Valentine's Event Round 2

Keandra couldn't help but smirk a bit at Bastion's guess. Twenty-four eh? She kinda liked the sounds of that.
It was hard to tell if this was truly what the frog felt, or if he was being overly complimentary. This was after all, a date, and flirting remarks were most certainly to be expected.
Still, she looked after herself - worked out as well as her unusually elastic body would let her, bought ointments, creams, ate decently. She wanted to get into fashion, and loathe as many may be to admit it, fashion at it's core was about looking good. There was no point in dressing well if you weren't gonna put the effort in to your own body too.
Still... twenty-four? She'd happily take that one with a smile!

Noticing Bast's small moment of blush drew a grin too. Considering Nang's hasty hat-hiding, her own self-concious fumbling, and her current date's nervous stuttering... she was beginning to get the impression EVERYONE here was just as awkward as each other.
It was a comforting feeling in a way. She felt vaguely less like a hopeless loser now that she considered well... everyone here was in the same boat.

And speaking of boats, turned out Bast was quite the traveller! The fox gave a small self-assured nod to herself. Nailed it.
Still, it all sound fascinating. Keandra was super into it... at least until-
"Gotta stay in the nearby area for the next... well, I dunno how long!"
Aaand there were the alarm bells. It was pretty clear that whilst - for whatever reason - Bast was stuck in the area for the time being, he had no intent of his own of sticking around. This was just an extended pit stop on the journey of his life.
Keandra had dated people like that before. And whilst people like that could be fun, intriguing for a time... their calling was the open road.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed his own question.
"Oh, me?" she chuckled awkwardly, trying to refocus, "Weeell, you could say I travelled once - when I first moved here from overseas. But after that, well... the most I've done is the very rare visit there, and then back hear again. The travelling life's not for me..."
It felt important to make that clear - to make sure that message got across. She didn't want to lead him on.
"Still! You must have some stories!" Keandra flitted back to life, trying to at least keep the conversation positive, "You've gotta tell me about some of the places you've been!"

Ragnilde expected mockery. She expected Kelina to take offence to Rag's improvised and jumbled compliment barrage. It was genuine - Kelina was a solid 10 (or 12, as she said), but she was immediately paranoid that her panicked state portrayed otherwise. Thankfully, it wasn't the case, and the manticore lass breathed a sigh of relief. What was more curious was that she took it to heart and genuinely appreciated it. It was... a nice comment, really nice, and Rag blinked. And in that blink, the sultry and flirtatious smirk had returned on her face. Had she just imagined it?

She decided to simply leave the little 'thankyou' as the end of that specific conversation, giving a tiny grin and a nod in return. She didn't want to keep laying it on thick - Rag knew that well enough. Put enough pressure on a point, and it'll all fall flat under the weight. As such, the conversation focus became music!

Okay, another flirtatious remark. Goddammit nooooo. It was almost impressive how she managed to twist each topic into an attempt to make Ragnilde stutter. And it worked to an extent. It wasn't as bad as the assault earlier, but it did cause her to stammer as she spoke in response; "Aheh... haah... I uh. I. I agree," she replied. It was true - different types of music worked for different scenarios. There were some people who just listened to music without direction, she could relate, "I guess.. I'm uh. The same. Like- like if you're feeling sad, you want to listen to something... mellow. Oooor if you're, uh, if you're hyped up, a lot of people listen to rock. It's like... reflecting the mood. Or activity. It's kinda why we have things which fall under, uh, 'work out' songs," a pause, "And-" she used her hands as quotation marks, "-'''work out''' songs." Yep. Nailed it. Her first attempt at bouncing back at Kelina here. This was totally going well, oh yeah. Flirting.

With another awkward cough, a thought did strike her. Kelina was... a fighter of sorts. She was an 'instructor', and frequently was partaking in 'intense training'. But she couldn't imagine what this woman did during downtime. Maybe it was time to find out! After all, you could learn a lot about a person from what they did when they weren't working.
"Oh-...! Actually! Another question for you! Whaaat do you. Do. During this 'downtime' anyway?"

