You get to go out for lunch with your main character of choice: How would it go?

I get an email from a person who is interested in reading more of my books and wants to become my agent. Oddly enough, the person signs off as “MULLOG”. Odder still, I actually go and meet this person I don’t know for lunch.

The person insists that we eat at a place that primarily serves raw food, mostly fish. As I wait at a table, I slowly become aware that there is some kind of commotion going on outside of the restaurant. I race outside to see that (oh, how did I not see this coming) Gollum is there, lashing out at a crowd of frightened pedestrians (probably their long, blond hair reminds him of something).

I hurry him into the restaurant, where he insists that I pay for the meal and promptly orders two meals that consist of fish. When the waitress asks if he has a preference on what kind of fish, he replies, “Just make it extra juicy sweet, my precious!”

He, of course, is not interested in my books and immediately leaves after eating both of our meals, forcing me to pick up the check. There goes fifty dollars of camera money.

It would be like meeting an old friend but also like someone you knew online but never met until now. We would go to a café that isn’t crowded and is out of way. At the first the conversation would be awkward, and to be honest he would be slightly distrustful of me, but we would slowly grow comfortable with each other and then start talking about things that matter. There will be long silences between each topic, but the silence would be comfortable. Once we both had our lunch, we have this unspoken agreement that we shouldn’t be just sitting around, talking. So we get up and go our separate ways. But not before we say goodbye, but isn’t sad at all but rather hopeful. That we will get to meet again. 🙂

@kathleenramm Great question. Depending on the point in time, it could be a successful venture…or it could end in my death. XD

I would, at this point, like to have lunch with a safer, kinder, more personable character of mine…but, for the sake of the story, I’ll pick Ransom.

The year was 1719.

Ransom, a mercenary for himself and partially for Spain (I say partially because, well, he’s not known for his loyalty), just so happens to pass me by on the dirty streets of Nassau. He’s very focused, because, as you probably don’t know, war is impending. He’s hoping to have the very first taste of it, you see, and collect a shipload of spoils. All pirates do. He thinks it a noble aspiration, as he’s a very deceived fellow, believing that no one and nothing can stop him from completing his mission and blind to the fact that I’m standing extremely close to him.

Well, it would be very unwise to call out to the bloke, let alone invite him for lunch. For one, he’s quite busy. And for two…well, have you seen the fellow? He could scare the bark off of a tree!

Anyway, I call out to him, using the name his mother gave him (which he hasn’t heard since he was thirteen), which certainly gets his attention. Long story short, he turns to me, nearly blowing out my brains with his ever-at-the-ready flintlock, and begrudgingly accepts my invitation to dine with me at the tavern across the street.

Knowing all as I do, I drop a few names and mention a few things about Ransom’s past that only he knows, which puts him in a rather vulnerable position. He’s inclined to stay at our booth until I gesture for us to leave. He only downed a bottle of rum and picked at his stew–he’s unnaturally nervous because of the hold I have over him–whilst I sloppily wolfed down a filet of flounder with a strangely rotten-tasting lemon and butter sauce (you know how tavern fare is).

As we leave the tavern, he dares to ask me how I know him (he’s arrogant like that) and why I’ve bothered him. Stupidly, I blurt out that I’m his author.

Needless to say, I didn’t make it back across the street.

In the end, however, I had an impact on Ransom. He ended up being only 75% as bad as usual in the coming years. My sacrifice wasn’t for naught. I died honorably.

Y’know, I have to say, going out for lunch with my heroine’s twin brother, Derrick, would be amazing (and scary at the same time). Deek would probably decide to go to a casual sort of place. He isn’t fancy at all. One of those cafes just on the corner of the street.

He’d come striding up, probably wearing his black cloak, maybe his sword, and possibly a scarf. Nothing fancy.

He’d slide into a booth, take one glance at the menu, and probably order the most expensive thing he could find. He’d also expect me to pay for it.

I have a weird feeling Deek would purposefully order his food slightly undercooked just so that he could use his fire powers to cook it and impress everybody. He’d casually flick his hand, and suddenly the food would be cooked (if not burned).

He’d stir his tea with his straw, whipping up a conversation about himself. I’d ask him what the most heroic thing he’s ever done was, and a smirk would find its way on his face.

‘Save the world, obviously,’ Deek would say, shrugging like it was no big deal. He’d put his hands behind his head. ‘I mean, I’ve done tons of cool things, but overthrowing an emperor? That’s impressive, even if I do say so myself.’

He’d look up at me and say, ‘So, Out-of-Towner, this your first time in town?’

‘Not necessarily.’ I’d tug at my scarf, trying not to let him get suspicious. Wouldn’t want him knowing that I was his author. Then again, he’d probably just chuckle and call me nuts if I told him that.

‘Good,’ Deek would say, ‘because I’m terrible with directions and couldn’t help you if you were some sort of tourist. My sister would, though. Caira’s a nut when it comes to directions. Drives me crazy.’

‘What’s your sister like?’ I’d ask him.

I can see him fighting a smile when his sister is brought up. Deek isn’t sentimental, so he tries his hardest not to let me see his soft side. He’d prop his elbows on the table and bite his lip.

‘She’s an egghead,’ Deek would say, fingering his glass. ‘I’ve never seen her without a book under her arm. Definitely shy. But don’t let that fool you: she’s bossy and very stubborn, and normally dramatic.’

We’d continue talking for a while. Deek would talk to me as if I were an old friend, and then the bill would come.

I’d look at Deek. He’d look at me.

I’d finally groan and pay for both of us, leaving a tip at the table. Deek would open the door for me (one of the rare times he acts like a gentleman), and then say, ‘Well, it was nice meeting you. Who did you say you were, again?’

I’d start to smile. ‘What would you say if I told you I was your author, Deek?’

Deek raises his eyebrows, and he analyzes my face for a second. And then, he starts to laugh, apparently taking it lightheartedly. He looks at me with a strange face.

‘You almost had me for a second there,’ Deek would say. ‘You know, you’re a weird one. I like you.’

With that, Deek would turn around and walk off.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Alexa Autorski.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Alexa Autorski.

@ kathleenramm

I tagged “Gollum” in my reply to this post; I guess that’s why it’s showing up!

@kathleenramm “The mysteries of the forum”…that sounds like something I could get into haha! Lovely scenario, by the way!

@hobbitchild Aw, I hope you get your money back! But I hope you had fun, at least!

@ribbonash That sounds really nice! I get what you’re feeling!

@godlyfantasy12 Oo, that sounds fun! It’s always nice to interact with people different from you!

@gracie-j Oh, wow, that was a disastrous ending! XD At least he ended up being…less bad?

@abigail-m Oo, that’s cool! Going into your own world!

@writerlexi1216 Nice, I loved that interaction!