THE MOMENT
"And the main course, the rarest steak I can make that's still considered 'cooking', for the lovely lady," Todd smirked as he gave the sealed meal to Lupe.
"Thanks, Todd!" She was genuinely appreciative. She had her doubts at the beginning of the year; but, by now she'd seen his abilities firsthand. Their team was doing well in the competition in large part thanks to Todd's cooking. She'd been quite judgemental about him initially and he simply proved himself over and over again until she started to change her mind. These days she considered him a friend and a valuable teammate. "It'll definitely come in handy," she nodded as she sent the food item to her storage. She didn't know if it was intentional or not, and she wasn't going to bring it to anyone's attention; but, she'd learned that quests take buffs into account. Quests were procedurally generated, and if she buffed up with a meal beforehand, she would get a higher-ranked quest and reward. It was part of the reason they were so high on the leaderboard. Although, even with her minor hacks, they couldn't quite reach the top spot. "I'll see ya," she waved as she turned to head out to adventure. They were currently in the kitchen, where Todd whipped up some meals for her.
"Oh, wait..., uh please?" Todd asked. "There's something I want to talk to you about," he said.
"Oh? What's up?" Lupe asked.
"I think...," Todd met her eyes. "... I have a crush," he said. Lupe tried her best not to laugh outright. It wasn't that he had a crush; but, the confession of it wasn't as smooth as she would've expected from him. He'd always been cool, calm, and collected for the most part, and for the first time she caught a glimpse of him being nervous. "... I mean, you're a girl and...," he shrugged. "I don't know how to even approach.. like romance?" he asked and Lupe did let a giggle escape that time.
"You're already thinking about it too hard," Lupe nodded. "Romance isn't a thing you 'approach'. You let it happen," she said. She wanted to encourage him and moved close enough to give him a friendly push by leaning into him. "Who ever she is, she'd be lucky to date you," she said.
"Thanks," Todd smiled sincerely at the compliment. They didn't come from Lupe too often, and it was nice to hear. "So... that's it? I just... ask?" he wanted to be sure he understood her advice.
"Yeah," she nodded. "OH! But, this is very important...," she said. "Ask her OUT. Make it clear you want a date between you two; don't invite her to do a quest together or do any of the holiday event stuff together. That can be misinterpreted, just be direct and tell her you want to go out. If we use me as an example, just say, 'Lupe, I'd like to go out with you, just the two of us," she said.
"That'll work?" Todd asked. Lupe shrugged.
"I can't guarantee it'll be a yes, but if it is a yes, then it worked," she smiled.
"I'm gonna practice, hold on..," he straightened his back, and was now slightly taller than her. He looked down and directly into her eyes. "Lupe, I'd like to go out with you, just two of us together," he said.
"See? Super easy," she replied and Todd even nodded.
"Yeah... I can do that...," he said.
"So.. who is she?" Lupe grinned and nudged him with her elbow.
"Vivi from the Chroma Club," Todd nodded.
"Awwww!" Lupe's face lit up. "She seems super sweet! I've never met her before, but anytime I hear her name it's because she did something nice for someone."
"Yeah," Todd nodded. "I hope she says yes...,"
[Meanwhile, in the Chroma Club lounge.]
"You know... I think I have a crush on Todd...," Vivi broke the silence and the only other person in the room looked up.
"Todd? From the Void Squad?" Alis asked. She and Vivi were working on separate projects together.
"Uhuh," Vivi nodded.
"I can see that, he's kind of cute," Alis nodded. After the short exchange, both girls resumed their individual work.