Helping a Friend

Who: Roy, Shannah and Maddy
Where: the gallery
When: evening

Roy had waited until it was closer to closing time before he headed to see the girls. He knew what he wanted here was possibly going to take more time, so he didn't want to bother them. Even if it meant he'd spent the rest of his day bugging, sort of gently twitching with an inability to concentrate on anything else properly. So when he did finally give himself permission to go, he was there and heading into the gallery straight away, looking around to see if there were other patrons lingering about. "...Shannah? Maddy?" he called.

Any patrons had long gone but Shannah wasn't heading home. She had work to do here at the gallery getting ready for the new show. The show that was going to get them back to where they needed to be. The show that was going to bring the gallery back to its glory. Maddy's show, but not Maddy's show. Christiane's show.

She was scouring over a few pieces of paper, sitting down on one of the stairs when she heard Roy. Looking up at the sound of Roy's voice, Shoshannah smiled and stood up, forgetting the papers on the stairs . "Roy, hello! Madeline, Roy's here!"

Madeline was scowling up at her desk, her mood sufficiently dampened with her earlier visitor. She’d finished sketching out the layout for the gallery room when Shannah called up. Heading down the stairs she managed to work up a smile for Roy. “Hey stranger,” she said. She bit her lip, hoping it wasn’t more bad news.

He smiled at both of the girls, genuinely happy to see them both. "Hey." he greeted, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. "...so, I have an issue that only you two can help me with." he told them, quirking a very awkward sort of smile. "...I sort of possibly maybe have a date. Maybe. And maybe it isn't a date, but I'm bringing her here, and I just--I have no idea what I'm doing." Best to admit that up front. That he was clueless.

Shoshannah lit up when he said that, a smile immediately on her face. "Who with?" She asked, coming a little closer to Roy as the wheels turned. Roy was asking for help and Roy's date liked art apparently, which was more than enough for Shoshannah to want to help. Angelo's paintings were all hung up on the walls again in the front room but the back room was left blank and cleaned from a fresh coat of white paint on the walls. It left them with an entire room to do whatever they wanted with for Roy's date.

Madeline followed them, seeing Shannah getting focused on this. “It’ll be a nice night. Lots of paintings, milling about. Free food.” She smiled and leaned against the wall. “Where’d you meet her?”

He wasn't sure where to start, but he felt relief as soon as they both seemed to be okay with helping him. It made him laugh a little, that relief incredibly clear. "It's kind of a long story, actually, but I'll try to sum up. Her name is Amelie. And I met her when I was in France. She ran a field clinic there. And she is the most beautiful creature I have ever come across. Not just physically, but...everything." he said, for the first time really saying that out loud.

Shoshannah, always a sucker for a good love story, listened intently to Roy's story and smiled the whole way through. "She's French? So elegant..." Shannah had to hide the 'awe' she felt coming on when she heard him say that about Amelie. "We'd be happy to help anyway we can, right Madeline?" She asked, looking back over at her friend. "I know we have an empty room right now, but tomorrow it’ll be filled with new art. You’re bringing her to the show as a date?” The wheels in her head were turning, wondering if she could write a list of good restaurants down for pre or post show dinners, wondering if suggesting French food was too ostentatious...

Madeline in the mean time was confused as to how Amelie managed to get to America when there was a war going on. Were they shipping out refugees? She didn’t know enough and she didn’t want to sound stupid asking, especially when Roy had stars in his eyes. It was good to see him not worried about the police and going to prison. “Come to the show, take her to that restaurant on the corner after to discuss how wonderful the art was. Place is really nice and they have the outdoor seating,” Madeline suggested, thinking that was simple enough. “It’s not to expensive but the service is quality.”

"Yeah, that'd be great, the show." Roy said as he nodded. "Maybe I'll buy her something. If you have anything that would come to mind, or something, she was pretty excited about the idea of coming here." he told them. Then he nodded at Maddy's suggestion. "The place on the corner. Okay. Wait. She wanted to cook for me." he said, remembering that. He was no good at this, obviously. "...ladies, what should I wear? Should I get a hair cut? Should I do anything like bring her flowers?" he asked, looking between the both of them. "I mean, I don't know that I was anything special, pretty much every soldier that crossed her path was immediately smitten, but she was one of the people who took care of me when I got hit, but she caught my eye well before then. I used to bring her supplies." he explained. "I don't know if this is an actual date. I mean, she kissed me before I left, but I don't know, I was leaving and she was probably never going to see me again, and I just--" he exhaled sharply and leaned up against the wall. "...I suck at this."

Shoshannah kept smiling, more and more as Roy spoke, and when his words started to run together she heard him say that Amelie had kissed him which had her reaching out, taking hold of Roy's hands and glancing up to look in his eyes. "Roy, Roy, it's all going to be just fine. Date or not, I say flowers can't hurt. I also say that I think Madeline and I have more than enough time to go shopping with you for an outfit today, if you wanted to. And I don't think you need to get your hair cut, but that's more for you. Would you feel better if you had your hair cut? Putting your best foot forward is a little for her to see that and a little for you to feel confident doing so.”

