Double Date [Private w/ Erin, Al, Pyry & Bartok]

[Al Ciendra]

Well things really were getting interesting, Pyry was much more knowledgeable on this sort of thing she had first anticipated, sure the headphones were a neat idea, but not too difficult to conceptualize, even for Al who's technical know-how extended to her guns and gear, but not further.

So glasses that could help Bartok with his blindness did sound bloody amazing, she only turned back to Erin as she asked about her dad.
"Yeah, he's a blacksmith, master of his craft, he made all of my armor and helped with my guns."
She listened to Pyry's suggestion.
"Yeah he could make something like that for you. But maybe you should ask Mr Tinkerer over here. Those headphones sounded nice, but giving Bartok back his sight is way cooler than any armor."

She then replied to Erin once more, she had never thought about that Bartok's eyes were this special, but it made sense in hindseight considering how senditice he was.
"Yeah, hope you don't mind us sharing the secret of what lies underneath Bartok's goofy goggles."
She replied, teasing the Bat with a slight jab to his side.

"Dang, I thought my laser death trap would win."
Al giggled, at her own joke but also at Pyry's card, it was very funny to imagine that kind of crime scence.

"I'd say we can go for one more round right ?"
Al asked while offering the stack of black cards to Erin.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin couldn't help the impressed whistle that came out as Pyry expanded on his talents. The way he dressed really didn't hint that he would be so good with technology. Metal work and flower crowns made sense, but computerized stuff seemed so odd. "I am starting to think I should have taken more computer classes. Between all the tech savvy people and the over the top athletes I am feeling a little behind."

When Pyry talked about the mental block that came with how people dressed she nodded in agreement. "I'm with Py-chart, most days I don't notice anything people are wearing. I guess I notice more when I'm just sitting around doing nothing but if I'm working on something I don't see a darn thing."

It wasn't really a surprise that some students would come from families that had crafting and fighting skills but it was also a bit of a shock too. Maybe because she and Bartok didn't come from a town with those kinds of skills. They were more of a pit stop along the way. "I take it you learned a few things from him during the process? We learned most of our skills from our last school. The only thing I really worked on myself was eye protection. Figured it would be nice to make Bartok some spare goggles just in case."

Spandex and pieces of armor? Closing her eyes she tilted her head in thought. There actually was a suit of armor like that that she'd considered before but couldn't justify making without knowing she'd use it. "I might give some real thought to my battle gear again sometime soon."

When Al suggested she get help from Pyry she had to admit it was a good idea. "If we get stuck we could defer to you and your dad."

Bartok volunteered to be the guinea pig and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "We'd probably need to take Pyry home with us if he did get the glasses working, mom would throw a fit if she and your mom weren't two of the first things you saw."

It wasn't hard to see why Pyry's cards won: they were hilarious. Accepting the pile from Al she nodded. "Sure thing. Another round for my friends."

Shuffling the cards around she drew their next topic. Step one _____. Step two ______. Step three profit.

"I don't mind sharing, especially since he and Pyry pretty much have the same eyes. It's eerie how similar they are in color and shape."

[Pyry Ward]

Pyry laughed triumphantly when his cards were called, he didn't think they were anything special so it was a true surprise when he was declared this round's victor. "All right! I am the champion!" He called out with a fist pump.

"I guarantee you'd forget all about them most days, think of all the other stuff you block out already." It helped that Erin backed him up, he wasn't the only one who ignored people most days. Bartok talked about how seeing would be difficult at first and he nodded and pointed at him in agreement. Exactly, your senses would focus on other things and be off for a while but you'd get used to it." Hearing the interest and hope in Bartok's voice had Pyry deciding that he'd genuinely give the glasses a real effort. It could be helpful to a lot of people if he got the glasses running for a decent price.

"Sounds like your dad is a useful guy to have around. Are you two close?" He wasn't sure if he was about to step on a landmine but the family situation of friends (were they friends now?) was bound to come up eventually; they already knew all about Erin and Bartok so what was one more situation shared?

It wasn't exactly a surprise that Erin didn't have a plan for her battle outfit, she really didn't seem to care about fashion at all, but it was interesting that she was suddenly caring about how she measured up to those around her. If she really wanted to work on her skills he'd help though. "Hey there little princess, you don't need a computer class when you have me. I can give you all the one-on-one attention you could ever want."

