valentina--ricci

[valentina--ricci]

She let out a loud laugh and put her hand up. "Did you just compare me to Al Capone? God, you really are a charmer," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "I suppose it's a good thing I didn't get my MBA just for show. I actually had a lot of ideas while my dad was in charge of the casino, he just never listened to me. But well, now I listen to me so," she shrugged, not wanting to have to explain herself to him. She understood why people were skeptical, she had been purposeful about not letting people get to know her. But she had to admit she was a bit offended at how much people seemed to think she would be just like her father. It made her feel a bit suffocated, like his image was always lurking right behind her. Like it was all people saw when they looked at her.

She sat up and reached for a piece of chicken, shaking off the annoyance as best as she could. "And how many of these motherfuckers are we talking about exactly?" She paused, taking a bite and immediately thinking that Janet really had done a great job. Maybe the girl did deserve a raise. "Shit, this is pretty good," she mumbled, careful not to stain her shirt as she took another bite. "I have to say though, my publisher is pissed. She's determined to force me to make time for my next book but considering my new one just dropped I think I've earned the right to have some fun elsewhere. I technically still have a casino to run, so, I suppose I've got to brush up on my card games."

Honestly, he wasn't quite sure if he was. Flirting with her or not, that is. And that meant he wasn't sure whether he should be worried at the rust that had obviously built up or be relieved that she hadn't taken it seriously. Regardless, he figured the best thing was to simply move on, the words had come out of his mouth and there was no changing that now, however it was taken. "Don't want to disappoint Janet." he murmured. Roman had spoken t her, once or twice, when she had set up Val and his initial interviews, but couldn't say he knew a thing about the woman.

"That's all well and good, depends on where the money is coming from though, doesn't it?" he questioned. "Capone used to buy the kids in the neighborhood bikes, after all." Words were said in a matter-of-fact, but overall nonchalant tone as he sat the food down on the crappy laundromat table, meant for browsing magazines and not eating a meal. "Oh, I'm not leaving until these motherfuckers are either dead or in jail." His tone remained even and unemotional, and he finished off the sentence by popping a piece of the chicken in his mouth.

[valentina--ricci]

"Well then it's a good thing you do know better." Valentina didn't feel particularly compelled to explain herself to him. But she was reminded of Chase's words and decided not to be totally closed off. "My father isn't an easy man to get arrested and unlike him, I'm not very interested in having my hands covered in blood. Not really my style. I'm more like my mother in that way." Her expression softened further at the thought of her mother, at the thought of how free she seemed to be the moment Giovanni had been put behind bars. Like she had a new lease on life. That alone made it all worth it. To see her mother happy and feeling safe. What more could she want really? Of course her brother was struggling but she knew in time it would work out. It had to.

"You want to know what I'm doing with my father's business? Well I have to appreciate the direct nature but I can't say I have a drawn up business plan on me." She was just being difficult and she actually laughed as she reached for her coffee. "My biggest plan at the moment is to pour some more money back into this town. Level the playing field. I'm not particularly fond of the motorcycle club if I'm being honest but I haven't quite decided how much to kick that nest. Depends on how bored philanthropy makes me. Outside of that I've decided to keep my options open. My father may be a brute but he wasn't an idiot. This town still has a lot to offer. Question is, what can I offer you? Or is that not what you came here for?"

He knew better than to immediately assume that Valentina was suggesting his leadership skills must have been lacking -- or better yet, comment on it -- but considering his stubborn nature it was hard not to let the notion fester. "I'll keep that in mind." He said through gritted teeth, attempting to wash his own ego down with a sip of coffee. The immediate desire to protect his own pride was something he was self-aware enough to know he had to work on, but thankfully he'd never been one to jump the gun. A brow raised in slight surprise at the harsh words chosen for Giovanni, having been told that Valentina was no fan of her father but not necessarily expecting her to come right out with it. "Yes. That." Considering she was the one to turn him in, he'd expected as much -- but, then again, some people would do anything to take the mantle for themselves. Right now he was trying to assess if that was Valentina's play.

