Hearing his nickname, Kathy let out a small cough as she attempted not to laugh. “Crash. It suits you, ahem, from what I know anyway.” She was almost tempted to actually tell him she was more than just a witness and rather a victim of the escaping drumstick, but decided against it. She wasn’t trying to pick a fight or squeeze an apology out of him after all. Instead she nodded, “That’s right. One of the many that got to witness a flying drumstick and auditorium gymnastics, all in one day. Ah, I’m Kathy by the way. Short for Katherine.”

[i]’His expression really changes often. Quite the busy guy.’[/i] She thought, wondering just how fast his thought processes must be to go through so many different emotions in such a short period of time. Seeing Crash point to his own nose, she made a quick mental check about her own. Her nose was a little sore from the sudden impact, but that was all. She sighed in relief, glad she didn’t embarrass herself by getting a nosebleed after meeting him for the first time. Lifting her hand off her nose, she replied, “Yeah. It was kind of more of a reflex more than anything, don’t worry about it.”

She let out a short but hearty laugh as Crash seemed to be going through a one-man comedy skit starting from the joke made at his own expense and ending with a vocal complaint from his stomach. Giving him a pat on the shoulder she opened her mouth to give directions towards the cafeteria, “Food would be over in-!”

A slight bump at her back reminded her that she was also standing in the doorway, adding to the barricade. Feeling pressured under the gaze of the crowd behind her, she took Crash’s wrist and pulled him out of the students’ way. “Er, it’s this way. I was just heading over there myself. Let’s go.”

Travelling with the flow of the crowd instead of obstructing it, they arrived in no time at the cafeteria. The smell of warm, freshly-prepared food filled the air and made her mouth water. [i]’Oh cruelty… So many choices, but so little room in my stomach in comparison.’[/i] Then remembering that she was still holding on to Crash’s wrist, she muttered a quick apology and let go. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh! Hey, uh, if you don’t mind Crash…” An idea had popped into her head. She was a little nervous about asking a first-time acquaintance any favors, but her stomach was winning over any sense of shyness. “Want to order a couple of different plates and share? I can’t choose just one thing to eat, but I don’t want to waste food either.”