Recycled Takeout [Private w/ Felix Satou]

[Terra Fennel]

“You think it's amazing?” Her ears had perked up the moment the word left his mouth. The excitement in his voice reminded her of a quizzical child trying to spit out as many questions as they could before someone stopped them from asking the wrong thing. She'd never seen it happen where the person trying to stop them was the person also asking the questions. People always had questions, but once again Felix was the odd one who wanted to jump right into the experience. Many were bothered or concerned, only wanting to experience it if it was necessary to be healed by it. Very few wanted it for the experience it could offer.

“Well, I've had all kinds of reactions to it, but that's new.” She broke the thread between her fingers and offered her left hand palm up in the middle of the table. Somehow, Felix didn't seem the type to avoid grabbing her hand because of her scar. “You're welcome to. Odds are if we're ever on a mission together or I have to treat an injury on you, you'd experience it then anyway. There's all kinds of things you can feel. It's a rather intimate connection. Men and women have talked about feeling like they fell in love, others have recoiled like they were burned, some have reacted violently.”

Terra closed her eyes to focus on the connection, threads of aura briefly appearing over her hand ready tie their aura together. If he was as open as he seemed to act, she expected he'd feel the positive side effects, the warmth, the feeling of closeness and care. Even that felt different for each person, but she'd get to experience it as he did. She'd understand him far better than he likely realized, but he would be able to understand her too the longer the connection was in place. With any luck, the feelings of longing and loneliness that had been plaguing her recently wouldn't be felt with a brief connection...

[Felix Satou]

"Yes, of course I do," he blurted out the moment that Terra was finished talking. "It's one thing to connect, like, metal to flesh, but soul to soul? I don't know what kind of person would think that isn't cool." He reached out his right arm, short sleeves doing nothing to conceal the long, thin scar that ran from his wrist past his elbow. His hand took Terra's in a gentle hold, letting the threads of aura connect with his own.

He felt his heart thump in his chest when he looked back up at Terra's face. It was such a stark and instant change of feeling that it felt almost cliche, like a pink filter had been pulled down over his eyes. His ears turned red and his face followed suit. He was holding hands with the cutest girl he'd ever seen. Her sandy, blonde hair was a perfect match for her golden eyes. The smattering of freckles across her nose made him think of summer festivals and days at the beach. She'd opened up to him and been honest and nice despite him making a fool of himself as a first introduction. Her heart was probably made of the same stuff her eyes were, a rich gold. He let out a long sigh as he stared into her eyes. "That...that is a really strong effect," he said somewhat dreamily. He could enjoy the feeling without letting it control him. "I've only just met you and right now I feel about as close to you as I do to my sister. A couple minutes ago I was happy to be acquaintances and it feels like I've known you my whole life now." His thumb rubbed idly back and forth against Terra's hand. His giddy, excited energy felt like it was being amplified by her semblance.

But...there was something else in it too, a subtle ache in the back of his heart, a feeling he might have been able to ignore if he wasn't so well tuned in to his own feelings. Loneliness. A want to belong. She was a wolf without a pack now, a world away from wherever she used to call home. He couldn't tell what she was pining for, how deep her loneliness ran, it provided no greater insight than confirming his suspicions that someone who uprooted their life and moved it to another continent was feeling isolated. He'd maybe keep that to himself. Telling her what she felt didn't seem as productive as doing something about it.

[Terra Fennel]

The threads of aura that danced and entwined with his own were as much a part of her as the hand he was holding and caressing with his thumb, the ears on her head that wiggled ever so slightly as the connection formed, the tail that rested in a convenient groove in the bench of their booth. It was one thing to reach out to heal, her aura on a mission to find a problem to fix, but to reach out just to feel the other person? It was almost impossible for her to not sink into the feeling, the relax wholly into the open invitation. It couldn't fill the void of being so far from all the people she'd known, even if they'd changed so much that they were different people now. The teams she'd assisted were their own units, their own families, the wolf merely a brief addition to make sure they came home. Like curious fingers, she could feel him touch that part of her heart, but she didn't cut him off.

“There are plenty of people that don't think it's amazing, but I don't blame them. It can feel invasive, manipulative, and violating.” Her voice was quiet, her attention on the feeling of his aura mixing with hers. He was a good man, unlikely to hurt anyone without reason, with an aura that bubbled excitedly. “Imagine never feeling love in your life, and then some girl, some animal reaches out telling you she'll heal your broken arm, only for you to feel like you've fallen in love with something beneath you. Imagine being so closed off that even physical touch can be unwelcome, and then when you're injured and vulnerable, someone touches your soul telling you that they'll heal you. It's too much.”

