#p:shoshbi

[brookrose-evans-blog]

Good Luck Brook

WHO: Brooklyn Evans, Shoshanna Ben Israel @shoshbi  & Cassie Harper @cassieharps

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 6th, 2017

WHERE: Fig & Olive

WHAT: Brooklyn suggests an impromptu dinner date with an added third wheel so Cassie can get to know Shoshanna a little bit better. Literal shit storm ensues. I highly suggest reading this. Also the end gets so grossly fluffy I’m disgusted.

WARNINGS: Alcohol mention, ED mention.

Cassie had been a little surprised to receive Brook’s text about officially meeting her girlfriend, but not as surprised as she’d been by her own response. It wasn’t often that she had a gap in her schedule, given the fact that she technically worked three jobs now, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit intrigued by this person that’d apparently gotten her little sister all heart eyes already. Besides, Shoshanna seemed to have about as much of a filter as Cassie did, which would either mean they’d get along well, or they’d completely butt heads. Either way, like she’d told Brook, she wanted to scope the whole situation out, so despite the fact that she wouldn’t be eating, she found herself standing outside of the Fig & Olive where she’d agreed to meet the other two. Cassie had purposely gotten there early, knowing she’d need a little time to psych herself up to actually go inside. Restaurants just weren’t her thing, especially lately. It wasn’t exactly cold out, but for obvious reasons, Cassie was always freezing, so stood with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she waited. Evidently, her jacket wasn’t doing its job. Fortunately, she seemed to only be standing around a short amount of time before she saw the door’s opening on the black Bentley she’d noticed passing a moment ago, with both Brooklyn and Shoshanna climbing out of it. Cassie had to force herself not to roll her eyes, and forced a smile to her freshly painted lips as the girls approached. Hopefully, one of them had made a reservation, because Cassie hadn’t even stepped foot inside, let alone thought to call ahead.

Brook was honestly shocked to not have any push back on the suggestion. It wasn’t often that Cassie had the free time to spare, let alone would be willing to spend it with someone she didn’t necessarily know for sure if she would even like. It was almost weirder than when Penny suggested Brook bring Shosh to her fight. But she wasn’t going to go about looking a gift horse in the mouth, so she named the time and place - as per Shoshanna’s instructions - and made quick work of getting herself looking presentable. The ride over was short-lived, fortunately, and in seemingly no time at all, they were stepping out of Shosh’s Bentley and heading toward the restaurant, arm-in-arm. A wide grin spread across Brook’s face when she saw Cassie up ahead, offering up a small wave to her when their gazes met. “Play nice,” she muttered just loud enough for her girlfriend to hear as they approached the other woman. “Aw, man, I was kind of hoping you actually had clawed your face off to reveal your metal inner-workings. Bummer.”

Shoshanna exits the vehicle with her usual aplomb, while giving the valet the third degree about how to park her baby. Immediately she seeks Brooks arm, looping hers around her girlfriends as they make their way toward the entry of Fig & Olive. Cassie was already there waiting, and Shoshanna holds up a hand, waving. But it's not at Cassie, but rather the hostess, whom Shoshanna knew personally. "I've got your usual table waiting in the back Miss Ben Israel! Pellegrinos all around?" Shoshanna nods with a brilliant smile. "Obvi!" Upon noticing Cassie, she holds out her hand. "Hi, hello. It's nice to finally meet Cookie's unofficial sister in person, Cassie. I'm Shoshanna Ben Israel; future business leader of America and Cookie's proud girlfriend."

Cassie wasn’t exactly one of the nicest of people at the best of times, and her guard was up even around those she knew, so she couldn’t really be blamed for being incredibly apprehensive now, but she was going to try to be civil for Brooklyn’s benefit. Of course, she couldn’t help the total what the fuck expression that took over her face as she noticed Shoshanna waving to someone behind her. She tried to play it off as a response to Brook, instead. “You’re hilarious,” she said dryly, her brows knitting again as she looked at Shoshanna’s outstretched hand. “So you literally call her Cookie like it’s her actual name, then?” she questioned, brow now raising, though she reached out to shake the other girl’s hand, “I’m pretty sure I’ve told you before it’s not nice to meet me, but I’ll play along.” Cassie let go of Shoshanna’s hand, immediately wrapping her arms around herself again, before motioning inside with her head. “Alright, well, let’s do this.”

Brook is quite clearly embarrassed by the nickname being used as she cheeks turn a light shade of pink, but fortunately, both of the other women have their attention focused on one another and it goes unnoticed. “She’s not wrong. Usually, she wears a ‘Beware’ sign around her neck,” she teases, nudging Cassie’s arm playfully with her own. After a beat, they follow the hostess to the table deemed as Shoshanna’s ‘usual’ somewhere near the back with drinks already laid out for them. Brook first pulls out a chair for Shoshanna and then Cassie before seating herself next to the former. “Okay, I don’t want to alarm anyone...but I’m pretty sure Khloe Kardashian is like...right over there,” she says in a stage whisper. How, after so many years spent in the spotlight, she still manages to be even the slightest bit starstruck is far beyond her. Especially when it came to a Kardashian - something she was certain she was about to get an earful about from one, if not both of the other occupants of the table.

Shoshanna eyes narrow at the mention of Khloe Kardashian. She's Shoshanna's least favorite sister, after all. She doesn't even bother to look in the woman's direction, and instead busies herself with the menu, pouring through the options. Her free hand settles on Brook's knee, happy for the proximity. After a brief moment, she looks up at their guest, "Oh em gee, you have to get the crostinis to start. The manchego being a personal fave. It's to die for." And before anyone can protest, Shoshanna has already flagged down a waitress, ordering a platter of crostinis to start plus a fig gorgonzola tartlet to share with Brook. The waitress says she'll be back to take their drink orders, and Shoshanna faces Cassie from across the table. "So, to answer your question from outside, I can't help but call her Cookie. It makes me happy, and from what I can tell, makes Brook happy too." She turns her head to look at the blonde in question, "Does it, honey?"

Cassie had never been one to get starstruck. Whether it had to do with her parents’ jobs, or the attention her own work had always brought her, or just the fact that nothing ever seemed to impress her in general, she didn’t know. What she did know, though, was that there was nothing exciting about a Kardashian sighting. It made her laugh a little to see how excited Brook seemed by it, though. “Why don’t you go get her autograph? Tell her you’re a big fan of the way she gets paid to do nothing on camera,” she teased, taking off her jacket and hooking it over the back of her chair. A little taken aback by Shoshanna’s sudden outburst, Cassie quirked a brow again as she looked across the table at her. She hadn’t even had the chance to pretend to read the menu yet. “Uh, I have no clue what any of that is, but I’m good, anyway. I’m eating with Sage later.” Of course, Shoshanna had already ordered for them, so Cassie just glared across the table at her, making no attempt to hide it. “Oh God,” she muttered, watching the way the two interacted. Cassie reached for the drink menu, opening it up in front of her and rolling her eyes as she began to look through it, mumbling, “As long as it makes Cookie happy.”

