[Lazuli]

"Who's Zeph?" Lazuli asked breezily inbetween gulpfuls.

She was surprised for a moment when Kiel expressed interest in her little water show. She had no idea it was so interesting. Hm, she liked to drink that way all the time; she thought it helped with bringing out the full flavor... but maybe that was just her.

"Yes, being a nymph really is nice," she said brightly, greatly appreciating Kiel's interest in her race. She stopped for a moment and mused. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be in another race's shoes." To say the truth, she couldn't really imagine herself as anything other than a nymph. "I think Dracovari are cool and powerful," she remarked sincerely. She glanced at Lucas's wings in wonder. "I've wished for flight, too. I have a nyad-anyeli friend who has wings but can't fly... her name is Phen... does anyone know her?"

Lazuli nodded at Kiel's request and proceeded to poof up the alcohol from his jug. She made the bubbles hover in the air as the bartender watched the whole thing with a bored expression. As long as it doesn't get all over my tables... Lazuli guessed he was thinking.

"There you go!" she said happily to Kiel. "They're in the air, you see?"

[Kiel]

(( Eck. I think I need to put this thread before Kiel gets Shane, hence Kiel's talking about Xanthmas rather than his more recent exploits with Phenny. ))

“Huh? Who? I'm his training partner. Well, actually he's mine, hahahaha. Oh, oh! You mean the chick? Yeah, I dunno. Dazadi. You know her, man? She's all, like, bigwig in your universe, right?” Zeph never seemed all that impressed with her, but Kiel had a sneaking suspicion the dude wouldn't be impressed if Xanth herself pinched his cheek and cooed over him.

Well, actually, he couldn't think of anyone who'd be impressed with having their cheek pinched, even by the Creator.

“Dude. Who's Zeph? Zeph's my boyfriend, hahahahaha. He's awesome and, like, way scary, but mostly awesome. He owns the Dragon Scales Smithing, right, you know the forge outside town where I work? Well, you probably didn't know I worked there, but you know about the shop, though. Like, right? Hey, hey, you got any friends or relatives need a weapon, tell them to check out Zeph's, okay? His weapons are just, like, so awesome, hahahaha. He made my katana, you know?” He was distracted by the beer bubbles she made for him before he could haul out his katana and swish it about musketeer style to prove just how awesome it and his boss were, and likely take a few chunks out of his companions or the bar in the process. “So cool, man,” he said with glee, and ducked his head forward to glunk a bubble.

He listened in silence for, like, half a second as he played with his shandy, then, like, totally reactivated at lightning speed when she mentioned Phenny. “Phenny? Like, PhenPhen Phen? The Phenny? dude, she's awesome, man! Me and her, like, hahahahahaha, you know Xanth's Grotto, right? We met there, and, like, hahahahahahaha, the snowmen were everywhere and they kept, like, cloning themselves or something, you know, and me and Phenny were all, like, "argh!" and they were all "hahahahaha" so then we were all "wheeeeeee!" when we ran past them all, right, and we both slid into a wall and DUDE! It was so much FUN!”

Breathing hard, he grinned at Lazuli. “I can't believe you know Phenny, man, how small is this world, right?” He nudged at Lucas' elbow, totally with more force than necessary. “Can you believe how small this world is, man? Hahahaha, that's awesome, awesome.”

[Lazuli]

Lazuli tried to think of a Dragon Scales Smithing. As a nymph, she naturally avoided the sharp-object sports, but she felt sure she had heard the name somewhere. "I have never personally visited the shop before," she admitted with a smile. "But it sounds like an exquisite place. I always wondered how weapons are produced. It's kind of like art in a way, right? To make sure all the blades and everything come out well?" She went on, trying to compare a would-be violent area with a subject she could relate to. She peeked at Kiel's side to locate the katana he was talking about, but then was distracted by him when he was distracted by the beer bubbles.

