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 Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:38 am
Toby appreciated the conversation stopping where it was, even if Maia didn't want it to. He thanked the waiter again and turned to his food. Ah, yes, it smelled great. This had been a good choice for lunch. Dari meanwhile looked slightly put-off by the fact that he had to eat to keep up appearances. A few scallops weren't going to make him much bigger, but that didn't mean he wanted them.
"Don't look so sad, Slimebag. I'll help." His own metabolism was rather haywire. He could eat a great amount of food and never really see the effects. His attention then turned to Maia. "Do you like it?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:56 am
Maia took another bite before answering Toby's question. She chewed, swallowed, and said, "Its amazing! Thank you for bringing me here." She noticed Dari's expression, and her smile faded a little. He really didn't want to eat, did he?
"You don't have to eat," She said. "Don't worry about it, just switch plates with Toby when he's done."
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:04 pm
"Sure, no problem," Toby said with a nod and a smile. He began in on his own food and turned to Dari, who was inspecting a scallop on the end of his fork.
"I wonder if this had any necessary proteins," the alien mused. Toby shrugged.
"Only one way to find out."
Dari was able to mime eating as well as any entity masquerading as human, even when in reality he was only breaking it up a bit and then swallowing it to let it dissolve into his body cavity. He could probably just shove a few scallops into his thighs, right? Nobody would be any the wiser. "Huh. Interesting." Organic material broke up much more quickly than inorganic anyway so nobody should have to see the food in his belly. That tended to freak people out.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:13 pm
Maia's attention drifted from Dari to her own plate. "After this we should drive around," she said. They might be able to look around until dark. Maybe go to her beach earlier. They could watch the sunset or something. Shed be able to show them the inside of her place.
They'd have to go to the hotel at some point, though. If only to get her pelt from the safe.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:30 pm
Toby did end up finishing Dari's plate for him, all the while discussing what scallops were and what they looked like before they were cooked. Dari seemed unfazed but Toby was clearly having fun teasing regardless. Then came Maia's first experience with cheesecake which warmed the werewolf's soul a bit, then a short drive and back to the hotel to head to the beach. This was presumably the 'later' Toby had been talking about when he held off on discussing the pelt, but now they were nearer to it than any other location on the shore.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:43 pm
"Is it later?" Maia asked, once they reached the hotel. They were close enough to take her pelt, if Toby agreed. "Can we talk about it now? We're right here. You could put in the code easily. You can take it back after dinner, even. Come on."
She gave him a hopeful expression. "I'll trade you my taffy for it."
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:45 pm
Ah, but the selkie had it all wrong. This wasn't about gaining or owing, it was about her safety. Toby shook his head and held up a hand at the taffy comment. None of that, please. He wasn't going to trade for anything. If he was going to give the pelt up, she'd have to understand.
"You know why I don't want to give it back to you, right? Tell me why."
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:54 pm
"Because you don't want me to escape from you and get hurt. But I won't escape. I don't want to. I know you're protecting me, And I saw all those camera men. They frighten me. I'm not safe here." She sighed. "My best bet is you guys."
Even if she didn't want to leave, even if she'd miss her beach, she had a higher chance of survival if she stayed with Toby.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:57 pm
Toby sighed. He really, really shouldn't. How were they supposed to gain the trust of an entity if they held it captive, though? Bonding objects complicated things. Legally speaking, Toby was allowed to give the pelt back whenever he felt it was right. They trusted him. This time he couldn't be sure. Fae were difficult, and although it was the Unseelie who were more likely to lie and trick that didn't mean a Seelie wouldn't if they thought they were in danger. All that stuff about forgetting your forced husband had your bonding item was bullcrap before a few good months passed, and then it was just sad. He offered out his hand and, when Maia took it, folded it within his own.
"I need you to promise me you're not going to run away. There are people here who would trap you and your seal friends and make a game out of skinning you. There are men who would rather kidnap your pelt and take you home than reason with you. We just want to protect you, okay? Promise me."
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:05 pm
"I promise," Maia said. "I'll just catch us a good dinner. I'll come back." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't want any of that to happen either. And I know better than to escape, really. I saw those people." She glanced toward Dari. "You'll still swim with me, won't you?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:12 pm
Dari just smiled and nodded in silence. Of course he would.
"Okay," Toby agreed, "If you run, we can find you again, and we won't be so kind." He sighed and went to the safe, dialing in a complex code and coming out with a neatly-folded seal pelt. Rather than stuff it back in her bag, he retrieved both and handed them to Maia. I'm trusting you, his face seemed to say, don't betray this.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:25 pm
Maia took her pelt and carefully tucked it into her bag, which she hugged. She put the strap over her arm and promptly moved to hug Toby as well. "I promise," she repeated. "You won't have to look for me. I'll be right there. I trust you to protect me, now you have to trust me to stay where you can."
She released him, taking his hand again. "Let's go to the beach!"
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:40 pm
Yes, that was exactly what it was about. Toby returned the hug and smiled. Dari meanwhile was removing the projector, his features running up and down like fluid over the various ridges of his face and body while the small device bubbled up under a membrane in his palm. The membrane burst and there it was, a tiny, inconspicuous little machine in his palm. He set it inside the computer bag and turned to the other two. It was dark enough now that he could probably pass for dark-skinned at a glance. He kept his sunglasses on, though. Humanity had this weird obsession with supernaturally-colored eyes.
"Alright, are we ready to go?" Toby asked. Dari nodded, and Toby allowed Maia to keep his hand as they walked to the beach.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:57 pm
It wasn't long before Maia let go of Toby's hand and hurried to the surf. She set her bag down and stretched. "Come on Dari!" She called, waving to him. She would wait until the two men caught up, at least. She didn't want to scare Toby, have him worry that she was breaking her promise.
"Toby you can start a fire if you get chilly," she said, indicating the driftwood nearby. "I don't want you getting cold."
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 2:02 pm
Toby wasn't planning on becoming particularly chilly, but he'd need something to do while his cold-resistant companions frolicked. He waved to the two as they set off into the surf and began to go about creating a fire. It was too bad they couldn't invite anyone else. A beach fire made for one hell of a party.
Dari shed his clothes on the beach, tossed aside his sunglasses, and walked into the water to about waist-height. Once there he dove down in, easy for someone slightly more dense than water, and turned to watch Maia. He didn't really think she would be running, but it was smart to keep an eye on her just in case.
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