[Kiel]

Kiel bounced on his heels as he swept his pink-eyed gaze over the street. It was fairly quiet at this end of town since most folk here were either headed for the park around the library or to the library itself, but Kiel got a text from Marty telling him to be here, so here he was. Every time he looked at the big building across the street, he got a case of the shivers, though. Like, dude. Who liked reading, man? Well, like, apart from his mom, and Laces, and Pheebs, and Phenny, and Tad and...

Well, pretty much everyone except Kiel, really. And ChloChlo. She didn't like books either.

“It's not even the books I don't like, man,” he told a dude standing, like, a foot to the side. The guy glanced around, then up at where Kiel had been stalking the length of a bench seat, and then away like he was afraid talking to Kiel would only encourage him or something. “I mean, books are fine, it's the words, you know?” This was aimed at a nearby lamp post, since he figured he'd get just as much response out of that as he would the dude who'd ignored him.

Pouting, Kiel hopped up and down the bench some more, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as the insignia for Marty's couriers flashed gold in the meagre sunlight. It was kinda chilly today to be out on the street. Like, he didn't mind the cold, even though it was getting worse as they got deeper into winter, and he totally wasn't used to it because even winter in Dardanos was kinda mild, but normally he was running around in it rather than standing and waiting, you know?

Kiel didn't do well just standing around, as his continuous fidgeting would attest. “Man, this blows.” Marty hadn't even told him why he was hanging around, so he couldn't even keep an eye out for the chick or dude who'd requested a courier, you know? So he had to watch basically everyone that went in and out of the library or up and down the street.

How boring was this, man? And he was still waiting for a response to the text he'd sent basically everyone in his COM, too.

[Rea]

Rea had an older bound book and a newer bound book in her arms. Her bag with its normal cargo lay limp at her side moving back and forth slightly as she was walking. Time had seemed to pass quickly, she could not remember how long she had been in there but it seemed like she had needed to at least get up and go for a walk so she could stretch a bit. She loved the haptic of the older bound book. Running her hand along the book, it was a weird sort of comfort. The library was a peaceful place but she could not really work with plant samples in the library, sometimes the smell was not pleasing to the senses.

Making her way down the stairs she took in a deep breath and a smile played across her lips. The smell was clear and not very clouded. It smelt like a slight chill was in the air but with the time of year it made sense. Her wings were resting around her shoulders. She looked around the street, it was a beautiful area. The color around the library made her smile and the smells were certainly not unpleasant. The feeling that filled her was that it was a good use of space. There had been a day she and Kani had come here, but that was so long ago, though she did continue to visit here when she had the time or wanted to relax.

The area was not all too busy and people seemed in general calm. None unpleasant but all intent on what they were doing or hoping to get done. Licking her lips she looked around. There was a bouncing figure across the way. She raised an eyebrow and watched him curiously.

[Kiel]

Kiel continued to stalk the length of the bench with growing impatience. Like, every time he turned around, he had to do a little hop-skip-dance just to burn off some energy, and his hands were constantly fiddling with the random junk in his pockets. More than one mother had given him an odd look like he was some kind of pervert, and he'd totally have been all, like, "wah, it's not what you think!" except they'd huddled their kids away from his bench as fast as they could so he didn't get a chance.

He probably should have quit fiddling in his pockets, or at least pulled something out for him to play with out in the open - like the yoyo he'd rediscovered - but Kiel just didn't think like that.

Finally, he spotted someone who looked at him with more curiosity than "that guy's weird" in her face, and Kiel's pouty "I'm sooooooo bored" expression quickly turned into a beaming grin. “Hey, hey!” Hopping down from the bench as he yanked his hands out of his pockets, he raced across the street toward the book-laden girl without bothering to look both ways. It was only when he'd skidded to a halt in front of her and latched onto one of the spiky iron bars of the fence that rimmed the library's gardens that he realised, like, “Dude, I didn't mean to come this close!”

He meant to the library, of course, as he'd realised sharply that he'd run toward the building he'd spent the better part of two hours avoiding. Well, like, fixing that was a cakewalk, right? He just turned his back on the damn thing...

“Hi, hi! Like, you're the one who wanted me out here, right? 'cause you know, that's kinda mean, putting me near a library, but, like, so what do you want delivering? I hope it's not those books!” He'd rather be caught dead wearing pink frills than carrying books.

