There's something in the dark...

Would someone get the lights please...

[wakeful-nightly]

[TMA OC rp/ask blog]

Ooc here: Greetings, I'm Vermin (or V, or Ran), and I wanted to try my hand at an OC blog! I've listened to TMA a good few times over the past 1,5 years or so and am still in love with it, and as such thought this could be an interesting little project/pasttime

On this blog, I'll be roleplaying as & exploring the story of Noah Oxley (Noxie), a 20-something that's being stalked/marked by the Dark. I plan to keep just about everything seperate from the events of the podcast, but just in case, spoiler warning for potentially all of The Magnus Archives

Main blog is @the-pondering-vermin

Character info - Noah Oxley

Nicknamed 'Noxie' by his mother, which is how I mostly refer to him

Dark brown eyes with dark circles under them, and long, naturally ink-black hair (well. Undyed, but it's darker than hair normally is able to get. His main and only physical mark of the Dark for the foreseeable future). Average height and narrow shoulders, though not thin. Rather pale skin

On the quiet side, and can be rather socially awkward at times. Doesn't particularly dislike being perceived, but he feels calmest when he can't be seen (or heard). Fairly polite

Tends towards covering clothes, with a particular like for turtlenecks

British (probably from west London or Watford). I try to occasionally incorperate certain words into his speech to make this apparent

Currently a willing follower (<-barely) of the Dark, partially out of fear of the shadows that stalk him and partially due to the calm safety he feels in the darkness

Knows that The Shadows are real and that there's other presences out there (at least one at the Institute, which watched him for a short while). Knows nothing else about the dread powers or their manifestations

The shadows that follow him tend to blend into other shadows around him, and hide especially well when there's people other than him around. They can get hostile against Noxie if he reveals himself too much during the night. He's (semi-consciously) becoming 'one of them' (though not physically)

An adult (probably ~22?). I won't actively instigate anything related to mature topics, nor flirting or anything of the like, but as a rule am not averse to either. That being said, do note that he's currently already in a slow burn with someone

Character art - Noah Oxley

The former is how he currently looks, the latter has some added Darkness :D. His hair will likely be the main supernatural trait when he becomes an avatar proper. I imagine it extending into dark smoke/tendrils that cover most or all of his body, and allow him to meld into shadows. Though, that's for later

Further rp info

I would like for Noxie to slowly find out about the supernatural. In rp any tidbits, contextless information, or severe oversimplifications that may arise would be much appreciated, but please refrain from properly trying to explain anything to him

As you might've guessed, I plan to have Noxie become an avatar of the Dark. He currently, however, isn't. His inability to consciously call upon the Dark and his tendency to find himself trapped within the Dark every now and then make him perfect to be roughed up for a while and/or kidnapped (wink wink), and as long as he doesn't die I certainly wouldn't mind him suffering a good bit here and there :>

When I am roleplaying as Noxie, and directly refer to or call upon the Dark, I will bolden the text, as such. Note that I used to make it purple instead

I'd love to participate in any rp where it'd make sense for Noxie to be present. If you want him to pop in somewhere or play a specific role in an rp, just send me a DM!

I'm still fairly new to this rp thing, so apologies if anything I make comes off as low-quality or inexperienced. Oh, and definitely tell me if I say anything inappropriate or offensive? I come from more in-person rp (particularly dnd), so I'm generally used to being able to see people's reactions to what I do/say and adapt accordingly. I love how accessible online rp is, but have no clue how to know whether or not I'm doing a decent job at it

The current storyline between Noah and Alealani (mostly for my own reference)

From the shadows

In the light of day

Not quite a meet-cute

Definitely not a date

Coffee not-date

Tagging system:

Talking to the dark / Blogging in-character

Whispers in the night / Responding (asks, reblogs), rp-ing

That from the shadows / Lore posts, art, or fics/rp openers (posted ooc)

Vermin speaks / Any other ooc posts

(Slightly edited) divider by @cafekitsune

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani noticed the wallet, and they scoffed, as if offended. Her voice came out lightly reprimanding.] "Don't you dare! I'm paying for your disgusting coffee that you hate. And our pastries."

[She cleared her throat.] "I refuse to let you pay. I've got it. Put that back."

[wakeful-nightly]

The expression that crossed Noah's face was starkly reminiscent of a child's expression after doing something wrong, and was trying to read their parents' reaction. "But..." He spoke weakly.

"It's. I'm supposed to..." He considered something. "At least let me pay for my own things-"

[alealani-tma]

[They pouted, considered it, then decided it was still a no.] "Yeah nope. I'm still paying. It's sweet that you want to, but I like paying for the group. Plus, I like the rule of "whoever chose the location pays" in situations like these. I'm the one who suggested we get coffee."

[She got out her own wallet, which had little nature-y charms and what looked like actual tiny bones dangling from the zipper.] "If you wanna pay next time, you'll have to pick where we go."

[wakeful-nightly]

He still seemed conflicted at this, but didn't offer up any resistance, and stowed away his beat-up leather wallet with a sigh. The decorations of Alealani's wallet did catch his eye, though he didn't comment on them for now.

"Fine, I guess that's fair... but I'm definitely paying next time! If that means me choosing where we go, then so be it."

The slight frown on his face lightened up into a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate it, by the way. Thank you, really!"

[alealani-tma]

"You're very welcome. Like I said, I enjoy paying for the group."

[She got out her card and let the server scan it, and with that, their meal was paid for.]

"So, do you want to just head straight there, or chill for a minute and like, digest?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah nodded to the server as they walked away. "Eh, we've digested plenty. Let's go get you your herbs."

As he stood up, he quickly wiped his lap in case any crumbs had fallen there. He pushed his chair back in against the table, now ready to follow Alealani towards the vaguely defined 'grocery shops'.

[alealani-tma]

[She cheerily led him out down the street, swaying her hands as she walked and humming a little tune to herself. All the little quirks of her voice smoothed out to a tone reminiscent of ebbing and flowing whalesong.]

[She let her eyes wander along the different sights across the road, on the sidewalk, and periodically, at Noah.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie, for his part, was mostly keeping his head down while walking. He'd found himself on the road-side of the sidewalk, as he tended to when walking with others, though he hadn't particularly noticed so himself.

