Homes & Art

[pyroknight]

(ooc: Continue from here)

[Ruri's home is simple but unique. It's an old building that someone had been fixing up before Ruri moved into it. There were mixtures of western and Japanese themes with sliding doors and random rooms with tatami mats lining the floor. It isn't very big, which is why her 'party' had spilled into the yard. Right inside the front door is the room that Ruri uses to entertain, pass that is the kitchen/dining room and pass that is a closet where she does her laundry.

On the right side of the house is hallway that has wooden floors, unlike the tile that lines the family room and kitchen. There are three doors along the right side of the hall, two sliding doors and one regular door. The regular door leads to a bathroom while the two sliding doors lead to bed rooms. The extra bed room is currently filled with a desk, books and maps. Ruri doesn't have enough money to spring for a GPS and she travels a lot.

As promised she leaves the door unlocked. If KITT steps inside he'll see Ruri laying on the floor, her phone placed on her abdomen. She's still a little hung over and is a little worried about getting up.]

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[ki2k]

True to his word, KITT shows up at Ruri's house in the space of minutes from her last text. It's definitely an unusual move for him, showing up at the house of a woman he barely knows, by himself, because of an evening that more and more resembles a blur as he tries to think back on it.

But he said he would be there, and he'd gone and found the perfect frame for his 'artwork', and it would be rude to skip out on both counts.

Arriving at her house, he lifts his hand to rap on the door just so he doesn't walk in unannounced. Once inside, it doesn't take long for him to see her lying there, his face crumpling into a frown of concern. What had happened in the short time it had taken him to walk to her house? Kneeling beside her, he sets the frame and hammer aside, watching her carefully.

"Ruri?"

[pyroknight]

Ruri opened her eyes, flashing him a bit of a smile. "Hey." She was glad to see that he looked exactly how she remembered him. The night was a little fuzzy but she didn't want to invite a strange man into her home. It was a little weird.

This was still a little weird but at least in a subsection of weird that she was okay with.

She slowly pushed herself up, placing her phone on the coffee table next to her. "I'm fine if you're worried. A little hung over I think." She wasn't sure because she didn't drink that much. "That the frame?" She looked down at the pink frame and felt herself smile. "It's cute."

[ki2k]

His face was hovering over her, but as soon as she opened her eyes he backed off, sitting back on his haunches, with one hand out on the floor for balance. "Are you all right?" He offered her his other hand to help her up, but she was already moving to do so on her own.

"I was worried. Have you taken anything? Do you want some water? Any aspirin?" He glanced over to the side where he'd laid the frame, nodding the affirmative. "Yes. Are you sure you like it, then?" He pushed himself to his knees, reaching for the frame, then stood up.

"Did you want to help put it up?"

[pyroknight]

Ruri waved him away. She was stubborn and got nervous when people worried about her. She was likely to do stupid stuff with or without someone watching her back and she preferred to keep others out of the crossfire. It was her duty to protect people, not the other way around.

Dark chestnut eyes looked down at the frame and then up at KITT's face. She flashed him a warm smile. "No no. I'll be fine. It's an adjustment. I really don't drink and if my body wants to protest I'm going to let it. Maybe next time I'll listen." She flashed him a smile before rubbing softly at her temples. The room wasn't spinning and she didn't feel sick anymore, all good signs.

"Do you mind putting it up? I'm more of a writer and a rather flimsy one at that. I don't trust myself with a hammer. Do you want some tea? I have green tea from my last trip to Japan." It was the only place, outside of the US, that she visited with any regularity. Her father's family lived there and while they didn't know who she was by family ties, she liked to visit them and say hi.

[ki2k]

He backed off further to give her room. He was still watching her, and when she smiled at him he felt himself responding in kind, one corner of his mouth crooking upward in relief - she already looked much better.

"The imbibement of alcoholic beverages, while initially pleasurable, can quite easily lead to poor decision making, in seemingly direct proportions to the amount consumed. Perhaps the next time you decide to have a gathering, you should restrict the alcohol available to everyone?"

He shook his head, sizing up the frame in his hand as he looked over toward the wall with his artwork. "I don't mind at all. Do you happen to have a black Sharpie? I thought I might sign it first." His grin grew wider, hopeful. "You've been to Japan? How very interesting. I've never been anywhere I couldn't drive. Yes, I think I would like some tea, thank you."