He offered a nod here and there as she spoke, intent on listening despite the anger that stewed beneath the surface when she mentioned Mikayla once more. "That's what it took for you to finally stop coming to his rescue then? Because, if I didn't know any better, I'd think it was pretty convenient that you chose to make your move after your father was outed." His words weren't meant as an accusation, but he had to consider all possibilities. Jaw clenched slightly at her apology, and he raised a hand up and shook his head. "I'm not here for one. Truthfully, a bullet in his brain would suffice, but I suppose I can understand having leniency when it comes to blood." Letting out a quiet sigh, he placed his coffee down and folded his arms on top of the table, leaning forward. "I'm not one for pleasantries, so let's not do that. I am curious, though, what's going to happen with your father's resources. I'm assuming you're the natural heir to the throne, so to speak." The last thing he needed was more of Ricci's operation interfering in his own -- or, rather, the beginnings of it.

[valentina--ricci]

Would Niko even be interested in her money? Probably not, but it never hurt to ask, especially when it affected his family. Chase gave her a lot to think about it and she took note of it, already feeling good about her decision to trust him. "I guess you're right. I'll think on it. I don't want to be too eager in my approach, you know. Strategy is everything but we can't force it. We'll try to be too strategic and overthink it. If there's anything I've learned lately is that balance is a must. As many places as you can strive for it, you should." And she knew that often became a grey area for many but she truly believed she could have a more level head in this.

"I send a big donation and you think he's not gonna get suspicious? Even if I do it anonymously? I mean consider it done, I'm just saying. When he comes to visit me to give me a stern talking to, don't say I didn't warn you. Your brother is especially skilled at lectures," she told him with a roll of her eyes. Levi had given her a fair share of them the moment she had come into Chase's life and he felt called to be Chase's protector of some sort. "You want me to become a one woman sanitation team?" Still, she was writing notes, sprouting off some ideas to throw around with Janet the next day so they could make an actual plan. "Right, I have to actually get to know people, shake hand and kiss babies," she said with a sigh but he was right. People had to know her to actually want to trust her in any kind of way. "So what do you think is less painful - joining a local book club or volunteering at some non profit or..going to town halls? God, I'd rather punch myself in the face." She sighed, shaking her head the more she thought about it. "Why couldn't my Dad just have been like weirdly obsessed with smuggling expensive wine or art or something, at least it'd be more fun and less messy. And we'd have a shit ton of free wine to drink. But no, he had to be some criminal mastermind focused on being an asshole and hurting people. Fucking exhausting."

Valentina genuinely wanting his opinions and for him to feel as though he were an equal part of whatever was to come of The Enterprise still seemed like such a farfetched idea without there being strings attached. Her encouragement to be more than what he'd always been to others up until that point, it was... new. He wasn't sure how to take it. "An apology would go a long way," he started, his voice holding no hint of sarcasm. It wouldn't erase things by any means, but it might make it so Niko was open to hearing whatever she ended up having to say. "I know us takin' out Alejandra meant his family's restaurant was havin' cash flow issues. Could start there, figure out the rest later."

He snorted. "I'll be sure to do that, though hope she ain't expectin' them to be homemade or something." At the mention of doing something good, Levi and the community center shot to the forefront of his mind. It was all Levi had ever wanted to do for the town that had become their home, so much so that he left what could've been serious opportunity out in California to return here. "My brother," he began, glancing towards the window, "he started the community center down in Webster years back. A donation couldn't hurt." He shrugged, finishing off his drink. "I think investin' in Webster in general would be good, though. Help get people's places fixed up who can't afford it, get the roads repaved, shit the government's been slackin' on because it's a lower tax bracket than up in Glenn Estates." He glanced towards her. "If you want people to hear you out, you gotta have some kinda relationship with 'em. Build trust so they're more open to listenin', or else whatever you're sayin's gonna go in one ear and out the other."

[valentina--ricci]

"Agent Han, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were flirting with me. And if you were, it'd totally be working. But since you're not," she teased and let out a sigh that almost made her cringe at herself. Which made her move to leave until she heard his offer and had to admit she had really wanted to try the chicken. "You make a great point. I have every reason to believe it's going to be Janet's first question to me tomorrow morning and I can't let her down. She happens to be one of my favorite people." Janet had been Valentina's assistant since she published her first book and was probably the closest she would ever really come to either a best friend or younger sister. She looked out for her in a way almost no one but her mother did.

"Mm, well let's see how good the chicken is first," she joked as she followed him back inside, certain she could say this was her first time in a laundromat since her college days. "But I can tell you my plans include a lot of putting money back into this town. Instead of treating it like a playground. Are you and your team planning to stick around much longer?"

