Welcome to Gaia! ::

The little cafe had always been a favorite place for Lexington to visit; run by a sweet olde fae woman, it definitely echoed her personality. A warm, soft, creamy yellow colored the walls with painted-on trees and flowering vines, the floor made of lovely stone tiles that were a mossy color and hanging plant pots with colorful flowers behind the counter that served more than a decorative purpose. The lights over each table were cute, as well; hanging globes of soft light that had colorful butterflies painted on the glass. The smell of fresh brewed coffee with bright notes and flavors mixed with the floral teas and baked goods that filled the glass display, tempting almost every person to have at least one.

Lex was sitting at a table close to the front where he could see people coming and going, watching with what seemed to be a light, casual smile on his face as he gave those who noticed him a friendly nod....but inside, he felt strangely nervous. There was always some trepidation when it came to meeting someone new, especially when it was someone you randomly chatted online with....but she seemed nice. The Kirin really needed to meet more people and hang out with someone other than himself, so here he was....curious and waiting to see if the online personality translated to reality.

Lex was in deep thought as he combed his fingers through his hair to get it out of his eyes....again....and sipped on his latte as he looked at the back of the book he had on his table to signal the person he was meeting. He'd actually taken the time to flip through the book a bit and it had some interesting information he might look further into later. It had more info in it than some of his text books....maybe even help him work with some of the more tricky stuff...

The grey kirin's ears twitched as he heard the bell of the door opening again, his eyes looking up to see the pink neko girl enter....and something told him she might be the person he was meeting. Lex watched her go to the counter to order, then smiled warmly when she came over and sat down; yep, this was her. "A very fitting screen name, at that. I'm ClayShaper23.....Lexington, but feel free to use Lex for short." He offered a hand to shake with a brighter smile as he officially met the lovely neko. Judging by the way she smiled when she came in, he felt his choice in meeting places was a good one. "Did you have any trouble finding the place? I'm sometimes not good with giving directions, which was why I sent the picture of the storefront to make sure."

"Pleasure's mine as well, Demi. I had a feeling you'd like it; it's one of my favorite places." Lex couldn't help but smile back since her own was infectious. It was nice to be around someone who was cheerful and reminded you to smile. He returned the handshake with a gentle yet firm grasp. "This place is like a warm oasis in the wintertime and just generally makes you feel good when you come in." Especially on rainy days....when he'd come in and eventually forget it was raining. "They use the flowers that grow in those pots in all of their drinks and some of the baked goods....all safe and pretty tasty, actually."

He chuckled lightly, if a little nervously, but there was relief on his face. "I'm glad...and I know what you mean. I often distract myself by finding interesting shapes in things....but I'm also bad with directions and street names, especially if they're the same name but ones a Lane and the other is a Court." Lex rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm glad you made it without any trouble. I may need that app, actually. It sounds pretty handy."

"That's very true. Having plants for beauty is fine and all but they have so many more uses than just decoration. Frankly I'm glad this place uses them in food and drink; it brings out another dimension of flavor." Lex smiled as she took a bite of her muffin and her reaction was so.....adorable. He couldn't help but laugh warmly at her enjoyment of the treat. "Yes they are! And that's just the muffins! There's the scones, cupcakes, cookies, tarts...." He was listing off the items as his tail swished behind him happily; he'd tried a bit of everything.

When she tried to make him feel les embarrassed about being bad with directions, he blushed lightly and smiled at her when she bumped his leg with her foot. "I guess so. They need people like us as a reason to make apps like Ike that." He chuckled a bit. "But I'd love to see that app. Something that talks to you to get your attention sounds really useful."

Lex smiled brightly as Demi said she'd be coming back. He liked that he got to share a good place like this with someone else and know that they liked it as much as he did. When she said she wouldn't mind meeting him here again, his smile broadened and he couldn't help his cheeks darkening a bit with blush. "It's ok....I got what you meant. And...I'd be happy to meet you here again, too. I like talking to you." Oh boy, now it was his turn to feel a bit awkward.

When she dug her phone out to show him the app, he scooted forward and leaned over the table a little to see it properly, blowing air up into his face to get his hair out of his eyes again. He mouthed the name of the app to himself as she showed him which it was and explained that it needed the GPS, smiling at her when he looked at her again. "That's great! I'll have to download that today before I forget." He laughed at himself lightly. He sat back again and regarded her warmly. "So what do you enjoy doing when you're not busy with school?"

Lex looked up at Demi and smiled brightly, glad to see her happy and hear that she liked the idea of meeting up again. His smile didn't waver when she touched his hand...in fact, he touched it with his other hand to return the gesture. She had such a vibrant, happy personality it was hard not to feel it affecting him.

"Alright, a long as you're sure." He pulled out his phone and looked up the app, starting the download and setting it down beside him on the table to let it finish on it own. Lex rested his chin on the top of his hand as he listened to Demi say what she liked to do and was not at all surprised by the gardening. He laughed lightly as she defended herself a bit. "No worries, I figured that would be in your repotoire. Gardening is a great thing to do; it's calming, at least from my experience but, then again, all I have is a little bonsai tree I take care of." He paused suddenly and looked up in thoughtful realization; he even sculpted when it came to plants. He snorted out a small chuckle and shook his head at himself. "I bet your love for your plants comes through in how well taken care of they are. I picture any flower or plant in your care is as vibrant and full of life as you are."

Lex smiled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He tended to worry about petty things at times but he knew how he could get sometimes; if he was focused on something, he could end up shutting out everything and everyone around him and it sometimes came off as rude, which he didn't want....especially not now.

"My bonsai? I think it's a snow rose; it has little leaves with pale borders and small white star-like flowers.....which sounds a lot like star jasmine but it doesn't have the scent." He chuckled s bit. "I'm torn between letting it grow a little so thhard greenery drapes down a bit like a willow or keeping it trimmed and cloud-like." Demi thanked him and he could tell his words touched her, which made him smile softly. "You're more than welcome....I believe it's true, though. Just from caring for my one bonsai I can tell that my moods and actions affect it....and you're so lively and happy that I can only imagine it's hard for a flower not to want to blossom because it feels your happiness."

Lex tilted his ears in a slightly confused way. "A bonsai specialist? No, I haven't....I honestly didn't even think there were specialists....though now that I think about it, there have to be because otherwise how would anyone know how to take care of one? Wow....that was dumb, haha!" He laughed at himself for not thinking. He had to because, sometimes, it was just ridiculous. "You want to see it? Well....of course, id love to have you over someday!" He smiled brightly and his cheeks flushed a little pink as he realized how...eager that sounded. He really did want to see her again, it seemed. He observed her as she looked down and seemed embarrassed by his compliments and he wondered if she got them often. "Am I....saying anything that's making you uncomfortable?" He meant his compliments but he didn't want to make her feel weird.