#☀︎ — she herself is the greatest wonder / dilan

[ameliiorate]

Dilan is always on the lookout for a good time, so she doesn't consider that she's yet again planning to meet Mia at a place where she works. Probably because in the same breadth, they are also discussing making cheesecake at her place. "Exactly! Besides the one class where we got to make ice cream, if you got to do that to. That one lesson in chemistry is the only one I wish I remembered." But she would much rather just pay for it, or pay for the ice cream alternative, froyo. Her eyes light up at the array of options, finding that her mind is shifting and equally indecisive. "Then just get everything!" The base of her cup is filled with strawberry, and she starts with all the chocolate she can pour onto it. "I am ready a sugar coma, persoally."

This is the first time they've spen any time together outside of her work, and yet Mia falls into old habits. She leads them right back to another old workplace without even thinking twice. It's hard to avoid when she's had so many different jobs. "Me too. Science didn't taste this good back in school." Something she had been mediocre at, only keeping her grades high enough to be able to play sports. "Let me know once you have the goods, we'll set something up." Something outside of her work, too. Maybe that's another sign of growth. She picks up one of the bowls and begins looking at the different options. "See, this is the problem. I want everything." She starts to fill her cup with a strawberry matcha flavor, not bothering with samples.

[ameliiorate]

This workplace of Mia's wouldn't have any bad memories associated with it like the restaurant. While that wouldn't stop Dilan from going, the place is somewhat tainted as a result of all of her failed dates. "I've never been this excited about science before," she admits, as she had coasted her way through school. Which is probably why she had never settled on anything in college, as she is now taking a break to reassess what she wants to do. Now she is wondering if she should get into nutritional science, all based on a whimsy idea. "I'll buy the ingredients next time that I go to the store." She has to make a note in her phone to remember, but it would get done, stepping into the shop after Mia. "Ooo, that's so smart! I am going to get, like, all the sugary morsels I can."

At least she has a fun workplace, somewhere Dilan can enjoy being. Otherwise she might feel bad about asking her to visit. That's one of the perks of her chosen job, she supposes. It's never weird to invite someone to a bar or restaurant. "We'll make at least one normal cheesecake. For science." And to make sure that they actually get something yummy out of it. Mia knows enough to keep herself alive but isn't an expert in the kitchen by any means. How hard is it to follow a recipe, though? "We'll definitely use your kitchen." Because hers is tiny, in a tiny studio apartment. She exits the car and makes her way into the creamery. "I'm definitely getting those little cheesecake bites now that we've been talking so much about cheesecake. It will stave off the cravings...for now."

[ameliiorate]

"Then that means I have to come and see you! And soon!" Dilan insists, wanting to see Mia where she feels the most at home. And in a place where it's not as odd for her to be seated alone. Dilan thrives on attention, but she hates the wrong kind, and she doesn't want to be seen as pitiful. It's totally par per the course for people to sit by themselves at a bar, though, even if they may be looking for people to hook up with at the same time. Dilan may be otherwise busy flirting with the bartender instead. "Yeah, exactly! A fun little experiment, and a yummy one at that!" Unlikely if they do what they are describing. "I have a huge kitchen at my place we can use!" They arrive at the creamery, and Dilan thanks the Uber driver on her way out of the car.

"I think bartending might really be my element," she muses, smiling. She knows it's not what most people would refer to as their element. Some people are artists, or get in the zone when crunching numbers or whatever. There is something that she genuinely enjoys about slinging drinks and making conversation. And tips. The tips can be really good. "You'll see," she says mysteriously, although there's really nothing much to see. Just a decent bartender doing a decent job. "Exactly what I was thinking. Another one of our little science experiments." It's clear that neither of them are scientists, but Mia likes getting a little messy. "If there's no recipe we can just throw yeast in and see what happens." Once again: messy.

[ameliiorate]

"I will!" She happily agrees, unable to contain her fervor for coming just for the sake of visiting Mia. "I can't wait to see you in another one of your elements!" Dilan has already born witness to how Mia is as a server, but she is very curious to see how she is when she's a bartender. Plus she thinks that it will be easier for Mia to talk when she's at the bar than when she has to wait tables and hop between them, so maybe it's a little selfish of her, too, wanting to hog Mia's attention. "Yeah, I bet so! I wonder if we could find, like, a recipe of what cheesecake used to be made with...so we could compare sometime!" Dilan is not a good baker.

