[b][i] – Kathy[/i][/b]

“?” Kathy wondered why he wanted to keep his birth date a secret, but didn’t feel the need to ask. Besides, it made her feel a little… Special, so to say, that he wanted to keep it a secret between the two of them. “I’ll keep it a secret.” She nodded, but noted he seemed oddly unenthusiastic about the idea of his birthday. [i]‘I thought everyone loved birthdays. Celebrations, free gifts… Cake.’[/i] But she kept her thoughts to herself, knowing she had no way of knowing everyone’s circumstances about certain matters.

Pouting a little, she attempted another gentle shove on his shoulder as he winked at her. [i]‘He’s enjoying this. He’s definitely enjoying this.’[/i] Then hearing his question, she paused to consider the options for a moment. Kathy answered, “I’ll come with you.” With accidents that had already occurred so far, she wasn’t entirely sure it was a good idea to have Crash handle two drinks through that crowd.

Listening to what the other boy (Darwin) had to say, her eyes widened. “Fifth one?” Kathy repeated, surprised to learn that someone (Darwin) who seemed to love his mirror that much would own and break so many. Before she could help it, she glanced over at Crash wondering if the boy (Darwin) was a kindred spirit. As the boy (Darwin) in rainbow swimming trunks left, she heard Crash say, [b]"That was...unexpected"[/b] To that, she gave a small laugh and said, “Remember, in Athalia the unexpected is the new expected. You never know who you might meet next.”

Kathy smiled warmly as she listened to Crash tell her about him and Mercy. “I’d really love to get to know her better, she sounds like a great person.” Blushing a little she added in a small voice, “And… Since Mercy got you in here, it’s thanks to her that I got to meet you.” Then noticing the questionable gaze on her she fidgeted a bit, feeling a little uncomfortable and wondering what she could have possibly done in such a short exchange. [i]‘He’s done that a lot today.’[/i] She thought, momentarily distracted by Crash’s hand going back to his neck again. Finally answering her question he said, [b]“I was glaring because she has a terrible tendency of trying to embarrass me in front of people”[/b] A grin making its way to her face, Kathy made a small cough and commented, “Oooh, is that why?” Nodding to herself she thought, [i]‘I think I just found someone that can teach me how to get back at Crash for all the teasing.’[/i]

Glancing over at the bar again she nodded, “Okay, let’s go over now. Lucky for us, the crowd’s thinned out a bit too.” Following Crash there, she noticed around the same time he did that the bartender behind the counter was actually a teacher. Smiling, she waved at him. “Hello Mr. Lovelock, it’s been a while.”