Another Time [Tomomi/Cecil]

Alright. Seven Stars was done for the day, he was all packed up and ready to go, and Ankou wasn't even about to think about bothering him at this moment.
Right now, Cecil had somewhere very important to be, and it was a place that he'd have never thought he'd find himself before recent times.

Right out in front of the school, looking for a friend.

Cecil darted through the halls with a bright smile on his face, weaving through the crowds of students occupying them at a none-too-casual pace as he made his way for the exit. His earphones drifted and swayed a little from their place around his neck as he made his way through the halls, until eventually he burst out of the doors and started looking about with a wide grin.
Right...now he just had to find Tomomi.

Yawning, Tomomi waited and watched the sun in the sky, and the clouds drift over head. He'd managed to get out of class early, given that he'd completed the work early and was otherwise just sat there waiting around, much to the distaste of his classmates. So, he stood outside of the front doors, leaning on a nearby wall. His attire was the same as always, the Seven Stars uniform, with the jacket slung over his shoulder. He just had to wait for the bell...

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring.

That bell.

Smiling to himself, Tomomi kept his eyes looking towards the door, waiting for his friend to arrive. To his surprise, Cecil was quickly out of the doors. Was he running or something? Regardless, Tomomi was sat to see him, waving his arm in the air in order to get his attention while calling out, a reassuring smile upon his face as he noticed his friend grinning. This was looking to be a good day.

There!
"Hey!" It didn't even occur to him to slow down as he darted over to his friend, only easing off the pace when he was basically already there. He was positively beaming as he stepped up to the boy, hands in pockets. "Good to see you, Tomomi." He looked up into the corner of his eye, before returning his gaze to Tomomi with a curious look and a slightly raised eyebrow. "How come you're out so quick? You look like you've been here a bit...that, or rushing out of a building gets you less out of shape than it does me."

"Ah, right..."

Coughing and blushing slightly as he moved the hand he'd been waving to behind his head, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly, the boy offered up his reply. "Simply put, there are... A few little perks to getting the work for a subject done, well... Before the teacher actually assigns it. I was sat in the class with nothing to do, and it was drawing the grumpy looks from the other students, so... The teacher dismissed me early. Still, how about you? You look like you've done a marathon!" He replied with a happy giggle, smiling. Friendship was nice. "Joking aside, how are you?"

"Fine, fine...charging through the halls aside. But you...seriously?" Cecil blinked a couple times, tilting his head slightly. "How did you even do that? Why did you, even?"
It was one thing to study well and do the work easily whenever it came up, but to actually have all of it done before it even got issued was definitely something else. "You're quite something, huh? Most people wouldn't have done anything remotely like that. Hell...I know I wouldn't."

Feeling a bit awkward at the emphasis of the questions, Tomomi let out a slightly nervous chuckle. "Ah, well... I did it by asking for the work before hand, you know... Just, catching the teacher before school begins, and just asking, then doing it... That way I can get it over with... As for why, I guess just a habit I got from my dad... Besides! If I work hard at studying then, even if I don't know what I want to do, it might help with whatever I end up doing... Right?"

At that, the boy gave himself a shrug, as if to reassure himself more than anyone else. He really had no idea.

Cecil nodded along though his smile...dipped, a little, at the mention of Tomomi's father. "...I see..." His mind flashed back to the sentiments the boy had confided to him, just in those moments of the day before.
He couldn't help but wonder how many little things like these there were. How much he held to them in his life.
He...

...wanted to help Tomomi with what was going on.
He'd said before...your friends' problems were yours, too.

He couldn't really just jump into this though. Talk for a bit, keep up a good mood, and...find somewhere good to talk? Somewhere private or something?
Maybe...maybe find somewhere to eat? Food wasn't the solution to all life's problems, but maybe it'd help him deal with it while he tried to talk?
Yeah. Do that.
Cecil's expression settled back into one of relaxation as he started moving and gestured for Tomomi to come with him. "Hard to find something you're bad at if you get good at everything, huh?" Ahead of the boy, head facing forward from him, Cecil's eyes flick to one side before he turns his head and looks at Tomomi as he catches up. "Say, Tomomi...you hungry? Feel like grabbing something to eat?"

Not quite catching the change of tone from Cecil, partially due to his own social ineptitude, Tomomi just nodded along, his smile only wavering from his own mention of his father, yet remaining there nonetheless. At Cecil's comment about how his plan, the boy laughed, shaking his head as he replied. "I wouldn't say good. Probably decent at best?"

As Cecil asked if Tomomi wanted to grab something to eat, the boy felt around in his pockets for change. There was a bit, but not much. "Ah! Um... Sure! Although, it'll have to be somewhere cheap as I don't have much on me I'm afraid..." He replied, following along behind Cecil and jogging lightly in order to catch up and walk by his side.

