They ran through the material until everyone was satisfied, even Raz who turned out to be a little too serious at the time sit mattered. But in the end, Misty didn't think the music could get more perfect. Sure they could still grow and change, as fluid as their music. In this moment though, they had created something perfect. On the way out, she gave Grey a quick hug. "Don't let those guys scare you. You're amazing. Bye everyone!" she added loud enough for the other two to hear.

After saying their good byes, she drove home and found her eyes catching on her phone. Maybe it was the high from practice or the recent boost of confidence that Grey gave her, but she found she couldn't resist. She wanted to talk to Jae right now and nothing could stop that desire.

Snatching up her phone, she sent the text she wanted to send for days, but only now could. 'Hey! Miss me? :P'

Grey hugged Misty, feeling exhausted from the practice, and knowing that they'd be making progress towards recording, and sure that Jonah and Raz would be not he phone this evening, making use of the time to find a place to record and set up a date. Because they were ready, or as ready as they could get. He contemplated returning home after the particularly grueling practice, mostly just wanting a nap. But decided he deserved a reward in the form of a few more guitars picks, so he changed direction to head towards his favorite music store that always had a supply of less traditional and more cute picks.

Jae was dozing with one heck of a hangover lingering throughout her body as her phone pinged with an alert. She groaned turning to lift it up with a lazily, heavy hand to read the message, figuring it was just one of her friends, making sure she didn't drop off the face of the earth again. She nearly dropped the phone on her face as she set up in a rush. She stared at the message far longer than was really necessary, not sure to respond but knowing that she wanted to, even if the thought of Misty still clogged her throat up with fear.

After several moments of consideration, she finally typed in a response slowly, letter by letter, anxiety filling her as she pressed send on the words, 'I think that should be obvious.' . After a couple seconds hesitation, she sent a ';p' to make the message seem a bit more lighthearted than really what the words really meant.

Misty let her braids down and shook her hair out, enjoying the feel of wild hair, still full of kinks from the braid. Humming one of their songs under her breath, she flipped open the message, not the least bit worried about the time it took. As she read it though, her heart thumped heavily, like it wanted to fall to the floor, but couldn't get there. She stood in the middle of her living room, just staring at the message for a second. Jae missed her? Really missed her to the point that it was obvious. Oh.

She sat down, crossing her legs and starting a response even as the smilie came though, seeming irrelevant at this point. 'I'm sorry. The band just had our last big practice before we record so I was busy with that. I missed you too.' Sighing, she stared up at the ceiling as the message sent. She didn't really know how to respond. Jae seemed to feel differently now, but it was all so strange. Just talking to Jae eased her though and Misty hadn't even realized the tension in her. It was strange.

Jae sighed, deciding to just the change of subject, rather than dwell on the cloying need to be near Misty that she'd been attempting to stave off for the last several days. The text eased the need just slightly, and she focused on that, a slight reprieve, and maybe, for now, more than enough. She texted back, quicker this time, less hesitations now that the subject wasn't a little to close to home, 'Oh that's exciting! You all ready? Gonna kick some demo butt?' Trusting, as she sent the text that Misty wouldn't push her too far into emotional conversation right now, which perhaps was just more proof as to why the other girl was perfect for her, not that Jae would really acknowledge that yet.

The grin came back to Misty's face and she stretched out, letting out a happy hum as she read the message. 'Oh definitely ready. Gonna kick some major butt! You should have heard us being so serious.' she texted back. She still high on the feeling from practice, so it was easy to fall back into that excitement. The rest got pushed beneath that and she was more than comfortable with tossing the deep emotions on the back burner. Shaking her head, she wished Jae could have been there to see and hear it all. And maybe...just to be there. She bit her lip, pushing the thought away again.

'What Raz and Jonah were being serious?' she asked, especially surprised with Raz because he didn't seem like the type of person to even have the capability. 'It really is that important to y'all huh?' she sent in a follow up text before Misty could reply. She sat up on her couch, her head still pounding slightly, but the fact that she was texting Misty lessening the pain somewhat. She ran a hand through her hair, noticing the washed out color of the strands. She'd have to dye it again soon, before it started looking a soft peach color, which she couldn't really stand, much preferring the vibrant hot pink.

Misty smiled and found herself nodding her head despite no one being there to see it. The motion just wanted to come out. 'It really is. More important than anything else.' Well, perhaps not anything else in the entire world. Talking to Jae proved that. Hesitating, Misty sat there with her fingers over the keyboard, unsure if she should say anything or not. In the end, she couldn't stop herself though. 'Do you want to hang out?'