Terra looked down at their clasped hand, her eyes moving from her scar to his own. There really wasn't a reason to worry he'd have been bothered by it. “You were open to the connection from the start, so the feeling is stronger, but remember, it's not quite real. You're also still feeling things at a surface level. Hints of things I'm feeling and none of the physical sensations. The longer the connection is in place, the stronger it gets and the more you'll feel of me, and the more I'll feel of you.” Maybe it was a good idea to let him know how easy it was for her to start to feel things he felt. “Like the urge to help me. Don't worry though, all you have to do to break the connection is pull your aura away.”

[Felix Satou]

He couldn't imagine ever being mad at her for anything. He could also recognize that was probably the connection of her aura influencing his thoughts. If she were to reject him right now, he could see himself getting genuinely hurt, despite the fact they'd barely talked! But that wouldn't be a good reason to lash out at her! Or, well, she hadn't said that anyone had done that, had she? They just didn't think her semblance was as awesome as he did. Stars he was infatuated. He didn't go to remove his hand, he laughed lightly.

"I've pretty much always worn my emotions on my sleeve. It's...sorta impossible to lie about how I'm feeling when it colors the air around me. The amount of deception I can engage in is extremely limited. It doesn't seem like there's anything you're going to stumble into that I wouldn't just say out loud if you asked, anyways." And he was holding an extremely pretty girl's hand. He got to feel an incredible crush and hold her hand at the same time? Why would he want to recoil from that? And that was definitely not the infatuation talking. Felix liked holding the hands of all sorts of cute people. He would absolutely take what he could get.

"Personally, I think I would much rather have you patch up my broken bones than the school nurse. For...uh...obvious reasons..." The school nurse was professional, skilled, and polite, but a cute fellow classmate she was not.

[Terra Fennel]

Like a moth to the flame, warnings and cautionary words fell on deaf ears. She could hear it in his voice, feel it in his words and his soul. To him in the moment, there was no worry about what the connection might do, how far it might cause him to lose himself. It was pleasant, enjoyable, and the source of that could do no wrong. Not that her semblance could force him or coax him into doing anything he wouldn't normally be willing to. It stemmed from her own love for the people around her. If one accepted it, it was a gentle hand guiding someone to feel the comforting warmth of a lover's embrace, but only if someone accepted it. She knew what it could and couldn't do to someone's mind. It didn't stop her from worrying about taking away someone else's agency.

“Felix are you sure you're not forgetting something? Like a boyfriend or girlfriend that might take offense to you holding a girl's hand and enjoying what you're feeling for them?” Her tone was teasing and playful, a gentle reminder of where he was and who she wasn't. “Not that I mind, but like you said, we've only known each other for a little bit and I'd hate to run afoul a jealous huntsman or huntress to be, especially with my track record.” Maybe it would be better to start weakening the connection if he kept underestimating things?

[Felix Satou]

This felt a little bit like playing with fire. Maybe they both were, just a little bit, but what was life without excitement! If you didn't sprinkle in a little risk then you'd live a dull and boring life. Terra's concern for the wellbeing of his non-existent relationships would have warmed his heart if he wasn't already unnaturally taken with her. It was nice that she could be witty. It probably wasn't that hard for her! This was his first time. She'd probably done this dozens upon dozens!

He broadened his cute little smile and leaned forward just a little. "Terra, I think that's probably the smoothest way anyone's ever asked me if I'm single before. Which...maybe isn't all the impressive considering how little it happens, but still!" He giggled. "No jealous lovers to worry about and as far as I know I don't have any psychopathic stalkers." He looked down at the scars on Terra's hand as his mind wandered about the topic at hand. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hop across the table and sit in her lap. He wanted to play with her fur and tail. He was very aware of the fact that he wanted to have a relationship with someone that let him be as close to them as he was to his sister, and then closer still. His eyes came up as he gave her a coy look. "So, you're in the clear if you want to ask me out." He chuckled again, but quickly spoke again before Terra could respond to that. "I think know what you're gonna tell me. You wouldn't want to take advantage of me while I'm under your spell, right? It'd be like slipping something in my drink and taking me home? Alternatively, wow, Felix, what a big head you have to think you've smitten me so dearly so quickly. One or the other. Or...both?" He could understand her position that much, at least. If he could make someone fall in love with him at a touch, how could you ever think their propositions could be genuine?

