A date was a very important occasion for a man, if he had initiated it, he had a lot of things to consider. One, where should he take his date too? A good restaurant, of course, but which one?
When one really cared, there were many, many options. So many that they caused quite a hardstruck. Furthermore, you had to take in the taste of your partner as well. What did she like? What was she bound to like? Everything mattered.
If you wanted to make an impression, preferably a good one... you had to do a lot of things, you had to 'sacrifice'. It is an ordeal.
So much so, that Alan even went to get a suit tailored for him, one that fit him and was breathable, enough for his Frost Dragon genes to ignore it. Furthermore, he had bought a bouquet of roses, courtesy of Maxwell.
