Violet abruptly stopped typing, full heartedly surprised by the notification on her phone. she hadn't expected the sudden interruption; she had been so busy typing the ending to the chapter she was working on that she had almost tuned everything out. It was as if she was suddenly woken up by an alarm clock so late in the morning, which was ironic given the circumstances. Taking her hands away from her laptop, she picked up the phone that was by her side. she couldn't help but let out a smile though as she picked up her phone her fingers gliding over the simple sentence that her screen depicted 'Hi Violet, its Aster'. it was enough to make a smile reach her lips, though it was tempered by what she had noticed from his demeanor earlier that day. he seemed... almost sad but was doing well enough to hide it that most people probably wouldn't have noticed it if they weren't looking. Violet was not one of those people. Having been trained in the art of deception for interrogation purposes, both in the event she had to interrogate someone or worse was interrogated by an enemy, she noticed the subtleties of the human face. His eyes were glistening with tears the moment he said he wanted a fresh start. Pain she knew all too well. She had seen it in her fathers eyes when he talked about old comrades that he had lost in battle during his time in the army. People he loved and trusted like brothers more so than his own brother, her uncle. He never spoke of what happened to them but she didn't need to ask, they were dead. It was a simple yet morbid truth, one Violet was quick to learn from her Father. Which led her to wonder, was it that same pain she saw in Aster's eyes or was she simply coming to a conclusion based on very little evidence. Either way she didn't know Aster enough to confront him about it, not that she wanted to.

She had given him her number so they could talk and that's exactly what she wanted to do. There was something very alluring about the young man, a feeling that somehow they were connected, and Violet was eager to explore if the connection could lead to something more. She wasn't sure if it needed to end in romance but there was no harm in exploring if a friendship could be beneficial between the two of them. She continued to read the small sentence on her phone, taking in every word every letter, until she felt her own fingers began typing a simple response, one that left the door open for more conversation 'Evening Aster, i'm glad to hear from you." she responded shortly, her heart thumping in her chest like a pair of drums playing at a concert as she eagerly awaited Aster's reply. She couldn't help but wonder if Aster was feeling the same way, wherever he was. Her mouth felt dry as if all her saliva went the way of the sahara, yet she wasn't thirsty. The seconds ticked by seeming to minutes, not that Violet would have noticed since her eyes were practically glued to her phone. After waiting what appeared to be an eternity, her phone buzzed with a notification from Aster once again causing Violet to smile "I am glad we got to meet, even if it was just for coffee. Maybe we could meet there again sometime? Or we can go out somewhere else if you prefer, coffee doesn't fill the stomach very much.' that caused Violet to chuckle even though it wasn't very funny. Aster did have a bit of a point though The coffee shop was good for a quick fix but it wasn't very good for getting a full stomach.

Wait a second what was this feeling that she was experiencing. Did Violet seriously want to have Dinner with a guy she met at a coffee shop? One that she met a few hours ago even? The short answer was, yes yes she did. She gave him her number precisely because she felt a connection that she wanted to explore. Dinner was certainly part of that package, or it would if it evolved to that stage given the proper time and willingness. Violet was certainly willing but she didn't want to rush into it. Aster seemed to want to get dinner though so it seemed to Violet that now was the time. Or was it? The coffee shop had some food that was good and she certainly didn't want to seem like an extravagant sort of girl to anyone. She really wasn't. During her time in training with her father she became very adept at working very long operations with minimal sustenance. She even wrote her book like that. She could at the very least suggest a lower priced restaurant which could be comfortable for her and her new friend. She didn't know what Aster did for work after all. For all she knew it could be the very reason that he moved from Astrea in the first place. He did say that he wanted to have a fresh start after all, and a new job certainly qualified as such.

