There weren't that many more surprises, at least. This was still an extremely unplanned venture, after all, so one could only reasonably get away with so many.
Surveying Shinji's careful blanket craft, Kai gave it an approving nod. "Nice." So nice in fact, Kai was just gonna plop himself right there next to him. Hey there. Let him just get that other blanket situated between them for when they really felt chilly.
And also
the mystery bag.
Of which Kai went ahead and opened without a lot of fanfare. "There was some nice lookin' cake today," he said real nonchalantly, just like a person that had no idea there could be any occasions for cake this day. Here it is, two whole slices!! "Blueberry cornmeal, I think? And I got some meowffins."
Cake? Cake and... meowffins. Muffins. Cake and muffins.
This is all incredibly nice! What an incredibly cozy little adventure you've put together, Kai! And what a coincidence that you've chosen today, of all days, to do it. It's enough of a coincidence that Shinji simply has to stop for a second and try to figure out if there was some way Kai could have figured out some kind of significance to today. It's not like Shinji's told him, or anyone else, for that matter, but was there some other way he might have found out...?
So, there's an awkward beat between 'muffins' and Shinji's reply, one where he seems just the tiniest bit lost before stirring that enthusiasm he'd previously had back up.
"It does look nice...!" Two whole slices!! Wow!! But, you know, maybe he's spinning this wrong, and there's some significance that Kai knows and Shinji doesn't. Wouldn't that be something? "Is there some occasion for all of this?"
Luckily, while Kai did misinterpret that awkward little pause, it was for positive reasons this time! Wow! Clearly these treats were just things to be admired, since they were made by actual professionals and actually looked Real Dang Good. He could understand the want to marvel. Go ahead.
"Hah?"
The question earned Shinji an innocently baffled look. "Does there need to be an occasion for it?"
At least it was a positive misinterpretation! It wouldn't do for Kai to think he's somehow unhappy with this outcome! In fact, such an honest reply nets a nice, soft smile from Shinji. So it really is just a coincidence? He's not missing anything big and important, and Kai hadn't felt the need to make a big deal out of today specifically. That's pretty reassuring.
"This is all really nice, so I just wasn't sure if there was something I was missing," which is true! Even if it's not the only reason he'd asked. "If you just felt like doing it, then that's enough of a reason."
Kai really wasn't sure what he'd done to get treated to a smile so soon, but! Okay! He'd happily take it. "I don't think you're missin' anything," Kai reassured him. Definitely not anything that Kai could think of.
"The cakes just looked real good, and then the weather seemed like it was gonna stay nice and clear, so..." Kai rubbed the back of his neck a little, briefly looking almost shy. "Figured, maybe you'd wanna."
Just, you know, entirely by surprise. The whole asking people if they wanted to spend time with him thing was still, hm, Weird, even if he had better chances with it right now. "Glad that worked out!"
"I like spending time with you," he knows it's nothing new for Kai to hear, but it would probably be good to reiterate it when he can. Now feels like a good time to remind him of it, so, he does! "I'm really glad you decided to do all of this."
Especially! If it's just because he wanted to! Not because he felt like he had to, or there was some reason that Shinji was missing.
It wasn't new anymore, but it still meant a lot. He would have wanted to say that he didn't need reminders but maybe that wasn't really true. It wasn't just him though. This was a nice exercise for both of them.
That little touch of shyness was gone now as Kai changed gears, leaning over on his arm to grin at him. "Thanks for recklessly hopping on a bike to who knows where."
Is it really so bold when there are only so many places they can conceivably go? Maybe, possibly, but it didn't feel like it was a particularly risky move on his part.
"Was it really so reckless?" He says, after an innocent, thoughtful hum, like he knows the answer is 'no', but wants to play along for a little bit. "I don't get invited so nicely on adventures very often," 'ever', "I wouldn't have thought there was anything too dangerous about it."
"Hohh~ That's the dangerous part," Kai snickered, sliding Shinji a slice of cake on whatever serving piece of something something was here. "Sounds like I'm rubbin' off on you."
Surely the nice folks over at the cafe these treats came from had the forethought to pack 'em with plates or whatevers. It's fine. Don't think too hard about it.