She flew a new batch into the air until the bar resembled an underwater wonderland with all the beer bubbles. She guided one of them into her own mouth. It fizzed, cool and refreshing. The rest of the beer droplets drifted slowly around them like fireflies.

Lazuli's face brightened noticeably when Kiel mentioned "Phenny" as a person he knew. "Yes, Phen, yes--that's her!" she confirmed excitedly. "Now that I think of it, I think I saw her with you back at the Grotto. I didn't know her back then, of course, but a short while ago, we had a fun and wonderful trip together in a village up north! But yes, I remember the snowmen... they really made the holiday exciting. Xanth must have wanted to entertain everyone with a little scare, right?" She grinned happily and clapped her hands together in joy. "You're right; the world certainly does seem small sometimes, Kiel!"

[Kiel]

“Totally, man! Hahahahaha, that's awesome, awesome! I didn't know you were at the grotto, man, if I'd seen you I'd totally have stopped and said hi, and then, like, hahahahaha, dragged you in there with us or something, hahahaha.

But, like, you're right about the artistry. Zeph's a big fat meanie head with no sense of modesty, you know, but he looks so awesome standing in front of a roaring furnace with a hammer in his hand.” Setting his elbow on the bar and sighing dreamily at the thought, Kiel glunked another bubble. “Dude, this is such an awesome way to drink, man, hahahahaha.” He'd kind of expected Lucas to make some snide, sarcastic remark about Zeph by now, actually. Like, something about their glaring club, or not to drool in his beer or something, you know? Except, like, he'd totally been silent for a while now.

“Wah?” The dude was gone. Like, just up and left, just like that. Without a word. Which, you know, wasn't all that unusual, come to think on it. Kinda censored Kiel off, and kind of upset him, but whatever, man. It was the dude's loss if he didn't want to make friends, you know? Kiel totally wasn't going out of his way to be all friendly the next time they met up, man (except he probably would...)

“Dude, that's so not cool, man. I wonder where he went. Drank all his beer, too, the meanie head.” Pouting a little, and totally not recognising that he was way more sober now than when Lucas had come in (like, shouldn't that be the opposite way around? Hahahahahaha), Kiel sniffed, stuck his nose in the air to dismiss the dude, and then forgot all about being miffed.

“Hey, hey, Lazzy, you're a Nymph, right? Does that mean you got a companion? Lemme see, lemme see!” And he promptly stood a little off the stool to search Lazuli's person as if she was hiding a pet right there.

(( Sorry, Nattie asked us to write Lucas out, and I've tried to stick as close to his personality as possible, so I hope this is okay. I thought he might have gone to check if it was Dazadi, or maybe just gotten fed up of Kiel and left while the kid was distracted so there'd be no clinging, or something like that. ))

[Lazuli]

"Is he really that mean?" Lazuli asked in mild wonder. "You seem quite fond of him, Kiel." She would have asked more, but the positive-negative way in which Kiel had referred to Zeph made her think that it may be a touchy subject.

She took another bubble for herself and then turned around at the sudden silence. She was just as surprised as Kiel when she noticed that Lucas had left. Usually she could keep track of people, but the anyeli had slipped away almost as quietly as a shadow. She wondered what had made him to leave so suddenly without even a farewell... maybe she should have talked to him some more. She cast her eyes down disappointedly at her mug of beer that a potential friend had vanished. "Hopefully he's all right," she remarked softly. "He had been awfully silent before he left, like he was thinking really deeply or something." Or maybe he had gone to chase the flying tiger. She was a little startled about that and quickly prayed for his safety.

Lazuli smiled when Kiel called her Lazzy (nicknames were always fun and varied), but she had nothing to show him when he mentioned a pet. "Erm, I don't have a companion with me right now," she explained. She brightened. "I will have one soon, though! Lady Xanth sent me a cheefle for Christmas. He is at the veterinarian right now. I actually haven't named him yet..."