"Pretty sure I already did." He shot back, but then a deep pang of guilt echoed in his gut as the words left his mouth. It was stupid, he knew that. His wife had been dead and gone for years now, and it wasn't like he hadn't been celibate ever since. But it felt different. Those were always people he knew nothing more of than their name, so it still gave him distance. But he knew Valentina, and in the way he lived his life with most not knowing more about him than his name and career, she knew more about him than most. And in that way, he felt disloyal. So devoted to his wife's ghost that the merest inkling of real intimacy, even if casual in the way it had been between the two of them that night, left him feeling as if he was doing something wrong.

But even so as his behavior and ways of getting people to leave him alone so second nature that it seemed to work without him trying, as she tried to bow out...He found himself not quite ready to be alone once more, the feeling of being known warming, if only for a moment. "If you leave without taking a bite, you won't know how successful your PA really was." It was the closest someone would get to an invitation to stay from him. "And you can tell me about those plans of yours."

[valentina--ricci]

Valentina took the notebook back and quickly looked over the list. "Your brother can't stand me, Maeve can't stand you and the rest, well, I'd say it's touch and go on whether they give a shit about you but I'll keep an open mind." She wasn't even trying to be manipulative but in all the time she had been visiting Chase, she had mostly only seen his brother on the visitors log. "You should think on it more. Consider what you would do if you used your mind more. I'm not saying that to be sarcastic, I'm saying it to be encouraging. If you keep thinking of yourself as just another henchman, then that's all you're ever going to be," she told him with complete sincerity and probably a genuine dose of care for him. "I don't know how open Niko is going to be to talk to me after what my father did to his girlfriend but crazier things have happened. But I can't go having conversations without a clear vision. Something to offer and to gain. I only have one shot at this, I can't come off as an amateur. But I have to be clear that I'm not my father. Which is kind of easy considering how none of them actually really knew him or who he was." She stopped herself when she realized she was just thinking out loud.

She pressed the tips of her fingers to her forehead and took a breath. "I want to do some good. If at any point this shit goes south, I want to sleep at night knowing I still did some good. So, your mission, Mr. McCoy, should you choose to accept it," she paused to laugh at herself, "Is to find me some good shit to do. Meaningful shit. I know it may be a change of pace for you but think of it as a growth exercise. I think it'll do you good. And if you need resources just talk to Janet. You know, she's always been fond of you. Bring her some cookies when you see her or something."

Chase took the notebook and pen from Valentina, watching her as she spoke. It was hard for him to trust people after having been fucked over so often in his life, but especially those who had authority over him in some capacity. She had gotten him out of prison, and for that he owed her, but even with the assurances that no one would be losing their lives, he couldn't help but to think of Alejandra turning on him at the first opportunity. He flipped to a blank page and wrote out his few conditions and a list of names for the people he cared about -- Levi and Maeve at the top, followed quickly by Niko and his cousins, Emiri included. "I was never much of an idea's guy," he began, writing out the last of his list and closing the notebook, "but I think it's smarter to play things close to the chest. I think your pops got too big for his britches by involvin' too many people." He shrugged, handing the book back over. "I can help with recruitment, though. Some of the names in there: capos I worked with in Los Santos, ones I'd trust with my life if it came down to it. Niko especially. It could be beneficial to set up a meet and see if there's a mutually beneficial relationship that can happen."

[valentina--ricci]

"Well you should make it. Any strong leader is well read, or at least makes the attempt," she suggested. At the mention of a contact in common, a warm smile formed on her lips. "Ms. Valdez," she said with a nod. "I have a character in this book based off of her, I forgot to tell her that. Thanks for the reminder," she said and took out her phone to set the reminder before she forgot. "Was I aware that my Dad is a homicidal maniac who kidnapped your girlfriend?" She kept her voice low despite how casually she said it. She took a moment to take Niko in, wondering what would make him feel such a way that he'd come to her directly. She was honestly surprised it had taken so long for anyone to come talk to her. She had always expected the boys on the bikes to pay her a visit one day but it had never happened. She wondered for a moment if that had been their ignorance or her father's sincere protection.

"I didn't realize he had taken her. He doesn't exactly brief me on all of his plans, he usually tells me after he's already fucked things up. But once I did find out well, it's not like he got arrested off of an anonymous tip." She didn't tell him that her father had wanted to kill Mikki but her brother's horror at who Gio really was and Valentina's own manipulation had somehow convinced him out of it. At least in the immediate. "My father is a narcissistic, power hungry, greedy and violent man who never gets his hands dirty. And when Ms. Beaumont cared to pierce the bubble of superiority he keeps around himself, well he saw that as a threat and he only knows how to take threats out." She wouldn't have said she spared Mikki's life but it had been this particular situation that made Valentina realize that if she wasn't the one to put a stop him now then no one would. Not at least until it meant putting her entire family in danger. She took a deep breath and made sure they were looking at each other as she spoke. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth, which is probably not much but I am sorry for the pain he caused. To her, especially." She paused to drink more of her coffee. "But what I can tell from the footage I took from the warehouse, I think you got what you needed. Honestly if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have even known how much property my father actually owned and had access to so thank you for that."

