1x1 with Aato

[wannabehippie]

Cope was jerked out of her sleep by a slamming door. "Huh?!" She mumbled and tried to open her eyes to see who it was.

"Copeland Renee, where were you last night?!" She mother yelled at her, her face red with anger. She was pacing back and forth with her hands crossed over her chest

"I spent the night with Brice because he got a bit tipsy and i drove him home then i was going to come back but he begged me to stay with him." She said, now fully awake. She had never seen her mother this mad at her and frankly, it scared her.

Sarah pacing slowed and she sighed and sat on Copelands bed "Sweetie, i think maybe you and Brice are moving too fast. It hasnt even been a month and you are spending the night with him and he is spending the night with us. I know he is your first boyfriend but, dont you think its time to slow things down a bit? Im not saying i dont like the boy, i just dont want you over there without us knowing, especially since we havent met his parents." She said and rubbed Copelands shoulder. Sara smiled brightly "Text him and see if him and his family would come over for dinner tonight."

Copeland listened to her words and she was right, they were moving a bit too fast. When she told her to text Brice, she pulled out her phone. Can u and ur family come to dinner tonight? she pressed send and waited

[Aato]

Brice was in the midst of making himself food, standing in front of the stove next to a boiling pot of congee... because this stuff never got old. He had the TV in the anteroom on a music channel and was just sort of enjoying himself as he did silly dances in the kitchen and waited on the food. Though, he was startled by the loud 'thdrrr thdrrr' of his phone vibrating on the coffee table. His attentions turned to the living room and he immediately jogged to scoop up his phone.

He saw that he had a new text and swiped his finger across the screen a couple of times before his eyes scanned it. As he began typing his response, he slowly shuffled back into the kitchen. Um... gimme a sec to talk to them & I'll text back. He pressed send then looked back to the stove. He turned the fire down on the food, then exited the kitchen to head upstairs. Besides, it had been a while since he'd heard anything from his parents...

He went to his parents room and stared the closed door up and down for a moment. Though, he noticed it wasn't completely shut and decided to enter, pushing his way inside. He walked down the short entryway that let out into the rest of the room. "Mama! A-pah--" He paused and gasped as he turned the corner. "Aiya!" His hand flew to shield his eyes. Catching a glimpse of your parents making out was never fun.

"Oh! Brice!" Eileen jumped slightly, sort of pushing her husband away, and then looked across the room at her son in a bit of shock.

Chaojian only chuckled and shook his head before sighing. "I'd scold you for not knocking, but I think you've been punished enough... What do you want, Brice?"

"But the door was--! Never mind..." he sighed. He let his hand linger over his face. "Copeland texted me... She wants to know if we can go to her place for dinner tonight."

"That sounds wonderful." Eileen beamed. "I think it'd be interesting to meet her folks."

Chaojian nodded slowly and a hand moved to stroke his chin as he looked off in thought. "Yes... That's fine... Or they can come here... Yes, you can put the option up for them to come here if they prefer, but otherwise, yes." He then looked back at Brice and rolled his eyes. "Get your hand off your face. You look ridiculous."

"Sorry, a-pah, that's physically impossible right now. But, um, okay. Thanks. I'll text back and let you know what she says."

With that, he turned and started back to the door, moving his hand from over his face. He then began texting her again. It's fine, but a-pah also said your fam could come here if they wanted. Either way is fine. He pressed send just as he stepped out of the door to his parents room and leaned along the rail of the balcony with the phone in his hand as he waited.

[wannabehippie]

As she waited, Cope leaned back on her headboard and closed her eyes. When her phone buzzed she jumped slightly then looked at it "He said we can go there or they can come here." She looked at her mother, eyeing her carefully.

Sarah thought for a minute, "We can go there, Jake cant go because i know he wont be on his best behavior and you and him always argue when we leave the house and he doesnt like Brice that much." She said that last part a bit too casually.

Cope knew Jake didnt like Brice and Brice didnt like Jake so she would rather go over there. We are coming over there. Ill see you later. she pressed send then laid back down and closed her eyes.

