The Flyboy (Kes)

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"That ssoundss ab-bout ljike me. jI have t-to eat on purrposse to keep frrom bejing able to c-c-count mjy rrjibss."

A squelching sound from her middle paused Kiimi's train of thought as she worked to fastidiously arrange the now-empty plate so that it could be bussed with the least amount of trouble. What her taste buds had been over the moon for, her stomach was apparently not thrilled about.

"Oof. Wow."

The Preita'rrou slurped up the last of her soda, glad that there was a little fizz left to help calm things down. When the waiter returned with the bill, Kiimi expertly swooped it up with a chit already in hand to cover everything.

[Joey Rabeak]

Two bites. That's all that remained on the plate before him, and yet they might as well have been entire cakes unto themselves. Two bites between victory and failure, between showmanship and cowardice, between... no, there was another way out: yet more bluster.

"There's an old saying where I'm from: A full meal makes for a slow mongoose. And, as much as I'd love to finish that remainder off, it's best not to jeopardize my performance on maneuvers solely for the sake of sweets," he said with a winning smile. There, exit handled marvelously. Toss in some cultural reasoning bullshit and you could get away with almost anything, sometimes. Usually. Well, at least half the time.

Allowing his internal discourse to blather on inside his head, Joey set his fork down carefully as the waiter returned with the bill, ready to reach for his wallet when Kiimi surprised him by picking up the tab in full. "You... really didn't have to do that, ma'am," he said. "In fact, I'd planned to pay for yours, as you were kind enough to suggest this place, and since I am responsible for you being pulled from your post. I imagine that tour guide is rather low on your list of desired positions around here."

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"jYou'rre k-kjiddjing rrjight?" Kiimi skewed her ears, moderately aghast at the notion of Joey covering the check.

"A ladjy alwajyss pajyss forr a m-man'ss djinnerr. jIt'ss etjjiquette."

And in her mind, wholly correct. It had been how she'd been brought up, and it wasn't exactly like she'd had many opportunities to demonstrate chivalry. Even then, Joey Rabeak barely rated, as this was a professional encounter in the first place. Still, Kiimi imagined that her mother might blanch if she discovered that she ever went dutch on a bill with a man - or worse - let him pay for her.

[Joey Rabeak]

"Oh." The word came out of Joey's mouth with a heavy perfume of chocolate before he even realized he'd said it. It took concentration to bring his eyebrows and ears back down from that surprising inversion of gender roles. So much to learn about other cultures, still, he thought to himself, while giving no further argument and simply accepting the situation. Not that he'd even have a problem paying if he'd been allowed, given what resided in his trust fund. If his mother ever found out that he let a woman pay for his meal, he'd never hear the end of it.

The etiquette of who stands first, and if someone gets the other's chair was resolved simply as both diners rose simultaneously, and Joey took up his dufflle bag. He wished he'd left it in one of the lockers where he'd changed out of his flight suit, but it was better to be overburdened than lacking supply, if suddenly he needed something on his first day, he imagined. Hitching the strap up onto his shoulder, the Nehantite smiled. "Any chance I might be able to find out where I'm to be quartered before the squad gets back from maneuvers?"

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"Oh, ss-ssurre. jI'll esscorrt jyou to the h-h-habjitatjion arrea..."

Kiimiti stood in unison with her guest, and then her stomach did a cartwheel, causing her to pause mid-action. She offered a pained expression forced into a smile, then held up a polite finger.

"Do jyou m-m-mjind jif jI take a trrjip to the rr-rresstrroom beforre we go?"

[Joey Rabeak]

The gurgle of gasses, and both solid and liquid matter in Kiimi's gastric tract, was loud enough for Joey's ears to hear it, and so it was with no hesitation that he nodded. "Not at all," he replied. "I'll await you in the, uh, waiting area."

He ticked his head toward the padded benches just inside the front doors, where he intended to spend a few minutes waiting, settling his stomach, and attempting to think about anything other than the restroom.