[Plot] Misery Loves Company (Wolf and Kira)

[Kira of Flames]

Another chuckle escaped her as Kahlua shook her head. "She has spirit to her, always has." Her eyes dropped to the floor and grew a little sadder. "It is strange for an adult to still live with their mother; not many do. However, despite how she behaves, she and I are probably one of the closest knit families you'll see. It's just the two of us, after all."

She lifted her head and shrugged. "Tis how life has worked out for us so far. Please excuse me while I check on dinner." She got up and left for the kitchen, where the faint smell of cooking food could be caught.

A few seconds later, Brandy was pushed out from the kitchen, forcing her to socialize. She watched Azure with judging eyes as she sat where her mother had occupied. There was silence for a bit before she spoke. "So why are you here."  

[Wolfs Heart]

Azure paused thoughtfully about what Kahua had just said. "I'm sorry if I said anything..." Azure felt bad for saying any thing he had just said. Sometimes it was difficult for him to understand the concept of family, even if Trager was like a sister to him. The scent of food wafted towards his nose, and Azure began sniffing. It had been a long time since he had smelled anything like that. The scent of warm cooked food, and the exotic smells blending. He wasn't a master chef, obviously, but when you had gone so long without food like that it was a beautiful aroma.

Azure blinked at Brandy as she interrupted his peaceful food meditation. "It's probably not what you think..." Azure started. "Your mom is very nice..." He paused awkwardly, avoiding her gaze and unsure what to say, he really was out of practice at this whole socializing thing. "So... uhm, what were you doing outside?" He asked her.  

[Kira of Flames]

Brandy raised an eyebrow as Azure. "Not what I think, hm? And what exactly is it that I think." Because of COURSE he would assume some train of thought of her even though she'd only said, like 12 words to him. God, men where so full of themselves.

She sat herself on the arm of a chair and crossed a leg over the other, never removing her harsh gaze from Azure. "What was I doing? I was out fishing for dinner. Or did you already forget the bag of seafood that I had contemplated hitting you with." A wry smirk came on her face. "Would have done more damage than the towel."  

[Wolfs Heart]

Azure was speechless. "Well... uhm.... I don't know what you think... I just don't want you to think I'm here for anything... bad." He managed to stammer out. This female was especially intimidating. It was hard for him to believe she was related to the sweet, motherly Kahlua. He had to wonder who her father was, that she got her fiery hair and personality from.

In the moment that Brandy had first entered the home he had been so startled and confused that he had hardly noticed what was in the bag she carried, he had even struggled to remember that there had been a bag. "Oh so that's what I've been smelling..." he hesitated, slightly embarrassed "I'm glad you chose the gentler weapon for me..." It was probably the first joke he had managed to come up with in a long time, but his tone was flat and quiet. "So you like to fish, huh?" It was getting more difficult for Azure to be alone with Brandy.  

[Kira of Flames]

"Because telling me 'I'm not bad' totally gains my trust." She responded, sarcasm dripping over her words. She knew she was nothing like the mother she lived with, both in species and in the fact that she was completely opposite of her mother in almost every way possible.

"I fish because it's a good source of protein and meat. Better than half the vegetable-crap my mother brings back home." One could only tolerate so many salads for lunch and dinner every so often.

Kahlua walked out with two large plates filled with steamed vegetables and fish falletes laying on cooked spinach. She passed one plate to Azure, then the other to Brandy; guests eat first. "Please, eat up!" She passed out forks, one of the few things she was able to salvage from the days of the HQ. She left only for a moment to get her own plate of food.

"So. Azure, what brought you out to this area today?"  

[Wolfs Heart]

Azure felt defenseless and particularly cowardly, just like he had been before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything that way" Azure could have hit his head every time something came out of his mouth, he wasn't doing that great, but it had been awhile.

Azure was relieved when Kahlua came back into the room. "Oh, wow this looks great" Azure politely told Kahlua when he got his meal. He looked at her curiously, wondering where her food was, but when she came back with a plate of food he felt comfortable enough to start eating. He took a large gulp of his spinach when she asked him a question, it didn't really sound good to say his sister forced him out today. He chewed on some food to give him time to think and then responded. "I just kind of wanted to relax and spend some time in the forest. It's a... beautiful... walk." It wasn't entirely untrue, he had used to go on walks like that all the time when he was younger, it was one of his favorite places to be.  

[Kira of Flames]

Brandy took the plate and shoved half the veggies off to a side before cutting into her fish and eating it rather contently.

Kahlua seemed to be more content with keeping the conversation and, between small bites, continued asking him questions. "It is beautiful, isn't it. Where do you live?" She would keep the small talk for now... but she had come to a brilliant idea while in the kitchen.  

