Is this where the cool kids sit?

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Blared the vintage lacrima powered clock at Fin's bedside. The rookie Rune Knight groaned and reached out and smacked the clock. The alarm was silenced and the day of ginger who hailed from Seven began. The time was 4:00am an almost ungodly hour, but this was nothing but routine for the young man. He groggily flipped the lights on and squinted immediately as his retina's were blasted by the luminesce of the lightbulb above. Fin rubbed his eyes and then gazed at his grand castle, his rundown and cramped studio apartment. The place was barren except for a single bed, a plastic chair, and an old closet. Fin shuffled  into his cramped bathroom. Fin went to turn the faucet knob, a loud audio cue of creaking pipes and squeaking metal rattled in the apartment. The faucet eventually wheezed and water began sputtering until a steady stream presented it self. Fin had began to wet his tooth brush in attempt to brush his teeth, when the stream of water from the faucet began to weaken until it was nothing more than a sorry dribble.  With defeated sigh Fin shut off the faucet and grumbled a curse to himself "Ah shite...."

He then popped his head out of the bathroom, his gaze immediately directed itself to his hydro flask.  He went and grabbed the flask and gave it a shake, sure enough there was the sound of sloshing liquid inside. He opened the flask, pleased to see there was a decent amount of water left inside. Fin then proceeded to use the remaining water in his hydro flask to brush his teeth and wash his face a bit. Through the power of a steady hand and meticulous rationing, Fin was able to get ready for the day and make himself presentable. Fin eventually made his way way out of his apartment and headed off to go train. For about two hours or so Fin immersed himself in a high intensity workout. Eventually he went home, hit the showers, and headed off to work.

Fin reported early and on time at the Rune Knight's headquarters. The morning wasn't anything special, he was tossed into a squad to go on patrol with. Time went by quickly as Fin's charm had swiftly claimed the hearts of his peers. A boring patrol had turned into a morning of laughs and good vibes. Lunch eventually came and Fin and squamates made their way into mess hall.

"Fin, you are an absolute riot! Hahaha" Laughed a large muscular fellow. Fin grinned and gave a playful half bow. "Oh! Well ya know I am to please lads." The rest of the squad chuckled. Fin leading the group of Rune Knights entered the mess hall, and almost immediately people was greeting Fin left and right. It had only been a few weeks, and Fin had cemented himself as fan favorite amongst a decent amount of Rune Knights. Despite the mass of people speaking with Fin, he gave every person his undivided attention for a good moment, often asking personalized questions. A few of Fin's peers were pleasantly surprised at Fin's attention to detail. He would often ask his peers about their hobbies, passion projects, families, and other things that were mentioned to him before.

Despite all the different types of people, and conversations, Fin managed to have a meaningful exchange with whom ever he spoke with. In the midst of all the commotion, Fin's eye's was drawn to a girl sitting by herself in the corner of the mess hall. While Fin and his peers lined up to get some grub, Fin popped the question that was on his mind. "Oi, lads who's that gal over there?"

A young woman by the name of Daphne replied. "Oh that's Finn... why? What's up?" Daphne inquired as she leaned closer to hear what would Fin's reply be. Fin responded in his usual sing song accent "Oh it's nothin' I was just wonderin' why the lass is sitting all alone." There was palpable silence that hung in the air for a few seconds. Fin immediately wondered if he had said something wrong.

Another Rune Knight eventually chimed in. "Ah well... Makes sense you didn't know... but Finn's squad got wiped out... she and General Kadokawa were the only survivors." Fin couldn't help but glance at Finn's direction again. "She doesn't really talk much or interacts with anyone for the matter...." said another person form the group.

"I'm goin' to sit with her" Fin said suddenly, the rest of the group looked at each other. Daphne then asked "I uh... I thought though you were going to eat with us?" Fin looked at the rest of his peers apologetically.

"Listen lads, how about we all go out for some pints later tonight eh? A couple rounds on me yeah?" Fin said with a grin as he presented his bargain to his peers. "You know my word is gold lads." Fin said, giving his offer another little push.

"Sounds good to me Fin, best get your wallet ready hahahaha." replied one of Fin's coworkers. "Absolutely savage. Thank's lad's, I'll see you all later tonight yeah?" Fin said with a big smile. He then quickly made his way to the table where Finn sat. He approached from behind, Finn and placed his pudding down next to her tray, clearly offering it to her.

"Top o' the morning to ya... but uh... Is this where the cool kids sit?" Fin said with a smile as warm and bright as the afternoon sun. "Ah where's me manners? I'm Finnegan... Feel free to call me Fin.... Nice to meet ya!" Fin's airy accent came out almost musically in its tone and cadence. His sky blue eyes locking with Finn's.

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WC: 964 words

It was hard to believe that her laughter had ever reverberated off of these walls. Though swallowed by the more raucous chortling of her squad mates, it had been a part of the chorus all the same. It belonged there. It was buried there along with the joyous choir that would never again anoint this place.

Finn sat at the same table in the same spot that she'd used to with her friends. It was empty now. She was little more than the placard on the unspoken memorial, and the acceptance from the other Rune Knights to never sit with her acted as the silent candles. It was respect. Acknowledgement. At least, for the dead.

That respect and acknowledgement was hit or miss when it came to Infinity herself. The Rune Knights were a large organization filled with all types of personalities. Most were impersonally glad to hear of her surprise survival and offered her polite sympathy and a wide berth. Others probably meant well with their pity, but she found it intolerable. The clone would much prefer the whispered jabs about her strength and abilities to the sickly sweetness of second-hand remorse. Some had misplaced, grief-tainted anger and wondered why it was only Shen and Finn who had survived, and she wondered that, too.

Day after day, she followed her old routine. She looked from seat to seat and remembered each of her friends, reliving the best days of her life while she ate in hopes it would ground her. Finn didn't know how to do anything else. These had been the people who helped her become who she was, and without them, she had no tether to the half-formed person she was becoming. How did someone start over again without losing progress and going back to the beginning? Could she continue without them? Should she?

Pudding.

In her peripheral vision, a cup of pudding had appeared. Someone was disturbing her vigil. That someone lingered at her side, at the memorial table. Finn was usually not overly friendly, but she had never been cold and unfriendly either... until now.

Finn intended to ignore him like he was nothing but another ghost haunting the seats, but... his irritatingly perky tone drew her eyes to his without her permission. Beneath her onyx bangs, her bloody sunset glowered into his sunny blue skies. She didn't want new friends. They could die. She wanted her old friends. They were dead, except Shen, who might as well be.

She did ignore his 'cool kids' comment, whatever that meant, but she did eventually respond. Taking the pudding, she pulled open the foil top and jabbed her spoon in to show ownership; he wasn't getting that pudding back now, whether he sat or not. "My call sign is Infinity. My friends call me..." she trailed off, then corrected herself, "My friends used to call me Finn. You can if you wish."

At first, it seemed she intended to leave it at that and eat the pudding, but she paused about three bites in. "...is this pity pudding?" she asked, her face utterly emotionless despite the obvious frown on her tone.

[wc: 524 || total: 1488]

Fin plopped down before the lone Rune Knight, listening intently to every word that passed her lips. “Infinity… grand name! Finn is even grander, guess that doubles the “Finn’s” here.” He leaned in with a happy smile, his cheek resting on his hand as he watched Finn claim the pudding as her own. The girl wore an unshakeable cold poker face that contrasted Fin’s sunny demeanor. The Sevenite’s attention perked up upon the inquiry if the offered dessert was perhaps a gift given out of pity.

“No… not pity pudding… consider it an excuse-to-talk-to-you kind of pudding.” Fin said casually as he broke eye contact briefly, only to bring himself to gaze into Finn’s gaze of crimson flame. The sight was captivating, the girl was certainly a looker.  This made Fin wonder why no one bothered to come to talk to her, but it wasn’t his business. Clearly the woman wasn’t the type to share her story, and that was fine with the ginger he simply wanted to talk.