"Thank you," another bit of gratitude slid Kai's way in return for the cake, even in the midst of all of this talk of danger. "It can't be all that dangerous, though. You even had a helmet waiting for me." As if that erases any trace of risk from the equation.
You don't have to be professional on your own time!
Still, "Well, you're doing a good job of that," the whole 'giant bite of cake' thing not withstanding. Again, this isn't the time to be professional. This is relax-and-enjoy-tasty-cake time. Speaking of, Shinji takes a bite of his own slice.
It was a good excuse!! Not that he would actually deny that getting the second helmet was arguably more for Shinji than it actually was for future money endeavors.
Here was a fervent nod while he worked on that big 'ol chomp. "Mmhm!" Wow! So tasty! Let him just give that a swallow and a lick of his lips. "..Yeah! I'd never heard of this kind before, so. Lots of adventures, tonight."
"Me neither," so many exciting experiences we have on our hands this evening! Even if it is an unusual kind of cake, he absolutely can't deny that it's delicious. Another bite, then...!
"Did you pick all of this up from... that cafe some of the offworlders opened up? 'Fur'-something...?"
He knows one of the... cats? Well, okay, that's not totally strange, the animals are supposed to be one of the big draws of the place, if he remembers correctly, so he can't really judge him for going in for those pets.
"I haven't been in there before," so he's really only working off of what he's heard, "but it really does seem like they know what they're doing with this food."
A nice change of pace from his own cooking, and a super nice change of pace from anything left to the hands of Havenwell's less than spectacular robo-culinary offerings. Nom.
Okay, technically he had met most of the staff before. They were all nice enough or amusing in their own ways. Kai just didn't go out of his way to make friends with most people a majority of the time. Cats were a lot easier.
So this whole situation they had going right here was the exception to everything else. That was kind of the running trend, wasn't it?
"Uh-huh. It's pretty nice. I'll have to take you next time, instead of take out."
It had sounded like a nice place! Shinji just didn't really see much of a reason to treat himself to anything that nice for no reason, hence, no trips have been made inside.
"Ahh, you'd really be spoiling me if you did that, this is already a lot."
Arguably, this is a lot more effort than just stopping into a cafe for an hour or so, but, you know.
"Like I said, this is already plenty." That wasn't an invitation to try and overwhelm him, or anything! Goodness. He does give Kai a gentle, sincere smile, though. "Honestly, something like this is kind of perfect."
A nice, clear view of the sky, something tasty to snack on, good company to just relax with... honestly, this is a pretty ideal way to be spending a birthday. No big fuss. No pressing expectations to be entertaining. Yeah. This is good.
"I like it a lot," he says, turning his attention back to the sky. "Thank you for putting it together."
Ah. He was getting all the soft rewards tonight. His hopes on the bike had clearly been shooting too low. Then again, that sort of just made this all even better.
Briefly, Kai sort of wondered if maybe he was missing something? It didn't stay long enough to think about asking though. He was just a little bit distracted by all sorts of things. The idea that this was something that needed enough thought to be put together, tasty cake, the way Shinji looked framed by the evening sky as the stars trickled in.
The usual distractions.
"Mm. Glad you like it." He shoved another bit of cake in his mouth, turning his own gaze upwards to watch the last faint trails of orange give way to the inky blues chasing them. More and more, those twinkling lights were starting to flicker into view.
Very typical and normal things to be distracted by.
That soft look from Shinji lingers longer than usual, wrapped up in the charm of the situation in general, but also from the delight at getting a better look at the stars dotting the sky. Maybe the area unearthed by the walls moving will be developed in time, but for now, having a little spot to watch the stars twinkle into existence with less light pollution interfering is pretty incredible.
"Ahh, you really can see them better already out here."
It couldn't compare to the mountains, but it'd do in a pinch. It'd probably be a few more wall expansions or something like that until they got anything close to mountains, and who knew what kind of critters were living on those.
"It's still kinda weird though, not knowing any of 'em. I keep expecting other things when I look up there." How far away were those old friends now? Or maybe they were all closer than they'd ever been before, and they were just looking at them from a different angle?