[pyroknight]

"Luckily I don't remember if I made any poor decisions." She thought about it and decided that she'd much rather make poor decisions while she was sober. At least then she couldn't blame anything except herself for the outcome. "I don't think there is going to be a next time but I'll think about it." Ruri hadn't even wanted there to be a this-time.

Ruri pushed herself to her feet. There was a moment where she just stood there, blinking at the light, before moving to the desk in the far corner. It was impossible to tell it was a desk since it was filled with books and papers but as she moved them away Kitt would be able to see draws and the wooden veneer hidden beneath. After some rummaging she finds a sharpy and passes it over to Kitt. "Here and yeah. I have family who live there so I visit a lot. Do you have something against flying or do you just prefer to drive?"

She stepped into the kitchen which, given how small her place is, was still in a reasonable talking distance with Kitt. Ruri sets a pot on the small two burner stove and begins to boil water while grabbing two small cups, a tea pot and a tray to assemble everything on.

[ki2k]

"I don't recall you doing so during the time that I was with you, if that helps." He would have to agree with her regarding decisions made while sober. "If there is a next time, have someone else host it." He grinned faintly at her, with a shrug of his shoulders.

He stepped aside to let her go by, watching curiously as she uncovered the desk. Ah, he'd been wondering what that pile of junk was. Taking the Sharpie, he nodded his thanks and moved back over to the wall, signing his name below and to the side of his art with a flourish. "I hate flying. I don't like the feeling of being out of control like that." He stepped back, making a frame out of his hands, making sure it looked all right before picking up the hammer and nails. "If you have family there exceptions have to made." He stuck some nails in his mouth, picking up the frame with his now free hand.

The sound of hammering could be heard as Ruri started in on the tea.

[pyroknight]

"It does." A little bit.

Ruri smiled at Kitt, setting the tea down on the coffee table while taking a seat herself. She watched him work with a curious glint shining in her dark brown eyes. She knew how hammers worked in theory but it was always interesting to watch someone work.

"I should thank you for all this. If you are free later you should let me take you out somewhere for dinner." She poured them both tea before taking a small sip. It was in that moment that her phone rang and she scrambled to answer it. Ruri only had a flip phone which served her purpose well enough. "Hello?"

"Yeah... Tonight?" Another pause. "Okay. Thanks."

She closed the phone and looked up at Ruri. "Maybe tomorrow for dinner. I have to head out in a few hours." Hopefully her hang over will be gone by then because she really needed to be able to function to work.

[ki2k]

"Good." He nodded, pleased he'd been able to help.

Since the frame was plastic, he had to figure out a different way to nail it so it didn't crack and shatter, but the solution presented itself quickly so he got to work, only pausing when he heard Ruri talking to him. He glanced over at her, a frown around the nails still in his mouth.

"Fanfk me? For fhis?" He shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself as he retrieved the nails. "For vandalizing your wall and then making myself feel better about it by calling it art?" He waited until she was off the phone, but didn't ask her about the call - it wasn't any of his business.

"I won't be much longer. And you don't need to take me to dinner. If anything, I should be the one buying you dinner." While he wasn't hammering, he reached for his tea, taking a sip of his own before resuming his work. Now that he knew where he wanted the nails placed, it would take him less time to hang the frame than to finish his tea.

[pyroknight]

Ruri's fingers wrapped around her tea cup before taking a small sip of the tantalizing liquid. She loved tea. No matter how she was feeling, it made her feel better.

A smile teased the corner of her lips as she watched Kitt work. She curled her legs on the couch, looking comfortable from her little perch. "Isn't that what art is? Someone clamming something as art and then it becomes art. It is talented in a way and I like it. I don't really have art." Ruri didn't have a lot of personal items in her home. It was mostly papers and books and little things she picked up during her trips to Japan.

"You can take me out to dinner if you want but then I'll feel bad since you helped with the frame." He really didn't know how bad she was at using a hammer.

