to end the date, even if... the weather outside was just a little chilly, prompting Amelie to shiver a bit every now and then. But that was fine; it wasn't something she couldn't bear.

Once the pair found itself treading through the soft sand, Amy'd make a sign, as if telling Asher to stop. "Give me a second." Crouching down, she went through the motions to take her sandals off. Once she stood up again, she smiled a bit as she carried the pair with her spare hand. "Better. I~ was beginning to get a bit sore."

Would the pair just walk in silence as they held hands, or would somebody eventually break the would-be silence? Amelie herself just decided to enjoy the scenery, at least at first.

After enough time had passed, a lone question would escape her lips. "So, did... did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

Probably the only thing that mattered once everything has been said and done.

Of course, their dynamic wouldn't stop right there! In all honesty, it was a bit surprising how Asher himself insisted on telling her that she should walk away! Was this some kind of self-sabotage, or maybe a cheap attempt at reverse psychology? Amelie herself didn't know, and in all honesty, didn't care.

Another very different matter, however, was the redhead's bait-and-switch strategy. While the brunette didn't know what he wanted to accomplish, it wasn't like she would object against a compliment thrown her way, despite its degree of sincerity being a bit on the questionable side. The obvious result? A confident smirk took over her features.

"About time." She said, just a tiny bit smugly. "Somehow, you even look a little cuter when you admit one or two plain truths. Should do that a bit more frequently, you know?"

All in all, even if Asher managed to fluster her a bit every now and then, it didn't mean she'd have to react on the exact same way every time, right? Especially when facing rather subtle comments. Ultimately, she ended up shrugging. "I wish I knew you enough to say whether you're a genius or just crazy. Who knows! Maybe if we hang out again, I'll be able to form a more concise opinion."

Between the alcohol finally making some kind of effect on Amelie's mind and the topics getting funny, yet mostly weird, the conversation progressed more or less smoothly. At least until the impromptu (yet somewhat requested?) confession. Setting aside the fact that she was unable to tell whether this was genuine or teasing —and that she could see from a mile away that asking that wouldn't end in a concise response—, the brunette seemed to be a bit thoughtful in regards to her date's next comment. What kind of digimon would Whiskers be? Considering that she had to deal with Asher on a daily basis, there were mainly two options; either she had the patience of a saint, or was pretty good at returning his witty comments.

"We pro~bably have a fair share of things in common. That much I can gue~ss!" That statement was left hanging in the air. What would those things be? Maybe they would be found out the next time they met if the redhead decided to bring his feline sidekick with him. Maybe it would remain forever shrouded in mystery or something similarly spooky! No real way to know.

Amy nodded sagely when Asher relented in regards with their would-be trip to one of the prettiest cities in the whole world. "Le~ave everything to me! It won't be a trip yo~u'll regret, of that much you can be sure!"

Some words and a good while dancing later, the duo found themselves, walking at a pretty tranquil rhythm, especially now that Amelie wasn't dealing with the relative uncomfortableness of her sandals. A nice way to end the day, wasn't it?

Using the same hand that was carrying her previously-worn footwear, the brunette waved rather dismissively. "Sto~p? Naah, that'd have been boring. Do you thi~nk I'm a stick in the mu~d or something like that?" And, after a not-so-small pause, she added. "Be~sides, I was having a lot of fun. It wa~s worth it."

The girl would stare, a bit of puzzlement evident on her eyes when the pair's hands unlinked, but before she could comment on the act, she felt an arm gently wrapped around her shoulder. While initially surprised at the gesture, Amy didn't seem to be bothered by it. In fact, and maybe to Asher's bewilderment, the brunette would lean into the contact, going as far as to reciprocate the gesture by wrapping her own arm around his waist.

"Huh." She hummed, faking dumbfoundedness. "That's weird. I~ don't really feel cold at all, you know? Ma~ybe you're just imagining things."

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes like that, and while act on itself was truly enjoyable, Amy felt the need to end it, mostly because the alcohol was beginning to seriously weigh her down and she didn't want to make... that much of a fool out of herself.

Besides, it felt kinda fitting to end things here. "I'm glad." In a rare display, Amelie smiled rather genuinely before adopting a thoughtful expression when she got her own question asked back at her.

Amy stopped on her spot. The arm around Asher retracted, digging into her dress' pocket and retrieving her D-Tector. After fiddling with it for longer than what she should have if she were sober, a portal began shimmering mere meters away from them.

Would Amelie exit without answering that question...?

A bit suddenly, she turned to face Asher, her eyes staring directly into his for a second before leaning into his ear. "I had fun." She whispered in a barely audible tone. "I wouldn't mind dating you again. Whether blind or not."

After quickly pecking his cheek, she disengaged before any response could be conjured, gave him one last smile, waved goodbye, then jumped inside the portal, promptly leaving Asher to his own devices.

Once everything had been said and done, only one thing could be taken from certain in regards to this encounter. In the distance, hidden from any kind of prying eyes, there was a Venusmon gazing at the whole exchange while sighing, obviously elated.

Her mission had been an utter success!

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[Exit Thread]