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There was one amongst the street who was also preoccupied with her own thoughts, not really paying attention as she walked through the town. Alex had stopped to pay a visit to one of the sites her job had pointed her to, and having completed her business, was enjoying the rest of the nice day on her own. However, the young woman wasn't really alone, as a small Gwee glided by her head, looking at something in her arms; this is also where her attention was, talking to something bundled there across her chest in what looked like a baby carrier.

It was no surprise that these two people, so blithely unawares, managed to run into each other...literally. Alex wasn't paying attention, and nearly bowled into the singing man with her quick strides; she caught him in the shoulder with her own, causing her to stumble and spin around.

"Oh--! My gosh, are you all right? I'm sorry, I wasn't..." She paused, blinking at her dumb luck. "Aphismet?"

Alex opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it closed again. Her green eyes peered at him, as if she was uncertain of who he was. Could this really be the Aphismet she met a couple of months ago? Not only was his speech clear, but he grinned at her. After a few moments of staring, the woman gave a brief nod, her own grin lighting her curious face. "Coincidence indeed! Coffee sounds good. You look great Aphismet, how's life treating you?"

She was a little caught off guard, talking to him like a regular person - both on his part, and hers - but it was good to see a familiar face again. Alex had been so holed up in her work that she felt secluded again; she absently patted the baby sling around her neck, her grin fading into an ironic smile that she should run into him at this time.

Lorenzo, not one to be ignored, chittered and plopped onto Alex's shoulder unceremoniously, turning his own wide-eyed red gaze onto Aphismet. He uttered a few short clicks at the man, flicking a wing in recognition.

The woman was laughing when the waitress came around, taking a moment to compose herself and ask for what Aphismet had ordered. She'd never had it, and she was willing to try; after all, she was in one of her favorite places talking with a somewhat kindred spirit. "To answer your question, no, I'm not a mother. Unless you mean for Zoe, I guess that counts." Alex chuckled and leaned back in the chair, eyes flitting briefly around the people gathered. It was a nice and relaxed day, one she had sorely needed.

Curling the thing in her arms, she settled her gaze on the young man once more. "And that's why you look good. When life is good to you, it shows!" She grinned, unable to help teasing the man just a little. The carrier shifted a bit, and she patted it again, remembering that he had asked about it. "This is...uh," Alex chuckled again, shaking her head at the strangeness of the hand life had dealt, "a baby Gwee I've been taking care of." A knowing smile curled her lips as she watched the man for his reaction.

The small male dragon had curled around her neck, tail draping over her shoulder. If Aphismet was looking, he might see a very, very small claw reach out to swat at the dangling tail.

Biting her lip, Alex tried not to laugh at how adorable Aphismet's attempt was. Most men wouldn't like their efforts being called 'cute' or 'adorable,' so she kept to herself. "Thank you," she offered, her unrepressed grin almost trembling into laughter at the man's antics. He had a way of putting himself into these situations, it was difficult not to tease! Of course, she didn't mind, but it was hard to ruffle her with something so innocent.

"You and me both," Alex agreed at his last comment. She leaned forward to take a sip of her drink, her eyes widening at the taste. "Mm, that's good! You know how to pick 'em." Dangit, she was doing it again! A light bit of laughter did manage to escape her this time as she dipped her pinky into the whipped cream and held it to Lorenzo. The small dragon immediately darted to her hand, sniffing it like an oversized rodent before licking her fingertip clean. It may have been strange to anyone else watching, but it was simply a way of life for the young zoologist.

More flailing caught her eye as the carrier moved, and she smiled down into it. Lowering her hand, she stated, "This one is really playful. Climbs like a monkey." As if to prove her words, four legs shot out of the carrier, striving to reach her hand. She lowered it enough that the paws had something to latch onto, and latch they did; as Alex lifted her hand, the baby Gwee came out with it. The Gwee was smaller than Chloe's, truly just a baby, possibly a hand and a half from nose to tail.

"She's still teething, so-ow!" Alex grimanced a little as part of her index finger disappeared into the maw of the little one, still grinning, "-she's really frisky."