[ki2k]

KITT - no, in this form he was Kitt - had developed a liking for tea in the short while he'd experienced of humanity. The warmth was comforting, like the flush of electricity through his circuitry. It usually tasted pretty good, too, and wasn't taste a wondrous thing?

He glanced back in her direction, unsure if she was being serious or not. "I'm sure you could create something if you wished. I wouldn't have considered dart-throwing any form of art until you decided you liked it." He motioned for her to come over to see what he had done with the frame.

"The nails are in all the corners inside the frame, little ones so they don't detract from the 'art', but big enough to hold." He hoped! "See, frames bought like this usually have a backing and a wire across to hook it onto something, but I removed that out of necessity. The nails are doing the work of holding the frame in place without being nailed into it. The heads of the nails are just barely resting on the edges of the frame in the corners. You can take it down easily any time you wish." He didn't really expect this art to last. The next party she held would most likely see people plucking the darts out of the wall to play another game with them.

Once he was finished explaining, he took a good look around her living room.

"You're right. You need more art. It makes a house more of a reflection of the person living there." He shook his head again, another small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at her stubbornness in accepting his artwork.

"The frame was nothing. The art is only slightly more. But I think I would like to take you out to dinner." The phone call she'd received was a slight worry - was there someone who would be upset if he took her to dinner? "If that's all right with you, I mean."

[pyroknight]

Ruri laughed over the brim of her tea cup. "You greatly over estimate my eye." Even so, she placed the tea cup down and walked over to check out his work. She understood the concept but she wasn't sure how he managed to do it. Would it fall down if she hit it lightly?

In the rare chance that Ruri has another party, she wasn't going to let someone take this down. Maybe if she put up wards? That might be to extreme.

"I'm not to good at making a mark. It's a bad habit from when I was a kid." Ruri rolled her shoulders. "Besides working as a store clerk I'm a writer. It takes me all over the place. That was the phone call. The paper wants me at this rally that's supposed to take place tonight around 8. It might be nothing which is why they want the not-exactly-an-employee to check it out." She looked up at Ruri with a grin.

"I'd like to have dinner with you." Not just because of the art either, she was surprised how nice Kitt was and she really didn't meet that many nice people. Of course, she was also only telling him a half truth about her work... but she really didn't want to scare him off. "Tomorrow? If that isn't to late? That or I'd be around 10 pm which might be a little late for dinner."

[ki2k]

"If you insist. Or maybe it's because that's what you tell yourself." Kitt was a believer in the power of the individual; what someone set their mind to, they could achieve. He'd seen it time and again. The frame was sturdy enough to hold, as the head of the nails overlapped it slightly, but it could still be pulled off the wall with some effort if she ever changed her mind about it being there. Now that he looked at it, it did seem rather charming.

If it was still up in six months' time, Kitt would be extremely pleased.

Now he frowned at her, turning more fully to face her. He was taller than she was, and it was still a strange feeling for him to be looking down at humans. "But this is your house, is it not? You should claim it as your own space." One eyebrow lifted as she explained herself, a spark of recognition in his eyes. "I see. I too have a job that requires extensive travel. I understand perfectly - but please, Ruri, do not feel that you need to explain yourself to me." She owed him nothing, even if he was relieved not to be interfering in any of her interpersonal relationships. Or her personal relationships. "I didn't realize there was a rally going on. Please stay safe - someone else may not be so appreciative of my artwork." Another upward quirk of his lips, ever so amused at his own wit.

His smile grew wider as he gazed at her, finding himself warming up to her charm and friendliness. "I would like to have dinner with you as well." Wait, was this a date? Had he just stumbled into his first date with a human? He faltered a little at the thought, as it was an overwhelming prospect. What business did he have making a date, perhaps leading on an innocent woman who seemed to like him? Was he being unfair to her? Unkind and thoughtless? And yet even as he was thinking these unsettling thoughts, he heard his voice agreeing to meet with her the next night, even telling her that ten o'clock that same evening would be all right if she wasn't too tired. What in the world was wrong with him? He would need to run a diagnostic as soon as he returned to his true form.

"If you would like my phone number, you are welcome to call me or text at any time. Is your phone capable of texting? It is an older model, yes?" Flip phones were making a bit of a comeback, so he couldn't be sure. What he was sure of was that this human brain of his had taken leave of its senses.