Fin started digging into his food, it was certainly much quieter than his usual spot in the mess hall. The rookie was certainly no stranger to solitude, after all Fin was quite experienced in being alone for long… long…. Periods of time. Besides, he wasn’t alone at the moment, he was having lunch with a beautiful young woman. He only hoped that she wouldn’t leave suddenly.

Fin looked down at his beans on his tray and pondered for a moment. Alright lad, what to say next? I haven’t got a clue! I didn’t think I would get this far! Well you best be thinkin’ of somethin’ to say to the lass you bleedin’ eejit. Alright, Alright! Uh… what about her day? We can start with that yeah? The Sevenite looked back up at Infinity after finishing his internal argument with himself.

“Uh… how ya? Er How have ya day been so far Finn?” Fin inquired as he absent mindedly pushed his food around on his plate with his spoon.

Alright good lad, so far so good. Now don’t say anythin’ stupid. Of course… just stay cool and don’t go spoutin’ nonsense yeah? We got this…

Fin took a deep breath, calm and collected. There was an air of confidence about him, not over confidence, but someone who was clearly comfortable in his own skin. He breathed in, preparing himself to ask a follow up question in attempts to get the conversation rolling. He noticed her raven black bangs, they acted like curtains obscuring the breathtaking ruby red of her eyes. Taking the time to actually fully appreciate the facial structure of his Peer. Her light smooth skin, and the pink of her lips. Right then and there Fin knew he was in trouble, at that moment he realized how pretty Finn really was. A beautiful woman, the Achilles Heel of Finnegan Fontaine. “Gosh… you’re really pretty…” Fin whispered through breathless words.

Then there was silence. Fin sat there smiling, then reality began to sink in. Although the ginger-haired mage was still smiling. It was no longer a smile of confidence, a masquerade for Fin’s embarrassment. The country bumpkin’s swagger and confidence came tumbling down like a haphazard jenga tower..

YOU GOBSHITE! AH LORD! WHAT DID I SAY!? AGHHHHHH! Fin screamed to himself in the court of his mind.

“Buh! Erm… Ah… uh…. H-how’s the pudding?” Fin squeaked as his voice cracked. The young man desperately tried to play cool, but the good lord knows his attempt was anything but. His words stumbled out his lips like a bunch of drunken Svenite men stumbling out of the pub. The tips of his ears and nose began to redden as a blush began to bloom upon his pale Sevenite skin. Fin started to feel warm, his heart beating at a quickened pace.

FUUUUCKIN’ SMOOTH LAD! REAL SMOOTH! Fin’s mind raced as he kicked himself mentally.

In his final attempts to save his dignity, what did Finnegan Fontaine decide to do? He took his spoon and shoved as many beans as he could into his mouth to shut himself up. This would only end in disaster as he began to choke on said beans. Throwing himself into a coughing fit, he grabbed a carton of chocolate milk. He swiftly downed its contents, thankfully dislodging the beans from his throat. He took a sigh of relief as he realized he didn’t order milk.

“Erm… Let me get you another…” Fin said, his once cheerful tone now defeated by his own idiocy.

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WC: 756 words
TWC: 2,244 words

Great. He was sitting. Small talk. She spooned another mouthful of pudding in, trying to decide how to answer. If she went with honesty, as she usually did, her answer would be anything but pleasant. Her friends had always said she needed to lighten up and think about how her words would affect the other person sometimes. People didn't always want the truth or a real answer when someone asked a polite question, such as this one. Fin presumably didn't want to hear that every day was pretty awful and lonely and she was constantly reminded of what she lost. He wanted a smile. He wanted 'good, fine'.

The soldier had decided to give him just that when his mouth opened again and something unexpected came out. There she sat, looking over at him with her mouth hanging slightly open, her eyes incrementally widened. And so they stared at each other in the silence that followed. Was he not going to say anything else other than that? A second more followed, and then a miracle happened. Finn snorted a silent laugh from her nose, giving him a piteous expression even though her cheeks flushed a light pink. What was that? It wasn't that she'd never heard that before, many of her knucklehead friends had done it at some point, but never so quickly or randomly. Just like then, she didn't know how to respond, but it probably didn't matter. It looked like Fin hadn't meant to say it, which made things even more humorous.

Now he was asking about the pudding and his voice cracked! Another short exhale from her nose, but she offered him no relief from her gaze or the silent giggles. Perhaps she just like to watch him struggle. "It's pretty good," she said evenly, slowly licking some of it off of her spoon shortly after. Finn hadn't intended to find this strange man endearing, but against her wishes, he reminded her of the good times. Perhaps it was just because he was a harmless fool wasting his lunch on the pretty girl sitting all alone. Or maybe it was how he tried to stop more stupid words from coming with cheeks full of beans. Fin was absurd, but a nice break from all the darkness. Truly a ray of sunshine on her stormy day.

However, her softened, amused countenance changed as soon as he grabbed her milk.

Finn. Did. Not. Share.

The mirth wiped off of her features as quickly as it had appeared. The clone wasn't so unhinged that she would freak out over a choking man needing a drink, but it was also her pet peeve unless you were her favorite, most closely regarded friend in the whole world, and even then she might still get irked about it. She patted him on the back as if to help him with the choking, but perhaps it was a little too hard...

"Yes, you better do that," she replied stiffly, crimson eyes filled with a warning befitting their color. "Maybe even something extra to make it up for me, too..."

[wc: 515 || total: 2759]

Did she just blush? Wait, was that a laugh? Maybe Fin didn’t completely screw up. For a brief moment the girls face had softened, and perhaps maybe even entertained. However,The poor ginger's hope was quickly dashed as he faced the righteous fury of Infinity's crimson gaze. Fin gulped nervously as he nodded quickly. “Y-yes mam!” The Sevenite mage quickly got up and made attempted to make a mad dash to acquire a peace offering. Due Fin’s rashness his leg got caught onto his chair causing him to trip face first. A loud comical sound of his face slapping on to the cold mess halls floor resounded. A few rune knights witnessed the looney toons-esq blunder and began snickering and laughing at the poor lad.

“Ugh…” Fin groaned as he lay on the floor for a few seconds recovering from his fall. He was swift to remember his mission and quickly shot up like a diglet from the ground. He turned to Finn, revealing a large welt forming on his forehead. “I’m okay… uh… I’ll go get your milk now… I’ll be right back haha…” Fin said in an embarrassed chuckle as he hurried his way to acquire some more milk. Soon enough the young man had returned with a carton of milk in hand. He meekly approached Finn like a puppy would remorsefully approach his master after chewing their favorite slippers.

“Uh… here… s-sorry about that, it won’t happen again.” Fin said sheepishly as he placed the milk before Inifnity as a peace offering. Fin had quickly seared into his mind that Finn was the type of gal not to shared, thus he made a solemn vow to himself not to repeat his mistake. He mustered up his courage again. “They didn’t have anything else left… if it’s alright with you I can make you something… I’m a pretty good cook if I do say so myself…. Not the best at desserts though, but I ain’t too shabby in that department either…” Fin said as he presented his offer as part of his humble offering to the goddess of beauty that sat before him. Aside from hunting, and fighting, cooking was certainly a skill that he was confident in. A small seed of hope planted in the back of his mind awaited the reply of Finn. He had hoped that she would take his offer and say yes.

Fin had spent quite some time traveling before getting to Era, during his nomadic escapades he learned all sorts of recipes and methods of producing wonderful and delicious meals.  He wasn’t trying to impress or show boat, he simply loved cooking for others. He had often cooked for the other kids in the orphanage he had grown up in. Not to mention he had often made snacks and meals for his blood siblings on top of his regular kitchen duties. A decent amount of time had passed since Fin had the opportunity to prepare a meal for someone, and so he was eager to put his skills to the test.

