eating out | owain

It must have been the busiest day of the year. The mall was crawling with demi-gods looking for awesome New Year deals on the latest clothes. For once, Espn wasn't part of the screaming bunch. She had had to work that morning and was just hoping to catch a bite to eat at one of the restaurants inside the mall. Unfortunately she ended up with some demi-god knock off version of Taco Bell sitting at the only open table for two in the entire food court.

She couldn't help but feel like she had been ripped off. Where she meant to be eating a nice pasts dish of the Olive Garden, she ended up with something that cost her less that $5.00 and tasted like the left over meat from the mainland that Taco Bell didn't want.

Espn sighed, watching the people around her hollering and smiling. She suddenly wished she hadn't chose to come here alone. It was probably the most depressing thing ever, watching her friends and siblings shopping and knowing she had chosen to do something different with her day.

Tag: @owain

Being the commander, Owain was simply busy.

He didn't have time for elaborate lunches.  Similar to Espn's situation, he needed to grab something quick, gulp it down to ensure that he was no longer hungry and had the energy to continue on for the rest of the day until dinner, and head back into the office.  Of course, he didn't need to eat at the speed of lightning and zoom off quick; he could afford to treat this as a lunch break of sorts.  But still, he had a lot of work to tend to.  Normally, Owain would have asked an assistance to bring in something for him to eat at the office, but said assistant was sick and at home, so Owain would have to do without.

It was a little inconvenient for him, but he didn't mind.  He understood that the poor bloke was ill and needed time off to recuperate.  And anyway, being a battle-seasoned son of Bellona, Owain wasn't lazy.  If he needed to be up and going, he would be up and going, even if he wasn't in the mood to. 

The Food Court was obviously his place to go to chow.  The mall was crowded and Owain practically had to squeeze his way through the bunches of demigods to get to his destination in the Food Court.  And even when he got there he had to tightly navigate his way to the only available eatery that didn't have mind-bogglingly long lines.  He needed to get his food soon, because waiting in line would take up too much time.

He resorted to ordering something simple from a fast-food place.  The food might not be super delightful, but again, Owain was used to that too.  On quests, sometimes he had to eat what was available, which included food that was tasteless and not appetizing.  As a commander, he couldn't be persnickety.  He had to know how to sacrifice, and Owain was pretty good at that, thankfully.

Well, his food had been delivered, but the last issue was that there were no available tables.  Owain could just take his food with him back to the office, but he was too hungry at the moment to wait.  With keen eyes, he scanned the tables, but alas he could only find a table that had an available seat.  However, a pretty lady who he recognized as Espn was already occupying it.  He decided that he probably had no choice but to sit with her; but that shouldn't be a problem, because Espn and him were on good terms.

Therefore, Owain walked over to the table where Espn was sitting at.  Once he approached it, he smiled faintly, and somewhat apologetically, at her and cleared his throat.  "Afternoon, Espn," he greeted the daughter of Aphrodite.  "Would you mind if I sit here at this table with you? There are no other tables available, you see, and I ought to eat soon if I want to get through the day."  Perhaps, as a Commander, he could just flex his muscles, huff, and sit down at the seat across from her authoritatively.  But Owain wasn't like that.  He may be a war child and a Commander, but he was also a gentleman.

Espn found herself watching her food as if it were going to do something interesting. She could hear a child crying somewhere behind her and couldn't help but wonder if it was one of her students. Despite the vague curiosity, Espn did not turn to see. The reality was that she was trying to avoid the idea of being a teacher for at least these thirty minutes. It's not that she didn't like all of her little first graders, but she was tired of never getting a day off. It seemed like even when the kids got a month long break around Christmas, that she was in staff meetings and chatting about addition anyway.

She was yanked from her thoughts by a somewhat familiar voice. Her head snapped up and Espn let her eyes focus on the man standing before her. He was probably one of the better looking men on Concordia, and one of the few that was actually around her age. He was strong and powerful looking, with a face that spoke patience. Espn stood up from her seat and nodded, "Commander." She sent him a dazzling smile, "I would enjoy the company."

Espn was not normally so formal, but she also wasn't one of the leaders of their small city-state. She was just a lowly first grade teacher and the fact that the Commander of the Garrison even considered having lunch with her was actually quite amusing. She sat back down and pushed her food away from her. It was definitely hard to look good eating a cheap crunchy taco and, now that she knew that someone was watching her, she had no intention of continuing. Maybe she would be able to grab something to take back to her classroom?

"What brings you to the food court? Don't you usually eat over is the Garrison?" She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she looked at his pretty-boy face.

created by rynstone.

