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Tested and Tried

The smile that widened on Valoire's lips was what Jackie wanted to see. A slight flutter occurred in her chest when she saw the happiness rising up on her friend's face. At this point all of Jackie's negative feelings were gone and she simply felt light and content. Perhaps this could work out.

"Hmmm dinner out? Sure that sounds nice. And this time I'll let you pick the place and time," Jackie could feel her legs starting to burn from the length of time she's been crouching on them. Slowly she stood up and straightened her outfit, "Now that I have my phone back you can text me the details. As much as I'd like to stick around I have to go and do some shopping. And I feel that you may want to take a nice shower after coming back from a jog." Jackie's eyes examined her outfit. "So you have been working out. Explains the hot body. Now I better leave before I'm tempted to jump in the shower with you." Since the blogger had an idea of how her friend felt for her she felt playful and it also allowed her an opportunity to mess with Valoire, so she decided to tease with her with a wink before she turned back towards the door. "I'll see you later then," Jackie pulled the door open, glancing back one more time to Valoire before shutting the door.

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Valoire wouldn’t be able to voice a response, and instead just smiled and nodded as Jackie left. Once the door was shut however, her face fell into a mixture of general horror as she finally noted the fact that she just asked out her best friend. Yet while she sat there, considering their most recent exchange to last night and even at the bar… part of her was overjoyed at the prospect. What this something she had wanted for awhile that she had just closed herself off too, or was there something else influencing her newfound feelings? Regardless whichever it was, the woman would stand, giggling a bit as her face grew red with a bright blush. Rushing off to get into the shower, everything that she had gone over with Cedric now lost in the far corners of her mind as only one thing mattered right now. Jackie.

She showered energetically before trying to find something to wear while also tracking down a restaurant. They didn’t really have many nice places nearby, and the only one without spending a considerable amount of time driving downtown was known for serving supernatural creatures. Val considered looking else where but decided against it, knowing that stalling wasn’t going to get them anywhere. After this, she finally decided on a little black dress before calling and making them a reservation at 6, in an hour. Once that was finished Valoire was finally content with sitting down on her couch after texting Jackie the details and waiting till she arrived so they could head out. Val didn’t get even a moment of stillness when her phone began to rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw who it was causing her stomach to sink. Cedric.

“Hello?” She answered cautiously, the man on the other end not wasting much time in getting to the point. “So I assume I can expect you here tomorrow afternoon, right?” “Yes, just… some last minute plans came up tonight.” He was silent for a moment. “Alright… just remember that when the withdrawal hits, you’re going to need to show up in case it triggers early.” Her mood having been dampened a bit, she quickly let him know that she was aware and disconnected the call. Not wanting anything to get in between her night out tonight.

Life. Life.
 
As soon as Jackie shut the door behind her she brushed a hand through her hair and released a heavy sigh but her chest was feeling light. This was rather an unusual situation that Jackie would never have imagined but she was not regretting it. In fact she was curious on how this was going to unfold. Although there was also some fear as well in what could go wrong. But the happiness that Valoire expressed on her face soothed her fear.

Even though Jackie went grocery shopping she couldn't quite recall driving to the market and purchasing items. She had spaced out the whole trip. It was a miracle she was still in one piece. The woman walked through the door of her condo and blinked a few times as she finally came back to reality. "Shit...when did I get back here...I swear I didn't drink anything today. Must've been those pain meds..." She glanced down to her phone when she felt a vibration and saw a text from Valoire. A small smile appearing on her face, "Well damn now I think I know the reason." Despite having many relationships Jackie has never felt like this. Could it be because it was a female she was going on a date on? No. It was because it was her friend. The one person she has cared about for quite a while.

It didn't take long for Jackie to get ready. She decided to go more with a simpler look than the other night. Jackie tied her blonde hair up into a neat bun and kept her make-up light. As for her outfit she went with a loose, dark, blue dress. But it took her a good thirty minutes to find a decent dress. For the first time Jackie struggled to find a dress she was pleased with.

"Why am I nervous? I've gone on so many dates..." Jackie stood there at Valoire's doorstep with a fist raised. She was just in the same position a few hours back but now she had different feelings at the moment. Currently she was feeling anxious and scared. "Just a single knock...and the night will get started." Again she was frozen. "Dammit Jackie you're a brave woman. Nothing should scare you!" And with that conviction Jackie gave a single, loud knock.