[Rea]

Rea moved back a step confusion plastered on her face, had she been staring? An apologetic look then crossed her face and she gave a slight nod of her head about to apologize and then he began speaking. A zephyr blew through lightly rustling her hair about her face distracting her slightly and she shook her head and looked at him her head tilted to the side. She was sort of confused by the whole ordeal. He was speaking at her and she felt she needed to respond or that would be rude.

“What?” she asked once he was done speaking and she raised an eyebrow her tone was more curious to what he was babbling about than concerned that he had popped up so close to her. “Deliver what, to whom?” she added. Biting her lower right lip she looked at him, she was trying to calculate why he did not seem to appreciate the library. “You do not appreciate the library?” she asked a good thick surprise in her voice and in her eyes.

She was now nibbling on her lower lip. Her eyes went a bit wide. “I apologize. I am Rea.” She fumbled with the books in her arms for a moment and extended her hand. That was rude of her not to introduce herself. Should she know him? That seemed how he had come up acting o her like she should at least have known something about him. Maybe?

[Kiel]

Kiel had a sudden yen to call up Marty and tell him he sucked 'cause he was totally starting to think this wasn't the chick he was looking for, and if it wasn#t here then what the heck had he been standing around here waiting for? He'd been here for, like, ever, man!

“The thing, the thing you want delivering to the place, right?” he clarified with no clarification whatsoever. He even tilted his head a bit, like looking at her sideways would answer both their questions. “Like, 'cause you're the one who - no? Dude, that sucks. Hi!” he continued blithely as she introduced herself, catching her hand and shaking it vigorously. “I'm Kiel, I'm totally hawt, and Marty sent me out here to get a package for delivery, right, and I thought it was you but you don't look like you know what I'm talking about so I guess not.” He only quit shaking her hand, unconsciously clinging to the contact, when he was done with his introduction.

He almost didn't answer about the library, 'cause she obviously was the opposite of him and might be offended if he got all mean about books, like, right? But he did anyway. “Libraries are okay, I guess, I don't like them. I don't like books. Like, learning, you know? Sitting still,” he tacked on with a self-deprecating grin as he bounced on his toes. “My mom made us sit down with, like, a pile of books so we'd learn stuff, right, but it was so boring, man! Like, you know? Hey, hey, you wanna get some food, man? I've been here for, like, ever, right, and I'm starving and it doesn't look like the customer's gonna show up, right, and those books look kinda heavy but I have a boyfriend, okay, so you can't hit on me even though I'm, like, totally awesome, hahahahaha!” Grinning at her unabashedly, he added, “Oh, but, like, it's gotta be a cart or something, okay, if Marty finds out I skipped work to eat in someplace he'd, like, deep-fat fry me and I get enough cookery threats from Slythe, you know?”

[Rea]

Rea pulled her hand back reluctantly as he let her go. “I am afraid I have no idea about a delivery.” She said sympathetically. Hawt? Rea thought to herself, what is he going on about? Kiel was his name. As he continued and she assumed that Marty was his employer as he babbled on.

The macabre idea of hating books and disliking a library baffled Rea, though as he continued she could kind of understand his position on the matter. Though she had never been taught that way he was describing, it almost seemed counterproductive and ruined the experience of learning. Sitting for hours was not really a problem for her, but then again she had never been forced to do it. As she thought about it it seemed that she had been lucky in her experience with her teacher, though she knew that.

The boy went from talking about his mother to food. Did all men think with their stomachs? It had been a rumor brought up in jest by Kani once, but then again from what Rea had seen it was sort of accurate. But then again if he was starving there would be more problems than just getting him a snack would help. She was about to point out to him that if he were starving his stomach would be eating itself, but he continued on.

She had no idea what the heaviness of the books in her arms had to do with Kiel’s boyfriend. Biting her lower lip she cocked her head to the side curiously. Was he implying she had manly arms or something? Or was it that his boyfriend was heavyset? Was he somewhat intimidated by the weight of the books or their apparent age? Or was he more referring to their complexity? Shaking her head she pulled herself back into the conversation blinking working hard to follow his train of thought.

‘Awesome’ probably would not have been Rea’s first choice of words but then again she did not want to be rude in pointing out he was not her type in the least, especially if he hated books as much as he had implied. He seemed friendly enough, and then again she was not one to date much, or was she? She had not had much experience when it came to relationship maybe one or two or maybe four, but none had been much more than flings and worth taking strong note of.