[Terra Fennel]

Her eyes moved across his face, taking in his features. There was a beauty there, that she suspected some overlooked simply because it wasn't traditional. She could certainly appreciate the ruggedness of a masculine face with rough stubble on their chin, she could be smitten by the soft beauty of a woman too. She had a weak spot for soft beautiful men and powerful confident women. If finding out if this beautiful man was single had been her intention, she would have beamed with pride. Wading her way through a delicate social interaction quite literally felt like wading upstream hip deep. Even with someone who had held a far stronger interest in her than Felix, she'd fumbled around the words to show her own interest. As it was Felix likely already felt her greatest doubts about this feeling with how he voiced them so easily.

The way the corner of her mouth turned up didn't reach her eyes as she looked away from him. He was close. “It's so complicated to put into words. I can't change who someone is. I can't make them something they're not or make them do something they wouldn't.” There was a part of her that thought about just abruptly breaking the connection to prevent any trouble. The flush to her skin had little to do with the heat from outside. The air inside was cool and comfortable. “I can't make someone who isn't attracted to women suddenly feel like they are. It's the nature of the connection though. It can very much feel like love, and love makes you appreciate what you like about someone a whole lot more.”

Terra slowly pulled her hand away and willfully weakened the connection, but didn't break it. If he thought he should cut the thread between them, he could. “So, like I said. It can be intense. You've probably gotten a stronger dose of my semblance than anyone in some time. I usually form a connection that is only as strong as necessary for healing others.” Something told her the feeling like her soul was immersed in bubbles wasn't going to go away anytime soon, even if he did let go of the connection.

[Felix Satou]

Felix considered tightening his grip only for a moment. Feeling close to someone was nice! This felt nice! He didn't want the nice thing to stop happening! But his lizard brain was easy to keep under control and he let her retract her hand with no resistance. He didn't put any conscious thought into breaking the connection. Terra could sever it completely when she felt like it. He wasn't sure he'd ever get a chance to experience such a unique semblance again! "I'm glad you thought I was trustworthy enough to share it with," he said with a smile. "I like to think I've got a pretty disarming look about me, heh." He brushed a few stray hairs out of his face, tucking them back behind his ear with the hand that had been holding on to the wolf's.

"So...what you're saying is now you know for sure I think you're cute, because you could feel it?" The red on his face wasn't gonna go anywhere anytime soon, so he might as well just lean into it, right? That wasn't all he was doing though! He did want to know exactly what she was capable of doing with the connection, what it was doing to him, what she might have learned about him from the connection. Was it a great way to gauge someone's character? Did she know exactly how much of a crush he had on her now?

[Terra Fennel]

Terra ran her thumb over where his hand had touched, a poor mimicry to a sensation she already missed. The connection was still there though, unbroken by the young man who'd been so curious to feel it in the first place. It dulled the feeling of life from the other patrons, or the lack of bodies moving to and from with the impersonal nature of this restaurant. As long as he was willing, she'd keep the connection there. At least until they left. As the questions left his lips she couldn't help but be amused by how similar they were to the questions others had asked.

“I've learned how to understand what I'm feeling with my semblance pretty well, but it's never truly clear. I'm lucky in that my semblance still lets me differentiate what sensations and emotions are mine and what belong to the other person until a certain point. People with stronger empathic semblances seem less likely to have that capability.” A certain lovely rockatoo came to mind. Ax's semblance dwarfed hers in the sheer potential of empathic sense. Terra's was a mere byproduct. The difference between a fire semblance giving light and a semblance that could bend light to the users will. Hers also left her vulnerable, but she was less willing to share that.

“I can tell you find something about me attractive. Maybe it's my freckles, my eyes, or even something as obvious as my breasts.” She didn't shy away from the topic, instead just resting her cheek on her palm as she had before. The fact one of the few other patrons nearby coughed right after what she said didn't even earn an ear flick. It was a shame humans never cared for her faunus traits. “I could tell you wanted to help me, not because my semblance tells me in big bold letters, but more that there's an undercurrent of care and concern coming from you. Even then, I could actually be wrong. You might have seen a young woman walk by in a really short skirt, or you saw an elderly person trying to cross the street.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix knew he probably shouldn't be so forward with someone he just met, but he was still mildly intoxicated from the feeling of instantly falling in love, so when Terra started to list possibilities and counter-possibilities he couldn't help but clear up any misunderstandings she might have (But probably didn't) have. "Your freckles are adorable. I have some too, and it's never really clear to me why people like them until I see them spattered across someone else's face like a little splash of paint from the sun." He placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, letting his chin rest on top of them. "I love looking at people's eyes. I'm so not picky, but gold isn't that common of a color. It really matches your hair well. It's like your whole face is the picture of a warm summer day at the beach." He could lay it on pretty thick if he tried! He was a creative-type, after all! The most important part was just being honest. "And of course your ears and tail are gorgeous. I've never seen anyone with fur that's that shiny before, and, c'mon, how am I not supposed to think they look cute when they're so well groomed?" Yes, there were a lot of racists out there, but it didn't run in Felix' family. Ears, tails, horns, scales, they were just another part of someone's appearance to appreciate. Sometimes he was a little jealous he wasn't born with them, but a little bit of reading world history was enough to quell that emotion. He chose not to be so crass as to pass judgment on her chest. Girls looked pretty no matter their size!

