Aria -
Halwyn was sitting at a table at a coffee shop, reading a book on old Hallowed Rights Cases. He was working on a paper for one of his classes, but it wasn't coming along very well, so he had decided to take a break and go to his favorite coffee shop in town. It had the best muffins, and the rest of the baked goods were pretty amazing as well. He'd gotten here just in time, having managed to snag the very last free table, and he settled himself into it.

He sort of hoped no one would try to get him to share the other chair, but as long as they were polite, he supposed he would do it. The other reason he liked this cafe is it was Hallowed-friendly... The owners were all Halloweds, most of the staff were, and therefore most people who came were Hallowed-Allies.

Ebonrune -
Jaden came tromping into the coffee shop and stopped to look around. He'd never been inside before and was a bit taken aback at how different everyone looked. It took him a few seconds to pinpoint the issue. They weren't hybrids--well, some certainly were but that wasn't it. They were Hallowed. At least, most of them were. He shrugged and carried on to the front counter to see what they had to drink, his tail scenting the air the entire time.

"Licorice?" Cade--his tail--asked.

"I'm looking." Jaden replied. He wasn't into licorice as Cade was, especially since Cade liked black and he red, but there were some fights not worth having. Finally he spotted what Cade was smelling, not on the menu but in a jar on the counter. "Uhm, can I have some of that and also....something good. I don't know coffee." He got a drink and some licorice, then turned around slowly to try and find an empty table and discovering there weren't any. Oh well s**t, he'd either have to pick a table to share or leave and he didn't want to go back outside when it looked like it was going to start raining at any minute!

He looked around a little more and finally zeroed in on a table where the other person looked a little less terrifying than some others. In fact, if not for their wings he would have thought they were just a hybrid. Either way they probably would leave him alone since they looked like they were reading.

"Hey." Jaden said when he'd approached the table. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Aria -
Halwyn blinked, slowly, hearing the voice of the stranger as they came close. He slowly pulled himself out of his book, and looked up at the hybrid looking at him. He considered the other person, trying to see if he saw any form of judgement, or derision in the other's gaze. He perhaps let his study of the stranger go on longer then might seem normal, but he had his reasons, and had no shame in making sure he didn't have to worry about his own safety in the situation... Or the safety of the others around him.

Finally, in a deep voice, one that sounded like it should be filled with warm, caring notes, he spoke... in a distant tone instead. "Go ahead. My apologies if I seem to ignore you, as I am trying to work my way through some case notes at the moment." He waved the book, and Jaden might have been able to make out "When Hallowed Sue: A Battle for Rights" on the spine, or possibly the front. "I have a paper due next week." He paused, and eyed what the other person had. "You should have gotten a muffin. They're truly amazing here." He glanced at his own, a chocolate-blueberry muffin, which was still warm and steaming, the scent spreading.

Ebonrune -
"Muffin?" Cade asked.

"No, you got your licorice." Jaden set his laptop bag down. "I'll be right back." He told his new table buddy and went to get a muffin, explaining to his tail that it was for him and would go in his mouth. When he came back it was with more licorice and he sat carefully, arranging Cade so no one felt crowded and held up the licorice one at a time to let Cade slurp it up.

"Sorry about that. He'll stop as soon as I run out, but he'll only eat them one at a time and he'll complain if I don't give them to him right now." He apologized, though he managed to hide a few sticks while Cade was distracted. He then took out his laptop, though he glanced at the book the other was reading. A paper, huh? Jaden assumed his table buddy must have been from the law school to be reading something like that if he had a paper on it, or it was a free form paper or something. Maybe he wasn't even in school and what did it matter anyway? It wasn't like they were gonna do anything other than share a table.

Aria -
"Ahhh... I see." He watched as the other began to set up, and then went back to his book.

Or tried to. The slurping was kind of distracting, and he sighed, and put the book down, page carefully marked with a black ribbon. "Indeed, that is an unusual noise." Was all he could manage to say without sounding utterly rude about the situation... But that noise was definitely off putting when a man was trying to focus. He sighed, softly, and began to eat his muffin. Well, at least he wouldn't forget it until it got cold this time. He was too prone to that, as it was.

