Kenny rested face down on the concrete road for a moment, he was merely sleeping off the travel, though a few urchins and pick pockets took advantage of his downed state whilst he slept. If only he wasn’t such a heavy sleeper, their hands went into his pocket and swiped a smooth bit of cash from him, but there was little he could do to stop them, he’d lay there, resting up. Did he appear dead? Maybe folks in Marigold were funny about their street corpses, but the time he spent on the ground would be limited, as he soon awoke. Hand pressing around against the concrete he stood up and stretched his arms and legs. That must have been some of the best sleep he had ever gotten, he felt light on his feet! Oh, now that he was here he had a few things to do! Yes, yes, find a hotel, do some jobs, find a steady place of nourishment, change his clothes.

At this point he was walking down the street and counting off what he needed to do on shi fingers as he walked down the road. “Let’s see, jobs, food, water, a roof over my head, so much to do and so little time.” he laughed to himself. He was searching for a place to stay first, then he would change clothes and then he’d go get a bite to eat! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy! Little to his knowledge his jewel reserve to a… Moderate hit.

After asking the locals about hotels in the area he was directed to one, but before he went and rented a room he stopped at a nearby park and took a seat on a bench. Ha, this was a recurring theme for him, he was always on a bench where he went somewhere new, and usually, it would lead to him meeting someone new who would have a slight effect on his day, though in the last two cases they were effects on his entire personality! Maybe he was just paranoid, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was on some sort of hot streak with meeting people, from the tailors to getting beat up by that kid things were looking up for him!

The demi-warrior rested on the bench, his hands behind his head as he let loose a sigh of relief, “Look at those clouds.” he’d mumble looking up at the partially cloudy sky, “not a drop of rain in sight.”

Alyssa was wandering the town of Marigold getting to know her new surroundings. She had never been in this town before and everything was bright and wonderful. Many people strolled the streets beside her with smiles upon their faces. Though her split was pushing against the barriers of her mind yet again, she found it hard to be annoyed at it at the point and time. She was happy, and it seemed so was Arcane. The growlithe trotted beside her, head high, looking around for something though she did not know what. His tail brushed Alyssa's leg with every wag, slightly annoying the beast master. She had been on edge a lot lately. The split was pushing against her mind more and more each day, and soon, she was afraid it was going to take hold completely.

She sighed and reached down to pat Arcane only to find he was no longer walking along side her. She glanced around her to see that he was no where to be found. Looking around frantically, Alyssa finally sighted him making a b-line straight for a small park secluded from the rest of the busy town. Alyssa broke out into a run, following him, only to find he had stopped in front of a male resting on a bench. His hands were behind his head and he seemed to be resting without a care in the world, oh how Alyssa longed to do the same. The girl had not even set up residence yet in the small town, she had been too busy looking around memorizing the landscape.

The male was of the finer specimen it seemed. The tone of his muscles indicated that he performed a lot of manual labor, and the unkempt hair on the top of his head seemed to sit in a way that would suit him, and no one else. He seemed altogether like an interesting man. Sitting on the bench beside the man, Alyssa finally decided to make herself known.

"You know, I could have killed you there if I tried. Not very observant, are you?" She asked the man, though, she knew it wasn't not the best way to start up a conversation and she hoped the male would not take offence to it. She bit her tongue at that moment, wishing she would have approached him a different way. Though, the split seemed to approve.

Kenny began to drift off a bit, his head slightly nodded as a feeling of general tranquility passed over him, the sun gingerly embraced him, whilst the cool air blew over him. The park itself was relatively peaceful, families chattering about and moving on with their day to day lives, a dog could be heard somewhere in the park, the entire stretch of green seemed to be buzzing with activity and at its peak rested Kenny as he took a load off and let his body loose. Shame, the only thing that could have made today better was a cold drink and a good book. His lips would purse as he whistled a tune, it was no song in particular, just a lyricless tune that he felt matched the feeling he had over him.

His agenda, narrative, and thoughts about coming to Marigold seemed to drift away as he sat, humming away, in between falling asleep and joyfully wearing a closed eye smile. Anyone who passed may have thought him to be a strange sight, maybe he could be mistaken for a bum, and Kenny wouldn’t mind the title, he was a drifter after all with no home but the one he carried on his back. Peculiar isn’t it? Going on a few weeks now he felt like he should have given up and gone back home, but those feelings were subsided with fate driven meetings, one meeting after another his will to keep going seemed to grow and grow until he had finally just been pushing himself to try new things, what could possibly make this day any better? It seemed that question would gain an answer.

‘You know, I could have killed you there if I tried. Not very observant, are you?’

Kenny’s eyes gingerly opened, as he turned to the owner of the blithe words. “Oh?” he responded with a bright grin, “Well let’s hold off on the killing me for a little bit, just until I end up saying something dumb.” he lightheartedly spoke sitting up and adjusting himself. Her words, while they may have seemed brash to some filled him with a spark of curiosity.