“You could always say that the deliver was simply giving company to a friend of the person the delivery was meant for.” She said after he had finished. Rea would not have put it passed some of the other Anyeli she lived near, everyone seemed to feel she did not have enough friends. Her face went a little low as she felt a twinge of pathetic flow through her. Shaking her head she gave a kind smile. “I am up for whatever, though I would hope you to be professional and not hit on me.” She gave a slight smirk.

She was not sure what was around the area or what was good. Though she was hoping that he would have a general appetite like hers, but as she thought about it that could be problem. As it was she did not want to insult him by just staring at whatever he chose or anything like that, but then again she did not want to pretend to like it either. But then again… she mentally slapped herself as she pulled herself to smile at Kiel, it would be an adventure, something she had not had in a while.

[Kiel]

Kiel totally mistook Rea's blinking confusion over the connection between Zeph and her books and explained, “Like, yeah, they were these really old hand-me-down books. I'm pretty sure Tad said they were first eds one time, kinda rare, but they wouldn't be worth much 'cause Gramps spilled tea on one of the pages when he was a kid and then I smeared berry juice on the cover and then I think ChloChlo tried to eat the pages one time when she was young. Made it kinda hard to read, actually...” he added nostalgically. Come to think, though, it had actually been a couple of books, focused on rituals, and not a pile like he'd said, but to him it had been like having a tower of pages dumped in his lap. His mom would have him sit at a corner of the kitchen table so she could supervise his reading, but he only remembered studying rituals out of books. The rest he was pretty sure he'd kind of learned by osmosis, you know?

But then something she'd said hit him in the face as being rather odd.

“But, like, who would even need to hire someone for company, man, that's silly, it's silly!” Insensitive as ever. “Marty'd never believe me if I tried to pull that one, hahahahahaha!” Besides, he didn't like lying. Or maybe he would, if he could actually do it with a straight face instead of fidgeting like he'd got dust mice in his pants.

“I am up for whatever, though I would hope you to be professional and not hit on me.”

“Wah, hahahahahaha! But that's half the fun, man, it's half the fun!” Giggling like a little girl, he hopped around to stand beside her and offer his arm, then realised how dumb that was and held out his hands to take her books from her instead. “Here, here, I'll be all manly and carry 'em for you. I know this great place, man, well, like, he's not a place 'cause he moves around a lot but he does these great, like, noodles and stuff with all kinds of seaweed and prawns and, like, what are those shelly things that look like a flower, and like, crabs and stuff. You like seafood, right? Like, you're not gonna blow up like a melon or something if I feed you shellfish, like, right? 'Cause that would totally suck and the healer I normally go to was being all creepy when I took Nic and Jack there so I kinda don't wanna go there if you get sick, okay?”

((Feel free to move them down the street. Kiel's movements tend to look kind of random, but I promise he knows where he's going. ))

[Rea]

Rea bit her lip and turned red. It was silly when you really thought about it, who would need someone to be paid to hang out with them? Though was that not the point? She did not go out of her way and the people she did meet would have rather her be more of a social butterfly than the sheep that meandered in and just flowed with everything around her without standing out. Maybe for a boy like this it would be the strangest thing for him to call and have to pay for company. The evanescence redness in her face had almost disappeared. The bite on her lip hardened awkward to a point just before breaking skin when she came back to the awkward and smiled.

“If you don’t mind me pointing it out, I am not a man.” She gave a sort of girlie courtesy that over accented her face. It was not that she cared it was more the point she wanted to make sure there was no miscommunication in the fact she was not interested and he, having a boyfriend, she assumed would move on from the idea.

He extended his arm to her and she looked at him momentarily confused then he seemed to adjust and held out his hand o take her books. She looked from his hands to the books in her arms and clutched them a bit closer to her body. It was not that she did not trust him it was just habit. As she noticed her hostile attention to her books she loosened her grip and the slight smile returned to her lips.

“I’m not sure about sea critters but seaweed and noodles sounds good.” The smile broadened slightly as she began to move down the street after a few moments her pace slowed. “What does he look like? Or wherever this thing is that you think is good?” she asked, though she did not stop as it seemed if he could not be delayed all that much the least she could do was keep him moving, right?

Blinking a moment she looked at him. “Food poisoning is an easy fix if you know the cause of it.” she stated looking at him curiously before shaking her head with the sudden feeling that she might have been to overzealous and made him feel stupid. “I mean, I’ve dealt with it before and know a few home remedies, I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Healers were in a different trade than she had been taught, but they did the same basic things. The difference was you needed to have the right ingredients and know how to use them, which of course did not mean much if you were unskilled and simply just knew the ingredients that were supposed to be used. She had not gone to a healer much, but she had been a few times, maybe? Licking her lips she smiled at him. Was she really all that hungry?