[pyroknight]

Ruri laughed softly, shaking her head at Kitt as if she found his reply both annoying and endearing. "I tell myself a lot of things." Not all of which were true. Ruri liked to think that she knew herself pretty well and she knew that it was the lies she told herself that usually got her in trouble.

The simple truth was that she liked to assume the best in people and not everyone deserved it.

"This is my home but my mother lived here first. When she passed away I didn't feel right changing anything." Her mother didn't have many personal affects either but the few items litter through the house were all hers. "She was Japanese. Which is also why I have some rooms with tatami mats and sliding doors and some that are a traditional western theme." Her mother had had an odd sense of style though Ruri found it charming which was why she didn't change anything.

Ruri didn't think that there was anything wrong with Kitt. He was sweet and even if he wasn't interested in her in a romantic sense, she still wanted to get to know him. He wasn't like other people shes met and it made Ruri curious.

"I think you have my number though you're in my phone as..." She flipped to the start of their conversation and saw what she had put him in her phone as... Her cheeks flushed a soft rosy hue as she quickly put her phone away. "That is not your name..." Well that was awkward. "And yeah, we texted earlier. That's how I got you back over here." Let's focus on that and not the fact that he's listed in her phone as tall, hot and handsome. Ruri didn't remember that, not that it wasn't true, but she wasn't usually the sort of person to focus on that type of thing.

[ki2k]

"Do you listen when you tell yourself those things?" Maybe she was telling herself the wrong things. Maybe she needed someone else to tell her things? Maybe Kitt should stop letting his thoughts wander like some idiotic normal human.

It was a good philosophy to live by, rather than automatically assuming the worst of people.

"Oh." No, he didn't really understand that reasoning. "But wouldn't your mother wish you to make it into your own home?" Human sentimentality still didn't quite compute, but then he'd never owned anything. "I was wondering about the decor, as it seemed an eclectic mix of styles. And may I ask about your name? Is it short for anything, or is it a Japanese name?" That was something he'd been curious about since she'd introduced herself, but he'd neglected to ask before.

He most definitely wanted to get to know Ruri better as well, but some of the reasons why were disturbing to him. She was very nice, and he liked talking with her, but he also found words like 'cute' and 'bubbly' and 'sweet' coming to mind, unbidden. Words that he'd never previously associated with human females, unless he was using them to describe how his driver might view them. But for himself?

Wait, what? What had he just said? About her number... Oh, good grief! That diagnostic needed to be done sooner rather than later! How could he have forgotten that yes, they already had each other's numbers? If only he could ask Bonnie to run it, but then he hadn't shared his new-found ability with anyone at the Foundation, not yet. What was wrong with this stupid human version of his brain?

"Oh, yes, of course," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks searing hot. "I knew that. I wouldn't be here if we hadn't. Of course." He shook his head, wanting to disappear into the floor. If he knew how she'd listed him it might have made him feel... marginally better, actually. Perhaps. But got him back over here? Interesting turn of phrase! "I probably spelled your name wrong in my phone." He very carefully did not look. "Where did you want to go to dinner?" A surprisingly safer topic, one he could focus on instead of how pretty her eyes were.

[pyroknight]

Ruri knew that she shouldn't listen to the negative things she told herself. She tried not to, she tried to keep her spirits up, but some days were harder than others. It didn't help that Ruri spent a lot of time by herself. She had friends but her hours were so sporadic that it was hard for her to see them and she didn't live her life online much to their chagrin.

It was a little odd. She didn't know Kitt very well but it was easy to talk to him. It had been easy to talk to him last night, during the party, too though Ruri had assumed that alcohol had played a role in that.

"You're right." Ruri admitted with a smile. "I should find more things to put here and I think your addition is a good start." Her voice was light and warm with just a small hint of teasing slipping into her tone. "My mother was Japanese and my name is Japanese. A lot of Japanese depends on how it is written or pronounced. The way my name is written is like the stone meaning Lapis Lazuli but it can also mean home depending on the context." She pulled out a small piece of paper from her desk and quickly sketched out the characters for him to see.