Owain was the Commander, but sometimes he forgot that others would view him as a figure who needed to be treated with reverence and respect, no matter where he went.  When he was off duty, he saw himself as just Owain Craddock the person, not the Commander, especially when he was in the crowded Food Court talking to a beautiful woman who he regarded as a friend instead of a subject. 

For a moment, when she stood up and formally greeted him, he wondered if he should assure her that there was no need.  Part of him was tempted to tell her that she could just call him Owain instead of Commander, and she could stay seated.  He didn't mind if she didn't stand up at the sight of him.  However, another part of him knew that as Commander he had to expect this behavior toward him.  While he was quite a humble thing, he had to be mindful of his rank.  He was sure that Espn would never disrespect him, but he probably couldn't afford to go full-out relaxed and carefree.  He had to set an example for others to see.  Of course, if she wanted to talk to him casually he wouldn't have minded, but if she decided to treat him formally he wouldn't stop her either.  At least she wasn't as solid as Angharad.  He admired his sister's discipline but even he thought it was too much.

Espn's smile made his heart skip a beat.  The daughters of Aphrodite and Venus probably had the power to do so, but seriously, the expression on her face was simply gorgeous.  That caused him to grin.  "Why thank you...Miss Cassidy," he said in response, although he sounded a little more flirty than he had intended.  Actually, he hadn't meant to sound flirty at all, but at that moment the words just flew out his mouth.  He couldn't stop them in time.  Even he was vulnerable to the powers of Venus/Aphrodite...he wouldn't let himself get too carried away, at least. 

He sat down at the chair across from hers and set his food down at the table.  He removed his hamburger from the bag and proceeded to open the wrapping.  "Oh, I usually do," he said when she asked him if he usually ate at the Garrison.  He looked at her again after he had unwrapped his burger and took a bite out of it, the happiness still in his eyes even if he wasn't smiling.  He chewed, and after swallowing explained, "The assistant who usually brings me my lunch is sick today, and I forgot to ask someone else to bring me my lunch in advance...so I decided to just head out here and get something to eat for myself."  And I get to see you here, he wanted to add and wriggle his eyebrows, although he didn't want to come across as creepy so he refrained from doing that.  It also wasn't in his nature to be too whimsical with expressing his emotions.  Good, he still had control of behavior.  But really, that smile of hers was just tempting.  "So, how's teaching the little ones going for you, Espn? Not too troublesome, I hope?" He chuckled.  "I know children that young can be difficult..."

He noticed that she wasn't paying attention to her food, and he arched a quizzical eyebrow.  "Not fond of tacos?" he asked her.

The loud rumble to people's voices around her seemed to fade away as she stared at him. It wasn't a creepy stare, mind you, because every Aphrodite girl was equipped with the ability to watch someone gorgeous and even make it look sexy somehow, but she sure didn't feel sexy. She giggled and moved her hair from one shoulder to the next when he called her 'Miss Cassidy'. Having known his for a good amount of time, she knew he probably didn't mean to sound flirty. Of course, that didn't stop her from batting her eye lashes at him and trying to encourage the behavior. She did always have a thing for a man in a uniform.

"Of please, Commander. It's Espn." She winked and looked down at her food. Her stomach was grumbling and she hoped the Commander couldn't hear it over the crowd around them. Espn could hardly hear it herself but she was paranoid about looking strange.

He went on to explain that his assistant was out of the office sick today. Espn sighed in relief, "Well it's good that you let them take the day off when they aren't feeling well." She started, "Just think of how often you would be sick if sick people were bringing you food all the time!" It was a strange thought to Espn. What sort of sorry sap got stuck with the orders to bring their Commander food. It must have been a pretty low ranking officer, not that she claimed to know much about the military. Maybe it was a great honor instead. It would be way too weird for her to ask him.

Espn looked at her food again and shook her head, "If I'm being honest?" She began, "It's kind of the most disgusting food in this mall, but I love it!" The grumbling of her stomach was too much to resist anymore. She reached forward and grabbed one of the nachos and popped it in her mouth. She almost moaned at how delicious the food tasted, but refrained thinking of how strange it would have been to sexualize Demi-God Taco Bell.

created by rynstone.

He chuckled when she corrected him.  "My apologies, Lady Espn.  I would never mean to offend such a lovely woman like you," he said, although inside he was blinking at himself.  Like, woah, Owain, where did that come from? He wasn't a stranger to flirting, but ever since he had become the Commander, he had done what he could to suppress himself from acting...extreme.  He wanted to appear in control and moderate.  However, Espn's charm wasn't helping.  But, oh well, he wasn't going over the top right now.  In fact, he sounded pretty gallant if you asked him.