Sarah left the room to tell her other daughter and her husband about the change of plans. She looked at Jake. "If you go, you and Cope will not argue and you will not argue with Brice and you will be respectful to him and his family." She glared at him. She knew her son had a short temper and spoke everything he thought without regret

[Aato]

(*Oooh, possible drama. I like.*)

Brice was checking a few other things on his phone when he got the text from Copeland. He looked at it and nodded to himself before leaning off of the banister. He walked halfway back into his parents' room, but didn't surpass the entryway.

"She said they'll come over here."

"Alright. Well, you should go ahead and get your clothes together." His father responded.

"...I'll get started on dinner," he overheard his mother murmur as she sounded like she was getting out of bed.

Brice just sort of nodded. "I will as soon as I finish eating." Then his eyes widened. He'd totally forgotten about the congee. "Okay, thanks. I'll, uh, get ready." With that he sort of bee-lined out of the room and darted down the stairs to the kitchen.

Luckily, he'd had it on low, but he still found that the porridge had begun to stuck to the pot. He groaned, then reached for a bowl, deciding he'd save what he could before he'd face having to clean that pot before his mother came down to cook.

[wannabehippie]

As the time went by, the family got ready. They got their showers, their clothes together and pampered themselves. Sarah walked through the upstairs "Hurry guys! We dont need to be late!" She called putting on her gold Micheal Kors watch. She got downstairs and slid her heels on. Her husband, Jake Sr. was already downstairs. "Oh Jake." She mumbled and fixed his tie. Sarah smoothed down her own ensemble. Jake Sr. jogged to the bottom of the stairs "Come on guys!" He called with his deep, masculine voice. Him and Sarah chuckled when the kids called back "Coming" at the sane time.

One by one they came down the stairs, Ashlynn wore a turqouise flower dress that was mid-thigh and pink heels. Jake wore khaki skinny-jeans, black Vans and a lavender button down that was tucked in. Cope was the last to come down the stairs. Her hair was curled and she would a cream and maroon colored dress that was short in the front and long in the back, her shoes were cream colored flats.

Sarah examined her family, she was all about first impression. She nodded in approval "We are all riding in the same car, my car." She grabbed the keys off the hook to her Range Rover then pushed everyone out the house. As they piled in the car she looked at Cope in the rearview mirror "Where does he live?" She inquired then started the car. Sarah pulled out as Copeland gave her directions. After many minutes, because Sarah drove very slow, they arrived at Brices house.

The family got out of the car and approached the front door. Copeland knocked and waited. 'This should be interesting.' she thought and closed her eyes

[Aato]

"Brice! Brice Tang!"

He cringed under the sound of his mother's voice as he finished pulling on and buttoning the jacket to his suit.

"Are you ready?" She called.

He only sighed then left his room, trotting down the stairs. His mother was in the kitchen, just finishing up some last minute sauces and sides. She was clad in a dark brown v-neck dress that extended down a little past her knees and the collar didn't cut too low. The edges of it, including the sleeves and collar, were trimmed in thin brown and cream ruffles.

"Yes?"

She looked up and got ready to bark her order, but stopped to smile. "Oh... You're so handsome," she beamed.

Brice just sort of scoffed with an awkward smile. "Thanks, mom..."

"Now," she began, tone stern again, "go set the table. Here," she pointed to small bowls of rice already prepared. "The rice is there. Just put out the plates and table mats, and utensils... Your father said don't forget the chopsticks so they have an option. Remember - get the disposable ones!"

He nodded attentively then carefully stacked the bowls up in his arms before leaving the kitchen for the dining room. He sat the bowls at the table's end, then grabbed the mats from one of the cabinets in the dining room. They were awfully girly, he thought, but he supposed it didn't really matter... He counted in his head as he prepared each place at the table, laying down a mat, then grabbing a plate and bowl of rice. He set the silverware appropriately, then laid the sleeved wooden chopsticks above the plate. He set up the rest of the spots that way and just as he was finishing, his mother had begun bringing the dishes from the kitchen and placing them in the center of the table.