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The knock on the door caused her to jump slightly. Putting her phone back where it had been, Valoire slowly stood and took a breath. Yes this was actually happening. Making her way over to the door she hesitated before forcing herself to pull it open. Seeing Jackie on the other side made her heart pound, it being a much different look as opposed to what she normally would dress up in. "You ready to go?" She asked, voice wavering ever so slightly as she tried to shove her nerves down her throat. It was just dinner. Everything was going to be fine.

Life. Life.
 
As soon as the door in front of her swung open Jackie's breath was taken away. Despite seeing her friend dressed up many times, this time it was different due to new feelings. Jackie was being exposed to the perspectives of people falling in love or in love. She quickly self-diagnosed this from quickly recognizing the attitude change she was experiencing as she stood there from romance novels she has read. Her heart was beating faster and she could feel her hands shaking. Jackie, a woman who usually shined with confidence, was shaking ever so slightly with anxiousness. But why? It was only dinner with her friend. Just a night out with Valoire. Just the two of them like it has been before.

Finally she blinked once and managed to regain herself, "Ah yes I'm ready. Y-you look great by the way!" Jackie took a step back to allow enough space for Valoire to walk through her door.

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Valoire hadn't changed much from her normally worrisome self, but with Jackie it as wholly noticeable. It making he feel a bit better than it just wasn't her that was a ball of nerves, she nodded and walked past her. "Thanks... you do too!" The woman commented while moving to where their driver had just pulled up. It was someone else than the lizard from the night before, this one appearing to be rather human. Although when they would enter the vehicle, Valoire having opened and held Jackie's door for her, the response from the driver was... unexpected.

"Oh, are you her?" He asked, turning in his seat with a beaming expression. "The one who runs that anti-supernatural blog? Its brilliant I tell you! Its amazing someone isn't afraid to speak up against those beasts." While hearing this, the other woman would shift a bit in her seat, remaining awkwardly silent. Her gaze drifting around the inside of the car while waiting for the fanboy to finish and begin driving.

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Right as Valoire stepped out the door a vehicle pulled up by the sidewalk. Jackie felt a little nervous as they approached the vehicle, wondering who was at the wheel of the car. Valoire had walked ahead of her and opened up the door for Jackie. "Why thank you darling!" the woman was finally feeling some part of herself calming down as she threw out that teasing thanks to Valoire.

But then some words were directed towards the blogger. It took a bit for Jackie to register the words the driver had said before she spoke, "Ah yes that's me." Usually Jackie would have loved the recognition and boast on about her favorite writings but for just a day she had forgotten that she was Jackie the anti-supernatural blogger and simply saw herself as a normal gal living the city life. "It's simply something that I do to exploit the truth. Strip away the surface of the beasts and show how they truly are...but I guess a lot of it is written out of hate." Jackie looked from the window to Valoire sensing some discomfort from her friend. The blogger knew that Valoire was never a fan of her blogs but she never complained about them either. Although a few times she could tell that Valoire was not pleased with what Jackie has written so she tried to not talk bad about them around Valoire much. But that was difficult whenever Jackie was infuriated by any small encounter with them. Jackie decided that tonight shall be different. She didn't want to talk much about supernaturals since it was always a topic that bothered her, "So Valoire have you ever been to this restaurant? I have never heard of it so this will be a first for me." By changing topics Jackie hoped that the driver would get the hint that she didn't want to discuss her blog any further.

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The driver seemed a bit disappointed by the lack a response and opted to remain silent as he began to head towards the restaurant. As Jackie asked about the restaurant, Val took a moment to respond. "I've heard a little about it. The reviews were alright so I decided to take a chance." She took note that the blogger had shifted the subject from her blog rather quickly, which was once again, unlike her. Was it the current moment that was causing her to act differently, or was she truly changing? Val didn't know, and she didn't really want to take a chance. Not right now anyway.

Life. Life.
 
"Mmmm alright, eh? Hm well then I'll probably have a lot to say for my review," Jackie turned her head back to look out the window thinking of what other else to talk about. Somehow it was hard to actually think of a topic to discuss. This was too much of a change for Jackie, she needed to re-compose herself. Sure this may be a night out, but it's with Valoire. Nothing should be significantly different.

