[Kiel]

Totally misunderstanding, Kiel tilted his head at Nic. “Dude, like, Zeph's so not the goofy type, man, for sers.” He didn't add that the dude would probably squish him into, like, crepe a la mode or something if he ever found out what Kiel called him behind his back. Although, like, not just behind his back, you know? He said that stuff to the dude's face too, and then had to flee like a flock of carser hounds were trying to eat him or something.

Did carsers come in flocks?

Noticing that Shane was looking kinda huffy, Kiel looked skyward in an effort to review what had been said. “Ah, wah! She's not a cat, she's not a cat!” She really took exception to that whole "'kins are cats" thing, which kinda got said a lot since she did look so feline-ish. And basically was a cat. But, like, don't say that to her, you know?

Maybe it was 'cause in a fight between a 'kin and a cat, the 'kin would totally win hands down. Like, even without all that phasing stuff, they were bigger than normal cats, you know? Or maybe 'kin were like dragons looking down on the 'Vari, even though they were both kinda the same thing.

“Hahahahaha, she swiped your chicken, hahahaha! Bad Shane, bad!” He couldn't help laughing, though, 'cause she'd totally morphed into her favourite monkey form and was now sitting on the table pointedly munching on Nic's food, big eyes staring at the Therian as if to say "hah, watch what you call me!"

[Nicolay]

When Kiel obviously didn't get him, Nicolay simply shook his head with a small smile and finished his sausage before he clawed at his chicken again with his fork. The silence had set in by then -- but it was something that Nicolay wasn't really bothered with when the waitress passed and he waved to her with a kind request to bring in the rest of their orders which she received with a nod and a smile. By then, his lap had already gained weight and he had noticed this too late when he looked down to his front and found the gray head of a simian and its displeased eyes. His own eyes grew and he sucked breath.

“Shi--”

He pushed at the table and kicked at the floor so that his chair slid back and for a while there, until he closed his eyes shut, the world had turned a watery shade and in the darkness, he heard Kiel's laughter just across of him.

“Hahahahaha, she swiped your chicken, hahahaha! Bad Shane, bad!”

When he opened his eyes, the world was fine and he found himself looking at Shane's frown. He let out a sigh, missing the chicken shoved right up the kin's mouth and instead, placed a heavy hand on her head as he breathed for himself. “Oh it's just you. I should've noticed...no, don't eat on my lap, it's dirty.” And with that, he nudged her off.

He hadn't noticed the lack of his food yet when he stroked his bangs roofing his eyes and chuckled a little. “Goddess, I should stop being such a pansy,” he said to Kiel.

[Kiel]

Kiel hadn't realised Niccy was still struggling with his monkey-phobia or, like, he totally would have stopped Shane from pulling that whole monkey-morph thing in the dude's lap. He felt really bad that he hadn't helped the guy or something, but it happened really fast so when Nic said he had to quit being a pansy, Kiel could only nod and shrug.

“Like, I totally know what you mean, man. Like, I told you about the gytrash, right?” He almost launched into another version of the story, but he was still feeling bad for the guy, and guilty. Since Shane was still being all pouty and stuff, and not turning back, Kiel clicked his fingers and waggled some chicken in front of her nose to draw her across the table into his own lap, cuddling her around the middle. Like, it wasn't her fault, you know? She was just being Shane, but it wasn't cool to rub Nic's face in his monkey-phobia.

But since he had the attention span of a tiger gazelle, and he couldn't be depressed for long, Kiel tried to cheer the dude up. “Hahaha, I guess monkey's off the table as your next form, huh? Hahaha.”

[Nicolay]

“I guess,” Nicolay said with a light chuckle as he placed his elbows on the table and combed through his hair with the fourth and last fingers of his right hand, eyes on the platter of chips in-between he and his friend. “Supposedly, monkeys are easier to shift to since they're...basically humans before evolution happened. I don't like them, though.” He thought monkeys were a little on the ugly side, after all, bluntly putting it. “Besides, I think I'll make a sucky monkey,” he said with a slight chortle as he picked up his fork and drew his eyes back to the empty plate.

What--

“Shane!” His voice was sharp and bold, a solid blow of "Shane!" which he directed to the gray creature with the eyes of disappointment. “That was not very nice, Shane! Is that even the way Kiel teaches you to behave in front of others? Like a beggar?” His voice maintained its timber of irritation throughout the mock inquiry.