Owain couldn't help but laugh at the thought of keeping his sick assistant around to fetch him his food.  "No, I wouldn't want to get sick.  Can't afford to," he agreed.  Almost as if he read her mind about who this particular person was, he added, "He's just my secretary.  He's decent at his job and helps me out a lot."  The job of a secretary was probably considered a low one, or generally one that wasn't all that exciting.  But a Commander needed on in his office, and the person he had hired hadn't been good enough in school to be anything huge.  He was also an unambitious person who just needed simple work for pay.  He was not someone who the Romans would've held in high regard, but Owain tried to keep an open mind at all times.  Some people were different, and they ought to accept that, even if Owain personally didn't admire such traits. 

He couldn't help but look a little worried when she said that she thought her food was disgusting.  Sure, she could be pretending that she was okay with it because she didn't want to worry him, but he could understand if she had no choice but to get the taco.  After all, the lines were long and she probably didn't want to wait too long in the lines of the eateries that she liked.  Owain forced himself to eat food that he didn't like when the opportunity to get food that he did like wasn't available, but he didn't expect that of a daughter of Aphrodite.  In fact, he felt obligated to help out in some way.

"You know, Espn, if you want, I can get something else for you that you'd prefer more," he offered.  Waiting in long lines was what he had tried to avoid, but for Espn, he wouldn't mind.  Nothing was urgent back at the office; he was just cautious most of the time, but no harm would be done, really.  He smiled.  "I don't mind standing in the lines.  In fact, I think it helps me clear my mind from sitting at the office almost all of the time."        

Espn shook her head, "No, no! I can't ask you to do that when I have a perfectly..." SHe hesitated for a moment, "...good...meal right here." She laughed and looked up into his face. He was so....pretty. Of course, the daughter of Aphrodite was attracted to him. But there was something about his polite nature that was especially attractive to Espn.

She licked her lips and glanced at her phone. She had stayed at lunch longer than she meant to but it wouldn't be so bad. She was only missing a faculty meeting and most of the teachers weren't even at work today. It wasn't really like her to be an over achiever like that anyway, and it would really be a shame to mess up this. She was having such a good time.

She tore her eye from her phone to look at his face again, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like one of those elfy people from that movie with the evil ring?" Espn laughed to try and hide the fact that she had completely forgotten the name to one of the most popular movies ever.

created by rynstone.

Owain still wasn't entirely convinced that Espn was enjoying her meal.  If anything, he was good at reading people.  It was important for him to interpret and make a good guess at what others were feeling by observing their facial expressions and body language, even if the hints were subtle.  It was an important thing for a commander to be skilled in that kind of stuff.  If he was going to command others and be influential to those under his rank, he ought to know their general dispositions, opinions, and thoughts so he could know how to lead from there.  It was never good for a commander to be at odds with the peeps he was commanding, no?

But if she so insisted upon eating her food, then he wasn't going to push her.  Still, though, he wasn't going to back down at his offer.  He felt bad that she had to eat food she found distasteful, even if he couldn't do much about it.  It was her choice, of course, but there wasn't any harm in offering.  It helped his conscience somewhat.  "If you're sure," he said.  "But my offer still stands anytime you decide you want something else."  It was funny how he fussed over such trivial matters on a woman because he felt softer toward woman, when he wouldn't have really bothered if this had been Angharad.  Well, it was understandable, because Angharad acted like a manly man anyway.  She didn't want his concerns and Owain gave her her space.

He continued to eat his burger in silence, and when she eyed her phone he glanced at it too.  Owain had his own phone, but it was in his pocket.  Phones came in handy, especially when he was outside of his office.  Although they were dangerous to demigods in the outside world, they were safe to use in Concordia, and Owain was proud about that.  It was an achievement, indeed, to make phones safe enough to use in a demigod environment without needing to fear monsters. 

He looked at her again when she spoke.  Owain was puzzled and amused by what she said.  "What--an evil ring movie?" he said, wondering what she was talking about.  "Elves?" For a moment, Owain tried to remember a movie of that nature, especially with elves that resembled him in appearance.  And then it hit him.  Owain wasn't a person who watched a lot of movies, but he knew that movies were popular amongst the Concordians.  He laughed.  "Ah, Lord of the Rings!" he said.  "I know the elves.  But what would make you believe that I look like them?" His eyebrows shot upward at the rather creepy notion of sharing their features.  "I certainly don't have long blonde hair or pointy ears!"   
      