Brook rolled her eyes at the response she got, despite knowing before she had even said anything that that was going to happen. The blonde was all too used to the excited outbursts Shoshanna would have when suggesting things to eat at the restaurants she was a regular at - she was particular about the places she ate, so it really only made sense that she was particular about the food she ate, too. Brook picks up her own menu, only to end up looking over it at Cassie with a telling look after Shoshanna had ordered. There was some part of her that was sure she knew what was going on - Cassie wouldn’t have agreed to come out with them for food if she had plans for later, too - but she didn’t want to trust her own instincts on this one, so she turned her attention back to the menu. “I don’t mind it. I’m not used to you actually saying it around other people, though. Unless it’s online,” she responded, turning her attention to Shoshanna for a moment, grinning dopily at her. “So, how’s work been, Cassie? Any good stories?” Brook turns her attention back to the woman sitting across from them as she sets her menu back down - she already knew she was just going to let Shoshanna order for her, so looking at it was merely a formality. 

Shoshanna smiles at the confirmation, and leans over to plant a soft kiss to Brook's cheek. She isn't setting out to embarrass her beloved Cookie. Quite the contrary. But the nickname is just too cute not to use, and she's grateful that the younger blonde is okay with it. Her attention turns toward Cassie, eager to hear the brooding brunette's response to the question posed.

Cassie made a point of not looking at Brook after the false admission that she’d be eating later. She figured if anyone was going to be able to read her, it would be one of her siblings, blood related or not. She was actually happy that Shoshanna was there to distract the younger girl, despite the fact that she was about ready to throw up at their interactions. Cassie just continued to look through the drink options, shaking her head in response to Brooklyn’s question. “I don’t know if good is the word I’d use for it. I mean, work is work as far as posing in front of a camera, but I got a visitor at the club the other night, if you’re talking about that job.” She frowned at the thought, deciding she wasn’t going to continue with Shoshanna sitting there. “Do you work?” she asked the older girl, glancing up at her over her drink menu.

Brook hummed in response, eyeing the woman across the table carefully as she was clearly choosing not to look her in the eye. “Hey now, sometimes modeling can be fun if you have a cool photographer. Like...if you ever let me photograph you,” she said, obviously teasing as she poked her tongue out in Cassie’s direction. Brook was tempted to make a joke about how Shoshanna isn’t ever not working but decided the couple-y stuff was about to cause their third wheel to get up and leave any minute, so instead, she waited for her girlfriend to respond herself.

Shoshanna gives Cassie a quizzical look. "Um, obvi I work. I work remotely for BI construction for the Financial division. On top of being an investor. I'm like, always looking at eTrade." The crostinis are deposited on the table, along with the gorgonzola tart, and the waitress looks expectantly for their drink orders. Shoshanna orders a personal bottle of the restaurants nicest Prosecco and immediately puts two crostini's on her plate. She points toward the manchego. "Cassie, you will love this and you totes have to try it. They get the best manchego here imported directly from Spain."

Cassie quirked an eyebrow, an amused smile on her lips. “I was topless for my shoot the other day. I feel like that’d be really fucking awkward for you to photograph.” Apparently, at least given the way Shoshanna responded, Cassie was supposed to automatically know what she did. “Oh, obvi,” she nodded her head, mimicking the other girl. She was terrible at making conversation when she wasn’t actually interested, so the waitress coming back to them was both a blessing and a curse. Cassie told her water was fine, then held back a look of disgust as the food was brought to her attention. “Oh, yeah, no, honestly, I’m not hungry. I kind of don’t feel great. You guys enjoy it, though. Tell me how it is,” she said, somewhat awkwardly, before picking up the water the waitress had just poured for her and taking a sip, her eyes darting elsewhere.

Brook chokes on literally nothing at the comment about Cassie’s latest shoot. Though not out of disgust, more along the lines of it being entirely unexpected. “I mean, they’re just boobs. Not like I haven’t seen a zillion of those before,” she responds with a half-hearted shrug. Her gaze narrowed in on Cassie when she responded to Shoshanna - okay, it definitely could’ve gotten even less friendly than it had, but she still wasn’t very impressed. “I think they’re a lot bigger on the east coast, though, which is why you probably don’t know much about it. Right, Shosh?” she offers, turning to look at her girlfriend with a small grin. Not a moment later the waitress delivers the appetizers Shoshanna had ordered and Brook seconds the water order Cassie placed before digging right in. Her gaze moves up to Cassie again, looking at her almost expectantly, in a way, as if waiting for some sort of answer to why she wasn’t eating, despite already knowing the answer. “I guess it’s a good thing you came out with us to a restaurant, then,” she says, the tone of her voice teasing, though the look she gives Cassie is more than enough to tell the brunette that she knew exactly what was going on. “So...football, am I right?” Brook tries, hoping to find something to end the awkward tension that practically filled the entire room.

Shoshanna tilts her head, "Uh, no? It's a multinational company with satellite corporate offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Qatar and Hong Kong." However, that goes by the wayside as Shoshanna notices that Cassie isn't touching her plate. Why entertain an invitation to dinner, let alone a place like Fig & Olive, if you aren't going to eat. It's incredibly rude, for starters, and terribly confusing since Fig & Olive has incredible food. Once again, Shoshanna is met with resistance from one of Brook's friends. Daxton suddenly having a full schedule after she accommodated him. And now Cassie doesn't wish to eat after Shoshanna pulled strings to get them a table. All of it hurts her. And she isn't sure what else she can do to earn their respect. If it didn't matter so much to Brook, she'd have gotten up and left already. "If you didn't feel well, we could've totes like gone to my condo in WeHo. If you're feeling sick, we should go."

Cassie rarely felt bad for other people, but for a split second, she felt something completely foreign to her. Guilt or something, because she saw the look in Brooklyn’s eyes, followed by the expression on Shoshanna’s face. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it wasn’t a feeling that lasted very long, and Cassie’s defenses shot right the way up, as usual. “I’m, like, totes fine here,” she responded, once more mimicking Shoshanna. Maybe she would’ve felt guilty about that, too, if she wasn’t feeling so panicky. “Seriously, just enjoy your food. I have water and I’m fine.” She took another sip from her glass. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I worked late last night and I’m tired. Tell me something about you guys; how long have you been doing this now? Have you met Dwight and Mary yet?”

Brook gives her girlfriend a side-glance. She should’ve expected Shoshanna to not pick up the not-so-subtle hint she was dropping to try and make things less awkward. So, instead she lets that short-lived conversation about work draw to a close and tries to shake the feeling of guilt she has for not only trying to incorporate her girlfriend into a circle of friends who were only continuing to prove to be less-than-kind toward her newfound relationship, but also for unknowingly forcing Cassie to sit through a meal she wasn’t ready to partake in. Brook awkwardly takes a bite of the food she had gathered in front of her from the plates that were presented, only to shoot Cassie daggers a split second later at the somewhat mocking tone to her voice as she responded. Her knee-jerk reaction is to move her food into her other hand and place her now free one on Shosh’s leg, giving her a reassuring squeeze after noticing the reaction to the words. After finishing up her bite, Brook shakes her head slightly in response to Cassie’s questions. “No, not yet. Soon, though. Maybe next weekend.” It wasn’t something they had discussed yet, but something Brook had thought about a number of times - it was a big step, but she was certain it would go a lot more smoothly than any other time Brook has introduced Shosh to anyone as her girlfriend. 