"There weren't any old ladies crossing the street, it's definitely just for you." He could explain himself for her if he had to, but did he? He was just a genuinely good guy! His heart was always in the right place. Even if his feet ended up in his mouth from time to time, he knew that he didn't need to justify himself. A good deed was it's own reward.

[Terra Fennel]

It still came as a slight shock to her to hear the difference in the way people described her and the image she saw in the mirror, or even pictures of herself. To some degree she was coming to terms with the fact that the girl she'd seen in the mirror in Mantle, the same girl who'd earned so many insults from the people she'd been surrounded by, wasn't the same face everyone else saw. She'd even learned what people actually liked about her, though she had to admit, it rarely came to light unless she'd used her semblance on them. But she simply wasn't remarkable when compared to her peers, no matter how much like summer Felix tried to say she was.

Terra opened her mouth to speak, a joke about how miserable she must look if he was comparing her to summer but the words came out as a confused, “Huh? Come again?” Had he really just complimented her faunus features? She gripped the edge of the table as she leaned from one side to the other looking at him like he'd sprouted a second head. Her eyes scanned over him for some hint of fangs, maybe little remains of horns hidden beneath his hair, or feathers mixed within, some small trait that marked him as a faunus but was hidden so well that he could pass for human even with her. He wasn't lying though, nor did he appear to be anything other than human.

[Felix Satou]

The reaction he'd garnered wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. "C-C'mon, Terra," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned back, sinking into his seat a bit. "Are..." his voice lost a bit of the confidence he'd had before, sounding considerably more bashful. He'd had an affect, but apparently he wasn't nearly as flattering as he'd thought he would be! "A-are you really gonna make me repeat all that?" It was a little quieter, a little exasperated, a little embarrassed. But he'd already committed to saying all of that! It's not like she didn't hear him. Her hearing was an order of magnitude sharper than his and they were sitting about five feet apart. There was no way she was tuned in to anything other than him!

"Your freckles are cute. Your eyes are pretty, and..." His eyes trailed off towards the window, not quite having the guts to say the next part while looking straight at her. "...your ears and tail are absolutely, stunningly gorgeous and really hard not to stare at." And he'd spend all day brushing them out with his fingers if he had the chance, but he didn't need to say that part out loud!

[Terra Fennel]

Truly, if she could have formed words in the moment she would have spared him the embarrassment from having to repeat himself. As it was, she was struggling simply to not gape like a fish out of water and flounder over a simple compliment. The embarrassment that crept along their connection smacked her across the face like a wet sock as he repeated himself, all the while looking her directly in the eyes to make sure she didn't miss it again. Not that she had in the first place. Terra rubbed at her cheeks in a fruitless attempt to rub away a blush that wasn't painted on by a makeup brush.

“I, um, t-thank you.” It was one thing to have another faunus marvel at her tail and ears, to want to mimic the way they caught the light or felt against the skin. Having a human, a cute one at that, compliment them had her tripping over her tongue and thoughts. “I'm not- um. Humans don't usually- or rather...” Her cheeks puffed up for a moment before she blew a sharp breath between pursed lips. Maybe she should break the connection just to keep him from being caught up in what she was feeling. “Most of the time, they make a point of telling me how much prettier I'd be without them. So, thank you. I- I'm very proud of the way they look and feel.” Her tail was quietly hitting the seat as if it was trying to make itself more known despite the lack of room.

[Felix Satou]

"What?" Now it was Felix' turn to be baffled! There were people out there that would say something so dumb? He looked at Terra in disbelief. "Well, whoever told you that is obviously blind and dumb," he was shaking his head already. How could she look more attractive without them? Ridiculous. Only someone looking at the world through hate-tinted glasses could be so deluded to think she looked anything less than stellar. Well, their loss! He'd let Terra know how much he appreciated the view and then he'd get to see it that much more often.

"Sorry to interrupt you two," came a voice from right beside their table. The chef had arrived, clad in classic white, complete with tall hat. She was grinning from ear to ear, a black tail swishing happily behind her. "Order's up. I'm sure you'll enjoy, so I'll get out of your way!" Several platters of sushi were quickly set on the table before the two along with a bottle of sake, a pitcher of water, and cups for both drinks. She gave Terra a very bright smile before stepping away from the table.