[Wolfs Heart]

Azure felt a weight come off his shoulders as Brandy stopped shooting lasers at him so that she could eat. Deep breath. "I have a hut in the forest... its kind of hard to explain exactly where it is, but it wasn't far from where we ran into each other. I hadn't been walking very long." He was kind of amazed at how much he had been talking, it was more then usual and his throat was starting to feel a little dry from it all, but it kind of felt good. Azure took another bite, strange to be eating real, cooked food for once. "You're a good cook," Azure complemented her, still trying to be polite and conversational, even if he didn't feel very good at it right now.  

[Kira of Flames]

"Really? It's entertaining to think that we haven't run into one another before!" Kahlua smiled to her daughter. "Then again, you hardly ever travel out to be social." She turned back to their company. "You like it? you're welcome to come and join us at any time, I hardly ever get to cook for anyone else but us."

"Mother..." Brandy looked up to give her mom The look.

Kahlua only chuckled, then decided to broach the matter she had in mind. "Azure... I do have a favor to ask you."  

[Wolfs Heart]

"Yeah, I can't imagine why we haven't." Azure could very easily imagine why it hadn't happened. What he could imagine happening was that Kahlua had run into his sister and had set up this whole thing. He thought for a moment that he had been caught in his lie of not getting out to socialize, but it had been directed at Brandy, he couldn't help but release a hesitant laugh. "Oh thank you for the offer..." Azure was searching for a way to get out of it, it was clear that Brandy didn't want him there, and well he wasn't sure he wanted to be here, even if the food was good and Kahlua was nice. Strangely, he had been happier with his moping.

There it was, the catch, he could sense Trager playing puppet all over this, but ever polite Azure had no choice but to respond, even without knowing what the favor was, "You've been so hospitable, of course."  

[Kira of Flames]

Kahlua felt her cheeks turn a tint of rosy. "i hate to pull in a guest into family matters." She hesitated for a moment, then continued into her request. "I'm sure you're aware of the celebration that is happening with Venus, the dance that she is throwing. I was hoping I could ask I could convince you to chaperon Brandy to it."

"MOTHER!" Brandy stood up, horrified and angry.

"Brandy, it is TIME. I have put up with you being anti-social and difficult since childhood. I am truly and deeply sorry I don't understand you, understand the questions you had that I couldn't answer, but I do know what's best for you. You are to go to this dance and you are to interact with others. I don't care if it results in friendship or more, but you need to be out of this house." This was the first time that Kahlua had raised her voice in quite some time and, while she wasn't yelling, there was a finality to it.

Turning to Azure, her cheeks turned darker red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry...."

Brandy was starting at her mother, eyes wide and voice muted. A look of mortified surprise on her face. How could her mother do this?!  

[Wolfs Heart]

Azure's worry peaked when he saw Kahlua's cheeks flush, oh no, what was it going to be. He bit his lower lip in anticipation. There it was, he was caught, oh yes, Trager had definitely been involved in this scheme. The blue boy was silent, letting Brandy have her moment to rage. Meanwhile fighting his own internal battle. The other pae clearly hated him, and he might be dead if he took her, but he had kind of already said yes, and how was he to deny Kahlua who had been so kind and helpful to him. This whole thing seemed like plain manipulation to get two antisocial pae out into the world. Azure rethought the situation, it wasn't as if he was taking Brandy to the dance as a date, he just had to chaperon her and then they could go their separate ways and she could be angry at someone else. That sounded like a good plan to him. "Uhm, yes, I'd love to." he stated again, his throat felt like it was closing in on itself. Azure wondered what the chances were he would even live to see the dance, Brandy probably wasn't capable of killing him, right?  

[Kira of Flames]

Kahlua's eyes soften and she smiled gratefully to him. "Oh bless you, thank you so much."

Brandy stood up, shot both of them a glare, then walked into the kitchen to drop off her plate. "I'm not going" She stated on return.

"Yes, you are going, and that's the end of the matter."  

[Wolfs Heart]

It would certainly save Azure some trouble and pain if Brandy was the one who backed out of it. "You're welcome, its the least I can do." Azure was pretty sure that wasn't true, this was probably the worst thing anyone could come up with for him to do. "I'm sure she'll lighten up, I'm pretty irresistible once you get to know me." He chuckled hesitantly, it was all he could come up with to say with how nervous he was and how awkward this situation was. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't lighten up. Azure remembered the last set up he had been a part of, that had been painful.  

[Kira of Flames]

With one more frown, Brandy left the room, deciding she wanted no part in this since apparently she had no say in her own future.

Once her daughter left, Kahlua gave a sigh and sank back in her chair. Brandy was exhausting to deal with. "Are you sure you're ok with doing this, Azure? I know she is an incredible handful." Not to mention an expert at driving people away.