There was a strange mix of comradery and frustration at the comparison of his and Bartok's eyes. One one hand he had another commonality with his new bro, on the other hand he had another commonality with his new bro. Did he have anything Bartok didn't? They were both muscular, funny, smooth, and they had red eyes. "Damn are we twins or brothers or something? I feel like I am dealing with a doppelgänger."

The prompt Erin had wasn't exactly his cup of soda, he just didn't think it was all that funny. He set his cards down with a frown. So much for winning two in a row: Saturday morning cartoons and sacrificing uncle Tim.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Man, so many conversations. Sometimes Bartok liked to sit back and just listen to his friends talk. He was a real extrovert, but there were times even he couldn't keep up with so many conversations and would just observe as people had a good time. He didn't need to respond to everything, but he nodded when things were addressed to him, like Pyry saying his senses would ba all out of wack.

"Damn are we twins or brothers or something? I feel like I am dealing with a doppelgänger."

"Hey man, the chicks dig the red eyes." The held out both arms to to the side, gesturing to Erin and Al. "And we simply are both overly hot, it just happens to be the same type of hot. Though it is odd how similar we are. Maybe we could trade outfits and see how many people could pick us apart?" He smiled like a fox at the fun prank idea.

"We'd probably need to take Pyry home with us if he did get the glasses working, mom would throw a fit if she and your mom weren't two of the first things you saw."

Bartok sighed. "Yeah, that's true. They really would like to be the first ones I see."

For his cards he played "1. Every Lawn Gnome in Remnant 2. Your old, dusty Ebay account" They would need a little imagination to work together, but he thought they were good.

[Al Ciendra]

Al was trying her best to keep up with all the conversations happening at the same time, most of her attention was of course paid to the discussion of Erin's new armor and battle outfit, her dad would love to tinker away at something like this, she tilted her head at the idea of pitching this to him, besides maintenance on boring old town guard armor and the occasional huntsmen passing through her old man didn't have many interesting things to work on.
"Yeah, dad is a real gem, he'd be happy to help you out, Erin, but it would probably be best if Pyry talks to him about schematics and stuff. I don't really have a hand for this craft, so besides the basics and maintaining my gear, I don't know that much, my semblance being what it is does help with it though."
She raised a finger, a concentrated flame at the tip of it, being highly reminiscent of a welding torch, she snuffed it out with a snap of her fingers.

Al did not pay much mind to the boy's talk about how similar they were, she could start listing off more similarities, but she doubted that would help the situation, but Bartok's idea did sound fun, besides one obvious flaw of course.
"That does sound fun, besides one obvious flaw, Pyry doesn't wear dorky goggles like you."
She gave Bartok a gentle nudge, giggling at own joke.

The mention of their mothers being the first thing Bartok had to see was a really sweet and important notion.
"Oh yeah, you better do that, it would break your moms' heart if you didn't let her be the first person you saw."
She pointed at him, shaking her finger as if she was giving him a stern talking to.

While the conversation continued, Al laid down her cards.
1: getting a job.
2: endless boredom and suffering.
This joke was just a little darker than her previous ones, but it seemed like a good combo, made her wonder how her career would go, who knew ? But it wouldn't be boring, that's for sure.

[Erin Cherrywood]

It seemed like everyone had been talking over one another when all of a sudden everyone was all ears. Conversations had an odd flow: she almost preferred when everyone else was talking because it meant she could sit back and watch. Oh well.

She rolled her eyes and chose not to reply to Pyry's suggestion that he tutor her in tec stuff, well, aside from bumping his shoulder and giving him a quick smile.

Schematics? What the heck went into battle gear? Apparently a lot more than choosing clothes and armor. "I wouldn't even know where to begin with sizes let alone schematics. So, much as I hate to admit it, Pyry probably would be a huge help in getting me whatever it is we'd need for you and your dad."

"I feel like it would be just like wearing glasses or contacts, everything would be super crisp and clear and then it would be super annoying not having the sight. That's why I have the monthly contacts, no risk of me forgetting them."

Bartok and Pyry commented on their many similarities and she felt her nose wrinkle at the idea. Ew! No way they were same!

...

Okay. Maybe they were a little the same. But they were absolutely different in every way that counted. The ways that made her like Pyry a tad more than everyone else.

"I guess if you really want to be twins for a day you would have to come up with some hybrid outfit that has both the goggles and the circlet. That way neither style is prioritized over the other."

