Finally Out and About! (Gabe)

"Yay! Callie! You did a pretty good job there, you would just have to flip it back over in a minute or two so the sides would cook evenly. As for the rare part, i kind of think it's gross personally. Having it rare means it's not cooked for too long, basically the bare minimum with a little bit of pink. There is also a little blood in it possibly. I never really managed to grasp the taste or the reasoning behind eating food without it being completely prepared for serving...except cereal. I have learned in other experiences that cereal can be eaten dry. "

Other than that, Gabe took over a bit and checked on the hotdogs on the grill. After finding out that it was ready, he went off to place them in a plate and motioned Callie towards it.

"Now you can make hotdogs. Sorry about the lack of relish though... chili too, i guess you can say i'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to some things. "

"Ohhh. I do that with toast! W-well, I guess it's not really the same thing. But I mean I put bread in the toaster but I don't let it fully toast cause then it goes super crunchy and I prefer it to be like. In the middle of being crunchy and soft! Plus then it's usually warm too! I never understood why once it went fully toasted it didn't feel as warm as it does when it's half toasted. Like surely if it fully toasted then it would of been in the heat more so it makes no sense!" Callie would rant before realising she was going off on one of her random tangents again and decided to stop before it went too far off topic. Though... "Oh! I like dry cereal too. Well, for some cereal. Though often times I would have the bowl of dry cereal but a glass of milk with me anyway...? I, uh, I'll be honest I don't know why I do that. Hehe."

Following orders, the young vixen would approach the hotdogs and carefully bun each one of them taking her time to ensure that they were all properly prepared and that she didn't make any more mistakes. Once happy with her work, she went to pick one up and was about to bring it up to her mouth before she'd pause and look over to Gabe. "Here!" She'd call out, holding the hotdog out towards Gabe, grinning warmly. "I haven't seen you eat anything yet, and it is your food after all, you should make sure to eat something before a forest critter comes and steals it all! Because then I'd be out of a job! Hehe."

"Hmmm? This is...."

Stopping for a minute with the cooking, Gabe blinked a few times at the fact that the hot dogg was offered to Gabe.

"You made this for yourself, I wouldn't want to take a bit out of it. Besides, you are my guest and all that, it's good to be hospitable to good friends."

But as soon as Gabe said this, his stomach growled a bit.

"Ok, maybe I can take a small break and eat now. Everything here is cooked and we should have enough for the both of us. "

After putting a few things away, Gabe took a bite of the hot dogg that was offered to him and instantly smiled with how good it was. Afterward, he reached into his ice cannister and pulled out a cold one for himself, hoping Callie didn't notice the beers in there.

"Ahh, there is nothing like it. I used to do this with my parents all the time. Well, at times when my health was up for it."

Pointing to the fold up chairs, Gabe would have a seat.

"So, Let's have a good talk with good food. When are you starting school?"

The young vixen would smile gleefully once Gabe finally decided to take a break and eat something for himself. It didn't seem fair that she was the only one eating when he was doing all the hard work after all! Plus it sounded like he sure was hungry, she'd feel bad to continue eating if he didn't join in. Listening to what Gabe had to say, the young blonde would tilt her head lightly at the mans remark of only doing this kinda thing when he was up for it before remembering what she'd heard before. "Eh...? Oh! Well, I'm glad you got to do it sometimes~! Must've been really nice, things you enjoy feel even more special if you can't do them all the time!" Callie would remark, trying to give a positive spin on the topic. "How've you been recently?"

Taking a bite of her food, the girl choked lightly at the mention of starting school. "U-uhh, eheh." She'd start awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck whilst trying to make up a good, believable response. "W-well. I don't know!" ... Wow, thanks for that creative input brain. "I, uh, don't think school is really right for me. I know I'd hate it and wouldn't fit in at all! I learn lots of stuff at home though! Promise~!"

"How have I been? On a joking aspect, breaking the law and trying to keep my head above water. In a not so joking aspect, I'm doing little renovations around my old family home to make sure that the upkeep doesn't rise exponentially against the test of time. I think there is a counter I can get fixed or anything of the sort? Well who knows, I'm just trying to lose the stress as things begin to pile on, but meeting with people that I'm fond of seems to be working out for me pretty well, so I'm glad you're around."

Any more than that would be a bit of grownup stuff, something that Gabe didn't want Callie to worry about. She should enjoy being a kid, and as an adult and potential role model, he should at least keep the negatives at the minimum to avoid breaking her spirit and enthusiasm about growing up. It's never that fun or simple, but it's apart of life.

