Checking his watch and fiddling with his tie, Tom now anxiously awaited Cora's arrival. After the recent incident with the Seraphim, the 24 year old wizard had a lot on his mind. First though, he had a promise to uphold.
Hearing someone call out to him, Tom glanced over noting a smiling troll woman now approach him.
"Glad you could make it," she smiled. "Alexa mentioned work had been busy lately."
Tom nodded, studying Cora carefully. She certainly wasn't ugly, even with her troll features on full display. Standing a bit taller than the average woman with blue skin and ample curves, the troll's facial features sharp yet possessing a rugged beauty to it. Cora's red hair cascaded past her shoulders, the woman offering him a soft smile exposing her sharper teeth.
"Yeah," Tom replied. "The whole Seraphim thing has everyone on edge." Cora nodded, rubbing her upper arm before gazing into Tom's eyes.
"So what do you have in mind for tonight?'
"Was hoping you had an idea," Tom shrugged. "I know your mom mentioned going out with you like this."
"Don't tell me you don't like it."
"No," Tom said quickly. "No, seriously in all honesty you do look good. I've never actually been on a date with a troll before. Wasn't sure what you would look like. I'm pleasantly surprised. The blue skin works and um....I am partial to red heads."
Cora chuckled, noticing Tom blush slightly. She could appreciate Tom's honesty about the situation. From what she heard, Tom's dating history revolved around humans as well as a wizard named Lynne Turner. Lynne, to Cora's knowledge, was the baby sister of Katie Carlson and Gloria Moreland, two very powerful and prominent wizards.
"You're babbling Tom," Cora grinned, noting the young man fidget nervously. "It's cute, I take it it's been a while since you went on a date?"
"That obvious?"
Cora nodded, studying Tom carefully. At 24 years of age the half troll was working towards a doctorate in Psychology, hoping to work as a therapist someday. Cora's mother wanted her daughter to become a doctor, to become more than just a bartender. Cora though, loved working at the bar. In her mind, having a doctorate in psychology meant she could perform her duties as a bartender better.
From what she could gather from Tom, Cora began to make a preliminary psychological assessment.
Tom was confident, she assumed an athlete in both high school and college judging by his muscular physique. The young man appeared driven and charismatic, a natural leader. Cora assumed girls usually flocked to him, yet she could sense that in certain social situations, Tom would experience bouts of shyness. The man was an alpha, he preferred to be in control, in a zone of comfort and in unfamiliar situations he would withdraw socially until he had a better understanding of the situation.
"I can't already tell you're a bit uncomfortable about this Tom," Cora stated. "I'm guessing on your usual dates you're a take charge kind of guy, showing a woman a grand time. You're a bit out of your comfort zone right now, which is why you're letting me take the lead."
Tom gawked, shocked by Cora's statements. Yes he was feeling a bit out of sorts, he hadn't dated anyone since Lynne broke up with him. Quickly he now tried to apologize, stating it wasn't Cora's fault.
"Honestly you seem really great Cora," he said nervously. "I'm...I'm sorry if I offended you. I guess I'm a bit out of practice, it's been a while since I was on a date. Ugh, I'm usually better at this...I do want to show you a good time."
"Honest, polite, and friendly," Cora smiled. "Three qualities that I appreciate in a person. Allow me to try and help. This is just a friendly get together, no pressure, no expectations. I know a place we can go where we can talk. You're paying though of course."
Tom laughed nervously, although smile slowly forming as he now held out his arm for Cora. "Appreciate that," he said. "Why don't you lead the way."
Cora giggled, looping her arm in between Tom's as the pair made their way towards their destination. As they did , they began to talk, opening up about themselves.
"So you and Alexa met in college?" Tom asked.
"Roommates Freshman year," Cora explained. "We were both a bit nervous at first. Needless to say, we both had secrets. We got to talking though after a while and well.....we just clicked. We've been best friends ever since."
"So how did you two discover each others secrets?"
"Probably just before Christmas break," Cora shrugged. "We had grown close but we could tell that we were holding back on something. We both decided to reveal our secrets to each other. Next thing you knew, you had a half troll girl and her Nekomata roommate in the same dorm room. Needless to say, after that, we became even better friends."