The question was where should she suggest? There were several restaurants close to her apartment, but she didn't know where Aster lived and she certainly didn't want to inconvenience him in any way. She would ask for clarification of course but asking for his home address might be considered just a little too much since they had met only a few hours ago. The best thing to do at the very least was look at some places within a 20 minute radius. If nothing else Aster's location had to be within a close proximity to the coffee shop given the fact that he had gone there, unless he took a taxi of some sort, but that didn't seem very likely. The best case scenario was probably just asking for another date at the coffee shop again. It would be simple to ask him to do so on a later date. She had already asked him as such when the two exchanged numbers to begin with. At the very least it would be comfortable for the both of them to be in a familiar location with each other. A smile reached her face at the thought but as she reached for her phone, it suddenly began buzzing again. At first she thought it was Aster sending a barrage of messages but that was quickly disproven when Gilbert Bougenvillea flashed across the screen along with a picture of the major smiling rather awkwardly at the camera for Violet had mischievously taken the picture when Gilbert only just realized that she was about to snap said photo in the first place. Violet almost groaned at the irony. Gilbert almost never called her; he didn't want to be the type of dad that constantly checked up on Violet (her detached personality had much to do with this) this meant that it was something important. The only question was, what could possibly be so important that he would call at this time of night? Not to mention she kind of wanted to get in contact with Aster again and not leave him waiting for her response. It had already been a few minutes since he texted her. It was as if the universe was out to make sure everything got in the way of her talking to Aster tonight. Still she wondered if she should ignore the call and let it go to voicemail, but as she established Gilbert wouldn't call unless it was very important for Violet to know. Giving an annoyed sigh, Violet snatched the phone and held it up to her ear as she hit the answer button hoping that Gilbert would be quick; she had to make sure not to mention aster either. Military father or not, one thing that didnt change was Gilbert's worry about Violet's interest in Boys. Violet being interested wasn't the problem; she rarely had interest in anyone romantically, but when boys had an interest in Violet, Gilbert laid on the intimidation rather… much. Needless to say, most of the boys that ever so much as looked at Violet, ended up running in the other direction when faced with a military grade pistol. Not that she was going to tell her father about someone she just met. She definitely wasn't that type of girl. Still she might as well get it over with so she could talk to Aster. "Major…" Violet replied over the phone as if she was on autopilot. Despite being her father, calling him by his rank had always been more natural to her. Gilbert never did try to get her to call him dad once he realized she wouldn't listen to him. Then again she never referred to anyone by their family relationships, even Hodgins, only ever referring to them by their titles. It was an odd quirk of the young girls but it seemed to add to the charm she had when she worked as a doll anyway so they let it slide. The line was silent for a few moments, before the voice of her father rang through her ears a moment later "good evening Violet, i'm sorry to call you at such a late hour." Violet could tell he was being quite honest; the major sounded a little sheepish but she also detected a hint of sadness in his voice as well. There was only one reason that Violet could think of that would cause the major to be sad. It had been many years since he left the army but there was one event that, to this day, continued to haunt him from his time as a soldier. It was the anniversary of the day Gilbert left the army. During Gilbert's final days in the army he was to have a going away party thrown by none other than Claudia Hodgins his best friend and brother in arms as well as Violet's Uncle. Gilbert's actual brother Dierfried had also attended but barely said anything to Gilbert, not even a speech congratulating his retirement nor all his achievements in the army. Though they loved each other the two rarely ever spoke. Most found it odd, but Violet paid no mind, mostly because she didn't have a good relationship with him either. However after the party, She was driving down the highway which was slick from rain that had been pouring that evening, when she lost control of the car, colliding with another vehicle that had been coming from the other direction. By the time the police had arrived, Violet and Gilbert, who had been stabbed by shards of glass as a result of the accident, were unconscious. The two were rushed to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to save Gilbert's eye. When Violet awoke in the hospital, she also learned that she had broken her arms. It was lucky that they had been wearing their seatbelts

Still Violet considered herself lucky. She never learned the fate of the individuals in the other car, only that they were in far worse conditions than either herself or her father, and by the nurses recommendation, never met them either. While Violet recovered in the hospital, Gilbert settled the issue with the other driver out of court and Violet never spoke much of the incident but Gilbert took it to heart. It was the only time he ever felt responsible for causing someone pain without trying to do so for the sake of saving a life. Violet never understood why. It wasn't like the accident was intentional. It all but vanished from her mind once she left the hospital. Not to mention it was in a different city, so as far as Violet was concerned, she was ok. She never gave any thought to the other car; Gilbert never mentioned them either so she assumed the other driver was ok. This was the first time she had thought about it in a while.