Then again she could not remember the last time she had eaten or what it was her body had consumed, but then again she could certainly use a drink and that she knew. Biting her lip slightly she nodded down the street hoping that he would take the lead.

[Kiel]

((I am so sorry for the delay!))

Kiel blinked. “Like, yeah. I can totally tell you're not a dude, man.” It utterly confounded him that she thought he thought she had the same parts as him, you know? Like, he said "man" so often, and "dude" and "okay" and "right" and "you know" that he wasn't even aware he said them any more, you know? They kinda tumbled out like spare filling from an overstuffed bear, and he talked too fast most of the time to realise what he'd even said.

He totally noticed that she didn't want to give up her books, though, and Kiel was chagrined, and kinda upset. What, she thought he was one of those philanderer types that burned books or something? Luckily she'd moved the conversation on before he could be all "wah!" and he settled into place beside her, nodding his head. Totally distracted by her talk of food, as if he hadn't been the one to bring it up in the first place, he hopped along beside her like a kid pretending he was riding a unicorn or something.

“Like, you know. He looks like a dude that sells food, man,” he said, totally unhelpful as he looked around for the guy in question. He moved around sometimes but stuck to one area normally, so Kiel would keep on the look-out as they wandered in that general direction.

And then he was brought up short yet again by miscommunication. “Food poison-? No way, man, he's a good cook, okay, he won't poison you! Dude, it's okay, it's okay. Seafood's good, okay? But, like, I just thought maybe you'd be allergic or something.” Because as far as he was concerned, the only reason not to eat something was if it would make you ill, you know? Kiel couldn't think of a single food he hadn't or wouldn't try, or that he didn't like.

When he swivelled his head back away from her to check out where he was putting his feet, he totally spotted the cart he'd been talking about and almost squealed like a little girl. “Wah! There, there, he's there! Quick, quick, come on!” And he darted across the street towards the green cart with the green and white canvas awning and a taroch tied up at the back, faster than he could say "foooooooood!"

[Rea]

(( It is fine no worries ))

Rea bit her lip. She was tempted to just inform him that it was awkward her being referred to as man. That was her point in bringing it up to him. Had she not told him her name? In normal conversation if you were going to refer to the person in conversation with you, you would use his or her name, wouldn’t you? Then again he used the word ‘man’ a lot. Maybe it was more of an obsession with the word or the idea of the word that caused the young man to use it so much. But as she listened to him talk a bit more she noted that he used the word ‘like’ a lot. It could be the two words either helped him keep pace with what he was saying or slowed him down, she could not really tell.

How descriptive, a man that sells food. No hint on the color of cart or the color of the man’s hair or his race, nothing. Well there was the fact that he sold fish or fishy platters and food. But then again it was not like an empty street with only one vendor and no people. Kiel seemed generally unhelpful when it came to describing things on his mind; he was certainly interesting to say the least. Pulling her back by talking about her having an allergic reaction she blinked at him. “I would think if I were allergic to something I may have the sense not to eat it.” Biting her lip she looked sort of ashamed at how she said that. “I mean if you are expecting me to eat to impress you I would have to ask you why you would think I would do such a thing.” She said trying to explain herself.

Kiel saw the cart he had been looking for and darted across the street in a whoosh. After a moment’s pause Rea followed him quickly doing her best not to lose sight of him. It was busy out and everyone seemed to be enjoying the day, even if it was a bit chilly. Pulling her wings tighter around her she did her best to keep up with him. As she got near to the cart she slowed down, as Kiel’s pace had seemed to slow as they got closer as well.

A small smile crept at the right side of her lips subtly before fading into a curious look as she looked at Kiel as she came up beside him as they reached the particular cart that seemed to have the boy’s fancy. “Are you obsessed with liking men? I mean, you have used the two words so much together almost as if they are supposed to be together, you know?” Thinking about it after saying it she was sort of asking if he was gay, which he had sort of led into early about his boyfriend. But then again that was a personal matter not necessarily up for discussion with a stranger. Too late now wasn’t as the question had already left her lips. It was a force of habit though she may be shy her curiosity was certainly more powerful than her shyness.

