callmeaprincess | Inbox for labyrinthum

[The message is deceptively brief and casual.]

Hey, Jasmine. Was wondering if you'd be willing to come over tonight, maybe a little after sunset. I want you to try a new dish.

[And the best part is, it wasn't even a lie. Maybe not the entire truth, but... well, she'd find out when she got there, right?

Fortunately, Phillip and Beast are out of the house when she arrives- even Abu and Carpet seem to have gone over to the Flower Cottage to spend time with Rajah.

When Jasmine comes over, the door will be answered by Aladdin, alone in a candlelit house, with the smell of freshly baked pastries in the air. He's even dressed in one of his nicer outfits for the occasion. He gestures her in with a bow.]

Good evening, your highness. Please, come in.

[He's got a teasing smirk on his lips, turning the formal greeting into a mild joke.]

[That message gets a simple reply:]

I was hoping you would ask.

[Which, of course, means she's right at his house on time, perhaps even a little early. Look, he hadn't arrived yet by this time last year, and now she wants to make up for it by getting enough loving from him to appease the moon on their own.

Well, um, maybe not that much loving, they still need to, uh... n-nevertheless, they need all the help they can get if the wolves return this year. Yes. That.

She's easily distracted from this thought by Aladdin's fine courtship, which she promptly returns with a curtsy in the kaftan dress that Aurora gifted her for Christmas.]

Why, it would be a pleasure, sir. Your home smells absolutely exquisite.

[As she comes inside, he's more than a little distracted by how nice her outfit looks.

Maybe he wasn't as slick as he thought with that recipe thing. He should have known better.]

Oh, that's just date cake and baklava, nothing special.

[And there went the suave and cocky demeanor. Not that he wasn't proud of those recipes, but he's made them for her loads of times.]

I, uh, got you something.

[Shocking.]

["Nothing special" her foot, Aladdin. It's about as not-special as her face coming really close to his with that come-hither grin she likes to pull on him.]

Who's the chef of the house? He must be expertly trained.

[She raises her brow at the next part.]

You mean it's not the dinner?

[Her face so close to his in the warm fire-glow of the candles is... certainly...

Ahem. He seems to pull himself together and stop staring after she asks the question.]

Oh, no, the main course doesn't take long to make. I wouldn't even want to start it before you got here.

[Well, he'd had the meat marinating in an icebox for a while before she arrived, but that's not really 'cooking,' after all.]

Besides, we've got plenty of time, right?

Plenty of time for... what?

[Usually they go other places on dates, so she genuinely thought they'd just be enjoying a meal. What could he possibly have planned for her while they're all alone here-

He... he couldn't actually be considering-

Or is it just wishful thinking-?

For no apparent reason, her cheeks are rapidly changing to a shade of red as she attempts, likely in vain, to smile at her fiancé like she wasn't just having unseemly thoughts about him.]

I mean, you're spoiling me plenty, don't you think?

[...Wait- oh. Oh! Oh, no, he didn't even think- oh, that wasn't what he meant. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to him, of course, but he was trying to ignore it. Ahem.

And now he's also extremely awkward, glancing at the floor.]

I-I just meant, y'know, we can take our time and not rush the meal.

[He grins at her again, quickly moving on from the... uncomfortably warm moment.]

Besides, maybe you're worth spoiling a little sometimes.

[Right, of course that's what he meant!]

Y-yes, we can take our time... we have all the time in the world, what does it hurt to...?

[They have been waiting three years already.

The thought makes her pause. She's been stuck at this place for a whole year, and with no sign that she and Aladdin will return any time soon. How much longer will they have to wait? What if she returns and their marriage gets delayed even more?

What if Aladdin returns and she's stuck here, still having to wait-?

No, she can't think about that. She clears her throat and slowly, carefully, settles herself down in a chair.]

Um... s-so, what is this "something"?

[Oh! Right. He should actually, uh, get those gifts, huh.]

I actually got you two things. Here.

[He ducks into the little kitchen area and fetches two boxes- one broad and flat, one compact but thicker, both with bows tied around them.

The bows are very carefully tied, but the ribbons are a little mussed- clearly a lot of attempts went into this.]

I hope you like them.

[She takes a moment to admire the packaging - he really did put a lot of effort into all of this. It more than makes up for his absence last year during the love festival.]

You really do spoil me, you know.

[...This is when she realises that, in her excitement to get here, she completely forgot about her gift to him, so she'll have to slyly slip that in later.

She starts opening the big box first.]

Edited (Adjusting in accordance to previous tags) 2024-05-15 04:30 (UTC)

You're worth it.

[There's a grin on his face as he says it, and he's watching her reaction like a hawk.

The big box, it turns out, is an assortment of chocolates and small confections.]

I, uh, hope I didn't get any you don't like.

[Since he's watching her so intently, he'll see the smile out of her corner of her mouth when he says she's "worth it". Then notice her entire composure visibly melt when she sees the sweets. This - this right here is what she wanted last year, when she was all alone at the love festival, learning to make chocolates for the love of her life who wasn't even there to enjoy them.