"Its not a problem" Violet said robotically though she was fibbing slightly since she wanted to get off of the phone as soon as possible, not that she was going to let Gilbert know that. "It never is…" Gilbert responded with a chuckle "You know I just worry about you." Violet let out a soft smile slip onto her face. Parenting was the one thing she would never outgrow it seemed, in Gilberts eyes she was still that 4 year old he adopted so many years ago. Though it was Dierfried that had found her at an orphanage, or so she was told; she barely remembered that time in her life having been so young. The only thing she did remember about those days was having a puppy plushie, one that she still had to this day, though it wasn't really used much anymore since she no longer needed to snuggle with it. Still she kept it as one of the few things she kept from childhood. That and an emerald brooch her father had bought her when she was old enough to appreciate jewelry. It had been quite the moment in her life. The two were at a mall, much to Violets confusion at the time. During that stage in her life she all but followed her father around like a stray dog. The two had been walking around when Violets eye caught sight of it on display in one of the stores. She had actually just stopped walking with Gilbert and walked towards the brooch as if in a daze.

Hilariously Gilbert had no idea Violet had left his side until he was at the other end of that part of the mall. He walked up to Violet only to see her attention completely focused on the brooch, her hand over her heart. Without hesitating, he bought it for her though he questioned her choice in color as it was green rather than blue. Violet simply stated the brooch reminded her of her fathers eyes. She kept that brooch with her at all times until one day she kept it at home for safe keeping.

Other than that, Violet wasn't much for possessions other than necessities.

She remained silent for a few moments until Gilbert let out a sigh. "It's been a long time since we've spoken to one another Violet." he said, a hint of regret in his tone. That was true. Violet had been so caught up in her work that it had been a while since she last spoke to the Major "tell me, Has anything caught your interest lately?"

Violet stiffened, almost like a deer in the headlights, as the Major asked the one question that she didn't want to answer. Luckily Violet had the perfect response to the Major in situations like this "there is nothing to report" it was always her response when she had nothing to say. Unfortunately for Violet the Major was wise enough to know when Violet didnt want to talk about something. "Are you sure?" he asked, a smirk evident in his voice. "Yes," Violet deadpanned, not coming close to losing her cool in a situation like this. It would take a lot more than teasing from the major to get her to lose her cool. The last time she did, she was worried that Gilbert died in the car crash the same night he lost his eye. She had been hysterical, screaming for her father, until the nurses calmed her down by injecting her with some sort of relaxant drug. That helped for when she next woke up, her father was in the room with her, a bandage wrapped around his head. Of the two, Gilbert had the least injuries, hence why he was the one who settled out of court while Violet recovered in the hospital.

There was a moment of silence between the two, until Gilbert let out a small chuckle "I understand Violet, i just want to let you know i may be heading your way soon; it's been a while since ive seen you." Violet couldn't help but smile. She did miss her father, even if she never mentioned it to herself or anyone aloud. Then again, her main form of communication was through emails, so there was never a need to express herself otherwise most of the time. "Id like that, she responded, just as her phone buzzed in her hand again, a text from Aster no doubt. Violet almost, Almost forgot that Aster was waiting on her and hoped that he wasn't getting impatient on her. She snuck a look at the text, which just said 'If you like there is a restaurant not too far from the cafe that serves Japanese food, if you like that.' Violet smiled at the thought, then returned to having the phone pressed to her ear "Understood Major." she said, hoping the Major didn't suspect anything. "Please let me know youre estimated time of arrival and I will plan accordingly." she started returning to her almost robotic-like stance. This once again caused the major to chuckle on the other end of the line. "Thank you Violet, you are dismissed" he told her, before hanging up the call, leaving Violet alone with her thoughts once again. She removed her phone from her ear and looked at the screen, where Aster's text still stood.

A smile ghosted her lips as she traced her fingers across the words, before she began responding to the text "Tokyo's right?" she texted back "That would be most adequate.'' Despite herself, Violet didn't want to appear too excited out of fear that she might scare Aster off. The room was silent for a few more minutes as she gazed at her phone awaiting the response. A few moments later, there was a buzz again, accompanied by the text "Great! How does tomorrow work?" Tomorrow did indeed work for the young women's schedule. With a quick flick of her fingers the young woman typed back a response, saying a preferred time as well. before placing her phone down, a small smile making its way to her lips at the thought of seeing Aster again.