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WC: 508 words
TWC: 3,267 words

"You're right, it won't," she confirmed, still looking like she might remove the hand that had taken her milk, though she didn't move a muscle aside from continuing to eat her lunch.

At least he was quick to rectify the situation, even if he did fall and embarrass himself in the process. 88 was still peeved, but less so once he displayed such eagerness and had returned with a replacement milk in a timely manner, which she promptly opened and drank half of. Again, it was as if she was claiming it and making it clear he wouldn't have the chance to take it again.

Though it would be easy to assume her hatred of sharing spurred from being raised in a crowded situation, be it siblings or orphans, neither was really the case. Yes, she was from a very large batch of clones, but with their rigid training, they would never take the other's nutrients for something as meaningless as hunger or pleasure. Food was merely fuel and was scientifically calculated down to the essentials. It wasn't to be enjoyed. In fact, the clones were to feel no emotions at all, including enjoying food. Once she was sent to the Rune Knights, not sharing was just a natural development of rejecting her programming and embracing a fledgling identity, which meant eating whatever she wanted because she liked it. That, and it was hers. She could have things now.

Since there was nothing else to ply her with in the mess hall, Fin suggested something unexpected. Her head tilted, eyes appraisingly grazing over him. Her sentiments about making new friends and hanging out with others hadn't changed since she sat down to lunch alone, but it was a compelling offer. Infinity did love food. And he did owe her now. This didn't mean they had to be friends. "When? Do you live in the barracks?" Finn asked, clearly wanting more information before she truly agreed.

[wc: 325 || total: 3592]

Finnegan anxiously awaited Finn's response, the young man was preparing himself for the worst until he heard Infinity inquired about where and when this apology meal would take place. A glimmer of hope ignited from within Fin. He eagerly responded to her inquiry "Well... seein' as this is a bit impromptu and I have some prior commitment later tonight... how about tomorrow night... I don't live in the barracks... I have an apartment here at Era.... although it's a bit shite... so cooking and eating there wouldn't exactly be too comfortable..." Fin explained, his tone was eager and excited but his cheery tone quickly damped as he recalled his mediocre living condition. He paused for a moment until he came to a revelation, a eureka if you will.

Fin had a favor in his pocket that could solve his problem. On his way to Fiore, Fin had hitched a ride with a traveling merchant named Henry. After a run in with some bandits, Fin was able to fight them off saving not only the Henry but his goods as well. The two became fast friends as Fin ended becoming a body guard and a traveling companion of sorts. Due to their team work the two had made it safely into Fiore and eventually to the city of Era. Henry had tried to repay Fin with cash, but Fin had graciously declined for he felt that it would have not been right to take money from a friend. However, Henry didn't go down quietly, intent on repaying Fin for his protection and company, the kind merchant had practically forced Fin to accept an "I owe you". sort of favor. With a bit of convincing and pleading on Henry's part Finnegan eventually yielded and accepted the offer. Fin smiled recalling his friend's kindness, this would be a great opportunity for him catch up with Henry and finally let the lad have his way.

"I have an idea!.... Just give me a sec... I gotta make a quick phone call." Fin said with a big bright grin. He took out an old beat up lacrima powered phone. The device had a small screen, with buttons, the relic resembled that of an old nokia phone. After slowly typing a phone number Fin eventually pressed the call button. The Sevenite waited for a few moments as he listened to the tone of the phone as it dialed.

"Yello?" greeted a voice of young man from the other side of the line. This was none other than Henry the merchant himself.

"Ah class! Well lad! How's she cuttin'? It's me Fin!" Finnegan spoke happily.

"Oh Fin! I'm doing great business is booming thank to your help haha. How about you?"

"Deadly! Fair play to ya! I'm grand lad, just been fierce busy! haven't had any time at all at all."

"Makes sense, you joined the Rune Knight if I'm not mistaken. How's it over there?"

"Aye right on the nose on that one lad, Ah, sure it's savage craic! Love it here. Ah c'mere if it's arlight lad, can I cash in that favor, yeah?"

"Awesome that's great to hear! It's also about god damn time you cashed in that favor. now lets have have it? What can I do for you brother?"

"Listen lad, I uh got me self a guest, promised I'd whip em up somethin' but I'll be front with you brother, me apartment's shite... I ain't got the elbow room to cook somethin' nice you know. Was wonderin' if ya know a place where I can cook and have me guest over."

"Oh hell yeah. Listen I got a nice cabin in the outskirts of Era. The place has a full size kitchen a beautiful dining room with a great view of the city. Feel free to use the it for as long as you want. I'll be out of town this week so the place is all yours... By the way Fin who's this guest?" Henry asked curiously.

"Savage! Oh uhm... She's a coworker of mine, I uh.... owe her for screwing up." Fin said meekly into his phone as he glanced over Finn hoping she wasn't getting impatient.

"A girl? You just joined the Rune Knights and you got yourself into girl problems HAHAHA anyway have fun with your date, and don't worry about clean up I can send someone over to take care of it. Just enjoy your date with her!" a chuckle came from Fin's phone as he turned slightly away in embarrassment.

"LAD IT'S NOT A DATE!" Fin hissed at his friend's remark, trying to keep his words discreet but utterly failing.

"okay okay whatever you say lover boy, I'll talk to you later, I have to take care of something real quick. It was nice hearing form you again Fin. I'll send the address to the cabin to you after our call."

"Yeah right on. sorry for keeping you lad. I'll send you a message later for more details. Thanks a million lad. Goodbye good bye." Fin said as he let out a sigh and then a chuckle. slightly red he cleared his throat as he read the message that was just sent by Henry.

"Sorry about that... here's the address... there's a place my friend owns.... I can cook for ya there and we can eat there as well..." Fin explained "That is if you want to go..." Fin said sheepishly as he scribbled down the address to the cabin on one of his clean napkins. He slid it over next to Finn's hand anxiously waiting to see if she would take it.

"If tomorrow doesn't work for you, my lad said the place is free for us to use for the remainder of the week... if you're not comfortable with that I can us try and make something work..." Fin's words nervously spilled from his mouth as he braced himself for rejection

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WC: 998 words
TWC: 4,580 words

Why she should care about the state of his home was beyond her, but she let him flounder all the same and said nothing.

Finn wasn't exactly known for her patience, but there was something interesting in listening to the one-sided conversation. All she could hear was Finnegan, and she found his accent fascinating the more he babbled on. During her programming days back with Dr. Raelin, she'd learned to be fluent in a few languages, but her educational period had been cut rather short once it was discovered that she was a defective clone and no longer worth the effort. She hadn't been exposed to his accent much and, though her only purpose was to be a perfect soldier, Finn very much liked to learn new things. Where was he from?

Her idle enjoyment of trying to decipher his strange vernacular was interrupted by his outburst. Not a date? Oh, she could see how the person on the other end of the call might think that, though it hadn't really occurred to her. Finn didn't date or even understand the concept too much, so it was good he was loudly aware that this was just a transaction. Even so, the mention of it once more brought a pink tint to her cheeks. Finn had always blushed easily. It was a problem.

The clone had finished her lunch in the short time he was on the phone, but she continued to wait until he was finished to see what his plan was. Her attendance was still up in the air, even to her. She hadn't decided. Or maybe she had, and that's why she hadn't yet risen to throw away her trash and get back to work. This man had faceplanted into her life and already managed to worm around her initial boundary, so it seemed she was more open to his offer than even she realized.

"Mm. I like you more when you're precariously overconfident," she said, as if she wasn't equally amused by watching him squirm. There was a chance she just said this to make him squirm more, since she did tend to have an odd, sometimes dry sense of humor that was easily confused for or twisted with blunt honesty. Who knew when it came to 88? Regardless of what she said, she took the napkin and gave him a simple nod of acceptance before she stood and strode away.