His own gaze also occasionally fell upon the figure next to him. When they shared a glance, a warm smile appeared on his face. "So, what was it... herbs & ginger, paper towels & toiler paper, oil & lotion?"

[alealani-tma]

"And bread!" [They added in a singsong voice.]

"Pretty basic stuff, I think. What do you usually get when you go shopping? Do you need anything?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He considered this. "I mean, I generally do the groceries these days, so most of everything? Ingredients, snacks, cleaning or laundry products, it depends on the week, really."

"For now... I might pick up some fruit? I'll have to see what, though."

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani noticed the wallet, and they scoffed, as if offended. Her voice came out lightly reprimanding.] "Don't you dare! I'm paying for your disgusting coffee that you hate. And our pastries."

[She cleared her throat.] "I refuse to let you pay. I've got it. Put that back."

[wakeful-nightly]

The expression that crossed Noah's face was starkly reminiscent of a child's expression after doing something wrong, and was trying to read their parents' reaction. "But..." He spoke weakly.

"It's. I'm supposed to..." He considered something. "At least let me pay for my own things-"

[alealani-tma]

[They pouted, considered it, then decided it was still a no.] "Yeah nope. I'm still paying. It's sweet that you want to, but I like paying for the group. Plus, I like the rule of "whoever chose the location pays" in situations like these. I'm the one who suggested we get coffee."

[She got out her own wallet, which had little nature-y charms and what looked like actual tiny bones dangling from the zipper.] "If you wanna pay next time, you'll have to pick where we go."

[wakeful-nightly]

He still seemed conflicted at this, but didn't offer up any resistance, and stowed away his beat-up leather wallet with a sigh. The decorations of Alealani's wallet did catch his eye, though he didn't comment on them for now.

"Fine, I guess that's fair... but I'm definitely paying next time! If that means me choosing where we go, then so be it."

The slight frown on his face lightened up into a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate it, by the way. Thank you, really!"

[alealani-tma]

"You're very welcome. Like I said, I enjoy paying for the group."

[She got out her card and let the server scan it, and with that, their meal was paid for.]

"So, do you want to just head straight there, or chill for a minute and like, digest?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah nodded to the server as they walked away. "Eh, we've digested plenty. Let's go get you your herbs."

As he stood up, he quickly wiped his lap in case any crumbs had fallen there. He pushed his chair back in against the table, now ready to follow Alealani towards the vaguely defined 'grocery shops'.

[alealani-tma]

[She cheerily led him out down the street, swaying her hands as she walked and humming a little tune to herself. All the little quirks of her voice smoothed out to a tone reminiscent of ebbing and flowing whalesong.]

[She let her eyes wander along the different sights across the road, on the sidewalk, and periodically, at Noah.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie, for his part, was mostly keeping his head down while walking. He'd found himself on the road-side of the sidewalk, as he tended to when walking with others, though he hadn't particularly noticed so himself.

His own gaze also occasionally fell upon the figure next to him. When they shared a glance, a warm smile appeared on his face. "So, what was it... herbs & ginger, paper towels & toiler paper, oil & lotion?"

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani noticed the wallet, and they scoffed, as if offended. Her voice came out lightly reprimanding.] "Don't you dare! I'm paying for your disgusting coffee that you hate. And our pastries."

[She cleared her throat.] "I refuse to let you pay. I've got it. Put that back."

[wakeful-nightly]

The expression that crossed Noah's face was starkly reminiscent of a child's expression after doing something wrong, and was trying to read their parents' reaction. "But..." He spoke weakly.

"It's. I'm supposed to..." He considered something. "At least let me pay for my own things-"

[alealani-tma]

[They pouted, considered it, then decided it was still a no.] "Yeah nope. I'm still paying. It's sweet that you want to, but I like paying for the group. Plus, I like the rule of "whoever chose the location pays" in situations like these. I'm the one who suggested we get coffee."

[She got out her own wallet, which had little nature-y charms and what looked like actual tiny bones dangling from the zipper.] "If you wanna pay next time, you'll have to pick where we go."

[wakeful-nightly]

He still seemed conflicted at this, but didn't offer up any resistance, and stowed away his beat-up leather wallet with a sigh. The decorations of Alealani's wallet did catch his eye, though he didn't comment on them for now.

"Fine, I guess that's fair... but I'm definitely paying next time! If that means me choosing where we go, then so be it."

The slight frown on his face lightened up into a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate it, by the way. Thank you, really!"

[alealani-tma]

"You're very welcome. Like I said, I enjoy paying for the group."

[She got out her card and let the server scan it, and with that, their meal was paid for.]

"So, do you want to just head straight there, or chill for a minute and like, digest?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah nodded to the server as they walked away. "Eh, we've digested plenty. Let's go get you your herbs."

As he stood up, he quickly wiped his lap in case any crumbs had fallen there. He pushed his chair back in against the table, now ready to follow Alealani towards the vaguely defined 'grocery shops'.

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani noticed the wallet, and they scoffed, as if offended. Her voice came out lightly reprimanding.] "Don't you dare! I'm paying for your disgusting coffee that you hate. And our pastries."

[She cleared her throat.] "I refuse to let you pay. I've got it. Put that back."

[wakeful-nightly]

The expression that crossed Noah's face was starkly reminiscent of a child's expression after doing something wrong, and was trying to read their parents' reaction. "But..." He spoke weakly.

"It's. I'm supposed to..." He considered something. "At least let me pay for my own things-"

[alealani-tma]

[They pouted, considered it, then decided it was still a no.] "Yeah nope. I'm still paying. It's sweet that you want to, but I like paying for the group. Plus, I like the rule of "whoever chose the location pays" in situations like these. I'm the one who suggested we get coffee."

[She got out her own wallet, which had little nature-y charms and what looked like actual tiny bones dangling from the zipper.] "If you wanna pay next time, you'll have to pick where we go."

[wakeful-nightly]

He still seemed conflicted at this, but didn't offer up any resistance, and stowed away his beat-up leather wallet with a sigh. The decorations of Alealani's wallet did catch his eye, though he didn't comment on them for now.

"Fine, I guess that's fair... but I'm definitely paying next time! If that means me choosing where we go, then so be it."

The slight frown on his face lightened up into a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate it, by the way. Thank you, really!"