Niko stayed silent, allowing Valentina to say her pleasantries and sign the book. He wasn't lying; he was probably going to head to the post office and ship the novel to her figuring he would get a couple of brownie points for the 'just because' gift (and a couple weeks of peace without her guilt tripping him about why he hadn't dropped everything and visited), but he was glad that his firsthand reason for being there was obvious to both of them. "Fifteen." He repeated, glancing over at Janet. "That's kind. Next meal's on me." It was the very least he could do to make a good impression, even if he wasn't sure he fully trusted Valentina enough to do anything more than exchange pleasantries.

Fingers drummed on top of the wooden table, meeting Valentina's gaze once she'd sat down. "These days I don't have a lot of time to set aside for reading." Niko replied, sitting up a bit straighter. "I have questions. About your father." He started, attempting to gauge her reaction as he spoke. Giovanni's arrest had been the talk of the town, but it wasn't that particular detail that concerned him; it was all the others. "I also know that we have a contact in common." That contact being Lupe. "I figured it was in both of our best interests to meet. Were you aware of what your father was up to in the days leading to his arrest?"

[valentina--ricci]

[valentina--ricci]

"Well, Helen has great taste, that is without a doubt." She took the copy of the book before looking up at him. She hadn't seen him walk into the bookstore but had spotted him once they were a few people in front of him in line. If he had wanted to catch her off guard, he had definitely succeeded. But at least there had been three people ahead of him that allowed her to ground herself quite quickly. "And how sweet of you to come all of this way just to get her a book." She signed the book before taking a glance at how many people were left in line. "Janet will find a table for us to have coffee," she told him as she handed back the book before motioning to her assistant who was standing by the table. "Fifteen minutes tops. Janet loves your family's restaurant, by the way." Valentina pointed at Janet again before calling the next person forward.

She actually made it over to him in ten minutes, too curious about his presence to put it off any longer than she had to. She thanked Janet for the coffee she handed her as she sat down across from Niko, grateful for the chance to give her hands and smile a rest. "Any particular reason I get the honor of your presence today Mr. Dimopoulus? I have to admit I'm a bit hurt you haven't read my book."

where: the book nook who: @valentina--ricci & nikolaos dimopoulos

The wheels of this new operation had been turning, but still Niko found himself at a bit of a standstill. He'd been able to secure a decent number of suppliers, and more money had been flowing in the past couple of weeks than it had since Los Santos had been dismantled -- but it wasn't enough. He had his family's help, with Stefanos especially proving invaluable to making this venture work, but without the extra manpower and resources they'd be dead in the water before they even made it a year. The writing was on the wall; he needed outside help, but never in a million years did he think he'd be approaching a Ricci to do that.

He wouldn't have even considered it had it not been for Lupe's insistence that he give the woman a chance, that Valentina was looking to squash her father's legacy and start anew. Money and resources be damned, Niko didn't quite trust the woman enough to formally set something up -- and, besides, he'd always been of the mind that catching someone off guard was one of the best ways to glean their true intentions. Luckily enough for him, Valentina had an event planned that next weekend for a book signing, setting the stage for him perfectly.

He'd patiently waited in line, briefly skimming the back cover of the book as he did so, until he was close enough to the front to catch her eye. Niko had no doubt she knew exactly who he was, given not only them Lupe as a common connection, but also that her resources through the Enterprise most likely would have put her very in the know of all the players in town. Especially a former Los Santos capo. "You can make it out to Helen." He noted, placing the hardcopy down before her on the table. "My mother. She loves a good thriller."

[valentina--ricci]

"Decisions are always a bit of an illusion, you know? I mean in the end we kind of know what we want and we either don't want to admit it or don't want to risk making a bad choice." She got the attention of the bartender and ordered them both one of the drinks on the menu, feeling confident that it would at least be a decent one. "Fliss," she repeated before holding out her hand to her. "Valentina. It's a pleasure," she told her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. "You know in a town so small you would think you had met everyone already and yet there are always still new people to meet." Val was realizing more and more that she had to do her homework a bit more to better assess the field ahead of here. No one was just no one. Either way she smiled at Fliss as she leaned her arms against the bar. "Why don't you tell me about your day?"