With the arrangement made, the two parted ways and went about their daily duties and various plans for the evening. The next day, though, once the work was finished, Finn went back to her room and changed before heading to the address scribbled on the napkin. She didn't dress up or anything fancy. Just a simple black dress, warm knit tights and a matching coat. At some point, she wondered why she was really doing this. All of this just because he drank her milk? Maybe she was lonelier than she thought. She probably should have let it go when he brought her a new one, or just resolved to mildly bullying him at work. Hmmm...

With those thoughts still on her mind, Finn set her uncertainty aside and gave the door of the cabin a loud series of knocks.

[wc: 544 || total: 5124]

Fin had begun his preparations right after he finished with his work, he quickly went and bough the necessary ingredients and hauled them over to Henry's place. The dish Fin had in mind was something he learned how to cook during his travels, it would take quite sometime to prepare such a meal. It wasn't difficult by any means to cook, it just took quite a bit of time to make, which is why the Sevenite nomad had decided to crash over night to keep an eye on the stove to ensure his friends cabin doesn't burn down. He also took measures to call in for a quick day off, luckily he was permitted to do so.

Using the spacious counter top Finnegan began laying out the ingredients, organizing them in a manner which suited his culinary needs. He surveyed several types of beef bones with its marrow still inside and some meat on them. It was a mixture of knuckles, joints and ribs, along side 2 pounds of of a beautiful high quality beef brisket. On the side of the bones and meat Fin had organized his spices and other flavoring factors he would use, including onions, garlic ginger and some fish sauce. The ginger surveyed the kitchen, checking to see if he had the proper cooking utensils at his disposal, sure enough everything was there, albeit a few things, but Fin expected this and had come prepared.

"Alrighty then that should be everything!" Fin said as he put on a hand made apron with hand stitched words spelling kiss the cook. He began toasting his spices on a pan, and then charring the ginger and onion before setting them aside briefly. The rookie Rune Knight then took the brisket and seared it on all sides. While this was all happening he had already placed the bones in the oven until they were. a crispy deep brown. Once that was completed he threw bones in the pot with some cold water. Fontaine then turned it on the heat slowly brining it up to a simmer skimming the fat from the bones that rose to the top. Once putting in the brisket, spices, fish sauce, salt and some yellow rock sugar. He then allowed the broth to slowly cook and simmer, he asked one of Henry's staff to watch over the broth while he went out to keep his promise and take his friends out for a few drinks. Finnegan didn't stay out long and was back in a few hours to resume his preparations. After vigilant cycle of alarms to wake him from his interval naps and with the help of Henry's staff, Mary, the broth simmered for about 24 hours.

He was cutting it close, but he was going to make it for sure. After quickly cooking some rice noodles, cutting thin slices of beef, and preparing the toppings. Finnegan Fontaine had finished preparing a delicious phở bò. Just as he finished setting up the two bowls, the ginger haired young man heard several knocks from the front door. Fin realized he hadn't even gotten ready yet, he quickly ran over to the door nearly tripping over the couch he ran past by.

He took a deep breath, he remembered Finn stating she liked it when he was more confident. With memory in his mind Finnegan mustered up every ounce of confidence in his body and opened the door. As soon as he did so the heavenly aroma of the broth wafted out as soon as the door opened. "How ya Finn, come on in lass, just finished getting the meal ready." Fin said as he gestured her to come in unaware that he was still wearing his silly apron.

"Feel free to sit down in the living room, I'll just use the bathroom real quick if you don't mind... then we can get this dinner party started yeah?" Finnegan smiled brimming with a warm and welcoming energy. He excused himself and quickly made a bolt to one of the guest rooms where he had placed his stuff in, and like the devil on his heels Fin hauled ass and got ready as fast as Barry Allen on speed. He simply splashed face with some soap and water, changed clothes, and spayed a small amount of cologne. It only took him about ten minutes tops.

Nearly out of breath he faced Finn again, "Hey... ha haa... sorry for the delay, but here, why don't ya sit yourself down." Fin smiled trying to control catch his breath. He would pull back one of the seats at a dining table as a gentleman would, allowing Infinity to comfortably seat herself before serving her. He took her bowl and poured some of the beef broth into it with a ladle. The thin slices of beef quickly began to cook due to the heat of the meticulously crafted broth. He then did the same for his bowl as well.

"There ya go... feel free to add what ever toppings you want on it." Fin smiled as he gestured over to the plate stacked with toppings so the two could garnish their meal however they please. Fin sat himself down and was about to call Henry's house keeper, when he noticed the nice old lady had sent him message stating she would be gone for the rest of the night. Fin took a mental note to save some for her later, after all there was plenty of brother for Henry and his house keeper.

Fin picked up his chop sticks and paused for a moment, closed his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds before turning his attention to Finn. "Alrighty then shall we dig in?" Fin smiled as he eagerly waited for Finn to have the first taste. Finnegan was confident in his cooking skills, but for the first time in a long time Fin felt nervous. He quickly replayed his memories of the day of preparation checking if he missed anything. Nothing was a miss, all he could do now was await. Her critique on the meal.

"So how was your day?" Fin inquired a follow up question, hopefully trying to initiate a conversation from her so as to avoid eating awkwardly in silence.

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WC: 1,044 words
TWC: 6,168 words

The door opened, revealing a ginger man still in the throes of preparation. Had she been too early? With a standard greeting, she stepped inside, taking a moment to look around and get her bearings. "Two people are hardly a party," she commented dryly, but then paused. The apron didn't go unnoticed, but before she could ask him if the words monogrammed on it were optional or not, he'd scampered off to the bathroom, leaving her to the silence of an unfamiliar place.

A gentle sniff of the air yielded a surprisingly pleasant aroma. Though not usually the most expressive of creatures, the corners of her mouth turned down and her brows raised in mild surprise. She hadn't really expected him to be a good cook. And though she hadn't confirmed it with her taste buds, there was no way something that smelled this way could taste bad.

Finnegan had really gone out of his way to make up for drinking her milk. Perhaps he'd gone a little overboard, even. It felt... awkward. She walked around the room slowly, peering out at the view of the city while she thought deeply on the subject. Maybe she should have gone easier on him. How many times had Patton told her to lighten up, especially on those who mean well?

"Mmn," she hummed. As usual, thinking of them brought a twinge of pain in the missing lower half of her right leg. Phantom pains kept her from being back to full duty, which generally meant she did her normal duties, but wasn't ready to go back on missions concerning the war. It was a shame, because that's exactly the place she wanted to be, avenging her friends. But the higher ups were right. As she was right now, she'd likely just fall in battle. She had to work harder. She had to--

Fin's return pulled her out of the dark spiral before it could get too far. Apparently it was time to dine, so with a polite smile she walked over, limping very slightly, and took his offered seat. The soup was assembled right before her eyes, fresh and piping hot. Never had she had anything like it, and clearly by the brightness in her eyes, she was mighty interested. When her attention was brought to the plate of toppings, she didn't hesitate to plop a handful of beansprouts in, as well as a few plucked leaves of basil. Finishing it off with a squeeze of sliced lime, she leaned down and smelled it again, then picked up a spoon to give the broth a taste.

Finn's stern face cracked with amazement and she gasped. It was delicious! Unlike anything she'd ever tasted, which wasn't saying much, but even if she had, this would have been at the top of her list. This was no cafeteria food, nor rations, nor the fare of cheap carts and shops in the few places she'd traveled. This was something else, something she'd love to devour right away.

But...

Crimson hues rose to the sticks in Fin's hands, flickered to her own, and then back again as if analyzing. She wanted to imitate how he ate the unfamiliar food, but trying to get them to sit in her hand like they did his was difficult. Infinity had never used chopsticks.

"My day was normal," the clone answered blandly, her mind clearly somewhere else, though she'd never been very good at small talk anyway. "Yours? I didn't see you at work..."