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani noticed the wallet, and they scoffed, as if offended. Her voice came out lightly reprimanding.] "Don't you dare! I'm paying for your disgusting coffee that you hate. And our pastries."

[She cleared her throat.] "I refuse to let you pay. I've got it. Put that back."

[wakeful-nightly]

The expression that crossed Noah's face was starkly reminiscent of a child's expression after doing something wrong, and was trying to read their parents' reaction. "But..." He spoke weakly.

"It's. I'm supposed to..." He considered something. "At least let me pay for my own things-"

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

"Yes, I'm asking you if you'd come with me. Thank you," [She said, dropping the damsel-in-distress tone.]

"You can also hold me accountable for sticking to my list! I've gotta restock herbs, get toilet paper, also probably some more bread- Am I out of ginger pills? I should probably get some more if I have time. Uh, paper towels... Oh! Right. Oil. Duh. Vegetable oil. And more lotion. I think that's everything."

[She was mostly listing everything out so that Noah would know if anything she grabbed was not on the list. But she was also very bad at remembering what she needed.]

[wakeful-nightly]

The second change in tone stumped him just as much as the first one. After a brief pause though, he simply sighed. "Lead the way," Noxie said, a smile appearing on his face. God, she was weird.

As he was about to stand up though, he stopped. "Well, before we do that..." He raised his hand to get the waiter's attention, before making a small writing gesture to request the bill. Noah grabbed his wallet, and a moment later, they came walking over towards the table.

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh! Um. Probably right after this... Though, I'm a little worried about walking home after. I could defend myself normally, but not with a bunch of grocery bags. My reaction time would be slowed..."

[She paused, realizing she may have accidentally hinted at her strength. She decided to act like that was a totally normal thing to say and play it off with a joke.]

"I mean- I'm soo weak and frail... Whatever will I do if someone comes along with ill intentions? I can barely lift a pocket knife if I tried, my wrists are just so tiny! It's too heavy... Ahem. If only I had a knight in shining armor to rescue me in the event something like that were to happen..."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, though no words came out. He made a small noise. Blinking a few times, he closed his mouth again.

He replayed what they had just said in his mind, in case he... nope, he'd definitely heard it right. Who says something like that- Were they like, being sarcastic? Or trying to make a joke?

"I, uhm," he started carefully. "If uh. If you mean that, you're like, concerned about... walking by yourself at night. I could maybe...?"

[alealani-tma]

- @wakeful-nightly -

It was a fairly cool afternoon. Light breeze, chance of rain - not exactly unexpected for London. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds for a while now, drifting westwards and peeking out when it got the chance.

"...which," the man said, "my day would've been quite dreary otherwise. Another reason I'm happy we settled on today!" Noxie's hand instinctively raised to block out the glare of sunlight, which had made its way through the cafe window. He narrowed his eyes, and continued to speak to the person across from him with a smile.

"How about you? Anything else planned?" He held no real curiosity or expectations regarding Alealani's answer, but was for some reason still keen to hear it.

[She stopped to think about it for a moment. Her lips scrunched to one side.]

"I mean, I was gonna go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some things that aren't just more... Oh yeah, you're gonna freak out when you see my fridge I bet. I'm kind of on a carnivore diet? There is so much pork and bacon in my fridge. Like so much. And some beef, chicken, etc..."

[Alealani licked her lips.] "Damn, now I kinda want pork ribs. Anyways- yeah, I gotta go buy things that aren't just more meat. I shopped hungry last time and completely forgot everything else."

[wakeful-nightly]

"A carnivore di- That's!" Noxie tried his best not to sound too surprised. "I... think I've heard about that once or twice before online. Is it, uhm. Good?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

He made a mental note of it, in case it came up in the future. Definitely good to know if they ever planned to grab a bite somewhere...

"Oh, actually, what time do you think you're going?" Noah tilted his head slightly.

[maverick-mayhem]

- @wakeful-nightly -

Noah seemed... distracted, as he walked into the library. His gaze was focused on the ground, and he wore a blank expression on his face. He liked it here of course. It was quiet, and with plenty of tall bookshelfs and tucked-away reading corners, he needed only be quiet himself to avoid being noticed.

That wasn't quite it today, though. Not that he was being loud - he walked silently, like always. Rather, it's because he wasn't there to enjoy the atmosphere. He was certain he'd spotted the shadows again at that park, and just... couldn't. He couldn't let them mess with another part of his life.

Right, left, straight, right again... Ah, there it was. 'Religion, Mythology, and Folklore' on the first shelf, 'History' on the second. A small library like this was unlikely to have what he needed to find, of course, but it was as good a place as any to start. As such, Noah began browsing the shelves, hoping for something to catch his eye.

[Ricky, as per usual, was studying in the library trying to dig through any old records the small building held. Head deep in some obscure folklore book that he had been trying to find for ages, asking libraries around the city where to find it. Of course, it was in a random local library that nobody had heard of.]

[Out the corner of his eye he saw another patron walking into the isle he was reading in. He grumbled under his breath.]

(sigh) of course...

[Still, as per library etiquette, he instinctively moved out of the way, accidentally leaving the book he was taking notes in on the shelf. It blended right in with all the others.]

[Absent-mindedly, Ricky strolled to the next corridor of books to continue reading in peace.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah gave the man a nod as he moved aside, though he didn't really pay them any mind. He tended to get rather into his bubble in moments like these. Shifting his weight slowly, he traced his finger across a handful of volumes. He did pull out one or two of them, but gently placed them back onto the shelf almost immediately, seemingly disinterested in what they might contain.

A few moments later though, Noxie's gaze turned towards a small volume tucked between the library books. Didn't stand out in any way, really, but that was half the reason he paid it any mind in the first place. As he pulled it out though, he realised this one wasn't quite the same as the others.

Unmarked, it was, displaying neither the library label nor the standard information. No author, no blurb. There didn't even seem to be a title? He should've told the staff about it of course, but he didn't like calling attention to such hidden gems. Besides, he was far more interested in uncovering what those pages concealed...

[maverick-mayhem]

[A few minutes of uninterrupted reading had passed. Satisfied with the first few chapters of the book, knowing it would be a major help on the conditions of the old Millbank prison, Ricky sought out the scanners to check-out the book.]