Shoshanna flinches at the way Cassie responds to her--the first time she didn't let it get to her. But two times? It's reminiscent of the girls from prep school, who mocked her and bullied her for years. For no reason other than they didn't like the way she spoke. They didn't like her. Shoshanna's thick eyebrows furrow for a brief moment, only to lift at the gentle pressure of Brook's hand on her leg, but it's too little too late. Not quite ready to let it go, the heiress points at the plates once more, "Being tired and hungry are not mutually exclusive. Like, I paid the hostess to move people around for this. The waiting list for a table here is five days long. It's awkward being at dinner where you're pointedly not touching any of this food. And this dinner is going to be on me !" She gestures at her chest. "I don't understand why you don't like me. To the point where you can't eat in front of me?" In the back of her mind she can hear the ghosts of her past taunting. Psycho!Shosh...Psycho!Shosh... "What, is it because I'm so ugly I make you sick?" She makes a point not to raise her voice. She doesn't wish to create a scene, but she's reaching a breaking point. Her stalwart ability to ignore people's collective distaste for her is rapidly eroding.

Cassie could handle crazy, given that she wasn’t the most rational person herself, but she really wasn’t in the mood for it today. It kind of sucked, because it was obvious that Brook was really trying to make this normal, but unfortunately, Cassidy Harper and normal didn’t exactly go together. It didn’t seem it went very well with Shoshanna, either. Cassie’s brows raised as she listened to the other girl’s rant, her gaze flickering to Brook momentarily, then back to Shoshanna. Then, Cassie being Cassie, she let out a soft, though totally obnoxious laugh. “Alright, yeah, I can’t do this,” she shook her head, setting her glass of water back down on the table, then pushing her chair back and standing from it. “I’m sorry, B, I really wanted to like her, but this is too much even for me,” she said, shaking her head as she grabbed her jacket and purse, shrugging the jacket back on and opening up the purse to retrieve a couple hundred, which she was sure wouldn’t cover dinner at a place like this, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out. “You two can call it a date or something, yeah? I’m out,” she said, addressing Brooklyn this time, before setting the bills down on the table and making a quick exit. Her head was too messed up for this right now. The worst part was it wasn’t even Shoshanna’s fault; Cassie just couldn’t be here, it was as simple as that.

Shoshanna says nothing as Cassie gets up to leave. Silently watching as she stalks off, wholly unimpressed the entire tantrum. She reaches for her Prosecco and takes a long sip, swallowing down her hurt with the alcohol. Brook, meanwhile, looks dumbstruck, and Shoshanna gives her a sympathetic look and shrug. "I honestly don't know what her issues are with me. Not at all." Scooping up the bills left behind, she places them into her clutch. "You can give this back to her the next time you see each other, which I'm sure will be at some point when I'm not around." Brook still says nothing, and Shoshanna finishes her crostini in silence. Looking guilty for upsetting another person in her girlfriend's life, she looks down at her palms, before meeting Brook's eyes. "I'm sorry, Coo--Brook." She says quietly.

Brook felt sick to her stomach instantly, the second the words ‘I can’t do this’ passed Cassie’s lips. It was all a blur as the woman stood up from her seat, coming out with her apologies and eventually made her way out, while Brook was left sitting there, looking like a complete idiot as she stared at the now empty seat across from her. The one person who wasn’t to blame for all of this was likely the one that was going to instantly be thrown under the bus once Cassie goes and relays the events that transpired to her friends, which left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was her own fault for suggesting this. At a party, maybe this could’ve worked. One on one? She knew better. Shoshanna was a lot to handle, and so was Cassie - put that together and it proved to be nearly catastrophic. But Cassie didn’t make things easy by refusing to converse with Shoshanna and outright mocking her. She hears Shosh talking a few moments later, then notices her finishing her food. It’s when the woman apologizes that Brook suddenly pushed herself up from her seat. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here,” she says, finding herself having to will her eyes not to start tearing up right now. After a beat she leans down and presses a chaste kiss to her girlfriend’s lips. “And don’t ever apologize for standing your ground - she was in the wrong and she knows it. That’s why she left.”

Shoshanna doesn't stand when Brook does; opting to stay in her seat, but she reaches with a hand to fist the fabric of Brook's top. "No, let's stay and finish our dinner. I love this restaurant, and I'm not about to let someone so bitter ruin it for me." Eyes plead with her girlfriend's. "Please, Cookie? Sit down."

Brook searches Shoshanna’s eyes for a long moment before finally conceding and sitting back down in her seat, ignoring the weird looks she could practically feel on them. “I’m sorry my friends suck, Shosh. I really am... I didn’t...” she lets out a shaky sigh, again willing herself not to let her eyes water. “If I had known they were all going to act like this toward you, I would’ve stopped being friends with them a long, long time ago. I didn’t know people could be this shitty...”

Shoshanna mouths a soft thank you as Brook returns to her seat. Immediately, Shoshanna's hands seek her girlfriends, threading their fingers together. The waitress clears their plates and promises to return with the dinner menu. "It's okay." Shoshanna reassures the blonde. "Really. You can't make people like me. That totes isn't how it works." Noticing the impending tears, Shoshanna leans in closer, uncaring that they're in public. She gives Brook a soft smile, and a quick peck to worrying lips. "It means a lot to me that you stick by me despite how they respond to me, Cookie."

Brook averts her gaze slightly, shaking her head and letting out another small sigh. The part that hurt the most was that she had done the exact same thing to Shoshanna when they first met. She wrote her off instantly, without giving her a real chance. “Maybe if you deserved being treated like that, I wouldn’t stick by you...but you don’t. You’re, like...one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met... You don’t deserve the kind of crap the world hands you,” she said, her eyebrows furrowing together.  “Fuck ‘em. If they won’t treat you with the respect you deserve, I won’t treat them like anything at all - they don’t deserve my friendship. Or yours, for that matter.”

Shoshanna gives Brook her usual lopsided smile. Her heart flutters in her chest for the otherwise goofy blonde making such a declaration, and inwardly she knows such a promise is a tall order. Especially given the peculiar social pecking order at PSU. But so long as Brook continued to love her so effortlessly, Shoshanna knows that things will be okay. Her smile grows wider, all of the tension felt from Cassie's presence dissipating rapidly. "I love you."

Brook feels the weight of everything that had just transpired fall to the wayside when Shoshanna smiles at her. It’s almost scary how such a seemingly small thing could reassure her that, despite all of the shit that could happen, she will always have a safe, happy place within Shosh. Brook knows that once they’re out of their happy little bubble again, things will go right back to the way they always seemed to be, but just for a few moments, she’s able to relax, knowing that Shoshanna loves her. “I love you, too, Shosh.”