"What brings you here to this little cafe? It's not the most well known, after all." He finally ventured, trying to be polite to his erstwhile companion. He didn't want to be rude, in the end, and the other was going to be here for awhile it seemed.

Ebonrune -
Cade finally ran out of licorice, and with the rest hidden away, the slurping could stop, which Jaden had no doubt was as much a relief to his table buddy as it was to him.

"I wanted a new place to hang." Jaden stated while Cade settled to the floor to doze, fluttering his wings a bit. "I'd heard this place had good coffee--well, overheard, and now I know why no one told me directly. Still, there isn't a sign saying non-hollowed can't come in, and I wasn't told to leave, so...." He shrugged. "Might make this my new place to do homework, though I guess I'll have to pick my times better." Wow, those were a lot of words coming out of him. The poor b*****d didn't want his life story!

Aria -
Halwyn sipped his coffee, and ate his muffin as he listened, watching the tail settle down, a vaguely curious expression in his eyes. He wasn't familiar with the tails, as yet.

He refocused on Jaden, and took another bite of his muffin, before saying, in a quiet voice "Non-Hallowed are welcome here, as long as they are... accepting of the Hallowed. This is a safe haven for us, in many ways." His voice trembled a little, admitting that, because sometimes an apparently kind new friend turned out to be just looking for information, and ways to get to you... and attacking this place would destroy Halwyn.

"But yes, this is an unusually busy time... I don't think I've ever seen it busier." He said, looking around, a pensive expression on his face.

Ebonrune -
"Yeah. I get safe havens." Jaden didn't seem to notice, or simply ignored the tremble in Halwyn's voice. "I'll just have to come here when it's less busy so I don't have to impose Cade's bad manners on my table partner." He put a clawed hand to his chest. "I'm Jaden, by the way." He carefully, one handedly tapped his password into his laptop. the keys covered with special protection so he didn't stab the keys with his claws, the other half of his attention on Halwyn.

Aria -
Halwyn felt some relief at that comment, though he hoped it want a cover for the truth. However, he simply accepted it for the moment. "They are important things to many people." Is all he chose to say. He blinks at the comment about bad table manners, then smiles a little. "I hope to not offend... I am not particularly familiar with those who have the intelligent tail. Is that a common trait, do you know?" He sounded genuinely interested, not like he was trying to be rude or nosy.

"AH? Oh yes. I am Halwyn. My apologies for not introducing myself sooner." Normally he'd prefer not to risk it but right now things seemed ok... For the moment at least.

Ebonrune -
Jaden's brows climbed his head. This guy--Halwyn--had never seen a Shade before, but knew he wasn't a Hallowed at the same time? It had taken him forever to understand which traits were Hallowed and which were just odd quirks or hybrid quirks.

"Uhm. Good to meet you, Halwyn. I'm a Shade hybrid." He explained, the hybrid part being the important disclaimer. "Most hybrid Shades retain their tails, and definitely all of the pure." He glanced back at Cade, who was softly snoring, and then returned his attention to Halwyn.

Aria -
"Oh, my apologies for being unclear. I meant the table manners. I was curious if different Shade tails were less or more polite at the table then others." He brushed his hair off of his face. "I hadn't met any in person, you see, before I met you." He sipped his coffee, feeling like an idiot who just screwed up. He didn't sound racist, did he? Nine forbid... The last thing he wanted was to sound racist.

He looked down at his cup, ready to excuse himself and leave if he'd accidentally offended the other. He was so awkward with non Hallowed... He tended to be able to tell what the difficult points were there.

Ebonrune -
"Oh." Jaden blushed at the misunderstanding. "I don't know. I don't tend to spend too much time around other Shades. Maybe it depends on the mouth. My mother's tail is pretty quiet when it eats. Maybe I've just failed to teach Cade manners....but it also helps me to know when he's eating off the floor before he gets too far." He made a face. "Sorry I misunderstood what you meant. I don't....I mean no one's really asked about Cade's table manners before."

Aria -
"My apologies, again... It was all my fault..." He looked down, and felt embarressed. He'd made the other uncomfortable, now. What a terrible job he was doing. Maybe he needed to take a class in Non-Hallowed hybrid sensitivity, since he clearly was failing at it. "I can go, if you wish... I do not intend to offend..." He was staring a hole in his book in his embarrassment.