"Oh...er, right, the food. Heh, you're welcome to have as much of whatever as you want. Figured we could kinda split the whole thing up as we like."

[Terra Fennel]

“Well, I'm glad you think so.” If only that was the truth. Hateful people weren't always dumb or thoughtless. Some were frighteningly intelligent. Still, she didn't mind living in Felix's world for a change. Her shoulders shook with a short laugh and she shook her head. It really seemed like he couldn't for the live of him imagine a reason to dislike what she was, and she didn't want to find a way to convince him. It was enough to almost make her consider tossing away the food she'd plucked out of the trash before, just so he wouldn't have to think about something so distasteful when it came to her.

“Hmm?” Terra looked up in surprise at the woman who had approached. It was a pleasant reminder that they were about to eat. The thought of being here for dinner had been forgotten with everything else they were talking about. “Oh, thank you.” The woman's smile was cute, and the swishing of her tail as she walked away held her attention for a moment. Was Felix's semblance really luck, or did he somehow twist reality around him. It was so rare to see faunus working anywhere that wasn't grueling physical labor, yet here this woman was happy as could be in a better part of town even. Maybe Vale was more different than she realized.

“To be honest, I'd sort of forgotten too.” Her stomach made a quiet gurgling noise as if to say it hadn't. The scent of sushi was always so delicate and mild, but lovely all the same. “So, I know I said it's my favorite, but I'm still not too good at identifying the different types of sushi and fish used.” Truth was, she hadn't really cared when eating it on her own. She didn't even know what the green stuff was that was a part of nearly every piece of sushi she had. All she knew is she loved it.

[Felix Satou]

"Well, don't worry about that, because I'm not very good at it either," Felix said almost proudly. "But, if you want to double check any of it, our order's on the scroll. Usually I just pick randomly and enjoy whatever gets put in front of me." He stared down at the sushi platters. It looked like he'd picked about six rolls. He could spot a few things! "Oh, that's got fried shrimp," he took a piece from it and put it on his plate. "This iiiiiiiiiis....tuna?" He was pretty sure the red was tuna. "Salmon," orange was salmon, right? "And I have no idea what the others are, but I'm gonna try them anyways!" He was quite deft with the pair of chopsticks in his fingers, not dropping a piece or pausing between grabbing them.

"That's, actually, usually my approach whenever I go out to eat. If they don't have a digital menu I'll, uh, use my own scroll. I just number the sections of the menu, like, if there's seven appetizers I use a random number generator to pick a number between one and seven. Or if there's ten entrees it's one through ten. It works like a charm." He also took the liberty of pouring the both of them a cup of water and a smaller cup of sake. The bottle wouldn't even get one of them buzzed if they split it, but it felt right to order it! "I think, maybe, I'm just easy to please rather than lucky, heh."

[Terra Fennel]

“Eh, it's not like I'm allergic to anything I know of, so it's not too important to me.” Terra shrugged at the suggestion to look at the scroll. If one of the rolls was really good or somehow awful, she'd take a look to know what to order or not in the future. “I think you're right about the tuna though. I've watched a fishmonger cut one up by the docks before and the meats always this bright red. I'd never known they were so big.” Her eyes followed his hand to the chopsticks, taking the cue to grab a pair of her own. She'd never used them with sushi, instead preferring to pluck each piece up with her fingers, but she'd already grossed him out a little. If she grabbed a piece with her bare fingers, his mind would undoubtedly go to the fact she'd reached into a trashcan not so long ago.

Her grip on the chopsticks was less practiced, more used to using them on noodles or shoveling rice and Mistralian takeout into her mouth, but she still managed to take a piece of sushi without much hassle from the plate. She eyed it for a moment before popping it in her mouth. It looked similar to a roll she'd had before with a little bit of a kick. A sigh of contentment left her as she savored the flavors. While she was happy enough with scraps, she'd never deny the utter joy of a fresh meal, especially something as fresh as sushi.

“Maybe it's a bit of both.” He'd even ordered sake? She'd enjoy that after a few more bites. While she wasn't much of a drinker, sake was a pleasant experience without all the bitterness or awful burning she'd experienced with other drinks. “I can't say I'm usually all that lucky myself, but I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to food. I don't think I've found a kind of food I don't like yet.” Unless it was somehow spoiled, but she thought better than to mention it.