88 was not a very patient person. As someone who valued efficiency a little too much at times, the fact that this soup was apparently intended to be consumed with two sticks seemed ridiculous. Her hands continued to fumble with the utensils, and as a result, the hangry woman started to get frustrated. A frustrated Finn was prone to outbursts, and this would be no different.

With a loud, exasperated sigh, Finn ended up just taking a single stick and stabbing it through a piece of meat so she could at least have something of the solid contents in her mouth. "You know," she began, after chewing angrily, "Sticks seem like an odd choice for this dish, don't you think? It tastes so good, but how am I supposed to eat the noodles and other stuff?" the soldier wanted to know, her cheeks already starting to turn pink just for having to ask.

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Fin would notice the limp 88 had as he escorted her to the table, he wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to disrespect his guest, it was not his business, nor was she a helpless maiden that needed rescuing. If he could sweep her off her feet and carry her to where ever she wanted, he would but he knew it was not his place. He reflected, thinking if he was in her shoes, he too would not want to be pitied by others. So he vowed to himself never to treat her any different, but if she asked for help at a heart beat he would give it. The ginger haired young man would note the look of interest his companion for the evening would display while he served her the meal. He would seat himself beside her and watch intently as she decorated her steaming hot bowl with the toppings of her choice, he couldn't help but hold back a smile as he watched her personalize her meal. A moment of nervousness bubbled from Finnegan's chest as he watched Finn with baited breath as she took her first taste at the meal he prepared. As soon as he would she the light of Infinity's ruby red eyes, his lips would curl into a smug smile. Ladies and gentleman, we gottem! Fin thought as he felt a surge of confidence and reassurance course through his veins. As if to further fuel his own ego he took the soup spoon and took a sip from the savory broth.

A job well done laddie, a job well done. Fin thought to himself as he took his chopsticks and brought a bundle of rice noodles to his mouth to consume. His sea blue eyes would notice how the girl before him would attempt to mimic his movements. He held back a chuckle, as not to anger his guest. "Oh... I called in for a day off, and thank the good lord boss man let me haha... I've spent the whole day makin' this...  well it took me about 24 hours or so to make the broth. Not to bad if I do say so me self, that it is" Fin said nonchalantly as his eyes would glance up to the clock, as he unknowingly let out a soft yawn realizing how tired he was. Ironically, it wasn't the long process that tired him, it was probably the subtle nervousness he felt over the many hours regarding his beautiful guest. However seeing that she enjoyed the food, the stress of wondering if she would like the meal or not was lifted off his shoulders. Watching his dinner compatriot blush in an embarrassed fury as she impaled a piece of meat, he couldn't help but snicker at her cute outburst.

"Good Lord, you're adorable aren't yeah..." Fin whispered to himself as he covered his mouth to hide his laughter. He gave Finn a warm and fond look before pointing to the soup spoon next to her bowl. "You use the soup spoon for broth lass..." Fin said as he lifted his own spoon to show her. He then once again took his chopsticks, but this time slowly showing her how he would pluck the meat and noodles with the two sticks. "Just gotta use it like this." Fin said, he paused for a moment and as if having a eureka moment in his mind, he snapped his fingers and gave himself a nod. "Better yet let me help you..." Finnegan would get up and walk up behind Finn and gently cup her hand with his. "First you just gotta take the chopsticks like so..." Ever so gently he would guide her hand and fingers, never did he force her hand in any way. He did so with utmost care and warmth. He laughed softly and continued his explanation. "kinda like tweezers you use em to pick up your food, just gotta..." Fin's voice trailed off as his eyes would lock onto 88's face. Her raven black stands of hair, simply cascading down her her fair skin. Her stunning fire red eyes that were the opposite of Fin's cool ocean blue. The rosey pink of her lips and the blush that blossomed on her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Once again, this girl had simply taken Fin's breath away. He stared at her for a couple of seconds before realizing just how close his face was to hers.

Immediately ginger haired country boy turned as red as the tomatoes that grew in his villages farm. He immediately pulled back, turning away from her trying to hide the reds of his cheeks. "I-I'm sorry... I was inconsiderate... lemme just get you a fork...." Fin said as he swiftly walked away from the table to fetch the girl a fork. "The hell are you doing lad... you're acting like bleedin' fool.... you'll be lucky if she wasn't creeped out....Ah the lord...." Fin mumbled to himself as he face palmed at his own stupidity. A bit of frustration ignited in Fin's heart, frustration at himself. Why?! Why was he acting like this? Talking to girls was easy! This wasn't his first dinner with a girl alone. Where did all his charm go? His confidence that was a strong pillar for his smooth talking was reduced to nothing more than a teetering jenga tower that could easily be topped by a single prod of this girl he had just met.

For but a moment he pretended to look for a fork, but in reality he was desperately trying to grasp the reigns of his beating heart. "She's just a coworker Fin... focus lad..." He mumbled to himself as he took a fork, and some chilled Lucky Seven Whiskey and brought it to the table. He set the fork down beside Finn's bowl before placing an ice cube into her cup and pouring her some whiskey. "Sorry about that... oh... if ya don't like the whiskey we have some saké or soju... got some wine and other beverages... theres some juice, or tea if you don't want anything alcoholic..." Fin said listing out options, before realizing that he was rambling. As if to repeat the events of yesterday, he simply resorted to eating his meal albeit at a more reasonable pace.

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WC: 1,053 words
TWC: 7,953 words

Her host's 'adorable' comment and laughter only fueled the fires in her cheeks, causing her eyes to avert and her lips to pull down in an unsteady line. Embarrassing. How did he eat so easily with these things? She didn't like not knowing, but also didn't want him to watch while she kept failing. Perhaps she wouldn't get to eat the delicious meal after all. Or maybe she could take it to go and eat it however she pleased back in the barracks.

It seemed Fin had other ideas, though. He attempted to help by pointing out the spoon, but no, she didn't want the useless spoon for sipping broth right now. She wanted the crunchy and chewy bits. He then tried to purposefully show her how to use the chopsticks, but it wasn't helping much. That was when he rose and tried to manually show her, which was much more helpful, even if it meant he came a bit close and touched her. So close that her cheeks blushed a bit more, even though she was trying to will the blood out of her face and back to where it belonged. Relax, it was just learning a skill. This was the better way for her to learn! But then he went quiet and she turned her face up to see why, meaning their faces were now very close. It was her turn to pause, just breathing as they stared into each other's eyes.

As intimidating as Infinity could be, she turned red from the neck up. They both did, in fact. And they both hurriedly looked away from each other.

"No! No, it's fine, what are you all upset about?" she replied to his apology, as if she wasn't glowing and staring into her soup instead of at him. It wasn't that Fin himself flustered her. 88 was just aware of how easily she blushed, and she hated it. Not being able to control it drove her nuts. The guys had always tormented her about it and teased her just to make her cheeks red all the time. And it was so easy to do with just a little bit of affection, though the reasons for that were a bit deep and dark to try and explain.

The clone quickly calmed down while listening what she could hear of him quietly chastising himself, though. Again, she felt a pang of... what was it? Guilt? Guilt about putting him through all of this hassle, taking a day off to cook and then making him what she thought was uncomfortable.

Fin returned with a fork and some alcohol. It stung to be defeated by two little sticks, but she nodded gratefully now that she could eat. "Don't worry about it," she replied sternly, then gestured toward the whiskey. "This is fine, as well."

No, it wasn't fine, but she wasn't going to be even more trouble by refusing it and asking for juice. It wasn't like she didn't drink with her squad or by herself when the emotions got the better of her, which was more and more lately. The issue was, whether she admitted it or not, she didn't hold her liquor well.

Finn was a lightweight.