She has a nice smile.
Honestly, that was the only thought that passed through the frogs head, his eyes keenly eating up her small smirk and grin at his comments, a small degree of satisfaction passing through him as he felt the small nervous tension between them begin to pass.
In fact, he was so caught up in these thoughts that he failed to notice her flicker of hesitation, and it too him a moment to realise she'd started speaking again.

As she paused to make her point clear, he hesitated, before giving a small nod of his own. He leant forward against the table, briding his fingers together and resting his chin on them as he gazed over at his companion.
"Mmm, thats fair! Although oversea's is certainly a lot further than most people go, so thats something to be proud of at least~"
"And besides... theres no shame in wanting to stay put. There's something soothing in knowing you have a place to stay, people to talk to, to know your wanted... Or even just to live your life the way you want! " he hesitated for a moment, his smile becoming stretched, before he gave a small shrug of the shoulders and added "Perhaps thats why settling down is beginning to seem so appealling, you know? I've done my time, seen the world, escaped from my birth-place... "

"...e-eheh, sorry, I'm rambling."

It seemed like an odd confession to make, especially to someone he'd only just met, but it seemed like the thought had been gnawing at him for some time. 

And then she'd asked to share some stories of the places he'd been. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he thought of somewhere to talk about, before seemingly deciding it wasn't right or polite, over and over again. Was it polite to talk about himself like this? He didn't want to dominate the conversation, but she'd asked, right?
So, after a few moments hesitation, he finally uttered;
"Well, um, there's the Crystaline forest of the Austere!! It a small island where, legend says, a hero and a mighty demon fought to the death!! the hero struck the demon down, but with their dying breath the demon warped reality itself, tearing forth large spires of crystal and rock, burying the hero..." He puased briefly, allowing a moment for the story to sink in, before continuing;
"I can't vouch for the story itself, but the spires themselves certainly exist - the whole island is coated in pillars of crystal the size of a small oak. Gorgeous regardless of its nature, but to see it at sunset..." he gave a tiny shudder, grinning "Well, I've only seen two things that can rival its beauty."


"...Well, maybe three things." he grinned and winked, a small hint of playfulness tugging at his lips and voice.

Keandra wasn't so sure that having moved overseas was something to be overly proud of. She'd not come here to be adventurous, so much as she'd come here to avoid living her life as a squishy noodle. It was a matter of practicality more than a matter of heart or desire or... ANYTHING like that.
Not to say that she didn't like it here. He was right in many respects - she had friends here, familiarity. A connection. Whilst she'd initially moved simply to get away from the heat of her homeland, this had grown to be her home now. She'd never deny that this was her land.

But then there was the question of the frog's homeland. He'd said something there which had caught her attention. He'd 'escaped' from his birth-place.
What happened there? Where was he from? Was he some form of asylum seeker perhaps, who'd travelled the world just to be anywhere except where he'd once been?
Before she'd chance to really propose the questions, Bast had moved on. It seemed perhaps tactful to not bring that one up for the time-being. Still, it definitely had drawn her curiosity...

Her curiosity was peaked even further by the mentions of the Crystaline forests. They rung a bell because... well of course they did. Something like that couldn't exist with at least some word of it's existence getting around. After all, legends like that of the demon and the hero couldn't remain legends without someone to tell the stories!
She'd seen pictures here and there... but honestly it was something she did truly wish to experience for herself. She could only imagine the inspiration she could draw from the beauty of such a place.
And speaking of beauty...

Keandra's blush was evident even beneath her fur. Okay, yeah, this guy was definitely a flirt. That 'twenty-four' comment earlier was most certainly in the same vein of this. And she obliged by feeling incredibly awkwardly confident.
"Aheh-heh- hey now!" she coughed, "None of that! You set up for that line and you know it! You need to cut back on the cheesey romance films!"
Clearing her throat, she adjusted her jacket slightly, trying to reassert herself. Having regained her composure, she deftly switched the topic away from herself. That was quite enough of that!
"Still, Austere sounds amazing! I'm a sucker for sorta like... well, anything pretty," she chuckled for a second, scratching behind her ear, "What's the weather like there?" ...Okay admittedly that probably sounded quite left-field. As if she had already resorted to having nothing better to talk about than the weather, "I-I mean temperature wise. Is it hot?" ...Okay that definitely didn't help.