[Felix Satou]

"That's the ultimate goal, for me, I think. I'm always trying to find something I don't like," he said before taking the time to pop a piece in his mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed. He'd been hungrier than he thought. "So good," he muttered quietly before continuing on. "It's, like, a pretty weird idea, I think, that my goal is to try and find something I don't like, but it helps me be more adventurous and try new things and discover food I wouldn't normally eat. I think the only thing I've really found so far was, uhhhh...live octopus. It wasn't really live, just really fresh." He shook his head at the memory of it. "Other than that, though, it's usually pretty easy to find something to like about almost anything." That was the story of his life, wasn't it?

He looked up from his food at Terra. "Some things are a lot easier to like than others, though," he said with a wink. "Speaking of liking things, what kind of music do you like," he said, a not so subtle attempt to steer the conversation towards something he not only loved was but particularly good at.

[Terra Fennel]

Terra watched him take a bite and briefly fall into a moment of bliss. He really was cute, and she knew it wasn't just her semblance talking. While he'd already shown he could take some things for granted, it wasn't hard to see he was someone who enjoyed life. She even suspected his flirting wasn't only from their connection. “I can't really say I'm looking for something I don't like. I'm just looking to experience things. I've heard people say “have you been living under a rock?” when talking about something everyone should know or have experienced, and I quite literally have been.” She took up another piece of sushi in her chopsticks. The fish on top looked cooked, and it had a dark, sweet smelling sauce drizzled along it. One day she might take the time to learn it was eel.

“Even when it comes to music I feel pretty out of the loop. I know the lyrics to a few songs, but I think I can only name one band off the top of my head, and that's The Baby Blues.” How could she forget that band now that she'd actually met Ax? Now that she knew what had happened. It was an odd and terrible connection to have with another student. There was a pang of sadness in her chest that she immediately tried to ignore. It was better to focus on the present. “I know I like things I can workout or dance to, but I don't think I'd mind any kind of music really.” She started to bring the piece of sushi to her lips but stopped to say one more thing first. “I gotta admit, I do like some of the songs that make people blush though.” The piece of sushi disappeared behind her lips and she made a quiet sound that would go right along with that kind of music.

[Felix Satou]

"You know the-" Felix stopped himself before he spit out a mouthful of food, quickly grabbing his glass of water to clear his mouth and swallow what he was in the middle of eating. "You know the Baby Blues? They were, like, my favorite band when I was growing up, heh, I actually only just recently got to meet the lead singer! She was a total badass." His eyes lit up and the air around him continued to sparkle. Oh if only they weren't in the middle of the restaurant he could have totally played something for her! Still, it was actually kind of cool that she didn't know much music! There was a whole world of stuff to explore. And he could totally show off the whole time.

He could think of a few songs that could make someone blush, but he wasn't so sure he could sing them in public just yet. Maybe sometime after they'd been friends for a while he could. Ah, but listening to her sigh made him want to just bust it out anyways! "Well, I'm sure it will surprise you to know," he looked at his guitar and then back to Terra. "I play a bit myself. I can sing too. It's been a hobby of mine ever since I was little. I'm not quite cool enough to have my own band, but I'm pretty good at open mic night. If you wanted to indulge me, I could show you what I was doing earlier to earn the lien to pay for all this when we're finished with dinner?" Oh how he wanted to show off. Terra had her cool semblance she got to show him, and his was cool too, but not quite in the same way!

[Terra Fennel]

Terra had to cover her mouth as she snickered, much for the same reason as Felix. The way he'd brightened up at the mention of the Baby Blues was adorable in a way. What would he have to say if she mentioned she'd... The thought never finished as Felix revealed he had already met her. Badass. That was certainly one way to describe the rockatoo. She took a sip of the sake Felix had poured for them and smiled. “You've met Ax too then? I actually met her on a mission. One of those shadow an upperclassman things, where you're supposed to learn how students go about missions and what not. Badass is pretty much on point watching her fight, and to be honest it was hard not to be smitten.” That woman had inspired her to try new things with dust, just to fight better beside her in the future.

She doubted even the link between them could make her more appealing to Felix than Ax, so she was eager to move away from the topic of the pink haired beauty before what little self esteem she had took that hit. “I think I'd be happy to indulge your desires a bit.” The longer she talked to him, and felt his soul mingling with her own, the more at ease she felt around him. There was a kind soul behind those turquoise eyes that she hoped she experience again after today. “Besides, if you earned enough to pay for this just from today, you have to be pretty good and I'd be missing out if I didn't let you play for me.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix nodded in agreement. He was good at playing music, but Ax was a real performer. A weak stage presence could definitely be carried by technical skill in informal settings, but he had no doubt who would win in a real Battle of the Bands. There were some things that raw talent simply couldn't overcome! "I am jealous." He wasn't truly jealous. They'd both gotten to meet her, after all! "I went on one of those with a girl named Pearl. It was...actually pretty boring. We only got into one scrap, and she definitely didn't need my help with it at all. I'm pretty sure she was holding back so I'd still be able to feel like I contributed something. Third year students here really are something else." He couldn't wait until he was a third year student!