[Oh, but he'd need to remember the little notes he'd made in his head about each chapter. He wouldn't remember them by the time he got home... now where is that pesky notebook? Gosh, he always left things askew but this was getting out of hand, he'd brought it with him he was sure. Maybe he put it down somewhere?]

(mumbling) God, those eye-freaks are lucky. They can just remember everythin'...

[Gripping the book in one hand he marched through the different aisles that he'd strolled down whilst reading. Nope. No. Nothing. For fu- He eventually stopped at the aisle he first found the book he was reading: 'Religion, Mythology, and Folklore'. Right, it has to be down her- what?]

[A blistering rage swelled inside Ricky's chest. Someone was reading his notebook.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie had flipped through a few pages at this point. He was certain this wasn't a library volume, but also remained unaware of its rightful owner. Not that he'd been looking for them - he was far too focused on this strange little notebook.

It wasn't incredibly clear to him what it was about... Some words seemed to pop up a few times, but they didn't mean anything to him. 'The fears, 'Smirke', 'Desolation', 'rituals'. It had to be some sort of occult or folkloric research, but just what about...

Noah stopped flipping when he saw the words 'the Magnus Institute'.

"What." He whispered.

He started reading through the page, unaware of the figure now leering at him with an unnatural rage.

[maverick-mayhem]

[Ricky felt sick to his stomach, or maybe it was just the burning heat he felt surge through his body at the sight. Either way energy was building up in him and he was determined to get it out. Luckily he had a perfect target.]

"Oi!"

[He marched up to the person holding his precious research so willy-nilly, grabbing them by the collar and pulling them backwards so he could see their face. Heat sizzled round his fist, no doubt leaving a scorch mark on the mans clothes. It wasn't his clothes he wanted to damage though, no, it was the pathetic face of the person who was so gracelessly flipping through his hard work.]

[He got right up in the mans face, not ceasing his grip on the fabric.]

"Care to explain what you're doing with that book there, mate?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie's gaze briefly flickered towards the man who was walking towards him, though he was too engrossed in the notebook to notice the fire in their eyes.

"Sorry, were you talking to- Agh!" He was surprised by the sudden tug on his collar. He shoulders instinctively tensed, and his hands came up to shield his face - the notebook clattering to the ground.

"What did, I... it. The- the book's yours? Sorry, I didn't-" Noah didn't even register that his clothes were burning yet, though the sudden heat made him try to pull away.

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani was not stupid enough to be ignorant of what it meant to visit the Magnus Institute. She set her hand on top of Noah's sympathetically.]

"Oh, hon... I'm sorry. You must've been scared out of your mind. Have you at least been left alone since then?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well I don't know about 'out of my mind', it just... yeah. I was, uhm... yeah."

Noah was very unsure how to feel. The Institute was unsettling. The memory was upsetting. The statement had been strange. Their reaction was unexpected. Their hand was warm. His stomach was tingly.

"I... I haven't been contacted by anyone who works there, no... well, aside from you, technically..." He laughed weakly.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani frowned a bit.] "That's not really what I meant, but, the fact that you can't tell is probably a good sign..? I'm just glad you're doing alright. It's hard to stay safe in this crazy world, heh..."

[She patted his hand a bit before retracting her own.]

"For the record, now I've still shared more than you, since you asked for a question in return for the info that was supposed to even the score," [She remarked with the return of her signature smirk.]

[wakeful-nightly]

A look of faux-surprise crossed Noxie's face. "You have not! That question was in response to your own clarifying question. Plus, I told you something extra in response to your response!"

His eyes narrowed as he gave her a scrutinising look, while slowly bring his cup up for a final sip. He was almost able to hide his reaction to the drink.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh c'mon, the answer you gave me was a total nothingburger. But, fine, I guess I'll count that next tidbit as getting even. I now know your mysterious past... even if most of it's kind of boring."

[She took a drink of water, and the bit that she cleaned up on her upper lip absorbed into her skin. The next time Noah blinked, he might have noticed her skin get the tiniest bit smoother.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah chuckled at this. "Well, I mean, one of us has to be, and between us two I was never gonna be The Interesting One." Gaze fell on her necklace.

After he blinked, his eyes flickered towards the smoother patch of skin, but he didn't notice anything unusual about it. Instead, he went for his pastry again, finishing the last bite.

A satisfied smile played at his lips. "Anyways, say what you want about my coffee, but this danish was bloody good..."

[alealani-tma]

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying something about your order. Why do you even get such nasty coffee if there are other options?"

[She propped the side of her head up on her knuckles. The fingers on her right hand tapped against the table.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Never was great with moderation." He smiled. "So this, uhm. It helps-"

Noah mindlessly tucked some hairs behind his left ear, as he continued. "I was half-joking earlier, but the amount of energy drinks I used to get was, uh... not great for me, let's keep it at that. Tried the tastier types of coffee for a while, but same problem, and a good bit more expensive."

He gestured to his empty cup, still smiling. "So making me not want to drink any more than I needed was the obvious solution! Well. It works for me, at least."

[alealani-tma]

"Gotcha. So what I'd need to do is make something with a lot lower caffeine content, so that you could enjoy multiple throughout the day. I guess I'd need to know just how many drinks a day you used to have, so I can do the math and find a good amount."

[Alealani traced lines on the table like she was already running calculations. Periodically, she would stop, drum her fingers on the table, and think about something else, then go back to math.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"I mean... no need for..." Noah spoke weakly, words trailing off when he realised Alealani was already thinking of a solution.

He sighed, looking at them as they tapped and traced away. The sight of their concentration made his lips curl up into a smile. The bitterness of his drink was still on the back of his tongue, but he didn't mind so much right now.

"I hope this is a date." Noxie thought, as he went to answer their question, and they talked. They talked, and talked...

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani was not stupid enough to be ignorant of what it meant to visit the Magnus Institute. She set her hand on top of Noah's sympathetically.]

"Oh, hon... I'm sorry. You must've been scared out of your mind. Have you at least been left alone since then?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well I don't know about 'out of my mind', it just... yeah. I was, uhm... yeah."

Noah was very unsure how to feel. The Institute was unsettling. The memory was upsetting. The statement had been strange. Their reaction was unexpected. Their hand was warm. His stomach was tingly.