Dinner went on more smoothly for a while after that. Between the fork and spoon, she was able to enjoy Fin's hard work fully. "Really, this is very delicious. I appreciate the effort, even if it really is disproportionate to drinking a carton of cafeteria milk," she told him, not yet taking any sips of the booze. The broth was plenty to wash it down with when needed, but now the bowl was empty and it was time to wash it down.

Picking up her cup, Finn thought it might be okay to have one glass after dinner. She wasn't one for manners, but she'd picked up a polite thing or two. After finishing the drink, she'd thank him and leave, and all of this would be over, right?

Wrong.

Halfway through the glass of biting amber liquid, her cheeks started flaring up for a whole different reason. She was already tipsy, if not lightly drunk. She leaned forward, a more brazen smile playing on her lips. "You know," she started, the stern evenness of her voice melting away into a sultry purr, "I heard you insist this wasn't a date, but it feels like one, don't you think?"

Getting up from the table, she took her glass with her and stepped closer to the ginger, leaning her hip against the table as she peered down at him. "This was a lot of work that you pulled off, why don't you just be honest with me, Finnegan?"


[wc: 784 || total: 8737]

Fin couldn't help but smile upon hearing the compliment to his cooking. It was funny, it wasn't the first time Fin had cooked a meal for others, but seeing Finn enjoy the meal he had prepared just felt right. However the sweet moment took a sudden turn when Finnegan found himself sitting there completely awestruck, his small country boy brain scrambled to make sense from the sudden personality whiplash he had just experienced. Infinity's sultry voice left her lips smooth like butter as she inquired if this little event they had was date. Fin was at a loss of words, this wasn't like Finn he had grown accustomed too. The country bumpkin sat in his seat confused and unsure of what to say or do. 88 was attractive for sure, but the way she acted was kind of hot. The poor ginger sat there quaking in his boots. He almost jumped out of his seat when Finn took a step closer looking down at him in a sexy manner. This all happened while he was mid swig from his glass of whiskey. "PFTT-BUHAHGAHBAH!" private Fontaine sputtered as whiskey almost shot out his nose coughing violently, luckily he was able to painfully down the alcohol without making an absolute mess.

"Ah shite..." Fing coughed in between breaths as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Luckily almost spewing out the whiskey and falling into a fit of coughing had jolted the ginger back to his senses. He took a deep breath and gathered himself, the gaze of his blue eyes fell upon the glass of whiskey in 88's hand. Was she... drunk?.....Already?! Growing up in Seven drinking was tradition, hell he had started drinking some form of alcohol since he was 13 albeit secretly without his family knowing. Not only that, most of his family and friends that could drink could drink enough booze to drown a pod of whales. This meant that the country boy could hold his alcohol very well. With alcohol being a constant variable in Finnegan's life, he knew very well how bad things could turn if a person had too much to drink. He knew he had to do something before things could get dicey.

He got up and walked nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets. "Aye... this isn't a date... but I do agree with ya lass...it does feel like one yeah?" Fin said smoothly, as he mustered all of his confidence to keep his voice cool and even. He turned to her slowly, locking eyes with hers. Like water and fire clashing together, Finnegan's blue eyes stared straight into Finn's crimson red glare. He nodded, getting even closer, as he leaned forward towards his tipsy companion. One of his hands placed itself on the table next to Finn's hip as he leaned even closer. "Aye lass... it did take a lot of effort... but it think it was worth it. Every second. Because... you enjoyed the meal..." Fin smiled sweetly, his voice soft in a audible wisper that only Finn could hear. While he did so, his other hand would slowly reach for 88's glass. "Be honest?... Honest huh?... Honestly... I don't know why I did all of this. Maybe because I was bored? Maybe because I just wanted to see a pretty girl smile?.... Is this a date?" Fin asked, something deep in him stirred. A sudden rush of energy washed over him, his once nervous beating heart slowed to a calm and stead beat. His eyes shifted to a darker color, that of a electric violet. His sing song and chipper tone, became deeper. "Why don't you be honest with me lass? Is this a date? Was all my hard work worth it?" Fin mused as he gave her mischievous grin. His hand finally reached hers, slowly and gently he would try to guide Finn's hand to let down the glass.

"Are you enjoying this evening?" Finnegan inquired, hoping that she would surrender the glass of whiskey. If Finn was this way by just being tipsy, Finnegan dreaded to see what would happen if she was completely hammered. A weaker man may have given in, and allowed her to get wasted, but Fin's moral code prohibited him from doing so. After all the words of his older sister rang true and clear in his mind. A true man never takes advantage of a woman who's drunk.

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TWC: 9,471 words

Finn didn't even flinch at Finnegan's sputters. If anything, her face turned a bit smug. She liked that she could fluster him, that much was becoming apparent.

However, she also liked whatever the new persona was, the one with the deeper voice and violet eyes. She marveled at them, barely hearing whatever he was saying, though the tone sent a curious shiver down her spine. Her free hand crept over his on the table by her hip, running a finger up his arm, along his shoulder and clavicle, up his neck, and along his jawline. Was it flirty or just curious? It was unclear. She didn't back down, though, nor did she release the iron grip on her cup. Finn did not share, even if the person didn't intend to consume it themselves.

Calling his potential bluff, she leaned even closer, probably about 70% of what would've been a kiss if he spotted the remaining 40%. "It's a date, then. My first one. Make it a good one," Finn challenged, though she wasn't expecting anything in particular. As she'd just said, she'd never been on an actual date before. The clone really had no idea what constituted one besides the parameters that this event already met. Other than some sort of romance, that is. That she knew was missing, and perhaps that's what Tipsy Finn meant. Who knew?

Leaning back a little, she pulled the glass from his grasp and put it up to her lips. "Are you trying to take this?" she asked, pausing only a moment before she tilted it back and downed the rest of it out of spite. Only then did she cheekily place the empty glass in his hand. "I just don't get it. Everyone wants to tell me what to do as if I can't decide for myself, and they rarely explain why. Some guys try to keep me from drinking, others encourage me to do so. My old squad was always split nearly down the middle on it, arguing over it every time we went out to a bar or had a party. I don't understand," she sighed, a bit of sadness tinging her flushed features. Now she could never really ask them why, could she? Regardless of how they felt about her alcohol consumption and the consequences of it, Finn knew better than most that booze numbed the sadness, just like it was doing now. Even though it'd been alone or with strangers who didn't share Fin's moral compass, she'd been drinking more and more since her rescue from the POW camp. She craved the numbing and the distractions it brought.

She did understand that she was uncomfortably warm, though. The smugness returned. She lifted a leg and brushed it between his, her calf rubbing his. "I'm too warm," she told him, a free hand lifting her dress a little to reveal the tops of her stockings high on her thighs.

"Take them off for me."

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The poor pilgrims was simply awestruck, unfortunately things did not go according to plan. Finnegan simply watched his companion down the rest of the amber liquid, knowing fully well there was no turning back. Private Fontaine's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to remedy the problem. Infinity certainly wouldn't take no for an answer, and Finnegan certainly had no intentions with complying. Try as he may Fin could not find any alternate ways to circumvent the events that were unfolding. The thought dreaded the ginger haired mage, however, the only way he could survive is if he can hold out long enough, delay and stall. Maybe, just maybe the alcohol would kick in and leave her completely inebriated to the point of her passing out. This was the result Fin wanted to avoid, but it was his only hope. He had to play along.

"Well if you're so intent in drinkin' allow me to pour ya another one lass. Hahaha." Fin chuckled as he leaned closer to her and took the bottle of whiskey from the table and poured it into Finn's glass. He noticed the tinge of sorrow that colored her voice as she reflected upon her memories she had made with her previous squad. "Aye... your friends sound like a good bunch..." Fin said quietly as he broke eye contact momentarily. "I know it ain't me place to say... but a toast to our comrades... the ones who are with us today....and a toast to those who are not..." Fin's tone shifted to a somber one, he remained silent for a few seconds before lifting his glass in a ceremonial manner before drinking the rest. His gaze would shift noticing the smugness on his impromptu dates face. 88 proclaimed that she was feeling warm, Fin knew it was a natural response to the booze. Finnegan felt her leg brush up against his, he subtly took a deep breath and did his best and remained calm. He blinked a couple of times at the sudden request of red eyed maiden before him.

