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Anandi didn't know Shiloh's working hours. Honestly, she hadn't seen him much since depositing him into the care of Judge Alexei post-youma attack. She'd been worried about him - his mental and physical health. They'd exchanged phone numbers during their last encounter and while she didn't want to bother Shiloh while he was working, she was still very concerned about him. Alexei simply said he was "fine", but that simply wasn't enough information to satisfy her.

Being that he too was a Page, Anandi felt her duty was to protect and guide him to learn to protect himself. Just like Saint Michel had mentioned - teach them to protect themselves. She couldn't always be around to protect Shiloh and Alexei... she needed Shiloh to be strong enough to step up to the plate, as it were.

That was far in the future though, when Shiloh was at least a Squire. Until then, Anandi would Mama Bird the snot out of the shy man. She sent him a text, complete with emoji, to find out if he was free.

Anandi quickly tapped back a reply, eager to do something other than patrol or work through complex software coding. She had taken the day off and was more than pleased to find out that Shiloh had some free time as well (and that he seemed okay!)

Well, that made things easy!

Without having to worry about picking Shiloh up, Anandi input the address of the Ice Creamery into her phone to use its GPS. She'd never been there before and could use all the help she could get. Radio turned on to the Destiny City Top 40's station and she was off. According to her GPS, it would take about ten minutes in current traffic conditions.

Thankfully, when Anandi pulled up in her well-loved maroon sedan, the Ice Creamery had a few open spaces for parking. Today was one of the first full days of warm weather and the people of Destiny City were out in full force to enjoy it. The Ice Creamery was a destination for many people today, a nice line forming behind the counter. Anandi practically bounced through the door and stopped to look for her friend Mister Shiloh. The young man was easy to spot - shy and seated in a secluded corner of the store.

Trotting up to him, Anandi practically squished herself into his side of the booth for a hug. "Hi Mister Shiloh! It's me~ How are you doing?? Can I buy you an ice cream~?"

Anandi noted Shiloh's fidgeting when she all but tackled him for a Big Sister-brand hug. She didn't mean to come on so strongly, but Anandi was so excited to see that he was okay. She would apologize for it soon. "Yes Mister Shiloh, that's me! It's so good to see you! I'm so glad you're okay! Don't you worry, I'll go get you an ice cream, okay? I have a great idea~"

Before Shiloh could even think about protesting a free ice cream, Anandi had already disappeared to wait in line.

The Ice Creamery, as she had read on Yelp, had a very special ice cream sundae not listed on the menu. One had to know exactly what to ask for. This particular store (as the Ice Creamery was a franchise chain unique to Destiny City) had a small menu of specialty desserts - one was specifically made for a bad breakup, one for an anniversary celebration, and one for best friends. Anandi knew she and Shiloh weren't best friends, but the Best Friend Sundae had rave reviews, so it had to be good, right?

With their order paid and received, Anandi did her best not to bounce back to the table with Shiloh's Best Friends Sundae. It was a tall sundae glass with three scoops of ice cream in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors, covered in sprinkles, gummy bears and two chocolate waffle cones shaped into straws.

Anandi beamed from the other side of the booth. "Don't you worry, Mister Shiloh. You definitely deserve delicious ice cream after everything that happened! So... did everything work out okay with Mister Alexei? He seems so scary but once you get to know him, he seems like a very kind person!"

It did... yes... I even got to spend the night with him... He is very kind...

emotion_jawdrop

Alexei? Shiloh? Spending the night??

How SCANDALOUS.

Anandi was never one for deception, nor could she hide the emotion that shone very plainly on her face. She wasn't a manipulative person by any means, and wore her heart on her sleeve. In this case, she busted out the patented Googly-Eyes in an effort to gain just a little more information about the relationship between the shy janitor and the stern and imposing judge.

At the very least, she kept her voice low so as not to scare the living daylights out of poor Shiloh, who looked like he was about to wet himself. "Is he cuddly? I bet he's very cuddly, because you know that stereotype about stern men being all squishy and sugary on the inside when you break through their tough exterior? Is he like that, Mister Shiloh? OH, I'm so happy for you two! I had no idea, but this is such wonderful news! I'm so happy for you!!"

