[Freezair]

What's wrong with going shopping closer to home, huh?

Fenrick loved his home. He loved that he grew up in a candy store, with his "uncle" Kane always slipping him chocolates and bits of fruity candy while his father frowned on disapprovingly. (Disapprovingly, but with a twinkle in his eyes.) He loved the wonderful smells he woke up to. He loved watching the machines churn in the back, while Aunt Rosie tapped them thoughtfully.

He hated doing chores for his home.

Uncle Kane needed ingredients in bulk, and he needed a few pieces of specialty equipment. Everyone in the house drew straws, and it was Fenrick who got the short one. He hopped a teleporter to Lambastia, and...

...And? Well, that was a good question.

Squid ink. I'm lost.

[1]

[Flame]

A soft sigh whispered through the quiet streets, which seemed empty, even during the middle of the day. Dark paws padded, almost as if of their own accord, across the cool cobblestone that pebbled the streets, their surfaces worn and smooth beneath her feet after centuries of wear. That was exactly what the femme was doing, simply wandering, without a reason or cause, or at least one that she knew about. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life once in a while (although technically speaking, she was in a city, circumstances weren't the same). Her friend had dragged her, unwillingly, off to some kind of social gathering, a ball of some sort, and it had all but bored the girl to tears.

Now though, in the quiet shadows of the city walls, everything seemed much more quiet, peaceful, the hectic air in the ballroom nothing but a memory. Her gaze seemed lost upon some distant, unseen horizon as she meandered through the maze of streets, allowing her feet to take her wherever they pleased.
Finally...some peace and quiet.

[Freezair]

This can't be right, Fenrick thought, looking around him. This was Lamenolai--the crowds here were usually a hundred deep, and noisy. Here, the streets were almost deserted--even the cars were parked and quiet. The buildings that shot up around him looked full, but nobody in them was coming outside.

Fenrick sighed. Supposing I should happen into someone, should I ask them for directions...?

He looked off into the distance. He thought he saw a distant speck of blue.

...Nah. I don't want to be a bother to anyone. It's not my style.

He hunched up his shoulders and tried to look inconspicuous as he walked, even though he was steadily approaching the young woman. Or... was she approaching him?

[2]

[Flame]

The young woman had been lost in her own thoughts, which were off in a world of their own, which probably wasn't all that surprising for one like herself. It had apparently completely slipped her mind that she was still in that navy dress she had worn to the ball, and rather overdressed for someone simply walking down the street. Her light, sky-hued sapphire eyes seemed misty, distant, as she wandered down the empty streets, the only sound the soft click, click of her silver heels on the cobblestone.
It wasn't until she had almost run into the approaching figure that she happened to glance up (or down, depending on where her eyes had been), her gaze seeming to focus once again, as she slowed, then finally came to a stop, as much to avoid a collision as in surprise that someone else happened to be meandering as aimlessly (or so she thought) as she. The piercing blue eyes took in the hunched shoulders and seemingly drooping posture, and for some reason, it didn't look right on this character. It seemed almost as if he were trying to look...unnoticeable?
Although she was wary, as she always was around strangers, she tilted her head slightly to the side, dark hair swishing softly against her back as she regarded him.
"...Hi."
The voice seemed rather hesitant, from one who had little or no experience with people, not to mention first impressions.
Then again, a simple greeting never hurt anyone, did it?

[Freezair]

"Oh, hello," Fenrick said automatically, drifting by.

He did a double-take.

Unless he was greatly mistaken--and a second look confirmed that he most definitely wasn't--the young woman walking past him was wearing a fancy ball gown--not the sort of thing even the exceedingly fashionable wore walking around town, and her walk had the distinctive click to it of fancy shoes. He was... puzzled. Yes. Puzzled was the right word for it.

But I shan't ask. It's not polite.

He did stare, though. He caught himself unconciously mumbling, "Why on Earth...?"

[3]

[Flame]

Nyx had been prepared to continue on her aimless way after she the man had passed her, unphased by the indifferent reply when she heard a puzzled mumbling behind her. She paused for a moment, hesitating, then turned to face him again, her penetrating gaze questioning. She thought that she had heard something along the lines of "Why on Earth...", but what kind of greeting was that? She had probably just heard him wrong. That was it, she was probably just going addle-brained from all this exposure to crowds.

When she glanced up at him again though, her gaze seemed to be puzzled. He seemed just as, if not more, surprised than her, and her eyes quickly followed his downwards. She muffled a small gasp at her own attire, one hand flying to her mouth at the unexpectedness of her dress. Indeed, she had completely forgotten that she had had it on when she had left the ball, and hadn't stopped in-between to change first before continuing her meanderings again.
Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, glad that there wasn't anyone else to see her. Anyone but this man. She could have melted into oblivion with mortification, but unfortunately, she didn't have that option.
"I...well, you see..."
She broke off, laughing rather nervously at her loss of words, somewhat incapable of coherent thought at the moment.
Oh, she was going to kill that girl for making her put this on!

[Freezair]

"I... I'm sorry." Fenrick turned his shaggy blonde head away, trying to hide it in the crook of his shoulder. "I didn't mean to. I mean. I was merely... Er... That's an interesting outfit you've got there, miss."

Fenrick tugged at the sleeves of his red sweater, snapping them against his watch. Even though she was the one who was out of place, he felt tawdry and awkward standing next to her, in such plain clothes while she was so finely dressed.