"I... I haven't been contacted by anyone who works there, no... well, aside from you, technically..." He laughed weakly.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani frowned a bit.] "That's not really what I meant, but, the fact that you can't tell is probably a good sign..? I'm just glad you're doing alright. It's hard to stay safe in this crazy world, heh..."

[She patted his hand a bit before retracting her own.]

"For the record, now I've still shared more than you, since you asked for a question in return for the info that was supposed to even the score," [She remarked with the return of her signature smirk.]

[wakeful-nightly]

A look of faux-surprise crossed Noxie's face. "You have not! That question was in response to your own clarifying question. Plus, I told you something extra in response to your response!"

His eyes narrowed as he gave her a scrutinising look, while slowly bring his cup up for a final sip. He was almost able to hide his reaction to the drink.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh c'mon, the answer you gave me was a total nothingburger. But, fine, I guess I'll count that next tidbit as getting even. I now know your mysterious past... even if most of it's kind of boring."

[She took a drink of water, and the bit that she cleaned up on her upper lip absorbed into her skin. The next time Noah blinked, he might have noticed her skin get the tiniest bit smoother.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah chuckled at this. "Well, I mean, one of us has to be, and between us two I was never gonna be The Interesting One." Gaze fell on her necklace.

After he blinked, his eyes flickered towards the smoother patch of skin, but he didn't notice anything unusual about it. Instead, he went for his pastry again, finishing the last bite.

A satisfied smile played at his lips. "Anyways, say what you want about my coffee, but this danish was bloody good..."

[alealani-tma]

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying something about your order. Why do you even get such nasty coffee if there are other options?"

[She propped the side of her head up on her knuckles. The fingers on her right hand tapped against the table.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Never was great with moderation." He smiled. "So this, uhm. It helps-"

Noah mindlessly tucked some hairs behind his left ear, as he continued. "I was half-joking earlier, but the amount of energy drinks I used to get was, uh... not great for me, let's keep it at that. Tried the tastier types of coffee for a while, but same problem, and a good bit more expensive."

He gestured to his empty cup, still smiling. "So making me not want to drink any more than I needed was the obvious solution! Well. It works for me, at least."

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani was not stupid enough to be ignorant of what it meant to visit the Magnus Institute. She set her hand on top of Noah's sympathetically.]

"Oh, hon... I'm sorry. You must've been scared out of your mind. Have you at least been left alone since then?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well I don't know about 'out of my mind', it just... yeah. I was, uhm... yeah."

Noah was very unsure how to feel. The Institute was unsettling. The memory was upsetting. The statement had been strange. Their reaction was unexpected. Their hand was warm. His stomach was tingly.

"I... I haven't been contacted by anyone who works there, no... well, aside from you, technically..." He laughed weakly.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani frowned a bit.] "That's not really what I meant, but, the fact that you can't tell is probably a good sign..? I'm just glad you're doing alright. It's hard to stay safe in this crazy world, heh..."

[She patted his hand a bit before retracting her own.]

"For the record, now I've still shared more than you, since you asked for a question in return for the info that was supposed to even the score," [She remarked with the return of her signature smirk.]

[wakeful-nightly]

A look of faux-surprise crossed Noxie's face. "You have not! That question was in response to your own clarifying question. Plus, I told you something extra in response to your response!"

His eyes narrowed as he gave her a scrutinising look, while slowly bring his cup up for a final sip. He was almost able to hide his reaction to the drink.

[alealani-tma]

"Oh c'mon, the answer you gave me was a total nothingburger. But, fine, I guess I'll count that next tidbit as getting even. I now know your mysterious past... even if most of it's kind of boring."

[She took a drink of water, and the bit that she cleaned up on her upper lip absorbed into her skin. The next time Noah blinked, he might have noticed her skin get the tiniest bit smoother.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah chuckled at this. "Well, I mean, one of us has to be, and between us two I was never gonna be The Interesting One." Gaze fell on her necklace.

After he blinked, his eyes flickered towards the smoother patch of skin, but he didn't notice anything unusual about it. Instead, he went for his pastry again, finishing the last bite.

A satisfied smile played at his lips. "Anyways, say what you want about my coffee, but this danish was bloody good..."

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani was not stupid enough to be ignorant of what it meant to visit the Magnus Institute. She set her hand on top of Noah's sympathetically.]

"Oh, hon... I'm sorry. You must've been scared out of your mind. Have you at least been left alone since then?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well I don't know about 'out of my mind', it just... yeah. I was, uhm... yeah."

Noah was very unsure how to feel. The Institute was unsettling. The memory was upsetting. The statement had been strange. Their reaction was unexpected. Their hand was warm. His stomach was tingly.

"I... I haven't been contacted by anyone who works there, no... well, aside from you, technically..." He laughed weakly.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani frowned a bit.] "That's not really what I meant, but, the fact that you can't tell is probably a good sign..? I'm just glad you're doing alright. It's hard to stay safe in this crazy world, heh..."

[She patted his hand a bit before retracting her own.]

"For the record, now I've still shared more than you, since you asked for a question in return for the info that was supposed to even the score," [She remarked with the return of her signature smirk.]

[wakeful-nightly]

A look of faux-surprise crossed Noxie's face. "You have not! That question was in response to your own clarifying question. Plus, I told you something extra in response to your response!"

His eyes narrowed as he gave her a scrutinising look, while slowly bring his cup up for a final sip. He was almost able to hide his reaction to the drink.

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani was not stupid enough to be ignorant of what it meant to visit the Magnus Institute. She set her hand on top of Noah's sympathetically.]

"Oh, hon... I'm sorry. You must've been scared out of your mind. Have you at least been left alone since then?"

[wakeful-nightly]

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well I don't know about 'out of my mind', it just... yeah. I was, uhm... yeah."

Noah was very unsure how to feel. The Institute was unsettling. The memory was upsetting. The statement had been strange. Their reaction was unexpected. Their hand was warm. His stomach was tingly.

"I... I haven't been contacted by anyone who works there, no... well, aside from you, technically..." He laughed weakly.

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.

[alealani-tma]

[She perked up and fixed her act at the topic of her job.]

"Ah! Yes. I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage. I mostly just organize everything and clean, but I am officially listed as a consultant. It just gets boring waiting around most of the time to be shown artifacts. I guess you could say I do a lot of overtime."

