Welcome to Gaia! ::

To say the leisurely walk from the bookstore was calming would be a understatement; King continuing to pick Nicholai's brain about certain reptile facts, and generally chatting about what came to mind as they ventured to this new location, but the cool air and physical movement had done wonders to settle the very strong impulse that had almost gotten the better of her a short while ago. Never one to really question her wants or, frankly, even the opinions of others when it came to her choices the woman had struggled hard to behave herself when her companion had helped her avoid a collision earlier.. Thankfully the brisk air helped snap King back to her manners and their stroll had been quite relaxing even as she'd watched the man at her side curiously. He spoke as if from experience, his voice low and oddly comforting in the soft cadence that fluctuated as his thoughts shifted between bashful sharing and confident insights. In turn she'd shared a few things of herself, idle comments about some of her parkour routes through the town and how this was typically where she found her scaly friends out and about in warmer weather. Throughout the walk she'd noticed, every so slightly, that he seemed uncomfortable with the winter wind that lightly tussled their hair and misted their breath into view. It reminded her that normal people didn't have the same immunity she did.. and without thinking much of it, and perhaps subconsciously admitting she had enjoyed the contact earlier, King shifted closer to lightly lace her left arm around his at his elbow; Her hand resting lightly on his forearm to avoid hindering his hold upon his shopping bag. She'd been careful not to grasp his other arm which had been steadily directing his cane, both to respect his space and to avoid hindering his movements.

Comfortably settled King allowed a bit of her magic to stir under her skin, the soft glimmer of her tattoos along her exposed flesh hinting at the surge of energy as she allowed herself to share some of her unnatural heat with the man next to her in the hopes of easing some of his discomfort with the weather. The coffee shop was close, the patrons along the sidewalk likewise growing more frequent, and mindful not to clip anyone in passing King absently rested her free hand next to the other already resting on his arm as she pondered their banter. " Earlier you mentioned a.. Naja Cobra? Is that different than a King Cobra? I wonder if I could sketch one at some point." She'd thought that had been the name he'd mused into her ear but, admittedly, she'd been a bit distracted to really focus on his words at the time. It had struck her enough to stick with her however and the woman was curious if he'd elaborate.

Following Nicholai through the interior of the Café King grasped the strap of her messenger bag and lifted it a little, ensuring the item rested neatly at her side on the booth's bench as she slid into her seat opposite of her companion's resting place. His explanation made sense and, though it troubled her to realize how she'd overlooked the notion, a part of her was also inspired by the idea of trying to capture different scale textures and patterns in her art work as he explained the differences between the types of Cobras in nature. " I've noticed that scientific names can be a bit odd at times but.. I guess it follows the idea of 'A rose by any other name', right? Being named for a family type doesn't really change the special traits of the individual snakes." It was a given that she had always tried to match any unique markings present on her sketch-target but... It had never dawned on her that the details could depend heavily on the animal's texture even when it came to such deceptively smooth creatures like serpents. Noting that one of the servers had glanced their way King lifted her hand with a friendly wave, letting the guy know that they were ready to order when next he was free. A lively wave answered her own and she smiled, her gaze sliding back to the man sitting across the table from her as the low noise drifted through the establishment. Off to the side the projector switched channels, something to do with the news that barely turned a few heads to mind it, and King found herself folding her hands together on the table's surface as if resisting the urge to fidget. It had been obvious outside too, but the more she really studied him the more she realized she might be in trouble. Dark, glossy hair and deep green eyes that sort of reminded her of Jades.. Her earlier word choice of 'handsome' fit very well. But that didn't hide the small signs of stress that had settled into his features as they'd walked through the chilled street and the girl wasn't a total fool. Humans were uncomfortable in the cold but this man seemed sincerely troubled by it. Perhaps she really was just that far removed from normal people or maybe he was a little odd himself. The words of her friend only a few nights ago returned to her mind and King bit her lip, admitting at least to herself that Nate's words made far more sense now than they had then. It didn't matter 'what' someone was, only 'who'.. right? So perhaps.. Nicholai wouldn't mind her being a Meta? Even if he did mind she felt it was a bit silly not to mention it considering she could ease at least a bit of his discomfort in using her abilities.