[Kiel]

“Hey, hey, Davey, man, how's it going? I'ma have the Ao kebab!”

Having bounced to a halt in front of the green cart, Kiel pointed randomly as he made his order. Davey grinned like he was used to Kiel's antics, reaching for a large, dark green seaweed leaf and piling it up with various goodies from de-shelled prawns and crab meat to lettuce and relish.

“And your friend?”

“Wahahahaha, I dunno, what do you want, Rea, man?” He'd totally dismissed the snarky way she'd told him she wasn't allergic. Like, he was used to people talking to him like that, you know, and he always took it with a grain of salt. Hahahahaha, like Zeph. If he took the dude's glares seriously, he wouldn't be working for the dude, let alone dating and training with him, you know?

But as he handed over his hard-earned cash in exchange for his kebab, she said something that made him almost choke on a prawn.

Gasping for air and smacking his sternum silly, Kiel giggled despite himself, even as he bent double with one hand carefully holding up his kebab and the other fisted over his heart. Davey laughed, too, but of course the giggling just made Kiel cough all the harder.

“Dude!” Cough, cough. “Like, dude, man, that's - hahahaha-” Cough, cough, cough. “I'm so not gay, man.” He wasn't even aware that basically everything he'd just said meant "guy" in some fashion or another, but she was so far off base, man. “Like, I have a boyfriend, you know, but that's just 'cause Zeph's so crazy awesome I can't not love him, you know? I mean, I'm into girls. And, like, he has girly hair,” he qualified, like that made a straight guy dating a dude totally okay.

Finally, he managed to straighten up again, and licked the relish that was leaking out from his kebab onto his thumb. He paused, though, to eye Rea before taking another bite like he was afraid she'd try to choke him again with something else random and funny. “Why? Do I look like I'm gay?”

Dude. Why was Davey laughing so hard?

[Rea]

Rea smiled “Do you have a sticky rice and seaweed wrap?” she asked biting her lips. “Something simple would be great.” She added with a smile. “Please.” Her smile was friendly and a bit like she was hoping it was not asking too much. The selection Kiel got had way more on it than she really seemed hungry for. She was not so much a person for sea food especially prawns, but she did not want to make Kiel feel awkward after what she had said already.

“Water?” she asked looking at Davey as Kiel was choking. She blinked, she was certainly very confused. It was a straight forward normal question, was it not? He worked to talk again and her expression became far more confused. Biting her lip she looked at Kiel as if he had like four heads. “Does he know you like him because you do not think of him as a guy?” she asked astonished. “I mean that seems rather silly to be in a relationship if you do not like the other person for who they are, is it not?” Her face flushed a bright red color. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” Davey was laughing so hard she hoped that Kiel had been able to hear her.

She was sort of unsure what he was doing with a boyfriend if he was into girls. Males of all species had different parts, did they not? If he liked the… She shook her head as her mind had wandered somewhere she was not sure she really appreciated it. That was weird liking a guy for having girlie qualities. Would it not be better to like him for well being him? She was nibbling on her lip trying to sort it out in her head.

“People look different when they’re gay?” she asked as his words pulled her back. Several things he had said were quiet confusing to her. At the same time he had pulled her curiosity away from its normal spot in plants and remedies to the actual people they were meant for. The conversation was weird as they were strangers, but at the same time she was enthralled. Rea began thinking she was treading far too personal and was making him uncomfortable, her face turned a deep red as her hands went up. “I am so sorry. I am so rude. We just met. I am sorry.” She was nibbling on her lower lip as she looked at him. He seemed like he would make a nice friend, even if she had stepped too far over a line.

[Kiel]

“Wah! Huh? Like, huh?” That was about all the sense Kiel could make, 'cause he was totally dumbfounded. Like, dude! Maybe he should start actually paying attention to what was spilling out of his mouth, you know, 'cause he couldn't fathom how the heck Rea got from his A to her B. “Wha- Wha- Whe...”

Davey, who had never seen him flustered, looked like he was about to have apoplexy 'cause he was laughing so hard his face had turned totally red.

“How does him having girly-hair make me a bad guy?!” That was all he could think, and he yelled it at the top of his lungs so that he was suddenly the centre of attention for way more people than he liked. Kiel being Kiel, though, he didn't care about appearances, only that she thought he didn't really love Zeph. It was bad enough that Zeph thought that!

“Dude!” She'd already apologised by the time he exploded, and he totally wasn't mad, he just couldn't figure this out. He was used to people struggling with things he said 'cause he talked so fast, you know, but this - this was, like, what?

