Birthday Bash 2022
20th Anniversary!
Prompt 1
Dress
xxXxx
Baron gave himself a careful once-over in the tiny mirror with a frown before adjusting his maroon vest slightly. "Can't say I was expecting to be doing this again," he muttered to himself before taking two of the hot and ready plates in his hands.
It was strange how even his arms remembered the right angle and brace against the food's weight, but he forced himself not to worry about it as he calmly walked out of the kitchen and to the waiting table.
It was a small, quaint restaurant that was being overshadowed by a newer place across the street. The owner was old and experienced enough not to be worried about the small lull in business, since the food was good and he personally ensured that the staff was reliable and polite even under pressure. Baron couldn't help but wish he'd have gotten a boss like that the first time he was serving tables, but alas; this wasn't the worst way to revisit his college days.
Well. Maybe that wasn't the right way to put it. But at least he knew for a fact that this time, he wasn't likely to be disappointed with unwanted advice or a flirty phone number from a customer, unless Lady Lavender was the one to do it. It wouldn't be the first time a girl on a first date tried to hit on him.
She was running late. Baron cast a nervous look at the clock but tried to remind himself that three minutes is nothing to get upset about. Her date was known to come in after his target, but normally-
There she was! Baron only caught a glimpse of a lavender dress passing the window before forcing himself to go back to the kitchen to avoid looking suspicious.
"She's here," he whispered to the cook, who flinched worriedly.
"You'll be careful with her?" the older man nearly begged, making the renewed waiter smirk.
"Don't worry. That's literally my job, remember?" he asked while taking the new plates of food before heading back to the floor.
She was talking to Toto at the front desk, and he was happily replying before taking her to her reserved table near the middle of the small restaurant.
Lady Lavender was lovely, perhaps still in college herself. Her dress didn't look expensive, but it still flattered her and made him wish, just a little-
Baron quickly turned his eyes away from her to set the plates on the correct table.
The bigger man quirked an eyebrow with a smirk, but thankfully didn't say anything.
There was another set of plates waiting to be taken out, but Baron didn't know when her 'date' was going to show up, so it was now or never. He approached her table with a smile.
Lady Lavender looked up at him and blushed scarlet before quickly turning her eyes back to her lap. Her curtain of straight brown hair fell over her face to shield the color from him.
"How are you doing tonight?" Baron recited the phrase almost on reflex, not worrying about her reaction to him. 'At least her way is respectful.'
"Mh, all right," she mumbled a bit. "Could I please get a water?"
"Absolutely," he assured her, turning his body away out of habit before sharply reminding himself of the real mission. "First date?" he pretended to guess.
"Internet date," she agreed while still staring at her lap and twisting her fingers nervously. "Just hoping it's not another weirdo."
Oh, the poor young woman. She had no idea.
He couldn't resist the urge to lean forward and whisper softly, since he didn't want her to squirm later. "If you want to end the date early, scratch your right ear, and I'll 'trip' and drop something on one of you."
She peeked at him through her curtain and offered a relieved smile that he thought suited her a lot better. "If I knew that was an option, I'd have had all my dates here," she cracked, making him and the nearest table laugh.
'I'll inform the real staff before the night's over,' he silently promised her before smiling and turning back to the kitchen. He still had a set of plates to take out before her water, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he arrived now.
He never arrived before his target did. All the reports agreed on that. Baron took in a steadying breath before leaving the kitchen again.
Just as Baron was setting the plates on a table near the window, he saw someone pull up in a muscle car. His eyes narrowed angrily before he turned back to the kitchen. 'At last. The guest of honor.'
His long hair, slightly streaked with grey, was pulled back in a low ponytail, and his suit looked a little too nice to be visiting a small restaurant like this. His smirk was confident, as well as his swagger.
Baron tightened his jaw and headed back to the kitchen. All he had to do was time things perfectly, and he could get Lady Lavender out of the danger zone in mere minutes.
That idea really appealed to him. He carefully took just a bit more time than he should have in the kitchen getting her water to give her date time to get to their table. 'Can't say that I relish the idea of her anywhere near him, however.'
"Sorry to keep you waiting," the target purred while sliding into his seat. "Traffic."
"Mmh, that's all right," she responded, though she looked a bit confused while giving him a once-over. "This is a nice place you picked out."