Espn giggled and stood up just enough to lean across the table and hold his hair back from his eyes, "Oh, I know." She said with a smile, "But I think is you wore and wig and-" She moved her hands so that they cupped either side of his face, "Ignored your ears..." She tilted her head to the side slightly and bit her lip, "Actually, you might be right." She giggled and turned her face to look at him more closely. It didn't occur to her until it was too late that she might be a little close for comfort. By the time she realized what she had done she could feel his breath on her face and she looked up, wide eyed, and smiled to try and ease the tension, "Well hello there..." She sighed,

Owain was a little startled when Espn leaned against the table and started to touch his hair and face.  His eyes widened somewhat, but the feeling of her hands on his face was actually pleasant (and the fact that she was in close proximity--he somehow didn't feel uncomfortable...it felt pleasant), and he smiled, even if he still looked a little confused and surprised.  Well, he was more confused because he wasn't sure he followed what she was saying.  Perhaps she was trying to find the features that that seemed like the elf that she compared him too, hence with the wig and ears.  He laughed.  "Now you see that I'm not your elf?" he said, amused.

 She seemed to be a little taken aback herself by how close she was to him.  Her act must've been impulsive, then...it was probably in her inner nature to be close to men, as she was a daughter of Aphrodite.  Owain understood.  And the way she remedied that awkwardness? She did it in such an alluring way that he almost looked drowsy as he smiled.  "Helo, ferch hardd," he said in Welsh with a distinct Welsh pronunciation whatever it was supposed to sound like (it translated to "hello, beautiful woman"), and a bit stupidly for that matter.  For a Commander, he was really succumbing to the charms of a daughter of Aphrodite.  Well, it didn't hurt to lose his senses a bit, especially in this particular moment.  No one got hurt because of it, even if people might speculate about what kind of a leader he was just because he couldn't act stiff all of the time.  Let them judge! He was still a human, after all.   

Espn's dazzling smile beamed as she leaned back and sat down in her chair again. She missed the warmth of his breathe on her face but she wasn't about to stand like that for the rest of their meal, "Oh, Commander, I hope that wasn't an insult about my breathe." Espn laughed, jokingly breathing into her hand as if to check, "After all," She said after lowering her hand back tot he table, "I was starting to think you were such a gentleman."

She smoothed out her skirt after she noticed it had wrinkled from her moment of hovering over the table. The fabric smoothed easily enough and Espn found herself trying to think of a reason to continue this conversation even though she really ought to go back to work. It was then that an idea occurred to her, "So, does the Commander have dinner?" She asked, propping her head up in the palm of her hand.

He snapped back to reality when she leaned back in her seat, blinking in surprise by what just happened.  His face flushed with embarrassment somewhat.  "Oh...oh, no, no!" he quickly reassured her as if she meant what she said.   "Definitely not that.  I complimented you."  He smiled, a little shyly.  "I called you a beautiful woman.  Not anything new, though, eh?" No daughter of Aphrodite received compliments for the first time in her life when she was a grown woman already.

And then she asked if he had dinner.  Knowing the coquette that she was, he assumed that to be a query of whether he was serious about having a nice, romantic dinner.  Or at least, he liked to think that.  "I do, but lonely me usually eats it without any company.  It's a little sad."  His smile widened and he leaned his head slightly forward.  "Say, would you like to have dinner with me tonight, Espn? I promise that it'd be in a better place than this," he said, chuckling as he glanced around the mall to prove his point.  It was busy, bustling, and totally not private.  He looked at her again, a strange spark in his eye.  "I wouldn't mind your companionship...not in the slightest."  

Despite being used to the term 'beautiful', Espn's face flushed when the words came out of Owain's mouth. She glanced to the side, if only to look away from his face to keep herself from fan-girling, "Well, thank you, Commander." She sighed, finally able to look back at his face. She nodded, a bright smile appearing on her tanned face, "Of course! I would be beyond honored." Espn tilted her head to the side, "Pick me up at seven?"

((sorryyy itssss shorrtttt))

"Seven it is, then.  I'll be right on time," he promised her.  Keeping promises was an important thing to Owain both as a man and a commander.  One could also say that he was compelled to keep a promise to a pretty lady, too.  "Where will I be able to find you then?" He would have to know her location in order to pick her up, of course.

((Next post of his in here can be the last! I'll start the new one.)) 

 

She smiled happily at Owain, standing to gather her things. She reached into her purse and pulled out a card, "My apartment." She said sweetly, handing the card over. It was complete with her phone number. She walked by where he was sitting and kissed him lightly on the cheek before winking and disappearing around a corner, her face burning red for the first time in as long as she could remember.