[She was proud of her job, and it showed. A bright smile was beaming on her face.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah paused when she mentioned the Institute. Once she finished talking, it took him a second to respond.

"Oh! The uh- okay! Up in Chelsea right? It's... I've been there once or twice, actually." The institute unsettled him, and he was more than a bit surprised that she worked there, but he did his best to hide it.

"They uhm... either way. That's nice! Well, not the overtime I guess. Unless you really like the work? Which, you do seem to... so that's good! Uh..." He was stumbling over his words a bit.

[wakeful-nightly]

— @alealani-tma

[Alealani took a deep breath before entering the coffee shop. She wasn't early like last time. Technically she was a single minute late... but she'd had the whole "I have nothing to wear!" meltdown with a million outfits strewn about her flat in disarray.]

[She had settled on something a bit too fancy, but it was the only thing her brain would tolerate. A brown plaid dress with a white underlayer- the skirt maybe a bit too short, but it's not like she was one for modesty- her signature pearls and coat, some sheer white stockings, brown heels, and a white bow clipped in the back of her hair.]

[She fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to chip her white nail polish, since she'd never gotten around to adding a protective layer in her rush. She'd barely managed to put her makeup on in time.]

[Alealani shook her head vigorously. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on her appearance again. She looked fine. She was just going to go in.]

"Hi! I'm here. Sorry I'm late," [She greeted with an awkward wave, before she dropped down into her seat. Her hands folded in her lap, still fidgeting.]

Noah, who had been blankly staring out of the window, was caught off-guard by Alealani's appearance. Her actual appearing in front of him was rather surprising of course - as Noxie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings - but also... well, she looked quite stunning.

In fact, had he underdressed? His turtleneck and jeans were both black, and his belt & loafers looked fairly worn. He wanted to avoid standing out too much, drawing unwanted attention and all that, but. In comparison to his not-date, Noah feared his outfit was rather... basic.

He realised with a start that he'd been quiet for a good few seconds. Quickly, he spoke up. "Ah- yes, hey there. Good to see you made it! Oh, and uhm. Don't worry about it! I haven't been waiting for that long, really." He told a lie, of course, and scratched his neck as he spoke.

[alealani-tma]

"That's good. I got sidetracked getting ready. I couldn't find anything to wear! I eventually settled on this, but I'm still kind of picking it apart... I'm definitely fishing for compliments, please tell me I look like a normal person!"

[She giggled, deciding to turn her stress into a punchline to try and get rid of the awkwardness. Alealani slid her legs apart a bit from the knees down, and arched her posture to puff out her chest, presenting her outfit properly. She looked kind of cat-like.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Hearing her giggle caused Noah to chuckle in kind. It also drew his gaze to those strikingly white teeth again, as he started to look her over properly. "You look..." 'Really cute', he thought, as the image of a proudly perching feline curiously popped into his mind.

"...nice! You look really nice. It's a lovely outfit!" Noxie prayed that he wasn't blushing, and he wasn't, though he didn't notice that his words were tumbling out faster than usual. He fidgeted with his sleeves a bit.

"It uh, I hope my outfit isn't too plain in comparison- I wasn't sure if there was anything particular I should've gone for, but I feel it's a bit too understated..."

[alealani-tma]

"Oh please, you look fine," [Alealani reassured with a dismissive wave of her hand.] "I'm the one who's overdressed. I don't have a single casual outfit in my wardrobe.

"...Not that I'd wear one, anyway. Makes me feel naked. I'd rather not go to coffee with you naked," [she teased.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah did blush this time, but they also got a lighthearted chuckle out of him. "Probably better if you don't, no-"

"Speaking of coffee, actually!" He reached for the two menus sitting in the small holder that stood on the table, holding one out to Alealani. With a bad posh voice, he asked: "How do you take your coffee?"

[alealani-tma]

[There was a lot of chuckling being done. Still, Alealani let out a small, awkward one.] "I actually, um, don't. I just suggested coffee because that's what most people do. I was planning to just get a cake pop and a cup of water."

[A little meek smile let those teeth peek out again. Just for a moment.]

[wakeful-nightly]

And sure enough, they drew his eyes again. "Ah! Alright then, I'll try to pick something quickly..."

Noah started looking through his menu, softly whispering the item names he passed. "Oh! They also have a few homemade lemonades, if you'd be interested?"

[alealani-tma]

"Hm. I don't know if I'd be a fan of lemonade... Never tried it. I prefer to try new things when I'm not in new company. Too much... new. I guess. I might come again on my own, when I'm in the mood, and see if I like it. Hopefully I will, so I'll have something to drink if we come here again."

[She fidgeted with her fingers, almost picking at the polish before she stopped herself.]

"Uh, for now, I'll just stick to water. I'm not one for drinking much else, anyway."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, that's fair enough!" He didn't seem to notice them hinting towards a future coffee totally-not-date. After he put his menu back, Noah gestured for a waiter.

As one walked up to their table, Noxie started speaking, though he avoided looking them in the eye. "Hello! Could I please have a double espresso, and... a strawberry danish?

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani took note of Noah's order, subtly tracing the letters into her thigh to help her memory. It'd be good to know his preferred order in case she ever wanted to get him something from this coffee shop.]

[When it was her turn, she almost forgot she had to actually say her order out loud.] "Ah- yes. Right. Just a cup of water and a vanilla cake pop for me. Thank you."

[wakeful-nightly]

After quickly jotting it down, the waiter gave the two of them a nod. They said they'd bring it around in a moment with a big customer service smile, before heading off.

Noxie smiled as he turned back to Alealani and started speaking. "I do wish I'd known you don't actually like coffee, but I'm still happy we went here. I function best when recently caffeinated!"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani gave a giggle.] "I believe you mentioned something about that. Don't worry, I love cake pops, so I'm also very glad we came here. Any excuse to spend some money on yet another one."

[They tucked some hair behind their ear and tried very hard not to check out their not-date.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie unconsciously mirrored the action, tucking some stray hairs behind his left ear. "Haha, good to hear! And very fair, cake pops are good."

He paused, brows furrowing a bit. "Well. I believe so, at least? I quite liked them as a kid. Must've been years since I last got one, though. You have things like that?"