[brookrose-evans-blog]

Shoshlyn Ep. 4 - Bora Bora

WHO: Brooklyn Evans & Shoshanna Ben Israel @shoshbi

WHEN: Saturday, Jan 14, 2017

WHERE: Bora Bora

WHAT: On the first day of their impromptu trip to Bora Bora, Shoshlyn sit down for a nice dinner (that ends somewhat abruptly) and make their relationship status official as absolutely-girlfriends. 

NOTES: Gets a tad NSFW toward the end, but it’s a whole fade-to-black scenario, so no worries about hiding the kiddies eyes.

Brooklyn catches herself staring at Shoshanna’s profile a little too longingly as she watches the unfairly beautiful sunset on the horizon, a long way off in the distance, while their dinner is prepared somewhere behind the scenes. Her mind is still trying to catch up to all the events that had transpired in such a small timeframe, but she’s happy.

She’s in Bora Bora, with Shoshanna, and she’s happy.

After a beat, Brook clears her throat softly, quickly shaking off the wave of emotions that suddenly hit her and taking a sip of her water.

“You look really beautiful,” she says, voice just loud enough for Shosh to hear. “I know I already said that like a bazillion times but you do. And I kinda regret not bringing my camera to dinner.” It was an oversight, seeing as she was far too distracted earlier by the same woman in question as they were getting ready to be picked up by a boat to take them to the small private island they had gone to for dinner.

Shoshanna: Every compliment from Brook elicits a fluttering in Shoshanna's chest, and it's a feeling she's come to relish over the last month of their arguably unique relationship. Bejeweled fingers seek Brooks across the expanse of the table and lace together, and Shoshanna regards the beautiful blonde with a bashful smile. A light flush blooming on her cheeks.

This impromptu trip to Bora Bora--entirely inspired by one Conrad Porter--had been a Godsend. Shoshanna had been feeling a bit anxious as of late, with school, her precious dog's illness, and people being mean. To be in paradise with someone that genuinely cared for her was exactly what she needed.

Running her thumb idly along the top of Brook's hand, she responds, "I'm kinda glad you didn't bring it here tonight, because you won't be hiding behind the lens, and we can just...you know, enjoy each other. Besides, we'll have time for you to take tons of pics. I mean, how could you not, this place is paradise!" She gives Brook's hand a gentle squeeze.

Brooklyn smiles as she watches Shoshanna’s hand sneak across the table in search of her own, all too happily letting the woman lace their fingers together before she looks back up at her. 

“I don’t really see it as hiding behind the camera, with you, though. It’s more like...putting someone in front of the lens that should definitely be in front of it more often,” she says, her smile only growing wider as she averts her gaze back down to their joined hands. 

“And, to your other point, I’m not sure how much time I’ll get to take pictures of paradise, so long as you’re keeping me locked up in that cabin as your sex slave.” The words are accompanied with a slight smirk as her gaze shifts to meet Shoshanna’s again. 

Shoshanna looks away shyly, blushing at the suggestion, and her free hand waves Brook off. "Obvi I want to have a lot of sex, but...we should probably do other touristy things while we're here, too..."

The waiter brings over their first appetizer, and Shoshanna almost hesitates to loose her fingers from the blonde's, saddened by the impending loss of contact. As though Brook might get up and leave; as most people were wont to do to the Heiress, but Brook does nothing of the sort, only using her hands to fill up her plate with some of the fancy tartare. Shoshanna follows suit. And as she takes that first succulent bite, a thought muses in her mind.

"Isn't it interesting how just a month ago we broke up, and here we are in French Polynesia, dining in a restaurant on the water?"

Brooklyn isn’t able to help but breathe out a small laugh when Shoshanna - someone who is so unapologetically herself all the time - blushes at her comment. She’s quick to nod in agreement to the suggestion, knowing that her own chances of coming back here anytime soon were relatively slim. Even though she could’ve said the same thing not 48 hours ago.

Her fingers give the ones tangled amongst their own a light squeeze and she smiles at Shoshanna before she’s relinquishing her hold on them, for the time being, thanking the waiter before he is off to the back again. It doesn’t take much time after that for Brook to be digging into her food - she has built up quite an appetite after so much physical activity - glancing up when Shoshanna speaks.

“I guess interesting would be one word to describe it... I think most would go with ‘weird’ or ‘confusing’, though,” she says before shoving another forkful into her mouth, a little less gracefully than intended.

Shoshanna taps her chin with the handle of her fork thoughtfully, "Yeah, but those people who say things like that just don't get it, and frankly those people don't matter, you know?" She spears a few pieces of tuna, pointing them at Brook, "So long as it isn't weird or confusing to you or me, that's what matters. And like, I think..." She chews on the morsels for a few moments, then swallows, "I think we should consider changing our not-girlfriend status."

A swell of confidence blooms in her belly, belied by a shyly bitten lip, before Shoshanna poses: "I want to be your girlfriend, Brook...and I want you to be mine."

Brooklyn tilts her head slightly to the side as she mulls over the words. Those people really don’t matter. She likes Shoshanna, and despite the somewhat rocky start to their relationship-turned-friendship-turned-relationship, she genuinely wants to be with her. It is just as much a shock to herself as she is sure it is to anyone who knew of what had transpired between them less than a month ago.

She’s stopped mid-swallow when Shoshanna proposes they make their relationship official, and nearly ends up choking on her food. How does Shoshanna always manage to get her right in that exact moment every time?

“Well, if that hickey you left on me the other day was any indication of that...” Sometimes she hates that she uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism whenever she’s in a somewhat emotional predicament. She waves off the comment with her free hand after a brief moment. “Nothing would make me happier. I really want to be your girlfriend, too, Shosh.”

Shoshanna tilts her head for a brief moment, "I mean, I can leave a lot more on you later tonight if you're doubting my seriousness regarding this relationship."

Brooklyn rolls her eyes playfully at the response, taking another bite of her appetizer, though the small grin toying on her lips never falters. “I don’t doubt your seriousness about anything, babe. But I won’t say no to more hickeys...as long as they aren’t visible to everyone...cause I’m way too lazy to cover them up.” 

It’s only a few more minutes before they’re finishing up their appetizers and being served the main course. Brook’s gaze falls upon Shoshanna and she isn’t able to stop the smile from spreading wide across her face before she’s ducking her head as a faint blush creeps up to her cheeks. “My mom is going to be happy to hear about all of this. She was team Shosh the whole time we were...broken up.”

Shoshanna: The Heiress perks up at this new information, beaming widely. "Oh em gee, really!? She was!?" She doesn't even move to sample her entree yet, far too excited in the moment to eat. Her heart is fluttering within her chest. Lighter than ever. To have feelings reciprocated. Fully and genuinely. Something Shoshanna never once considered to be in her plans. Brooklyn Evans is beautiful, corny, charming, funny, intelligent, and sexy. The whole package. The best investment. But beyond all of that, she cares. Unafraid to care for someone as complex as Shoshanna Ben Israel. And the thoughts have the heiress nearly in tears, she's so utterly happy at this development, all she can manage to say is:

"I am so happy right now."

