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Aurick wasn't nearly quick enough to be suspicious earlier in the day, but oh, now he definitely was.

When his cousins said they were keen on closing the bakery early he'd gone along with the plan easy enough. It would give him extra time to prep dinner for his younger siblings, clean up some, head to the market before most of the shops closed...Then his sister had offered to do all of his chores for him. Well, at first he thought she was just being kind until she also insisted he leave before everyone else and get cleaned up. She didn't say why, though scrubbing off layers of flour didn't sound terrible, but when he'd come back Aurick knew something was off.

The bakery was closed and yet there was a table set up in the common area. A table with two chairs, some candles, a few petals on the ground....and food. Warm food. This was...strange.

Seeing a folded note on the table, Aurick stepped closer to read it and nearly swallowed his tongue. A blind date?! What in the- And she was going to be here soon?! He'd barely gotten through the last sentence when the bell above the door chimed and when he looked over Aurick's eyes widened. A matorian? And a lovely one at that.

"Good evening! Welcome to the- Sorry," With a flush, Aurick shook his head, "I still have my mind wrapped up in work. Are you here for the date?"

Oh, well, maybe he had the wrong woman -

And then just as quickly her exclamation caused his brows to raise. Aurick was stunned for only a moment before let out a big boom of good natured laughter. "Kaimana, huh? Only met him the few times but yeah, I'd say it was him." Moving forward, the burly Lightning man pulled a little iron cafe seat out for her. "I'd wager he had a little chat with my family, then. It's not all bad though. A little company for a couple of whist-takers?" He even paused to let the glory of his pun have it's time to shine, a goofy smile lightning up his eyes.

"The name's Aurick and this is my bakery. Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Juice? Wine?"

"Juice it is then." Once he'd ensured that she was settled, Aurick got into his own chair and reached for a tall glass bottle. It was as shapely as a wine bottle without the charm and when he poured the liquid into their glasses the scent that wafted up from it was light and sweet. "Not much for wine myself; nothing against it I just never could handle the stuff." His sister would be disappointed that her 'fancy' import wouldn't be used, but he was sure she would get over it when he gave it back to her tomorrow.

"It's a recent inheritance." Even though his smile stayed there was a more somber tint to it. "My mama owned it before she passed. My other mother isn't a baker and while it's technically part of mama's family the papers were in her name. So, if the city asks it's mine but really it's a group effort." Lifting a scone, he tapped the pastry against the side of his plate to knock off some of the flakes before taking a bite. Once he'd swallowed and collected himself a bit, Aurick spoke. "So, what about you? What brought you to Belrea?"

"Thank you." He hadn't meant to bring his grief into the date, but such was the way of things. It was hard to avoid the topic when they were in the bakery, and while it was still a sore spot to talk about, she was right. Having that support network helped.

"A scaredy cat? You?" Aurick shook his head with a warm smile. "That wasn't my first impression. Your brother might have opened the door for you, but I don't think Kaimana would have dragged you here against your will. You took a big leap by coming and that's pretty amazing to me." Traveling here all the way from Matori was big, especially considering he still got nervous just going from city to city.

Aurick drank from his glass as he listened. "So that's it then; Kaimana has a lady friend." The baker smiled and sat his glass down to reach for a pastry instead. "I'm happy for him. From what I know of him he's a good man so I wish him the best, but...well, if I were in your position I'd be suspicious too." He let out a little laugh that was followed by a smirk.

"I have six siblings. Most are much too young to think about dating, but my sister is old enough now to find someone if she wanted to. Can't say I'd be that eager to let her go, either; at least not without a good talk or two." He'd be kind, of course, and treat them with respect so long as they showed that same respect to his sister. That being said he would still interrogate them like any sibling would.

"If you're going to be in the city for a while you should see a performance at Golden Gilly's. It's a theatre on the north end. A little pricey, but you pay for quality. I could take you sometime if you'd like to go."