Their ride came to an end soon, as the driver pulled in front of the restaurant. Jackie was quick to step out of her side and walked around the car to open Valoire's door. She needed to relax. It was simply dinner. "We have arrived m'lady," as Jackie mentally controlled her emotions she could feel her teasing side coming back around. This was how it should be. Like it was before. Although it could never be the same as it was before now that new thoughts and emotions ran through Jackie's heart and mind.

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Emotions were running hot through both women it seemed, it not taking a degree to learn that much. But even then after they reached their destination, Jackie hopping out and quickly tugging her door open for her to exit as well. Flashing her a small smile, she joined her outside before moving to enter the building before them.

The general feel of the restaurant was high-class. Couples could be seen walking in, business parties exiting after appearing to have drank a bit too much. Both humans and supernatural alike were within the white-cloth and candle dinning room while well-dressed staff walked around the room serving everything from searing steaks to glasses of frothing blood. The hostess saw the pair enter and greeted them with a smile that could've been seen as kind, if she didn't have her fangs on display. Must've been their transparency policy that was on their website. "Do you have a reservation?" "Yes, it's under Valoire Moore?" The hostess looked before nodding. "Right here. If you would follow me..." she grabbed two menus and gestured for the two before skillfully weaving in between the various individuals loitering about.

Life. Life.
 
Luckily Jackie decided to wear a dress that night. The restaurant contained the appropriate decor and manners of a high-class restaurant. As the pair walked in Jackie noticed that not all the people dining and working at the restaurant were human. A small frown appeared on her face as she noticed this. But she didn't mutter anything about it. This night was for Valoire, and the last thing Jackie wanted to do was ruin it by starting up something with a supernatural.

Jackie looked over to the hostess when she greeted them, fangs apparent from her smile. The woman narrowed her eyes towards the vampire. It was unfair for Jackie to quickly put up a front considering the girl was simply doing her job, but it was an automatic response from the blogger. She followed along after the hostess and Valoire, her eyes moving from person to person spotting humans and supernaturals within the diners. Jackie felt the need for a slight buzz if she were going to make it through the night without an outburst escaping her lips.

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Valoire knew that Jackie wasn't happy with their current setting, and part of he was guilty for it. Making her smile waver a bit as the hostess sat them down at a table, placing a menu before then each before leaving to return to her podium. Glancing down at her menu, the woman would take a breath before looking to Jackie, saying "We... can leave if you want..." the word just drilling more of a pit in her stomach. The blogger was still very much against them.. which wasn't all that good for her.

Life. Life.
 
Once the pair were seated at their table, Jackie found herself looking at all the people around her seeing who was human and who was supernatural. But then her eyes landed on Valoire once she spoke up. The sadness in her eyes crushed Jackie, "Oh no! This is fine! Absolutely fine! Really. This is great." She felt bad for reacting the way she did and reached out her hand to grab onto Valoire's. The woman smiled softly convincing herself that this is going to be a nice night. There was going to be no negativity allowed. Jackie gave a small squeeze to her hand before releasing it. She moved her attention down to her menu as a way to help focus her attention on just the two of them and to ignore the rest of the world. As long as Jackie focused on Valoire she felt as though her hate could be dampened.

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At first, it seemed as if Jackie was going to take her up on her offer. This making Val feel even worse. Her eyes not meeting hers and waiting for her to agree, but it never came. Instead she said it was perfectly fine, moving a hand across the table to grab onto her hand, offering a small squeeze in reassurance. It made her feel a bit more relieved, but only slightly. Nodding in response Valoire would also look down at her menu, waitin for their server to arrive.

He did shortly after, briefly apologizing for the wait. His name tag read human in a small print below his name. Well... that was good. Maybe this night would go smoothly after all. "Can I get you two anything to drink?" He asked gently, looking between them.

Life. Life.
 
Jackie may have reassured the woman before her that the decision to be here was fine, but she still felt bad for automatically acting cynical. Her eyes lifted up from the menu just for a moment to look over to her friend. She released a small sigh from the sight of the slight discomfort Valoire was expressing. Jackie certainly needed to work on controlling her feelings towards supernaturals. For goodness sake's she's almost thirty and still carrying such feelings! It was tiring really. She returned her attention back to the menu having already decided what she was going to eat, but that she needed some time to think of what to talk about with Valoire. For some reason it was difficult thinking of a topic to talk about at the moment.