Ebonrune -
Jaden just shrugged. "Naw. S'was my fault for not getting what you meant. People have definitely asked what I am before, so I thought that's what you were doing." Well, that was a lie, but he was trying to make Halwyn feel better. Besides, it was always possible. "You know how it is. Most pure are such purist cowards they stay away from anyone but their Chomp buddies." Even his mother thought Chomp's were swell, but Jaden didn't see it. In his opinion they were just as bad as pure Shades, and in his mind 'pure' also meant hybrids with Chomps, since they were so elitist concerning any other kind of hybriding. It was hard to keep the contempt off his face.

Aria -
Halwyn blinked a little and sat up straight, his brows lifting up. "You mean hybrids get discriminated against in Chomp culture?" His hand brushed his book, and he looked serious, and concerned. "Discrimination isn't acceptable, whether it's by race, or by being Hallowed, or whatever the reason might be." His eyes were focused on the other man, now, serious and concerned.

Ebonrune -
"Oh yeah." Jaden's lip did curl up now. "Unless a Shade chooses a Chomp, they treat us like s**t. My mom can't go see her own family because they'll just lecture her about my dad and....just horrible things." He sighed and closed his laptop carefully, not wanting to take his anger out on it. "The pures are s**t. Aren't they always?"

Aria -
Halwyn's eyes were hooded as he heard all that. Part of him wanted to 100% believe the other man... that bitterness sounded so real... But sometimes it was a trap. He wanted to trust this other man so much, though, because that bitterness he understood. Finally, he said "Indeed... That's how many of us Halloweds feel."

Ebonrune -
"Mm." Jaden made a face. "Yeah, you have it even worse for even less reason. My parents at least made a conscious choice to imbue, knowing what I'd be and the kind of life I'd probably have....yours though? How could they've known what would happen? It isn't your fault. Well, it isn't mine either. We didn't ask to be imbued, but it's just how it was."

Aria -
"I don't know if my parents knew or not." He sounded bitter there. "I was an abandoned Stone, found at the Academy front steps. But it's not like the whole 'don't imbue in October' laws are new, so I wonder." He looked up at his third horn for a moment, and then said "It's never the fault of the child, in the end."

Ebonrune -
"Definitely not." Jaden agreed. "We didn't ask for this." He paused. "I'm sorry you were abandoned. That was cruel and unfair. I hope your life improved from there, more or less."

Aria -
Halwyn smiled, looking a little unfocused. "Life is... It is what it is." His fingers grasped his book a little convulsively, clearly not aware he was doing it.

Ebonrune -
"Mm. Like that, huh?" Jaden nodded slightly and sat back to sip his drink and nibble his muffin. "So, I guess that explains your choice of literature. I can't disagree that it's an issue, though I don't know much about it."

Aria -
His eyes lit with a fire of pain and anger. "I am going to do everything I can to change the lives of my fellow Halloweds. I'm part of a Hallowed rights group but this is just the beginning. We need protection."

Ebonrune -
"I wish you luck, man. I really do." Jaden replied. "I couldn't agree more either. Things have sucked for me, but I can only imagine what you've had to deal with." He grimaced. "There need to be laws, stricter laws, and definite protections for living Hallowed. It's not fair to anybody....and why does it even happen anyway? What goes screwing during this month specifically that makes Hallowed....Hallowed?" He smiled ruefully. "History....not my major."

Aria -
Halwyn looked distant and said "An old curse, from the war, that did not go as anyone planned. Instead, those of us unfortunate enough to be born in the month of October, and our descendants should we have them, bear the brunt of that curse." He finished his muffin, before he spoke again. "I agree. I know of cases far worse then my life... And yet it keeps happening. There needs to be better protections."

Ebonrune -
Jaden nodded and nibbled his muffin, a little round eyed. Yeah, that sounded familiar now that Halwyn had brought it up, and he'd known there was a historical reason behind it, he just couldn't remember what it was. "Uh...Cade breathes fire?" Most awkward topic change ever. He was a pro!

Aria -
Halwyn blinked, refocusing in his companion. He hasn't meant to go off the deep end and into serious matters with some one he really didn't know. Poor Jaden was probably convinced Halwyn was an utter nut, or over sharer. He studied the other man for a moment, then finally said "Once again, I do hope you'll forgive my ignorance. Is that a common trait?"

