It's a date, right?

Stephen looked at his watch, which his brother leant him, and sighed with irritation. His date wasn't late, but it pissed him off because he had to wait. Stephen was wearing dress pants matched with a dress vest. Besides Stephen, there was one other person, who wore equally dashing-looking clothing. Another son of Triton. In otrher words, Stephen's full brother.


"Hey, relax. She'll be here. She's probably just under the weather or something." Ethan offered, trying to get his brother to stop pacing. They were outside of the restaurant, with a name he didn't quite recognize. It looked new, and that's why Ethan chose this place for his brother's date. Only sad part is, he has to stat with them. Stephen was nervous, and him being left alone at a place like this, is not going to work out so well.

Elizabeth stepped out of the taxi, thanking the driver and giving him some money. She equally nervous and excited at the same time- a feeling she wasn't familiar with.
She was wearing a knee-high black dress that had a V-neck, that was low enough so it wasn't too embarrassing. The sleeves on the dress were elbow length, and she rubbed at her bare arms as the cold air nipped at her skin. She had, uh, borrowed the elegant dress from one of her half-sisters. She wasn't too sure who.
Liz's hair was up in a messy bun, with hair falling out of it. She hadn't made it like that on purpose- she had just out it in a bun and the hair was coming out of it. But the way it was, it looked classy and elegant- just like her.

She walked up the sidewalk, and saw Stephen, her date, and... Another guy who looked similar to him. Wait, had he... that is such a Stephen action, she thought, but put on her most charming smile. "Stephen," she said, acknowledging the boy, and then turning to his wing man. "And you are...?"  but he didn't have to say; Liz had once made Stephen see his twin dead once- long story.

As Stepehen soon found out, pacing only agitated him further, so, he decided to stop. He looked to his brother and said, "Look. I'm nervous. I haven't been on a date in awhile, and you're one of the only people I can talk to. So please, just bear with me." He looked at his watch once more. She's two minutes late. "She's not coming. Let's just go ba--"

Ethan had put his hands onto his brother's shoulders, and gripped them firmly. "Relaaaaax. Dude, this is too easy. You go in there, and have a nice dinner with her. I'll be at another table. If you need help, just think about it. I'll be so close, you'll be able to hear my thoughts clearly if you get stuck." As soon as he said this, he heard a car door slam shut, and an elegantly dressed woman approach them.

Stephen heard this as well, and turned his head to see. Holy Elizabeth was beautiful. He almost stuttered as he tried to get his reply, his stupid one word reply, out. "Hi." Idiot!

Ethan's jaw almost dropped as he realized that this was Stephen's, his brother, HIS BROTHER, date. He threw his best smile and held his hand out to her. "I'm Ethan, his brother." He greeted, still finding her unbelievable.

Elizabeth smirked as Stephen stuttered and she turned back to his twin. "Very nice to meet you, Ethan. I'm Elizabeth," she said, introducing herself and took the boy's hand, gently shaking it. After a heartbeat, she let go, and crossed her tan arms over her stomach, realizing she could see her breath; a thin icy-white mist on front of her. "Shall we go in?" she asked the boys, turning to the door with a smile.

Stephen turned his back to them for a quick second to smell his breath. Minty. He turned back just as fast. He didn't even think they noticed.

As they shook hands, he replied with, "Likewise Elizabeth." He noticed how cold she was and glanced at Stephen. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she had suggested for them to go inside. Again, he glanced at his brother. Ethan sighed, and said, "Yes, we should. Right Stephen?"

Stephen was lost. He had so many good lines he could've used but... Elizabeth caught him off guard. As soon as he heard his name, he blinked and gave a nod. "Right, we should... Do that." Honestly, he had no idea what just happened.

Oh my gods. Ethan grudgingly approached the entrance and held the door open for them both. "After the lovely couple here tonight." He said and bowed slightly.

Elizabeth laughed, making a few people within the building turn their heads at the trio. She laughed partially because of what Ethan had said, and partially from Stephen's reaction to her. She talked to the waitress at the front table for a moment, and the lady led them to a table, Elizabeth ignoring all of the boys who were, as Stephen would say, 'checking her out.'

Ethan was at the back of their little group and, as they walked to their table, he stopped Stephen by pulling onto the back of his vest and spinning him around. "Okay, I'm going to be at a separate table. You--"

Ethan was stopped by Stephen's frantic whispering. "Nonononono, you're having dinner with us. C'mon Ethan, do me a solid man."

"Uhh... Earth to Stephen, this is a date, not a get-together. You'll be fine."

"I swear to Zeus, if you leave me right now, after this date, I'll pummel you."