[Kiel]

“Like, huh?” Kiel so rarely meant the negative things he said that he was a little confused for a second when Laz took him seriously, and had to wonder why she thought Zeph really was mean.

Well, like, he kinda was, you know, with that whole glaring thing, and telling Kiel off all the time, but then he'd counter it by taking Kiel to Nirim and training him and stuff. In Kiel's book, that made him awesome, not mean. Not really. Like, people he really thought were mean were the ones who bullied and never gave back in a relationship, you know?

“Oh, nah, man, he's awesome.” He just liked teasing the dude, hahahaha. “But, like, don't worry about Luc, man, he's another meanie head, you know? Like, he totally stalked me around Alexshire when I was working the other day 'cause he was interested in a job and I said he could be my apprentice for the day, you know? He spent the whole time glaring, and, like, he told me him and Zeph are in a glaring club together where they have tea and stuff, and practise glaring, but, like, hahahahaha, I don't think it's a real club, you know?”

Despite his dismissiveness, he was a bit concerned about the dude, too. But, like, “Maybe he's just in the lav or something.”

Two glunks, and he was pretty sure he was drinking straight-up beer now, 'cause he totally couldn't see which was the shandy any more. But whatever, man, he could crawl home if he had to, hahahaha. “A cheefle? Dude, that's awesome, man, they're so cute.” He pouted over the fact that Xanth hadn't seen fit to give him a pet, but then got the distinct sensation of a hand smacking the back of his head. Dude, his mom could chastise him without even trying, how creepy was that! Good thing she hadn't actually smacked him, his head would be spinning for days, hahahaha. “But, like, that's just a pet, right? You don't got a Nymphy companion or something? Don't you guys, like, bond with animals or something the same way we bond with dragons? Dude, I can't wait for my dragon, you know?”

[Lazuli]

"Oh, I see," Lazuli said, realizing that Kiel liked to call a lot of people meanie heads, but they weren't really. She decided that this Zeph must actually be a kind person. She nodded understandingly and smiled in amusement at the 'glaring club'. "I have never heard of such a club before. I have to admit that it doesn't sound very productive at all." Lazuli quite liked the tea idea, but practicing glaring would really make one's eyes tired. As they say, it takes much less energy to smile than to frown.

"Maybe he was joking about it, you know?" she added cheerfully, and glunked another bubble along with Kiel. With more glunks, the number of bubbles were diminishing. She had lost control over some of them (strange, her powers usually never failed) and several of the giant beer droplets fell onto the floor with near-inaudible splashes. One dropped straight back into Lazuli's mug. She quickly bunched some of them and returned them to the container, leaving only a handful more still drifting in the air. The bartender stared at the liberated beer and took out a towel to dry the counter top. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "The water doesn't seem to obeying me very well right now."

She looked around and felt Lucas's absense buzzing in the air like an invisible fly. She wasn't sure if he was still in the bar, but Kiel seemed more confident about it so she agreed with him. "Yes, maybe you are right and he will be back soon."

Lazuli perked up again at Kiel's comment about cheefles. She used her finger to draw small figures on the water droplets coating the surface of her beer mug. It felt cold. "Yes, cheefles are indeed very cute!" She proceeded to explain about companions. "Many nymphs do end up bonding with one animal. Some even borrow their power. But I haven't yet. I guess it may be a matter of meeting that right companion... But right now I'm just trying to find my direction in life first, you know?" She smiled pleasantly and turned to Kiel. "What about you? What would you want your dragon to be like?"

[Kiel]

All else was forgotten when Lazuli broached the subject of which dragon he'd prefer. He'd thought looooooong and way hard about that, man.

“Western for sure,” he said definitively, adjusting his butt on his seat to compensate now that Laz was making him drink the boring way. It didn't occur to him that she might have had to stop 'cause she was, like, totally drunk or something, hahahahaha. “They're the biggest, right, and totally the boss, hahahaha. Like, that's how it's meant to be, anyhow. Like, the dragons in my family, there's a definite hierarchy, you know? Except, like, it's kinda complicated, because, like, interpersonal relations are influenced by the rank of the 'Vari as well as the dragon. Hahahahahaha, you hear that, man? Interpersonal relations, hahahahaha.”

