Imrahil coughed hysterically as a cloud of dust rose from the floor. He was cleaning out the attic with Shade, or at least attempting to.
"Hey, what's this?" asked Shade, picking up a battered picture frame.
Imrahil took it from his hands and examined it with a sad smile. "This picture was taken the night of my first date with Tina."
Shade's eyes leapt upwards. "Really? Actually what is the story with that? I was out of the state back then, so I didn't know much about it."
"Well, it all started when..."
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-FIVE YEARS PREVIOUS-
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Imrahil fiddled nervously with his tie, stalking up and down the hallway like a caged animal.
"There's really no need to be nervous, dear brother." said Faenor lightly, taking a sip of tea. "You look fine."
"WHAT IF SHE WORE A SCARLET DRESS?!" screamed Imrahil, suddenly exploding, "IT'LL CLASH WITH MY TIE! IT'LL BE A DISASTER!"
He began pacing more vigorously then ever before. Faenor sighed, going back to his evening paper.
"So who is this mysterious girl, anyways?" asked Shiek, looking up from her smartphone. "All I heard was that she's a redhead. I mean, you and Shade seem to think that's enough to base a relationship on..."
"Barbarians!" exclaimed Ithilion vehemently, looking up from his Richard Dawkins book. "Basing a relationship on physical appearance?! Savages!"
Shiek rolled her eyes and giggled at Ithilion's overreaction. "But really, Imrahil, what's she like?"
"I don't know!" exclaimed Imrahil, "all I know is that her name is Tina, and she's gorgeous! I was in the store buying a gallon of milk, and she came out of nowhere to ask me out!"
"And you're sure this wasn't a strange dream you had?" Uncle James grinned.
"Well, we're going to find out in about two minutes." observed Faenor, consulting his watch.
"TWO MINUTES?! OH MY GOSH!"
There was a loud knock at the door.
"She's early." commented Faenor.
"AAAAAAAAGH!" screamed Imrahil, trying to dive into the basement. Faenor leapt up and grabbed him by the shoulders, dragging him towards the door. "Listen, dear brother," growled Faenor, "I've listened to you stress out about this for hours, and you're not going to chicken out now!"
Imrahil was thrown in front of the door. With a shaking hand, he opened it.
"IMMY!" exclaimed Tina, bursting through the door. "It's so good to see you!"
Imrahil merely stood slack-jawed at the gorgeous blue dress she wore. The rest of the family gaped, and even Faenor looked up from his tea for a moment. She was certainly beautiful
Uncle James was the first to recover. "Well, er, Ms..."
"Roberts!" she replied, her fiery hair shimmering as she turned towards him. "Tina Roberts!"
"My name's James Wiki, but most people around here call me Uncle James" he replied with a chuckle, "You seem like a nice girl. I'm sure Imrahil, here, will treat you like a perfect gentleman.
"I'm not quite all that, sir." she said, grinning, "honestly, I'm a bit of a wildcard."
"A wildcard, eh?" laughed James, "well, that's a new one on me! Oh! Before I forget, there's an important Wiki Family tradition. Do you mind if I take a picture of Imrahil and you before you leave?"
"Not at all!" exclaimed Tina, throwing her arm around Imrahil, who was still in shock.
"Say cheese!"
The camera felt like a flash-bang to Imrahil's overwhelmed senses. "Er... we'd better get a move on, Uncle James." he said at last, "You know, places to meet, people to go."
"Of course! Good luck, kids!"
Imrahil stumbled towards the door, opening it for Tina.
-
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Shade burst out laughing. "So that's what happened?"
Imrahil nodded, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Shade, give me a break. I hadn't adjusted to her spontaneity yet."
"How'd the date actually go?"
Imrahil shook his head with a smile. "That's a story for another time, Shade. Let's get these boxes moved downstairs."