"Isn't it, though?" he agreed while obviously fighting the urge to preen.
Baron set the water in front of the girl. "Here you go, Miss."
Even as she was turning and opening her mouth to thank him, the target talked a shade louder, as if to drown her out.
"A tall Moors on the rocks and be snappy about it."
"As you wish," Baron responded while trying to silence more memories than he wanted to count of customers just like this fellow. As he turned away from the table to retrieve the alcohol, he allowed a slow, evil smile to cross his face.
Forget the signal from Lady Lavender. Lady Karma was screaming for attention, and three years of waiting tables were all the encouragement he needed to pay heed.
The cook did a fearful double take when Baron walked into the kitchen again. "He's here?"
"Oh, yes," the waiter agreed, still smiling wickedly. "A tall Moors on the rocks. Why not extra rocks?"
The older man must have immediately understood, because there was barely any room for the alcohol after the glass was filled to the brim with ice chunks.
Baron took a minute to pull on a mask of calm politeness as he readied himself for one of his best performances. This had to be perfect, or the trap would set off while the bait was still in the danger zone.
Even better, when he started walking toward the right table with Lady Lavender facing away from him, she had one hand up to her ear. He couldn't see what her finger was doing thanks to her curtain of chocolate-colored hair, but he'd be able to raise the argument that he misunderstood if she protested later.
One patron almost negligently stuck his foot out as if he was about to stand up from the table. Baron wasted no time hooking his foot in that one and letting physics and slapstick do the rest.
He still wasn't prepared when he went down like a bag of potatoes, but at least his grip on the glass was loose enough to let it go flying from his fingers. He still cried out from surprise and pain when one knee came down hard on the concrete floor.
Baron couldn't see it thanks to the few seconds he needed to steady himself, but at least there was a satisfying splash and an outraged roar from the intended victim.
"You clumsy oaf!" the man snarled as he stood up and rubbed at where one ice chunk had nearly hit him in the eye. "You call yourself a waiter?!"
"It was just an accident," Haru defended him, although she had already gotten out of her seat in surprise. "Just go-"
"You let me handle this!" he roared at her before turning his wrath to Baron. "Did I say extra ice?! Did I?!"
"There must have been some miscommunication," Baron answered calmly while rising to his feet. 'That's right, let your mask down.'
"That's no excuse! I never should have picked this cheap little restaurant! Come on, Haru!" he snapped at Lady Lavender while grabbing her arm from around the table.
Baron felt a spark of panic, but she quickly rotated her arm out of his grasp.
"Excuse you! What gives you the right to grab me?!" she demanded as her once-timid eyes started burning like a flame.
"We're getting out of here, and don't you take that tone with-" he barked while grabbing her arm again more fiercely.
"I beg your-" Baron started indignantly, but even he was too slow as the other patrons also rose to help.
Not that 'Haru' needed any of them. This time when she twisted her arm, she also kicked out one leg from underneath him to cut off his balance while quickly moving behind him. Baron was sure that banging his head on the table was an accident, but she used her other hand to hold his head down against it.
"What is wrong with you?!" Haru roared directly into his ear. "You do not, I repeat, do not grab a girl on a first date, or any date! Did you really think I was going to get into your car? Did you think I would just go wherever you took me without any problem?! Just how naïve do you think I am?!"
Baron lowered his hands almost negligently to his apron, and the attached pocket as he let himself enjoy the scene, just for a moment.
"Creeps like you are why I was forced to learn this!" Haru twisted his arm and used a foot to pin a leg to the same position as he cried out in pain.
"Let me go, you-" he tried to roar, but she twisted him again until he almost resembled a pretzel in his desperate struggle against her.
"Do you think I'd really just go with you anywhere, even if that serial killer wasn't targeting women just like me?! Do you want me to call the cops and say you're a suspect? Not grabbing a near stranger is basic knowledge in good times; you're clearly a decade older than your profile, why haven't you learned that yet?! You know, maybe I should call the cops, does someone want to call the cops since I'm occupied?" she asked a bit more calmly since the restaurant had turned dead silent to watch things unfold.
Every patron, and even Toto at the front desk pulled out a gun and pointed it at the man, who momentarily stopped trying to break free in horror. Even the girl seemed surprised at the response.
