[h1][color=springgreen]Edric[/color] and [color=orange]Carmen[/color][/h1]

[hr]

Edric was beginning to notice that this Expo had a lot of lines. It had taken him twenty minutes of standing behind other people before he'd even been able to get his table at the diner. And now that he'd left the diner and stumbled across a Calandra Couture booth, he was waiting in line yet again.Granted, this was less structured. Less of a line and more of a crowd, really. People who wanted to take pictures and get autographs and ask for advice or questions about the company. All he wanted to do was catch up with an old teacher of his. 

"Woah, is that, like, hobo chic?" Some wire-thing bearded guy that couldn't have been taller than 5' 2" asked him. Edric looked down and cringed. Rough travel clothes, with threadbare spots. He supposed it looked well-enough put together, though. 

[color=springgreen]"Uh. Totally."[/color] He smiled. [color=springgreen]"Fashionable pragmatism."[/color]

"Nice." The guy nodded, seemingly impressed, and then he turned away. 

[color=springgreen][i]You're a master of deception.[/i][/color]

[color=springgreen][i]You know it.[/i][/color]

Meanwhile, at the front of the line...

[color=orange]"Nonono, you can't have [i]that[/i] color dress with [i]these[/i] color shoes! Can't you see how much these clash?? Hold on, let me go get you a more suitable pair."[/color]

The skylark whose presence had caused the line Edric was stuck in now turned her back to it to look through her inventory for a moment before quickly finding a pair of shoes she deemed suitable. As she turned around she quickly scanned the line and thought she might have seen someone she knew. Unsure but fairly confident, she yelled out [color=orange]"ANYONE WITH A SURNAME OF D'KARST COME TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE PLEASE"[/color] while handing the pair of shoes to the woman waiting for her. As the woman's face brightened at the sight of the footwear, Carmen returned her attention fully to her. [color=orange]"See what you think of those, they should match your dress beautifully."[/color] The woman began taking off her existing shoes while Carmen turned again to the line in front of her, assuming that if Edric was actually in the line he would follow her order. He was her student, after all.

[color=springgreen]"On it!"[/color] Edric said, almost instinctively. He stepped out of the line and briskly made his way toward the front. There was some grumbling, and Edric ignored it. Soon enough, he was in front of the skylark. [color=springgreen]"I keep forgetting that you're famous."[/color] He looked around, at the crowd the sign, the camera flashes. 

[color=springgreen][i]How?[/i]

[i]Because-[/i]

[i]-You're an idiot? You finally realized it? I wasn't gonna tell ya.[/i][/color]

[color=springgreen]"God, it's been, what, five years?"[/color] Edric said, shaking his head in disbelief. [color=springgreen]"It feels like five days. Or, maybe ten years. I can't decide." [/color]

Carmen smiled as Edric allowed himself to walk to the front of the line.

[color=orange]"Maybe. I haven't been counting,"[/color] she replied. [color=orange]"In any case, it has been quite a long time."[/color]

While talking to him she was simultaneously handing the woman from earlier her bag with her new pair of shoes in it, and motioning for the next person to come up. It was an autograph request - simple enough to multitask, so she did.

[color=orange]"And you? What have you been up to all this time? I would quite like to know what everyone from the dear Academy has been up to, now that I think about it."[/color]

Some cameras flashed on Carmen as they had been doing with some regularity, but at this point some were also flashing on Edric. [color=orange]"Looks like you're famous now too,"[/color] she said with a smirk.

[color=springgreen]"Uh."[/color] He smiled, awkwardly, at the cameras. His father would probably break a vein. Edric hadn't called him in ages, but Jon'd see in the tabloids that he'd had time to rub elbows with Carmen Calandra. 

[color=springgreen][i]That'll be a fun phone call.[/i]

[i]I'm looking forward to it already.[/i][/color]

[color=springgreen]"I've been doing a lot of travelling. Much of it alone. I was in Oasari, recently, but I was all over Okarlai, and Kora intermittently. I was planning on headed west but then I heard about the Expo, couldn't help myself."[/color] He thought for a moment. [color=springgreen]"I'd imagine that Aileen Deckard is here, as well, but I can't speak for any of the others. Have you kept in touch with anyone?"[/color]

[color=orange]"Can't say that I have,"[/color] Carmen replied. [color=orange]"I've been very busy, and I somehow neglected to get people's contact information while I was in Athalia. It just didn't seem necessary I suppose."[/color]

She thought for a moment. [color=orange]"I'm not sure I remember Aileen, but I didn't get to interact with the students not in my classes or those who were there when I was a student. Anyway...have you been in contact with any of the others? I'd love to know how some of them are doing. Maybe some of them will turn up here?"[/color]

[color=springgreen]"No, I haven't. I took off in a hurry, I'm afraid. I only knew about Aileen because we traveled together for a time."[/color] Edric said. [color=springgreen]"I'd say that's possible, the Expo attracts all kinds."[/color] He looked back at the line, and the cameras, and gulped. [color=springgreen]"Listen, I know you're busy, so I won't take too much more of your time. But, uh, if you happen to see anyone from the Academy, tell them to meet, uh..."[/color] He looked around until his eyes settled on a bar and grill at the edge of the street. He pointed to it. [color=springgreen]"That place looks good, yeah. What's that, 'Malibu Bar n' Grill?' Yeah, that place."[/color]

Carmen smiled. [color=orange]"I'll be sure to do that. Hopefully someone else shows up that we both know, hmm? I'll probably pop over there myself when I have a break."[/color] She looked at the long line waiting for her. [color=orange]"...which doesn't look like it will be any time soon,"[/color] she said with a chuckle. [color=orange]"Nice catching up with you though, Edric. Hopefully it won't be five years until the next time, yeah?"[/color]

[color=springgreen]"Here's hoping."[/color] Edric said, smiling lopsidedly. [color=springgreen]"I'll catch you around. Can't be too hard."[/color] He turned and started to walk away. [color=springgreen]"I'll just follow the cameras."[/color]