[Kiel]

Kiel didn't think Shane had ever been told off in her life. Like, he sure as hell didn't ever tell her off for anything, you know? She was his Chosen, she knew when he was mad or disappointed (which normally didn't last more than a couple of seconds anyhow).

Well, but Zeph yelled a lot at her, and him, but they both just kinda, like, ignored it and blithely went about their pestering like he wasn't serious about smooshing them into meat patties.

But, like, clearly, Niccy was really annoyed, 'cause he did that whole disappointed stare thing that Kiel's mom was so crazy good at, and that left the pair of them hanging their heads. The 'kin didn't do anything to apologise, though. She'd swiped the chicken to bug him 'cause he called her a cat; in her mind, they were even.

And something had snagged Kiel's curiosity.

“What's, ummmm. Ewoh-loo-shiiiih... un?” It was the first time Kiel had heard that word, or, like, that he could remember. His mom tried teaching him all kindsa stuff when he was a kid (more like when he was still edging out the door to leave the nest), so, like, maybe he had actually heard it before and just didn't remember, but it sounded like one of those mainlander words that didn't crop up very often in normal conversation.

It was kinda weird for it to be him asking, and not the other way around, hahaha. But, like, you know, big words like that kinda tripped him up sometimes, and he didn't understand the concept. “Is that, like, kinda like how 'Vari used to be dragons? You guys used to be monkeys or something? Dude, that's gross, it's gross!” 'Cause, like, even though he thought monkeys were crazy cute - especially Shane in her monkey form - that was just, like, ew. You know? At least dragons didn't stink.

Much.

[Nicolay]

Sometimes, he could swear that Kiel-slash-this-pair was hopeless.

A quiet groan rolled out of his nostrils and he fought against the temptation to rake his hair with his hand and then scratch his palm. Instead, he just took a second sausage, bit it, took a sip of his ale then leaned back waved for the waitress to hand him the menu.

After the ceremonious distraction, he finally said, “Evolution is when some form attains a higher state of form -- like in umm...this man's theory, he thinks that monkeys evolved into human beings in the past and we're all continuing to evolve into something else,” it passed his noticing, that use of the pronoun "we". “And as you know, humans are better, smarter and more capable than monkeys. It's kind of like that.” He made no note on Dracovari and dragons, though. Like Hel did he know who was a higher form than who.

“I don't believe in it, though,” Nicolay added as he received the passing menu and slid-shoved his empty plate to Shane's direction so she could finish everything else. “I think it's a load of bull, to be honest.” Parting the menu open, he began to look at the selections of steak that the house offered.

[Kiel]

“I dunno, man,” Kiel promptly responded, “Some monkeys are, like, crazy smart, you know? Hahahahaha, I bet they could beatcha at chess!” Except Niccy wasn't human, he was Therian, and it was kinda weird seeing him as both.

He did say, “That's kinda like how the dragons became the 'Vari, you know, but, like, it happened all at once. Like some dragons were suddenly human-ish. Kinda like how you change, you know? But, like, they stuck like that. And some of them turned into these, like, crazy ugly freaky things instead, and some turned into Derry. Well, like, not Derry Derry, but, like, you know.” Except Kiel didn't think Nic had ever met the little lizard, so it was a moot point anyhow. “Dragons don't think we're all that, though. Like, they're still better than us in a lot of ways, you know? I guess to them it's kinda like backwards-ewolushion? So yeah. Like, crap.” He nodded to show he was on board with that, but he was more confused than anything. He wasn't sure he'd fully understood the concept Nic was trying to explain anyway, and maybe putting it in terms of dragons was a bad idea. The lizards hated to think they were outshone by anyone, even their own descendants.

“Hey, hey, you ever been on a dragon before, man? Like, it's crazy awesome! Maybe I can bribe Zeph into bribing Slythe. Or, like, we should totally go to the plaza, right, they have tons of dragons there! We can be all, like, chip in and buy a ticket or something, hahahaha. My treat! You wanna go to Nirim, right?”

[Nicolay]

When did he ever want to go to this place called Nirim, he wondered.