There were an array of Taiwanese dishes, but also some Western ones like quiche, fried wings, fried fish, coleslaw, and biscuits. Eileen knew what it was like to have to become accustomed to a new palate -- it wasn't easy -- and honestly, there were still some Taiwanese things she refused to eat. So, she had also made sure she made some of the more palatable dishes, like dumplings, potstickers, rice porridge, spring rolls, and so on. She had to admit that she was a little self-conscious about the octopus legs on the table, but maybe they'd overlook that for the rest of the food she had made. She couldn't omit them; they were Chaojian's favorite.

"Brice!"

As soon as he finished setting the last place at the table, his father was calling him. On his way from the dining room, he almost ran into him. He was dressed in a plain brown suit. He thought it was interesting how they all kind of matched...but knowing his parents, they probably did that on purpose.

"Brice, get the guest slippers."

"Aw, a-pah, really?"

"Yes. Check that they are clean, then lay them in front of the door for when they arrive, so they can put them right on. ...Unless you want to have to vacuum later."

Brice just sort of groaned before heading toward the little storage closet near the door. Chaojian just sort of chuckled and followed after him.

"It's fine. No one wants to hang around in stuffy dress shoes anyway while enjoying a meal. Now," he paused, "remember the mien-tzu."

"What?" Brice stopped briefly and hiked an eyebrow as he was laying down the pairs of house slippers.

His father just sort of sighed. "Face, Brice. Remember to give and save face... Don't lose face. We're all in the business of respect and impressing. You want to make sure you put the best forward for her family."

He nodded. "Yes, a-pah, I know. ...I'm surprised you even wanted them to come over. I thought you were going to suggest we eat out."

Chaojian shrugged. "I know it's not custom until we're usually very close with a family, but I support you. She's a nice girl. So, this welcoming them into our home is just a bit more, um, giving face. Probably saving some too, just in case." He chuckled. "...Now, I'm going to go check on your mother." With that he walked off.

Brice was starting to feel a little anxious now. This was going to be a...night. He was just a tad annoyed with his father inputting all the cultural queues, but at least he wasn't going the whole nine-yards with it. He probably had to thank his mother for things being a little more 'normal'. The little bit they were doing was more than enough. He just hoped they didn't find it too weird. To have a sense of humor, though, he could only imagine the extreme urge of theirs to laugh when he came to the door in a full dress suit wearing slippers...even if they were black slippers.

At the sound of knocks on the door, his eyes widened and his head turned to the door. He quietly went up to it and looked through the peephole before turning back to shout quietly, "They're here!" As his parents stopped what they were doing and came to the door, he smoothed a few strands of his hair back into place. He then took a deep breath to relax his nerves and unlocked the door, opening it to see Copeland's family. He just sort of smiled sheepishly and his father was first to speak -- as it was customary for the oldest to greet first.

"Mister and Misses, thank you for coming to the Tang home. It's good to be able to finally welcome you and make your acquaintance." It was out of habit for him to do a slight bow, but he extended his hand for a shake right after. "I'm Chaojian, but if it makes you more comfortable, call me CJ."

Brice wanted to smack himself in the head. How could he forget to tell his parents their last name? He kept a straight face, though...

"Yes, and I'm Eileen." She swiftly brushed her blonde locks back. "It's a pleasure to have you," she added with a pleasant smile. "You're daughter's the perfect lady whenever she's here. Please, welcome yourselves inside."

And, of course, they left the last and most awkward part of the hosting job to him. "Thank you for coming, Mister and Misses Davis. You all look wonderful," Brice complimented with a wide smile. "If you will, um, please remove your shoes and welcome your feet to these comfy house slippers instead. Your shoes may stay inside by the door." They had all stepped aside as to not crowd the door so the family could make their way inside.