And he very much couldn't way to be finished with dinner so that he could have Terra indulge in his desires. His ears turned a little red at that line, but he managed not to let it show too much on his face. Swallowing another mouthful of sushi he smiled. "I'm pretty good, yeah," he said, purposefully underselling himself. "I don't suppose you have any requests? I've only got Dover here, so I can't play anything that needs a piano or a saxophone or whatever, but I know a lot of songs." He'd be surprised if she named something he didn't know! Even then, he might be able to improvise and play it by ear.

[Terra Fennel]

Another bite, another new experience. The roe popping in her mouth tasted like an ocean breeze, salty and cool. Some rolls had looked too strange, too weird for her to want to order herself. Felix's luck though had definitely worked in her favor. “I don't know if I'd say our route was boring. We ran into a King Taijitu and a large pack of beowolves on our first day. It was hectic, but having someone with Ax's experience there made it manageable. She kept me from panicking.” Terra sighed and poked at one of the other rolls before picking it up. Was she really cut out to be a huntress?

“Music's probably great on those long missions, whether it's a few days or even a few weeks.” Did she have any requests? She didn't even know the name of most songs until she looked them up off the lyrics. Radios didn't really say who's music was playing all that often. It was always popular songs and the audience was expected to know them. “I'll let you take a lucky guess and see if you can play something I'll like.” It was an easier way to save face than to remind him she really had no clue.

“Though, I'm curious now Felix. Why'd you get embarrassed?” She'd felt it through the connection, but she'd not been paying enough attention to realize exactly when. There was mischief in her smile as she glanced at his ears, tinted ever so slightly with what he'd felt.

[Felix Satou]

Fighting Grimm was objectively not boring, and Felix probably would have gone on to clarify that if Terra hadn't mentioned fighting a King Taijitu. He had no doubt in his mind that if the same thing had occurred while he and Pearl had been out they would have been able to handle it with ease. Pearl would have been able to handle it herself! But they'd hardly come across more than the typical beowolves and nevermores. If there was one thing he was sure he would never struggle with it would be panic, especially with someone older and more experienced to rely on. His mind was starting to wander towards what song he might end up playing on guitar when she singled out his red ears. Right...faunus were pretty perceptive weren't they? And they were still connected.

"Ummm..." He looked down at his plate to see if there was any food to save him from answering, but there was naught. They were almost finished with what they'd ordered by now. "Well, uh...just the...specific phrase. Indulging in my, uh desires. Yeah." He busied himself with grabbing a little more food and not looking Terra directly in the eyes while he did. "Just, uh, a very nice thing to say." A very charged thing to say. A highly interpretable thing to say and Felix was still a guy with a healthy appreciation for cute girls.

[Terra Fennel]

While it would sound obvious for her to say each emotion carried along their link had it's own feeling, it wasn't simply that she felt that he was embarrassed. There was sharpness to it, like striking a triangle in the middle of the pleasant thrum of happiness and contentment they both felt in the moment. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she watched the him look to his plate for a distraction. She was tempted to pluck a piece off right before his eyes to pull his attention back to her, but decided against it. Teasing him wasn't simply about watching him squirm, even if she did love to see that when she wasn't connected to someone. It was more of an emotional ice breaker. A way to let her and the person she was connected with put their guard down.

“Felix, I know I was a little on guard earlier,but I'm not going to be upset if you let your mind wander cause I said something. Especially if I said it to get a rise out of you.” The look in her eyes grew softer, the mischief fading from her smile. Her chopsticks were set aside on one of the plates to free up her hands. She rested her forearms on the table and held her hands apart letting threads of aura appear between her fingers. The threads were a mix of lavender and turquoise shifting and changing between her fingertips. “Our thoughts are still our own. Emotions too, but we get to feel each other a bit. It's okay to actually enjoy that or even play around with each other a bit with that.”

[Felix Satou]

"Ugggh, I knew you did that on purpose," he said, indignantly before looking up from his plate back at her. It was so deliberate! How could it not be? Indulging desires? Ridiculous! She'd pretty much played him like a fiddle! Not that he minded at all. Cute girls flirting with him wasn't such a mundane event that he'd gotten used to it. No, he was absolutely enjoying it, even if it tested his tolerance for bashfulness. The air around him continued to sparkle with dots of blue. He watched her manipulate the ethereal lines of their souls between her fingers. There was a joke to be made about tugging at his heartstrings, wasn't there? He couldn't quite find the words to make it.

