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Dhiren's face continued to burn as the woman next to him talked. He noticed that she cleverly avoided relinquishing her own name, and felt a little at a loss. His ears twitched at what she was saying, and it was a little strange to think that he was actually in love with Alice. An unfamiliar fluttering started up in his gut, making the tom hug his knees even closer and tilt his ears back. "I.... don't know if I like them." He growled slowly, "Everything is confusing and weird.." Flicking amber eyes over, the Somali met the older woman's gaze and huffed with exasperation. "I don't really care about impressing anyone." He shifted his position a little, hunching his shoulders stubbornly, "But... I would like to... learn how to talk with her. I guess. So that she doesn't get angry..."

His brows knit together and he scowled into his knees. He wasn't accustomed to laying himself out for another, and the anxiety of being so exposed and vulnerable, even to a pregnant woman, was beginning to tick at him again. "As we both are now, I doubt that meeting up for a chat would end well.." He murmured as an afterthought, not necessarily intending for his companion to hear.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Dhiren murmured into the fabric of his pants, "Easier said than done..." and his face flushed again, just thinking of trying to stay calm in such a situation. Still, hearing the woman talk about her own insecurities with the one she loved, the Somali tom couldn't help but feel a little better. Turning amber eyes to her, he raised his head a bit and let one ear flop to the side. "So, this... weird feeling... will pass?" He asked with a low, wavering growl, "Will I be able to face her as a normal man?" He lifted his ears, a little hopefully, and thought about being able to talk to Alice without flushing and making an a** of himself.

Letting his legs fall into a loose, crossed position, the Somali brushed his bangs from his eyes and sighed. "I guess it's worth a shot... Although I have no idea how I'm going to keep from getting nervous... or what I'm going to say to her that won't come out wrong..." Just as soon as his resolve seemed to solidify, the lingering doubts made him narrow his eyes again, and his hands curled into fists in his lap. "Man, I'm.... Not very good at this... Being social..."

Though the idea of failing and not being liked by Alice after all made Dhiren antsy inside, he nodded in affirmation to what the woman said. It made sense after all; if he wasn't himself, then who else would he be? "O....oi..." He murmured, his arm flinching a bit when Satine placed her hand on his. His ears stood alert, and he thought about what she asked him. "I... don't know. I think so... but," He recalled what she had told him in the alley, and not knowing her all that well, wasn't aware that her attitude lately had been unusual, "she told me... that nothing was serious. Nothing would come of that meeting at all. It's what she said..." He lowered his ears at the thought and growled to himself, "Not that it matters, something did happen there. I think she knows it too... I ... I believe that." He glanced over to the woman, feeling a little pathetic for talking so openly about these silly emotions, yet still interested in her thoughts. Despite earlier protests, she was helping him. "I think I need to.. talk with her.. I need to find her."

Dhiren nodded to himself, agreeing with her in his moment of determination, but when she mentioned his 'look' and reached out to brush the hair out of his eyes, he leaned away from her and drew his ears back defensively. She was helping, but she was still a stranger for the most part, and there was that katana at her back... and who knew how many kittens bulging her stomach. "Wha.... What's wrong with my look?!" He asked with a small glare and a tone of uncertainty. Reaching up, the Somali tom played with his bangs a moment and scrunched his shoulders a bit. Why did he need to do anything with his hair? He was clean enough, right? Alice had danced with him before when he looked the way he did. The young tom didn't see the point in any of it. As he mulled it over in his head, his tail began flipping back and forth with irritation.

"I don't really understand why you think I need to do this," He growled quietly, tail still flicking away, "But I don't want to go shopping. My clothes are fine the way they are." His cheeks flushed when she confessed to her desire to mess with his hair, although why, he wasn't quite sure. Wouldn't it be strange to let some woman style your hair like you were a girl? Slowly, amber eyes shifted to glance at the pregnant cat again. "My hair..." He murmured quietly, embarrassed for even entertaining the idea, "What... do you want to do with it...?" Still feeling his cheeks flame, the tomcat ducked his head a little and gritted his teeth.

Dhiren's ears twitched as she moved behind him to mess with his hair. His bright orange fur bristled as she mentioned product and styling and volume and things a man probably shouldn't be worrying about. "I think you've helped enough already," He began uneasily, moving away from her and turning to stare back, "I should probably go anyway if I'm.. ah.. going to find Alice and sort this out." The young tom was obviously a little rattled, his tail flickering rapidly now as he got to his paws, "Erm... Thanks, I guess. Talking to you sorta helped." Rubbing the back of his head, Dhiren didn't exactly seem convinced himself, but left it at that as he turned and ran off down the hill, already glad to have removed himself from the strange woman.