Mia has worked at a lot of different bars: sports bars, dive bars, even one upscale club. The latter hadn't been her favorite, and her current gig might take the cake instead. The owner is funny, she doesn't hate her co-workers. It could be a lot worse. "You have to come by," she readily agrees, deciding that she'll text her the schedule later. It's a given that Dilan is there to see her, right? She snorts at Dilan's comment of the English, nodding in agreement as she listens to the rest of the story. "Interesting. So it really used to be a cake..." She nods. "I bet it tastes better now, honestly. Like...dense, or whatever."

[ameliiorate]

Dilan likes her rest, and she has yet to piece together that her plethora of naps is really an indication that she is bored more often than not. "Oh, I haven't been there before! I'll have to swing by sometime." She should arguably not be inviting herself, but at least she doesn't go so far as to demand Mia's schedule to ensure that she visits when she's there. As much as she wants to do just that. "Yes, I did! So, like, apparently we can blame the English like we can most things. They started calling them cheesecakes first, but what happened was cheesecakes used to include yeast! Which would have made it more like a cake. Then it was cheese curd, then cream cheese was invented...and the name just never changed, I guess."

"Maybe," she agrees casually, noncommittally. Mia can be a bit of a pest, or so she's heard, but she isn't quite so rude as to actually invite herself over. Luckily for Dilan, she doesn't really have an issue with clutter either. She's surprised to find thta Dilan has a nap planned, brows lifting. It's rare for anyone who isn't a hight shifter worker, like Mia, to take naps as regularly as she does. Then again, who is she to judge? "I work at the Irish pub right now." It isn't the first bar she's worked at. "Have you been there?" She leans in a little closer, as if trying to see Dilan's phone. "More importantly, did you find out the cheesecake thing?"

[ameliiorate]

"You know what? That's so true! I wonder what the origin of that is..." And now Dilan needs to know, pulling out her phone so that she can search up where the word cheesecake originates so that she could solve the mystery. Looking at Mia from the side of her eyes, she giggles delightfully. "Maybe next time we can go to my place instead!" When she has more of a chance to tidy up. Her place isn't a total disaster zone, but she does tend to have clutter, a result of her shopping habits. A nap is also totally on my schedule for the day!" Because she has no appointments or anything else to do. "Where do you bartend?" Perhaps she could visit Mia there sometime.

"I agree, but I guess cheese pie might not have the same ring to it. Still feels like false advertising to have the word cake in the name..." She shrugs, happy to enjoy a dessert even if it's confusing. Some of the best things in life confuse her. "That's cute. Maybe we should have just gone back to your place..." The words are a little suggestive, a little flirty, and she doesn't bother correcting herself. She slides into the backseat with Dilan and buckles in, briefly confirming with the driver where they're going. "I have a bartending shift tonight. I might try to get a little nap in before then." And definitely a shower, considering their workout.

[ameliiorate]

"I'd say it's a pie! Or like a cake-pie combo I guess. I'm not too involved in the discourse, but I think the crust makes it more pie-like," But whatever it's called or whatever it qualifies as, Dilan loves cheesecake of all kinds. With so many varieties, she never grows bored of it. "I pretty much always have a cheesecake hanging around in my fridge. Like the Golden Girls! Those ladies had the right idea when it came to food." And there's little that she likes more than exchanging gossip over food. And she has the luxury of being able to afford whatever she wants thanks to the stipend her parents supplied her with. When the car arrives, she skips her way into the back. "So do you work later today?"

"Cheesecake is a good choice. That's one of my favorite toppings on my froyo." So their dessert choices have some crossover. "Is cheesecake a pie then, in your opinion? Or a cake? Or, like, a custard? It's such a confusing dessert." But arguably delicious. If she worked at the cheesecake factory, it would be over for her sugar intake. "Sounds good," she agrees, appreciating the offer. Mia can be a little too generous with certain people, sometimes beyond her means. She tries not to look as relieved as she is, not wanting Dilan to know that she has to worry about that kind of thing. Dilan doesn't seem to worry about anything. She orders the uber and then looks around, as if the car may magically appear.

[ameliiorate]

"Mm, well, maybe cheesecake is my favorite! Or, like, pies in general, since cheesecake is a pie. Cheesecakes have such variety, just like frozen yogurt!" Dilan doesn't consider that Mia may have gotten here in a different way, privileged enough that she assumes most people have a car that are around their age. "Okay, perfect! Since you bought this one, I can order our Uber home! We can do, like, a multi-stop one." She has at least enough sense and courtesy to offer that.