Fortunately the server appeared to break the awkward silence. It was also a plus on Jackie's part that the server was human. She internally scolded herself for thinking that thought. It shouldn't matter that the server was human or not. Jackie decided to push this conflict inside and to enjoy the night, not allow the stress to ruin her night. "Hm provide us with your finest wine. Tonight I'm feeling fancy," Jackie answered looking over to Valoire, "I do hope your fine with wine tonight."

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As Jackie asked for wine, Val had been about to speak against it but stopped herself to instead give a somewhat odd nod with her partly open mouth turning into a closed smile. After the night before she wasn't sure how good of an idea alcohol would be, but a little wouldn't hurt.

After their waiter returned with the glasses of wine, she would give a nod in thanks before they both ordered, once that was finished and their menus were cleared away, the awkward silence that had encompassed them since they arrived still hung about. After all, what was there to talk about?

Life. Life.
 
Despite the alcohol influence the previous night Jackie kept a goal to herself to only stick to wine tonight. Wine should not be strong enough for her to be influenced, although it can still allow her a buzz. The server was quick to return back with the wine and their glasses. The exchange between the two and the server for their food was short in time as well, and once the young man left it was awkward silence.

Now what? What was there to talk about? What have they usually talked about in the past? Why was it so hard now to think of something to talk about? Is this how most people usually felt on dates? For Jackie her dates were usually short-liven and mostly in the bedroom of some other person's place, so this was a different change of pace for the woman. Her eyes looked up to Valoire then deciding to blurt out the first thing that came to her mind, "So lovely weather we had today, right?" Oh how Jackie wanted to punch herself in the gut right now. Out of all the things she could have began with...it had to be the lamest topic to start off with. Despite the cool composure she kept up her cheeks were slowly turning red from obvious embarrassment.

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Jackie's question threw her off guard, a small grin forming on Valoire's features at her embarrassment. "Well... for this time of year. Normally we would've gotten snowed in by now." It being the second week in October, she was clearly joking but it wasn't uncommon later in the month due to the city being littered with lakes and rivers that caused snow to build up rather fast depending upon the weather conditions.

There was a brief pause as she took a sip from her glass, setting it back down carefully before continuing. "I hope it gets colder soon though, better business for the cafe."

Life. Life.
 
Even though some relief was brought to Jackie from Valoire's response, she was still red to the cheeks from the lame question she started off with. Usually Jackie was non-stop when it came to small-talk, compared to her current situation where she was nearly tongue-tied. She gave a small huff of laughter to Valoire's words. "Yeah. But I'm not too big of a fan of the cold. I enjoy my tank tops and shorts, but in the winter the only way I can dress up is like a marshmallow. All puffed up and not exactly sexy-looking," Jackie paused as she took a sip from her glass, "But I can also see how people like the cold as well. The weather provides for a perfect scenario of cuddling up with others. And like you said going to the coffee shop. Then there's also the comfort of having a warm home to go to and just sit there by the fire. But this is only for people who have the warmth of others. Sometimes it's a chilling reminder to those who have no one how cold it can be to be alone..." Jackie's eyes have drifted off into some other place at this point. But she gave her head a slight shake and released another huff of laughter, "Look at me pointing out the pitiful side. Anyways what kind of weather do you prefer, hot or cold?"

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She laughed softly as Jackie began to speak, although that soon changed as she finished her thought. The blogger had never been in a real relationship before, as far as she knew anyway. With this now in mind Val was somewhat determined to change that. She would try her hardest to switch her outlook on love and life itself, despite possible complications.

She gave the woman sitting across from her a compassionate look, putting all her worries aside for tonight. There were things she wanted to say... but didn't know how... so she settled for answering the question. "Cold... I've always loved snow..."