"I'm not worried about making you upset, at least, not overly worried anyways. I think I'm mostly over the whole foot in mouth bit I was doing earlier. I'm, uh, just not quite as good at the whole flirting thing as I like to think I am when someone who is exceptionally pretty is being pretty overt about it right in front of me." He popped two different pieces in his mouth to give himself some time to chew and have a good excuse to not keep letting his tongue wag. They were getting down to the last pieces and Felix pushed them in Terra's direction, a non-verbal way of letting her know they were all hers.

[Terra Fennel]

The thin web of aura between her fingers faded as the wolf giggled. “I'd almost forgotten. Explains why you're not as hungry as me. You did give yourself a whole mouthful of rubber earlier.” With chopsticks back in hand, she took one of the last pieces of sushi in her bamboo grip. As much as she wanted to take another bite, her stomach was already quite satisfied with what she'd had. While she could put away more food than should be possible for someone her size, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to do so in that moment. Not when she still had to walk back to the airship docks. “Okay, maybe I'm not quite that hungry.” Terra scrunched up her face before setting the piece back down, chopsticks and all.

“It's funny when people think I'm being bold about things, it's usually only because I'm linked up with someone a bit braver than me.” Not that it was hard to be braver than her. Her eyes followed some of the people walking outside, deciding not to stare at him. “It's the little subtle things, like being brave enough to reach out a hand to a girl that most people wouldn't have looked twice at, or would have just looked at with disgust. Or finding the confidence to ask her to dinner as an apology.” A family strolling by held her attention, a pair of children tagging behind their mother, the older child holding his little sister's hand as she skipped along. “Like you even needed to make one in the first place. Truth is I'm just more comfortable when I've got that connection, and I want others to be comfortable with it too.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix laughed and rolled his eyes. Mouthful of rubber? He wasn't wearing galoshes! Hah! It was a good thing that the pair of them could laugh about it over a meal. One that he didn't want going to waste. As soon as Terra put down her chopsticks in defeat he helped himself to the last of what was there. Was he brave? He must have been at least a little bit if he was going into the profession of being a huntsman. It was easier to be brave around someone you were comfortable with, and he was comfortable around most people until they proved themselves tough to put up with!

"Well, maybe it's not about needing and more about wanting, right?" He downed the rest of the sushi with surprising speed and followed it up with his own glass of sake. "But we don't really have to keep treading over that ground. Ultimately, I think we're both probably pretty easy to get comfortable around. We're both charitable and funny and at least a little bit cute. Having a supernatural connection boosting semblance is nice, but I think it was inevitable we were going to end up friends if we ever met." Ever the optimist! He couldn't imagine a rougher first meeting, so clearly the two of them were bound to end up as friends. What other alternatives even existed?

[Terra Fennel]

Wanting to apologize? At first it sounded weird to her in a way that made her ears twitch. Who wanted to apologize for something? He hadn't done something awful. He'd wanted to help her. That was the answer though. It was the same reason she felt confident enough to actually share her semblance with him while he was in perfect health. “Well, I guess I can accept that.” The family had walked out of site, and she wondered if she'd ever walked like that with her mother and brother, not a care in the world. Probably not. Thinking about the possibilities of the past didn't do anyone any good. Especially when the possibilities of the present and future were so interesting.

“I've only made a few friends since I came here, so I don't really like to take it for granted that people will be as comfortable around me as you are now.” Terra turned her attention to him and picked up her own cup of sake. With the way he'd finished his own glass, he seemed like he would want to leave soon. “Hopefully you're still as comfortable with me when you get to know me better. Not to keep treading on old ground, but where I'll get food isn't the only thing about me that's made people uncomfortable.” She took a long sip of her sake, still trying to savor the flavor of it as much as was possible while trying to keep Felix from having to wait for her to be done.

[Felix Satou]

"Your luck's bound to turn around now that we're friends," Felix said with a grin. It was a fact! He could affect it himself! Not in such a grandiose way as to completely turn anyone's life around, and not only in the way that his semblance could. Just having the right connection with the right person could open up all sorts of doors. Confidence and self worth could spring up more easily when they were being watered by more than just yourself.

"And, if I'm being honest, it's really hard for me to imagine there's anything you could tell me that would make me balk. I'm not going to act like I'm the world's greatest judge of character or like it's possible to really know someone the very first time that you meet them, but you're not throwing up any red flags that say psycho killer or serial murderer or anything." He trailed off for a second. "Huh, I guess that could mean you're just a really good one, but I'm willing to take my chances with that because I really do want to get to know you better." Why wouldn't he? He'd already laid out enough reasons so far!