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[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190602/9979823ba7507764096f23773bbad6f8.png[/img]

[sub]Interacting with: [@Smike][/sub]
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[color=Silver]	Ah yes, the water fountain. The introverts expedite, the haven for all awkwardness, the great passer of time and the household of solitude. There were many alike, but [i]this[/i] water fountain was much different. On the upper left corner of the common room, it held great distancing from the rest of the seating areas. A true reclusive settlement for those in need of a good think. Of course, this was all one big dramatisation for a man who'd basically been blindsided by someone's casual conversation making. He'd not exactly been completely disconnected from the idea of flirting, however its introduction to the conversation had definitely taken a toll on his flow of words, conversation and interaction. The water itself was a relief and a half. A soul-filled liquid cleansed his palette and left him with a hydrated throat. Back in the game, back into the action, as someone without any dignity might have said. Instead, he cleaned out his mind and dampened his face with a flicker of water, drying it with the sleeve of his shirt. He looked up at the clock positioned high at the back of the room. 10:39am. Most morning classes were in session, for those who at least had them. Those who were left with afternoon lectures or were left with the free day lurked as they always did: talking, working, chatting, laughing and all things inbetween. With a deep breath, he took one last swig of water before he began to return to where he was.

	Fiddle was still in the same place as she had always been. The second girl had left, more or less. It was a blessing. He didn't know who she was; a common first year who hadn't figured out confidence looking for a way around the university. And a philosophy student, no less. It was a good tool for film and story-making, but when it came to the monotony of endless debates over which moral standard they think is dubious over the other, it irritated him just as much as the politics students did. All of their debate societies felt like an excuse to just get at each other's necks. It wasn't pointless, but the debates never went towards any product. Either way, his mind was off track already. As he shifted back to where Fiddle was waiting, her pups still sitting in their usual place...the dogs, not the-... He felt a small discomfort in his throat as he sat back down, nodding at her.[/color]

[color=87F64F][b]"Sorry about that. Just a bit overwhelmed by the sudden fluctuation of people, y'know?"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]With a gentle, soft smile, he made himself comfortable and welcomed himself back to his newfound [i]acquaintance[/i]. She didn't seem to shift herself too much, concocting a delicate chuckle to herself. From what he could tell, it wasn't dainty or timid, but rather confident in its existence, something he seemed more comfortable with.[/color]

[color=Red][b]"No worries. I would have done the same but I doubt I could have kept pace."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]In most cases, he'd have felt inappropriate to laugh at the provocative jesting at her own expense, but the precedents had been set in motion, and her own laughter was quite infections. Lightly, he chuckled with her, watching her hands go down to her dog's head. Its fur-covered jaw rested against her lap comfortably, the sort of position other dogs would be blessed by. He smiled as she kept the dog entertained with her scratches and pats.[/color] [color=red][b]"I was worried I had scared you off or something."[/b][/color]

[color=87F64F][b]"Worried?"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Again, he nervously chuckled, but still felt more composed than before. In his mind, he was just flowing the conversation naturally, building off of the things he said with small teases and jokes flickered between. And so, he tempted himself with the open question.[/color] [color=87F64F][b]"Awfully kind, but what would there be to worry about?"[/b][/color]

[color=Silver]	Her eyes were left upon the dog for a short while, leaving a small, minute gap between their words. Soon after, she barely shifted in her seat, turning to face him. Of course, he couldn't have prepared himself for what she was going to say, as so far he'd been hit by curveballs after curveballs of interesting topics. As she looked at him, he felt his own hands go towards his laptop, picking it up and closing it slowly. She too thought similarly, as she revealed.[/color]

[color=Red][b]"Well for one, I was worried you’d forget your laptop. For another I was going to ask you to come to dinner with me, would have been hard if you just disappeared on me."[/b][/color]

[color=Silver]	And once again, she pulled a fast one. The smoothest of criminals in all of the land, right there and then, she'd not only taken the opportunity but stole it. An Arsène Lupin of her time, she had a strange ability to just go for what she clearly wanted. His own self froze, looking down at the floor with flushed cheeks. Was it a request for a date or just dinner? It wasn't exactly something he had clocked onto straight away or anything he would've expected from coming back to her side. Fidelity, the girl he barely knew, just went all in, her cards on the deck and her bets on the top shelf. He couldn't help but admire the commitment and confidence she'd shown in those short few back-and-forth quips, leaving him with an open invitation to something he'd not have expected from the morning day. He looked at the clock again, seeing that another twenty minutes had already passed. Time had flown by at tenfold its usual pacing. His chest was engulfed in sporadic inflammation. The heat of his nerves was unsettled and shifted back to his face. He smiled again, uncontrollably as it took him a few seconds to process and answer her request.

	He didn't know what to say at first. Yes? No? It wasn't like there was much to lose. She was a brand new acquaintance who'd just appeared in the light of day, a fellow student in the huge expanses of London's prime university. If it all went south, into the pits of hell, then he'd have at least the chance to melt back into obscurity and to be forgotten about. There was no such thing as a fate of collaboration, something that could melt a group together for anything out of a student's reach. So, he giddily tapped his fingers against his legs, shifted his feet and got his words out.[/color]

[color=87F64F][b]"Oh, uhm. Well if you want an answer, then I'll throw in a [i]'Yes'[/i]. A nice change in normality is always good for the mind...and body."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]He looked around. Thousands of questions flushed his mind. What was her intention? She'd been so forward with a close bonding experience that he'd been drowned in the apprehension of his own self-doubt. The pain of not knowing really struck him poorly.[/color] [color=87F64F][b]"What place do you have in mind?"[/b][/color]

[color=Red][b]"There’s a great steakhouse not too far from here. It’ll be my treat."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Without hesitation, she calmly offered her gift and place of interest. Laurence smiled to himself. And it would be her treat. Hell, if it went wrong, at least he'd get an absolute deal of a meal. He spent such little time thinking on the meal that he didn't notice her drawing her phone from her pocket, holding it aside.[/color] [color=red][b]"What's your number?"[/b][/color]

[color=87F64F][b]"Oh uhh..."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]As asked, he gave her his phone number on the spot, from the top of his head as well. Wasn't something he used outside of the usual semi-professional calls, so it was refreshing to see a potentially friendly face having a want for it. As she made a note of it, he smiled, letting of a small tease as he packed his laptop into his bag.[/color] [color=87F64F][b]"That was...surprisingly quick. Is it a place you always treat the usual people at?"[/b][/color]

[color=Red][b]"Not quite, but I go there relatively often myself. Not too often I get to actually enjoy a one on one meal with someone.
[/b][/color]

[color=87F64F][b]"Then consider it my treat to attend."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]He smirked, slinging his bag over his back and standing up again. He gave into the temptation and pressed his hand against the dog's head, gently rubbing the hand from side to side. The soft fur was indeed a lovely morning sensation. For someone who never had a pet, those were the little experiences he tended to remember the most.[/color] [color=87F64F][b]"Maybe I'll see you later today, I've got some work I need desperately doing. Keep in touch, will yah?"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]And to take off the rest of his day, he wandered off elsewhere into the university's labyrinth. He wasn't aware of what was to come, or what changes the day would throw at him. All he knew was that it had just gotten the slightest bit brighter.[/color]