"Awesome to hear," Tom said. "Wish I could say the same thing about my roommates. Always made sure to keep my skills under wraps. Ended up getting a single room Sophomore year before moving off campus. Honestly, I think I just liked having my own space."
"Spoken like an older sibling too used to having their own room," Cora laughed. "But I get it. If Alexa wasn't a Nekomata, I probably would have done the same. It's a lot easier not hiding my true appearance."
"So what exactly does human Cora look like?"
Cora now reached for her phone, showing off a picture of both Cora and Alexa in college. Tom smirked as he studied the pair. Cora, in human form was a very cute girl. Standing around 5'7" with auburn hair, a million dollar smile, and ample curves the girl now waved towards the camera with a more reserved Alexa by her side.
"Cute picture, when was this taken?" Tom asked.
"My 21st birthday," Cora replied. "Alexa turned 21 in mid November. Always one of the oldest in the class. Fun when you're a kid, you get to be the first to do anything before your friends. Anyway, we ended up hitting the bar the day before Spring Break in April. Ended up puking my guts out, but Alexa was there to make sure I was safe."
"So Alexa's always been the responsible steady type," Cole smirked.
Cora raised an eyebrow, an impish grin forming on her face. "Look at you and your amateur psychoanalysis," she said. "But, yeah that's Alexa. She's always been responsible and way to mature for her age. It's funny, a middle child who acts like the eldest in the family. You don't see that too often. Always serious but the absolute sweetest person in the world. Part of me thinks she did that to overcompensate, trying to hide her Nekomata heritage."
"Is that your professional diagnosis?'
"Ha ha Tom Harris," Cora smiled. "And yes it is thank you very much. Maybe you've experienced too, considering your....unique abilities, but for most of us that reside in the human world, we have to act more human than humans in order to fit in. People have a tendency to freak out when confronted by something.... not quite normal."
Tom nodded, completely understanding where Cora was coming from. Throughout his life, he had gone to great lengths to conceal his magic. Tom chalked it up to humanities ancient unease with the uncanny valley. Perhaps, ancient man knew about the supernatural, and quickly learned to fear it.
As Tom and Cora now reached a fancy looking restaurant, the wizard paused. This place looked far too expensive for a first date.
"Whoa i don't think I have enough money for this," he whispered.
"Oh this,"Cora replied. "It's not as expensive as you think. Yeah, it's fancy but it caters to the supernatural."
"What do they serve?"
"Human cuisine," Cora grinned. "From steaks to burgers to hot wings, they even serve pizza. See for a lot of supernatural folk, human food is a delicacy and this place is the best. Figured it'd be a great place for a casual first date."
Tom nodded, following behind Cora as they entered the restaurant. As they approached the hostess podium, Tom noticed a succubus woman dressed in a business suit.
"Welcome," she said, Tom noticing the woman's fangs as she smiled. "Table for two?"
"Yes please," Cora replied, the couple following behind the succubus as they made their way towards the table. As they did, Tom took a moment to study the patrons of the restaurant.
All manner of creatures occupied this restaurant, dressed far more formally than Tom would have imagined. Vampires, werewolves, mummies, tanuki, even Bigfoot and Dogmen sat at tables enjoying foods Tom ate on a regular basis. Tom's gaze now lingered on a Bigfoot and her Dogman companion, both creatures too large for actual clothing, instead the Bigfoot sporting a pearl necklace and earrings as the Dogman sported a bow tie. For Tom, the entire scene seemed surreal.
"Hello."
Tom turned, his gaze broken as he laid eyes on a demonic waiter. The demon was humanoid in appearance with soulless black eye, reddish skin, and two horns protruding from his thick brown hair.
"My name's Azmiot and I'll be your waiter tonight," he smiled. "Can I start you with drinks?"
"I'll start with a margarita," Cora stated. "What about you Tom?"
"Ummm," Tom stammered. "Do you serve Blue Moon?"
"Certainly sir," Azmiot replied, the cheerfulness of the demon's answer throwing Tom completely off. "Will that be with or without orange?"
"Uh with..please."
Azmiot smiled, leaving Cora and Tom with menus as he continued on his way. Picking up the menu, Tom gawked. "Burgers, Steak, Spaghetti, Corn dogs?!?"