Ebonrune -
Jaden grinned widely at this. “My other half is chimera.” He explained. “I can’t breathe fire, but Cade can. He’s good at keeping a*****e Shades at bay and pretty good at not also setting me on fire when he does it either.”

Aria -
Halwyn blinked a little, and said "Chimera breath fire?" in a curious tone. He wasn't actually aware of that. Hmmm, it seemed he had a lot of learning to do about these guys. Fire breathing Chimera, shade tails with personalities... Perhaps he needed to broaden his focuses just a little.

Ebonrune -
Jaden smirked. “They sure do breathe fire. I’d have Cade show you, but we’re inside and he’s liable to aim at you because that’s what he’s used to doing.” He glanced back and down at his dozing tail. “Not very clever, is Cade.”

Aria -
Halwyn blinks, slowly this time, and finally says "Yeeeeees I would rather not be lit on fire, I admit, and I like this cafe too much to risk it becoming cinders either. So let's just agree to not do that." He slowly sips his coffee, looking at Cade with a curious expression. "How fascinating, though. Has it ever happened on accident?"

Ebonrune -
“Oh yeah.” Jaden was really having fun now. “Especially when we were little. Burping, getting too excited, waking up from a bad dream....I’m sure I’m scarred under this fur, though I’m not as flammable as other Shades are, thankfully.”

Aria -
Halwyn blinked slowly, and said "Well that sounds... rather awkward, to be honest. But as long as you two have made it work out between you, I suppose that is all that matters, in the long run." He found himself incredibly glad he never had to, say, argue with his wings.

Ebonrune -
Jaden smirked a bit. “It’s not so bad now. I give him what he likes to eat sometimes, and he lets me eat food I like sometimes.” He polished off the muffin. “Rarely sets things on fire by accident and no longer eats my homework.”

Aria -
"Not eating your homework sounds like a decidedly good thing." He said, brows arched. "I've heard of the excuse that the Spectrefox ate your homework, but I'd never heard 'my tail ate my homework' before. What an interesting relationship." He sighed a little, curiousity piqued, and fascination active.

It's entirely possibly he could have been a sociologist, if he wasn't so passionate about Hallowed Rights.

Ebonrune -
“Honestly, I’m leery of a pet in case Cade eats it.” Jaden admitted. “He’ll try to eat pretty much anything, for some reason.” He shook his head. “I envy people sometimes who don’t have this problem, but at the same time I’d miss him.”

Aria -
"I admit, a built in friend might be nice, but I would not want to worry about having to train a part of me to not eat my things. It might get aggravating after awhile... Or do you get used to it?" He tilted his head to the left, his eyes filled with his curiousity.

Ebonrune -
“Definitely get used to it. I mean, I can’t really imagine what it’s like without him.” Jaden said. “This is the closest I get, but I’m aware of him. He’s not as smart as I am, but he’s not an idiot either, if that makes sense. I’d miss him. He always know how to cheer me up, even though he also knows how to get on my nerves.”

Aria -
"Yeah... That... does sound nice." He wondered how hallowed Shade children might be living... He'd have to look into that, because it concerned him now that it occurred to him. His eyes drifted to his book again, and then he refocused on his companion. "So, since you know what I'm studying, what about you?"

Ebonrune -
“Me? Eh. Math. I like numbers.” Jaden shrugged, since it was rare to find math nerds outside his class and sod those guys. “Everything comes down to numbers. If you have the numbers you have the answers, or at least you’re close to it.”

Aria -
"I don't have a head for math, unfortunately, but I admit to admiring those who do. It's hard work, and worthy. Do you know what you wish to do with your degree, once you attain it?" He was curious. Other then accounting, he had no idea what a math degree was useful for.

Ebonrune -
Jaden shrugged again. "No idea. Accounting? Conspiracy theories? I'm sure I'll find something. Prolly I'll end up a cashier, or working at a bank. Some shitty job instead of something actually fun. You know how it is."

Aria -
"That doesn't sound fun at all, nor worthy of your time. I hope you find something even better then those that would serve to make you happy, and also provide you with the ability to use your degree." He sat back, and added "If I knew of a way to use it, I would suggest it."