"Exactly. I like to make something new each time." Mia enjoys experimenting the different flavors and toppings, it's likely the thing that makes it her favorite dessert. "Oh yeah? Well you have to have a favorite, if you're such a sweet lover?" she looks at Dilan with a raised brow, curious as to wha that might be. If they make dessert a regular thing, it's good to keep in mind. "We can Uber together," she suggests, not mentioning that she doesn't even have a car. She can't exactly afford one. Ubers aren't cheap either, but she takes out her phone to order them one anyway.

[ameliiorate]

"It's a solid dessert! You can kinda make it whatever you want." Thanks to the numerous options when it comes to toppings. "I'm not too fussy when it comes to desserts anyway. I have a wicked sweet tooth." She follows after Mia, unhooking her ponytail and letting her scrunchy sit on her wrist as she begins to cool down. "No, I took an Uber here. My car's in the shop." For the thousandth time. She's not exactly the best driver. "But it's no problem! Just tell me where to meet you and I can."

After her first day of trying (and mostly failing) at the task, Mia is no longer cocky. She's certainly not cocky enough to believe she'll be a pro anytime soon, ultimately agreeing with Dilan instead. "I guess that's true," she concedes. "Frozen yogurt is my favorite dessert. So I'm being a little selfish this time." She takes a leaf out of Dilan's book and guzzles down some water as well. As the class starts dispersing she begins to make her way to the exit, looking back to make sure Dilan is following. "Did you drive here?"

[ameliiorate]

"Well, she's a pro! That's not a fair comparison." Though she does agree. Part of the appeal to the silks is just how gorgeous it can be when done right and done well. Dilan takes long gulps of water from her bedazzled tumbler, ecstatic that Mia wants to join her again. "I'll definitely let you know!" She wipes at the sides of her mouth once she's done drinking, her heart rate slowly starting to come to a rest. "Yes! Frozen yogurt sounds perfect! That's twice now that you have seemed to realize that the quickest way to my heart is to offer me dessert."

"The instructor makes it look a lot prettier than I do," she agrees, snorting. She eyes Dilan briefly, the flush on her cheeks, then swiftly looks away. "You do too," she adds without looking at her, an uncharacteristically shy smile on her face. "Thanks! I definitely want to keep trying..." At the very least she wants to try until she gets the hang of it, but it's hard to find time to do this kind of thing too often. "Let me know next time you come," she adds anyway, partially because she wants to spend tme with Dilan. "Want to get some frozen yogurt after this? I'm working up an appetite."

[ameliiorate]

Dilan keeps her eyes on Mia often even as she goes through a routine of her own, continuing to look over at the other to track her progress and cheering her when appropriate. "Right? It's, like, the perfect workout!" She pants out, her entire face flushed red. "It's so much fun and once you get the hang of it, it's kind of pretty, yeah?" Her problem with exercise had always been that it got redundant and boring, so this has been a great way to keep herself active. "And you did so good for your first time!" A little bit of a stretch, but she wants to encourage Mia so she might come again.

Despite her drifting attentions she does her best to listen to the instructor, learning the foot lock easily enough. As the class continues it becomes a little less easy. Mia is as much of a mess as one might expect during their first go at this kind of thing. It's clear that she has some sort of athleticism or natural kinsthetic intelligence, but that's about as far as it goes. Much like Dilan her first time, she ends up tangled in silk more than once. She's enjoying herself even if she isn't the prodigy that she was sort of hoping to be. "I really do feel it in my core," she eventually says to Dylan near the end of the class, letting out a breathy laugh.

[ameliiorate]

Her giggles are loud, a few of the other participants turning to look at them yet Dilan paying them no mind. "Oh, no! I'm not an expert until I can come up with a routine of my own." And while she has her ideas, she doesn't have the skill yet to pull off what she wants to do. This introductory course is kind of a step back, but she thinks that she can benefit from strengthening her basics. "I know that you'll be great at this!" She has no reason to assume that Mia will succeed, and the class begins in due course, the instructor first showing them how to do a foot lock so that they can begin to climb and ascend the silk rope hanging down for each of them.

"Your tenth class? That makes you an expert in my book." Which speaks to the fact that Mia rarely sticks to the same hobby or skill for long. Jack of all trades, master of none. "I'll just have to work at getting on your level." She rubs her hands together, already overestimating herself. How hard can it be to pull yourself up? Please... "That sounds doable. I guess I'll be building some of that core strength myself." Her strength has always been more lean and speedy than anything else, never focused on one specific area. She still seems to have the delusion that she has plenty of core strength, thank you very much.