It reminded him of that movie he saw with his sister. There was a princess wandering through a big city in an immacute, fancy white gown, while everyone around her had on plain clothes.

[4]

[Flame]

Nyx laughed again when he spoke, not at him, but at her own discomfort, and not knowing what to say. Curse this unfamiliarity with conversation. Then again, it probably would never have happened if she had been observant enough to notice that she was garishly misdressed.
"My apologies for appearing so...outlandishly dressed."
Her lips curved in a small, almost apologetic smile as she looked back up at him again, feeling self-conscious.
"There was a ball, but..."
She broke off, looking embarrassed again.
"Well, it's a long story."

She felt extremely out of place in this aged relic of a city, as if she stuck out like a sore thumb, even in her dark-hued dress, against the high walls surrounding her.
She hoped that the man wouldn't judge her too quickly.
Then again, since when did she care about what others thought of her?

[Freezair]

"No, no... it's fine. I mean, you can wear whatever you want to," Fenrick said. "Don't let people be all fashion police on you. It's... not cool."

There was a ball? The way she put emphasis on the "was" made him suspicious. "What, did your date stand you up or something? That's a pretty jerkwad move, if you ask me. You should go up to that guy and sock him in the jaw!"

Fenrick flinched back slightly after saying that. Did it seem too violent? He couldn't tolerate rude behavior, of course, but it wasn't... well, was it?

[5]

[Flame]

Nyx laughed again, still sounding rather self-conscious, but the fact that he didn't see her as some kind of freak, or even a stuck-up rich girl was encouraging. She smiled at him, feeling a little more at ease, but had to stifle another laugh again at his next words.
"Well, as tempting as that sounds, it wasn't really that dramatic."
She did think about the idea though. Perhaps she could sock her friend in the jaw instead, for dragging her along on this wild goose-chase of a ball. In that light, the idea really was tempting.
"It was more of being dragged unwillingly to a ball that I had never planned on going to in the first place," she finally admitted.
"I'm not exactly big on large social events, you see."
She sounded slightly bashful again, half wondering why she was telling this complete stranger all this. Perhaps it was because he sounded more, sympathetic? In any case, she felt quite at ease in his presence.

[Freezair]

"Oh." Fenrick sighed in relief. "Well... I mean, that still wasn't cool. Nobody likes getting dragged off to places they don't wanna be."

Fenrick looked at a bench by the side of the street. He gestured to it. "You wanna sit down for a bit?" Seeking her reply, he went for the bench himself, and settled himself it.

"What about, like... a ride back or something? Didn't your whoever who dragged you off to this thing... I mean, didn't they get you hooked up with any transportation? ...I got stood up at a community center once. It was super awkward."

[6]

[Flame]

Nyx tilted her head to the side slightly, regarding the man with a mildly curious expression at his sigh of...relief, was it? He was relieved that she hadn't been stood up to by another man? For some reason, she found that concept rather amusing, although she didn't let it show beyond a slight, good-humored twinkle in her eyes. In truth, it was rather nice to know that someone cared about her well-being, even if they were a complete stranger.
"You wanna sit down for a bit?"
"Sure."
Now that she thought about it, she was dying to get off of her feet. These heels, which she had been walking around in for several hours, were killing her. She made her way over to the bench, seating herself fluidly beside the man, sighing softly in relief as the weight lifted off of her sore feet. She was tempted just to kick them off, but it would be considered bad manners and rather unwomanly.
She chuckled softly at his next questions.
"No, I don't exactly have transportation. You see, I sort of...ran out on her?"
Yes...ran out, for lack of a better phrase. It was true though. She hadn't been able to take any more of the crowds. For a moment or two, she let her fingers absentmindedly trace the silver patterns that swirled across her dress.
"By the way," she said, glancing up at the man again, realizing with a start that she had been forgetting her manners.
"I'm Nyx."

[Freezair]

"Fenrick Henderson." Fenrick stuck out his hand to shake, smiling.

"So... You made a break for it, huh?" He was beginning to feel more comfortable. He leaned back on the bench and stretched his arms. "Yeah. I know how it feels. Sometimes you just can't stand it any more, and... Vroom. You gotta leave, you know? So... Who was this 'friend' of yours who put you up to this? And why didn't you tell her to go whistle, huh?"

[7]

[Flame]

Nyx accepted the outstretched hand, shaking it while she flashed a warm smile at him.
"Yup."
She voiced a simple affirmative, amused by how simply her situation could be summed up.
"Well, Sefiria is quite new to our...family. It's been a while since she's been out and about, and I figured she'd like to get out of the 'house' for a bit. Then again, I hadn't known that her little quest would involve me, not to mention a "dress-up" session."
She grimaced at the memory, although she seemed amused at the same time.
"So, what brings you to these parts on this fine day?"

[Freezair]

"Ahahaha! So you dug your own grave, huh?" Fenrick smirked. "Nice. Super-smooth." His chuckles trailed off brightly, and he looked up at a drifting, nearby cloud.

"Well, I came out Lamenolai way on a quest! A noble quest for the place known as... the bakery and restaurant supply store!" He hummed a few bars of dramatic music, and struck a hammy pose. "...Yeah. In all seriousness, my uncle owns a candy shop, and he needs bulk ingredients. And my aunt... cousin... vague relation is the mechanic, and she needs some equipment fixin' stuff and replacement parts. So I drew the short straw... Now I gotta find this rassafrackin' place." He sighed. "You don't know where to find 'Cedric's Restaurant Supply & Warehouse,' d'you?"

[8]