[b][i] – Kathy[/i][/b]

Kathy blushed as well at his request. “O-Oh, sure… I don’t mind.” She made a mental note to hide away any and all photos she wouldn’t want Crash to look at. She personally couldn’t remember any that was really worth hiding away but… [i]‘I shouldn’t let my guard down. Just because I don’t remember it doesn’t mean I don’t have one or two embarrassing moments captured on camera.’[/i] Then aloud she told him, “Let me know when you want to come by and make the trade.”

Throughout their little game, she held his picture in her hand by the edge, not wanting to let it crumple inside of her pocket. Now as much as she liked to see a variety of emotions on Crash’s expression, his smug look was one that made her feel a little competitive. Somehow she didn’t quite like the feeling that everything was all according to his plan or something. She wasn’t entirely sure if he even had one with such a simple game, but that was just the feeling she got. It quickly went away though as they continued to make plans for their future date. Smiling she nodded, “Sounds good to me.” Then after a small thoughtful pause she asked, “Want me to make some sweet popcorn? Let me know what you like or if you have any allergies, and I’ll be happy to accept custom orders.”

Several answers Crash gave her stuck inside of her mind. Things such as his preference between sweet, salty, or savory and his shoe size was knowledge to keep in mind ‘just in case’ but other things stood out for different reasons. For example, [u]Tinkerbell[/u]? Disney’s fluttery-winged fairy in a green dress? That was quite an unexpected answer and she expected an interesting background story to go along with it. Actually, there was something she was interested in even more than just hearing the tale behind it. [i]‘Would he change into that form if I asked him to?’[/i] Kathy wondered. [i]‘I didn’t think he could change into fictional characters as well. That’s quite amazing really.’[/i]

The riddle had apparently been too simple, since he got the answer right away despite the shrug he gave. The number of phones he had gone through was actually not as many as she would have guessed (she had been thinking something in the double digits), though that was probably good news from Crash’s end. And she couldn’t help but smile broadly at his answer about the first memory he had of her. First of all, it seemed he had a certain amount of fondness for that memory as well. But also, she felt a little smug knowing that her memory of him went back a little more. [i]‘It’s just one more event but… It counts.’[/i] Kathy let out a small chuckle at her recollection, allowing Crash to finish up his answer despite going over the time limit. With the final answer, she also commented with a small laugh, “Really? Wow, so Christmas sweaters made by Grandmothers are actually a real thing?” She could already imagine it. Crash wearing an over-sized hand-knit sweater trying to keep a smile on despite the grimace he had because of how itchy the present felt.
 
She was honestly surprised to hear him talk about his parents. Kathy hadn’t exactly made her actions subtle when she looked at the picture, but she hadn’t expected him to talk about it of his own accord. [i]‘Is there anything I can say to that..?’[/i] Kathy knew the usual phrases like, ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ or ‘oh you have my condolences,’ not none of them sounded sincere enough and didn’t quite encompass what she wanted to say anyway. And moreover, being able to smile so realistically with the recollection seemed incredibly… Lonely. She didn’t think a year was really enough to get over something so tragic. But… [i]‘Crash is doing his best not to drag the mood down, so I can’t be the one to waste his efforts here.’[/i] So instead of trying to extend her sympathy, she just smiled and told him, “Thanks for telling me.”

Now she still felt irritated about something, but for now she decided to address his question. “What about dinner? If I recall, I don’t think you’ve had anything to eat since that bowl of cereal right?” Then looking at the photo in her hand she added, “I want to get changed out of my gym clothes and put this away in my room as well.” As she waited for his reply, her irritation ended up winning out. Unable to resist, Kathy flicked his forehead again, this time putting quite a bit of force behind it on purpose. “… You may be older than me, but you’re still an idiot.” She muttered solemnly, then making a quick change of mood herself she continued with a bright smile, “Come on then. Unless you have any other ideas, let’s get a move on.”