'瑠里'

When she was finished, she passed it over to him. He could keep it if he wanted to see her name written out in Japanese. "My last name is actually a given name. I never knew my father and my mother was distant from her family. When I was little, I didn't want to grow up to be a princess like most little girls but a knight. Eventually I took it as a name." Ruri knew that it sounded silly but she liked it. "That was also around the time I knew I wanted to become a writer. As for the house." She turned and looked behind her. "Let's call it a work in progress." Her mother had slowly begun to change it, wanting to make it feel more like home. It might be the eccentric writer in her but Ruri rather liked the mismatch feel to the house.

It'd been the home she spent most of her life in.

She didn't know what was going on in Kitt's head but he was cute when he blushed. Also very noticeable. Ruri's teeth press softly against her lower lip to try and fight the smile that pressed its way onto her features. "It's fine. Really. It's been a crazy day." She hoped that it would alleviate some of his embarrassment. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.

"I know I spelled your name wrong in my phone. Your last name is Knight too right?" She'd probably wait to fix the spelling until after he left… just so he didn't see how he was listed in her phone. "There is a place that has good dumplings near here. If you're interested in that sort of thing. It's better to go with more than one person since you order a few types and share." It was a place that gave Ruri a lot of leftovers when she goes there alone, which was almost all the time.

[ki2k]

If Kitt had anything to say - or do - about it, her negative affirmations would be a thing of the past. He wouldn't stand for it. She was, in his opinion, a kind person who deserved better. And of course, he already knew that he enjoyed spending time with her. It had been quite some time since he'd talked to anyone outside of his little family group, and he couldn't remember a time when he'd done so completely on his own, without being on a mission of some sort.

"Thank you." He was very pleased that she thought so, a little puffed up with pride. "I can help you find more, if you like. It would be an interesting challenge to incorporate more of your style into what's already here." He listened to her explanation of her name, noting the different meanings with interest. As an AI, he spoke Japanese, as well as a variety of other languages. As a human, he was limited to English. The other languages were programmed, not learned, as English was. He took the paper given, smiling faintly at it, tracing the delicate beauty of what looked like artwork with his fingertip. "It's beautiful, Ruri. Your name is beautiful. The meanings and the characters both, lovely. Your name could be the inspiration for your decorating. Lapis lazuli, home - it's practically asking for you to do this." He smiled hopefully at her, wondering what she would think of this idea of his.

"A writing knight. a bit unusual, but if you can make it work..." He shrugged, in an agreeable sort of way. "It's a strong, noble name. If that's the name that called to you, then it was meant to be yours. I am sorry about your family, though. I hope it isn't too difficult for you. I'm very close to my family; I don't think I can even imagine what it's like not to be." She was far stronger than he was, being on her own without that sort of support. She mentioned the house again, so he looked around at it once more. "You don't have to listen to my suggestions. Your progress is very... unique." He gave her an encouraging smile.

A smile that was quickly consumed by that blush. He was still distressed at his appalling memory in this form. He sighed, suppressing the urge, with great difficulty, to hide his face in his hands. "Yes, it has. Thank you." He smiled gratefully at her for giving him an out. It made him feel a bit better - until he lifted his eyes to her face, seeing the way she was looking at him, half-biting her lip, making his stomach do a slow flip as he stared at her. It took him a moment to register what she'd said.

"Oh! Knight, yes. And it's Kitt with two t's, not one. People have a tendency to get that wrong, so I'm not surprised." Another quirk of his lips, an indication that it happened more often than not - though he had no clue how she'd actually labeled him. His stomach still felt fluttery. "I've never had dumplings before. I wouldn't mind trying some." The idea of sharing a meal with her was rapidly growing more appealing. Maybe for once there wouldn't be any leftovers.

[pyroknight]

Ruri felt her cheeks flush when Kitt complimented her on her name. "Oh, it's..." She waved a hand. "Thank you. I do actually like that idea." Her dark eyes glanced back at the room. She knew what was there, like everything in her small home she had it memorized but looking away from Kitt gave her a moment to get her blushing under control.

"I would like your help." She continued in a soft tone, imagining the room with more of those small touches of personality. "If you're really okay with helping. It might be a pretty big task." Ruri laughed softly before finally looking back at Kitt. Her cheeks were still rosy but not as bad as before.