Brooklyn chuckles at the response, nodding a little to assure Shoshanna that the words spoken were true. Her mom had chosen a side very quickly, after hearing the story of her daughter’s breakup and it was that of the heiress. While the two have mended their relationship since then, Brook has only told her mom that they’re friends and not anything more. Needless to say, the woman was going to find this to be a little bit of a shock.

While Brook is a tad preoccupied with devouring the delicious meal in front of her, she is still able to notice the slight change in the silence lingering between them and she looks up at Shosh just as she speaks. The blonde doesn’t waste any time in setting her fork down and reaching across the table for her girlfriend’s hand. “Just wait until we get back to the cabin,” Brook teases, offering up a playful wink before she lifts the hand placed in her own and brings it to her lips to press a gentle kiss to the back of it. “You make me really happy, Shosh. I mean, who else would’ve taken me on an impromptu trip to the middle of the ocean...probably no one.”

Shoshanna: As Brook kisses her hand, the other immediately goes to splay across Shoshanna's chest, overwrought with emotion at the gesture. She's dreamed of having a handsome prince/princess charming do something like this, and her girlfriend was delivering in spades. Girlfriend. The word alone evokes myriad emotions within the heiress, all of them positive.

She purrs at Brook's suggestion, "Mmm," Glancing from side to side, making sure no one's eyes were trained on the pair, Shoshanna's free hand slips beneath her skirt under the table, and within seconds she holds up a pair of fingers. Both wet and glistening at the tips. "I can't wait to get back to the cabin." And without preamble, she sucks them both clean with a light, teasing pop .

Brooklyn quirks up an eyebrow when Shoshanna quickly sizes up the room only for them both to raise up when the woman’s hand disappears under the table. “Oh my good god,” she mutters under her breath, eyes focused on the scene unfolding before her eyes. 

It takes a moment for her mind to catch up, and her jaw is left hanging slightly and she’s positive she’s died and gone to heaven, at this point. Is this seriously her girlfriend? How is she even real?!

“D-do...we should... Wanna skip dinner? Or, like...take it back with us? Cause I’m suddenly not hungry... Not for this anyway.”

Shoshanna with her gaze locked with Brook's, calls the waiter over with a raised hand. In perfect French she instructs them that their meals should be wrapped, and to go ahead and charge the meal to her account. Darkened eyes remain trained on Brook, lips curling into a predatory smile as the waiter takes care of her request. "I agree...we should move this meal to our cabin." Finger curl around the sweating neck of the wine bottle at their table. "Dessert too."

[brookrose-evans-blog]

F2F/Lunch not-date - Shoshlyn

Brook: Furrowing her eyebrows slightly at the question, Brook blindly raises a hand to touch her neck, not immediately sure of what Shoshanna is talking about when she asks "Uh, what's that on your neck?" It takes a moment for her to realize just what it was the woman was talking about, though she doesn't let it show on her face. She's sure she had covered it up, but the makeup must've come off. Damn Lana leaving marks... She is quick to move her hand away from the mark again, waving it lamely to attempt brushing it off as nothing. "Dexter just, like...jumped on me last night from the top of the headboard and...yeah," she answers, hoping Shoshanna would leave it at that and not pry any further. Although, if the amount of time she's spent with the woman has taught her anything, it was that Shoshanna definitely liked to ask questions. A lot of them.

[brookrose-evans-blog]

NYE PARTY - SHOSHLYN

Shoshanna: [Shoshanna, who is just a liiiiittle tipsy with a cocktail in hand, lowers herself onto the couch cushion next to Brooklyn.] oh em effing gee. You look delicious. Like Jonas Brother delicious.

Brook: [Brook has been at the party for a couple of hours by this point, though only to prove to Cassie that she could be a social butterfly if she wanted to be. She had had a couple of drinks herself, but only barely feeling the effects of it. Feeling the couch sink slightly next to her, Brook looked over, a wide grin spreading across her face upon seeing Shosh. The smile only grew when she heard the compliment.] Are we talking Kevin, Joe or Nick delicious? If you say Frankie, you can go find someone else delicious to talk to.

[brookrose-evans-blog]

Blind Date || SHOSHLYN

WHO: Brooklyn Evans & Shoshanna Ben Israel @shoshbi

WHEN: Saturday, Dec 17, 2016

WHERE: Figaro Bistro

WHAT: Brook and Shoshanna get matched up on a blind dating app and end up on a date together. Awkwardness ensues, obviously! Enjoy it.

NOTES: Headcanons for post-restaurant: After leaving the resutaurant, they headed out to Shoshanna’s car to make out for a little bit before heading to the party. Brook stayed for a little while but Shosh left early, feeling entirely out of place there. 

Shoshanna levels her gaze with the valet boy, this was a precious thing she was trusting him not to damage. The sleek gun metal Bentley was an early Hanukkah gift from her father and she'd be damned if a valet was going to take it out for a joy ride. Sliding a $50 bill into his hand, she tugs the collar of his shirt. "Be sure to give her breathing room. Do you understand me?"

His only response is a dumb nod.

"Good! Now if you'll excuse me..." With a little extra bump in her step, the eccentric heiress makes her way j side the little upscale bistro, informing the hostess that she's here for a blind date, "Of course, Miss! Your date arrived about 5 minutes ago. Right this way, please.", and with a cordial smile, the hostess begins to lead her toward the back of the restaurant.

Brooklyn knows for a fact she shouldn’t be in a place like this. Her favorite thing to order was chicken fingers, for Christ sake - this place was far too upscale for her. But she had confirmed the blind date and couldn’t back down on it now. Especially since she had just paid some kid $20 to park her car for her and there was no way she was spending another $20 to get it back before she had some fancy people food, as she so eloquently referred to it as in her own head.

After being seated, Brooklyn immediately ordered a drink - unfortunately non-alcoholic - and leaned back in her seat. The movement earned her a questioning eye from the waiter before he was headed off to retrieve her drink. Yeah, she definitely didn’t belong here. Brook took a quick glance at her watch before her gaze moved up toward the entrance. She didn’t know who she was even looking for, though, so it was a useless task.

Five minutes had gone by and she was already growing impatient. They refused to serve her any freshly-baked bread before all of the seats at the table were filled. God damn fancy places and their ‘rules’. And, as if on cue, out of the corner of her eye, Brook spots the hostess heading in her direction, Shoshanna in tow. “Holy shit, no way,” she said with a small laugh, moving to stand up from her seat. While she may not know all of the rules to a proper date, the least she could do is pull out the chair for the woman. “I guess tonight’s your lucky night to learn if I’m actually crazy or not,” she joked, pulling out the chair that was opposite of where she’d been sitting, gesturing to it for her date. “Hi, by the way.”

Shoshanna: Brooklyn Evans is most certainly not who she suspected would be her blind date for the evening. Not at all. She isn't quite sure how to process this discovery. And at Brook's pleasant hello, Shoshanna can only respond with an:

"Oh em effing gee."