Cheyzy nodded at her explaination, the small smile staying firmly on his face. The way she talked about it, she didn't seem super enthused about it, but it still mean't something to her. Maybe not the biggest career decider in her life, but definitely something she'd likely to remember fondly in the future.

"I...Am not really sure why I joined. I didn't really have anyone egging me on to join, nor do I have this huge sense of heroism pushing me to go there. It just....Feels right, I suppose?"

To be honest, it was to help him understand Catalyst, hone their connection to maybe something that wasn't more or less the pup being dragged around on a leash by the literal demon within him. Of course, that wouldn't be the most favorable thing to hear, so what his brain already spilled out would have to do.

Sweetie was happy to see that she was able to reassure Yuki. Hearing that she doesn't normally talk to people made her let out an 'aww' under her breath. She found the leopard's shyness to be absolutely adorable.

The fox tilted her head with a smile on her face after hearing that Yuki wanted to open a 'comfort food place'. Something that gave off that cozy right-at-home feel. She hadn't seen much of something like that around here before. It was a rather unique concept to her. She bet many would love a place like that, and hoped Yuki wouldn't be stealing any of her customers.

Speaking of competition, it appeared that the leopard would much rather work together than compete. She appreciated the fact that she preferred to be more cooperative and help both businesses grow. Wait, did she just call her cute? Realizing this the smile on Sweetie's face widened to a grin, and her tail swished back and forth. She always loved receiving compliments. This put her in more of a chipper mood than she already was. "Yes! We should definitely work together should you open up around here." 

Watching her try to explain that friendly competition was still welcomed and the like made her let out a soft giggle. She thought Yuki was being rather cute, but, oh no, there she goes apologizing again. Sweetie decided not to comment on it, however, and let it go. Maybe the poor thing couldn't help it.

"What made you want to open a place such as that?" Perhaps the answer was obvious. Maybe she just liked making people feel at ease. The fox then followed up with another question. "Oh, and what got you into cooking?"

Kelina would keep a close eye on Ragnilde, seeing her expression go from a slight relief, back to a mild case of stammering and shyness. She would giggle to herself as she saw her using air quotes in an attempt to flirt.

“Mhmm~” She would reply ever so simply, purposefully leaving it a mystery as to what was going on inside that head of hers.

Then, the conversation shifted once again, Kelina, would rarely get any downtime as it is. But that was by her own choice, she tended to work or train until her body dropped to the floor, but, not 24/7.

“Hm, I suppose, in my downtime, I like to learn new skills, simple things, survival skills, small things that might come in handy. I also like to find a quiet space to simply meditate, it’s good spend some time with your thoughts~” She said with a simple, relaxed sigh, it seemed her teasing had cooled down just a bit. After all, she had done just about all she could with it, it was time to see a different side.

“And, what about you dear, what does your pretty self get up to?~” She would say, an eyebrow raising quizticly as she leaned in, some interest in her expression.

At her comment, the frog let out a small peel of laughter, his grin growing to the very edges of its limits. He couldn't help it, really! There was something just... infectious about seeing someone react so positively to a comment.

And honestly? After Stella, this was a nice change of pace! Don't get him wrong, he'd enjoyed his time with his previous companion, but theirs had been something more formal, more... strict.
This? This was nice.

"Oh, come now! You give me too much credit. The oppertunity merely presented itself, so how could I refuse to take it?" he smirked a little, arching his free brow in amusement. He considered adding in another line, a small joke or another flirt, but figured it might be best to avoid pushing his luck.
There is, after all, to much of a good thing, and he'd rather Keandra not think that all he could do was flirt.

Her next comment did seem to take him by surprise, the frog leaning back a little in his chair and scratching at his chin in thought. After all she'd said about not traveling, was she thinking of maybe visiting? After a moment he dismissed his curiosity, because what did it matter if she was? She was her own woman, after all!
"The weather? Well, we didn't stay there long, but from what I remember it was... warm? It's far enough away from the equator to avoid super hot weather, but it's close enough to be treated to frequent sun. So uh, I'd say probably no hotter than this room on most days? Chances are it could get hotter, if thats your preference, but for the most part... well, yeah! Like this."

