[b][i] – Ara (A)[/i][/b]
 
Raising a slight eyebrow at the shouting from the man (Nikola) behind the bar, Ara wondered just what all the drama about whiskey was about. [b]"I will see to it that the other teachers straighten up and teach the students how to properly see things right in front of their dense faces..."[/b] Furrowing his brows he thought, [i]‘[u]Other[/u] teachers? Is he a teacher too then?’[/i] He wasn’t entirely sure if he would’ve wanted to avoid the man’s classes or to attend them just to see how he handled rowdy students.

Having received permission, Ara sat down beside Carmen, being sure to lean his body a little away from the incredibly wide brim of her hat to keep from knocking it over. “Ara. Pleasure to meet you Carmen.” Momentarily turning his attention to the grumpy man (Nikola), he asked, “Could I get a glass of ginger ale?”

He frowned for a moment as he thought of a way to start off the conversation. Talk of the weather was a bit overdone, and he never actually saw that sort of topic opening really go anywhere. Ara decided to start with something safe, but unique. “So, you’re a student at Athalia Academy right? How long have you been attending?”
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[b][i] – Kathy[/i][/b]

[b]“Does that mean you think I’m cute or a furry pain in the ass?”[/b] Kathy felt the redness in her cheeks deepen by at least 2 shades at the question. “You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you? Has anyone ever told you that you’re evil at times?” Though she was trying to pretend to make a sulky expression, the smile on her face refused to go away and it was difficult to pull the look off with all the blood rushing up to her face. Then she quietly muttered under her breath, “… You’re cute when you’re not being evil.” She glanced at his face, wondering if he had heard and what he thought of that. 

Then hearing Crash return her comment about her shoe, she bit her lower lip, regretting the fact she even brought that back up. But she had already decided not to regret what she had done back at the auditorium. It was an important matter for her, so just this once she wasn’t going to apologize or back down. [i]‘… I didn’t think it would bother him this much though.’[/i] But not wanting to turn it into an unnecessary argument, she kept quiet and pretended not to hear him.

Glad that he was willing to let her hold his wrist, she felt a little relieved, realizing that she had been rather scared of getting rejected. [i]‘I feel like I might be acting too sensitive about all this.’[/i] Kathy thought, mentally shaking her head at herself. But contrary to what she would have thought, she didn’t feel relieved at all when Crash believed her about the texts. In fact, she just felt guilty about it. “I’ll… Remember to check more often next time. Sorry.” She was purposely masking her apology as if she was just apologizing again despite Crash telling her not to. [i]‘I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry I’m such a coward…’[/i] Kathy was glad she was not the one holding his wrist and not the other way around. He would have surely felt her pulse quicken from the lie.

Grateful that Crash asked a question she could answer she told him, “The bar. Just remember that you’re a minor.” Managing to get a natural-enough smile back onto her face she continued, “And you’re being evil again aren’t you?”

After nodding in agreement of how great the resort looked, she stopped walking for a moment when Crash asked yet another slightly more difficult question. Kathy was about to give a vague, not-quite-a-lie-but-not-the-truth sort of answer, but the shapeshifter was faster and interjected with another set of words that added to the guilt she felt. “After… Yeah.” She looked away to the side as she felt Crash’s gaze return to her. She hesitated, but decided to tell him the truth. [i]‘I don’t really want to lie again. I’m not sure I could resist just running and avoiding people again if I feel even guiltier.’[/i] Gazing at the pool she said in a melancholy voice, “I can’t swim so… I avoid any activities that require me going out into deep waters.”

After giving him a chance to respond, Kathy resumed their walk deeper into the resort. Arriving at the bar, she noticed there was already quite a crowd there. There were a number of faces that she had at least greeted after the demon-incident, although there was one that she didn’t remember seeing at all. “Ah.” Remembering that she was still holding onto Crash’s wrist, she released it as she felt another blush rise up to her cheeks. Giving a small wave, she greeted the crowd as she drew nearer. “Hey everyone.”