Shaking his head a little, and taking a sip of his shandy to lubricate his voicebox, Kiel continued blithely. “But, like, I dunno, westerns can be kinda hard to please, you know, 'cause so many want 'em, you know? And they're way big, hahahaha. Zeph has to lift me up to help me onto his dragon, the dude's so big, but I guess you can get specialist equipment or something to help with that, you know? Or maybe Snot-Face is just too mean to lower himself a bit, hahahahahaha.” Good thing Slythe wasn't around to hear him, or Zeph either, for that matter. Hehehe.

“But, like, easterns are crazy beautiful, man. We don't have any in the family, least-wise not on the farm, you know, but I saw some in Nirim one time when Zeph took me there and, like, dude. Rainbow dazzlers, man, you know? They're awesome. And wyverns are pretty, too.”

In other words, despite having decades to think about this, he was no nearer to a decision than he had been when he was crawling around his mom's ankles cooing "aga, aga" at Tullia.

“Dude. Any dragon'd be awesome, though, you know?”

[Lazuli]

He sure liked to talk. It might have taken a miracle for some people to catch up, but Lazuli enjoyed listening to the interesting characteristics of other races, particularly since nymphs tended to be more family-oriented. Also, the alcohol she had consumed seemed to have washed away any potential clutter in her mind. Indeed, everything was so clear and sharp and refined... There appeared to be so much detail around her. She had never felt so fresh-minded.

She imagined a dragon family with a giant dragon and other little dragons. "It must be useful to have dragons around," she said conversationally. "I don't know much about them, but it would be amazing to have a dragon as a partner." The fact that dragons could be dangerous did not really concern her. She couldn't imagine someone like Kiel using their dragon to harm others, anyhow.

"How big exactly is Zeph's 'Snot-Face' dragon?" she asked without any disdain in her voice, only having no other way to address the creature. It amused her a bit; it seemed that Kiel had a nickname for everyone. She guessed that he wouldn't dare to refer to the dragon that way in front of said dragon, if it really was that big. The Easterns, on the other hand... they sounded quite elegant. I wonder what type of dragon I would have if I was a 'vari, she thought curiously.

The talk of dragons soon brought her to the subject of a certain tiny dragon she had met a while ago. She stopped fumbling with her drink as she had been before, and turned to Kiel with wonder in her eyes. "Say, have you ever seen a really small dragon?" she asked. "A red one? I think they are called imp dragons. When Phen and I were at the village up north, we met one. He journeyed with us for a while."

[Kiel]

Kiel nodded along in agreement, nursing his glass as Lazuli talked about dragons being useful. Then again, they could be prickly too, and more trouble than they were worth. It all depended on the relationship between boned, you know? He'd just be happy if his dragon didn't hate his guts, hahahaha.

“How big exactly is Zeph's 'Snot-Face' dragon?”

“Like, wayyyyy big, man.” Well, that was accurate, hahahahaha. He would have expounded on the subject at length, like, not quite sure how to describe the dragon's size but determined to try even if it took him all night, but she moved on and he got distracted.

“Dude! Like, dude, those guys are so cute, man. You know, there's, like, thousands of the little cuties in Nirim, right, but they're kind of a rare sight, especially here. Zeph has one,” he confided proudly, even going so far as to puff out his chest a bit like he was responsible for Zeph and Derry's awesomeness. “Hahahahaha, I can't believe you met one, hahahaha. Like, did you know Xanth's supposed to have one as a pet? That guy's red too but, like, I think he has purple wings or something. I dunno, She's supposed to be purple when she's in her god form or something, you know? You'd think since she has one dragons'd treat the little guys a bit nicer, right, but noooooo, they're all, like, "you're an idiot, go away" at them. Slythe's like that with Derry, you know? But, like, I think he likes her secretly, hahahahahaha. He totally would have eaten her by now if he didn't.”