“No, maybe not now, I'm busy,” Nicolay said as an excuse with a shake of his head but anyway, he was busy! Xanthmas was upon them and he decided that like in Earth, it was just as crazy except for a more religious reason. Anyhow, from what he'd been hearing, dragons were haughty and many people didn't like them so he decided that even with Kiel around, he might not want being with them so soon like this. Besides, what would he do if Kiel suddenly turned away and gave the dragon an opening to bite his head off?

Well...nothing, he supposed.

“Have you ever been to Nirim, though? What's that place look like?” He could imagine himself in a modern car in Earth wheeling down uneven pathways, surrounded by low hanging tropical trees with long-necked, short-armed dragons walking about...except in his brain, they weren't really dragons, they were actually dinosaurs. Nicolay waited for Kiel's answer as he summoned a waiter and ordered for a medium-sized, rib-eye steak and was quite specific on how he wanted it served and done.

[Kiel]

“Awwwww.” Hanging his head like a kicked puppy, Kiel perked up right away when Nic asked if he'd ever been to Nirim before. “Dude, like, it's soooo awesome, man, you know? Like, Zeph takes me there to train at the dojos, right, and it's so cool! There are dragons everywhere, man, for sers. I'm so jealous of Tad right now, man. He gets to live there, like, constantly, you know? Although, like, I guess his head's always buried in a book or a woman's, uh. So he probably doesn't even notice. He's lame, he's lame!”

Skirting around the whole issue of Tad's favourite pastime, Kiel munched away like this was gonna be his last meal ever and regaled Nic with an endless supply of anecdotes and stories - including the one where he almost got beat up* by a bunch of Ruts 'cause they mistook him for an unSepted kid who didn't belong there (as well as the fact that Zeph totally had to bail him out).

“Like, the whole city's built so dragons can move around it, you know? So the streets are, like, wider than most houses, for sers! And there's all these rooftop gardens, right, so when we eat out there I always make him pick a table close to a window, hahaha. This one time, this red Asiata whipped right past us so fast it knocked me off my feet, but, like, I never saw outside the city. Dragons are all mean and pouty about letting people on their turf.”

Despite the pout that commanded his face, there was still excitement in his eyes as he bounced in his seat. “Dude, you so gotta go, man, for sers!”

---

* Mortal Combat in the Mature Threads forum.

[Nicolay]

“I don't know,” Nicolay tried again to excuse himself but decided that he should probably not keep doing that if he didn't want to hurt Kiel's feelings. “But maybe some other time. You know, when it's a really good time to tour that place and all.”

After leaving two pieces for Kiel to consume in the platter of appetizers, Nicolay took up his ale and sipped from it. “But you said it yourself, dragons are highly territorial. So why are you inviting me to come visit that place? I'd understand if I had the genes of a dragon in me like you guys do but,” he shrugged his shoulders, “Beyond you, there's really nothing in me. Can I turn into them, though?” Just thinking about it made him shake at the imagined pain, however.

[Kiel]

“Winter's cool,” Kiel agreed, nodding idly as he licked his fingers, totally missing his own pun.

“Hahahaha, yeah, but they don't own the city, man, you know?” Well, like, they kinda did. The land the White City was built on was kinda rented rather than owned, Kiel figured, but Nic was being kinda reserved about it so he didn't get into the nitty gritty. Besides, he was quickly distracted by the thought of his buddy being his very own pet dragon.

“Dude! Hahaha, that'd be awesome, man, for sers! You could be my pet, hahahaha.” But, like, “I dunno, I don't think you can? Like, I never heard of a Therian doing that before, but maybe it's just 'cause there aren't that many dragons here, you know? Therians don't get a good look at 'em, you know? And they're kinda weird, they're way more intelligent than animals so their behaviour's kinda... Like, even 'Vari don't know everything about them, you know? They're weird, they're weird!”

And then, as he sat back stuffed to the gills, he added, “Like, dude, when I get my dragon we'll totally make it let you copy it, man, okay?”

[Nicolay]

At this moment, Nicolay took the chance to pop his brow and frown a little at Kiel. Pet? What was he, an animal?

“Anyway, dragons seem like really difficult forms to achieve,” Nicolay said, playing with the idea as he took another sausage and joined it with pickled vegetables before he ate one end of it. “Dragons are bulky and large. And if the dragon I choose flies, then I'll need one hell of a scapula to carry the entirety of me.” Yes, he understood what he just said and he wasn't joking. Learning a bit of anatomy, after all, was apparently a must for Therians like him.

