This doesn't look like planning a date to me (Cecil)

"Yeah. Things got kind of sidetracked, didn't they?"

Nadia nodded and looked away slightly, still faintly bobbing to the music she'd played before, "Mmhm." She allowed, trying to forget the shame she felt that night, and the next day. When he looked back at her with a wry smile she met it with an easy one. There was sarcasm in his voice.

The song he played was a sad one, but that was Cecil, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Because despite the subject matter, and clearly wanting to bring back around to the fact that he wasn't secure in himself, he was moving to the music, even gesturing with it. She couldn't help but smile at that. Because he was starting to have fun in spite of himself, and that was starting to be an important aspect of these outings for her. After all, it wasn't just her that needed new experiences.

She giggled when he said he should do birthday parties, not expecting the question that came next. She thought for a moment before replying. "It resonates with me. It reminds me why we're doing this. Or, why I am. Because being stressed and questioning things doesn't actually solve any of those problems. It isn't that I don't feel stress or feel stuck in my own life - I just like to stick my hands through it to find out what's on the other side." She stuck a hand out and groped around in the empty air for effect. "My life doesn't really impact anyone else's though, so I suppose I don't have much to stress about in the first place."

She remembered their conversation before and looked at him, "But I guess that's not really true any more, is it?" She knocked into him with her shoulder lightly, taking another sip of her drink. "Still, I don't think stress helps anything. But at the same time, you can't help that you feel it either. It's part of being human. Knowing what you should be doing but somehow finding when you look down there's cement around your feet. Or feeling like all you want is to go outside, but there's only hallways, no doors or windows..." She was ranting. Babbling like Cecil did when he was having one of his episodes. What she was having an episode of she couldn't say, but she needed to real it in before they got to far into a depressing topic. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I guess, sad songs like this one remind me about how beautiful all the sadness in life is. Especially when it finally blooms into happiness."

It was her turn to pick a song right? right. But first, she'd give him a chance to get a word in edgewise.[/color]

When Nadia turns to look at Cecil, she finds him giving her an intensely questioning look as he points to himself, and he gives her a pointed nod as she acknowledges that her life does impact others'. He eases off as she goes on to talk about other things, mind's eye turning inwards as his free hand drops and he sips at his lemonade.
"No, don't worry about it...be hypocritical of me to bother you over that with what I'm like." He chuckles wryly as he rubs at the back of his neck. "...things are a lot better now, you know." His eyes flick down, before he looks up to Nadia again, smiling softly. "I mean...I think you know I'm not exactly in the best place, but everything tended to be pretty gloomy before. Still is when I'm left to my own thoughts, but...well, that happens a lot less now I have people to keep me busy. I'm grateful for that. I should...probably tell Tomomi, too." His smile dips. "...I owe a lot to the people around me, honestly...a lot more than I've really shown them I appreciate. I...really should show them it more."

Nadia looked to Cecil with an easy smile as he spoke about how it was better now. She could see a little bit of improvement just since she had met him. She wondered what he'd been like before. Even further back, before he'd met Tomomi, and whatever other friends he may have acquired by this point. He must have been so lonely.

But what really made her smile was the fact that he could talk about, and admit, that things were getting better. Not only was it vindicating, but it made her feel hope for him, that that smile would be born out of such lonliness was beautiful. "I think you should. I think Tomomi would really like it if you told him that you appreciate him. It just might make his day." She giggled, remembering how fondly Tomomi spoke of Cecil.

Nadia bumped Cecil's shoulder again, looking at him with a wry smile and raised eyebrows. "And how are you going to show *me* appreciation?" She asked, mostly in jest, but she also remembered that in his brief moment of alacrity, he had promised her a kiss. And this would be a perfect moment for that, if she thought about it.

Suddenly, things took a turn that sent Cecil spinning. "U-Uh, I-Ij, I um, uhh-iilll uhhhh-ahj-ummmm-"
Words failed him. Thought failed him. The things that would allow him to respond to this properly eluded him, leaving him grasping at straws in an empty void. He was sure something used to be there, but now all that remained was a blank empty space where he was left to reach blindly at things not there.

He seemed to shrink a little as he found himself lost, feeling a weight of expectation that trapped him beneath it. The feeling that there was something he should do, something that was desired from him bore down on him...but for all he knew, his mind failed him in this moment of need.
All it takes is a question, sometimes.

Nadia giggled at Cecil's response of stuttering over himself. For the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to be disappointed in him, despite feeling like she probably should be. After all, she hadn't expected him to actually do it here, had she? He'd get there. There was no reason to rush. For now, they were enjoying themselves. She pressed the tip of one forefinger to his lips as he stuttered. "It's okay." She assured him, as she moved back to sit on the table again, and picked up the microphone. "I'd prefer you surprise me with whatever it is, anyway. On your own terms." She said. And, it was the truth. The feeling in her chest when he'd surprised her with a kiss on the cheek, or when he unexpectedly pulled her closer in the hall...that feeling was worth waiting for.

"Anyway, do you want to try a duet next? I thought of a song we could sing..." She asked easily, looking and poking at the touch screen, humming lightly.

With a finger to his lips, Cecil stilled and fell silent as Nadia started talking again. His attention remained on her as she shifted around to the table again, and he was left with little reply but to simply nod at the words he heard from the girl.
As she grabbed the microphone and tapped at the screen, Cecil considered the suggestion Nadia made and flushed at the thought. Sure, it didn't have to be anything, just like it wasn't with Gabe, but in the context at hand it was hard to think of it that way.

...but he knew he was stressing about it too much again.

"What were you thinking?"