(*My fingers apologize to your eyes for that book I wrote. xD *)

[wannabehippie]

Copeland smiled brightly when Brice opened up the door, he looked so handsome but she would tell him that later. She soon heard her father speak. "Thank you for welcoming us into your home. You have an amazing son. This is my wife Sarah, my son Jake jr, and my daughter Ashlynn, you already know Copeland" He said bowing his head back then shaking CJ hand.

Sarah smiled at Brice's mother "Your home is beautiful." She said as she stepped in. The Davis family began entering the home and taking their shoes off, slipping their feet into the slippers. Ashlynn took in the aroma of the house "Dinner smells delicious Mrs. Tang." She said sweetly and clasped her hands together in front of her.

Jake ran his fingers through his hair. He was going to do what his mother said, or at least try to. He didnt want to be here at all but he thought he would try it for his baby sister. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched his father take off his dress shoes and put on the house slippers trying not to laugh.

Once they all had the slippers on, Cope decided to talk "You look very handsome Brice." She said softly and smiled at him. She was going to be extra sweet tonight because she had a feeling something was going to go wrong tonight. Copeland ran her hands over her dress trying to calm her nerves

[Aato]

"Thank you, dear. That's sweet." Eileen responded to Ashlynn.

"Let's go to the table, now. I think we're all probably ready to eat." Chaojian said and began leading them back to the dining room.

As everyone sort of began moving to follow his father, he turned to Copeland, a faint red tinting his cheeks at her compliment. "Thanks... You look really nice too. I could just eat you," he teased with a playful little growl.

"Brice."

He looked up and saw his mother nod for them to follow along with the rest of the group. He nodded then turned back to Copeland. "I promise, that lady never lets me have any fun," he whispered with a chuckle. "C'mon," he said before gently taking her hand to lead her to the dining room.

The rectangular table was set with one chair at each end and three chairs along the sides. Chaojian took a seat at one of the table's ends and Eileen took the first seat to the side of him.

"Do you wanna sit next to my mom, or should I?" Brice asked in a whisper to Copeland.

(*Food! (because I couldn't find just one I was happy with hahah):
Food 1
Food 2
Food 3 *)

[wannabehippie]

As her family followed CJ, Copeland stayed a few steps behind with Brice. When he growled she smirked "Oh, please do sir." She teased and bit her lip, blushing a bit. As her family began seating themselves, Jake sr. took the seat at the other end with her mother next to him, then Jake then Ashlynn.

Copeland thought for a moment "Ill sit next to her." She said and smiled. The night was good so far, Jake hadnt insulted anyone and hasnt started an argument with anyone. Cope looked at all the food. It all looked so good, she was sure her family was going to ask for to-go plates.

[Aato]

Brice nodded and pulled out the seat for her. Hey - he was going all out with the manners and etiquette tonight. He wanted this to go perfectly. With her seated next to his mother, that left him sitting closest to her parents...which wasn't really bad. He'd met them before and they seemed to like him.

After Copeland was seated, Brice got ready to seat himself until he was halted by the call of his name.

"Brice, sweetie, the glasses, please. I forgot them. ...And the bottles. They're next to each other in the fridge."

He nodded and scooted his chair under before going to the kitchen. He first returned with the wine glasses, settling each one next to everyone's plate then disappeared into the kitchen again. He looked in the refrigerator and found the two bottles that his mother had requested -- one with characters written down the bottle, obviously some sort of alcohol, and one labeled as sparkling cider. He just sort of shook his head and rolled his eyes. He brought them out, sitting the cider in a free space on the table before holding and opening the alcohol. He served the adults first, giving them a moderate amount of the clear liquid in their glasses. He then placed that bottle down and picked up the other, serving cider to the teens in the same fashion. Once he finished, he finally took his seat and scooted under the table.

It took him a moment before he realized his parents were staring at him. He looked up in confusion. "...What?"

"You're the host tonight, Brice. We're waiting for you to serve yourself first." Eileen reminded him.

"Oh... Oh! Right."

His mother just sort of shook her head. He un-sleeved his chopsticks then began reaching for the various dishes, putting portions of them onto his larger plate. "...Everyone can start now," he stated a little awkwardly.