Root gives another scanned glance towards the earlier received message from the Machine.
An address, dress code requirements, and a tag on that she wasn't to worry about Bear for the evening that Hanna and Gen had already agreed to watch him for the evening.
All in all. Cryptic and intriguing.
"And I'm guessing this little side trip for the evening has nothing whatsoever to do with what today is?" She chuckles as she gives a last tussling messing of her hair as she double checks herself in the bathroom mirror. Not that the Machine answers Root pauses to touch up her lipstick "Kinda makes me wonder if this was Shaw's idea or another of yours to get us to take the night off every other number."
"Come on Root, give Shaw some credit here."
It still stung every time she heard her personal God talking in the voice of her fallen friend.
"So, this is some kind of birthday date night thing?" the hacker grins as Root's eyes drift again to the address she'd been given.
A new club more fitting for a speakeasy from the Capone era decked out for the upcoming holiday season but the kitchen was top-notch for the style. Or at least that was Shaw's grumbled assessment after she'd first been given her newest number. Some punk kid soon to be getting in far over his head poking into things well above his 'kitchen boy' gig.
A number it seemed she'd finally consented to have a plus one addition for.
"Root?"
At first, she tenses her mind flashing back to the time she'd fallen so easily for the obvious trap set by their defeated enemy. "Root, come on don't get all memory zombie on me." Shaw huffs in her ear.
If it weren't for the undertone of unease in the normally emotionless voice, Root would have giggled. "Well, if I were to go zombie at least I look good doing it." Root sighs catching her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
"Tell me you decided on the blue one."
Root chewed her lower lip at the honest longing in Shaw's husky asking.
"Patience sweetie." She chirped smoothing her phone free hand down the length of the very dress she knew for truth made Shaw's pulse jump a few notches.
"Whatever." Her partner scoffs keeping her line open as Root crossed to answer the expected knock at the safehouse door.
"Well, hello there."
Root rolls her eyes at Hanna's slightly exaggerated greeting.
"Get over yourself, Han." Despite leaning into the offered hug, her not-so-dead best friend gives whilst Gen as usual immediately drops to give a waiting Bear a greeting embrace and pets as the door swings closed.
"I didn't say anything." Hanna defends with a grin. "but let me guess." She pauses tapping a finger against her ear in question. "Good." The other woman smiles at Root's confirming snicker that Shaw was still listening in before deliberately leaning up to whisper into the open commlink. "Remember when I said you'd be living your dream later?" she asks her eyes flicking again over Root's chosen outfit. "well, I was right."
"Dang Nutella you clean up nice, huh?"
"Lionel." Root smiled then needed to bite back a laugh when she noticed how neatly dressed, he was considering Root assumed he was only intended as her ride to the club Shaw was 'number sitting' for the evening.
"Don't start. Shaw's already on my case about this and I figure it's good to have a favor handy with that one." The cop warns as he offers the hacker his arm like a date to prom.
"Ouch." Shaw huffed
"Oh boy, guessing she heard that?" Fusco noticed after a brisk walk down to the waiting car beside the curb.
"Just fast-track a hold on one of those new police issue compacts I saw waiting for approval from your boss and I'm sure she'll come around." Root offers clipping in her seatbelt.
"You say the sweetest things." Shaw cooed against her ear.
"Does this mean you're going to be greeting me at the door too?" Root asks aloud but mostly to the still-listening Shaw.
"I'll be around. Just get here and get to our table. You have no idea how hard it was getting it the 'friendly way'"
At this, her driver for the evening almost swears into the next lane with Root's gasp of genuine surprise. "Shaw, are you saying you haven't threatened anyone over anything this evening?"
"Not anything. I still had to keep it a little fun for me" Shaw corrects. "Just get here in one piece alright."
Not for the first time did Root consider the fact she might have died that day when she'd swerved the car into the Samaritan snipper round.
"Don't worry, I'm staying with you until you're at the table," Fusco promises at Root's hesitancy when the club greeter takes his job a little too seriously once Lionel has given the name on Shaw's reservation.
"Where the hell is she?" Root hissed after spotting the gangly punk Shaw had been trailing and who in Root's mind needed some serious lessons in the art of computer coding if he wanted to stay alive and see the spoils of his pitiful attempts so far.
"Alright you lounge lizards, it seems we're getting a mix-up in the lineup for the evening." The club announcer says before Root had time to enjoy the drink Shaw had thought to order for her along with the note warning her not to get too cozy in Shaw's noticeable handwriting before the lights dim on the club's small stage.
Root's attention immediately snaps towards it as Shaw steps out in the most eye-catching little black dress the hacker has ever seen. "Well happy birthday to me, indeed." Root smiles behind her shot glass as she slowly drains away the liquor inside as she imagines exactly the way she'll be getting Sameen out of said little black dress oh so very soon.
And then to Root's further amazement, Shaw started to sing…
"My lover's got humor, she's the giggle at a funeral…"