Dione listened quietly as Cheyzy explained his reasons and motivations to join the guild, kind of understanding where he was coming from. Sometimes, helping people with their problems, without expecting anything back, was a nice thing to do. Of course, the guild also had plenty of quests where you did get rewards, but that was just a nice bonus, in the wolf's opinion.

The both of them fell silent for a few moments, and in that time, Dione was awkwardly fumbling about with her thumbs. "So uhm.." She started, not knowing what she would talk about. "Is there.. Is there anything you want to make a carreer in? Other than staying in service of the guild?" 

She wasn't the best at talking to strangers, and she got the feeling that Cheyzy wasn't the best at finding topics of conversation either, so all of her attempts to start a not-awkward conversation were... poor, to say the least.

‘Hello I am Nang. I hope you are doing well this evening’ he would take his seat.
 
‘Well uhhh… ‘he would take his hat off. the dog would have short hair and wearing a pilot jacket and jumpsuit ‘Tell me a little bit about yourself.’ He would wait for the response as he holds his cowboy hat still a little nervous going from one he opens up a bit to and now a new person is sitting right on the opposite site of this table. He hopes it will go well.

Dione's question brought a shadow of sadness to the small dog's smile, his gaze drifting over to his water glass, still untouched. The moment passed, and the sorrow seemed to be shoved into the back of his mind. He straightened a little, fumbling slightly with his bowtie.

"I...um, I've always wanted to become a teacher. An art teacher, if I had to be specific. It's something I've always enjoyed doing, and I hope to bring to others what it brought to me."

That thought to be gone sadness began creeping into his voice halfway through his talk, but his dismissed it with a clearing of his throat.

"Ah, you said you were in college, correct? What are your majors?"

Seeing the smile growing on Sweeties face made Yukiko feel very pleased with herself.Things were getting more comfortable, and it even appeared her stuttering was easing off as well. She could see the hint if concern on the fox girls face flicker for a moment before silently brushing it off. She often saw that when she found herself apologizing too much. 

She would really need to work on that for sure.

The sun coloured female had agreed to the suggestion of possibly working together; such a positive sign that the conversation was in a good place. Yukiko felt more and more comfortable and at ease. Who knew it was so easy to talk to people? Maybe Sweetie just had this alluring charm to her. She did admit the girl was very like her name sake ,even if there was something slightly sinister hiding underneath, it didn't take away just how nice she genuinely was. 

"I'm so glad you agree. It would definitely help us both out. We could get in contact if I find a place close by to see what could be done as a team."

At this point it didn't wholeheartedly feel like a 'date' per se. The violet feline did feel some flutters in her abdomen when she spoke to Sweetie, but it definitely wasn't an uncomfortable feeling at all. 

"Well, when I cook, I always see people happy and relaxed. That's something I wish to accomplish with every meal for every customer. I want them to feel at home; I want them to be happy and have that cosy feel when they leave my place."

Fidgeting with her hands for a moment, the purple female looked to Sweeties face hoping not to see some any sort of humour in what she had said. 
"What about yourself? What inspired you to open a sweet shop? Or is it something you p-perhaps acquired as part of your family?"

Dione didn't quite know what to do when she noticed the sadder undertone in the smaller canine's voice. She took a few seconds to see if she would want to comment on it, ask more about it or just leave, it but before she could even decide, the dog had already asked a question of his own. It kind of came as a relief to her, seeing as she would probably avoid prodding in sensitive subjects. 

"Oh, I study-" She was gonna sound really boring here. The girl didn't really like talking about what she studied and not many people knew what her major was, which she wanted to keep that way. "I study maths.." A slight blush formed on her face, embarrassed for her boring subject in school. "I uhh.. I want to be a maths teacher." Before saying anything else she quickly took a sip of her drink, trying to brush off her embarrassment as well as she could.

"I know it sounds a bit boring, but I uh.. I like it." That was a great save, for sure. Dione didn't know why she wanted to study it, she had just always found it interesting and she was quite good at it in high school. Teaching people about stuff had always seemed to be an interesting thing as well, and it was always nice to teach people about the things you know, bringing them to the same level of knowledge and understanding while seeing them grow and being part of that process. She coughed and took another sip before speaking again.