"I told you," Cora grinned. "Human food is a delicacy. All manner of beings come here to enjoy human food. I'm just glad we were able to get a table, place gets packed."
"Okay I get it," Tom stated. "But Corn dogs?! I can buy a package of them for like $15 at the grocery store. Also, there's a HUGE selection of food. I've never seen a place have both steak and spaghetti before."
"Well," Cora stated. "Not everyone gets a chance to go grocery shopping. I mean, how would people react if a Dogman or a Bigfoot or even a demon wandered into a grocery store looking for a taco kit. It'd be mass panic."
Tom simply nodded, turning back to menu. It was understandable, most in the supernatural community couldn't transform into humans. For some, this place offered the only available outlet for human cuisine. Perusing the menu, he narrowed down his options to a New York strip or Salmon dish.
"Quick question," he said. "Who does the cooking?"
"There's actually quite a few chefs," Cora replied. "Usually based on region. So for example, I know there's a Tanuki chef who specializes in Asian cuisine, a Chupacabra that specializes in Southwestern and Mexican cuisine, pretty sure there's two ancient vampires from Italy and France that specialize in Italian and French food."
"What about American cuisine?"
"A Bigfoot, a Sasquash, and a Skunk Ape," Cora replied non chalantly. "The Skunk Ape makes THE BEST gumbo and southern BBQ you've ever tasted and the Bigfoot? Wow, he really knows how to make a steak."
"Never had a steak cooked by a Bigfoot before," Tom muttered. "Guess we'll find out just how good."
Making their orders, Cora and Tom now began to talk. Idle chit chat amongst friends, slowly getting to know one another. Quickly though, Cora began to pick up Tom's desires and type.
"So what do you think of Alexa?" she asked.
"My partner?" Tom asked. "I mean she's great. A real pro. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Cora smirked, causing Tom to raise an eyebrow.
As dinner arrived, Tom's mouth immediately began to water. The steak appeared cooked to perfection, the aroma exquisite. Cutting into the strip, he slowly took a bite, the flavor and texture of the meat overwhelming his taste buds.
"Oh my god," Tom said, his mouth filled with food. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted!"
"Told you it was good," Cora smiled as she began to eat her chicken alfredo pasta.
For the next 20 minutes, the pair ate. Tom so enraptured by the food that it gained his complete attention. Finishing the last bite, he now leaned back in his seat, his stomach close to bursting.
"Wow," he said softly. "I don't think I've ever had something so good. I think..I think I'm actually getting the meat sweats."
Tom chuckled, wiping his brow as Cora giggled, studying the the wizard carefully. Throughout the evening, Tom proved to be a friendly, charming, and all around decent human being. She could honestly say Tom had lived up to his end of the bargain and then some, which now brought about her next question.
"Have you ever thought about dating Alexa?"
Tom choked on his beer, nearly spitting it up all over the table. "No," he coughed.
"How come?" Cora asked.
"Well she's my partner for one," Tom said quickly, his voice still horse from almost choking. "And dating inside the workplace usually ends in disaster."
"But not always," Cora replied. "And besides, I can almost guarantee Alexa would say yes if you asked her out."
"Why are you asking me to take Alexa out?"
"I'm not asking per say," Cora mused. "But, as her best friend I do look out for her. Trying to find a guy she might be interested in?"
"Wait are you saying Alexa likes me?!"
"Maybe," Cora grinned. "All I can say though is she's been single for too long and as her bestie it's my duty to find a nice guy she can go out with. My opinion, you are definitely a nice guy Tom."
"Um thanks I think."
"Don't get too cocky cupid," Cora laughed. "Yeah we had a good time and I would definitely approve if Alexa went out with you. That doesn't mean though I won't tear your arms off if you break her heart."
"I'll....I'll keep that in mind," Tom stammered, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
"Good," Cora said happily. "Honestly, I think you two would be perfect for each other. Just don't tell her I told you to ask her out."
"I'll take that secret to my grave," Tom smiled, as he now grabbed the check.
As the pair now departed, Tom couldn't help but enjoy himself. This may have been one of the better dates he had in quite awhile. The only lingering question now though was this. Should he ask Alexa out?