There was a sage nod given at the response and an attempt at reassuring words followed. "It can be hard to find the time for it sometimes." Not an issue she was having at the moment when she was really making most of the free part of freelancing. But she found herself wondering for a moment what the other woman did, the brief intrigue set aside for excitement the moment the offer is extended her way. "Yeah? I'd love that - tequila sounds perfect." Grin beamed on her featured before she moved in a little closer, conspiratorial tones leaving her lips. "To be honest, I'll try anything once so it'd have taken me way to long to even decide what spirit let alone narrow it down to just one drink. You've already saved me." Light, self deprecating laugh was given before eyes turned to the menu. "Looks like they've got a good ole margherita and a spicy one as well, but then there's a paloma too." The blond hummed in consideration before realising that she had been rambling on to her new companion without so much as an introduction. "Oh, I'm Fliss by the way."

[valentina--ricci]

"Don't act so surprised. You think I just negotiate getting everyone out of prison? I'm not Kim Kardashian," she joked, actually making herself laugh with that one. "Assurance in writing? Chase I'm hardly running an incorporated business right now, my father left a bit of a mess and everyone's anxious. But I mean how long is this list? For the record, my father's style is not my style. Life lost does not necessarily mean money gained." Still, she got to her feet and grabbed her notebook, handing it to him with a pen. "Write down your conditions and the name of the people you want me to look out for. We're going to need to recruit some a bit though. People think we're ghosts at this point, a non liability, inconsequential," she continued before reaching for her wine. "Which is good for us, gives us a moment to fly under the radar, consider our resources. I'm getting rid of the board entirely though. I mean what good did they really do us? Most of them were idiot men my father somehow deemed worthy of his use. We keep the circle small and our associates strategic," she declared and met his eyes to see how he was processing her words. "How do you feel about that? Do you have a vision, Mr. McCoy? What would be your vision if you were in charge?"

Chase raised a brow, interest piqued as Val transitioned the conversation to work. He wasn't going to complain about her diverting from talking about her feelings with regard to what happened to her father if she had exhausted everything she intended to say, but he hoped she would have someone she could get it all out with later if she didn't quite trust him with that side of herself yet. Though that thought was wiped out by her next words.

"You trust me?" he asked, not suspicious so much as incredulous. What had he done that made her trust him on such a level, especially after he'd gone rogue to take care of matters with Alejandra? He had been burned before by giving his loyalty to someone who could destroy him with a snap of their fingers, but as he looked over Val's face in that moment, he reminded himself she had had plenty of opportunities to do so before now and hadn't. Whatever this was between them, even if it was fragile, felt like it was worth pursuing. "Yeah, alright. I wanna renegotiate our contract some, though. I got other people I care about I wanna protect and I want assurance in writin' they'll be alright."

[valentina--ricci]

"Well, I mean if you want to see me in handcuffs, all you have to do is ask," she teased and looked him over. "I have many plans and none of them involve following in my father's footsteps." Or being sloppy about it in any way. If Valentina were up to something illegal, she sure as hell wouldn't be making it easy for Roman and his colleagues to figure out. "I won't hold my breath for the bouquet of flowers I just know you're sending me to congratulate me on my promotion," she added with another laugh. "Anyway, I was hoping you'd share some of your chicken but I know how to take a hint when company isn't wanted. But I wanted to give my thanks in person. Those manners I at least got from my mother."

He wasn't sure he appreciated how predictable he must've become, and he was hit with the realizations of just how much so in rapid succession. She knew exactly where to find him and had a bagful of his favorite food. Sometimes he regretted having taken her up on those interviews, all those years ago. But he took a small comfort in knowing he wasn't the same man she knew then. Sure, some of his quirks may be the same, but altogether he was entirely different. Life had made sure of that. "Could've probably made some off-color father's day card work with some small edits." He didn't let on his surprise at seeing her there. To be frank, he had figured she had been in need of a blunt instrument and he had been that, in more ways than one, and that was that. "No thanks needed. We were both doing what needs to be done. I'm just hoping you're planning on running that company differently than your father. Arresting the CEO twice might draw some eyes."