Supposedly, mountains are out there somewhere! Let's hope the walls grant everyone access sooner rather than later.
"Really pretty," he agrees. "It was always hard to get a good look at most of the stars back in the city, before I got here. The were a couple of massive blackouts, though, and the view was always really stunning when the city went dark."
Kind of... bittersweet memories, if he lingers on them for too long, so he won't. Instead, he just does his best to cement this moment into his memory, instead. Watching the last traces of the sun slip under the horizon, the lights dotting the sky overhead, the good food, the company that he cares so much for... yeah. What a cozy, content memory to have.
There were things that could have been said to that, but Kai opted not to voice them. An agreement on how cities had that kind of flaw didn't need to be said, they both already knew that. He already had a pretty decent idea of reasons why there might have been those kinds of blackouts-- they didn't need to be brought up. Not here, not now. Not when all of this was just... kind of exactly how Kai could have hoped it would be like, if he'd ever been in the position to even daydream about it.
It was good. This was good.
"Ah," he murmured after a little while of comfortable, companionable quiet, "let me know if it gets too chilly." There was this whole other blanket here, after all, just waiting for its moment to shine.
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Surveying Shinji's careful blanket craft, Kai gave it an approving nod. "Nice." So nice in fact, Kai was just gonna plop himself right there next to him. Hey there. Let him just get that other blanket situated between them for when they really felt chilly.
And also
the mystery bag.
Of which Kai went ahead and opened without a lot of fanfare. "There was some nice lookin' cake today," he said real nonchalantly, just like a person that had no idea there could be any occasions for cake this day. Here it is, two whole slices!! "Blueberry cornmeal, I think? And I got some meowffins."
...
"Muffins."
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This is all incredibly nice! What an incredibly cozy little adventure you've put together, Kai! And what a coincidence that you've chosen today, of all days, to do it. It's enough of a coincidence that Shinji simply has to stop for a second and try to figure out if there was some way Kai could have figured out some kind of significance to today. It's not like Shinji's told him, or anyone else, for that matter, but was there some other way he might have found out...?
So, there's an awkward beat between 'muffins' and Shinji's reply, one where he seems just the tiniest bit lost before stirring that enthusiasm he'd previously had back up.
"It does look nice...!" Two whole slices!! Wow!! But, you know, maybe he's spinning this wrong, and there's some significance that Kai knows and Shinji doesn't. Wouldn't that be something? "Is there some occasion for all of this?"
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"Hah?"
The question earned Shinji an innocently baffled look. "Does there need to be an occasion for it?"
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"This is all really nice, so I just wasn't sure if there was something I was missing," which is true! Even if it's not the only reason he'd asked. "If you just felt like doing it, then that's enough of a reason."
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"The cakes just looked real good, and then the weather seemed like it was gonna stay nice and clear, so..." Kai rubbed the back of his neck a little, briefly looking almost shy. "Figured, maybe you'd wanna."
Just, you know, entirely by surprise. The whole asking people if they wanted to spend time with him thing was still, hm, Weird, even if he had better chances with it right now. "Glad that worked out!"
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Especially! If it's just because he wanted to! Not because he felt like he had to, or there was some reason that Shinji was missing.
"Thank you for asking me."
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That little touch of shyness was gone now as Kai changed gears, leaning over on his arm to grin at him. "Thanks for recklessly hopping on a bike to who knows where."
Bold moves of you Shinji.
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"Was it really so reckless?" He says, after an innocent, thoughtful hum, like he knows the answer is 'no', but wants to play along for a little bit. "I don't get invited so nicely on adventures very often," 'ever', "I wouldn't have thought there was anything too dangerous about it."
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"Hohh~ That's the dangerous part," Kai snickered, sliding Shinji a slice of cake on whatever serving piece of something something was here. "Sounds like I'm rubbin' off on you."
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"Thank you," another bit of gratitude slid Kai's way in return for the cake, even in the midst of all of this talk of danger. "It can't be all that dangerous, though. You even had a helmet waiting for me." As if that erases any trace of risk from the equation.