She sat there for a few moments before leaning back in her chair, a small breath escaping her lips. Violet closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of warmth encasing her. Until she heard the front door open and close rapidly, ruining the peaceful quiet moment. Her eyes snapped open and she turned towards the living room, where her room was adjacent to. She had left the door open when she came in so she could see that Luculia had just returned. She had been out with a client earlier that day, not that Violet was complaining; as they were both Dolls, Violet was well aware of what people like herself and Luculia needed to do and as such the two girls were never able to hang out until after hours. It was not like they were dependent on each other save for the rent. However Violet could see that her friend was not happy at the moment, which was a rare event for the red head. Having known the woman for as long as she did it wasn't hard to figure out what the problem was. Her brother Spencer had a long history of alcoholism stemming from war related PTSD. Though he was improving from the ordeal, it was a great source of stress for the young woman. Violet stood up from her desk and walked towards Luculia, who took a quick notice of her presence and her angry mask broke to reveal a warm smile "Evening Violet!" she said giving Violet a quick hug, before going over to the couch in the living room and sat down on it, as if to let out all the tension that was weighing on her the whole day.

So it was one of those days then. Violet knew never to really question Luculia or offer advice. The other girl didn't want to worry Violet with her problems and it wasn't her place to impose them on her anyway Still Violet was always happy to help Luculia even if it was just to listen to her talk. Violet sat down on the couch next to her friend, fully expecting the poor girl to start crying as she usually did when she returned from seeing her brother. There had been one time where she had Violet write a letter to spencer after a particularly bad night at the bar resulted in the former soldier being arrested. Thankfully that letter was enough to get spencer to stop drinking as heavily, but the PTSD and trauma could only be held back for so long.

The two sat in silence for a moment, before Luculia broke it "Spencer had a rough day today…" of course he did, but the good news was that he never took out his feelings on his sister positive or negative "he's trying to find a job, but he's concerned about his health." Violet looked at Luculia, pity stirring in her chest. Gilbert had gone through so many of the same things that spencer had; the difference was that he was able to cope with it much better than Luculias older brother, not to mention more time had past, where as spencer was still a recent victim. That WAS going to make it tough for any veteran. How ever she didn't want to say anything. Luculia instead looked at Violet with a bright smile "I hope you had a more productive day" she said Violet nodded "I was able to complete my duties without any delay" she stated flawlessly, though she was unable to hide her glowing cheeks. Just thinking about Aster made her blush.

Luculia was quick to take notice and she leaned closely to Violet "are you ok Violet?" she asked placing a hand on the blondes forehead. "Its not a problem" Violet said, gently pushing Luculias hand away, though her cheeks still glowed pink. The red head leaned back in her spot, but kept her gaze on Violet. If there was one thing that Violet didn't like about Luculia it was that she could be very perceptive, often at Violets expense. This was one of those times. "Ive never seen you blush like that Violet, not even when…." Her eyes widened and then she placed a hand on her lips giggling "You met someone didn't you?"

When Violet didn't respond, Luculia giggled again "How did you manage to meet someone in the short amount of time I was gone?" Violet let out a sigh. She could attempt to lie to Luculia, but she was far to smart for that nor would Violet want to lie about what happened. At the very least she could trust Luculia not to blow it out of proportion or tell the major "I met a man at the café," Violet muttered. None to her surprise, Luculia squealed and leaned close to Violet a look on her face that clearly expected Violet to continue 'His name is Aster and he just moved here" Violet told her friend. There wasn't much else she could tell her. Still Luculia seemed satisfied giving Violet a wicked grin "I hope he treats you well," she stated. Violet just glowered at her friend "I believe I have told you all that I can" she stated monotone. Luculia just continued to grin. "I cannot give you any information I do not have" Violet said, reading the expression on her roommates face like a letter. Violet then stood up from the couch and returned to her room, shutting the door. With a heavy sigh Violet leaned against the door. Luculia could be exhausting sometimes, though she never meant any harm. During the time Violet had known her, Luculia had put all her efforts into helping others, a bit of a biproduct of wanting to help her brother. Sometimes, though Violet wanted to be selfish and not tell her anything. Violet glanced back at her phone, which was silent since her response. Would it be too much to try making conversation with Aster right now? She didn't want to seem eager.

