Let's Wine and Dine -- Elise

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Finn, for some strange reason, had agreed to sign up for this….blind date thing he had seen advertised in the Great Hall while on duty. The company had promised to do everything for him, including set a date, location and time. When Finn had received the owl that he was to accompany a woman to a wine tasting, his interest did peak a little. He was more of a cider drinker, but he enjoyed good wine every now and then. The best part was that the company was paying for the whole thing, so at the very least that awkward moment of who was paying what would be avoided.

Finn dressed in a black button down shirt and tan pants; he had decided to go neutral color wise in case the girl he was paired up with hated bright colors. There was no sense in scaring her off right away. He apparated to a small secluded area close to the winery but away from the prying eyes of Muggles. As the venue came into view, he felt a pang of nerves in the pit of his stomach. He’d gone on dates before, but never set up blindly like this. How was he supposed to know who to look for? Perhaps another person who was on her own and feeling slightly awkward like Finn. “Two for Jordan,” he told the woman at the front desk, who let him know his date hadn’t arrived yet. Trying not to think about the many ways this could go, Finn took a seat and inhaled deeply. He just had to be his usual, charming self. Easy, right? He just hoped whoever was his date for the day would be interesting to talk to.


@elise

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@finn

This was exciting! Elise had never done a blind date before, mostly because when she was back home there wasn’t time for that kind of thing. Between school, her various apprenticeships, and the bookstore, getting free time to do what she wanted was hard, even when her father insisted she go out and do stuff with people her age. Not her fault that she liked working and being around family. Now she didn’t have nearly as many responsibilities. A more regimented schedule meant being able to go out and do things. Like being social and meeting new people. Elise didn’t have a plan for this initially, though one fateful day she crossed by a small shop window in Diagon Alley that was emblazoned with advertisements for a match-making service. While that wasn’t exactly the type of interaction that she was looking for just yet, the store piqued her interest just enough for her to go inside and talk to the store owner. She liked to think that she wasn’t judgmental of anyone, but he was certainly an odd one. After a bit of showing off to her and explaining his services, Elise had detailed that she was new to the country and looking for friends. The man said he could do that, so she filled out her details and went on her way.

She had almost forgotten about it until she received a letter in the mail with details for the blind date. It was…wine tasting. That seemed a little odd to her, especially for trying to make friends, but the letter insisted that it was a blind date. Anything worked for her at this point in time. Putting the time and place down onto her wide open schedule (how sad was that?), she noted that the only other thing was that the reservation at the place was in the name ‘Jordan’. That was easy enough.

The fateful day came around, and she found that she was more nervous than she had initially thought she would be. Probably had something to do with it being a date and not what she had been led to believe it was. Still, it was something to do and she wasn’t one to back out. Leaving this Jordan fellow sitting on his own wasn’t what she was about. Off she went to the place, making sure to apparate close enough, but not too far away that it would take a while to walk. That was the trick with it being a non-magical establishment. Stepping inside, she stated that she was part of the Jordan party, and the hostess directed her towards the table. Her date was already there from the looks of it. She wasn’t late was she? A quick glance at her watch said she wasn’t, and that alone was enough to ease the sudden panic that was trying to set in. Taking a deep, she headed over to the table. Stopping in front of it, Elise kept herself from automatically introducing herself in French. She was still getting used to that. Everyone she had met seemed to understand though. “Hello. I’m Elise. Are you Jordan?” She offered her hand out to shake his, even though he was sitting down. “I’m not really sure how blind dates work so…”

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Finn looked up as a girl introduced herself to him and smiled. She was very pretty; and from the accent she seemed to have some French heritage. What was it about Finn and Frenchwomen? They must just be drawn to him he supposed. “Finn actually, Jordan’s my surname,” he responded, standing up and taking her outstretched hand. He bent low and kissed it swiftly, then came back up. “It’s nice to meet you Elise, and don’t feel awkward it’s my first blind date as well,” he told her, dropping her hand before offering her his elbow to take. “The first stop on our date today, from what the woman told me is a tour of the winery and learning how wine is made,” he explained, leading her over to a small gathering of people.

A bustling, robust gentleman was at the front and announced that there would be a few more people joining them, but that they had samplings of their new line of wines to taste while they waited. Not one to miss an opportunity, Finn walked over and grabbed two glasses, offering one to Elise. “Here’s to...a good day,” he toasted, clinking his class with hers before taking a sip. “So...may I start off asking what spurred the decision to sign up for this service?” Finn asked, curious how a girl who looked like that had trouble with dating.

@elise