Coco Pommel wasn't an outgoing person. In fact, she was very much the opposite. She was shy and didn't like confrontation. This often made her a pushover, something her previous boss, Suri Polomare, took advantage of regularly. And, unfortunately, something her current boss and old friend Rarity takes advantage of without meaning to.
Coco owed Rarity a lot. She helped her out of her old job and out from under Suri's thumb. She gave Coco a job in an industry she was passionate about and helped her to improve her craft. Rarity was truly generous. But, as it turned out, that was a double-edged sword. Coco likened it to Rarity having the instincts of a bully. That made it sound bad, but it was true. Rarity can seemingly pick out someone vulnerable with a look. Of course, she used this power to assist others instead of preying on them, but there was a drawback.
Why would the vulnerable say no?
Coco knew this question well. She asked herself such a question every time Rarity offered to help her in some way.
Getting away from Suri?
Why deny the help?
Want a job?
How can I say no?
Coco was so grateful for everything Rarity did for her. But… there was a limit. And Coco finally hit that wall. Not hard enough to outright reject anything, but hard enough to cause an issue for herself.
It had started early in the week. A quiet Tuesday to enjoy for most. Unfortunately, Coco's day hadn't been the best. The night before, she'd been reminded of her single life on Valentines Day. Sure, sale chocolate was nice, but eating it alone was depressing at times.
This time, she had the discounted chocolate with her as a snack on her break.
First mistake.
Then the reminder hit her about her lack of relationship.
Second mistake.
“Darling!” Rarity walked up to her as the day had been winding down. “May I have a moment of your time?”
“Of course.” Coco didn't think twice.
Third mistake, and the one that sealed her fate.
As they walked through the back area and to Rarity's official office, Coco had wondered where this was going. She hadn't expected what followed, and just what it would do to her for the rest of the week.
Rarity started with such idealistic romanticism. “I want to start by saying you're not in trouble. I have noticed that your work seemed to slow down, but it's still well within what you're expected to do.”
Okay, that's good. Admittedly, Coco was concerned she might have messed up. But she appreciated that Rarity was the type to explain something like that ahead of time. “Then, what's wrong?”
“Given the time frame, it's clear to see what is.” Rarity simply responded with a flip of her hair, “I must admit it surprised me, but I hadn't expected you to have been single, or that it would affect you so much.”
“Oh! Uh… it's really not a…”
“Nonsense!” Rarity cut her off. “I know you like to let these things pass without speaking up, but I want to assist you if possible.”
“Well, thank you, but…”
“No need to thank me.” Rarity waved off the very idea. “As such, I wanted to help you find someone. If you want, I'm prepared to set you up with a wonderful gentleman.”
Coco felt her eye twitch. Should I say something? But I'm not getting anywhere on my own.
Mistake four.
Rarity clapped her hands, accepting Coco's silence as a go ahead. “Don't worry. I have plenty of experience with matchmaking.”
This was… true. Rarity had played matchmaker for most of her friends and helped the others with their current, admittedly strong relationships. Still though! Was she really going to just let someone else try to find love for her? She sighed internally. She knew she couldn't speak up without a reason (even if she actually had one but didn't recognize it as such).
Rarity nodded once with determination. “Don't you worry, darling! I'll find you the perfect gentleman.”
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Rarity didn't take very long to find one. The next day, she told Coco about this ‘wonderful gentleman’ she'd found for her. She'd gone on to set up a date for them to the new, fancy restaurant that opened on Fifth Street. Coco had wanted to try the food there, but always felt awkward about going alone. Silver linings?
Coco made a point to at least be told something about her date. The first thing she learned was that he was younger than her. Apparently he was the same age as Rarity's sister. Not too bad… Coco's own parents had a larger age gap, so she didn't bat an eye. Plus, that meant he was at least eighteen by this point. She didn't expect Rarity to set her up with a child, but it was still good to know.
Second was his family being military. Good sign. Until she learned he had a rebellious streak at one point. She had to follow up and make sure he wasn't some over-the-top ‘screw all military they're a bunch of murderers’ types. Coco's father was an army veteran and she was not going to deal with that. Thankfully, Rarity confirmed he looked up to his brother in the Air Force and the rebelliousness was a result of his high school trying to force him to determine his future quickly instead of letting him have time to consider it. She could sympathize with that at least…
She was still dreading the date in question, however. She'd had little say in making it happen and she couldn't bring herself to try to stop it from moving forward. Rarity put so much effort in… She just sighed each day and prepared for the inevitable.
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Friday evening.
The day of her date.
Coco knew she had to put in effort for this. Even if she wasn't sure had taken the opportunity to use one of her personal designs. As such, she chose to use one of her personal dress designs. She took a breath as she entered the beautiful restaurant. She knew Rarity set the night up as a gift and she was able to explain that to the waiter. She was led to a balcony table (Rarity never knew how to hold back) and sat down looking out over the city. It might only be a second floor equivalent, but the restaurant was on top of a rather large hill, so she got a lovely view of the city as the sun was slowly sinking in the distance.
“Excuse me.” A voice pulled her attention to the man she presumed was her date. His skin was a light gray while his hair was a dark steel color. He had the decency to wear a black suit, white button up, and a black tie. It was fairly normal, which did help his violet eyes pop a bit more. “Are you here for a blind date?”
“Set up by Rarity?”
He chuckled, “Yeah. That's the one.” He reached his hand out toward her, “Nice to meet you. I'm Rumble.”
“Coco.” She shook his hand. She expected him to pull out the stops and play the gentleman type Rarity liked. But no. He didn't do the kiss-her-hand thing, but just let go and took his seat.