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"Mmmm the cold. Now why does that not surprise me?" Jackie smiled. Once she heard Valoire's answers a bunch of ideas for places for them to go popped into her mind. "I can see how you like the cold, especially since you said snow. There is a certain beauty to the way that the water that precipitated under cold temperatures fall, granting any area an otherworldly and magical feeling. Even though I don't like the cold there are activities I have always wanted to try out. Have you ever gone ice-skating? Or even built a snowman?" Jackie was determined to keep the conversation light, plus it was easing her nerve imagining the many things they could do. Since she was a famous blogger Jackie had connections with other bloggers, one in particular came into mind. He was a blogger that traveled all the time, and he so happened to stumble upon places that served to show the true beauty of snow. Jackie was certain she could retrieve the information from the man on where those places were located. That specific blogger published often but he always had locations that he kept to himself. Jackie knew this because he and she talk at times about their blogs and share the techniques to each other's writings. He was the only blogger who tolerated Jackie since he also was another hard-headed person. But aside from his personality, he has shared some locations with Jackie, so trying to find places with beautiful snowfall shouldn't be too hard for him.

"When the time comes that snow begins to fall remind me to show you a secret."

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Valoire would nod as she spoke, noticing how the topic was mainly hasty small talk but she was enjoying it none the less. "When I was younger I used to do both, although I haven't in a long time... guess it comes with age and lack of time...." It brought back a few memories of her childhood and days where everything had been much more simple. If only things could still be the same.

Jackie's next statement however caused her to freeze, seemingly to momentarily pause in all functions including breathing. Val knew that she was most likely talking about something to do with the weather... maybe an activity like she had described before but it just made more guilt burrow into her stomach. Secrets... so many...

For a brief moment she appeared unfocused, almost worried even. But soon she would blink a few times before nodding. "I'll be sure to remind you."

Life. Life.
 
Jackie kept her eyes on Valoire as she spoke. She didn't want to look elsewhere because of the many supernaturals that were around plus some part of Jackie was beginning to note the small details of Valoire. And she clearly noticed when Valoire reacted suddenly by freezing once she heard Jackie's last statement. It didn't help when the woman appeared worried and spaced out, as if there was something bothering her. She finally blinked a few times before she responded to Jackie.

Jackie wondered if she should ask Valoire what was going through her mind, but just as she was about to open her mouth and ask her the server returned with their food. The blogger was slightly disappointed by the timely manner in which the server actually returned pretty quick with their food when this time Jackie would have liked to talk more. She was finally calm and had some ideas on what to talk about, but with the food in front of them Jackie felt her stomach grumble. It had been a while since she ate something. Some days she even forgot to eat lunch, today was one of those days. Especially from the incident earlier where Jackie blew everything out of perspective but ended up with setting up a dinner date with Valoire.

She decided to try at a later time to see what was bothering Valoire since the food was certainly calling her attention. "Mmmm so far this has been a pretty decent service," Jackie noted as she unraveled her silverware to prepare to dig into the pasta dish that was in front of her. Once she took a bite of the dish, Jackie moaned from the pleasure of the taste. "Mmm this certainly tastes wonderful. You can never go wrong with pasta dishes that are hard to pronounce."

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Valoire shifted in her seat as their food arrived, she having chosen a small cut of steak, it having been cooked moderately well. Thankfully Jackie began eating, clearly enjoying her meal while she began to eat with a small chuckle. Placing a piece she had carefully sliced off into her mouth, the woman nodded while agreeing. "At least the food's good!"

The couple would dine in silence afterward, Val wrestling with herself the entire time. Telling Jackie would be the best option than finding out through other means, and it would also give her an explanation for suddenly disappearing tomorrow. However... the blogger was still very against even the thought of a supernatural being in the same room as her, and she couldn't help but feel that it would outright destroy their friendship and the quite possible budding relationship.

Valoire finally decided on waiting to search for a solution until after tomorrow had passed. Until then, she hoped everything would run as smooth as possible.

Life. Life.
 
Jackie tried to take it easy on the pasta dish, not really wanting to appear like a pig in front of Valoire. But then again she's eaten much sloppier in front of Valoire before, so why was she feeling so conscious now? It's not as though Valoire's judgment of Jackie would change with this meal. Jackie needs to take it easy. It was simply a dinner...date with her friend, nothing more.

Swallowing down some of her anxiety, Jackie proceeded to finish her dinner promptly, wiping away any evidence from her face. The blogger was slightly glad for the silence between the two as they ate since she did not know how to proceed from this point on with the conversation. She had already introduced weather, so what other basic topics did dates usually talk about?

"So how's...uh work?" another lame question flying out of Jackie's mouth. This one being lamer considering Jackie was once a regular before at the cafe. Why was tonight proving to be a difficult night for the outgoing Jackie to hold an exciting conversation?

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