He paused to look at Laz, grinning. “Dude, you're honoured, man. And, like, he travelled with you? Mostly, I think they just set things on fire, eat all your goodies, steal all your shiny stuff, and then run. Hahahahaha. that's so cool, so cool!”

[Lazuli]

"A great dragon like that must be able to fly very high," Lazuli remarked, giving the air a wide smile. "I'd love to fly on a dragon with large wings all the way beyond the clouds." Her eyes sparkled with excitement and the effect of alcohol.

She spun around when Kiel mentioned Xanth. Really? Now that she thought back about it, little Aza's wings had indeed been tinged with purple, although it had been a bit unnoticeable in the twilight... She had assumed that it was simply a part of its red shade, common to all his species. Apparently not!

Lazuli grinned, clapping her hands together. "I cannot believe it," she said. "Aza wings were definitely purple. I actually met Lady Goddess's tiny companion? It's so amazing!" She quickly sent a quick prayer to Xanth for allowing them to travel with her dragon, as well as an apology that she had been so short on supplies. The next time she saw Aza, she would definitely give him some shiny stuff, both as a tribute to Xanth and as gratitude for keeping Phen and her company. She wondered if Phen knew. Her fellow nyad would certainly be just as happy about it as she was.

"Yes yes, he did enjoy the cookies we had for him," she said cheerfully.

[Kiel]

“Hahahaha, totally, totally,” Kiel agreed, finishing off his shandy and stuffing a handful of peanuts from the dish on the counter in his mouth. He spat them back out when it sunk in that she'd met Xanth's pet!

“Dude.” Slamming a fist into his sternum repeatedly, his voice hoarse from almost choking, Kiel gaped at her and gasped, “Like, dude, for sers?” Clearing his throat, Kiel grinned. “You met Xanth's dragon, for sers? Dude, like, dude!” His butt hopped up and down in the seat a little bit. “You met Xanth's dragon? Dude! Hey, hey, dude!” he yelled, calling the bartender over. “This chick met Xanth's dragon, man, how cool is that?!”

“Awesome,” came the disaffected reply, the bartender arching an eyebrow slightly before turning away as if it wasn't the coolest thing he'd ever heard.

“Che. But, like, dude, that's crazy awesome, man. I'm so jealous, hahahahahaha. Like, Zeph has an imp dragon, man, but Derry's not famous like Xanth's dragon. Dude, like, what's his name, what's his name.” He paused to think for barely a second. “I dunno, hahahahaha, that's awesome, awesome.

Hey, hey, you wanna come over to Zeph's shop and play with Derry some time, man? She's awesome, she's so cute, hahahahahaha, but, like, you gotta bring her a treat or something or she'll totally try sneaking into your pocket or something, hahahaha. Here, here, this is my COM number, okay,” he tacked on, whipping out his COM to show her. “Text me or something! You gotta tell me if you see, like, Aza again, man, I'm totally dragging Zeph over there to see him, hahahahaha.”

[Lazuli]

Lazuli blinked. "Is meeting Xanth's dragon really that rare?" she asked. Well, common sense told her that was probably true, but at the same time, she really hadn't been doing anything special when she'd met Aza. She had received the impression that the little dragon wandered around wherever he liked. Surely he would meet lots of people in such a case.

She smiled. "That is more amazing, then! Imp dragons are very cute. It will be a pleasure to meet Derry! Aza is actually the first imp dragon I've ever seen before, so I really want to know what their entire species is like."

She brightened up at Kiel's suggestion. "Really? You're inviting me?" she asked in surprise, beaming at the offer. "If it doesn't trouble you or Zeph, then I'd definitely like to come!"