But it made him realise something. Was this why Zeph didn't say he loved him? Like, did the dude think because Kiel was so insistent that he was still straight that he didn't really love Zeph? Did everyone think the same thing, that he was just, like, going through a curious phase or something?

“I love Zeph, man. It has nothing to do with him being a girly-haired freak, okay, that's just - ” He didn't even know, and he waved his kebab around morosely to prove the point. Flecks of relish spattered his uniform, but he didn't even notice, too intent on justifying his relationship to a total stranger because he couldn't do it with the dude that mattered.

Like, he blamed Zeph's girly hair for being attracted to the dude in the first place, but it was so much more than that. Kiel couldn't even begin to describe the why. “He's more awesome than you can ever, like, I mean, he's a hero, you know? He's - he's everything, I mean, he's so not a girl, okay? He could pick up a house and not even break a sweat!” Okay, so, like, some girls could do that, too, even if he was exaggerating, but Zeph had the muscles to match, you know?

Davey's laughter had long since died down and he was staring at Kiel like he'd never seen him before. It made Kiel nervous, and he prodded at his face to see if he'd left sauce or something on his cheek. Maybe the dude had just never seen Kiel serious before, let alone flustered.

“Like, dude, here, man.” Passing over enough money to pay for Rea's, Kiel giggled bashfully. “It's okay, it's okay. Like, I know they say curiosity killed the cat but, like, whatever, man, you know? They have nine lives.” At this, he winked, and then bit into his kebab with a messy flourish.

Dude, no wonder he had to wash his uniform every night.

[Rea]

Rea had stumbled backwards as Kiel was freaking out. She tripped on something as she was sent backwards onto her butt as her wings flung out to glide her down softer than other wise. Never had she seen someone totally flip out before, at least not like this. Her wings folded up just behind her as she now was balancing on herself on her palms. There was nothing she could think she had said to offend him so much. He was shouting at her and she scooted back away from him some more.

There was fear in her face and she had paled that made it seem she was uncomfortable. She had not said that he was a bad guy and was not sure why he was suddenly exploding at her, but she did not appreciate it so much. The people around them were now staring, which made it all the worse for her. There was a pink hue appearing in her cheek as embarrassment began to add to the emotions in her face. Relish speckled the ground just in front of her feet, narrowly missing her. Biting her lower lip, her face contorted in confusion, had she called Zeph a freak? She couldn’t remember insulting Zeph or intentionally Kiel.

Her eyes were wide as he was justifying his infatuation with Zeph with such intensity. She would not be speaking out loud about it again, but she still did not understand why the young man was in a relationship with his boyfriend as none of what he said really justified it in her mind. He described Zeph like a fan-girl would her obsession. But then again who was she to judge? She had worked in an apothecary when she was young and still studied the art. There had been perfumes specifically made to attract other people and others to excite partners and others to dull the senses, but that was not the same as having girlie hair was it? What was love when you needed all the additives? But then again what was love anyways? You did not have to be in love to be in a relationship after all, people casually dated all the time, but right who was she to judge?

Shaking her head her wings spread out as she got to her feet as her wings went out to full length before she wrapped them around her shoulders loosely as well as she brushed herself off a bit. Her face was red as she took the wrap from Davey. “Thank you.” She said nodding her head slightly. After taking a small bite almost unsure if it was safe, she smiled at Davey and gave a grateful smile. Then she turned to look at Kiel as he had now calmed down. “I did not mean to be rude, but you did not need to yell.” She said softly almost too soft to hear.

“I did not mean to make you seem like a bad guy or make Zeph,” she said his name with a question in it, as she was not sure she had said it right, “sound like some sort of freak.” Biting her lower lip she looked about nervously. “I have known,” she paused, “people” she said after a moment, “that like how you would say both, but they do not act different or look different than the rest of their respective species.” She began looking up and down at herself as if trying to check that she did not look funny after she was sure did not look funny she nodded her head in certainty. “Thank you,” she added as he paid for her wrap, she was about to argue but felt it was better for her not to.

She took another small bite and gave an awkward smile. “What I mean to say is you seem to describe people more artificially, I was just wondering if that is how you think of them or just how you talk about people to a stranger.” Her voice seemed really soft and barely hearable that someone with bad ears would not have been able to hear. Rea did not want to make Kiel upset, and certainly did not want to be yelled at again.