[valentina--ricci]

"Power is one thing but control is another. People like to be in control, act as if they're truly the center of the world." She shook her head as she thought about it. It would have been easy for her to go down that road considering the path her father had paved but it had never interested her. What good is control if you're not even truly happy with what's in front of you? "Speaking of," she told him, pushing herself to sit up a bit before sipping her wine. "We need to talk about our working relationship, our general relationship..." she paused, trying to find the words. It wasn't easy for her to be vulnerable, especially with a man but Chase was different. Whether she wanted to admit it or not. "I don't want you to feel like I own you," she said finally, clearing her throat as she looked at him. "I need somebody I can trust, not just because I pay them to keep secrets or something. But because..they actually care about me and I care about them." She met his eyes so he knew she meant it. "Would you want that?"

Chase nursed the glass in his hand, listening as Valentina unloaded what felt like years of pent-up feelings towards her father. He had known their relationship was one wrought with complications, but he hadn't realized how deep those troubles ran. He refilled her glass, making a note of how little he had left in the bottle of whisky he'd broken out of his cabinet earlier that evening. "Hearin' you talk about your old man almost makes me grateful mine abandoned me with my babcia." He took a slow sip of his drink. "Guess we got that in common -- bein' underestimated. But we get the last laugh in the end." He glanced over at Val. "Power does things to people. People say it corrupts, but I don't buy that shit. Give someone enough power and money, what they do with it shows who they really are deep down."

[valentina--ricci]

"I'm going to pretend like I'm not offended that you think I can't clean up my own messes," Valentina replied with a smirk and a short laugh as she stood in the doorway. "Well that and I know you'd bump me to the front, I am your favorite after all. And yes, that's why I'm here. An afternoon martini sounds like exactly what we need. I have a lot to catch you up on. Though I'm sure you've seen the papers. Maybe I'll have two martinis, actually."

@valentina--ricci

Location: Decker & Associates

Sawyer smirked at Valentina as she dropped the folder she’d been reading onto her desk. “If you need me to bail you out of whatever shit you've found yourself in, get in line. Got three others ahead of you,” she said with a glint in her eye. "Or are you here to whisk me away for lunch? Because I could really use a damn martini." Time didn’t matter when you were the boss; besides, she always focused better after a drink or two.

[valentina--ricci]

Don't call me mad There's a difference, I'm angry And your choice to call me cute has offended me I have power, there are people who depend on me And even you have time you wish to spend on me And now you all think I'm unhinged But wind it up and this honeybee stings Did you think I was a puppet on strings? Wind her up and this honeybee sings

[valentina--ricci]

"You know, you'd be surprised that they don't make 'thanks for arresting my Dad" cards but Hallmark should really get on that." Valentina leaned against her car that she had parked outside of he laundromat, figuring she could find him there. "And I've always been much better at gifts for myself but, here," she told him as she held up a plastic bag of food. "Best jerk chicken you can find within a 50 mile radius according to very quick, mostly thorough research by my Gen Z assistant," she added with a smirk, finally pushing away from her car as she walked towards him so he could take the bag. "Thank you," she told him as she met his eyes, trying to not show how much she struggled to even say those words. "For being reliable. It's a hard thing to find these days." @roman-han

[valentina--ricci]

[valentina--ricci]

Valentina had only come to the Black Rabbit for her own research. After wallowing in her mixed emotions for a total of 24 hours she knew she had to get out there and have a plan. Her father's absence would leave a bigger hole than anyone in town would realize and if she didn't start studying what she was up against then she'd fall behind. She turned to the blonde and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I wish I had more time for dates with myself. Doesn't happen as often as I'd like," she told her and glanced at the menu in her hands. "Actually I've only been here once before myself so maybe we can try something new together," she offered, thinking to herself that the other woman looked familiar. "I'm thinking something with tequila, just the kind of mood I'm in tonight. What about you?"

The Black Rabbit with Valentina Ricci @valentina--ricci

Gaze was cast over the menu, small appreciative hums given at each cocktail that caught her eye. But far too much of it sounded appealing for her to come to any kind of conclusion that didn't result in her trying half the menu and swaying all the way home. "What's good here?" The words had left her lips in a hurry, realising she'd spared little thought for the patron next to her and how she'd just roped them into her evening. Sheepish smile flickered over her lips, the blonde quickly attempting to explain herself in another barrage of words. "God, sorry, I don't mean to just interrupt and insert myself into your evening if you're trying to have a cute little date yourself night or even just a quiet drink. Just I am chronically indecisive and you'd be doing me a huge favour by saving me from decision paralysis. At least half an hour of my life would be freed up."