"Looks like we both want to be a teacher, haha."

"So you just... keep moving?" Ragnilde questioned, tilting back in her chair, "Even as a break? That sounds... exhausting! I'm. Uh. Impressed you have the. Energy. For it. I know I wouldn't." Downtime was for relaxation, but Kelina obviously liked to be active and constantly learning. It was as impressive as it was scary, and the manticore let out a tiny whistle of admiration. She really was tough, and Rag felt a pang of jealousy towards her. That sort of active lifestyle... she wouldn't be able to keep up with it!

And then the question was returned, and Rag paused. ...What did she do for downtime? Okay, she knew what she did, but she couldn't say that. Especially in front of an attractive, tough lady like this badger here. As the question was asked, Rag drummed her fingers against the table out of nervousness, biting her lower lip. She... wouldn't lie. She'd just... say... vague things. Truths without clarification. Scratching the back of her neck, she answered; "Uh. Uhhh... I'm. I'm quite... quiet actually. I... read. And sometimes I play... games. Or go for a coffee after work." The final point was true. But conjuring all of these together? Well, wow, she really was boring, wasn't she? Rag kicked herself internally. Let's leave it as that. "B-but! Still! Hahah! Maybe I should. Take. A few pages. From your book and actually... learn new skills and uh. Expand my knowledge."

"Oh, um... I recently moved in around the area! Yeah..." Ember finally replied to Aaron's question. She glanced at the other couples, laughing and joking. Why was this so awkward? 

"Um... Sorry, I'm not good with talking to people..." Ember said, looking towards the table, and fidgeting with her hands nervously.

Aaron leaned back in his chair, "Nah, your fine. I'm not one for conversation either," he let out a sigh as he thought about to say next, "But hey, gotta step outta your comfort zone eh?"

"Well... maybe we could talk about some of our adventures, experiences maybe?"

Kelina would give a small shrug, tilting her head as she did so. Pouting her lips once more as she listening the her ‘admiring’ her active lifestyle.

“Well, not particularly ‘moving’. Reading is a very good tool for learning as well, so once my body needs rest, I train my mind~” She would say with a smirk.

“But, I have also been known to sleep, heavily if the time calls.” She would chuckle to herself, as well, a lifestyle as ruthless as hers eventually did lead to long crash and burns every now and again.

She would then listen in as Rag gave a run down on what exactly she did on her downtime, her eyes drifting over her face as she took it all in.

“Oh? Reading too hm~ very interesting. And hm, perhaps we could grab a hot coffee some time~” Kelina, really pushes the limit a little bit there, but she didn’t care one single bit, her grin stretching from ear to ear as she leeeeaned back ever so slowly on her chair to allow a nessecary pause.

“Oh yes, of course, it’s always lovely to learn new things and expand your horizons, and knowing what to do in a certain situation~” She would say, her golden yellow eyes piercing through the air as she watched Rag closely.

Reading is training your mind. Rag liked that term. She hadn't ever considered it that way, but the phrase made reading seem a lot more profound than what it was. Books were the dumbbell weights for your brain, and Ragnilde was jacked. A little smirk played on her lips as she entertained that thought. She also couldn't imagine what sort of books Kelina liked to read, but ironically enough Rag was never good at reading people. She made a mental bet to herself that Kelina was secretly into romance novels. Imagine it! This tough, hard-skinned woman secretly being a mushy soft-hearted swooner! Feeling a little more confident in leading the conversation, she decided to ask: "Well. What books do you. Train. Your mind to?" she inquired, "Just! If I... if I, you know! Want to check. Them. Out! I'm taking recommendations!"

The conversation taking a different route, the manticore nodded her head in response to her partner's sleeping habits, agreeing that she was indeed the same. Albeit, not in the same way. While Kelina slept for extended periods to rest after tough, extensive training, Rag just... slept. Not because she was doing anything that required a rest, but just because she liked sleeping. It was quite a pathetic comparison. But before she had time to dwell on it, her train of thought veered off the tracks into unexpected territory.

Did Kelina just ask to go grab a coffee? With her?
Was... was that a friendly offer, or was she legitimately asking for a date?