Ebonrune -
Jaden chuckled and waved his hand--carefully mind, since he had claws and all. "Naw, it's fine. I'm just being a pessimist and it's not fair that I unload that on you, so I'm sorry. I hope I'll find a good place to use my degree too. I'm sure I will. When you're a pessimist, anything good becomes a surprise, so maybe I just want a nice surprise."

Aria -
"No, frankly, I understand. I am on the pessimistic side myself." He gave a soft sigh, and ran his fingers along the cup his coffee was in. "Expecting the worst and not getting it is...a bonus. Being ready for it means you can't be surprised by it."

Ebonrune -
"Hah, I like a person who gets it." Jaden smirked and sipped his own coffee again. "You ever spent any real amount of time around optimists? They're the worst energy drainers, and I share a class with at least four of them. I'd call them psychic vampires, but for all I know that's actually a thing and acknowleding it gives them power."

Aria -
Halwyn chuckled as well, then shrugged. "I generally don't find the optimists tend to come near me. I think they find me too... difficult to deal with I think." He tossed his head a little, to get some hair out of his eyes, then sighed. "And I have no idea about 'psychic vampires.' It is not a term I have ever heard before. I do know that fools leave me drained, though... Especially the 'that's how it's always been!' idiots."

Ebonrune -
"Ohhh yes." Jaden rolled his whole head to express his level of exasperation with those kinds of people. "Because we've always been ignorant bigots, it's only right that we continue being ignorant bigots! Yeah, I've heard it before. That's basically the pure's excuses across the board, isn't it? Change is scary and being horrible is easy!"

Aria -
His eyes rolled and he nodded. "Indeed, and that's why I am working on becoming a lawyer, with a focus on Hallowed rights. I had no idea about hybrid rights being a concern before. I might have to include that into my purview."

Ebonrune -
"Eh." Jaden put chin in hand and shrugged. "Fight your own fight. I'm not stupid; Hallowed have it way worse than I'm sure most hybrids do. I mean, our communities are bigger over all and not all hybrids are even discriminated against....but all Hallowed are."

Aria -
Halwyn blinked and shrugged a little. "If you say so... But fighting for rights is easier when allies are found, and those who are discriminated against would do well to fight at each other's side, even if the fight is in courts, not in true battle."

Ebonrune -
Jaden nodded. "Sure, right. Fair enough. I'm willing to fight for Hallowed rights, so I sure don't mind one fighting for mine."

Aria -
"I should hope not." He sounded a little prim, perhaps, like a slightly offended old lady maybe, at the way Jaden had phrased that.

Ebonrune -
Jaden's brows arched and then he laughed. "You sound like someone who's had some trouble in that department. Some hybrid think they're better than you or something? It's too bad the sharpest part of you seems to be your horns. I would've had Cade bite them or something."

Aria -
"Of course some do. After all, they are not born marked by a curse." He sounded bitter again at that. "It makes it easy to seem better, in the eyes of many. And violence only serves, sadly, to show them they are 'right,' when one of us fights back."

Ebonrune -
"Yeah and I get it, but it still sure feels good before you have to run for it." Jaden commented drolly. "Sorry, I'm just subjecting you to the worst of my sense of humor here. Unless someone is actually threatening me or puts their hands on me, I'm not going to have Cade bite them. If he does it on his own though....well, I can't help that, he has a mind of his own."

Aria -
"I... wont risk it for the community. All it takes is one 'Hybrid goes an angry rampage against Innocent Normies' headline for a witch hunt to start." He sipped his coffee, eyes sad as he thought about the past. "I am sorry for being a downer. It's just hard to not think of these things at times."

Ebonrune -
Jaden snorted, but he nodded. "It's fine, it's fine. I get you. If I had your number and I got arrested because Cade torched someone, I'd lose it. If I make a mess, it's my mess plain and simple. Besides, it would most likely be a Shade who got torched and they almost definitely had it coming."

Aria -
Halwyn shrugged a little and said "It's all opinions, and how they're used. Anyways." He rubbed his forehead, right under his third horn. "Perhaps there is something brighter and more cheerful we can discuss. Do you have any hobbies?"