No. it was too soon after setting everything up. Besides she didn't want to give Luculia any more ammunition as well, not that she could presently. Instead Violet walked over to her bed and sat on it, before lying down eagle sprawled looking at the ceiling. The plain colorless slab looked back at her with non existent eyes. It was rather soothing for a brief moment. Her hand absentmindedly drifted to the brooch she kept on her collar. It was practically a good luck charm to the blonde woman. That being said it was doing very little to help her right now. With the date almost 24 hours away, she had plenty of time to prepare yet she still felt nervous, which didn't happen to her very often.

Violet laid there for what felt like hours, just loosing track of time. She had worked on her book for hours throughout the day and it was already well into the afternoon, as always when the two housemates were home, so she didn't want to go to bed writing her book, and she already went to the gym this morning. So there wasn't much for her to do except….

At that moment her stomach rumbled, reminding the blonde that coffee was only good in the short term when trying to satisfy hunger cravings. So here she was in her room, realizing she still had to make dinner at… Violet looked at her clock and saw that it was 7:30, meaning she had Coffee around 6-7 hours ago and breakfast 10-12 hours ago, that is if she had breakfast that morning. She had been so caught up in her book that she had forgotten whether or not she had eaten that morning. Which meant that she had no choice but to hope that Luculia was cooking dinner at the moment or that Violet could order some take out and hope it got delivered quickly. Violet let out a small sigh and sat up, before getting off her bed and leaving the room. As she did she took notice of a wonderful aroma in the room. Luculia was cooking something then. Just what Violet needed right now. She walked towards the kitchen and poked her head through the open doorway that led to the kitchen. Sure enough, the redhead was at the stove, cooking what appeared to be some sort of grilled sandwich and ramen; both of which were common after both woman came home from work. It also meant that Luculia was going to try and bribe her some more. Oh well, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. The only thing Violet could tell her was that Aster was new in town, so any attempt at bribery was bound to end in failure regardless of anything. And violet still needed to eat so why not, at the very least she could fill her empty stomach and retreat to her room for the evening if nothing else.

Violet approached her friend, who took notice of the blonde entering the room, looking at Violet with a sly but friendly smile "Hungry?" she asked before returning to cooking the meal "Affirmative" Violet nodded, before going to the cabinet and grabbing two plates and glasses, before taking them to the table nearby. It seemed Luculia was almost finished so Violet wanted to do what she could to help since she didn't help cook today. She placed the items on table, before pulling out the chairs, just as Luculia came over with the food. The two sat down across from each other, with Lucia staring at Violet mischievously. Violet just ignored it and placed a sandwich and some ramen on her plate and took a few bites, while Lucilia watched like a hawk. It was cute for all of a few seconds before Violet huffed and dropped her utensils before looking at the redhead dead in the eye "No" she said simply Lucilia just giggled "Yes!" she responded. Violet shook her head "there is nothing to report Luculia" she told her if you want details you must be patient" Violet said it in such a serious voice that Luculia's smile dropped and with a deflated look slowly began eating her meal. Violet was glad she was able to get her friend to stop grilling her, though she hated disappointing her. Time would heal that.

Satisfied for now, Violet continued with her meal in silence.

The next day, Violet stood in her room once more, going through her closet, trying to pick out the best cloths for the date later that evening. So far it wasn't going very well. Violet didn't have a large abundance of cloths compared to other girls she knew, even Luculia. Growing up with a militant lifestyle would do that to you. So here she was trying to figure out what to wear with what little cloths that she owned. It wasn't like she was going for anything inappropriate; it was just dinner. Still for once in her life, she felt at a loss on how she should appear for the date. What se wore previously was far too casual, but she didn't want to appear to formal since it wasn't like an upscale restaurant nor did she want to give Aster the wrong idea. It was times like this that she wished she had an impartial female friend. It would be much better to talk to them in this case. Sadly Violet never had a mother figure with whom to discuss boys with in the first place so she just had to do it on her own. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hasty to exclude Luculia from her current mission. Luculia, while not exactly knowledgeable on men in ways some women could be, had a fair few relationships compared to the blonde. Violet wasn't an overly prideful person, but she knew her redhead friend would just take every ounce of joy in helping violet, which would make her more than a little uncomfortable.