[Kiel]

Kiel's tantrums happened so rarely, him being such a cool and awesome guy. When they did happen, it had always been around his family and friends, who were either used to dealing with him like that, or, like, totally unperturbed by his outbursts, so he had no idea at all that he could be scary. Like, part of him would be totally giddy over the prospect of someone being scared of him for a change, but mostly he'd be horrified if he ever realised how scared Rea was of him just then.

Fortunately for his conscience, he was too busy flapping and flailing to notice how she cowered away from him. He was worried too, man. Enough that he fell completely silent and bit into his kebab with no appetite at all. He actually felt kinda sick. Kiel wasn't used to worrying, man, but this... Dude. Maybe it was just because she didn't know him.

“You seem to describe people more artificially...”

“Artif... art... artificial? Like, huh?” He wasn't sure what she meant, but it hurt. “Dude! I don't think of anyone as, like, artificial or whatever, man. That's like, that's like saying I'm using people or something!”

[Rea]

Rea’s face seemed to contort slightly in agitation. Her wings spread out took make her look more fierce. “Look, you described your boyfriend as awesome and a hero, like a fan girl would her crush. You also described him as having girlie hair. You have described more people in stalk qualities, like you love them but don’t want to be too close to them.” Agitation laced her words. “I asked whether it was how you felt or just how you describe them to someone you don’t know.” She added flatly as she folded her wings back behind her.

What was she doing? She was clearly making him uncomfortable and people were looking at them. Though she had not raised her voice at any point nor intended to she wondered if she was really that out of touch with talking to people. This was not like her, what was it that made this conversation more important than any others to get something out of? As shy as she was she did not like being yelled at by a complete stranger, though she felt she had learned more about this guy in the past half hour than she had from the samples that were sitting in her bag. The books had also been added into her bag when

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to get mad. I’m a curious person and sometimes over step my bounds. You jump at bits and pieces and I jumped on them at the same time. I apologize. Thanks for the lunch.” She added with a bow. Her head looked about the street nervously, was she to leave now or would that be rude? The color in her face was a bright embarrassed red. They were strangers and still she had pushed him and she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

[Kiel]

“B-but that's not. I mean. Is it?” Half-formed sentences aside, Kiel tilted his head to stare at her inquisitively, sheepishly, and totally confused. “Like, Zeph's just awesome, you know, but so is, like, my best friend and my mom and my sisters and my brothers and, well, like, not my dad 'cause he's kinda mean sometimes. Like this one time when I fell out of a tree near the house and broke my leg and my dad was all "what were you doing in the tree in the first place" and I was like "saving a cat" and he was like "you should have got a ladder" and I was all "but Ray was using it" and he still grounded me. For saving a cat! Just 'cause I got hurt!”

Kiel took a breath then, flapping his arms energetically at the injustice of it. He'd totally forgotten he was still holding his kebab, though, and next thing he knew he was wearing it. All down his front.

“Dude. Marty's gonna kill me, man.” Well, like, maybe Kiel could take his jacket off before he went back to the office this time, just this once, and maybe Marty wouldn't notice. Except the dude always noticed, and knew Kiel too well to think the damage wasn't from food.

“But, like, you're totally welcome for lunch and, like, sorry for, like, you know, but you don't have to go yet, okay. Davey, Davey, man, you got any desserts over there? You like dessert, like, right, Rea?” He felt kinda bad, 'cause he'd started to realise how uncomfortable she'd gotten, and it was kinda obvious it was his fault.

“But,” he repeated as he batted ineffectually at the kebab stains on his shirt, scooping bits into his mouth rather than waste them, “like, what's wrong with thinking the dude you're dating is awesome, you know? I mean, if you didn't think they were awesome, why would you date them?”

[Rea]

“I don’t know if that is what it is, merely what you’ve said that makes me wonder.” She stated a slight awkward smile on her face. Rea was glad he was not mad at her. Looking at him as he went to describe what he described as ‘awesome’ she still had a problem computing what justified him now as a boyfriend than a brother. “Parents panic.” She said simply as she smiled at Davey as she finished up her wrap. “They do not like feeling they did something wrong. He probably grounded you more to keep an eye on you and to prevent it from happening again. I mean I could be wrong. Kani used to find things for me to do around the shop all the time so I wouldn’t wander too far.” Fiddling with her hands she gave a slight smile. “He’s not awesome because he did something you did not like?” she asked after a moment’s pause. “To my knowledge most parents even guardians for that matter do things they way they do it for a reason, whether or not they tell us directly what that reason is.”