Looking over at the affable blonde with a stunned expression, the heiress continues. "I should hope you aren't crazy. I don't think blind dates are a crazy person thing." Slowly, she begins to sit down, expectant of her date to push her chair in as she lowers herself. It's par the course at a place like this, after all.

Brooklyn chuckled at the response her greeting - and likely her face - had elicited from her date. “Are you sure? I’m sure there are at least a few serial killers that start out this way,” she stage whispers the last part as she pushed in Shoshanna’s chair before making her way back to her own seat. 

“I didn’t think blind dates were an heiress thing, honestly. So, if anyone should be surprised here...” Brook jokes lightly, her eyes quickly scanning over her date, checking for any signs of her getting ready to bolt at any given second. Not that she would’ve blamed her - Shoshanna could probably land just about anyone, and yet she was stuck on a date with Brook.

Shoshanna tilts her head. Between talk of serial killers and whether or not an heiress would go on a blind date, Shoshanna isn't quite sure what Brook is implying. But that isn't important now; they can address her confusion later. Brook is pretty to look at, and at least Shoshanna knows her. Somewhat.

It's customary to compliment ones date, she reminds herself mentally and Shoshanna gives Brook a smile "You have a very symetrically appealing face. I like it." And before Brook can respond the waiter appears, asking for Shoshanna's drink order. She doesn't even glance at the menu. "A glass of your best Muscadet, please and thank you."

Brooklyn: Just as she opens her mouth to respond to what she assumes is an attempt at a compliment, the waiter comes over and interrupts long enough for her date to order what she knew to be an expensive glass of wine. Oh boy...she was definitely going to get questioned about this bill, for sure. Brook offers the waiter a small smile before he was heading off again to retrieve her drink - and hopefully her own since he had yet to retrieve any Dr. Pepper.

Seriously, who let her into this place?

Turning her attention back to Shoshanna, Brooklyn continues to smile, though a little less forced than it was to the waiter. “Your face is very symmetrically appealing, as well. And, also, you look very beautiful.”

Shoshanna: "Oh thank you! I always follow a very prescriptive skin care routine. Very precise and very expensive." Shoshanna says with pride, not entirely aware if her date cares. Glancing around the restaurant she smirks. "I have always wanted to come here. It's been on my list for a while and gosh, I'm excited to see that you apparently want to also! French cuisine is tres magnifique!"

The waiter returns with her drink, and Shoshanna once again begins to order something, only this time she speaks in flawless and rapid fire French. The waiter nods and walks off. She faces Brook once more, sipping at the wine. "Authentic places are my absolute favorite."

Brooklyn: If this wasn’t destined to be the most awkward blind date in the universe, she wasn’t sure what was. And she definitely didn’t want to bare witness to anything more awkward than this. Surely this couldn’t be hard, all she really had to do was talk about Shoshanna. It was clear her ego filled the room if the way she had no idea how to compliment a person was anything to go by. 

Brook watched on with a perplexed look on her face as her date quickly rattled off her order to the waiter in French, only to turn back to her a moment later. “Yeah, this place is...quite something. Definitely not a typical date location for me, but neither is any place else,” she joked, breathing out a light chuckle before sipping at her water. “So, um...how was your day?”

Shoshanna taps her chin. "Oh it was good. Uneventful mostly. I purchased my flights home, spent time with Addy." She gestures at her outfit, a very low cut dress, "She helped me choose this, by the way. And I dropped my babies off with MJ and now I'm here with you! And oh gosh, I love going on dates. So much fun! But...if this isn't your typical date location, then what is?"

Brooklyn follows the gesture, just barely managing to force a light blush away when her gaze focuses on the cut of the dress for just a moment longer than necessary before her gaze meets Shoshanna’s again. “Well, you should definitely thank her because it was an excellent choice,” she says with a meek nod of her head. “To be quite honest, I haven’t been on a date in a while. I’m not usually a big spender, though, so it would probably be somewhere you wouldn’t step foot into,” Brooklyn teased lightheartedly.

Shoshanna "So...like an Ruth's Chris then?" Shoshanna offers. Not entirely sure what a fellow rich kid would deign a place Shoshanna wouldn't go to, and certainly a steakhouse chain falls under that category.

Brooklyn snorted out a laugh, shrugging slightly in response. “Maybe... Though, if I were to be the instigator of a date, they would hopefully know at that point that I’m not a terribly classy person.” She knows already that this really wasn’t going to go past this one date, so she feels no need to hold back her true self. At least, not all of it. “Like, I would be fine with take out food and watching some lame made-for-television movie. But, how about you? Is this your ideal date? I mean, not with me, I’m sure, but in general.”

Shoshanna: "You would do that for a first date?" Shoshanna asks, floored that someone would do something like that for a first date. Maybe Brook really was crazy.

Brooklyn could only offer up a slight shrug of her shoulders in response to the question. Brook wasn't the type to set the bar terribly high on a first date...or ever, really. And she had never been one to flaunt her money, either. Shoshanna, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, it seemed. "What would you do on a first date?"

Shoshanna doesn't respond right away as the waiter deposits a fresh platter of escargot, four in total. Two for each girl, and she uses the offered tongs to take one of the shells. "Well, I'd love to be picked up and taken to a nice bistro, such as this one. A nice meal. Top shelf alcohol, a good meal. And then maybe dancing later!" Taking the escargot form, she digs out the meat and plops it in her mouth, moaning at the taste. "Mmm. Delicious."

She glances at the menu, "Do you know what you're going to order yet?"

Brooklyn eyes the plate as it's being set down in front of them. If it weren't for the shells, she would've been completely unaware of what she is about to be eating. Although, she's never had escargot before and had no problems in the past with trying new things. She should at least pretend to be somewhat one the same level as her date, right? Brook follows Shoshanna's lead, scooping out the snail from the shell and tentatively brings it to her mouth. She isn't entirely sure she would agree on the 'delicious' comment, but she doesn't hate it. "Well, I'm not that great a dancing, but there is a party going on tonight, if you're interested at all?" she offers before she is picking up the menu for the first time to give it a glance. "Um...probably the burger cause that seems like a safe bet."

Shoshanna: "Oh no no no. You can't go to a French restaurant and order a burger!" Shoshanna exclaims, slack jawed for a moment before quickly flagging over a waiter. "No, no. Let me take care of this."

For a second time that night, Shoshanna orders in French, lips dancing across syllables in perfect tempo. Part of her ambitious plan to become an international business leader like her beloved father was to learn as many major languages as possible. And so far, Shoshanna knows six. Excluding English. As the waiter walks away, the heiress levels her gaze, "Don't worry I've got it covered." She finishes her wine. "I'm sorry, you were saying something about a party? Is it that Leroy...Larry...Abrams party?"