Baron beamed at her while pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his apron. "I assure you that would be very redundant. Hold him a little longer, would you?"
Haru gaped at him in complete shock, but he was already snapping the metal bracelet on the first wrist and reciting the man's 'rights' to him.
It was almost too easy after that. Even after he tried to break free again, there were just too many cops covering him until he could be shoved into the back of a black car with iron mesh between the front and back seats for covert operations like this.
Once 'Jack the Slasher' was off on his merry way, Baron walked back into the restaurant to check on Haru.
She was sitting in the same seat Toto had directed her to, but now she was leaning over her propped elbows while holding her hands to her face, though it was hard to tell through the curtain of hair falling over her shoulders.
Baron sat himself in the chair next to her. "Are you all right?" he asked gently. 'I know she's physically fine, but finding out she was so close to being number nine on a serial killer's list can't be easy to take in.'
"Cat," she mumbled miserably.
He blinked while untying the waiter's apron from around his waist. "I beg your pardon?"
"I'm getting myself a cat. I can't do this anymore. What's the point if every guy I date is either a leech, player, or serial killer? I'm done. This is ridiculous."
He let out a sigh of understanding, setting the apron at the killer's old place. "I must admit I'm on a break from it myself. Though things have gotten easier since becoming a detective; the idea that I could give background checks on girls curbs their enthusiasm, at least."
Haru gave a shaky breath that was almost a laugh. "Isn't that misusing your position?"
"I assure you I'm completely respectful with my research when my target doesn't have dirty hands. Do you need a lift home?" he suddenly remembered, since she had walked into the restaurant from the direction of the bus stop, and it was a good half hour until the next one came.
The young woman seemed to take in a deep breath before looking at him. "… I guess no matter how I get home, I'm still essentially getting in a car with a stranger," she mused out loud, still sounding depressed. "You're probably the safest option, if it won't be trouble."
"Not at all," he assured her with a smile, standing up. "You know, I really am impressed that you were able to apprehend him without help."
Half of her mouth twitched in a smile while standing up as well. "Mom's going to be so smug when I tell her that her stubbornness paid off, after all."
"Smug, proud, relieved," Baron tallied off with a smile as they began walking out of the restaurant. "At least you're around for her to feel that way. Though if you have your heart set on a cat, my sister's just had kittens," he suddenly remembered while pulling out his phone.
"Pictures?" Haru asked with enough interest to almost shake off her depression.
"Bringing them up now," he assured her, walking a bit slower so that he didn't walk into a building support or the wall. He lit up before sharing his little screen with her.
"Aww, they're precious!" she cooed happily while her eyes gleamed at the sight of the tiny furballs nursing from their tabby mother. "I'll probably have to talk it over with Mom before making commitments, though."
Baron patted his pockets before producing a card for her. "I will probably need your number as well. You may be asked to speak at the trial."
"If it means getting that thing off the streets, I won't mind at all," she promised while pocketing the card and looking through her purse. "Can never find pen and paper when I need it," she muttered to herself mutinously.
"Maybe if you text me your name, that would be easier?" he suggested, firmly telling himself that this was strictly professional, he was going to need her number later. Not that it stopped his heart from jumping around in excitement.
She nodded while punching his number into her phone. "… Do you like being a cop?" she asked a bit timidly.
"It's not always this exciting," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "In fact, we prefer it boring, or at least I do. That usually means no one is getting hurt or into trouble."
She sneaked him a small smile before punching in a message. "I bet catching the bad guy is satisfying, though."
"Every time, especially when they think they're clever enough to get away with it," he promised with a bit more of an evil grin. "I will apologize, however. If I had found out a little sooner about your date, I could have had a colleague take your 'date' for you and kept you out of danger. But I truly am relieved that you weren't as defenseless as you look-I didn't mean it like that!" he immediately backtracked with horror, since he didn't want to offend this sweet girl.
She gave him a smile with a final tap, making his phone ping with a new message from a new number just as they reached his car.
Hello. My name's Haru Yoshioka. "That's exactly why Mom insisted I took those classes."
He beamed at her while texting back. Hello, Haru. I'm Baron Gikkingen. "I'll have to deliver my appreciation and compliments in person, then."
That made her blush all over again.