Ebonrune -
"Hobbies...." Jaden sat back and furrowed his brow. "Uh....well I play video games sometimes. Go to movies, though I don't do that too often. Sometimes I read. Brainless stuff. Sometimes just need to turn the mathing off, you know?"

Aria -
"Yeah I know that feeling." He smiled a little. "Movies are a good way to forget, though I tend to avoid them. Too often, negative hallowed representation, and I can't lose myself in it when that happens. Unfortunate but there it is." He tried not to think of the 'Hallowed as a Monster' movies, because there were too many. "I took up crocheting as a hobby... Something I can lose myself in for hours."

Ebonrune -
"Oh, really? That's cool. I can't do stuff like that." Jaden looked at his claws, then shrugged. "Maybe knitting. I've been thinkig about trying that sometime."

Aria -
"It's an interesting hobby, certainly. I might try knitting later, but crochet currently is simpler to me... Only one needle to keep track of, instead of two." He shrugged a little, and added "I'm not very good yet, but I can make basic blankets."

Ebonrune -
Jaden smirked. "Yeah, but isn't it a tiny little needle requiring precise movements? I think knitting is more...flexible. But hey, you do you and what do I know anyway? I don't really do crafty stuff. Hard to when you have claws on your hands."

Aria -
"Could you do claw based carving?" Halwyn asked, curiously. Not having claws meant he had no idea how effective that would or would not be.

Ebonrune -
"Hm..." Jaden looked at his claws. "I donno, but that's an idea. Maybe wood carving. The wood would probably have to be softened first if that's a thing, but I'll have to look into it now. Oh! Or metal etchings. I think that's done with acid? But that would just require uh....well I'll look into it, but good ideas!" He opened his laptop again and opened a word doc to write these ideas down.

Aria -
Halwyn looked very pleased at the fact that he'd given Jaden ideas he felt he could work with. He didn't know why, but helping this man he'd just met felt very nice, like something good and something he SHOULD do.

Ebonrune -
Jaden kept ruminating over these new ideas that Halwyn had provided, tapping things out as he thought of them. He wondered how he could work his degree into it, and was lost in daydreaming for a couple of minutes before he recalled his table partner and closed his laptop again guiltily. "Uh...those were some really solid ideas. I might even be able to use my degree in them if it works out."

Aria -
Halwyn looked him over, curiously watching the other man as he looked into what he was doing. It was fascinating to see how lost in thought on the ideas Halwyn had presented. "I'm glad to help you, actually, Jaden. It's nice to have a hobby, and even nicer if it can pan into something more."

Ebonrune -
Jaden snickered. "Don't have to tell me twice! I never would have thought to try wood or metal work. Pottery was an idea briefly, but I'd have to shave my forearms and--" He shuddered. "No way!"

Aria -
Hayden chuckled and nodded. "Well, there you go then. I'm glad to have helped, truly." He leaned forwards, a warm smile suddenly gracing his face. It lit the normally serious, if not dour, face up, and his eyes glittered a little in his enjoyment of the situation.

Ebonrune -
Jaden felt his face warm at that smile, and he found himself smiling back. It was a nice expression, and even though he'd come in full of sourness and sat across from someone in a similarly dour mentality, it had turned out alright and now it seemed they both felt better. "Yeah, thanks. Hope I can find a way to return the favor somehow."

Aria -
Halwyn smiled a little, and said "Well, if you want, I can give you my contact information. In fact..." He paused, then, a little shyly, he said "If you like, I... wouldn't mind meeting up with you again."

Ebonrune -
"That'd be cool." Jaden said. "I don't have many friends." And sure as hell not anything else, not that he was thinking in those directions or anything! He pulled out his phone to hand to Halwyn so he could put down his info.

Aria -
Halwyn smiled and typed in his info for Jaden, then, with a friendly wink, texted himself so he could have Jaden's info in his phone. "Same... What I do have has mostly been fellow Hallowed Rights movement folks, and... there hasn't been a lot of chances for getting to know them unrelated to that."

Ebonrune -
"Makes sense." Jaden said. "All being hyper focused on that and that alone. It's good to have some outside friends, and I guess this is your lucky day." He stuck his tongue out slightly and then winked back at Halywn. Making friends was apparently easier than he'd thought!