Do it... she wants you too... Whispered the the carnal desires in the back of fin's mind, after all he was but a man, and before him was a beautiful woman. However just as the little devil on Finnegan' shoulder spoke, the voice of his older sister range clear and true. Remember Fin, you must be a gentleman. For awhile his moral compass and his attraction to 88 battled. He eventually steeled himself and decided to take action, he would oblige to her request and then attempt to change the direction of the unfolding events. "I'm terrible at unwrapping presents." Finnegan said jokingly as he set his empty glass down on the table, gently grazing his finger tips up her leg to her stockings. Fin remained cool and collected in his outward appearance, but inside his mind he was having a mental break down. Thoughts were racing in his brain, and the one thing he could only clearly think of was asking his older sister for forgiveness.

His warm hands gently began pulling down Finn's stockings, and everything was going well until something got caught. Fin tugged slightly, but yet Finn's stocking remained entangled by something. "uhhhh.... one sec lemme just..." Finnegan tried once more when suddenly he felt a click, and the sound of a loud thud. As he accidentally unfastened 88's prosthetic leg. There was a moment of unbroken silence, as Finnegan stood there processing the blunder he had just done. He quickly scrambled to pick up her prosthetic, and then it dawned to him, he had no idea how to put it back on. With the mental stress finally got to the poor ginger, thus he suddenly blurted out the first and only stupid thing that came to mind.

"Ah shite... sorry lass I didn't mean to... I'm not sure how to put it back on... you can say that.... you've got me stumped..." Fin said as he chuckled weakly as he handed Finn back her prosthetic leg.

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Finn seemed incredibly pleased and more than a little smug as he complied with her command. It was nice when people listened to her instead of the other way around. The woman wasn't particularly in touch with her muted emotions, but she was perfectly in touch with physical things. Her lips parted and she sighed when she felt his fingers on her leg, as if just touching her had roughly the same blissful calming effect as alcohol. The clone was a deeply flawed being trying to make sense of a world she was ill-equipped to understand.

He started with the most complicated leg, which she never considered would be an issue. Mostly because she was very tipsy, but also because it seemed such a simple request. The stocking snagged on the prosthetic, and though she looked a little annoyed, she gave Fin time to maneuver it away... but that didn't really happen. Unbeknownst to both of them, the knitting had tangled in the quick release mechanism that she'd had added for emergencies.

*click....thud*

Robbed of her balance, Finn's body pitched forward and she had no choice but to grab his shoulders to keep from falling. The silence was loud. Finn wasn't really sure what to think, how to feel. Her fake leg had just fallen off and her nub, a source of no small amount of shame and frustration, was left hanging in midair. Truthfully, anger was the first feeling she was barreling toward, but as he picked up her leg, he said something that entirely disarmed it.

It wasn't the apology that quelled her. It was the joke. Finn might not be the most human of the Rune Knights, but she had developed a sense of humor while in her squad. It was dark and twisted, but certainly there. It popped out when people usually least expected it.

Stumped.

As Fin handed her the leg, the clone erupted into a soft snort as she tried to restrain her amusement. It was no good. Soon, giggles were bubbling out, followed by hearty peals of laughter. "Hahaha- Stumped... because my leg got blown off... and-- haha-- I have a stump, but also you don't know- hehe- how to put it back on..." she wheezed, more to herself than him. Yes, sadly, she was occasionally the explainer of why jokes were funny, which usually ruined it... but sometimes made it more funny. At least to her. She was new to this, okay? Her body leaned against Fin's as she fought her compromised balance, unable to get the leg back on at the moment. "Oh... you really are funny," she grinned.

Finally losing her balance, she flopped back onto her butt, sitting in front of him in a rather vulnerable position. Though she didn't know how to articulate it, she liked funny people. She liked people who chose to go ahead and make fun of or even get mad at her for her disability. Any other reaction than pity and feigned ignorance. Fin was looking better and better to her crimson gaze.

Finn was still warm, though, perhaps even more so now. Peering up at him, she lifted her good leg out to him. "How about this one? It shouldn't fall off..." Finn suggested, her voice dipping into sultry. It was all but a demand that he touch her again.

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Finnegan had braced himself for what ever unbridled fury would be unleashed due to his blunder... and yet it wasn't anger, it wasn't yelling, it wasn't a hail of obscenities spurned from wrath. The ginger was instead greeted with the most adorable dorky snort followed by a laugh, a beautiful and genuine laugh. He watched his dinner partner chuckle, laughing in between her words as she explained dark humor Fin had just presented. The young man was just awestruck, completely captivated by this woman's joy as she butchered the punchline as she dissected the entirety of the joke and its context. Private Fontaine didn't care, while others would have rolled their eyes in annoyance, Finnegan joined Infinity's glee. Her body would lean on his as giggles escaped her lips, Fin looked down with his azure eyes and there it was, the first time ever Finn had actually seen his coworker grin. Although it was not a smile, Fin knew that this girl before her had a smile that could shine the city scape in the darkest of nights. There was one thought came to Finnegan's mind... He wanted to see more, more of this happy and joyful Fin...

That's when a wave of realization washed over him, as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his groggy soul. Through the cosmic forces of whatever insane beings that led him to this moment Fin realized, this girl was special. Cupid had dragged Fin's heart out to the nearest park, gave it a glove, and had him catch feelings. Fin realized right then and there, what he was about to do was against the morals he abided by. So, the pilgrim drew a deep breath in and let out a controlled sigh, before slapping himself so hard that the sound of his hand smacking himself on his face was as if a crack of lightning was summoned by zeus himself. Fin shook his head a few times to shake of the sudden blast of pain he had just inflicted upon himself.

He then met Fin's gaze, he would abide in her desire to be touched. He leaned forward, his face close to hers. In one solid motion, he embraced her. The embrace was not that of lust, but a warm hug. He didn't make any sexual advancements, he simply hugged her. He eventually pulled away, took the prosthetic leg that had fallen off, his eyes fell upon her old injury. He then looked up back at her, but his gaze was not of pity, but pure admiration. Finnegan then gently locked her prosthetic leg back in it's rightful place.

"Listen Finn... I don't think I can go through with this... I dunno, just doesn't feel right to me... It's not that I find you attractive.... hell... the good lord know's you've gotten me smitten by you're looks.... I mean look at ya lass... you're absolutely deadly... stunning..." Fin said as he would sit beside her and look up at the ceiling up.

"Me mother always told me if you found someone special... you ought to treat em that way... you ought to treat them with all the care in the world... Ms. Finn.... I think... you're special." Fin said as he turned his head to look at her.

"I think you're really special..." Fin said with a soft smile as he placed his hand on top of hers. "Although, you clearly want things to go a certain way...Would it be okay if we have another date together? I'd like to spend time with ya when you're not completely inebriated hahaha.... not that I don't enjoy spending time with ya drunk.... I just wanna spend more time with ya... is that okay?" Fin asked sincerely.

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WC: 625 words
TWC: 11,825 words

Tipsy as she was, she hadn't expected much but what she asked for, which was lustful touch. The hug had caught her off guard. It felt different. Completely unfamiliar, but also... nice. Comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold day. She tried to remember if she'd ever been pulled into such an embrace. Probably not. Not without any suggestive words and touches after. Even after he pulled away, she sat there with a vaguely confused expression, trying to figure Fin out as best she could while her mind was nice and numbed. If all of this was not to get something in return, then why was he doing it? Wasn't everything a trade of some sort? Humans were transactional. Work for money, friendship for favors, drinks for sex. All of this couldn't be for simply drinking her milk. Finn was trying to give him what he'd earned, but he didn't want it?