[ameliiorate]

Dilan is a chronic texter, and she thinks that she has done a good job of keeping her texts to Mia to a minimum. That's highly debatable, as she is very excitable and very eager to spend more time with Mia. To learn more about who she is as a person rather than just define her by what she does for her work. So she tries not to assign too much meaning to the abrupt texts, keeping her enthusiasm strong. "Backflips? Please! I still need to work on more core strength in order to hope to do that. I'm still at the beginner stage. This is, like, my tenth class?" Which may mean that she's not getting the hang of it, but she is still trying heartily. "Like, today, we really are just going to continue getting used to pulling ourself up on the silks. That's really step one."

Mia's communication leading up to the class probably doesn't help matters. She forgets to respond to texts more often than not, and her responses are short due to sleep deprevation when she does manage to get back to her. She makes up for it with action, showing up as promised and intending to have a good time. "I'm sure I will," she responds, agreeable enough. It's something active that doesn't involve hustling for money, so...it's already more fun than most things that she does. And there's no room for a hangover, unlike with some of her other hobbies. She lets Dilan lead her along, following dutifully and checking out the floor. "How long have you been doing this? I know you're still learning, but...fair warning, I'm expecting you to do some crazy backflips or whatever." She hadn't actually gotten around to looking at videos, and has little idea what they're doing.

[ameliiorate]

Dilan is undoubtedly thrilled that Mia is intent on joining her for one of the aerial silks session, though up until the moment that she sees the other, she fears that she had just been being kind to her and not really intent on showing. So she can't help but squeal when they meet up. "You are going to have so much fun, trust me!" A tall ask from someone that is still essentially a stranger. "It's so good to see you too. C'mon, we need to get out on the floor so we can choose to have spots together!" She grabs her arm, and tugs her along.

Mia's life tends to be busy and exciting without her meaning for it to be, and yet she finds herself most excited about their upcoming class. She makes time for it in her schedule as soon as Dilan gives her the date, and actually shows up on time. It's a miracle. There's an air of equal parts nerves and excitement as she meets up with Dilan, hands shoved into her pockets. "I'm ready to get tangled in silks and make a fool of myself," she announces, grinning. "It's good to see you again."

[ameliiorate]

Dilan is the one that should be thanking Mia. Her company has helped alleviate her mood and salvaged her night. The dessert earns her even more bonus points. "No problem! You're the one that saved my night. I got a companion out of the horrible date, at least, so I consider tonight to be far more of a win now. His loss, right?" She begins to gather her purse and her phone, ready to leave since Mia they are parting ways. "Of course! Please get going. I don't want you to be late 'cause of me. I'll be in touch." As soon as she finds out the next class date for the aerial silks, she would be reaching out.

She's been Dilan's server enough that she shouldn't be surprised by her remembering the name, and she certainly shouldn't be impressed. It is something that makes her stand out among some of the other customers. "That's right. You're good like that," she teases, not bothering to hide her approval. It's always nice when someone treats her as a person rather than a prop, even if it's really just the bare minimum. "It's all good. I had fun and...thank you for giving me something other than work to do." She's looking forward to it but she doesn't add that, flashing a smile instead. She starts to stand up. "I need to get going to my next job, but I'll hear from you soon?"

[ameliiorate]

"It is very common! But I just want to be, like, way better than I am now." She wants to be beautiful. Her mood has improved exponentially in such a short amount of time, all the hint that she needs for Dilan to recognize that the date had been the one missing out. She really does need to take a break from her friends setting her up. There's so much more to life. "Yes, Mia! I have picked up on that. I hate, like, referring to servers without their name, so I try to remember when they introduce themselves." It's made easier when she comes here as often as she does. "Thank you for salvaging my night! Really, you have been a lifesaver."

"I'm sure that happens a lot. The tangled in silks thing." No one is born an expert, and at her best Mia had considered herself a jack of all trades. She's lost some of that due to the hustle of living in corporate America, but that side of her still exists. This will be a fun opportunity to remind herself of that. "I feel like most people our age don't," she agrees, with the assumption that they're around the same age. It's always a relief to be on the same page. "Dilan. And I'm Mia." She gestures to the phone, realizing that she input her name without any further context. "That's what you'll find me as in there."