There was talk about a race tomorrow, so Korvin's nerves were starting to twitch for that. First though, he had to get through tonight's visit to the Cave. More immediacy, more nerves.

He was almost walking into his favorite little place with the insanely cheap lunch special before he realized it. Of course, the meal wasn't so cheap around dinner time, but ordering something he knew was safe was calming. No extra decisions right now, thank you, he thought. He drank from a large glass of water alongside his bubbly drink, preparing for the likelihood he'd be drinking at the Cave. Some folks would turn up their nose at a rolled sandwich and chips for dinner, especially when he'd had the same meal just a few hours ago, but Korvin was looking out the window with eyes that said he needed all the constancy and comfort he could get.

For Zim, it was actually a first. She'd never really paid attention to this place before, but it seemed good when she stopped to look at the signs outside... And then she saw the young Pantoran she'd met at the park a few days earlier looking outside the window with a face that looked like his nerves definitely could use some calming down.

She waved to him, a friendly smile on her lips, then made her way inside.

"Hey Korvin. You seem worried... Would company for dinner help, or make it worse?", she asks in a kind, jovial tone.

"Oh, better I'm sure," he says with a tired smile. "Please," he said, waving to the seat opposite him.

"It's, uh, nice to see you again." He mustered up another smile, but the sentiment doesn't entirely seem genuine.

Korvin Hikarrin wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 11:53 pm

"Oh, better I'm sure," he says with a tired smile. "Please," he said, waving to the seat opposite him.

"It's, uh, nice to see you again." He mustered up another smile, but the sentiment doesn't entirely seem genuine.

She seems to notice something there, but can't quite pinpoint what. So, for now, she nods to him with a faint, respectful smile of her own, and takes the seat he pointed to.

"Glad to see you again as well, friend. These have been... interesting days. From the look in your eyes..." she says, looking at his eyes for a moment before looking away to search for the menu "I trust maybe even more so for you than for me?"

There's a short bark of a chuckle as she says this, and Korvin's tired face makes clear she's right.

"Trying to, ah, get psyched up for a race tomorrow," he says, seeming pretty calm about that subject. "And... Um... Kind of have a date. Tonight. Also, too," he says, clearly not so calm about that.

Korvin Hikarrin wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 9:19 pm

There's a short bark of a chuckle as she says this, and Korvin's tired face makes clear she's right.

"Trying to, ah, get psyched up for a race tomorrow," he says, seeming pretty calm about that subject. "And... Um... Kind of have a date. Tonight. Also, too," he says, clearly not so calm about that.

The Mikkian suppresses a laugh, turning it only into a silent chuckle, and looks at him sisterly. "Well, those are very important things indeed, both of them! You hadn't mentioned racing when we first spoke - or maybe I didn't give you the chance with all my questions", she says, chuckling a bit again. "It seems to be something really important for you, eh? Aiming at becoming a professional, here or somewhere?", she asks, again with a sisterly smile. Then, with the same face and nodding at him. "And... first date, I'm guessing? Is it at the race?"

Korvin shares briefly that racing is "his thing," which he relies on as a source of independence from his family's famous name. But that part seems to go by quickly, as he rushes toward the topic at the top of his mind.

"And the date's not related to that. It's just... I've been seeing this girl for a while, but I haven't really, like, met her friends and stuff? Like we've... Just sort of been doing our own thing. Which is great," he rushes to declare. "But, like, it's important to a relationship to be... connected to the rest of the other person's life, right?" Korvin sounds slightly like he's giving a bad summary of a book about relationship advice.

She holds back another chuckle, taking the chance given by her looking away to call a waiter. "So... one veggie with Badlands yam and a cold marshberry tea for me. Korvin?"

After the distraction, she looks at him with a more composed smile, still kind, but a tad more serious than she'd have managed before. "Well, connections are important, can't argue with that. In all types of relationships too! But... it almost sounds like you're unsure about meeting her friends? D'you feel they'd see you as... too different, or something like that?"

"I mean..." Korvin runs a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't get into all this with you. It's complicated, and you're just this nice lady from the park..."

He reaches over to pick up two small chips from his mostly forgotten plate and pop them in his mouth. After swallowing, he looks back at Zim and opens his mouth like he's about to speak, but then it closes and he shrugs.

Korvin Hikarrin wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:54 pm

"I mean..." Korvin runs a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't get into all this with you. It's complicated, and you're just this nice lady from the park..."

He reaches over to pick up two small chips from his mostly forgotten plate and pop them in his mouth. After swallowing, he looks back at Zim and opens his mouth like he's about to speak, but then it closes and he shrugs.

She gives him another faint smile, falling silent for some time as she waits for her food. When it arrives, she gets some of her own chips, chews them, swallows, takes a bite of her sandwich, then nods at him with a friendly smile again. "Oh. It's quite good!", she says, then she finally looks at him again. "You know, Korvin, if you'd like to talk about it, I'm happy to hear you. Don't mean to pry, of course - it's your call. Just... as you said, connections are important, eh? And we don't build them unless we build them", she adds with another smile.