Date Night Blues - Matchmaker 2025

Forge paces as he waits for the feather gel to dry. The soft glow of dusk quickly gives way to full night, and the lights come on. He checks the clock on the wall, the digital face glowing softly. The seconds tick by painfully into minutes. Then, as the prescribed time finishes, he continues.

The complex combs feel both familiar and alien in his paws. He works them through his ruff, and down the sides of his neck, and hummed in blatant insecurity. Why is this so hard? he wonders to himself, grumbling. His fur and feathers look like a mess in the mirror; all he can see is every imperfection, every feather out of place, his harpy crest looking bedraggled, his fur sticking out in angled tufts.

However, he knows it's not the case, it's just his insecurities bubbling up. Forge closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Remembering Kalahari hyping him up around the stunning ketucari, him eyeing her back as she approached him from across the mall. Kalahari giving him an affectionate nudge as he somehow managed to secure a date with her.

Don't let it get to you, if she didn't like what she saw, she wouldn't have asked for a date. Or… looked at you like that. Forge thinks to himself, leaning against the sink in the hotel room.He opens his eyes, and sees a bold colored toa with stunning sky colored eyes. Crest angled proud and sharp, fur fluffed in all the right ways.

He grounds himself in seeing himself as he is, who he wants to be, and not the insecurities that lashed out like vipers. Easier said than done, but he manages. The sure grin creeps up his face, showing his teeth. He reaches for a bottle of dry fur conditioner, and rubs into his ruff and neck with joy.

Then he continues combing his fur, puts a dab of light hold gel in his fur along his crest, and admires his work in the mirror, all doubts shoved into a box for the night. As he steps out of the bathroom into the room and strikes a pose, Kalahari gives an appreciative purr.

"You look fantastic, Forge, as stunning as that ketucari you're meeting tonight," his eyes crinkle as he smiles, "I'll make myself scarce until tomorrow morning," he says, his eyes shining almost like glass.

Something about it pulls at Forge's heart, but he doesn't have the space to analyze it. Later, he thinks.

"Thank you, but I don't know how this'll go. But just in case I have some gold if you want your own room?" he offers.

Kalahari shakes his head slowly with a chuckle, smile unwavering on his face, "Sorcha wants to watch some vids, and since it's been so long, we have a lot of backlog to get through. She already ordered food, so I'll be headed to her place after you leave."

Forge nods his head, "let me know if there's anything good to watch before we leave."

"I hope you have a good time Forge," says Kalahari, getting up off the bed and heading towards the door.

"You too, Kal, you and Sorcha both," Forge responds warmly with a core of ice. It confuses him, but he shoves it away.

Then, Kalahari leaves, and he's alone with himself, again. The insecurity tries to worm back in and he only halfheartedly bats it away. He wants to shout for reasons he can't articulate and doesn't understand. His tail lashes behind him as he paces. Mercifully, the alarm on his watch goes off, reminding him to leave to make it to the restaurant in time.

He throws himself out the door, and looks forward to seeing her again.