First Tofa wanting to go shopping, and now this? Was Ragnilde seriously this lucky? The words were literally lost on her so much that her speech could only be equated to keyboard mashing, her mouth opening and closing, her eyes wide, that blush a constant staple on her face. Was that a date? Was that a date??? Was she assuming too quickly, was she getting ahead of herself? Her voice cracked as she spoke, perhaps a little too eagerly; "IwouldlOVEto!!" she coughed again, "I-I mean! I'll pay! I mean- If. If you. If you want to. Do the coffee. Thing. That'd be! Nice!"

Okay, be honest. Focus on this. Focus on this opportunity. The woman attempted to steel herself, try to appear more confident and bold to the lady before her. She could make this a thing. She needed to put pressure on it, "I-I mean. It would be a nice chance to... get to know each other.. outsideofthis if. You want. Maybe you could... teach me a few things you know. Hahah!"

Stella would smile. A conversation starter.

How lovely.

"Hobbies, interessts, for a start."

Starting slow...

"Later, we can get to something more interesting."

------------------------------------

"I, uh, I am, thanks for saying that," Anastasia would smile weakly. "Something about me, huh? Well...."

Don't say anything weird. Don't say anything weird.

"I like to sing. Sometimes," she'd mumble. "In front of friends and family."

Last time was a couple of years ago. What are you doing, Ana? You didn't practice even once since that!


Why are you bringing that up?!

"This is my first time speed dating. Sorry if I said something awkward."

Keandra wasn't so sure she believed Bast had lucked his way into a set-up for that line. WAY too cheesey.
Still, she offered a little smirk at his protests, before he moved on.

"Oh no no, definitely not hotter!" she wafted her hands around in protest for a second - before suddenly shooting her arms down to her side as the waggling motion jiggled it's way down her body. Why hadn't she worn her coolant suit for today? "Er, ahem- um-"
She coughed. Maybe he hadn't noticed.
...Yeah, let's just pretend that was completely normal, and carry on.

"No, I, uh-" the fox relaxed her posture slightly, trying to force out a basic conversational tone, "No, I've, uh, never otten along with the heat. It's why I moved away from my original country - wanting a cooler climate and all..." she nodded - more to herself than her conversational partner, "...Still, I mean, definitely sounds like I could visit there in the Winter."

She wanted to ask now; 'What about you?' 'What is it about your homeland that made you decide to leave?' 'What do you mean, escaped?'
However bitingly curious she was, she decided that perhaps these were not the most tactful questions. Then again, tact didn't bother her enough to prevent her from asking the NEXT question she had lined up. Only, she suspected the answer would hold something to do with where - and more importantly WHAT - Bastion had come from.

"Sorry, uh... I hope you don't mind me asking, but..." she hesitated for a second - before jumping straight to the point, "What happened to your eye? I'm... taking it that you're not wearing that for fashion?" She paused a moment longer, before adding, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I've just been curious."
In truth, it had been playing on her mind for a while. As they'd been talking, she'd occasionally find it popping up in the back of her mind. It's not that it was a problem, or that it disturbed her - rather, it was simply one of those ever-present features that played on the curiosity. And it felt the only way to get past that was to... well, draw it out into the open air.

Kelina relaxed back, folding her arms. Now if there was something she loved, it was talking about what she was interested in, or passionate about. She pouted her lips before beginning to speak.

"Well, different books for different situations, sometimes I like to read non-fiction biographys about those I look up to, as a way to pick their brain without actually, meeting them. Or, perhaps a fictional tale of adventure, passion, something with pride. And, what really makes it, is when your can feel the author's pride and passion in their words, when you know they put their love into it!" Clearly, she was an admirer of good literature, which, certainly would not be told at first glance. In fact, she rambled on so much, she had to pause to collect herself.

"Oh, and what about you, tell me what you like to train your mind with~" She would, her grin still plastered eagerly on her face

She would eventually listen to Rag's spluttered acceptance of her little offer. Perhaps the inital offer was a tad playful and sarcastic, but, seeing that acceptance, it made her tingle, something about it just, made her...content? I suppose that's the most positive word in Kelina's case. 