Violet stepped back from her closet, folding her arms and glowering, almost willing her cloths to spontaneously combust. This was hopeless. The blonde threw her hands in the air before turning her back on her closet for a moment. This was not going to be difficult if she just calmed down. She had been on tougher missions before and she long since learned how to dress herself so this shouldn't be as though as she thinks it is

At least that is what she was telling herself. She was going to make sure that everything was ready for tonight even if she lost her arms doing it! She turned back to her cloths and with nothing more than a quick act of faith, randomly grabbed two cloths (a shirt and skirt respectively) and yanked it out of the closet. Miraculously, it was a blue blouse and a purple skirt, in the exact style she needed. Her nerves calmed, Violet threw the cloths on the bed, then proceeded to grab a belt to complete the look. She tossed the belt on the bed and without further ado, closed the door to her closet before she could dwell on it further.

Letting out a quick sigh, Violet looked at her bed for a brief moment before she glanced out of her window with a slight forlorn look on her face. She was looking forward to the date, but she still felt so nervous and the date was only a few hours away. What was she going to do? Calling the Major was out of the question and Luculia was just going to ask questions, but Violet had little to do to take her mind off of the forthcoming date. Working on her book could only do so much, and it was something she had done the previous night to begin with, and she certainly didn't want to burn herself out doing so.

So that left her in a dilemma of how to pass the time. It wasn't like she had many hobbies outside writing and spending time with the Major or Luculia, at least anything that mattered; not to mention Luculia had left to go to work earlier that day, so violet was essentially alone in her apartment. Talking to Aster wouldn't help simply because they were going to do that this evening anyway, so she didn't want to kill the conversation before they met for dinner. As for the Major, her father definitely didn't need to know she was going on a date; while the man wasn't an overly protective parent, as he knew Violet could handle herself physically, he still worried that someone could take advantage of her if she wasn't careful. Violet honestly didn't worry about that too much to begin with, the last time someone attempted anything, Violet put him in an armbar and gave him a concussion. Thankfully as it was considered self defense Violet wasn't in trouble with the law, but that didn't stop the major from disciplining her.

Violet smiled slightly. Sure she might be bored at the moment, but at the very least, she was definitely looking forward to this evening. She glanced at her watch. Still several hours away… this was going to be tougher than she thought.

Later that night, Violet found herself in front of Tokyo's dressed in the same outfit she had picked out for herself earlier, complete with a shower and perfume, not to mention her lucky emerald brooch. She had arrived not more than a few minutes ago, before the designated time that she and Aster had agreed on, but she didn't see him. It wasn't too late though and Aster gave no indication he was going to stand her up, not that she was expecting that. still that did nothing to stop her from feeling nervous, despite the fact that she didn't want to be.

She wondered, would he be inside the restaurant or outside? Her phone was clutched in her hand ready to text him to make sure, but she was hesitating. Should she text him, just to be sure?

Thankfully it seemed that she wouldn't have too. "Violet?" a voice said behind her. Violet whirled around and her breath hitched. Before her stood Aster, dressed in a purple collared shirt blue dress jeans and rather nice shoes. It was rather attractive if she didn't say so herself. As well she noticed his cloths were very similar to her own.

The blonde let a smile touch her lips as she stepped forward getting into her familiar greeting stance, a salute. "a pleasure to see you again Aster!" she responded in an almost robotic fashion. Aster stared at her wide eyed for a moment, before it broke ito an amused smile "I take it you were raised in a military family" he said, though not in a condensing kind of way. Violet dropped her salute "affirmative" she stated, confirming Asters question "Aster chuckled before stepping forward himself "Im glad you agreed to meet me here." He stated, causing violet to smile once again. "As am I" she said, before turning around and holding her elbow out. Catching on to her intentions, Aster lopped his arm in hers and led her into the restaurant. The two were immediately overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, it was very enticing and the two couldn't wait to eat

Once again however Violet felt butterflies in her stomach. Her first date in ages and it was choosing now of all times to get the better of her nerves. Still she held firm at least outwardly, not wanting to tip Aster off in any way. Not that he was making her uncomfortable in any way, she just didn't want to worry him especially not this early in the date. They hadn't even been able to sit down yet! This was definitely no time to blow it! Thankfully her mind could be taken of the subject as a hostess approached the pair with a bright smile on her face "Nice to meet you. My name is Susan!" she said, her eyes darting between Aster and Violet. "This way." She said turning her back on the pair and walking down a path. Aster and Violet followed until she led them to a table deep in the restaurant Violet had to admit even the booth, despite the fact the Habachi style of the restaurant, would be cooked in front of them, looked rather cozy.