" Snakes, birds, cats.. Humans. They come in all kinds so.." Lifting her right hand into the space between them, palm down, she allowed a little surge of magic to ripple down her arm to light the tattoos so neatly woven across her skin; Allowing him to see the ink's reaction clearly as a small flare of heat fluctuated around them. " .. let me know if you get too cold, alright?" Her tone was gentle yet, for the first time, a bit more serious as well as she more or less confirmed his suspicions about her nature. There was no demand in her tone for him to return this level of personal information and, as she'd already shown herself to be quite easy going, she readily shifted the conversation away from the topic.. both to avoid making him feel pressured to reciprocate the information and to gloss over the fact that he was having a drink with someone that wasn't quite 'normal'. Many places wouldn't hire her because of her tattoos and just as many people judged her 'strange' for them, and honestly that was fine because she didn't need or want their opinions when the alternative to letting her fire run wild without the markings was much worse to consider. Yet oddly... Every time those green eyes of his shifted her way King felt the most unusual prickles of self awareness. Did the markings on her bother him? Was her hair a mess? A inward groan signaled the end of these petty musings and King dropped her hand to rest on the table where it had hovered, the markings fading back to the normal red hues as she forced her mind back on track. " I would laugh about 'having the hots' for you but terrible pun aside I do like you, so I'm paying for the drinks.~" While it was true she barely knew him King understood her feelings perfectly and as a result she shared them clearly, seeing no reason to beat around the bush about expressing her interest in getting to know him better. Aannnnddd she had said she would bribe him, so to make him pay when she herself asked him out? Even criminals had a limit of bad behavior.~

The man didn't panic at either her show of magic nor her feelings and the tension that had unwittingly built knots in her stomach eased with relief as she watched a flurry of emotions pass over his expressive features. Shock, certainly... but awe? That wasn't expected and it earned that faint blush back to her features as if he'd offered her some sort of praise she couldn't quite put her finger on. The swift glance he cast around the area, as if worried others would see, earned an amused nose-crinkle from the girl as she weighed pointing out how odd this town was in general and that no one would likely find her quirks more interesting than their own quests for caffeine. But he had seemed genuinely excited and.. that touched her. He may be a little less thrilled to learn she could breathe fire but thaaaat was a hurdle for another time. That low chuckle of his earned a reflexive smile in response and when Nicholai sincerely thanked her, and the soothing pressure of his hand enveloped hers, King's gaze darkened to a soft caramel shade; The woman's tone returning to its typically playful cadence. " Partners in crime, right? I've got your back Nicholai." Sort of... She wouldn't point it out due to her own pride but for as short as she was next to him it would be a challenge she'd readily face to defend his 'six'.. but she could at least confidently guard that fine a- Nicholai's voice, this time traced with hints of hesitation, lured her focus back to reality to listen intently; King's slightly naughty and very ludic thoughts breaking off as her impish humor shifted into sincere curiosity. The stare that met hers was one familiar and yet slightly alien, those deep jade pools split by elegantly slanted pupils as they seemed to peer right through her and into her thoughts. There was a chord, somewhere in her chest, that tightened and for a moment King felt genuine concern as her pulse spiked and her eyes widened with surprise.. Though, from the deep cherry shade of the blush that worked over her features, it was clear her reaction wasn't one of fear for the man in front of her. She loved snakes, all reptiles and even amphibians for that matter, but she'd never once thought of them as anything but adorable and spunky animals. What then was the issue? Those eyes had been sexy as hell and the girl was desperately trying to figure out if this was some long-dormant kink she'd never been aware off. His fingers interlocked with her own, that soothing glide of contact rather intimate while stilling oddly reassuring and grounding for her as she closed her eyes and tried to get a grip on her thoughts. Okay... yes, it was new interest. But this man was hardly some innocent little danger-noodle, it didn't make her a pervert towards all cute little snakes to appreciate his serpentine appearance in a more mature way.. did it?

The comforting touch of his hand untangled form her grasp and King opened her eyes slightly, leaning forward to rest her chin on her left palm as she tilted her head towards the server that had come to speak with them... but her stare remained fixed on Nicholai under the thick dark fringe of her eyelashes as she mulled over the matter. His appearance had gone back to normal and, though by no means less striking, the girl was honestly a little disappointed she hadn't had time to really study his eyes in the midst of her inner revelation. Maybe... she didn't mind this new quirk, considering it only seemed to be the memory of 'his' eyes that were exciting. So he wasn't quite 'normal' himself, it wouldn't have bothered her in the least if he had been but a part of her was ecstatic too at the knowledge. The server cleared his throat softly and, realizing she'd been not so subtly staring at Nicholai with gods-only-knew what sort of enamored expression the woman jerked her attention the to other man and flashed an apologetic grin.. Owning up to her folly with a easy-going charm. " Airhead moment, I'm sorry. May I have a Chamomile tea with lemon please?" Sharing the laugh with her the Server went on his way with the orders and King sighed softly in relief, withdrawing her hand to rest it lightly on the table by her left elbow as she once again leaned her chin into the palm of her raised hand. King's index finger tapped her cheek lightly, the fiery shades of her hair falling down to obscure her right eye from view as she noted her companion had retreated back to his side of the booth after letting go of her hand. It had to have been difficult for him to share that with her, he didn't seem the type to drop his façade lightly.. But this also explained a fair bit about him that had puzzled her. Whatever he was the man hadn't been anything but honest with her and while she'd been surprised by her own reaction she didn't dislike the way he seemed to easily slide his serene mask back into place. His calm, in contrast to her chaos, was soothing.. and it wasn't hard to express the simple appreciation that filled her with. " Thank you, too. For not being afraid, and for letting me see something nice.~"