Aria -
Halwyn couldn't help laughing at Jaden's joking comment, and the tongue. His laughter wasn't something most people heard, and a few other regulars actually turned to stare, thinking they were hearing things, especially since Halwyn wasn't talking to another hallowed. But no, it was real and it was a rich laugh, full of joy, a deep sound that came from his belly.

Ebonrune -
Oh, Jaden liked that and he quietly rested one hand on his laptop while the other propped his chin up. Somehow he had a feeling this guy didn't laugh often, though he couldn't have said where exactly he got that idea from. Either way he liked the sound of it. A good, rich laugh. He wouldn't mind hearing it again.

Aria -
Halwyn managed to stop laughing after a moment, and took a sip of his coffee to help him calm down. "Oh I have not laughed like that in a long time, thank you for that. I needed it." He wiped a tear from his face, and gave Jaden the most open grin Jaden would have seen on his face the entire time.

Ebonrune -
Well, that proved his guess. "Uh, you're welcome. I didn't expect you to laugh that hard though." He sipped his own drink, and then felt Cade weave upright, woken by the laughter. Jaden grinned back at Halywn while his tail yawned and shook himself back awake.

Aria -
Halwyn shrugged and said "I don't think I've had a proper laugh since I left the academy." Life as an adult was even harder and scarier then life as a scared little Hallowed kid at an academy of strangers, some of whom were mean ******** -
"Yeah, that's doubtless been a while." Jaden reached back to give Cade a gentle scritch. "I'm glad I was able to help you remember how."

Aria -
Halwyn watched him scratch his tail, a small smile at the sight, his head tilted. "Do you... get any sensation from touches to your tail, or does only Cade get that? If so... where does the sensations you get end?" He paused, then blushed. "If I am being TOO nosy, I am sorry!"

Ebonrune -
Jaden snickered. "All I can do is taste what he does, and vice versa. I mean, I sort of feel it, like I can feel that he's itchy here." He scratched under Cade's chin, which Cade obligingly leaned into. "But it's a dull sensation, just a general 'take care of this'. Same for any sensation he might feel. If I get hurt though, he only--according to him--feels a generalized 'ow' and wouldn't be able to pinpoint the cause because he can't see. He has to rely on me to look out for him."

Aria -
Halwyn was leaning on his hands, listening, looking fascinated again. It was so interesting to learn about how this relationship between tail and... 'not tail'... worked. "And where the dividing line is? Again, if that's too personal, I am sorry."

Ebonrune -
"My a**." Jaden said deadpan. "That's where the nerves dull off. My 'tail' is his 'body'."

Aria -
Halwyn blinked slowly and went "Gotcha." He hadn't expected the quite so blunt phrasing, and probably would have gone with 'At the base of the tail' or 'base of my spine' but whatever Jaden preferred, he supposed.

Ebonrune -
Jaden sat back and shook his head slightly. Apparently it was too soon in the budding friendship to be blunt like that.

Aria -
Halwyn smiled a little, and leaned forwards. "I wasn't expecting such a blunt phrasing, but thank you for indulging my curiosity once again. It is interesting to learn such things."

Ebonrune -
"Well I mean....that's where it is. I'm not a thespian with fancy words....and I'm not used to talking to people." He mumbled the last and wrinkled his nose.

Aria -
Halwyn reached over and patted the other man's hand, before settling back. "It's ok? It just surprised me. And 'not a thespian with fancy words'?" He arched a brow and gently teased Jaden. "Thespian is a pretty damn fancy word for 'actor,' you know."

Ebonrune -
Jaden thumbed his nose at him and stuck his tongue out. "I read books, remember? I get a lot of big words out of them."

Aria -
Halwyn chuckled and shook his head, amused. "I was just kidding, my good sir." He finished his coffee, and glanced at his phone, noting the time. "Well... I think I need to head out. I do hope to talk to you again, Jaden. It was a pleasure to meet you... And also you, Cade, even if you slept most of the time." He stood, gave a slight bow, and headed to the portal that would take him home.

Ebonrune -
Jaden waved after him, though he resisted the urge to remind Halwyn that they had each other's numbers since the entire place would hear him. Instead he just watched him go--and Cade started sniffing out the hidden licorice, damn!