Brooklyn was taken aback by the exclamation - something she really should have expected, given her poor choice in food at a fancy restaurant. "Hey, to be fair, if I couldn't order a burger at a French restaurant, they wouldn't have put it on the menu as an option," she defends herself, though it's a hopeless argument as Shoshanna calls the waiter over to their table only to start speaking to him in French again. Brook casually sips on her water as she waits for the discussion between her date and the waiter came to an end, eating the second of her escargot. "Yeah, Leroy Larry Abrams' party. Sometimes he goes by Levi. If you're interested, we could swing by there afterward. Assuming you don't hate me by then, of course."

Shoshanna places a hand on her chest, taken aback. "Why would I hate you? I don't hate people over the obvious faux pas of ordering a burger at a French restaurant." Lifting her glass, a waiter silently refills her glass. "But this party. I take it you want to go?"

Brooklyn shrugs in response. "Maybe when I inevitably talk more about my weird fascination with murderers you'll find more than enough reason to hate me. Or find me questionable, at the very least," she says, her words only somewhat a joke. "I plan on going after the date, anyway, since I went in knowing I was too awkward to get a girl back to my place. It could be fun, though. At least you could escape and talk to other people, when you get bored of me."

Shoshanna raises an eyebrow at this. It's almost as if Brook wants Shoshanna not to like her. But she's intrigued. A fascination with murderers? What's that all about? That's far more interesting than going to an undergraduate party with a group of younger students with a shared interest in getting black out drunk for whatever reason. "And just what is it about murderers that you find so...fascinating?"

Brooklyn furrows her eyebrows slightly when Shoshanna brings up the one part of the discussion she is expecting to be glossed over completely. "I don't know... I guess It's always just interested me, the way their brains work. Why they do it. Especially the ones who have nothing to gain from it. Although, the ones who do have something to gain are pretty damn interesting, too," she says, stopping herself short when she knows she could ramble on about it for hours on end. "Why do you find my interest in them so interesting..?"

Shoshanna: "Just curious." Shoshanna admits with a shrug. True, her family has a body count, she hardly considers them murderers. It's the cost of doing business. She sips at her wine. "Have you ever seen a dead body?" She quickly raises a hand, palm forward, and she waves it side to side. "Not a body at a Wake, mind you. Like, a recently dead body."

Brooklyn nods at the response she is given. Well, she can't fault the woman for being curious. Not that she has to fault her for anything. Although the next question was certainly a brow-raiser. "Um...no, I can't say I have. Not in person, anyway..." she trails off, eyeing Shoshanna. "Why? Have you?"

Shoshanna nods, popping the second escargot in her mouth. "Mhm." Another sip of wine to wash it down. "And the movies? They get it wrong." As if on cue, the waiter returns with their food, "Cuisses de Canard a L'Orange for la madamoiselle...and Entrecote Sauce Poivre Vert for you. Bon apetit!" Before Brook is a New York Strip, grilled to perfection, smothered in pepper corn sauce with spinach and carrots. Fingerling potatoes on the side. On Shoshanna's plate are duck legs with vegetables and potatoes, and she lifts her glass, intending for a small toast.

Brooklyn is left flabbergasted by the comments, her jaw bobbing up and down for a moment as Shoshanna's attention turns to the waiter who has shown up with their food. Her date hasn't made a single joke yet, but maybe her sense of humor is limited to that of the extremely dark variety...right? That has to be it. It isn't until the waiter is leaving again that Brook looks in any direction other than Shoshanna. When she finally does look back, she sees the woman's glass raised over the table and she moves to do the same with her own, curious to hear what she could possibly say next.

Shoshanna doesn't notice Brook's sudden nerves, and merely says one word, a smirk painting her hawkish face, "To having a lovely date. Enjoy!" Clink.​

Brooklyn nods quickly, offering up a somewhat awkward smile. "Absolutely," she agrees, clinking their glasses together before she is taking a sip of her water - which she is only just realizing isn't the soda she had ordered earlier. It's then that she finally looks down, thanking whatever deities that were up there for Shoshanna not ordering her some sort of obscure food and instead opting for a steak. "Is French the only other language you speak?" she asks as she grabs her utensils and begins to dig in.

Shoshanna shakes her head, "No. I also speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, Spanish and Russian." She says brightly, "Oh! And Yiddish, of course. If I want to take over the family business, I'll need to be able to talk shop with as many people as possible. I've found that when there's a...disconnect, in communication, things can get a little messy." She cuts a morsel of duck, and begins to bring it to her lips. "Although there are times when I don't even understand half of the weird things our classmates say. You know, like weird internet lingo. And that makes me happy I'm not going into social media or marketing like that, because all that would do is irritate me." She chews for a moment, holding her fork in contemplation. "The word bae? God, if we end up girlfriends or something, do not call me that. Okay?"

Brooklyn's eyes widen at the answer. It isn't that she's shocked by the response, necessarily, just that she isn't expecting quite as long of a list as she got. In other countries, she knows it is common to learn multiple languages, but in America, it is a rarity, as far as she knew. Especially languages like Mandarin and Cantonese. She's impressed by the answer. Brook takes a rather large bite of her steak as she listens to Shoshanna, nodding along in understanding when she explains further why she has gone about learning so many languages. It's just as she's swallowing that her date poses her question to her and she nearly chokes on the food as she laughs. "No worries there. I never understood that one - it's as awful sounding as it is stupid."

Shoshanna 's eyebrows knit with concern, Brook is clearly surprised by something, and has toed the line of aspirating her food. "Are you okay? You look nervous."

Brooklyn chuckles awkwardly as she shakes her head, taking a sip of her water to make sure her throat was clear before speaking again. "I'm good. Just the use of the word 'bae' threw me. Definitely not something one would expect to hear from an intellect, such as yourself. I'm definitely not nervous, though. Why would I need to be nervous? That's just...preposterous," she gets out before taking another bite of her food. She points to it with her fork just as she's finishing up the bite. "Really good call on the steak, by the way. Thank you."

Shoshanna hears none of what Brook says, save for one detail, which has the heiress smiling ear to ear with a hand pressed to her chest. "Aww, yes, I am an intellect, thank you so much for noticing!" She takes several bites. "As for the nerves, you tell me. I can always sense when I make someone nervous. And you're giving me that feeling. But," Spearing a few green beans she holds them up pensively. "It could be argued that is is a date, and I am an older, more sophisticated woman than the other girls in your year. So I suppose I can't really fault you on that. And oh yes, I knew from your original choice to get a burger that it must've been red meat that you were craving, and the French know how to make an excellent steak."

Brooklyn merely rolls her eyes playfully in response, though there is a small smile on her face that gives her true feelings away on the entirely expected choice in what Shoshanna chooses to hear. “Maybe I’m just a nervous person,” she jests back with a challenging look, quirking an eyebrow up slightly as she takes another bite of her food. It isn’t the truth, but she isn’t just going to freely admit that her date makes her nervous - the woman already has a big enough head as it is. “I actually kind of just wanted a burger, but this is probably a trillion times better than that would’ve been. How’s your...blah blah orange...thing...” Brook inquires, making sure to add a stereotypical Parisian accent to her words to make it seem like she had any semblance of an idea of what it actually was called.