She did finally get to, stubbornly, gift them when he arrived, with the box wrapped in fine red and purple~~, not that he'd know what those colours meant~~. But this is different; this is when they were meant to be given, and this time it's to her. It's like a void has been filled, one that threatened to overwhelm her some months ago when they were apart again.

Her eyes sparkle in the light - it's hard to tell if from admiration or because she's close to crying, but her smile's widening so it must be a good thing nevertheless.] Aladdin... they're beautiful. This alone is more than enough.

Ahh, it's just some chocolates. I didn't even make them myself.

[He's clearly a little flustered when she says that, rubbing the back of his neck.

The other present, a smaller and thicker box, turns out to be another jewelry box- a simple gold bracelet. It doesn't specifically match the earrings he gave her for Christmas, but it was obviously chosen to go with them.]

But you chose them, Aladdin. And that's what makes it-

[She stops herself as she opens the smaller box and spots the glimmer of gold. Pulling out the bracelet, she holds it against her wrist to better see it in the candlelight. She is not materialistic for a princess... but she always has a soft spot for her fiancé's jewellery gifts. Other suitors gave them to make a statement, but he always says, "It reminds me of you."

Like she was about to say, it's the thought that counts.

Instead, she says softly:] ...It matches the earrings.

That was the goal.

[... He's trying not to be too smug about her reaction, so instead he'll just take this moment to nudge the pastries toward her.]

Here, feel free to snack, I'm just gonna go get dinner started. Don't worry, it won't take long.

[Besides, he's got some uncomfortably distracting ~~hormones~~ feelings from the conversation, so he's just gonna take the time to calm down.]

Thank you. [There's enough heartfelt weight in those words to mean both the gift and the offer.

He knows how much she loves pastries, and the one she tries is no different; there's a soft noise of appreciation after the first bite. No doubt about it, Aladdin knows what he's doing. But does she...?

Oh right, his gift!

She stands up suddenly and sets down the pastry.] I'll be right back! [And out the door she goes.]

Uh... y-yeah, sure!

[Oh, man, that was weird. Was she upset? Did he upset her? What did he even do?

He forces himself not to overthink it and instead just focuses on his cooking. It's not easy, though, and he's a lot more quiet as he cooks.]

[Thankfully, since they're neighbours, she doesn't take very long. So about ten minutes later, she lets herself in, and Aladdin will notice two things very quickly.

Firstly, she's put on the bracelet he just gifted her, and her earrings have been swapped out with his Christmas present.

Secondly, she's placed a small wrapped box next to the plate of pastries as if it were the most casual gesture in the world. By the time she speaks, she's already back in her original spot.]

Take your time. I can wait. [She emphasizes this by sampling more food.]

[Well, it was a quick dish anyway, at least the direct cooking part- by the time she's back, he's already nearly finished.]

Just a couple more minutes!

[...he really needed to stop overthinking it, this was meant to be a romantic evening.]

[She happily finishes another pastry and peers over - just what is he preparing, anyway?]

The appetizer is so good, the entrée must be a masterpiece.

[Something about the way she says that is very distracting, and for a moment he nearly forgets that he's cooking. Fortunately, he catches himself before he messes anything up.

Ahem.]

I'll let you be the judge of that.

[There. Cocky as ever, as he takes the pan off the heat and lets the meat rest as he puts finishing touches on the side, aaaand-

A couple of minutes later, he emerges with two plates. Herb-crusted lamb chops with a simple fattoush salad. He sets one down in front of Jasmine, sets the other in front of his empty chair. The plating is simple, but he almost certainly put way too much thought into it anyway.]

What do you think?

[Her smirk widens into a grin, because she's genuinely impressed by the arrangement. Not only does the dish remind her of Agrabah, but she'll never complain that he puts "too much" thought into the plating.

Of course, even with the grin, her eyelids are only half-lifted, conveying that flirtatiousness she loves to give when she wants to tease him mercilessly.]

Looks like the finest chef's special.

Ah, it's not that special, really...

[He averts his gaze awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck, and his eyes land on-

A box. One he didn't put there. Uhhhh....

Okay well that's for later.]

A-anyway, eat! It's not just to look at, heh heh.

[She just gives him a coy smile before touching her plate. She tries the salad first, impressed by the variety of flavours she recognises. Next the lamb, which is just the right amount of tenderness with delightful seasonings. All of these observations are made known to the host with varying noises of pleasure with each bite.

Of course, that doesn't stop her from stealing glances his way - partly to keep an eye on whenever he decides to open his present, but also just to catch how he's handling her reactions.]

[He's clearly very preoccupied with watching her like a hawk to make sure she's enjoying it- at one point, he's apparently been 'cutting' the same piece of his lamb for about thirty seconds straight.

Fortunately, the feedback is all positive, so eventually he seems satisfied to start eating properly. He's not touching the gift just yet- it seems rude- but he's given it a few anxious glances during the meal.

Once he's done, he gives her a grin as he cleans up the plates, and he finally addresses the elephant in the room.]

Is that for me?

Inbox for labyrinthum

Text (un:Aladdin) -> Action, February 14th

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