"Well, for school, did you know that I was also homeschooled for a period of time. Stop me if you heard this before, but I was a little sickly and going outside wasn't my strong suit for a while. As you youngin's tend to say, it sucked? Ok so it sucked a little, but it had it's moments. But trust me, some of the things that they teach you in school doesn't always prepare you for the real world. Assuming that things work the same, even in the seven stars academy, these schools are for-profit, education isn't free. There is a price on everything, even behind the fine print. So don't let anyone else that's the same age as you look at you funny for being taught at home. "

The young girl would nod along to everything Gabe had to say, showing that she was still listening even if she didn't really have much to say in response to it. Sounded mostly like typical grown up stuff, stuff she'd prefer not to do for as long as she could help it~! Though there was one part of what Gabe had said she couldn't help but poke fun at. "Breaking the law? Gabe! You haven't been stealing from babies again have you~?" Callie would giggle, her tone clearly teasing than being serious. "And that's sweet of you! I enjoy spending time with you as well, you teach me all kindsa fun stuffs!"

Callie was fairly sure she vaguely remembered hearing Gabe talk about something like this one of the other times they'd met, though she didn't want to be rude so let him finish his story regardless, man though... She just couldn't imagine being forced to be cooped up inside all day everyday for a while, it'd probably drive her insane. She loved the outside far too much for that! "Well I'm glad you got better eventually~!" She'd begin in her positive upbeat tone. "And I don't let anyone look at me funny, if they do I look back at them even funnier!" The cheerful vixen continued, momentarily pulling a silly face as an example. "Though, Kay's always told me that things you love are even more special after having to deal with something you don't like that keeps you from them, is that true?"

"Stealing candy for a baby? "

Giving off a bit of a playful gasp, Gabe would do a small turn and cover his mouth as if he was mimicking his Shotaro persona.

"Am I such a nefarious villain to confiscate the worlds gummy bears?"

After that little roleplay, Gabe gave a haughty laugh.

"Well i'm no grade A actor, but i'm working on it. Would I be better off putting on a puppet show? A lot easier to get over the awkwardness of stage fright. "

Moving on, Gabe was glad that Callie had some thick skin, it looked like he didn't need to worry too much about her after all. However, something struck a cord with him in regards to what callie uttered.

"Though, Kay's always told me that things you love are even more special after having to deal with something you don't like that keeps you from them, is that true?"

"He's right... you start to realize the value of what's truly important to you. You should protect that special thing..no matter what!"

Callie would shake her head lightly as she chuckled at Gabe's performance. "No! No! Not the gummy bears! Anything but that Mr Villain!" Callie would call back to the silly comment. "If you don't stop your horrible ways Mr Villain, I'll be forced to call the Fox Princess on you!" This kind of playing around Callie had never really done fully with anyone aside from 8D, though she felt comfortable enough around Gabe to at least see if he'd take the bait and continue to goof around with a game of some kind.

Though before that could continue, the young vixen tried her hardest to hold back sudden laughter, mainly due to the food she'd just taken a bite out of that laid in her mouth would probably choke her if she laughed as much as she wanted to at what she'd heard. After spending a few moments with a clearly discomforted face as she tried to finish the food in her mouth without laughing, the girl finally let out her over reacted laugh. "Pfffft! Kay isn't a he, Kay's a girl~! Hehehe. She's almost like a mother to me, kinda, sorta~!"

"Oh, and who is supposed to be the fox princess? You with your little fox ears? You will never stop me in my evil quest of claiming all of the worlds good tasting candy! Muhahaha!"

Playing along was something that Gabe was good at. He had his own assumptions as to how Callie's childhood went, and that was only because of the fact that she still wore her cat ears most of the time and went around with them. The thought of make-believe and pretending to be something else must have kept her entertained and made everyday life more interesting for her, Gabe didn't want to be the adult that served as the kill joy in her life. He figured that Callie should enjoy being a kid, it was what felt best.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't know that Kay was a female. That's really nice to have a mother figure in your life. Having these kinds of people goes back to what Kay said, something very special that you are willing to go through numerous amount of trials to protect. Is Kay that special person to you?"

The young vixen would gasp. "You know not of the Fox Princess!? The ruler and protector of Everlong! The ever loving, ever cheerful Fox Princess whom will stop at nothing to make sure wrongdoers and shadow monsters alike will face justice! No matter the crime, no matter the place, your villainous acts will be punished Mr Villain~!" Callie rebutted standing tall and proud. "Yet so easily you saw through my disguise!? Evildoers must not know the true identity of the Fox Princess, whatever shall I do!?" Callie continued to play with her fantasy world idea, smiling happily that Gabe was playing along. She'd almost forgot that he'd seen her ears before... Though it seemed he still believed they were fake, so there wasn't too much harm in it, right?