Shopping? That just seemed like something that would make Roy more nervous. “Just be you. You don’t need to change yourself for someone. I mean, if you want a hair cut, then get one, and just wear something presentable, which you have. I agree with the flowers though. Flowers are always nice. Go with flowers.”

Roy glanced upwards a little, reaching up to tug his fingers through his hair. "I don't know--does it look like I should cut it?" he asked, trusting their opinion more than his own. I just don't know that I do have anything all that presentable. Functional, maybe, but something to take a woman who deserves the best out in? Probably not." He sighed. "I am probably going to fail on all of this, but I don't know. I want to try. I just don't know quite what that should entail." He looked between the both of them. "...you probably don't know this but I volunteered when I was barely seventeen. I didn't exactly get a lot in the way of dating experience before I left. And by that I mean I didn't get any, really."

Shoshannah shook her head. "Your hair looks fine, great. Only cut it if you want to. Amelie wouldn't have agreed to this evening out with you if she didn't already see things in you that she liked." She shook her head. "You are not going to fail, Roy. This isn't a challenge. It's a night for you and Amelie to enjoy each other's company." She listened when he talked about enlisting, surprised that he'd been so very young when he had. "Roy, dating experience or not, you're going to be just fine. And we're here to help anyway we can.”

“I’ve never been on a date either, don’t worry,” Madeline said helpfully, wondering how he was able to enlist so young but, again, it didn’t seem like the appropriate time to question this. “But you’re supposed to have fun, Roy. It’s supposed to be hanging out with someone you like. “Just be a friend, don’t try think you have to make a move. It’s enjoying someone’s company.” She smiled encouragingly and came over to wrap her arm around his shoulder in a half-hug. “I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl if you’re this head over heels for her, and I’m glad that you’ve found her again, but don’t stress yourself out.”l

Roy hugged her in return, grateful for their advice. It had been why he had gone to them to start with. "I just don't want to mess things up. I never thought I'd see her again in the first place, I want it to be special." he paused, then sighed. "at the risk if sounding as pathetic as I likely am...I want her to think I am special."

"She won't be able to not see you that way, Roy. You are special. And you aren't pathetic, not in the slightest." Shoshannah smiled at him again. "I don't think you'll mess things up. You should have faith in yourself, Roy. Anyone would be lucky to have your company, Roy. Amelie will love the date, really. Just remember to have fun. You like her so being around her should be fun, not something for you to worry over." She said, reaching out to touch his arm a little with a reassuring smile.

“Exactly. You’re an awesome guy Roy. Anyone would be stupid not to see that. Don’t psych yourself out. It’ll be just fine.” Madeline felt so bad that he was so nervous about it when he didn’t need to be.

The little bit of contact helped, as did both of the girls’ encouragement. This was what he’d needed, that support he’d been confident he’d get from them. Sometimes someone just needed to have some support and guidance, and he was definitely getting that. “Don’t know what I’d do without you two.” he told them both, that fully grateful feeling clear in his tone and demeanor.

"I think you'd do just fine, but I'm glad we get to help." Shoshannah smiled again, squeezing his arm gently. "Do you want to take a walk to the restaurant Madeline suggested? It's just down the street and this way you can get a feel for it before the big day? We could even show you the layout of the show if Madeline's finished drawing it up, that way you'd get to know where everything was if you wanted.”

“Let the show be a surprise!” Madeline scolded Shannah a bit. “It won’t be any fun if he knows where all my paintings are.” Although... She looked at Roy a bit sheepishly. “Unless you really want to, then I guess I could show you.”

"She said she was going to cook." Roy repeated, though he didn't seem annoyed about having to. He smiled at Maddy, laughing a little. "If you want them to be a surprise, then we'll go with that." he said. "But I still say I'm going to buy one of them at some point." Possibly when he brought Amelie there. "Any advice in general for me?"

"Oh, of course!" Shannah said with a little laugh, shaking her head at herself. The thought of having Roy happy and on his date had gotten in the way of her remembering that Amelie had wanted to cook. "General advice? Not to act too differently than you do around her already. She already likes you for you, there's nothing you need to do outside of what you would normally do that would make her happy, I think.”

“You realize I knew her when I was in the middle of a war...” Roy said. “So I don’t think acting the same will really work...it’s just...it’s a different life entirely.” he explained. “But I get what you mean, I suppose. I’ll try not to be too odd. But ‘normally’ for us is different than anyone else.”

"Then be yourself now, I suppose. I guess what I'm saying is you don't need to act differently on purpose. You just need to be the person you're comfortable being. And, of course, introduce her to us when you bring her to the showing." Shannah said with a little grin. "Who you are now, Roy, is a great person, just like I'm sure is the same for who you were in the war. That's what's fun about this, you learn new sides to people all the time and each of them is a part of who that person is. You are one of the best people I know," She said as she squeezed his arm, "And everything will work out fine, especially if you don't try too hard. If you're just comfortable, things work out the best way.”

"Wouldn't dream of not doing so." Roy said, having fully intended on that in the first place. He wasn't sure he was such a great person or worthy of the praise she was throwing in his direction, but he needed it at the moment. And if she believed that, even after he dropped three people in her gallery, then maybe he was alright. He could hold onto that.