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He said as he promptly took a big bite of cake. Very professional. Mmmmm, cake though. Itadakimasu.
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Still, "Well, you're doing a good job of that," the whole 'giant bite of cake' thing not withstanding. Again, this isn't the time to be professional. This is relax-and-enjoy-tasty-cake time. Speaking of, Shinji takes a bite of his own slice.
"Ah, this is really good...!"
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Here was a fervent nod while he worked on that big 'ol chomp. "Mmhm!" Wow! So tasty! Let him just give that a swallow and a lick of his lips. "..Yeah! I'd never heard of this kind before, so. Lots of adventures, tonight."
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"Did you pick all of this up from... that cafe some of the offworlders opened up? 'Fur'-something...?"
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Because that was perfectly normal. "So I was doing that and then," he gestured, "I had a pile of baked goods."
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"I haven't been in there before," so he's really only working off of what he's heard, "but it really does seem like they know what they're doing with this food."
A nice change of pace from his own cooking, and a super nice change of pace from anything left to the hands of Havenwell's less than spectacular robo-culinary offerings. Nom.
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So this whole situation they had going right here was the exception to everything else. That was kind of the running trend, wasn't it?
"Uh-huh. It's pretty nice. I'll have to take you next time, instead of take out."
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"Ahh, you'd really be spoiling me if you did that, this is already a lot."
Arguably, this is a lot more effort than just stopping into a cafe for an hour or so, but, you know.
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Kai shook his head with a grin. "This is about the best I've got though, so don't worry about it."
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A nice, clear view of the sky, something tasty to snack on, good company to just relax with... honestly, this is a pretty ideal way to be spending a birthday. No big fuss. No pressing expectations to be entertaining. Yeah. This is good.
"I like it a lot," he says, turning his attention back to the sky. "Thank you for putting it together."
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Briefly, Kai sort of wondered if maybe he was missing something? It didn't stay long enough to think about asking though. He was just a little bit distracted by all sorts of things. The idea that this was something that needed enough thought to be put together, tasty cake, the way Shinji looked framed by the evening sky as the stars trickled in.
The usual distractions.
"Mm. Glad you like it." He shoved another bit of cake in his mouth, turning his own gaze upwards to watch the last faint trails of orange give way to the inky blues chasing them. More and more, those twinkling lights were starting to flicker into view.
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That soft look from Shinji lingers longer than usual, wrapped up in the charm of the situation in general, but also from the delight at getting a better look at the stars dotting the sky. Maybe the area unearthed by the walls moving will be developed in time, but for now, having a little spot to watch the stars twinkle into existence with less light pollution interfering is pretty incredible.
"Ahh, you really can see them better already out here."
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It couldn't compare to the mountains, but it'd do in a pinch. It'd probably be a few more wall expansions or something like that until they got anything close to mountains, and who knew what kind of critters were living on those.
"It's still kinda weird though, not knowing any of 'em. I keep expecting other things when I look up there." How far away were those old friends now? Or maybe they were all closer than they'd ever been before, and they were just looking at them from a different angle?
"Still real pretty though."
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"Really pretty," he agrees. "It was always hard to get a good look at most of the stars back in the city, before I got here. The were a couple of massive blackouts, though, and the view was always really stunning when the city went dark."
Kind of... bittersweet memories, if he lingers on them for too long, so he won't. Instead, he just does his best to cement this moment into his memory, instead. Watching the last traces of the sun slip under the horizon, the lights dotting the sky overhead, the good food, the company that he cares so much for... yeah. What a cozy, content memory to have.
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There were things that could have been said to that, but Kai opted not to voice them. An agreement on how cities had that kind of flaw didn't need to be said, they both already knew that. He already had a pretty decent idea of reasons why there might have been those kinds of blackouts-- they didn't need to be brought up. Not here, not now. Not when all of this was just... kind of exactly how Kai could have hoped it would be like, if he'd ever been in the position to even daydream about it.
It was good. This was good.
"Ah," he murmured after a little while of comfortable, companionable quiet, "let me know if it gets too chilly." There was this whole other blanket here, after all, just waiting for its moment to shine.
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