come as you are. [ariana]

He'd been preparing for this all week. He'd gotten girl advice from @Freya Trickett, predictably horrible dating tips from @Danny Willbond and the guys back at the house, a new super fancy shirt that he thought was entirely appropriate for a first date and Jeremy had even gotten a hair cut --- wait nope, he had forgotten to get the hair cut. The lion's mane he had become famous for flowed down to his shoulders in frizzy loose curls but it was clear that he had at least taken the effort to brush it back to an only mildly crazy status. He had all these grand plans for what they could do now that Ariana had finally agreed to go out on a date with him but every time he tried to book tickets or figure out plans he ran into one simple problem = he had pretty much zero sickles to spend. Working as a temp in the Ministry wasn't exactly paying the big bucks and after being docked pay for being late twice and accidentally setting the floor's lead assistant's desk on fire Jeremy barely had enough to put up for his portion of this months rent. And that was the rent he split on a tiny run down place inhabited by about seven wizards with just as meaningless and low wage jobs. Adult life wasn't exactly as glamorous as Jeremy had imagined it would be. As a student things were kind of just handed to him. With the exception of the war and the dome he didn't have to really work hard for much. He barely graduated and he was at least partly convinced they had just pushed him through so they wouldn't have to deal with him for another year.

But that didn't mean it was all bad! Heck no, it was far from all bad, after all he had lined up a date with Ariana and nothing could be better than that.

Except for possibly being on time to said date, which at this rate he almost absolutely wasn't going to be. The red head rushed passed the little old lady from the third floor who was trying to herd her escape-artist cat back into the apartment and tried not to make a face when the foul smell of foot cream and old tea wafted from her open door. He pushed out of the front door of the bland building and into the even more bland streets of wizarding London with a frantic look on his face. Nerves and rushing made his hair stand up on end and his cheeks were red from the exertion but Jeremy wasn't about to quit now. He looked at the nonexistent watch on his wrist and then across the street to the large one hung up over the door of the clockmakers shop and swore under his breath. He was definitely going to be late now.

Aparating faster than he should of he found himself at the wrong door step three times before he finally got to where Ariana was staying and managed to knock on the door. His magic was depleted now, having whipped through space and time over and over but he was still determined to turn the night around. He had plans to take her out for some really good street food, the greasy cheesy messy kind that was absolutely the worst idea for a date, and then finally to a super cool Psychic in London. He was pretty sure she was actually a seer despite living in the muggle neighborhood because her predictions were always spot on. She had accurately said that something big was going to happen in his life if he donated another few coins to her collection jar and bam here he was going on a date! She was good. The red headed wizard simultaneously patted his hair down with one hand and checked his breath with the other as he heard the locks on the other side of the door begin to disengage.

"Sorry about being late Ana, traffic was crazy." He lied out of nerves and just plain stupidity. Wizards didn't have to deal with traffic when they apparated. "I mean, no that's not true. I just suck at being on time. Flowers?" He held out a pack of daisies he'd managed not to squish on the journey over but they still looked a bit lack luster. Perhaps plants didn't do so well when being forced through the pinhole that was Apparition.

@Ariana Laurier

Don't you wonder what it's like to feel all fluttery and get cute notes and be taken on dates and do things for people you care about in that way?

Dates are easy for girls. Just wear something clean - doesn't even have to be pretty - go to dinner, and let the guy fumble his way through.

The words of @Freya Trickett and @Camm Erskine kept worming their way through Ari's head as she got ready before the date she'd agreed to go on with Jeremy. Her encounter with @Prosper Lachapelle was also distracting, if she was honest. If you'd been a Beauxbatons girl I probably would have pursued you at some point. She had no idea how he'd meant her to react to that comment, but she was trying hard to keep the pressure off the evening by taking Camm's words to heart and keeping it simple, especially since she didn't know what Jeremy was planning. She was trying hard to act just as nonchalant as she'd sounded telling the French boy about it, or even as she'd felt when she'd said yes to Jeremy. She found herself wishing she could have gone the next day like he'd suggested--the more she thought about it, the more she projected unnecessary fundamental questions on it. Ari had managed to find some clarity in the moment when he'd asked, but it was starting to feel like a referendum on everyone's different concepts about her and her love life.

She glanced at her watch as she paced back and forth in the apartment as the minute hand crept past the time when Jeremy was due to meet her. She felt silly waiting around for him to pick her up, but she supposed that was how dates worked. Finally, there was a knock on the door, and she moved quickly to pull it open, putting a smile on her face as she came face to face with a colorful pair of dinosaurs. She looked at her own outfit--she was going to look like a dark shadow hovering around him, wasn't she? Glancing up to catch Jeremy's eyes--she rarely paid attention, but the nine inches between them was very apparent at this range--her smile turned into a real grin as amusement quickly effaced the majority of her previous preoccupations. "Traffic, eh?" she asked, peering out the door as if to catch a glimpse of a car driving by before he corrected himself.

Her expression turned to surprise as he produced a bunch of daisies. "Oh!" The unexpected gesture flustered her--it was cute and sweet but maybe a little more than she had been expecting. Ari reached out gingerly to take them, turning them over. She smiled, though. She liked daisies; they were bright, unpresumptuous flowers, with their bright yellow centers like Hufflepuff, even if these ones seemed like they needed a little bit of perking up after the ride over. But did they have a vase lying around? Thinking quickly, Ari pulled her wand from her sleeve and conjured one, a simple clear glass one so it would definitely last until she got back, and added some water, placing them gently inside and putting it on the counter. "Thanks," she smiled at the redheaded boy once she had finished, trying to shake off the uncertainty and leave the flattered feeling. "I like daisies. So, uh, where to?"