Strange. What did it mean? It had to mean something... or maybe it didn't. If anyone knew that the world didn't make sense sometimes, it was Infinity. After all, why was she even still alive?

Finn'd never been turned down before. It felt a little weird on her end, like a twist in her gut or chest. She just attributed the sensation to indigestion from the new food or a digestive disagreement with the alcohol, not that she was feeling disappointed and rejected by someone she kinda liked.

The ginger snapped her leg back in place but she hardly noticed because of the hug and the words that came after. The clone did her best to follow along, her head tilting almost an exaggerated degree with her crimson hues staring, big and questioning. Special. Treat them with all the care in the world. It was so conceptual and vague!

What the f*** did it mean?

Did his equipment not work? Did he like men? Was he physically put off by her stump? What did his mother have to do with this? Where did time and dates fit in?

"So I'm 'stunning' and 'special', but you don't want to have sex with me," she tried to clarify, blunt and to the point, as per usual. What did special mean in relation to her? The math equation wasn't computing, which might seem odd to a normal person, but most didn't really know 88's situation. She was raised in a bleached lab with the cold Dr. Raelin and many others virtually identical to her. There'd been no childhood at all, and what little time she'd spent cognitive was crammed with accelerated and intense learning, physical training, and painful experiments. The doctor demanded perfection, otherwise the clones were destroyed or sold off. She had no mother, unlike Fin. There was no one to issue her nonsensical orders for the best life other than superior officers within the Rune Knights, but that was only for work's benefit. No one told her how to live or offered insight into the dark areas of being a unique individual.

As such, her understanding of people was still very limited, and she understood herself even less since she was human in DNA only. Human beings and other similar humanoids were impossible to encompass in documentation, no matter how many biology and psychology books she'd studied. The infinite variables that could combine in a single person, to the point that everyone was different from the other in at least a few small ways, meant it was something a clinical mind such as hers would never grasp. Not that anyone really could, but she was at the bottom of the list for sure. It didn't stop her from asking.

"What is the difference of doing it now as opposed to doing it later after more time? Will it make it better for you somehow? Are your genitals not working right now and you want to try a different time? I don't understand," she told him, her hand curling into his without much thought. Delayed gratification mystified Finn. "Don't people try to take something 'special' as quickly as they can before someone else takes it or becomes 'unspecial'? My drunkenness just makes it easier to get what you want, perhaps I need to be more stimulating?" she started to pull the strap of her dress low, rustling up more skin for him to see, "Or is it perhaps worth more if I pose a challenge? Is it a game?"

The last question seemed to satisfy her own logic. A game. Finn understood games... usually. They at least had rules and goals. Hm. "If that's the case, then we can go on dates. Will that fulfil the requirements, or are there more rules?"

[wc: 783 || total: 12608]

Fin listened to the girl beside him speak, he realized how much she didn't know. It made him wonder what kind of life did she had to make her so innocent to these things. Her bluntness would be off putting, maybe even rude to other people. But for Fin, he found it Endearing, it made it easier to talk to her in certain aspects. Fin paused, searching deep in his mind to find the right words to say. He was pulled out of his thoughts at her bluntness about the possibility of his genitals not working.

"Pfttt HAHAHA. Don't worry my junk works fine." He retorted with a smile on his face, he felt her hand curl on to his and his voice softened. "You know, theres more to relationships than sex. Don't get me wrong, sex and intimacy is important and shite. Also, you're stimulating as it is lass. But.... put it into this perspective, relationships are like growing apples." Fin said as he picked up an apple from the fruit basket left on the counter top nearby the dining table. He tossed the crimson fruit in the air and caught it. "You don't get the sweet fruit right away. I mean....sure, you can buy it form the store, its convenient and quick." The ginger went on as he took his place by Infinity once more.

"But you can grow a beautiful apple tree from a single seed, and get more apples. Yes it takes longer, sometimes things out of your control happens and the tree doesn't grow... maybe there's some set backs before you can even harvest a single apple... but once you put in the effort and care, eventually you'll have plenty of apples!" Fin said excitedly as he looked down at the apple in his hand. "Just like relationships.... yeah you can have casual sex, you can make it a night of quick gratification... but it doesn't last long... its not same if you started with some small talk, then took the time to learn more about the person you like, find out what the do's and don't's. Figuring out, how to grow the relationship and you and your partner as individuals... but like what I mentioned, if you and your partner both take the effort to let the relationship grow, you'll have not just one night of fun, but loads of wonderful memories together." Fin said as small lights formed like a mini constellation in his free hand as a small elegant dagger manifested. He then would take the dagger and slice a piece of the apple and handed it to Finn.

"I'm sure you're well aware... it doesn't feel nice when people pity you... or they just do you favors and things without even getting to know who you really are... to be judged or valued for whats on the surface... being able to do things, yourself.... learn... to walk on your own two feet.... er foot... hahaha... to walk you're own journey.... its like that with relationships too... except... you don't have to walk alone.. you can have someone beside you on that journey.... on that adventure to who knows where." Fin said with the gentle smile as to sliced himself a piece of the apple.

"hahaha sorry for rambling.... I hope I made sense..." Fin said almost quietly as he his blue eyes glossed over like a rainy sky, as swift wave of melancholy washed over his thoughts. "A game... I guess if it's easier for you to understand.... why don't we make it like a game... every time we go on dates you can give me points if I do something you like.... and if i do something stupid, which I'm 100% sure will happen considering the gobshite I am.... then you can deduct points... If I score high enough.... then you decide if you wanna go on a date again? What do ya say?" Fin suggested as he fun chipper self radiated through his goofy grin.

________________________

WC: 666 words
TWC: 13,274 words

Oh yes, analogies. 88 was great with analogies.

Not.

Even when not drunk, these types of examples and comparisons to try and convey a complicated notion flew over her head. Her mouth remained slightly agape. Her crimson gaze squinted and tightened as it glanced between Fin, the apple, Fin again (ha), the magic constellation, Fin yet again, and then the apple slice. She might as well have had ghostly complex calculations mixing with the imaginary boozy bubbles popping around her head, except she'd have been far more adept with high-level math than whatever Fin was trying to get across to her.

"I'm not an apple, Finnegan..." she responded after a pause so long it was probably easy to worry that she'd passed out with her eyes open. "And I don't understand what you want... but I know it's not me."

Now, this statement was ambiguous and perhaps more layered than even she realized. Relationships eluded her. She didn't understand the base concept, so everything he said about it made no sense. Why not buy the apple when you wanted an apple. Why couldn't you eat the apple you bought and then buy another again later when you wanted it again? She was a bad apple. No one would buy her twice in a row. No one wanted a relationship with her. Was she even capable of such a thing how normal humans would want it? All of these notions were in there, but jumbled and incoherent and in no way actually related to apples. If that was what Fin wanted, he was better off trying all of whatever he meant with someone else.

"Memories are painful to make. People die," she commented, her face briefly twisting into the expressions she wore back at the HQ's cafeteria table. It was something she didn't care to repeat and only further stifled her growth as a human being. "I do hate pity. I don't take or give pity. But I'm a crippled soldier, this is all there is to know about me. No one wants to take anything from me anymore because I have nothing to give. And I can't keep you or anyone from walking beside me, since there's enough room in most places that aren't too narrow..." she said, taking things literally again as she looked down at the slice of apple in her hand. Her words weren't sad or depressed. They were just facts to her. She turned to look at his goofy grin, tilting her head in dizzy contemplation. Perhaps he hadn't realized that he was denying her something that she had wanted.

"You can keep your apples, but I do like games. What is the score that needs to be reached? I won't go easy on you."

[wc: 459 || total: 13,733]