The Fundraiser

[Emily Atrefos]

"Nah, Dad is allergic to dander," I answered. "It's bad enough I work with animals; he wouldn't be able to breathe if I brought any home." It was sad, too--I really wanted a cat. "I would love to bring some of them home if I could."

I readjusted the kitten and let it go on eating. It was so adorable. The only sight better was, well, Daire with the other one. I glanced up at him right before the kitten in my hands turned away from the bottle and tried going to sleep. I nuzzled the fuzziness and let it settle into sleep.

"Yours almost done?" I asked.

[Daire Kuroi]

Okay, that was an awesome sight. Zerah was finally full and happy, and it looked like he was making Emily happy too. And for some reason, Daire couldn't think of any sight more wonderful than Emily's happy face.

But wait, she was asking a question. Wake up, stupid.

Perez yawned and pushed against the bottle with his tiny paws in a stretch, and Daire tucked the offending bottle into his pocket. "Y-yeah, looks like. I-I can take Zerah if you want." It took a massive effort to extend his hand for the tiny red kitten; she could always bat him away and insist on holding Zerah for a little while longer, and then he would look like an arrogant idiot. Goodness, why did every single thing in life have to be so intricate?

[Emily Atrefos]

I had to give the little fuzzy back sometime; I kissed the top of its head and handed it over. "Thanks for letting me hold her," I said with a smile.

[Daire Kuroi]

"S-sure," Daire replied, cradling Zerah in his hand and tucking the little guy into his jacket pocket. Good thing he had pockets in his jacket and his pants too; apparently they were all going to be occupied with something, whether it be a bottle or a kitten. Carefully he slid Perez into his other pocket. "S-so, um..." Crap, what else was he supposed to talk about with her? "Wh-where do you live?"

[Emily Atrefos]

...Wait, was he actually interested or just asking for politeness' sake? I hoped the former, "Oh, on the low side of Bakerline, not very far from the Bowery." Dad hadn't been able to keep up the payments on anything grander. "Here, I can can give you my address or phone number. I'd love to hear how the kittens are shaping up."

Wrong. I wanted an excuse to hear from him. Baby kitties, God help them, went to good homes all the time which I never heard from again. Those were almost impossibly adorable, but so was their owner.

I pulled a pen out of my pocket and scribbled the information on the back of a grocery receipt and then slid it across the table. "There ya go." Because, dang it, I had to get back to work. I stood up and offered him my hand. "It was nice to meet you, Daire."

[Daire Kuroi]

Daire scrambled to his feet the second he saw her start to rise. What, it's polite. He shook her hand with a wavery attempt at a smile and scooped up the receipt with his other hand. How long was he supposed to wait before he called her? Did she even want him to call at all? She was probably just being courteous, and the second he called her, she would be stuck fumbling for an excuse and feeling like a jerk when all she had wanted to do was put an end to the conversation and get the heck away in the first place.

He might as well give her the chance to turn him down early so she wouldn't have to wonder when he was going to call her and what she was going to say to get him to leave her alone. No one liked to stay in suspense, after all.

"Um... w-would you like to go out to dinner tonight? I-if you're not busy?"

[Emily Atrefos]

"Really? Heck, that'd be awesome. I, uh...I mean yeah." Did my cheeks just turn a little pink? No way. Not me. "What time?"

[Daire Kuroi]

... She said yes? She said yes!

... Oh crap, she said yes... now what? What should he say? What shouldn't he say? What time was appropriate, what place was appropriate? How exactly were first dates with random people you just met supposed to go? Could this even be called a date? Crap, why did he even take the risk and ask her? Now he was tangled up in all this crazy stuff and what the heck was he supposed to do?

"Um... s-seven? I-is that a good time? I-I mean, I can get you at eight if that's better for you, o-or even six if you want, I mean, i-it's not like I have anything planned, I c-can really come get you anytime, wh-whatever works for you..."

[Carne "Hack" Molovier]

Karne walked into the fundraiser, his dog Fuzz on a leash bound by a thick leather collar. It was all for show, of course. If Fuzz decided he was going to go somewhere, he could easily drag his owner along with him, being a half-masstiff.

Karne smiled at a nearby volunteer, "Hello, do any of you need any help around here?"

[Emily Atrefos]

"Seven sounds great. Movie Tavern's not that far if you want to go there and see a movie."

It actually served two purposes: movies were fun and easy date plans, and fantastic conversation starters afterward. It set the tone of the date--horror flick or comedy? Action? It didn't matter, as long as it was good. And even if it isn't, it would be fun to complain about afterward with him.

Simple. Sometimes I liked simple.

[Daire Kuroi]

"S-sure, I know where that is. Um... wh-where should I pick you up?"

Would it be proper to pick her up at her house, or should he meet her elsewhere? Either way, she probably wouldn't trust him with her address, which would be wise of her. But if she did, was that a good sign? Was he supposed to act on it accordingly? Who was he kidding, of course he wouldn't.

[Emily Atrefos]

The stuttering and the nervousness struck me as so cute for some unexplained reason. It made me feel like, 'yeah, I still got it' even though he looked like one of those generally socially awkward types I see around my neighborhood. I wondered if he was six foot four and a wrestler online. Nah, I had a good sense of people most of the time, and he wasn't like that. Still. Freakin' adorable.

What was that? Oh, oh right. Question time.

What the heck, my dad was going to be home anyway. I can be a little incautious with this guy, I wager. "Well, if you're gonna pick me up it might as well be at my house, depending on where you live. If it's too far I could just meet you there."

[Daire Kuroi]

It didn't matter if it was far. If she wanted him to pick her up at home, that was what he would do. That was what she chose, that was more convenient for her, and it didn't matter if it inconvenienced Daire. She and her comfort were more important.

Even if it was scary. Everything was scary. That was a wash.

"Well, I-I have your address..." Daire held up the receipt crumpled in his hand, "s-so... I-I guess I'll see you at seven."

[Emily Atrefos]

I grinned. "Great." And then I had to bounce off, because my feet wanted me to jump and because I actually had to get back to work or face further problems.

[Daire Kuroi]

Someday Daire would have to find a way to deal with these anxieties. He had stumbled through job interviews, scholarship presentations, every single conversation he had to have. There was just something wrong in his brain that didn't let him function like he needed to. It was like every single interpersonal situation before him was a trap-laden gauntlet with swinging axes and spike pits and monsters around every corner waiting to bite his head off.

And the walk up to Emily's front door was like a death march. But he limped up to the door all the same and raised his hand to knock.

And couldn't.

He raised his hand again and...

Didn't knock.

This was ridiculous. It was a door. Made of wood and metal hinges and made to be knocked on. She was a woman, not a monster, made of bones and skin and expecting to be taken out. There was nothing here to be afraid of. Nothing that he couldn't take on.

But his hand just would not rise and his fist just would not tighten and the door stood there unknocked upon.

Something had to be done. If he stood here all night being afraid... he would still be standing here. It wouldn't change anything to wait. And chances were, after she got tired of waiting for him, she would walk out here and see that he had been here the whole time not knocking, not talking to her, not taking her out like he'd said he would.

There was nothing for it. It had to be done. It took all his strength, but he lifted his hand which suddenly weighed about thirty thousand tons and knocked on the door.