“Well, enough about that. Let's leave it for another day.” Ale at hand, he gestured towards his friend. “How'd you like your food, man?”

[Kiel]

And there he went with the big, unfamiliar words again. “Like, dude, what's a skapyula?” Like, sometimes Kiel thought Nic understood the Elysian language better than he did, you know? Which sucked, it sucked!

But then he was distracted by food, and Kiel's brain went on the rampage. “Dude! It was awesome, hahahaha! Thanks for inviting me, man, for sers! Like, I love food, you know? It's like... totally awesome,” a word that was just as good as any to describe how much he'd loved it.

Although, truth be told, “Hahahaha, any food tastes good though when you're with friends, you know?” If there was one thing Kiel truly feared and hated more than anything - even gytrash! - it was eating alone, or just the thought of being by himself at all. “I think Shane liked it too, hahahaha. Like, you wanna go to the ice cream place on Burrows for afters? Hahahaha, I'd race ya, man, but it'd make my tummy hurt, hahaha.”

((Feel free to advance! ))

[Nicolay]

“You're never supposed to run after a meal,” Nicolay said with a mild snort, a vague smirk on his face as he shook his head -- and then turned to look over his shoulders when the scent of grilled meat wafted into his perimeter and he beamed at the sight of his latest order being delivered straight to his tabletop. He lifted his hand a little to direct the waitress towards his position -- and when the plateful of oozing goodness made it to his space, he gestured to her and said, “Bring the bill, if you can.”

“All righty,” she said and left.

Now Nicolay was a happy person with a satisfied beam on his face as he took up knife and fork and began to break into his steak. “Ice cream sounds great, though! It's been ages since I've had one,” which is to say it's been ages since he's had the budget for one, “And I'm always looking for new places to eat in, anyway. I'm surprised this city doesn't have a lot of...really big restaurants,” or fast food chains, aha, “but the smaller ones make the search more interesting and exciting. Back in Earth, we just wait for the next big thing or sometimes, we try out this new place but they don't normally taste good, neither do they last a long time.”

The bill came over soon after and he received it from the back from the same waitress, thanking her quietly. Moment of truth.

“Do foods from Earth ever get here?” he asked before he ate his chunk and browsed the bill.

[Kiel]

Wah, and Kiel thought he could eat! But, like, Niccy was Therian, so at least he had an excuse.

As he rummaged in his pockets in search of his wallet - which was attached to his belt but still somehow managed to get lost - Kiel tipped his head. He didn't understand what Nic was talking about, the "next best thing". Weren't Terrans satisfied with what they had already? But when he mentioned "really big restaurants", Kiel's eyes widened, 'cause, like, “Dude, this isn't big? Like, where I come from, this is big, you know?”

Maybe it was just a matter of perspective. There wasn't a settlement for miles around the farm so if they wanted to "eat out" back home they had to travel pretty far and then stay overnight. It just wasn't done, and it had been a bit of a culture shock when he came to the city and started tripping over people trying to sell him food.

Rather than politely asking to see it when the bill came, Kiel stood half out of his seat to peer at it upside down, unable to make heads or tails out of it that way.

“Do foods from Earth ever get here?”

“I dunno, I dunno,” Kiel chirped as he yanked a few xanthos out of his wallet and placed them next to the bill. It was probably more than they needed to cover the whole bill, really, but, like, you know. He figured Shane had probably eaten just as much of Niccy's food as Nic had, and was looking a bit petulant now they were finishing up. “Like, what kinda foods does Earth have anyhow?”

[Nicolay]

“Where I come from, this is cozy,” Nicolay explained as he enjoyed his steak and his ale, a slight blush already crawling up to his neck and face. “You could put five of this pub together and add another floor on top in Earth.” He didn't mean to sound like he was bragging but it was clear in his cheeks and voice that he missed those kinds of places, somehow. “Those places are normally expensive, though. But some of them are good! Others are so-so, riding only in fame and name...” Ahhh, he felt like such a critic.

When Kiel moved to peek at the bill, he brought it up closer to his chin and gave his friend a slightly cocky smirk. After all, what was the point of asking him out (no offense, Zeph) when he was going to have him pay? So from then on, steak in his mouth, he kept the sheet of note close to him as he checked the prices and items and feeling a little ache in his pocket, he did slip his wallet out of his pocket and cracked it open. At least he had enough to pay for their meal -- just not for a generous tip and maybe the best ice cream out there. But that's how life works, doesn't it?