"And don't worry. I'm not completely alone and while my family doesn't know me I'm not a stranger to them. I have a lot of people I care about." Ruri's greatest strength was the love she felt for others. It's what kept her going and kept a smile on her lips. There were times that she was sad, everyone had those moments but she was happy with the life she had now. She was able to help those she cared about and watch over them.

"I'll be looking forward to dumplings. Kitt with two t's." Ruri rarely tried to flirt and this was why. She was really bad at it. "I'll let you know when the rally is over? I'll call you."

[ki2k]

"Beautiful," he reminded her, when she seemed to brush it off. "Your name is beautiful. I'm glad you like my idea." He had no idea she was the one blushing now, and would have been surprised to realize it. He hadn't intended to embarrass her with his remarks; to him they weren't merely compliments but the truth.

"I've tackled big tasks before. I don't mind hard work. I would be very happy to help you." He pointed to the wall behind him, where the pink frame was now hanging. "We've already gotten a head start." His smile was genuinely pleased, and while he noticed the pink in her cheeks, to him it only served to enhance her already attractive features. He still wasn't quite convinced by the claims about her family, however, his smile fading. "Those people are lucky, then. I hope they know that." It seemed a shame to him that her family didn't know her well, but he wouldn't interfere, or pester her about the whys. He was more concerned about his growing desire to become one of those people that she cared about, and wondering why it seemed so important to him after having known her for not even an entire day.

But then she was making him smile again, seemingly without even trying. "I look forward to it as well, ah... Ruri." He was even worse at flirting than she was, apparently. Oh dear. He answered too quickly, nodding, "Yes, please, do that. I'll be waiting." Because that didn't sound overly eager at all.

[pyroknight]

She had finally banished the warmth from her cheeks when he spoke again. Beautiful. It wasn't a word she was used to hearing, in any context, and she felt her heart flutter when he said it. The blush returned, painting a soft rosy pink across her cheeks and then over the bridge of her nose.

What was wrong with her?

"Thank you." She said the words carefully, it was obvious that she didn't know how to take the compliment. She hadn't considered her name beautiful but she felt like she could believe it when Kitt said it. "For helping me and thinking my name is beautiful." Her expression softened as her fingers pulled at the hem of her shirt.

Ruri's relationship with her family was complicated at best. It didn't help that she never knew her father or his entire side of the family. She didn't think she'd mind telling Kitt the whole story but it wasn't a first meeting sort of story.

"Do you want me to walk you out?" She didn't want him to leave, which was an odd feeling, but she had to get ready for this march. She didn't get paper gigs that often otherwise she'd have skipped it completely and spent the evening talking with Kitt more. She liked talking to him.

[ki2k]

He meant it when he said it, as lies were not something that ever came easily to him, though he was struck by the strength behind his emotion. There was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on, something that made her different from the other women he'd met over the course of his missions with Michael. Was it because she seemed genuinely interested in him as well? Would she still be interested if she knew what he really was? Or would it turn more patronizing, as was usually the case when humans met the car?

And yet when he thought about it, he did find her beautiful, with her dark eyes and her petite features, the soft shade of the blush still highlighting her skin.

He really needed to stop staring.

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Ruri." It was very cute, the way she was fiddling with her shirt, but it never occurred to him that she might be feeling strangely as well. "I'm happy to help - and I'd never lie about something like your name."

Staring like a lovesick puppy was helping no one. Ugh! He had to pull his eyes away from her, find something else to focus on. Was this why Michael always seemed so odd when he was attracted to someone? Is this how he felt, and why KITT had never understood why Michael's brain suddenly seemed so mushy?

He would listen to Ruri talk all day, about anything she wished, for her found her voice to be as enchanting as the rest of her. She had an attentive audience in him.

No, he most certainly did not want her to walk him out. But knowing she must, he nodded. "So long as you promise to call me when you return. I'll come pick you up."

Pick her up? In what, exactly? It was stupid, the car that had no car of his own. Dumb, he was dumb, but he'd already said it, so now he had to figure out how to make it happen. Maybe Devon wouldn't notice if he 'borrowed' one of the Mercedes? That was if none of them noticed that the Trans Am had been missing for quite some time as it was. None of it was Ruri's problem, however, so instead, he turned towards the door, waiting for her to see him out.