As for the conversation about Kay, Callie had to take a moment to properly think through what she was being asked. It was... A question she hadn't really every thought about before, it had been so many years that the young girl had lived with both Professor J and Kay that it seemed surreal that a life without them could exist. "I, uhm..." She'd begin softly, trying to find the right words to use. "I've never really though about it before... For a while I think I've believed that they're my family now, sometimes I even forget that they weren't right from the start! Kay is definitely someone I look up to though, she's always there for me when I need her to be. She explains all my problems away, all those weird things recently away, I think she's the only one who truly worries about me when I stay out after dark. Though, she'd never show it and despite that she still encourages me to get stronger. She can be very strict at times, but I think it's because she cares that she's like that instead of her just being mean!"

Evildoers must not know the true identity of the Fox Princess, whatever shall I do!?

"Believe me Callie, I ask myself that question every single day...."

Sometimes Gabe felt like he was on the edge of right and wrong. He tried to be good with his power and do good things, but there was this latent fear of being found out or exposed. He didn't know what to do if that was to occur, or how he would handle the situation. Would he freeze? Gabe knew that he would fight desperately for the sake of trying to escape or being found out in the first place, but he didn't think he was prepared for what came next.

"..........."

Gabe was a little lost in thought from what Callie said, but he caught a few more lines that made him wonder what she was talking about. It could be because of the fact that he was thinking about the supernatural that he was thought about what she said differently, but he hoped he would put his worries to rest in regards to Callie being in any trouble.

"Can you tell me more about these weird things? Did you run into any demons at night before? Well.. I would think that this Kay is a responsible adult that's just looking after you. Either way, I'm grateful for her...shes' right.. you need to be careful. "

Huh? Callie would tilt her head lightly to one side, the response Gabe gave to her playing about seemed off, it sounded less like he was playing along anymore and more as if he was upset and troubled. The girl would lower her tall, proud stance she'd taken whilst playing the part of the Fox Princess and tried to consider what it could be that Gabe was talking about. Probably some form of adult stuff she didn't understand, that wouldn't surprise her in the least. Though, it didn't matter if she understood the problem or not, it was always nice to ask. "Uhh, what's wrong, Gabe?"

That aside, it seemed Gabe himself seemed concerned about her too for some reason. Was it something she'd said? "Well, u-uhh..." Callie tried to begin explaining before her shadow mentally told her to stop and actually think about what she was going to say next instead of just blurt out the first thing that came to mind as usual. It was true that she had to be careful, she'd always been told to be careful about this kind of thing. But it was easy to gain Callie's trust, and Gabe had done so on multiple occasions now. She should still play it safe though. "You've seen them too?" Callie could feel Terra mentally facepalming. "I mean, uh, yeah. No. No? Uh, yeah Kay's super responsible! Eheh."

Adult matters young Callie. There are things that you don't need to worry about, but I do appreciate your concern. The worries in life that are down the line isn't something that you have to face anytime soon. Once again, the idea of growing up is scary, so try not to be in a rush for that to happen and enjoy being a kid for as long as you can.

The bills, the mortgage, car note, this isn't something that Callie needed to deal with at this point in her life. But maybe she could understand that a cellphone bill costs money to keep on?

"See what? Demons? I saw them in the past if that's what you are referring to."

"I can assure you I'm in no rush to do any of that adult stuff." Callie replied with a lighthearted giggle, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, not really knowing what else she could say at that moment to help. "But I do hope you get to grips with everything you need to worry about! Is it anything in particular or just a load of little things all being butts at the same time?" The girl continued, trying to keep her positive energy up, even if she said the wrong thing, sometimes her just staying cheerful seemed to lighten peoples mood.

The young vixen would nod sheepishly. "Y-yeah, that's what I meant. I, uh, hmm... Never mind." She'd shake her head lightly, she knew that she'd mess up and say something she'd regret later if she continued saying anything else, instead merely stating. "I've, uh... It's just an awkward topic. Sorry. Don't worry about it." Avoiding eye contact for a moment, the young girl would get lost in thought, remembering all the different times she'd encountered those 'demons'. She seemed to always be with either 8D or Zavie when it happened, so she always had felt safe before. Though what if... Suddenly Callie went wide eyed as she thought of something. "T-they didn't hurt you when you saw them, right?"

"Well they were going to, but a demon saved me. His name was one punch frost, I even wanted to write a  manga about him and his adventures. But between you and me, at this age, there was a time that I ran into another instance of demons.  You know who saved me? You have to keep it a secret though.... "

Once Gabe got his attention, he decided that he would give her a little bit of hope through the idea of modern-day superheroes.

"The platinum playhouse, those "Terrorists" you saw on tv, they saved my life.  I truly believe them to be good people that fight against injustice and cruelty, regardless of it' caused by a demon or other people. Something like a superhero that only appears at night. Too bad for them, I'm good friends with the fox princess herself, so maybe I don't need protection any more? "

Gabe would say as he patted Callie's head.

"Maybe you'll see them in person one day? I mean, us normal people would have to settle with our average lives. But dreaming about the possibilities for the betterment of mankind is quite fun. Good fuel for writing too."