Ethan sighed, glancing around to see some people had eavesdropped onto their little... discussion. "Alright, I'll stay. But you have to get yourself together." After Ethan spoke, he walked past Stephen and followed Elizabeth to the table, leaving Stephen to take the end of the line,

Stephen followed closely behind, noticing most of the men turning their heads towards Elizabeth. Some of them had dates, and still they turned to look. As he followed behind, he gave them all, one by one, a glare. One that says, she's mine. It took like forever until they finally arrived at their table and he sat down.

Ethan was mildly frustrated with his twin. Stephen couldn't even do the simple gentleman-y things. Ethan sighed and scooted the chair out for Elizabeth to sit on. He hoped his brother was taking notes, because he felt like this was slightly humiliating. Ethan gave Elizabeth a sheepish smile.

Elizabeth was slightly surprised when Ethan sat down at the table with her and the boy's twin. Okay, not slightly- really surprised. But hey, it's not the first time she had seen or heard something similar to this. She knew that this happened at least once out of every five times a person went on a date- hell, she had seen enough '80s movies to know that.

When Ethan pulled out a seat for her, she smiled and thanked him. She tapped lightly on the table, studying her surroundings. She had never really went to a restaurant before- even back in Hawaii, she never did. She was surprised to find that most of the men and boys who had been staring at her earlier were now not. Hmm. Stephen must've taken care of them. "So, Ethan," she started, deciding that if her date's brother was here, she might as well get to know him. "have you ever been here before?" she asked with a smile, brushing a stray hair out of her face.

Stephen was lost in hiw own little world, gazing off into oblivion. He asked himself questions that would normally make a man think twice about his life, what he fought for, and what he believed him. Any sane man would become depressed and unhappy, but not him. He was too far out. He was lost. He wasn't the man he used to be. That man wouldn't survive out here. Stephen was glad Ethan was here. If it were only Stephen, he would've had his fists inserted into all the men's faces here tonight. Now that what you call a knuckle sandwich.

As Ethan sat down across from an empty chair, he too thought of many things. How this date is going to go was one of them. Ethan had been there for his brother many times before, helping him with raids, and even being an accomplice in assassinations before, but dates... this wasn't going to work. He thought this was going to end awkwardly if he stayed. So, a little after they have received their food, he would slip away, and watch from a distance. Ethan will be there... Just not there there. As he heard Elizabeth state here question, he met her eyes, and kept them there as he replied."Actually, this restaurant is fairly new. That's the reason why I--" he quickly stopped himself, remembering that this wasn't his date."Sorry, there was a fly. Anyway, that's the reason why Stephen chose this place. A new restaurant meant employees who had goals and aspirations. In the long run, though, this restaurant will have died. So, good choice Stephen." Ethan commended his brother, hoping he would catch on.

As soon as Stephen heard his name, he blinked, looking at them both. "Yeah. Right." Was his only reply, for he had heard nothing.

Elizabeth studied Stephen, sensing he was somewhere else. Across the table, she took his left hand in her own, drawing tiny little circles on it with her thumbs. She felt bad for him- he was obviously uncomfortable, and wasn't seeming like himself. "Well, that's very nice of you to think of the employees as well as the restaurant itself. I know I probably wouldn't have." she knew he most likely wasn't listening, but didn't care. She just wanted to hear some words out of him to make sure he was alright.

As soon as he answered to his brother, Stephen went back to his thoughts. The waiters, or waitresses, here take their merry time to serve people. He could feel the warmth of another person, his left hand to be specific. Stephen looked down at his hand, and looked to Elizabeth. This time he had paid attention. "It is nice." He replied, squeezing her hand gently. After a few minutes, the waitress arrived, placing the menus in front of them.

Ethan pretended not to notice anything until the menu was placed in front of him. He whistled softly, noticing some of the prices in the menu. Good thing he and his twin had wads of cash with them. Where or how they acquired the money, Ethan wasn't entitled to say. He thanked the waitress and she gave him a napkin... With her number on it. All he could do was smile and thank her once more."So," he opened his menu,"what do you want to order?" he asked, the question pointed at them both.

Elizabeth smiled when she heard Ethan whistle, and kept one hand attached to Stephen's as she used the other to open the menu. She smirked as she realized that the waitress had passed her number to Ethan. She smirked at him, and then turned back to the menu. After a little bit, the waitress came over with a notepad, and she ordered what she wanted. (a BBQ chicken salad, it was one of the cheapest things on the menu.) She then waited for the boys to do so to.

Ethan chuckled slightly as Elizabeth gave him a look. He turned back to his menu, flipping the pages. Shoot. He wasn't picky... He just didn't know what to order. Ethan ordered a steak, well-done. As he was going to look at the drink, the waitress exchanged... A few more words with him. Words that left Ethan blushing and staring hard at the table.

As the waitress moved onto Stephen, he ordered a steak as well, medium-rare. He absentmindedly played with Elizabeth's fingers as he spoke with the waitress. He then thanked her for her lovely service (something he didn't do very often) and looked back at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth laughed as Ethan stared at the table, and nudged him slightly with her elbow. "Y'know Ethan, I'm not sure why... but I have a feeling the waitress likes you." she laughed again, and turned back to the boy whom she was holding hands with.  "You don't do this often, do you?" she asked quietly with a little smile.