Jae looked down at herself, still in her pajamas and groaned slightly, 'I'm not currently presentable, but yeah we could hang out in maybe like an hour or two.' She texted back, pushing to a standing position if she was going to have to go take a shower and get ready. 'We could maybe go out and do something?' I need to get out of my house.' she texted as she moved toward her shower. Setting her phone down on her bathroom counter, waiting to get in the shower until Misty responded.

Misty wasn't sure when she sent the message if she meant right then or later, a day from now or a week. The second she read Jae's message though, she knew she couldn't wait longer than today to see the other girl. It had already been too long. Easy enough to push aside when she had the bad and the future to worry over, but sitting on her couch with just her phone, she couldn't think about anything more than Jae. 'Sure. Do you want to go get something to eat?' she texted back. Honestly, she needed a shower herself after practice, so she shifted, but didn't get far. She just didn't want to move yet.

Jae didn't respond until she got out of the shower and had started applying a deep conditioner to her hair, 'Going to eat would be nice.' She responded a second text following shortly after, 'You pick the place. Take me somewhere you really like to go.' It was perhaps a daring mood for Jae, given just how very scared she was. But she wasn't going to let her fear stop her from getting to know Misty, and this was just one more step towards that, even if it was something simple. It still made the outing seem a little more like a date.

Misty spent her time picking out another set of clothes to wear and getting ready for a shower as she waited for Jae to respond. When she picked up her phone, she couldn't stop the shiver that went through her. Pick the place? It was a simple response, nothing special. And yet, it felt more than special. It felt intimate. After one second to breathe in and out, she typed up a response, one place already jumping to her mind. 'Great. I'll come and pick you up in about fifteen, kay?' Her heart thudded once as she stopped herself from adding, 'it's a date'. She sent the message though and stepped into the shower herself.

Jae sent back a quick 'See you then' before finishing to get ready. Since she'd pushed them in the direction of something a little closer to a date, Jae figured she might as well go the extra step with full makeup and a nice outfit. She made sure to apply the winged eyeliner with perfect precision as that was always the signature to her make up, though today she'd also done a smokey eye with a deep maroon lip, so as to match the shirt for her outfit. Her outfit was simple enough, a maroon semi-crop tank top with tight black pants and tan throw over top of it with booties to compile the look. She also had silver bangle bracelets and a long silver necklace that hung into the middle of her chest. Look completed, she went to the living room of her apartment to wait for Misty to arrive.

(Clothes)

Misty took a quick shower and dressed in a ruffled and much poofier skirt then her usual. Her shirt tied in the back with a bow and with much extra thought, she left her hair down to bounce around her shoulders. It was something she rarely did and a real sign that she was going out. The place she picked with nothing along those lines. It was only who she went out with that made her think that way. Finally, making sure she looked her best with a quick glance in the hall mirror, she headed out.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the other girl's door and rung the bell, stepping back to wait and trying to look far more suave than she was feeling. This was it. Jae would open that door, letting Misty see her fade, and then they would go on a date. A date.

Jae let out a deep sigh when the door bell went off, spending a couple of seconds to straighten out her hair and clothes from sitting, she went to open the door, smiling slightly but nervously at the other girl, "Hey," she breathed, the nervousness also clear in her voice. The confidence that she usually exuded subdued in the face of her mate.

She stepped out of the apartment, taking a brief moment to close and lock the door, before she turned back to Misty, "So where are we going?" she asked, as they began to walk down her hallway, not standing super close to each other, but also not standing as far apart as people who were just friends would, naturally migrating close to each other.

Misty smiled back, forgetting to blink when Jae opened the door. "Hey there. It's great to see you," she hummed back with a motion toward the front door, taking the lead herself. "It's a mom and pop Italian place. Nothing fancy, but good. I used to eat there all the time in college because it reminded me of home." Since Jae seemed nervous, she tried her best to remain calm and confident. The close distance between them made her hyper aware though, aware that just a flick of her wrist could connect their hands. She wanted to do that so bad, but they were out the door and in the parking lot before she worked up the nerve. "A-anyway, it's just a five minute drive from here."

"Sounds good," Jae response,d as they climbed into Misty's car, "We don't need to go anywhere too fancy."' She smiled, and looked away at the stumble in Misty's voice. it was good to know that the other was dealing with nerves just as she was. It reinforced to her that she wasn't alone in this. Jae wasn't as scared at Misty, but at least Misty wasn't just humoring her. Somehow that gave her a little bit more of the confidence, enough to say, "After all, this is just us and we don't need to be super fancy just cuz it's our first date, right? We can save that for later." She nearly choked saying the words, but she wanted to give Misty something, something to say she was trying, and, well, this was the easiest way.