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani's cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink.]

"...Maybe. I, uh, I just like them."

[She rambled on to try to defend her tastes.] "We didn't have stuff like that where I grew up. The sweets were a lot different. Mostly, like, jam-filled stuff from the fruit that grew locally. Uh... And, sort of pie-like things? Cake was a very rare treat, usually made of imported goods and kind of rudimentary... We didn't have any way to process things as finely as it's done in factories."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noxie was silent as she spoke, seemingly rather interested to hear anything about her elusive homeland.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, actually! If that island wasn't even big enough to be on any maps, I doubt it'd have much in the way of industry..."

He trailed off, thinking for a second. "Y'know, I've been wondering for a while now. The island you came from, what was it actually like? The everyday life there, I mean."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added, already closely judging their reaction to make sure they weren't uncomfortable around the subject.

[alealani-tma]

[The discomfort was visible in her face. She debated which parts were safe to share, and which would probably freak Noah out.]

"Uh, well, most days were pretty uneventful. When I became a teenager, I started etiquette training, so I did that in the mornings, cooled off in the water around midday, and in the afternoon I'd spend my time in the forest.

"After that, if we had guests staying on the island, we'd do a music festival, and... uh, then we'd eat dinner, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time on the island once I was of age, even though I'd put in so much training... I was 18 when I left."

[wakeful-nightly]

A few thoughts ran through Noah's head:

A) 'Surely there must've been more everyday chores or work that she needed to do...'

B) 'Etiquette training and music festivals, did the island belong to some billionaire that her family worked for?'

C) 'Does she mean her family left? She didn't leave her homeland by herself at 18, right.

"Ah, okay! So then, is it sort of a-" He cut himself off, mouth still hanging open. Why was he trying to continue when the subject clearly upset them? When he already knew that it might?

"No, sorry. You're obviously not comfortable talking about this stuff. It's not like there weren't any signs; I shouldn't have pried. We can stop talking about it if you want."

[alealani-tma]

"Yeah, sorry, uh- I want to be able to tell you a bunch of fun stories about my home- I loved it there for 18 years, after all- but, I just have to be careful about what I tell you, because, well... uh, it was not great. Really bad things happened there, and I don't wanna freak you out by telling you all of that stuff."

[She sucked air through her teeth and patted her thighs.] "It was kind of traumatic? So- yeah. Not a... not a tell-you-over-coffee type conversation."

[wakeful-nightly]

"I- uhm, I understand. Sorry for bringing it up. Some information..." He rubbed his right arm for a moment. "...shouldn't be answered, but offered. And only when the time is right."

He paused, quietly considering, before a look of decision crossed his face. "It's like-"

Noah suddenly stopped talking, gaze flickering towards the approaching server. He blinked a few times, and let out a small sigh. It was good that this place had fast service, but, timing...

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani accepted her food from the server and took a moment to give them a quick compliment on their appearance before they'd leave. Alealani was smiling with the same perfected friendliness that the server was, though there was a genuine kindness in her eyes.]

"Thank you for being so speedy. I'll take that-" [She offered before distributing the goodies among the two of them. She turned back to Noah.]

"Sorry. You were saying?"

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah had nodded to the server as they were handing Alealani the orders, and mouthed a 'thank you' when she handed him his drink and pastry. In response her subsequent question though, he briefly paused. A look of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"It's... nothing. Well, I was just gonna say that everyone has some things whicharen't easy to talk about. I, uhm. I think I get it."

He was awkwardly silent for a moment, scratching his wrist while looking around the room for a distraction: something he found in his cup of espresso. He took a small sip, his face almost immediately scrunching up from the bitterness.

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani burst into a giggle at the sight.]

"And that is why I don't drink coffee. Well, that and the caffeine. You alright? Wanna get something else?"

[The smile she gave Noah had a lot more warmth to it than the one before. It was also slightly crooked. Imperfect.]

[wakeful-nightly]

After a slow blink, Noah's face also cracked into a genuine - if slightly pained) - grin, particularly due to the sight of Alealani's asymmetrical smile.

"No, no, it's alright. This. Is. Supposed to happen. Just..." He had to slightly force the words out, clearly graced by the presence of that stark bitterness.

He took a bite of his danish, quickly chewing and swallowing with the back of his hand to his mouth. After softly blowing for a short moment, he spoke again. "I have a system for it, you see. Very effective. Mhm."

[alealani-tma]

"Mhm... Well, my system is this," [Alealani took a little nom of her cake pop, and seemed to melt with pleasure as she chewed.]

[After she collected herself again, she finished,] "Just order things that taste good and eat them."

[wakeful-nightly]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that's fair-"

"It's just that I tend to overdo the caffeine a bit. Well. More than a bit. Which, it's very handy for finishing projects! But! Not great for my health!" Noxie seemed to be more relaxed by now, as he spoke.

"God, I remember middle school. Used to collect cans of Monster, I did. Now?" He raised his small cup with a smile. "I only drink caffeine if it's awful and horrible!"

[alealani-tma]

"Gods, you're a mess! At least Monster offers some semblance of pleasure. You're torturing yourself, and for what?"

[Alealani gripped onto Noah's cup for a few seconds to warn him that she was going to confiscate it. She set it on her side of the table.]

"In a pinch, drink hot water, then follow it up with cold. It wakes up your nervous system, no caffeine necessary. But, if that's not enough, I insist you come over to mine and we'll spend a day experimenting with healthy alternatives that you actually like. I can buy up whatever ingredients the Internet recommends, and we'll figure out what works.

"-And don't think you'll get to wriggle out of me mothering you. You have presented me with a problem and by Odin's good eye, I will find a solution."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah's hand made a grabbing motion when she took his coffee, though he stopped midway. Wrestling over a cup of coffee was a good way for someone to get burned.

He sat there for a few seconds, listening: hand frozen in the air and gaze set on Alealani. Blinking once - and then a few more times - he was utterly silent, as his cheeks flushed pink.

"I..." He slowly lowered his hand. "Yes, uhm- yes, ma'am." He tried to say it in a silly voice, but it came out way closer to normal than he'd hoped. "Can I please have my coffee back..."

[PT: "Can I please have my coffee back..."]

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani contemplated it for a moment, letting her eyes dart around the scene.]

