Foreword: This story was originally done as a roleplay between myself and Emanuel's owner. As English is not his first language, and French is not his OC's, I kept some of the errors he made to convey the language barrier, so if you're wondering why he talks like that, now you know.
=====
Evelynne fiddled with the lip of her purse nervously. She had nothing to be afraid of, she was certain, but she couldn't help it. Her father was kind, but... well, he was still a dad, and it was hard to know how a dad would act when another man was moving in on his daughter.
It would be fine, she told herself. It would be fine.
She had dolled herself up as much as ever for the occasion, in a sleek red dress that bared her shoulders and gleamed in the restaurant's artificial lighting. A matching beret completed the look, as was to be expected of her. Rather than jewelry on her neck, she had chosen a thin silk scarf that ran down just to the tip of her cleavage, only a little bit of which showed over the top of her dress. It did nothing to disguise the generous curve of her bust- or any of her no less generous curves, for that matter- hugging her hips and emphasizing her thick hourglass shape and restricting her walk to small steps. Glistening heels raised her just a little over Emanuel's height, and her ankles and wrists were both adorned with the gleam of polished silver jewelry. Barely visible under the cut of her short hair, diamond and silver earrings glittered like chandeliers, covered largely by her thick, straight black locks.
Her parents weren't much less showy than she was. Her father dressed in a smart white tuxedo that popped against any background in its cleanliness, with an imposingly ornate watch upon his wrist and shoes shone bright. Her mother shined as brightly next to him, wrapped in a tight golden dress that bared much of her muscular legs, and all of her arms. She paled in comparison to her daughter in every respect, save for the calm in her eyes. She knew how her daughter felt, and couldn't keep a hint of mischief from her glossy, yet aged lips.
Emanuel had not yet arrived, but he wasn't late, the family simply had a policy of arriving early so as to never be late. The same policy Evelynne lived by, instilled by her parents. They had chatted on the way, and so sat in patient silence, both Evelynne and her father watching the door for the arrival of Evelynne's special invitee.
The door of the restaurant soon opened delicately, betraying Emanuel's trepidation, he took two steps inside and stopped, self-consciously scanning the patrons to see where Evelynne and her family were.
He, himself, had gone for an elegant and frankly impressive black tuxedo for a man of his means. Not something he would typically wear, but this was a special occasion, and he had to make an impression. He had on dark brown shoes, shined bright, and although he looked elegant overall, his hair was as messy as always- but that was a part of his style, it was done that way on purpose. His most expensive silver watch adorned his right wrist, and in his left hand he clutched a bouquet of a variety of beautiful and colorful flowers.
When his eyes fell on Evelynne's distinct profile, he hurried toward the table, shoes scuffing lightly against the carpeted floor in a way that gave away the fact he wasn't accustomed to... well, any of this. But he wasn't unhappy, and with his eyes on his girlfriend, he was consumed only with two thoughts: his infatuation with her, and the burning self-consciousness that came with the prospect of meeting her father- magnified tenfold by the man's imposing... well, just about everything.
Evelynne's father, Louis Moreaux, rose to his feet and extended his hand as Emanuel approached. Evelynne flinched reflexively as he did, but she stopped herself, just gripping her purse more tightly. In spite of herself, she couldn't help but smile, and her makeup did nothing to hide the blush as she took in the sight of her boyfriend looking so handsome. The hair was a little out of place, but she couldn't deny it gave him a cute, sort of endearing look. Her mother gave her a little wink and she stifled a giggle.
"Emanuel," Mr. Moreaux greeted, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
Emanuel held out his hand, greeting him and bowing his head a little, a small custom that he had acquired from his habit of watching anime. His legs trembled slightly, feeling weak. If this was not the single moment he had been the most nervous in his entire life, well then it must be the second.
"Th-the pleasure is mine, M-Monsieur Moreaux," he responded, growing even more embarrassed by his nervous stutter.
"Hmm," the man hummed amiably, and released Emanuel's hand, gesturing to the empty seat as he took his own. Evelynne smiled eagerly at him, sitting in the spot next to the available seat, her mother on the other side, with the man of the family facing Emanuel. "I understand you are nervous," Mr. Moreaux continued, glancing at Evelynne. "Both of you are." He sat back in his seat, relaxing slightly, "I would tell you not to be, if I thought it would help at all," he continued with a slight chuckle. "I will tell you the truth, I have high standards. But I also know how much my little Evelynne has been waiting for this day, and I trust her not to make a stupid decision. So I will tell you right now that you have already made a good impression on me, Emanuel." He spoke informally to him, as was custom in France for the senior to do, while retaining his reserved manner. He expected politeness and respect, but nobody doubted Emanuel was capable of that. As he talked, his eyes lingered a moment on Emanuel's hair, and Evelynne's chest tightened slightly as she recognized the barely perceptible twinge of apprehension in her father's face, but just as soon, he was back to smiling amiably and looking him in the eye.
Emanuel took a seat, his eyes drawn magnetically to Evelynne. She looked so elegant, and even if that was true of her every hour of every day, he still felt as impressed and enamored as ever by that fact. How had he been so lucky?
"I... I appreciate that you have taken the time to meet. I know you... may have a busy schedule, but at least let's make this time that we are together unforgettable." Emanuel commented in a somewhat nervous tone, but managing to keep himself calm enough. "I also appreciate your trust. I assure you that Evelynne did not commit a foolish thing by choosing me..haha" Emanuel added, sounding a bit calmer, he was determined not to disappoint Evelyn's father. "Oh and these flowers are for you Ms Moreaux," added Emanuel, extending his arm a little towards Evelynne's mother, holding forth the bouquet.
Evelynne's eyebrows- well, actually everyone's eyebrows- rose in surprise. Jeanette Moreaux, Evelynne's mother, accepted the gift gingerly in her weathered yet well-maintained hands. "Oh why thank you, young man, how lovely!" She laughed and inhaled deeply of them.
Louis's expression was one of approval. "You are a very well-mannered boy," he commented, folding his hands. "Don't you go stealing both of my women from me now," he joked.
Emanuel let out a slight laugh, the comment managing to calm him down slightly, in spite of the situation.
"Don't worry, your wife is beautiful, sir, but Evelynne is the one for me," Emanuel replied, joking back about it, sounding more confident and self-assured.
"Oho, do I hear wedding bells already?" The older man sighed with a little laugh and sat back a little. "Well, I think I have spoken over everybody enough. I'll take a back seat while we order- Honey, why don't you take up the interrogation?"
Mrs. Moreaux gave her husband a knowing look and picked up her menu. "Thank you very much for the flowers, Emanuel. I wish I had a vase to put them in right now- I hope they will still be fresh when we get home. They will look lovely on our kitchen table." She paused and perused her food options. "Since we are here to eat, why don't you tell us about your tastes in food?"
Emanuel smiled when he saw that everything was going well, much better than he expected. "Ah... My taste in food..." He blushed self-consciously. Even though he had already been dating Evelynne for a while, he still felt like her refined taste- and knowledge- of foods had yet to rub off on him. "To tell you the truth, Evelynne is the one who chooses for me, I'm afraid I'm not as knowledgeable about gastronomy as I would like to be." He scratched the back of his head- a little habit he had picked up from anime. "My favorite food is breaded shrimp, though," he chimed, hoping it would satisfy their curiosities for now.