When Kiel showed her his COM, Lazuli reached into her bag to take out her own. She felt excited as she did it, for this would be the first time she would use her new device. "Okay! I have your COM number down. This one is mine," she said, showing Kiel her own number. And she still had yet to receive Phen's ID, she realized. "If you don't mind, Kiel, could you give me Phen's number too? And yes, I will definitely text you -- about Aza, too, if I'm lucky to see him again."

Lazuli proceeded to wonder what sort of treats Derry would like. Cookies, maybe? She decided not to ask in order to make it a surprise. And oh, she should bring something shiny too...

[Kiel]

It didn't once occur to Kiel that Phenny might not want her number given out willy nilly, so the second Laz asked for it, he started sifting through his contacts with a “Sure, sure!” He'd snickered when she'd asked if meeting Xanth's pet dragon was as awesome as he'd made it sound. Like, you know, Xanth was awesome and imp dragons were awesome, so Xanth's dragon had to be way cooler, you know? Hahahahaha.

Pressing buttons so he could send Phenny's contact details in a business card directly to Lazuli's, Kiel snickered again. “Like, but don't mind Zeph, okay? He's a total meanie head, hahahahahahaha. Like, this one time, my friend Sabs - hey, hey, she's a Nymph too. Like, dude, I just realised, all my chick friends are Nymphs, how cool is that? Hahahahahahahaha, it's 'cause I'm so hawt, right? I know, I know, I'm awesome. But, like, Zeph was all "rawr" and she was all "eep!" and I haven't seen her since.” He pouted, bottom lip stuck out as he looked at Lazuli with a puppy-dog expression, literally begging for sympathy.

The pout didn't last long.

“But, like, it's okay, I'll totally protect you, man, hahahahaha. If he's scary, I'll just threaten to quit, and he'll get mad at me and you'll get chance to run away, okay? Hahahahahahaha.”

[Lazuli]

Reading Phen's contact details from Kiel's COM, Lazuli smoothly entered them into her own device. "There we go," she said cheerfully, feeling accomplished, when it was done. "Using a COM is much easier than I'd thought it was before."

She tucked the COM into a small pocket hidden within her sleeve and clasped her hands together with her arms on top of the counter, no plans about drinking more alcohol whatsoever in her mind. That sudden beer-induced lucidness still lingered, anyway, so no need to overdo it. She nodded attentively at Kiel's words about Zeph. It scared her a little to think about a 'vari who liked to scare nymphs, but that was nothing to push her away. Besides, he couldn't be all that bad if he could put up with Kiel, she reasoned completely innocently.

"Yes, that is a little strange," she agreed, "but it also shows that there is a lot of my kin around... which makes me very happy." She smiled radiantly, and then her expression changed to wonder. " 'Sabs'? Would she happen to be a nymph from Xanth's Day?" She dimly recalled meeting a dark-haired nymph right before she had left to help with the anka attack.

She giggled when Kiel said he would protect her. "Ohhh, you mean like a knight in shining armor from those stories? That sounds really cool. But no, don't risk your job for me. I think I will be fine!"

[Kiel]

“Yeah, man, that's her! Sabs, like, Sabrina, hahahahaha. Dude, I can't believe you know her too, that's, like, kinda creepy, you know? You're totally stalking me, right? Hahahahahaha, but, like, for sers, man, I only ever met a couple of Nymphs back home in my whole life, and now, like, three of you. It's awesome, hahahahaha.”

He shook his head, though, still grinning, when she talked about his job. “Hahaha, don't worry, okay, 'cause, like, I've totally got Zeph wrapped around my little pinky, man, hahahaha.” Like, he totally hadn't, but whatever. If he begged and wheedled enough Zeph would sometimes cave, but Kiel didn't want a boyfriend who'd give in to his every whim. No matter how often he begged for it, hahahaha. “The dude can't live without me, hahahaha. Like, for sers, man, I dunno how he ever sold anything before he hired me, you know? Like, this one time I was, er, like, indisposed, you know, so he had to deal with a customer by himself and he totally scared the guy away. He's so cute, he's so cute, hahahahaha.” Okay, so like, Kiel's definition of cute was probably a mile from the dictionary's, but whatever, man, hahahaha. “But, like, don't tell him I said that, 'cause he'll totally turn me into a matchstick or something, you know?