Rea watched as the kebab was thrown about and found its way all over Kiel’s jacket. She did her best not to laugh, but a giggle slipped through that turned into her soft laugh. “I’m sorry.” She said as she tried to stop laughing. He was a very adamant young man. Fiddling through her bag hoping she had some of the clear concoction that helped with stains. Unsuccessfully she gave a slight frown and pulled out a cloth and handed it to Kiel. At least she could help him wipe up a little bit, water might help but she knew it was not going to do the trick to get out the food residue. “I’m sure if Marty has not killed you by now you should be fine.” He had been saying it several times as if a threat had been made on several occasions, but had never been acted upon, which made it seem to her maybe he was just worried about it. Kiel seemed the sort to worry more than necessary and let other things he should give thought to pass without a second glance. Then again he seemed to do back flips in all sorts of life from this conversation.

Her face had now returned back to its normal color as she shrugged her shoulders to the desert but she did not have much money on her and she did not really care. Rea figured if she moved the conversation on she would not feel the need to be like ‘no I hate all sweets and yummy treats’ to avoid ordering anything. “To be honest I would not know all that much. I would think you would date someone because they make you happy or smile or comfortable and content. Just because they are ‘awesome’ as you say does not mean they treat you like you should be.” She added a sort of stress on the word as if it were a heavier burden to bear than it was. “I mean,” she added hurriedly, “he could treat you well and you could like being with him too, it just seems awesome would not be the word I would use to describe the person I was madly in love with. But that’s just me.”

Biting her lower lip she gave another awkward smile. She was an awkward duckling to say the least. Kiel seemed like a very nice young man, but seemed to need to let his body relax more. Since she met him he had been bouncing off the walls as if he had a mild case of ants in his pants or something. Kani had given her a remedy when she was young to help calm her, though it was simply water with mint in it. Kani had made it sound like it would take her jumpies, as she called them, away. It had done the job even if it had all been in Rea’s head.

[Kiel]

Kiel was ever more confused by his conversation with the chick. She seemed to be taking everything he was saying totally seriously, and, like, expecting him to have a better vocabulary than he did, you know? But, like, for all that he was a talker, his vocab was pretty limited and so things that were good were usually "awesome" and things that were bad "sucked". It was just his way, but, like, he figured it was time to change the subject or something before they could have any more misunderstandings.

“Well, like, if you weren't the dude I was waiting for, I gotta tell Marty they never showed up.” He really should go back to work, you know? It might not seem like it sometimes, but he was a conscientious guy and always worked hard, you know?

Snack breaks aside, haha.

He was way glad he wasn't leaving mad, though. Like, he'd been sorely tempted right after his outburst, when she said that whole thing about being artificial. He'd felt like she was questioning his motives or something, and maybe she was, but he'd rather part company now when they were talking, even if it was at cross purposes.

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you, man. And, like, you can totally treat me to lunch next time, okay? Hahahahaha!” In Kiel's universe, there wasn't even the remotest possibility they wouldn't meet again some day. Even if it was, like, ten or a hundred years from now, he'd still probably remember her. Especially since he asked, “But, like, can I get your COM number before I go?”

[Rea]

Rea blinked and nodded her head. “Of course,” she said with a smile. That was sort of unfortunate that he was not going to make the delivery. She felt sort of bad as she had taken up so much time. He must be a busy sort of guy if he had stuff to do. “You can tell Marty Rea is sorry for eating up your time.” A slight smirk appeared on her face from the pun, regardless of whether or not Kiel caught it.

“Not a problem. Next time I’ll cook.” She smiled as she turned to leave. It was not like she would not want to see him again, but people usually did not bother to keep in touch with her. Then again she did not really blame people. Her curiosity often got the best of her and instantly put people off. Though, sometimes people found her interesting.

“My what?” she asked looking at him curiously as she turned back. After a moment she smiled again, this smile far more awkward than those before as her cheeks turned a slight pink. “Oh sorry, no.” It was not that she did not want to give it to him, she did not have one. In her opinion it was not as needed as it could be, maybe if she had a job that she needed it for she would get one, but she was not living by paying her rent she did favors on an occasion for people and sometimes they gave her money and she mostly grew everything in her room she needed and got by without a problem. But a COM was not as personable to her, if someone wanted to find her she did not travel in many circles and was pretty easy to find.