Roadkill? Nah, This Time It's Sushi! (Tomomi/ Nadia)

Nadia considered his words for a moment and looked out the window, thinking. Yeah, it was scary. Yeah, she could use whatever it was on Nadia, but Nadia would rather face that than live in unsated Curiousity. Besides..."She seemed exhausted. And maybe a little lonely." Nadia replied. "if you had to carry something like that around with you, and no one ever talked to you because of it, wouldn't you be sad? Maybe she could use a friend. Like any of us. I know I could use a few more." she smiled, that fire suddenly returning.

"I can't stand not knowing the answer to a question! I'm just so curious. It should be fine since I'm not a Terrorist, right? I mean isn't their job to protect us?" she smiled, excited once again.

At her explanation, Tomomi's wide eyes returned quickly to his normal look, the boy giving a slow, thoughtful hum at the answer. It... Made a lot of sense. Then at her probably rhetorical questions, Tomomi rubbed at the back of his neck, laughing. "Y-yeah, that's a fair point... A-also that's a fair point about the whole lonely thing. I-I mean, I hadn't actually thought about that... I-in that case, I agree that finding them might be a good idea. Plus, I mean, she must have been doing her best to try make sure you and Cecil were safe right? S-so, if she's doing all of that, and she's lonely, then maybe she could use a friend, y-yeah."

At this, Tomomi nodded once more, before picking up and finishing off his water. "It's nice to see you're thinking about helping people. I-it's always nice to have friends after all." The boy declared with a genuine smile.

Helping people? Yes, that was mostly true. Although seeing different sides of people was probably more accurate. The loneliness of the solemn warrior. How romantic. But, there was also a kind disappointment that Nadia had sensed in Tomomi earlier too, wasn't there? Hmm...

"Speaking of lonliness...are you lonely, Tomomi? You seem like there is something on your mind you aren't saying." she propped her chin on one hand as she looked at him over top of the sushi. She could be wrong of course. She had been before, but she couldn't shake the feeling that some minute emotion had been passed by...and maybe suppressed. What was it, she wondered.

The sudden question stung and caught Tomomi off guard, his smile breaking as he paused with an audible "Uh..." The question was so sudden, yet even then, that was not the reason it caught the boy off guard. It caught him off guard because it was true. He did feel lonely. But...

Quickly, Tomomi worked to cover it up, rubbing at the back of his neck once more. "N-not really. I mean, I've got Cecil, I've got you, I've got, um, the Martial Arts club... S-so you know, it's a bit hard to be lonely like that." At this, Tomomi gave a thumbs up, before asking his own question. "So, um, did you pay at the start, or do we pay at the end?"

Nadia felt like maybe she had pushed to far. Tomomi was trying to cover up his feelings, unlike Cecil who wore them on his sleeve. Then he was asking about payment. Was he trying to divert the conversation, or had he had his fill of her company, he wondered.

With a small frown, Nadia folded her arms over the table in front of her. "I already paid." she replied, leaning back and pressed her lips harder together as she thought. Pushing seemed to help Cecil to some degree...so maybe. "If you want to talk, I'm always willing to listen." she offered, taking another sip of her tea. Clearly she was unconvinced by his ruse. "But if you aren't comfortable, then you don't have to." she finished, glancing out the window.

The fact that Tomomi's attempt to divert from it didn't work was... Quickly picked up on. The frown and the tone in her voice conveyed well enough to the boy that she saw through the façade with ease. That... Made it very awkward. Still, he just... Couldn't bring himself to face the feeling. So, with a nod, Tomomi replied simply. "I'll um... K-keep that in mind. Thank you Nadia."

Then, Tomomi grabbed the menu, looking it over, before finding something, and putting the menu back, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a selection of coins. Counting some out, he handed them to Nadia. "This should cover half the cost of the platter. I know you paid, but, um, it wouldn't be fair otherwise. A-also, um... If you ever want, me and Cecil found a place that does really nice Black Bean sauce... If you're ever in the area you should check it out..." At this, Tomomi gave the details on the location, whether asked about it or not.

Nadia smiled as Tomomi accepted - well, accepted the option - of talking to her. She didn't expect him to devolve into self-deprecation like Cecil did. It was a rare person who could discuss their problems with a near-stranger. But now that they had spent some time together, Nadia felt she liked Tomomi. She could see how he and Cecil would be friends. They were both a little awkward, unsure, and in need of support. Support Nadia would be more than happy to provide. Especially if he was Cecil's friend.

Nadia had to admit, she was curious about Tomomi. His problems didn't burn like wildfire the way Cecil's seemed to, but smolder like the heat inside a furnace. Which burned hotter, she wondered? Maybe she'd find out. "We'll go there someday, then. That sounds nice." She replied, accepting his payment without reservation. It would be rude, after all. "We can take Cecil, if he's available. We could all go together." She smiled sweetly at him.

At Nadia's suggestion of taking Cecil there when he's available, Tomomi nodded in agreement. "Definitely. I know for a fact he likes the food there, so, he'd be happy to come, probably, so, yeah!" At this, Tomomi grinned, eyes drifting off to the side a moment before fixing on the clock. "C-crap! Is that the time?!"

At this, the boy sprung to his feet, shaking his head. "I-I've got to get to another work shift! I-I'm so sorry but I'm going to have to run! Um t-thanks for the food, and it's been nice to see you and meet you!" At this, Tomomi bowed deeply, before taking off in a turn and a run.

[Exit - Tomomi ran away]

Nadia smiled and waved as Tomomi left, reflecting in the soft din of the sushi shop afterward about this new person. She was happy to have met someone else who was important to Cecil. And she wondered what it was they did when they got together. it was a world she'd never know, which made her that much more curious.

She giggled to herself as she finished off what was left of the sushi platter, imagining the two of them cutting each other off and stuttering over each other trying to have meaningful conversation. The amusement of that thought stayed with her, and eased some of her tensions regarding Cecil. She'd meet up with him again soon, sort things out. Now more than ever, she wanted to explore what it meant to be friends with these people. It was so much more interesting than just watching from afar.