More laughter followed on the heels of Aphismet's statement. Alex shook her head, still giggling a little as she managed, "Yes, you can pet her...you can even hold her, if you're feeling brave." She looked down at the creature clinging to her hand, contentedly chewing on her finger, moving her other hand to try and free herself. The baby Gwee was having none of that, and uttered a small sound that could have been a growl if the woman's finger wasn't jammed into the Gwee's cheek.

"She's a spitfire all right!" Alex sighed with a smile that said, 'what can you do?,' holding her hand up and towards Aphismet. If he wanted, he could put his own out and the Gwee would undoubtably transfer herself. "Lucky for us, she can't fly yet, not for another week or two." The Gwee released the finger she was chewing on long enough to really look around, as well as she could since she was upside down. She snapped at Alex's straw before turning her large eyes to Aphismet with all the innocence a baby creature can summon at will.

Lorenzo crawled a little ways down the woman's arm, watching the upside down Gwee with interest. He hadn't been allowed to play with this one, so he was still curious about it and all the silly noises it seemed to make.

Alex watched the interaction, her smile still in place although her eyes were serious. She lowered her elbow onto the table, so that Lorenzo was half perched on her fist as he too watched the proceedings. The woman's smile softened as the baby Gwee seemed to take to the young man; the decision had been made, and it hadn't been her own.

"Whatever you want to name her. She's yours, after all," she commented off-handedly before taking a long sip of her drink. Lorenzo had leaned forward enough to sniff the female, sliding down Alex's arm and sneezing. The male Gwee trotted across the table to her other arm, which he climbed back to her shoulders with, deciding to watch for more of that white stuff on the top of her drink. He had liked that!

Alex glanced up at Aphismet to see his reaction, grinning a little. "Now, I can take care of her until you're ready, if you're not." She was talking as though it were perfectly normal that she was handing out baby dragons. "It's up to you though." Scooping a little more whipped cream onto her finger for Zoe to enjoy, she tilted her head as she looked at the baby, "I remember you saying that you wanted one. While I wasn't raising this one for that purpose...she chose you. So take care of her. We're both trusting you."

The grin stayed on her face, her expression one of amusement and gentleness. She was glad he was asking questions; they were important, and showed her that he was capable of taking on the arduous task of raising a baby dragon. Alex sipped her drink until it was empty, listening to his questions and smiling to herself when he stopped. She moved the glass away so that she could speak to him; Zoe took this as a sign that it was his, and proceeded to jump down onto the table and stick his head into it, determined to lick it clean.

"If it was too early, I wouldn't have her," she tried to soothe the excited man, "and they primarily eat vegitation, although they're known to eat meat. Deli meats wont hurt them." Alex paused to glance at Zoe, who was now rolling on his back and trying to kick the cup off his head. "As you can tell, Lorenzo isn't a shining example of their eating habits." She plucked the glass from his head, startling him. He blinked a few times before grabbing at the glass to lick the rim. She sighed, then continued with an amused smile, "Paint fumes will only hurt her like they hurt humans; just don't keep her locked in the room, simple things like that."

Alex laughed at the mention of flying into walls; Zoe had done that, although most of the Gwee were a little more graceful. "You'll have to teach her to fly, so she wont be randomly flying into things. Just start simple, with holding her on one hand and holding the other for her to have a destination to. They're a little sluggish in winter, but unlike the wild Gwee, the domestics don't hibernate. She'll be fine in the snow if she isn't stuck in it for hours at a time."

Carefully removing the carrier from her neck, she handed it to Aphismet across the table. "There's some formula in there for her to drink, but it's her last can so water will be fine thereafter." Alex shook her head a little at his last question, grinning again. "I'm afraid not. I'm the best manuel you'll have. But, you have my number, and Chloe's? She received hers at only two weeks older than this one, so I'm sure she can help too." The woman picked Lorenzo up - who squaked at being disturbed from his glass licking - and placing the dragon on her shoulder. "Think of them as scaled cats. With a lot more personality."