Nadia flipped through the song list for a bit until she found the song she was looking for, glancing over to him. "It's this one, do you know it?" She asked lightly, snagging another sip from her tea after pointing at the song. "It's a good song I've heard a couple of times, but I haven't memorized it yet. So, we can struggle through the words together!" Nadia smiled at him, the previous conversation seemingly forgotten; packed away for the moment, at the very least.

"Unless you don't want to. I can do a solo instead if you're not comfortable with it." She gave him the option. Which meant choices for him. She liked giving him choices. Especially lately when the choices he made seemed to constantly surprise her. She thought of how he suddenly pulled her closer in the Hallway suddenly, and fought the flush that filled her cheeks. Back in the box with you, vague feelings!

Cecil smiles awkwardly as he looks over the screen, and shakes his head. "Yeah, uh...sounds like an accurate summary of what would happen, because I don't know this track at all."
He looks back up as he hears Nadia continue on, and shakes his head. "No...this is fine. Don't worry about that." He feels the nerves rise, and prompt decides now is the moment to down his lemonade, pouring the rest of the liquid down his throat so it can shred the vulnerable tissues that lay there. He puts the glass back down hard, leaning forward. "Haa-aaaa..." Oh yes, it hurt, but it made his head a whole lot clearer than it was before. "So - haaah - let's get on with this before I remember I'm supposed to be nervous."

Nadia blinked in surprise as Cecil downed the rest of his lemonade, watching as he coped with the burning sensation. That would make it harder to sing, wouldn't it? But still, his resolve to fight off his nervousness both amused and gratified her, and she immediately set the song to play at his request, handing him a microphone.



The male lines were at the top in blue, and the female lines along the bottom in pink, showing up a little before they were to be sung.

It went about as well as either of them could have hoped, fumbling through words and missing the tempo. But it was fun, and despite the context of the song, Nadia found herself smiling at Cecil warmly and giggling at the faces he would undoubtedly make as he recognized the theme if the song she had picked for them.

When the song ended, she dropped giggling onto the sofa next to where he'd been sitting before, bracing herself for whatever playfully accusing, or perhaps morose and self deprecating, comment was to come.

As he took the microphone and the music kicked up, he discovered that he wasn't the only one with a propensity for picking out depressing songs. He rolled his eyes and went along with it, the pain fading from his throat.
He didn't get by too badly. About as well as the time he was dragged up to the main stage. He hardly knew the song then either, though admittedly that time Gabe was there to carry things well. He could only guess he knew the song fairly well if he decided to pick it out.
The particular details went overhead for the most part, and then halfway through, it hit Cecil just what he was singing along to, and as his face scrunched up he had to fight the urge to let out a loud groan.

As the song ended, he looked over to Nadia with a raised eyebrow. "So is there any reason there's a musical rendition of my diary of emo poetry on the records here? I'm pretty sure I hid it better than that."

Nadia leaned forward to take another sip from her tea as Cecil mentioned his "emo Poetry." Her interest piqued, she turned back to him, blinking. "You write poetry?" Her mouth curved into a small smile. He was joking, wasn't he? Such a good-natured joking, even self-deprecating in nature, reminded her of the pillow fort, when they'd both ignored the danger and dismay of their lives.

It brought a blush to her face as she prepared to pretend. "I'm sure anything you wrote from the depths of your deepest sorrows would far surpass anything this band could come up with." She leaned back and bat her eyelashes at him a little bit. "Can you recite me some? I'd love to hear your sadness in Rhyme and Meter." She giggled.

He was starting to feel a lot more uncertain at the response to what he said. The flush to her face and the change in her behaviour could only make him wonder what was running through her head, and he wasn't sure whether this was the point to assert it was only a joke or go all in, even as the words stuck in his throat. "Uhh-U-U-U-U-Uhhhh..." He swallowed, really wishing he had more lemonade, and covered his face with one hand as he started taking deep breaths.
He almost felt obligated now.
"Ahhhmmm...your sadness in rhyme and meter." He shakes his head and laughs awkwardly as his hand falls from his face, only for his expression to turn
unsure and hesitant. "But, no, but actually..." He closes his eyes, and tries to rapidly concoct whatever he can.

"...swirling cesspool dragging down, filth and rot flowing around. I wade through waste that seeps into my clothes, and curse my career choices once more."

Nadia watched amusedly as he hesitated, teetering on the edge of playing along and pointing out that it was a joke. Finally, though, he delivered a poem that sounded just as morose as she expected, with a sudden turn at the end that she couldn't help but laugh at.

Covering her mouth as her eyelids pinched together, she did her best to stifle her giggling. "An original Erinforth Poem. I'm honored." she smiled, cheeks still a little flush from laughing.

She smiled at him probably a second too long before reaching forward to snag the order cards off the table. "Do you want another Lemonade?" she asked lightly as she sat back up with the cards.

The tension eases a little as Nadia laughs, letting out a relieved sigh with a smile on face as Nadia starts to laugh. He nods as she comments it, tempted to play it up but finding it hard to fully commit to the act. "That's right. Accept no substitute."

Cecil nods again as Nadia asks about drinks, relaxing into the seats and just trying to relish the small victory that was not utterly seizing up again a moment ago. "Sounds good. If you want a snack, I really would recommend getting some of the nachos. Those things were really good the last time I found myself here."

Nadia did order nachos, because they sounded wonderful. As well as another drink for Cecil. The night continued on much the same, Awkward singing and laughing at each other's (mostly Cecil's) self-depricating comments.

At length, it became late, and it was time to leave. They had to walk back to Sunlake and East Eden, afterall. Nadia stood after placing money for their beverages and snacks on the table, and held out her hand to Cecil "Is this okay?" She asked with a smile.