[pyroknight]

Ruri smiled up at him. "I will." She wished that she didn't have to go but it was becoming increasingly harder to think around him so maybe this was best? She knew that she shouldn't feel like this about anyone. She'd only end up hurting him, which was the last thing that she wanted to do.

Pushing the thought away Ruri's lips pulled into a tight smile. "Call you, I mean."

She laughed, the tension slowly easing from her shoulders as she blushed under his gaze. "Even if it's late." What was she saying?! He wouldn't be worried about her and she couldn't very well call him after midnight if the rally happened to run that late.

"I know you said you'd pick me up but where do you live? Would it be easier to meet somewhere in the middle? I'd feel bad if I kept making you come here." She didn't own a car so she'd have to walk or find public transportation to wherever they were meeting.

Ruri walked with him to the sidewalk which felt to short a distance to go. She didn't want to say goodbye.

[ki2k]

It was most likely definitely for the best. He wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling, he only knew that his pulse was pounding, his stomach felt fluttery, his brain felt muzzy. If she ended up hurting him - as if! - it would be well worth it.

"I know what you meant." His smile was warm and amused as he watched her, growing wider when she laughed. "Even if it's late, I don't mind." Wouldn't be worried about her? Of course he would! And that thought might have startled him to realize it. But he would take her call any time, he knew that. He was half-considering attending the rally himself, as the car of course, staying on the fringes monitoring the events, ensuring her safety.

He shook his head at her question, the entire time she was asking it. "No, it's not a problem to meet you here. It's easiest for me to come by here. Don't worry about it." Of course, once he got there they'd have to walk, and explaining that might be awkward...

When they got to the sidewalk he paused, turning to face her, suddenly at a loss for what to do. Shake her hand? Just say goodbye with a little wave? ... Kiss her? He suddenly realized that he really wanted to kiss her. He'd never kissed anyone before, but it seemed to him that with Ruri... But no. No. Too presumptuous, as they'd only just met. It wouldn't be appropriate. But... He had no idea what the appropriate response might be. He stood there, a deer in headlights, mouth open but with nothing to say. "Ah..." He raised his hands in an exaggerated shrug. "I have no idea what to do now, I'm sorry." His voice was sheepish, and his blush was crimson.

[pyroknight]

Ruri released a nervous chuckle. "Thanks."

"I'm glad." She corrected herself with an amused smile. "That you knew what I meant." Ruri couldn't help but laugh at herself. For a writer, she was having an inordinate amount of trouble articulating and that thought alone made her smile.

Her teeth worried at her lower lip as she looked down the street. "I'm not sure either." She admitted, again with that nervous chuckle. "I'm not really good at goodbyes." Her life was filled with loose ends and people that she never said goodbye too. "We could say see you soon and I could close my eyes so that you can leave without feeling awkward."

It was a very childish idea but it was the best that Ruri could think of.

[ki2k]

"Of course. I've been around the block a few times." Literally, even. He grinned at her, finding himself entranced by her smile, and her endearing awkwardness. It was really quite adorable, and in a strange way, made him feel more at ease about his own shortcomings.

At her admission, he couldn't help himself. It broke the tension of the moment, causing him to laugh out loud at their silly situation.

"I'm all right with them. I've said goodbye to many people." That sounded bad, didn't it? "That didn't come out the way I meant it to. I just meant that my job takes me all over the country and I have to meet people and then say goodbye when we leave." He was blushing again, he could feel his warm cheeks in the cool night.

He took her hand in his, hoping he wasn't being too forward. "Don't close your eyes. See you soon, Ruri. I'm looking forward to it."

With that, he released her hand, and with a little wave and a small, wry smile, he turned and began walking away, down the street.

[pyroknight]

She liked his laugh. It was full and bright.

Ruri smiled, biting at her lower lip as he took her hand. "I know what you mean." She met a lot of people but Ruri rarely said goodbye, she usually just left without giving people an explanation. Maybe she should say goodbye? Or learn too.

"I won't close my eyes." She assured him in a light voice, squeezing his hand softly before she let it go. "See you."

Ruri watched him go, waving with a small curl of her fingers.