“Like, what kinda foods does Earth have anyhow?” Kiel asked him.

“Lots of kinds,” Nicolay said as he eyed his friend and pushed his money away to replace it with his own. Holding everything in his right hand, he waved it to a passing waitress. “We get foods from all over the world. We got healthy ones, tacky ones, fatty ones, good ones...we got everything, I think.” He paused with a steak hovering to his mouth...and he chuckled a little. “I say we as if I still belong to them...”

After a breath, he chucked the bit of steak in and began to polish his plate.

[Kiel]

“Cosy. Huh.” Suddenly, Kiel felt incredibly provincial and way, way small. Like, it was bad enough when he came to the mainland and the city folk eyed him like some kind of wild beast for not having any manners or something, but the more Nic talked about Earth the more he felt like the whole lot of them were born in a barn or something. It made him shrink in his seat a little bit, and paw at Shane's fur like a toddler looking for his snuggly.

Which, like, Kiel had never done. Like, ever. Okay?

So his “Hahaha” when Nic trailed off was a nervous one, and he was slow in trying to shove his money back for a contest of wallets. “Wah.” Even that was somewhat muted, considering his usual enthusiasm. “Like, dude, you gotta lemme pay for the ice cream, though, okay? Like, for sers.”

Of course, it didn't take Kiel long to bounce back to his normal self, so as he waited for Niccy to finish his meal he and Shane played a make-your-own-rules version of draughts using the table condiments and nattered about all kinds of weird stuff, then rushed the dude out of the place in search of the Burrows and ice cream. And despite what he'd said earlier, the second they got outside Kiel totally yelled, “Race ya, man!” and took off.

Only to stop not far around the corner with a hand pressed to his side. “Dude! I totally got a stitch or something, man. That sucks, that sucks!”

[Nicolay]

Nicolay sighed as he stood just outside the entrance of the pub.

Hand in his pocket, he ducked his head a little to scratch at the back of it with his fingers before he started towards the 'varian, one step at a time, the way a full man should only walk. “If everyone ran right after they ate, don't you think it's going to be a scary world?” he asked as he stopped before the man and waited for him to recover. “There won't be a chance for anyone to rest. Everyone would be moving every time, the world is going to move so fast, we'll have to catch up to it.” Actually, Earth was already that way and Elysia was so slow for him. It was a nice break at first, but now he stood in a limbo.

An evening wind blew to his right, himself turning to face it's invisible force with eyes squinted and when it died, he looked back to Kiel. “Anyway, is that store still open at this time? I've learned that a lot of places close early at this time,” he said as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and forced him to walk with him to turn the corner.

[Kiel]

“Wah, haha, you're mean, you're mean.” Kiel already moved around like his pants were on fire anyway, so, like, what was the bad part about the world moving fast? Well, but then he wouldn't be so fast, would he? He'd just be like everyone else, and that'd be boring, boring!

Throwing an arm over Niccy's shoulder as Shane prowled along in her 'kin form, melting from one shadow to the next like she wasn't even made of, like, solid stuff, Kiel giggled like he was drunk. Which was weird, 'cause he hadn't really drunk much of the ale Nic ordered for him. “You're right, you're right. Like, leggo to my house, okay? Like, I can make pancakes, pancakes! Like, you ever tried chiolen and blueberry pancakes, man? It's, like, Xanth, so yummy! Lessgo, lessgo!” And he jiggled up and down like a toddler needing the loo.

[Nicolay]

His house again? Nicolay almost wondered if visiting his house was an unmentioned part of the itinerary whenever they got together like this.

But then, right there was actually an idea! Since they were already visiting houses...

“Ahhh, but your place is ten thousand miles away,” Nicolay said with a small smile and a sigh as he half-nudged, half-hauled Kiel to the other direction and began to lead him that aways. “I've got an idea: let's get some wine, some snacks, and hang out in my place! The night's too young to waste, my place is closer, you haven't been to it and I haven't had visitors in...” he actually thought about this part a bit, “...actually, in what seems like forever.”

“Anyway, it's cozy and clean,” for now. “I think Shane might like it there, too.” Because it wasn't exactly the brightest place on Elysia, aha.