"Ssssh~" She would raise her finger, looking Ragnilde in the eye as she smiled on forward at her.

"Its a date then~" She would say in the calmness, most collected manner, nearly whispering across to her as the words narrowly escaped her lips.

Kelina then began grinning with, exaggerated eagerness, before quickly clearing her throat, watching her carefully before nodding.

"Oh~ I'd be happy to teach you in any different kinda thing ya want~" She would coo out at the end of her sentence, a second wink being thrown out from one of the honey badger's golden eyes.

Ok, this was good! This was going well! For a moment Bast was worried she’d find his protesting too much, but that small smirk was a positive sign, right? At the very least it meant his small comments were at least somewhat appreciated, so that was all well and good!
 
And then came the sudden hand slamming and the awkward pause that followed. Bast blinked, raising his visible eyebrow in wry amusement and confusion – What had that been all about? He hadn’t noticed anything weird happen, but she seemed as startled as a deer caught in headlights! Had something happened behind him and he hadn’t realised?? Or was it something he said??
Then again, she’d practically sat on her hands when she’d arrived, right?
Maybe she was worried she was gesturing too much? It’d certainly explain why she’d be so mortified at the seemingly innocent motion, but he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea. But alas, there was no time to mull it over, for Keandra soon found her voice again!
 
“Ah, well, you and me both!... The heat thing, I mean, not the- never mind. But yeah! It’s one of the few issues with being an amphibious Mobian living on dry land – Dry skin is horrifying – But if you get a chance you really should! It’s a gorgeous place, and is somewhere I whole heartedly recommend anybody checks out if they get the chance.”

Again he paused, his lips pursing slightly as he tried to think of an appropriate compliment or flirtatious remark he could make in addition to his comment, before Keandra suddenly came out of left field with her next question. His smile suddenly became a touch more strained, and instinctively he raised his hand to where his concealed eye was.  He was silent for a moment, before giving the tiniest of shrugs.


“Eh, its… nothing major. A training accident from a few years back caused some serious damage to it, and it’s never been the same since.” He hesitated briefly, as if considering how much he could really say about it, before giving a tiny smirk. “It’s not exactly the nicest thing to look at either, hence… well, yeah!”
For a moment, Bast felt a touch of shame for his vagueness – it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it was hardly the full truth. Honestly, he was still a little touchy about the subject, but she deserved that small snippet at least.
 
“But still, I think that’s all enough about me!” he said suddenly, his hand hurriedly shifting back to his side. “Tell me more about you! What do you do for a living, or just for fun?”

Kelina willingly read biographies? Ragnilde always thought they were too boring for her, too factual. It was usually sport stars and politicians who wrote books on themselves detailing their rise to wealth and fame. An egotistic foundation they could stand on. Saying this, however, she hadn't actually tried to read one before. She simply marked them off as 'not for her' without giving it a chance. Of course, it's not like Rag was looking down on the badger for this. It's just that she hadn't met anyone who genuinely liked them.

As for enjoying action and adventure novels? Well, now that's what got her a smirk! She could bounce back on that! Kelina had a much firmer and passionate opinion on literature than Rag did, but that was something she could really appreciate. The raw passion in someone's work was often overlooked, and it was nice to see someone who loved literature for it. Leaning back in her chair with a soft creak, she replied, "I agree! Action, adventure, dramatic tales of peril... they always just... drag you in! It makes it, uh. Exciting and. You're on the edge of your seat! ...On. The edge. Reading," she nodded her head, "The uh, the more passion, the better the work, yeah. You can tell when someone's doing it just to make a. Uh. A quick buck. It's why sequels aren't as great. It's why so many films just... flop... after the first. Sequels are uuusually just... money grabs. Like-" leaning forward, she raised her hands and wiggled her fingers as she spoke, caught up in her own babbling, "-Did you uh. Ever read. I think it was... yeah. Seven Serenities by uh... A.C. Frost? That book was great but, er... the sequels. Were awful. Eight Afterthoughts was the lowest rated book that year." It was a shame. She didn't even want to buy that book at first, but her old friends convinced her to - they said it was great. She really got into the series, and admittedly she really enjoyed the sequel. But she didn't want anyone to know that. Rag always said she hated it, but it was a guilty pleasure.