The perfect spot for a date. A small smile touched her face as she disentangled herself from Aster and made her way to the nearest chair. Aster being the gentleman that he was, moved forward and pulled the chair out for Violet. Violet glanced at Aster, giving him a sly wink before she sat down, she looked at Aster as he sat down beside her, before the two directed their attention to the hostess, who still wore that professional smile "The server will be out in a few moments" she told the pair before leaving to return to the entrance, leaving the couple alone at the table. Despite the hours the restaurant wasn't exactly packed so the two had the table to themselves. Violet turned to look at Aster, who was sitting next to her. Maybe it was just the fact that he was physically closer to her than their previous encounter, but Violet couldn't help but just feel at home at the moment, gazing into Asters Orange hued eyes. She had to force herself to pull away, for the server arrived, likely to take their orders, before either could say a word.

"Good evening" the man said with a slight Japanese accent as he pulled out a pen and notepad as he gazed at the two patrons ready and waiting to eat from their delicious selection of meals "I'm ready to take your orders."

Violet blushed slightly, realizing she and Aster had yet to look at the menu. She picked it up, scanning the menu, until she found what she was looking for. "Ill take the filet mignon and shrimp combo" she told the server. "Ill take the Filet and fried rice combo" Aster told ther server, before he took his and Violets menu's and handed them to the server. The server took the menu's then nodded, before returning to the kitchen. That left the couple alone once again. Violet sat in her chair prim and proper as always, before turning to look at Aster who had gone very silent. His gaze was locked on the table. Violet cocked her head "Is something wrong, Aster?" she asked. To her surprise, Aster flinched at the sound of her voice and turned to her slightly startled. That was odd, what could possibly have startled her newfound friend. He didn't seem still distracted the last time they had seen each other. What could be causing it now? Aster smiled briefly and said "Nothing, just excited for the meal. Violet, as smart as she was, was able to see that Aster was lying. It occurred to her to ask but she didn't want to intrude. She wanted to enjoy the date after all. "I see…" she replied, before a smile brightened up her face once more. Though she was worried it was best to just drop it for now.

That being said, Violet felt her voice catch in her throat. What was she supposed to talk about now? It seemed so easy before, but now that she was here, she didn't know what to do! Maybe she should have done a bit more research on this whole dating thing before instead of worrying about it as much as she did. No, she could do this! She was raised in the military, nothing could be as taxing as that! Dating should be child's play compared to anything the army trained her for!

Then again, the army never trained her on how to fraternize with the opposite sex for recreational or romantic affairs. Now she wished she spoke to Luculia, but like anyone in the Bougenvillia family she was going to make sure that she could rise to the challenge. With that in mind, Violet took a deep breath and leaned forward, showing interest in Aster, before saying the first thing that came to her mind.

"You said you desired a fresh start when you moved here. Would you like to explain that further?" Why did she ask that?! There were so many other things she could have tried to ask, like how his new job was going or how he was liking the city, but she had to start with something so personal she might as well have asked for his life story. He had seemed guarded about it the last time she had asked. Could she be anymore awkward?

None to her surprise, aster stared at her wide eyed, before he steeled himself and shook his head "like I said I just needed a fresh start; im enjoying the city though" he told her a smile reaching his face "Got a new job, just living life" there was something Violet could talk about. She already had a feeling Asters past was a bit off limits, but his new job opened up a few possibilities regarding chit chat until the food arrived. Quick on the uptake, Violet decided to try and ask him about his job. They had only spoken about her job the last time they were together and this was a date after all "what is it that you do for a living?" Violet asked.