Ethan didn't say a word. The waitress was... Specific and detailed when she spoke with him. He thought he was going to need some fresh air after hearing all that. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He just shook his head, a little embarrassed.

Stephen blinked, his eyes refocusing on Elizabeth. "No, I don't. I'm actually terrified." He spoke with honest words, though he was not sure why. He kept playing with her fingers as he looked at her.

Elizabeth looked down at their tangled hands. "Terrified of what?" she asked looking up at him. "Of me?" then she motioned to his brother. "Of him?" she smiled at the boy.

Stephen slowly shook his head. "I'm terrified of myself." He said, looking down at their tangled hands, finally knitting their fingers together. "Everyone close to me... They were all taken..."

Upon hearing this, Ethan quickly tried to change the subject."Hey, come now. Let's not talk about that. What about the weather eh? Beautiful weather for the time of night eh?" he offered, smiling enthusiastically. It was painful even for him to remember.

Elizabeth remembered what Stephen had told her in the forest earlier. He had said many things about his past... and obviously, if it was part of Stephen's past, it was part of Ethan's, too. "Taken..." she said quietly, mainly to herself. Then she softened- she was curious, but she didn't want Stephen flipping out- not in front of everyone, not at all. "Honey, what do you mean?" she asked softly.

"Excuse me." Ethan said, excusing himself and heading towards the men's restroom. He headed into a stall, his stomach lurching. He felt like he was going to puke. Some things just weren't meant to be remembered.

Stephen watched Ethan leave, his mind clashing with his own. He too started to feel slightly nauseous. "I don't want to talk about it." He said firmly and slipped his hand away from her's. It wasn't something you wanted to hear before you ate... And it certainly wasn't something he wanted to remember.

Elizabeth nodded, and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear before folding her hands in her lap, crossing her legs. Well, this 'date' was going just lovely. She murmured an apology for asking.

The food arrived, and the waitress (who looked a little upset that Ethan wasn't there) put the dishes in front of the pair. Elizabeth said her thanks with a little smile, and the lady wandered off. But unfortunately, Liz had lost her appetite, and just stared at her food. She sighed and looked out the window, watching cars move over puddles, making them splash onto the thin sidewalk.

Ethan didn't end up vomiting, but he looked horrible. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he shook his head. Pull it together. He splashed cold water on his face, trying to make himself focus on the cold. Alright. He left the restroom, joining the couple once more with a smile."Sorry about that, duty calls." he joked, smiling a bit.

Stephen was in no mood. Even with his twin there, this date was doing a downward spiral into certain doom. This wasn't going to work. Stephen picked up his fork and poked at his steak.

Ethan on the other hand had began eating, using his fork and knife to cut strips of steak off. He needed to eat something.

Elizabeth wasn't one to keep to herself. She was ADHD after all; when she had something to say, she said it without thinking about it twice. "Before this, uh, date goes unpleasant--" it already has! nagged a little voice in the back of her head-- "we should talk about something that we all know most of the details about." It had sounded rude, yet that's not how she wanted it to be. Funny how that works. She hoped neither of the boys would get mad at her.

Stephen blinked, going back into his little world. Nothing mattered to him at that point. This was a disaster. He was just going to wait until it ends. Even after he had heard her, he stayed quiet. Not much he knew about. Eat, train, sleep were his only activities.

Ethan was having trouble with thinking about anything. He was bothered, a little by Elizabeth and a little by his twin. After the statement, almost sounded like a command, he glanced in her direction."Uhm... How about them... Aphrodite kids eh?" he offered, a little uncertain of himself.

Elizabeth laughed, and leaned back into her chair. She put her hands upon the table, gently tapping. Suuure, this date was going downhill, but she could still make it work, right? Well, hopefully. "Aphrodite kids, huh?" she said, loud enough that a women did a double-take at their table. She shrugged. "I don't know any Aphrodite kids. Pretty sure it's because they're all too scared of me." she smirked, her bright blue eyes shining. Against the black dress, they really stood out.

The two boys seemed to snap out of their trance as she laughed, their eyes studying her. Stephen was stuck staring at her, while Ethan was... Well shoot. They were both staring at her. After a long while, the twins glanced at each other and laughed. Before that, they were both gazing into her eyes. "Scared of you? I wonder why!" Stephen laughed, laying his head onto the table, trying to contain himself.

Ethan was not so discreet. He laughed, his left hand holding a cramp in his stomach, and his right holding his head, laughing all the way."What, did you kick their door down too?!" he exclaimed, laughing even harder.

The other twin laughed with him. It was a chain reaction going back and forth. Stephen had told Ethan how they met, and hey, it was pretty funny.