Looking at the card before her, Erin chuckled. They were all funny in a different way. "Alright, I'm going to have to side with the dusty old eBay account."

[Pyry Ward]

It seemed like everyone else was trying to narrow down the scope of conversation as some things were barely mention: so he took the hint and let things drop.

"Ah, I see you are finally acknowledging my amazing skills and attention to detail." He teased with a smirk.

"I guess a semblance like yours would be a bit tedious. I can't say I've ever fried anything with mine. Though now that it's in my head I am curious what an electrical burn would do. I might have to try it sometime."

Raising his eyebrows at the comment about Bartok's goggles being "dorky" he took a second to answer. "I am not sure goggles go with my look, but I suppose people could say that about your fancy outfit too, maybe I'll be like sunglasses cool or something."

Erin didn't choose his cards, but that was alright. The ones she chose were better.

His scroll went off and he checked the alarm he'd set. "I think I need to be the killjoy here and say we should wrap up soon. I hadn't planned on this whole thing today and I've actually got somewhere to be in about thirty minutes." He gave a slightly apologetic nod to Al and Bartok but a pointed "this is what happens when you spring things on someone last second" look.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Talking about his goggles and Pyry bringing up sunglasses... maybe he could move on to sunglasses. The type that had little shielding on the side to block out light? He should try to acclimate to light, it was just so uncomfortable and painful. But that was what training to be a warrior was all about, right? Dealing with pain?

"Fine, yeah, Mom will be the first person I see." He relented.

Erin chose his cards, which ellicited a "Woo!" of triumph from the batboy before Pyry declared himself the killjoy.

"Ah, well, if you have to go that kind of calls the game there. If I remember right Pyry, you got one point, Al got 2, Erin got 2, and.." He felt his own black cards. "I got 4. So I guess I'm either the funniest person here or the worst. I'll let you all decide which one I am." He smiled, glad he had won the game.

[Al Ciendra]

Al could draw some joy from Erin's reaction to seemingly just learning how much work went into a potential battle uniform, Al herself had been shocked to figure this out when her father and mentor put her through a whole seminar of measurements, trial periods and revisions of her suit, until everyone was finally happy with her current outfit.

Having her semblance called tedious made Al tilt her head, how was pyromancy tedious, her semblance is awesome!
She was about to speak up, but Pyry mentioned that he had to go, she sighed, her lifted hand lowering, she couldn't even blame him for the abrupt leave, Erin had sprung this on him pretty spontaneously.
"No worries, it was nice to get to know you a bit better."
Al said, Pyry being this much of a multi-talent was still something she had to process.
"You have a nice day and good luck with what ever you're off to."

Bartok then made her turn back to him, oh yeah, the game, it was no surprise Bartok had won, he was a very funny guy, though she was probably biased in saying this.
"I'm voting for funniest."
Al leaned in, her mask being pushed up slightly as Al pressed a kiss to his cheek, perhaps a little reward for his victory.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin was still considering what she'd need to accommodate for in regards to a battle suit when an alarm sounded from Pyry's scroll. The sound jerked her out of her thoughts and she blinked in surprise. Looking up at him she titled her head, and her tail swished, as she processed his words and looks. To Al and Bartok he was all apologies, but to herself it was smug satisfaction.

Narrowing her eyes into an embarrassed glare she swiftly turned her head away. It was her fault but that didn't mean it felt good. Just what was it he had planned anyway? Probably a date. She thought with more bitterness than the idea probably necessitated.

Bartok announced his victory and Al sided with him being funny. While she kissed his cheek Erin wrinkled her nose; she was definitely going to make his already inflated head even bigger. "We all know I think you're the worst."

She was going to help pack but then she realized she wasn't sure if Al had a system for it. "Uh... How do you want to do this?" She asked, gesturing to the food laid out between them.

[Pyry Ward]

Pyry smiled at Bartok when he agreed to see his mom first. If he was blind he'd probably want to see his parents first. Well, them or his sisters. "That's a good call. Moms are pretty important."

He didn't miss Erin's pout as she turned away and it made him chuckle. She was adorable when angry. Probably assuming the worst of him, which to be honest was more than fair. He would have gone on letting her think he was off on a date except Al told him to have a nice day. "It's been real getting to know you too. Wish I could stay longer, but I've gotta meet up with some lovely ladies." He paused for dramatic effect, to let Erin stew, then continued on. "My younger sisters - Leka and Yrsa - are in town for a few days looking at schools so I'm showing them around."