Aster smiled, as if the weight on is shoulders was lifted by the subject change "I work as a Teacher!" he said "I try to assist up and coming writers as well." That was definitely not the answer that she was expecting. He was almost very complimentary of herself, since she was writing a novel.

"that's a very satisfying career choice" Violet said, smiling slightly "you must be very happy."

"It has its moments…"Aster said trailer off "I've been doing it for a few years and I cant say I regret it.." that made Violet happy, seeing as how she felt the same way about her novels and ghost writing jobs.

Despite herself she couldn't help but feel that Aster was rather complementary to her. "what made you decide to go that route?' she asked a small part of her wondering why he moved states foe a position he could have gotten anywhere else. Surely his home town might have been a brtter choice. He said he was from astrea, which was on the other side of the country. No one moved cross country for a new job unless they had no other choice but to do so. Then again maybe there weren't any jobs back in his home town Violet shook her head. Aster would tell her in time, but for now she wanted to enjoy the meal that they were about to be having.

Aster shrugged "seemed like a good idea so I just went with it." Well that was a brutally honest, not that Violet was expecting anything otherwise. She was here to get to know her date after all. "I understand that, I wanted the same thing when I became a writer myself." She told him as she leaned back in her seat. She noticed that Aster, perhaps subconsciously was doing the same. Before any more could be said however, the hibachi chef arrived, complete with a cart full of ingredients that would be used to prepare the food. "Good evening!" he told the duo cheerfully. "My name is Shaun, ill be your chef for this evening." Violet barely heard the other man her eyes on the food. True she didnt have to keep her mouth from watering, but just looking at the food was making her hungry. The chef took a moment with them to confirm their orders, before he began cooking the food in front of them with the skill and passion of a chef.

Within minutes Violets meal was served in front of her and it smelled utterly delicious. She took a quick tentative sniff of the steak and shrimp combo, before glancing at Aster, who was given his own meal. he looked entranced by the food, and Violet could smell it from where she was sitting. As if sensing her eyes on him, Aster turned to Violet and gave her a smirk. "here's to a great first date." He raised his chopsticks in salute. Violet returned the gesture, before the two quietly began eating their meal.

Later that night, Violet and Aster, utterly satiated from their delicious meal, were taking a walk, not far from the restaurant. The two had elected to take a walk, since neither were willing to admit they wanted the date to end, and Aster still had quite a bit of the city that he wanted to see. Violet had been down this particular path before, so there were quite a few spots that Aster might want to see in his free time. not that they had agreed to a second date of anything as of yet. Violet didn't want to get ahead of herself.

The two found themselves near a park, one of Violets frequent writing spots. Despite how crowded it could get during some days, the atmosphere was calm enough that Violet found herself working on her book here on more than one occasion. Perhaps it would be a great location for another meet up, if Aster agreed to it. "I find myself here most days after work," Violet told him "When im not in my apartment writing that is." She told her newfound friend as she took him deep into the park. The area she was speaking of was a little area near a fountain that had a few tables near it, largely for the few people that just wanted to rest at the tables.

Sadly the park was close to closing time so neither Violet or Aster could sit there, at least not for very long, lest they get caught by park security and thrown out. They continued to walk until Aster was led to the other end of the park. He had to admit that this park was quite beautiful. He could see why Violet liked it here. Too bad that they couldn't come here during the day. If he had known how beautiful it was, he would have asked her out to lunch instead of dinner He would have to ask her out again on another day. The though made him smile. He was lucky it was dark so Violet couldn't see his slightly reddened cheeks. "It sounds like a wonderful place for another date." He said giving her a sly look. Violets eyes widened. She had to admit that was rather bold, but she couldn't help but feel thrilled at the idea. She stopped walking, causing aster to stop with her. He turned to her perplexed, but that changed as Violet grabbed Aster's hands looking directly into his eyes.

The tension was palpable between the two for a few seconds. Neither spoke a word. There was nothing left to say. Slowly, Violet let go of Asters hands, stepping forward. She pressed her chest to his, feeling her heartbeat speed up considerably. She felt this magnetic pull, this attraction that was driving her, and she couldn't fight it. Without anything to lose, Violet moved forward, pressing herself up on her tip toes, pressing her lips to Asters in a most wonderful kiss