Ragnilde supposed that answered the question with what she liked to 'train her mind' with. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough. She enjoyed both action and adventure with a hint of mystery, but she preferred comic books. She preferred the tales of heroes doing grand and wonderful things, taking risks and saving those less fortunate. She preferred tales of dastardly universe-wide villains and the conflict it brought. The fictional worlds and lore that were built were so intriguing. But still, Kelina was a tough woman. She didn't want to lose her chances now, so she kept her yap shut. This was going so well...

...So well, in fact, that she scored herself a date with this attractive woman.

Hold up, what.

She said it was a date. She said it was a date. Sure, 'it's a date' was a universal term for an agreed plan but... this was a speed date. She wouldn't say that unless she meant it, right? Her heart was beating out of her chest - so hard in fact that her hand instinctively went to clutch at it. And Kelina's smooth, silky whisper didn't exactly help. Her voice was gorgeous. She was gorgeous. Was this really happening? Was this real life? She wasn't dreaming, right? This had to be a joke, right?

If it was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. If it was a joke, she could endure being the punchline. A tiny giggle left her mouth, and she covered that with her other hand. Oh god, she looked like an idiot right now. A blushing, bashful nerd. But she couldn't stop smiling. Recoiling her hands slowly. she burrowed half of her face into her mane as she lowered her head into her shoulders, "Aheh...hehah...! I... I guess... I guess it is! A date!" she whispered in turn, repeating that word. Kelina was totally out of her league, how was this happening. How.
Oh god she was still flirting. Oh god she winked. Her heart. Oh no.
"That- I... yeah! I'm... I'm looking forward! To that! To you teaching me! That is a thing I. Am. Looking forward to!" She couldn't even fabricate a proper sentence she was so happy. Her face was practically on fire.

How this purple manticore woman, with such striking eyes, a poisonous tail, and a fang jutting out of her mouth could be so easily, and so quickly, wrapped around the finger of this badger lady was anyone's guess.

Kelina leaned in some as Rag spoke of her fondness of action, adventure novels. Her eyes locked firmly onto her. Her smirk staying plastered onto her face. Just then, she was given a recommendation or, a question if she had read a certain book. 

"Hm? No I can't say I have, but the title alone makes me very inquisitive~" She would say, a clear tone of interest and excitement in her voice as she raise one of her eyebrows.

"But yes, it is a shame, people have a taste of fame, fortune, and trade their passion for glory..." She, could have sworn those words were lyrics... anyway.

"That's why I stay humble, controlled in everything I do, any advancement I make is for myself, or, what means something to me, nothing else~" She would say, there was that passion in her voice again. It was clear she was extremely devoted to...well anything that managed to break its way into her titanium heart.

And then, she saw the manticores reaction to their date plan begin. And, what is happening? WHAT IS HAPPENING. Kelina's entire being was writhing inside. She saw how, giddy, shy, freaking CUTE, Rag's reaction was. But why, why is it making Kelina feel just, so, warm.... weak.... HAPPY.


There was just something about the entire thing. How much Rag would melt, or blush. Kelina's entire front was being broken down by something as simply as a super cute girl! This was just, not normal. This is a woman that has stared the darkness of trials and hasn't broke her front, hasn't lost composure even once! ...

"Ehem, yeah, I look forward to it, cutie~" Nice, Kelina's mind may be freaking out as to just what is going on, but god damn did she know how to filter things to save herself. She couldn't let herself break, at least not yet, besides, no matter how much it was tugging on Kelina's steel heart, she was still very much enjoying Rag's reactions.

"I'm so glad I'll be getting to see more of that pretty face~ perhaps in more interesting scenarios than simply sitting across from eachother~" And that was true, she very much did look forward to what the future could write for these two.

'This is my first time as well so don't worry about it. ' The dog will place his hat down ' and singing is good. It is a nice interest to have. Sadly the only skill I have is flying jet aircraft.'

Nang thinks to himself what to say next. Trying to think of other topics to talk about. Maybe start with talking about work? Maybe it could spark something.

'So ummm... What do you do for a living?'