So like, where are you headed after this, man? I'm bored with booze, you know?” In other words, "where are you headed and do you mind if I tag along, 'cause I totally will anyway", hahahaha.

[Lazuli]

Lazuli smiled. "It's like you said before: the world can be a small place sometimes, yes?"

She looked forward into the mirror, watching the reflections of people on the streets move in the sunlight. She saw an anyeli walk by, followed by a 'vari, and even another nymph... "As for me, I didn't meet many other races until I started traveling," she said. "It must be exciting for you to have so many friends. I know I like to."

She giggled again as Kiel talked about Zeph. "Aww, the poor customer. I can see why a weapon maker would have to be tough, though! 'Cute', hm? That's interesting; I can't wait to see him." She decided that it must take a truly unique person to be strong, scary, and cute like little animals at the same type, and Lazuli's definition of cute was the literal dictionary term complete with pink frills.

She put a finger to her lips and winked. "Oh, a secret!" she whispered under her breath. "Yes, I will keep it for you."

When Kiel mentioned future plans, Lazuli turned around in her stool and looked out into the sunny day. The scene of the fireworks appeared to have gone. "I'm not sure, actually," she said truthfully. "I planned to go home before I came in here, but it's such a nice day to waste indoors... We shouldn't stay in here then." She pulled a wad of xanthos from her bag and appropriately paid the bartender for his service. "Thank you for the beverages, sir," she said with a salute, and began heading toward the door. She beckoned toward Kiel to come with her as though they had already made plans ages ago. "Let's find a nice place to go then! There must be lots of neat places in the city to visit."

[Kiel]

“For sers, man!” Kiel agreed when Laz talked about it being too nice a day, and hopped off his stool to rummage around in his pants pocket for his wallet when it became obvious she was leaving. “Hahahahaha, man, like, you have no idea, you know? I'll totally be your guide, I can take you on a tour and stuff, okay? Like, first I'll show you the quadrangle, like, it's so pretty, man, you know? Wait, you know, you've been there, but, like, you seen it without all the ice and snow yet? Hahahaha, that was so fun, man. And then, like, I'll take you to the market, they have these awesome food stalls there, you know? Ooh, I'm hungry, you wanna mint?”

In his distraction, Kiel almost gave the bartender his whole wallet, and was only pulled up short by the chain that tied it to his belt. “Wah, dude, like, that's mine, man, you can't have it!”

“I don't want that ratty thing anyway,” came the sharp reply, and Kiel stuck out his tongue as he yanked out enough to cover his drinks. He totally would have paid for Laz too but she beat him to it. “Thank you, don't come again.”

“Wah, so mean, so mean. Anyhow, like, you wanna mint, man?” Tucking his wallet back in his hip pocket, Kiel's free hand dove into the knee pocket on his other leg. “Wait, ooh, chocolate, yum. You want it, Laz, man?” He waved the chocolate bar at arm's length as he followed her out the door, his face scrunching up in concentration as he patted himself down in search of more snackage. “Hey, hey, we can stop and get some bananas or something, right? Bananas are awesome, you know? All, like, long and curved and yellow and stuff? Except when they're green, then they're kinda yucky. Although the 'striders back home still seem to like them, you know? Yech. Ooh, crisps!” he finally yelled, triumphantly, as he yanked out a squashed packet of salt and vinegar. Shaking the bag suggested there was little more than teeny bits inside, but Kiel didn't care.

“So where d'you wanna go first, man? I'm, like, totally at your mercy,” he told the Nymph as he stuck a lick-wet finger in the now open bag to collect what was little more than crumbs. “As long as we can get more food, okay?”