They were simply meant to be as far as Anandi was concerned - two star-crossed lovers. One was in a high-profile position of power, the other ran in much different social circles. It was like Anandi's favorite romance movies.

Of course, she could be reading the entire situation incorrectly, but she couldn't help the Googly Eyes. emotion_kirakira

Shiloh's reaction to her nosy assumptions made Anandi feel very guilty for being so thoughtless. "Oh, Mister Shiloh, I'm so very sorry for saying that and embarrassing you. I didn't mean to and I promise I won't say anything about it, okay? I extra super duper promise, I won't say a word! Don't you worry, okay?"

Finding out that he lived alone and that he was frightened had Anandi wringing her hands. She had just assumed Shiloh happened to stutter because of the very terrifying near-death experience at the hands of a youma. The fact that he stuttered now, out in public without any sort of danger, indicated something else entirely.

"He makes me feel safe too. I think that's just how Mister Alexei is. You know, he seems to have everything together, and has such a good grip on things. He's wise, too! I'm glad he makes you feel safe. That was very kind of him, to make sure you were safe. His house is probably better than mine anyway. Our family is very big and very loud and that probably wouldn't help at all."

She leaned over to take a spoonful of the vanilla ice cream and a few gummy bears. "Anyway, I haven't seen any more youma since that night, so that's good! Maybe they're staying away. I try to do patrols every night, especially knowing how vicious they can be and how sometimes you have to go outside, Mister Shiloh. Have you... you know..." Dropping her voice to a whisper, she tried to keep this part of the conversation private. "....have you powered up since then? I can teach you lots of stuff and make sure you're strong enough to protect Mister Alexei too!"

"Mister Alexei is pretty wonderful. He's like a strong big brother or an uncle or a father. It's easy to feel safe around him. But you're pretty wonderful too, Mister Shiloh! You're super cute and sweet and nice. I hope you don't mind if I be your friend? If you're okay with it, that is!"

The sundae halfway finished, this whole ice cream social idea seemed like an excellent one. Ice cream had the magical property of making most everyone happier.

She listened intently to Shiloh, learning that Alexei too lived alone and his house didn't sound very inviting. Shiloh might have been even more frightened had Alexei's calming nature not been there to help him. "You know, Mister Shiloh, I bet Mister Alexei really appreciates your company and your help. You don't expect him to be anything other than himself, right?" Tilting her head, she gave the nervous young man a sunny smile. "You're not asking him to finish some paperwork or go to a meeting or preside over a court case. I'm sure he really appreciates that. He can be himself around you instead of having to worry about what you might need from him."

The number of gummy bears diminishing, Anandi leaned back to allow the brunette to finish the last of the Best Friends Sundae. "Don't you worry about the whole... umm..." Air quotes. "Training stuff. I understand! Working all the time really cuts into your ability to do anything else. You just let me know when you're available and you want to, okay~?"

Anandi could tell something was up between Shiloh and Mister Alexei, but dare not breathe another word of it further. Instead, she decided to watch from the sidelines and try not to giggle and squeal too loudly if some moonlight rendezvous happened while under her watch at the judiciary building. Oh, what a romantic thought! Big, strong, stoic Mister Alexei~ It was like a romance movie. How perfect!

Tee hee~

"You are too special, Mister Shiloh. You're special to me and to Mister Alexei! I know it's probably hard to think of yourself that way -- nobody wants a big ego, you know? -- but you're special and a friend! I promise I won't say anything. I'll just keep doing my job and keeping the building and everybody in it safe. I promise!"

Anandi waved her hand in dismissal when Shiloh seemed upset at the thought of training right away. Anandi had a lot of patience when it came to other people, really. "Don't you worry, Mister Shiloh. When you're ready, you're ready. You just let me know! I know it's difficult with working late nights and everything, and having bills to pay. Sometimes life gets in the way of... well... other life. But I'll stick around in the meantime and help out wherever I can!"

The sundae finished, the young Indian woman scooped it up to return it to the counter for washing. Profusely thanking the workers behind the counter for a delicious treat, she promised to write a glowing review for them on Yelp. Returning to the booth with Shiloh, she couldn't help but think this ice cream run was a complete success. "Really, I'm glad you're okay. Mister Alexei was worried about you too. Fighting the youma can be very difficult but... it's easier when you have someone important to protect. Yes indeed!"