“And I’m afraid I’m not the most observant man,” he nodded, “But my observation skills seem to have some use, after all they’re telling me that a beautiful young woman is blessing me with her presence on a wonderful day.”

Now might be the time for her to kill him.

Alyssa had not expected the male to be as gracious as he was about her harsh words. Arcane had sat in front of the man and placed his head against his knee, grinning as much as a growlithe could. For some reason, her companion seemed to like the man it had just met. She found herself blushing at his last comment. No one had ever spoken to her like that, and honestly, she seemed to like it. That may have been the stupid comment she should have killed him for, yet she just found herself getting more intrigued. She had threatened this man and he had taken it on good graces. She needed to ignore the last comment he had made, if she wanted to get to know the man.

"Well, I guess not everyone can be as observant as I. Takes a bit of practice. Maybe I can teach you sometime." She joked with him, flashing a bright smile. Her split pushed against the barrier in her mind and, for once, did not say anything. Her mind was quiet as she talked to this man, and it was a very strange feeling for she had not felt alone in her mind for years. The split must have been just as intrigued with the man as she herself was.

Setting herself on the bench where she was facing the male she examined him once again. "I mean, I am very happy to grace you with my presence to make your day better. It seems I have been presented with an interesting specimen myself. I'm Alyssa, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said as she held her hand out towards the man for him to shake, keeping a bright smile gracing her lips the entire time.

His smile didn’t waver nor did it weaken, he kept on the brightest grin he could as his swords seem to take the woman off guard, admittedly she was beautiful, he had never met someone like her, and it could have only been a blessing for him to do so now. Perhaps, he’s been gifted divine luck, or he was being smiled upon by a higher power, regardless, he wasn’t one to complain when in the vicinity of someone so… Would Angelic be an understatement? Not even such a high praising words did her justice, and for the first time it seemed he wouldn’t be able to piece together a flow of words that emphasized her appearance, unique and gorgeous were the only two that came to mind at the time.

Kenny felt a slight pressure against his knee, it seemed he had drawn the interest of another. Briefly turning his attention he spotted a canine at his feet, an adorable creature with a red coat and a fine tuft of fur at the top of his crown. The raven haired male couldn’t help but give the friendly pooch a good scratch behind the ear before resting a calm hand on his head to softly stroke the tuft of beige hair on the top of the Growlithe’s head. The pooch would only keep his attention for a moment before it would be once again shared with the woman that drew Kenny’s curiosity in full.

“I would be honored to have you teach me, say after lunch some day?” he didn’t hide any intent behind the words, it was a offer of lunch, that was all… For the most part. Not only would the invite allow him to sharpen his skills of observation, but getting to do so with someone so… Ugh, if only he had the words to describe her right now. His mind picked at every crevice of his being to find something to describe the individual, but sadly his poor diction had him at his limits for the time being.

When she introduced herself, he returned an introduction just as bright taking her hand and shaking it with a goofy, almost overly joyed grin on his face, “The pleasure is all mine, I'm Kenny, Kenny Omega,” when she smiled he could feel himself growing even brighter! “Tell me Alyssa, are you a native of this area? I ask because i’m new to the town and I would love to use me being lost as an excuse to stay in your company." he bit his tongue "Whoops did I say that out loud?” he

Alyssa could not help but chuckle at the offer of lunch. "I would like that. I am always up for making new friends." She relaxed again, with her back against the wooden bench. Arcane jumped up between the two and sat silently staring at the man, Kenny Omega. She sat quietly, deciphering the meaning of his last name. Omega meant end, it kind of fit him considering he looked like the type of guy that would end your life if you messed with him. Though his observation skills seemed a bit rusty, this man was the type of person Alyssa needed on her side. The strong type. Though her split made her stronger, it was a side of her that was pure evil, and she did not need to let the side take over.

Alyssa's curiosity in the man never wavered as he said what he did. She knew he had purposefully said it out loud, but she did not know for what reason. The beast master was essentially useless when it came to understanding a person's motives. Yet she still played along, though her cheeks were brilliantly red by that point. "I'm sorry to say, Kenny, but I am as lost here as it seems you are. Pity though, I was planning on using that excuse on you." The conversation came easy to her as her personality was a naturally flirty one, and boy was this man making it easy for her. It was nice to be able to actually speak to someone other than Arcane.

Did Kenny die? Did he collapse on the way here and not get up? This was impossible, there was no way someone like this could exist. She was going to use that line on him! He almost wiped a tear from his eye, Alyssa was truly a god send, and she would undoubtedly be a great friend and truthfully with this whole shift in personality Kenny has been trying to for himself through she was a breath of fresh air, someone new and exciting! He had met plenty of new people, yes, but this was dare he say perfect? Should he start singing and dancing? Thanking the maker above for this person over and over again until his voice was hoarse with gratitude. No, maybe he wouldn’t do something so extreme, but nonetheless this has clearly paid off as the right decision in where he would go after Era.