Misty froze just as she was putting the car in drive, a flush washing over her face. A second later, she breathed and realized she was okay with what Jae just said. With a bright smile, she turned to the other girl. "That's right. This is our first date. That's why I wanted to pick a meaningful place. Like we're fancy girls anyway." Every girl liked to be pampered. They deserved fancy dinner treats and chocolates, but this was their first date and that was right here, close to home. Close to the heart.

Fighting back the butterflies that settled in her stomach, she drove to the little Italian place and parked. It was set on the corner of a smaller strip center, at little out of the way of the most major roads. An awning sat over the entrance, red with white stripes. "Looks cozy right? Wait till you see the inside."

Jae nodded in agreement with Misty, having used up her bravery for the moment for the evening, though, she had a feeling as the night wore on, she'd become brave in different ways. Being near Misty was actually helping her relax more than she'd felt in the last week, which really was the opposite of what she expected. But it was as if she could breath easier with her soulmate nearby.

When they arrived at the restaurant, she looked over the outside and smiled, the outside itself looked cozy, so she imagined the interior matched. She nodded in agreement with Misty, and followed her into the restaurant, looking around. "It's nice. Looks comfortable. And personal, like a real family establishment. You don't see a lot of them these days."

"No," Misty murmured back. "It's a sad dying breed, but looks like my own grandma decorated this place with flowers from her own garden and all," she added, motioning to the squat vases placed on the tables that looked so much less grand than places tended to arrange these days, but so much more real. A middle aged woman greeted them with a smile and accented voice, leading them to a table just off from the center of the room. Misty sat and fount herself across from Jae and unable to look away from her for a second. Finally, she managed to drop her eyes. "You know....I really am glad you came out with me today..."

Jae smiled back at Misty, "This is me trying, trying not to be so scared. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, and not letting me hole myself away for forever. Because I just might have." She twisted her pink hair around her finger, a nervous action she didn't necessarily let through very often. She smiled, "But let's not be serious right now. This about getting to know each, right? As friends, and eventually something more. So let's do that. Let's learn everything from the most minute to the most in-depth."

Misty smiled back, a little more spunky and conspiritory. "Oh come now. How could I ever not give you a chance?" she asked. They were soulmates, like it or not. She liked to think they did like it though, that they were both giving this all that they could right now even if it wasn't one hundred percent. It was all them. That's what mattered. "Anyway, being mates shouldn't be that different from being friends in the first place. I feel like we've already told each other everything though." She tilted her head. "Or is that just me? We'll have to start getting real minute now. Like, I don't even know where to start."

"I'm sure there's things we haven't discovered yet. Just," she paused, taking a deep breath, "Watching all my friends. The way they know their mates. I know we aren't there yet, and while that's part of what is terrifying, knowing someone that deeply. I know it's what I eventually want. I don't know how to get there." She smiled at Misty, as she took a sip of the wine they had ordered. "But I guess, you already know this side of me. The side that's nervous and scared. And not snarky. It's not something most people get to see."

Misty's smile turned soft once again. "But I like that side of you. I like that you're not just some punk chick. You're...you," she ended with, unable to come up with a better word. She shook her head and sipped on her wine as well. Normally she didn't drink it, but wine fit their dinner mood too perfectly. "I also know the side of you that's kind and protective of others. Tough, but motherly. I mean, you're still firecracker though." She chuckled, her eyes turning to the mark on Jae's arm. "Just like I'm not all peachy sweetness. But you know that too."

Jae tilted her head down, cheeks flaring a bright red, she didn't know how to respond to that. It was far too much of a compliment for her to handle right now. And she didn't want to immediately return the sentiments and make it seem like she was doing it simply because Misty had paid her a compliment. "Thank you," she murmured before responding, "Well I meant more lets get to know the simple stuff. Favorite colors. Cats or dogs. The minor things that make up the person just as much as the major."

Misty chuckled, but the soft, fond look had yet to leave her eyes. "Fine. We can talk about those things." Even if she knew Jae meant the little things, she couldn't stop herself from saying the things she did. She meant every word of the compliment and if she had another opportunity, she'd say them again. The details were one thing, but she meant to prove she already knew the 'person' of her mate. That was the most important thing. She took a sip of her wine, then looked over at Jae again. "So....is your favorite color pink?"