"Hmm... Fine. But only because you asked very politely. You may have your coffee back."

[She presented it ceremoniously to Noah, then set it back down in front of him.]

"Enjoy your bitter bean juice. Or don't, because you won't."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Thanks. And, of course I won't!" Noah nodded cordially, before grabbing his cup again and taking a sip - pinkie raised.

His reaction to it was much the same as the first time, but after forcing his eyes closed for a moment, he smiled through gritted teeth. He went for the pastry in front of him.

"So! Have you been up to anything since we last..." He paused for just an instant. "...hung out?"

[alealani-tma]

[That question made Alealani groan, and collapse back against their chair with an emotionally exhausted sigh.]

"Work. Ugh, they finally brought in something I recognized from my last job... Was not fun. My boss was a dick, and it brought back memories. But, y'know, I still gave a statement to those fu- fun... people in the archives, and then categorized the artifact properly."

[wakeful-nightly]

"Ah, you mean from when you worked with that rich guy..." Noxie didn't know details of course, but knew they didn't like their last job, and could swear he remembered them mentioning 'experiments'.

"Yikes... sorry to hear it. Things uhm, weren't good back then, were they." He looked down at his cup, the steam very slowly rising. "Is your boss always... Difficult?"

[alealani-tma]

"My current boss? No, they're fine. It's my old one that's the dick. Hate that guy. Y'know, the usual with rich white men... complete disregard for life, power-hungry, has a god complex... "

[She shook her head to clear her thoughts.] "Sorry. I shouldn't be ruining your mood like this. How have you been?"

[wakeful-nightly]

"Oh! Right." Noah smiled while looking at the table for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he misunderstood. When her question registered though, he looked up again.

"Hm, me? I... nothing much really. Got a few small projects, which. They were fine, for the most part. Client on the last one was a bit much, but, nothing too unusual."

He tilted his head slightly. "Back to what you just said though: you're not really ruining my mood? Or rather... what happened seems to have bothered you, and I'd rather you got it off your chest than brush it aside."

"...if you want to, of course," he added.

[alealani-tma]

"Eh," [Alealani heaved another sigh.] "I try not to think about it, really. Nothing I can do about the fact that it happened, and nothing to stop me from being affected by it constantly, so I just try to block out any feelings I have on the matter, so I can keep doing my work. It's important to me that I keep researching, because one day, one of us in the field might find the secret to making life better for everyone. Y'know? It's... It's important work."

[It kind of seemed like she was telling herself that just as much as they were telling Noxie. Alealani began to pick at her cuticles, lost in thought.]

[wakeful-nightly]

Seeing this, and without thinking, Noah put his hand on Alealani's. "It's great to want to help people, and I hope you can, but you can't put processing what happened on hold indefinitely. You deserve some peace too." Notable was that he briefly held eye contact while speaking, which he tended to avoid.

A second later though, his cheeks flushed pink again. He quickly pulled his hand back as a look somewhere between embarrassment and realisation crossed his face. Noah started stammering. "I- it, uhm. Sorry, I... hah..."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani grimaced to herself at the lecture for a moment, before seemingly letting that go too. She picked up the handle of her cake pop, took a bite, and smirked at Noah.]

"Mhm, yeah, I'll take your mental health advice when whatever this is," [She swirled the cake pop around to gesture at all of him.] "-gets resolved first. Until then, I will continue to act like nothing happened, because it totally didn't, and I am obviously so fine. Such a well-adjusted person, I am."

[wakeful-nightly]

He let out a chuckle, as he broadly gestured to himself. "This? Vicious, aren't we. I'll have you know that I'm as healthy as anyone, and wholly unaffected by whatever you think is affecting me. Ignoring the exhaustion. And vitamin D deficiency. And lack of social interactions. And..."

He paused. "Okay, not a model of wellness maybe, but I'm at least not plagued by my mysterious past, Miss."

Noxie triumphantly took another sip, face contracting almost immediately.

[alealani-tma]

"No, I'd say your past is plenty mysterious. I still don't know that much about you. I'd argue that I've actually been the more open of the two of us."

[She set the last bit of her cake pop down so she could digest, and then propped her chin on her palm to continue smirking at Noah.]

"So go on. Prove that you're so super normal, Noah. Tell me about yourself."

[wakeful-nightly]

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "I- hm... You're kind of right, actually. In terms of me not having told you much about myself. Alright then, let's begin with..." Noah looked away, thinking for a few seconds.

"The last name is Oxley, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Watford, born and raised." He stroked his chin as he thought. "It was always just mum and I. I've never really met my dad, nor did I tend to question his absence as a kid. Not sure if they ever even married, actually. We never did talk about him much..."

"Still. I can't say it particularly bothered me? It did mean mum had to work more, but she's also genuinely amazing, and always made time for me." A warm smile crossed his face.

"Apart from that though... I don't actually think there's anything interesting about my childhood?" He briefly scratched his neck. "Boring schools, a basic social life, some of the 'ol insomnia to tie it all together. Unless there's anything specific you'd like to hear, I really wouldn't know what else to tell you."

[alealani-tma]

[Alealani absorbed the information hungrily, nodding along to each new tidbit.]

"Well- one thing, actually. When you say 'basic,' do you mean average, or do you mean what would be typical based on the type of person you are? You don't have to answer, I just like to get my facts straight."

[wakeful-nightly]

Noah considered this for a second. "I suppose it depends on your point of view? I meant the former, but I suppose it depends on your point of view, really. What's 'normal', right."

He tilted his head again, a smile starting to play at his lips. "Has all of this bought me a little question in return?"

[alealani-tma]

"Depends on the question, but go ahead." [She tilted her chin up a bit, and leaned further out on the table, toward Noxie.]

[She couldn't really tell at this point what was making her so flirtatious. Was it the fact that Noah just never seemed to notice? Was it just how easy it came to try and push his buttons? Usually she had at least a bit of self-control... They needed to get ahold of herself before they went and fucked something up.]

[wakeful-nightly]

"Alright, in that case: I've been wondering, where do you actually work?" A quizzical expression crossed his face.

"Just curious, really. Every time you mention it, I feel kind of compelled to ask, so I thought this'd be as good a chance as any." He didn't seem to take note of their change in posture. Not yet, at least, as he gave Alealani a look of intrigue.