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Arorangi found he rather enjoyed those large grins of Lydia's; they were enthusiastic and charming, and very reminiscent of her personality. A little quirky, a little fun, and a little bright all rolled into one to spread across her face and remind him why they were friends in the first place.

"Okay, then!" said Arorangi firmly. "It is decided, then, we will sing together after dinner, and we will have a great time!"

"And yes," he added, smoothing the front of his shirt down. "Nebraska and New Zealand, my two homes! And that is unfortunately as far as I have traveled, other than where we are now." A booming laugh escaped him, Arorangi shaking his head so that several dreadlocks fell free from their clasp and fell loosely over his broad shoulders. "I wish I could say that I have been elsewhere so that you could learn more of the world, but alas."

Lydia's thin arms wound around him from behind; it took him by surprise, his eyes widening momentarily - but then Arorangi found himself relaxing easily into her embrace, lifting a hand to pat her hand where it rested over him. She drew away quickly, however, too quick, and then was seated across from him, looking a little flushed and excited.

It was already turning out to be a good night, and they hadn't even had dinner yet. Arorangi beamed across the table at Lydia.

"You should get what you want!" he urged her, grinning. "Get whatever you like, it is obviously my treat!"

Arorangi felt the tips of warm fingers dance across his face, and his eyes widened a little, startled into silence. He blinked at Lydia, unmoving as she fiddled with the thick dreadlocks, first tucking them back a little and then letting them rest gently against his shoulders. After the first few initial seconds of surprise, he relaxed, a smile flickering into existence on his face.

"Thank you," he told her, as she sat back down, staring intently at her menu. "I always have trouble keeping it all under control, but I am glad you are here to help me."

He didn't bat an eye at Lydia's rather extravagant order, Arorangi's small smile widening into a grin. "Hot wings and a 12 inch for myself as well," he said, folding the menu and instead looking across the table at Lydia. For a moment he was quiet.

"I am very glad to be here with you, Lydia," he said.

She was such a curious sort; wide-eyed and interested in everything, like a deer would be, and certainly as awkwardly graceful as a doe. But there was something about that awkwardness that Arorangi found very appealing, and maybe it was because she was as friendly and open as she was, or maybe it was that big heart of hers - but whatever it was, he liked it very much.

"Thank you," Arorangi said, and laughed. "Wild is how I have it most of the time, I will admit," he added, a little ruefully. "I am afraid I am not very talented or knowledgeable when it comes to things like hair and clothing, so I just do what it is that I can to look at least somewhat presentable."

He winked at her, tapping his fingers idly against the plastic menu. There it was again, though, the gentle blush across her cheeks, and the wide smile on her face, a smile he had started to grow used to. The laughter sounded a little off, but it wasn't unpleasant, and Lydia was clearly pleased about being here, which in turn made Arorangi pleased.

"If we have a good night, we should eat dinner together again," he suggested with a warm smile, and then his eyes lit up. "It could be a weekly thing! We do not always have to go off of the island to eat, but we should have a weekly dinner together, it would be fun!"

The waitress swung up by their table, popping her gum and beaming brightly at the pair of them.

"What'll it be, sugars?" she asked with a grin. "I'm Lady, your waitress for the evening. Can I start you two sweet things off with a beverage or two?"

Lydia's smiles were made of sunshine, Arorangi decided, and her laughter made of bells. Or something else more poetic, but either way, he could quite fathom how anyone would dislike Lydia Stiles because she was just plain lovely to be around.

"I think your clothes and hair are just fine," Arorangi told her firmly. "You are who you are, and I like you just fine like that. You should not want to change, stay how you are! Is that not how we have become friends? I like being around you as you are now!"

Her comment about him being gorgeous made him laugh, Arorangi shaking his head. "You are very kind, aroha," he said, beaming at her. Internally, he felt a strange sort of twist to his stomach, which he tried to ignore. "But you are the gorgeous one, not me."

The waitress was given a big smile as well. Arorangi waited for Lydia to order first and then he added, "I would like wine as well, if you please. Same as the lady here, and some waters."

The waitress wave a hand and left. Arorangi's eyes moved back to Lydia, and he said, "Okay, now that we are here - you must tell me more about yourself."

"Well, yes, it was all very exciting! But you know, now you can do all the traveling you want! Anywhere in the world, just a portal away." She snapped her fingers. "I could show you all of the places I've already seen, or you could go somewhere completely new! Of course, two days a month isn't nearly enough time to really experience a culture to it's fullest but...." Her voice trailed off, and for just a split second, she frowned, a strange feeling of sadness rolling through her briefly as she considered all that she'd lost by being brought to Deus.

"Well, it's the best we're going to get, really." Beyond the few missions that sent them to foreign lands for weeks at a time, of course, an opportunity that she actually looked forward to.

With her chin propped up on her hands, it was quite easy to stare at Arorangi with an almost dreamy expression, gaze wandering over handsome and chiseled features before meeting his eyes with her own and waiting for him to tell her about how he had wound up on Deus. She was all prepared for a thrilling tale of some sort, and was rather glad for a chance to get to know more about him.

She gave her head a nod, her mouth splitting into a toothy grin. "Yes. Proceed." She brought up her second hand, chin soon resting on both while she waited.

She couldn't actually believe that his story could be uninteresting. He had to be joking! She knew it was going to be full of excitement and adventure. It just had to be!

....It wasn't.

"Why did you think you would do well?" She pressed. "What made you believe it was a good idea?" Surely there had to be more to the story then just this!

When he said it like that, it was hard not to get excited. Her sadness swept away by a few enthusiastic sentences, ones where Arorangi included her in his plans to travel, a fact that made her very happy indeed. Time away from the island. Time away together, much like they were now, only with less food and more action and adventure! Lydia wanted it. No, she needed it. She had been cooped up on the island for far, far too long.

When he reached for one of her hands, she was almost startled. His skin felt so warm against hers, it was jolting, but not in an unpleasant way. She grinned, and nodded her head, her hair bobbing around her shoulders. "Yes! That sounds so lovely! I would absolutely love to and...Oh!" She couldn't help but blush, for what felt like the millionth time, at his words. His closest friend? She liked the sound of that! And she had to agree. She had never felt so close to somebody before as she did to Arorangi now. He was, without a doubt, an absolute treasure that she was endlessly grateful for.

Her nodding was less enthusiastic and her smile more on the pleasant rather than exuberant side when he spoke of his reasons for joining Deus. "Adventure. I had that before. To be a better person is quite noble. Fighting monsters...I think it depends on the monster. Some are not quite so bad as others." She remembered Wonderpark. She remembered the large Bigfoot that had seemed so gentle, but she also remembered the giant spider creature that had killed her friend. "I believe, in many cases, it is all just a matter of respect. Showing it, giving it, expecting some in return." She continued, lifting her chin from her hands, which folded back down to the table top, fingers lacing together.

And then she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, before reaching over and grabbing for her glass of water, which she took a small sip from.

"When we get back to Deus, you should look up the files on WonderPark. My story is, well, rather lengthy." She grinned. "And also rather sad, in many ways. Tragic, really." She admitted, as she set her glass back down. "But if you read the files...they should tell you everything." She had given them all of the information she could, everything she had done to survive, every demise that she had witnessed. It was a grim topic, and one that she decided was not, perhaps, the best dinner time conversation.