“Sorry if you were waiting for long. I got stuck in traffic. Apparently there was a pipe burst on Maple Street.”
She remembered a customer complaining about that earlier today. She nodded in understanding. “I guess it's not fixed.”
Rumble couldn't help but chuckle. “I wish they fixed things quickly. The pipe is fine now, but the road is still broken open and that could take a while to fix.”
Coco nodded before the waiter appeared. They both ordered a simple meal, nothing too expensive or large for either. As the waiter walked off, Coco also made it clear that she planned to pay for her half. He took that rather well. She knew that some guys took it as a point of pride to pay for the full date, regardless of economic situation. She also knew there were women pushing that to be standard, even if they earn more. Regardless, she was happy things started well.
As the appetizers arrived, it was time for the next step. Small talk.
“So,” she started, “what do you do for a living? Or are you going to college?”
Rumble finished a bite before answering, “I'm actually thinking about joining the Air Force like my brother did. But right now, I'm taking a year or two to work and get my bearings.”
Coco nodded. “That's fair.”
“How about you?”
“I work in fashion. Sort of.” Her confidence in that statement fell off. “I work in Rarity's boutique as her assistant. I have a few designs on the racks, but not that many.”
“I mean… that counts, right? As working in fashion.”
“I just didn't want you to think I thought I was famous or anything. I'm really not that special.”
“I mean, is that a bad thing?”
This confused Coco, causing her to pause for a moment. “What do you mean?” A part of her expected that he might try to push on the idea that she was special somehow. Try to get in her good graces. Now, she was curious what he meant.
“I mean…” he tried to find the right words. “It's not that bad, not being special. Especially this early, you know?”
“I'm not sure what you mean.”
Rumble tried to choose his words carefully. “Okay. I think I know how to put it. It's like this.” He had to pause as their food arrived. After they thanked the waiter, he continued, “If you hit it big in fashion this early, you'd be a genius. But geniuses get older like the rest of us. Difference is, once you're the same age as your peers…”
“You're just like everyone else.”
“Exactly.” He took another bite from his meal before he continued, “besides, I, personally, think it's more impressive to start at a lower spot and climb the mountain than it is to start half way up.”
Coco nodded, taking a bite to think. She'd never really thought about that. She looked at people like Rarity and everything she could accomplish so young and kept comparing what little Coco herself could do. It made her feel better if nothing else. She nodded with a slight smile. “I like that.”
After a slight pause, he assumed it was his turn to ask a question. He seemed to settle on a follow up, “Did you make that dress?”
“Is… is it bad?” She was a little nervous. Did he think it looked bad and that's how he could tell? He knew she worked for Rarity.
“No. It's not bad. I'm not much of a fashion guy, honestly.” He let out a light, but nervous chuckle. “I know some stuff like color combos, but that's about it.”
She nodded in understanding. “I'm guessing you care more for comfort over its design.”
“I mean… yeah. If it's not comfortable, why would you wear it?” He pulled against his tie slightly, clearly not used to wearing them.
She couldn't help but chuckle. “I guess I should feel special that you'd leave your comfort zone.” She joked, but to be fair, she understood. She liked to wear nice clothes out and about while focusing on comfort at home.
He let out a nervous laugh, “No offense, but if we weren't in a place this fancy, I'd probably dressed in a hoodie and jeans.”
“I suppose that's not a bad thing.” She felt a little awkward. She wasn't like Rarity, who could look good in anything. She swore that woman could turn shower curtains into a fashionable dress! “Fashion isn't just about fancy dresses and suits, after all. According to Rarity, it's about showing your best self.”
After that, they just started to enjoy each other's company. It was nice, getting to talk to someone. They didn't align with too many hobbies or anything, but it was kind of nice hearing about this anime thing. He sounded so passionate about this one about a family with a spy father, assassin mother, and a psychic daughter. Based on the premise, she's already considering looking it up. And, to be fair, he also indulged her in listening to her design ideas and possible methods to improve her craft. That said, good things don't last forever. They eventually finished their meals and set their bills to be paid.
While they waited, Coco found herself looking out over the scene beyond the balcony. She wondered about her future. Was she willing to have a follow up date? She wondered given she hadn't even set up this one. Can she set up her own?
He cleared his throat to get her attention. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“Sorry. I guess I'm just thinking.”
“About the date?”
“Kind of.”
Rumble nodded, as if he understood. “I've got an idea.” She watched as he pulled his phone from his pants pocket. “Why don't we exchange phone numbers. Maybe talk a little and figure out if we want another try. A date we would get to plan.”
Coco nodded with a smile, fishing her phone out of her purse. “It couldn't hurt.”
With the exchange made and test texts between them, they finally went their separate ways.
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The next Monday, Coco returned to the boutique with a brighter mood and a noticeable pep in her step. Of course, Rarity had to know how it went.
Before the store opened, Rarity slid over next to Coco, “So~? How did it go?”
Coco thought for a moment before she nodded once, “It was alright.”
“Just alright?” She seemed surprised. “Surely it must have been magical. A wonderful view of the city, enjoying the moment with a perfect gentleman. Lovely food.” She listed off each with a wistful tone.
Coco ended up sighing. “Like I said, it was alright. I wouldn’t call it ‘magical’ per se, but it was a fine first date.”
“First, eh?” Rarity’s mood improved, “Mayhaps a follow up is in the cards?”
“Rarity.”
“Yes, Darling?”
“I appreciate it, but I’d prefer to handle that particular topic on my own, please.”
There was a pause before Rarity simply responded saying, “Of course, Darling. My apologies.” There was another pause, before she just had to know. “But do you think…”
“We’ll see.”