Bartok tallied the rounds, which ended in his victory. "You may have won this time but I'll take the next challenge." He joked as he gathered the cards up to put away.

When Al kissed Bartok's cheek, Pyry got an idea. Smiling devilishly, he raised his eyebrows at Erin who was still turned away from him. Leaning close, he tapped her shoulder, and prepped to plant a kiss on her lips when she turned towards him. Might as well go out with bang.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok's ears stood on end as Al kissed him on the cheek. He hadn't expected anything from her infront of other people, infront of Erin! She thought he was the funniest, to which, along with this kiss, he smiled ear to ear. Erin called him the worst which he knew was really her saying that he was the best.

Pyry explained that he was going to meet lovely ladies, which made him raise an eyebrow. Those were dangerous words when Erin was right next to him. Ah, his sisters. "Well have fun with them then! I'd offer to help show them but I don't want them getting any ideas when I'm already spoken for." He wore his flirtatious, confident smile, and saluted to Pyry. "Next challenge, then."

[Al Ciendra]

Al could not help but smile at Erin, this double date of theirs may have been short, but she had found a new appreciation for the abrasive raccoon, what had looked like a killjoy was just someone that took a bit more time to get into a situation than she was used to, guess she just had to slow down a little around Erin.
Plus her and Bartok did get along great, just for that she should learn to get along better with Erin, would make any more situations like this much better...maybe avoid having Erin feel like a third wheel if it was just her, Erin and Bartok ?

AND, she was real sweet, wanting to help her tidy up.
Al, yet heard Pyry move, using her ears, realizing where he was, he was definitely not leaving yet, usually she was not one to get involved, but she really did not want to end this picnic with Erin being pissed.
So with a gentle pat of her own, Al tried to have Erin keep her attention on her, entirely ignoring Pyry, at least she was not looking at him, if Erin had chosen to stay attentive she'd continue on in her explanation.
"Thanks for asking, I got these boxes and this bowl for the food. You can just put the dirty bowls here...
Al pointed to where the untouched bowls were neatly stacked into each other...
"Sides that we really just gotta put the muffin wrappers in the trash."
Al said as she began to collect the wrappers, looking at all she had brought...she had over packed, maybe she should ask Aster to finish the leftovers with her during a second picnic ?
That'd be nice.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth as Pyry bragged about meeting up with some lovely ladies, it wasn't her place to complain but he also didnt need to brag just to piss her off. She was about to make a smart comment when he clarified that his sisters were visiting.

Apparently her whole body had tensed because she let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding and her shoulders relaxed. This whole date was a hot mess and frustrated her to no end, but parts had been fun.

Erin rolled her eyes at Bartok. "Boundless confidence sure must make your life a wacky ride."

Al gave her directions for cleanup and she decided to focus on that and ignore Pyry's tap. She'd ghosted him for a fair amount of time but he was really taking advantage of that to be a butt.

Flicking her tail at Pyry while she worked she felt him awkwardly close and blushed lightly. Tilting her head towards him ever so slightly, she smirked. "Maybe I'll walk you to dorm if you behave."

Gathering up the trash she nodded at Al. "I got that. You did everything else so I might as well pretend I'm useful."

[Pyry Ward]

((Sorry I disappeared. Broke my phone and it took a while to replace. Also I'm sorry it's short. I'm not sure how to end this.))

Pyry raised his eyebrows and gave Bartok a cool stare coupled with a smirk. "Even if you weren't taken my sisters wouldn't fall for you. They're way too smart to fall for guys like us. If anything you might end up six feet under." He joked as he sat back on his heels when it became apparent that Erin wasn't going to gave him. "I don't wanna dig a hole today either so I guess everything worked out for the best."

"I can grab the trash and take it with me when I go. Might as well make myself useful."

A big grin spread across Pyry's face and he pulled Erin into a struggle snuggle hug. "That's my girl. I knew you'd come around."

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok smiled at the banter between Erin and Pyry. It wasn't like what Al and he had, but it was the start to something. And seeing his closest friend find someone she liked, he thought, was nice.

Once everything was cleaned up and ready he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Alright well, guess we'll see you two later then." He helped carry something in one arm while he grabbed Al's hand with the other.

THREAD END.