"Come on, give yourself some credit. You don't do stuff like this when you don't have a pretty good grip on this. Hell, even at just decent, that's still a lot better than most people can say." Whatever the reason, Tomomi definitely seemed to have a more solid grasp on everything, what with all he had going on. It was amazing he was even running ahead like this when he was working as well.
It had to be a lot harder without his parents supporting him.

Cecil gave a faint look of surprise and...a little thoughtfulness, at Tomomi's words, before settling back into relaxation and shaking his head. "No need to worry about that. Let me cover this. You need your money more than I do." He smiles wide and warm. "I think I can manage as long as we don't go stupidly expensive with this. Anything you'd like in particular?"

Frantically, Tomomi shook his head. "Oh! Um, no, no, no, I do not mind! I would not want something super costy anyways... As for food, I am not a fussy eater, so, if there is something you want to go eat, then, uh..." He gestured on in a general direction, just waving his arms in front of the two of them in emphasis. "Then, you know, lead on? Although at least, um, let me pay for your drink if you're getting me food? Keep things, um, even? I think that's the term? Even. Yep."

Yikes, he was terrible at this.

Cecil laughs, though his smile was getting a little more awkward. He was hoping Tomomi had something they were interested in having...he was kiiiind of short on ideas right now. Now he had to go think what to go eat. "Don't worry about it. I mean, if you insist, but it's fine. Now, let's see..." Crap crap crap crap where did they go where did they go uhhh...
Hmm.
"I...think I remember a chinese place setting up in the Backlight, actually..." His feet start steering him to the Backlight, each step taking the pair closer to where he remembered seeing the place. "You have much Chinese food at all?...well, Cantonese really in this case, but still." He shrugs. "Doubt it was the same for you, but there's something of a family tradition of grabbing a chinese takeaway if we're going to have a family night together." He swallows and glances downward for a moment as he realises that might be a sore spot, but he couldn't really stop now. It was going to come up eventually anyway. "This isn't takeaway, and we're definitely isn't a night in just out of school, but I figure this in the spirit of the tradition, hey? Good food shared with good people."

"I don't really eat much Chinese, or Cantonese food. I have had it before, and it is quite nice, so, that works for me." He replied, nodding with more thoughtfulness is needed as he continued to follow along, going with Cecil to the Backlight. "As for doing things with the family... Um... Well, my parents were both translators, so, one tradition they would often do is, when they got back home from work, we'd have a family meal where I would get to try the food that was from where they had been. The.. The curries were always my favourites, since I find spice to be... Well, nice." Having answered the question, the boy crossed his arm, adjusting his shoulder to ensure his jacket didn't fall off. "I wouldn't really call it a family tradition so much though... I mean, sometimes it would be with just my mum or dad, as they were often sent to different countries or jobs."

Coughing to clear his throat, he resumed, looking around to try find the Chinese place Cecil was thinking of. "I agree though that those things are... Nice. Good food with good people indeed."

So...they ended up all around the world even before even when they were around. Presumably leaving Tomomi back at home, from the sounds of it.
Did Tomomi even see them that much when they were about?
"Guess we might have to grab a curry sometime. Not sure if I'll have your spice tolerance, though." He shrugs. "It sounds nice though. You'd get to try a lot of stuff that way. Wonder how authentic it all was?"

"Hey - it's a tradition, and it was with family. What more do you need?" Cecil let out a little laugh as he looked over the area, before pointing out one of the buildings. "There we go! Come on." Gesturing for Tomomi to follow, Cecil heads into the restaurant.

Nodding, Tomomi allowed what Cecil said to sink in. "Yeah. That's true..." He muttered, voice falling a bit quiet. Any awkwardness stopped however, as his friend gestured to the restaurant that he had in mind, and heading in. As gestured, Tomomi followed along, looking around for a place to sit before pointing to a small table booth in the corner. "Uh... How about that place? Out of the way, and it's got two seats, so, you know... Uh... Yeah." Not quite sure where to go with that, he just nodded along to nothing. "So, do we like... Order at a certain place, or, do they come over? And, um, drinks first, or all at the same time? Different places have so many different styles of doing things..."

As he thought of all the things he didn't understand about such a simple thing, the boy felt a small chill down his spine. Did he appear as far out of his element as he felt? That... Could be stressful if true. Or even potential.

Cecil looks over to the booth, before returning his gaze to Tomomi and nodding. "Yeah...that works."
At the following questions, Cecil glances away, chuckling nervously as he scratches at the back of his head. "I uh...haven't...been here before, so..." His eyes dart around the area, trying to figure this out without destroying his calm.
Ummm...he didn't see an obvious place to order, no menus on the tables...ah...
A light of relief shines in Cecil's eyes as he spots something - what appeared to be a staff member handing over menus. "I think..." Cecil slowly nods, confirming the thought to himself. "They come to us..."

Cecil seems to be lost in thought a moment, before snapping out of it with a small shake of his head. "Let's...get sat down then."
Assuming Tomomi would follow, Cecil moves over to the corner booth, seating himself down.