Shoshanna furrows her brow, "Cuisses de Canard a L'Orange." She clarifies in perfect French as though it were the most mundane fact known to mankind. "It's delicious. Came highly recommended on Yelp--which by the way, as a potential girlfriend for me you should know I outright refuse to go anywhere that has 3 or more stars with less than 40 reviews, for statistical accuracy purposes--hence why I chose it." The aforementioned meal is finished in just a couple more bites. "I'd once gone to a French restaurant in Boerum Hill back in New York, and they really messed up my order. Ugh, everything was soggy and flavorless. Absolutely terrible." Shoshanna daintily dabs at her lips with a napkin. "Daddy had them out of business in less than two weeks later."

Brooklyn quirks up an eyebrow at yet another mention of 'potential girlfriend' but doesn't find herself nearly as flustered this time around. She nods, understanding the parameters of date requirements for the woman sitting across from her, should they ever decide to go on another date. Although she wouldn't have even tried to take her anywhere less than three stars, if only because she has extravagant tastes. "I once got food poisoning from a pizza place a few blocks away from my apartment and went back there a week later for more pizza," Brook says without any hesitation or prompting, really. They are vastly different people - it's kind of astonishing how the app had managed to set them up together. She finishes up her own food shortly thereafter, leaning back slightly in her chair. "Your family is from New York, right?"

Shoshanna nods, sitting back as the waiters return to clear their table. "Mhm, from Manhattan; born and raised. Mom and Dad are still there. Living near Battery Park, with an amazing view of the river. And you?" Before Brook can speak, Shoshanna adds: "I really hope it's not New Jersey."

Brooklyn can't stop herself from laughing at the additional comment as she shakes her head. "No, don't worry. I'm from somewhere far worse than that - Nashville," she says, finishing off her glass of water. "What's wrong with Jersey, though?"

Shoshanna: "Oh em gee, what's not wrong with Jersey is what you should be asking. Much easier question to answer. And the answer to that question is nothing. As for Nashville, I don't know enough about it to judge, though I'm now viewing your choices for first dates and ordering burgers at an upscale restaurant in a different light." The waiter returns, asking if they'd like to order any dessert. Shoshanna, naturally, orders the most expensive offering on the dessert menu.

Brooklyn is amused instantly by the response her question warrants and it shows on her face. The way Shoshanna speaks so candidly about everything makes her think that maybe there is such a thing as having even less of a filter than she does herself. Or maybe they just say the same things but in their own ways - Shoshana obviously going for the literal and logical route while Brook speaks fluently in sarcasm and terrible dad jokes. She waits until her date finishes ordering before letting the man know she would have the same since she isn't even sure what the options were - and didn't care enough to check. "Yeah, I'm sure you can tell that this isn't really the type of place I'm usually seen at. At least I dressed the part," she says, leaning back enough to show off the blazer she had opted to throw overtop of a band tee and black skinny jeans. Okay, she definitely hadn't dressed the part, but it was the best she had with such short notice.

Shoshanna studies Brook's outfit, nodding at what she sees. "I don't like the band shirt, it's a little kitschy for a place like this, but the blazer is nice. It's sexy. I like it. When we finish up here, why don't we go make out in my car for a little bit before heading to Larry's party?"

Brooklyn furrows her eyebrows slightly, tilting her head to the side with an amused grin on her lips. "I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not... Besides, you didn't really seem all that interested in going to a party?" she questions, scooting up in her seat enough to fold her arms on the table as she studies Shoshanna's face. The woman is a hard read, that much is certain.

Shoshanna points at her face, while wearing an expression that says seriously? "Why would I joke about that?" She, too, places her hands on the table. "Besides, sometimes people change their minds. You said you wanted to go, so perhaps it might be worth it for me to go see how it is for myself. But, if getting sloppy, black out drunk is what you want to do there, I'm sorry, but I won't be doing that. I honestly don't understand why people at PSU are so enamored with that." A pause. "And bragging about who hates their parents more."

Brooklyn shrugs in response, putting her hands up in the air to show she surrenders her previous comment about her joking. "I don't drink very much. I was mostly just going to go and socialize, since my parents seem to think it's a necessary part of being an adult, blahblahblah," she rattles off the speech she's heard far too many times, accompanying the words with an eye roll. "And that wasn't me saying I hate my parents - cause I don't. Sometimes I feel like the only person at that school that actually loves their parents. It's weird."

Shoshanna moves her hands to accommodate their dessert, a minimalist dish that the waiter identifies for the two women; "Delices de la terre, un white truffle sweet potato biscuit, with hay mousse, and greek yogurt cream." He then places two small glasses of dessert wine on the table, and Shoshanna gives Brook a playful wink. Money can get her anything. Even alcohol for a minor. "Bon apetit!" The waiter says with a bow.

Brooklyn sits back in her chair when the waiter comes over to introduce their dessert. She quirks up an eyebrow at Shoshanna when a glass of wine is placed in front of herself, a small grin growing on her lips. "Looks, smells, and sounds delicious. Another excellent call, on your end."

Shoshanna rolls her eyes playfully. "As if there were any doubt about my culinary choices." Digging in, she moans loudly at the taste, eyes rolling back. Indulgent and wonderful, Shoshanna mentally pats herself on the back.

Brooklyn takes a rather large forkful of her own, humming in appreciation of just how incredible it was. Her reaction isn't anything like Shoshanna's but it is clear that thinks she made the right choice in opting to get the same thing as her date. "For the record, I never doubted it - I was just stating the obvious. Your taste in everything is exquisite."

Shoshanna ears prick at this, anytime there are compliments thrown her way, she has to hear more. Elbows on the table, she rests her chin on her hands. "Oh really? Go on..."

Brooklyn grins behind another forkful of the dessert, putting it in her mouth to give herself a second to at least come up with something worth hearing. "Well, for one thing, this restaurant was an amazing choice - something I would've never picked, but am thoroughly enjoying," she starts after finishing the bite, resting her fork down on the plate as she looks across at her date. "And that dress is incredible. I'm sure whatever it is you drive is insanely gorgeous. Plus you're crazy smart. Total package, really."

Shoshanna can't help but blush at the praise. It's sweet, and just feels so nice to be validated. Usually if compliments are sent her way, it's under coercion, or worse: pity. The near constant object of ridicule, Shoshanna can't help the fluttering in her chest at Brooks's words. And as the check is placed on the table, she beams brilliantly. "Well now I insist that we take a few minutes in my Bentley to go make out."

Brooklyn picks up the check as soon as it is placed down, having to force herself not to gawk at the bill such a meal has incurred. Yep, she was definitely going to have to explain that one to her father, when she went home for the holidays. "You drive a Bentley? Oh, my god... Yeah, let's definitely do that," she agrees, nodding a little too eagerly - she has a thing for cars, big deal. After a few moments, she has paid the check, making sure to leave an impressive tip in the process, before she stands up from her seat and moves to pull out Shoshanna's. "Thanks for not ditching me as soon as you saw me, by the way. I'm sure I'm not someone you would usually date."