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Albert had been heavily tempted to call in and cancel his meeting with Kaida today. He hadn't wanted to leave the house with his nose looking like this - the bandages were off, but he'd had to get stitches, and so it still looked a little puffy and reddened and - in his mind, at least - HIDEOUS. Unfortunately for his vanity and ego, Emily the Elder had shoved him out the door, fussing at her brother in law to go get some sun and start 'feeling like a human being again'.

... He'd get her back for that later.

For now, he was trying to keep his hand inconspicuously over his nose as he made his way to the blonde awaiting him inside the shop. Surely he could keep his nose covered and she wouldn't notice anything was amiss!

.... Oh who was he kidding? He was doomed. Doomed to a lifetime of ugliness and not even a nice young lady to talk to! Best to approach his fate with head held high, however, and so he took a seat opposite Kaida, feeling quite silly with one hand still pressed over his sore nose.

"Hello."

Albert whined softly as he pulled his hand away, letting her see the terrible atrocity that had taken place on his face. This was it. This was the end. Time to accept his loss and go hide in his bedroom with the rest of his ugly compatriots (me, myself, and I).

Right. Time to use the... frankly ridiculous in his mind... story his daughter had come up with.

Whine.

"Bitten," he sighed, drooping in his chair and squeezing his eyes closed. "Shall I leave you to your drink like the disgraced ugly being that I am?"

... No he wasn't being overly dramatic again. He wasn't! THIS WAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, OKAY!

"Not someone I can name," Albert said with a dramatic (and a little whiny) sigh. Which was true enough - he hadn't caught the spider man's name, not that he had cared to in the first place. "Yes, yes, believe me my daughter has been ensuring I don't neglect it."

Neither had she been letting him rot away in the darkness like a properly disgraced hero should. But he didn't think Kaida would appreciate that comment.

"I hope you're doing well, though?"

"Oh, believe me, I'm fairly sure Wren got a few good kicks in before he fled." Damn that spider. He was making a can of raid part of his permanent patrol kit sooner or later. "I'm glad life has been treating you well.... regardless of how busy you've been."

"Mmhmm. She's in college now," Albert admitted, and sighed a little. "Another reminder of how old I'm getting, I'm afraid." He rubbed at his nose - then pulled his hand away with a wince, as he'd momentarily forgotten how sensitive it still was to touch.

"That sounds quite lovely, my dear - although I'm not certain here would be the place for such a concert?" Unless she meant for him to go elsewhere with her, which was somehow both slightly unsettling and somehow thrilling to consider, even if for a moment.

...If only she wasn't so young.

"That's the same thing as being old," Albert whined said in a totally-not-plaintive or whiny manner. "And I suppose so..."

Poo.

Here he'd thought he would get an actual concert but nope, he got a phone recording. Siiiiiiigh.

Wait, what was he disappointed about, exactly? He was much too old 'mature' for someone as young as miss Kaida was!

"It's similar enough in this context," Albert said, but backed down when he heard her offer. "Oh, ah... if you'd be willing, I would be more than happy to be your... ah, test audience?" At least it wasn't for a burlesque presentation! If it was for something like that he probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Not for more than about five minutes, at any rate. After that, it would most certainly be too much.