His grin shrunk into a warm smile as he would pet the Growlithe in between them, what a delight creature it was. It seemed kind, sweet even, he almost reminded Kenny of the dog he had when he was a boy growing up in his small mining community strong, yet precious. But again, Kenny’s attention couldn’t stay plastered onto the pooch as he felt yet another spark of glee ignite in his being when he saw the girl’s flawless ivory skin became crimson.

The grin came once again, but this time there was more behind it, “Alyssa, I think you may have single handedly turned around the past few months I’ve been having,” he stood up and extended a hand to the girl, “Forgive me for my bluntness, but will you stay with me?” his words were bold, but they were pure in intent, since they were both lost it could help the two of them to stick together as friends, they could no doubt do jobs with one another and they could maybe even get closer and bond, a stronger bond than the one they’ve already forged, “I mean, will you stick with me in the city and ya know, maybe even beyond that…” embarrassment set in, the heat in his belly traveling to his face as a crimson blush attacked his features, but he didn’t look away, he kept up and offer his hand to the duo.

So much for trying to speak less, she had him unwound and feverous.

Alyssa was, in all honesty, shocked at the proposal of the male. She had never thought about partnering with someone before, a male this striking nonetheless. She found herself pondering the idea, wondering what sort of trouble the two could get into. She had been alone with Arcane for the longest time and she wondered if the growlithe would be alright with adding another to their party. Though the thought dissipated from her mind the moment she saw the wagging tail of Arcane as he leaned against the man. He would not mind having the man along with them. It would make their journey a lot less dangerous, having someone like the man around. Though he would be in danger if the split took control. Strangely, since meeting the man, the split had not said a word nor pressed against the boundary in her mind. She had only met one other person that had been able to silence her split, and that was her father.

As the male stood, his muscles rippled against his shirt with every movement he made. To most, he would look like a simple manual labor worker such as a farmer, but Alyssa knew the build she was looking upon. This man was a warrior, one with dedication to his own training. She realized she had been observing the male for longer than needed and swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of being caught checking him out.

"I think you may have done the same for myself." She muttered truthfully. The silence in her head was welcome but unnerving. "I have only met one other within my journeys, and we parted ways quickly. It would be nice to actually be able to bond with another person." She took his hand and used it to pull herself up to her own two feet. "I will join you on one condition, we get that lunch you spoke of." If there was one thing that Alyssa loved, it was food.

Kenny would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about making such a bold proposal so early on into this blooming friendship, but it wasn’t like he was proposing marriage, a partnership could benefit them both and call him selfish but he’d honestly just use the time ogling the two ruby gems she called eyes, when he looked into them it felt like he was staring into reflexive pools of crimson, and their exotic color made them all the easier to get lost in. He didn’t know what is was about red eyes, every woman he’s met thus far had a pair and every time he would find himself in a trance, though this time he was well aware that he was aimlessly staring into them as he did so purposefully. Was he being pushy? Yes, but he had good reason, what person wouldn’t want to galavant with someone so angelic, intriguing, and mystifyingly different? His interest had never been so peaked, but now all he could do was wait for her answer, if she said yes he’d be the happiest man in the world, if no he wouldn’t hold it against her, he was a stranger after all.

Her words were music to his ears, he couldn’t smile any harder and at this point his cheeks were aching, ear to ear, he was showing off a cheesy pearly white grin. What a day this was indeed and Kenny couldn’t contain himself anylonger, “Thank you Alyssa, the two of us will make a fine team!” he nearly cheered at the thought and it became apparent to him that the two of them were being stared at, to a passer by he may have looked like he was ecstatic about her accepting his offer, which he was, though if one wasn’t in listening range it would have seemed like a successful courting if anything.

“You’ve made me the happiest man alive!” those words didn’t help his case for seeming like a partner, “Sure! Lunch does sound pretty good!” his retorts died down in vigor but he kept the spark of genuine friendliness in his words.

Standing at full height, he offered her his arm, “Well partner, I’m sure we can find somewhere to grab a bite to eat somewhere near us now." he assured, “Shall we begin looking? If we stand here any longer I’d be tempted to get lost in your eyes again.” hey, he liked to lay it on thick.

Though nervous, yet also thrilled, at the aspect of teaming up with someone, Alyssa still could not help but smile. The male's chipper attitude was extremely contagious. Even Arcane seemed to be perking up more than usual, which was strange. The growlithe usually could not get more excited than he normally was. The companion had a bright outlook on life, and it seemed to get brighter as he knew a bond was forming with someone. Alyssa was sure growlithe would do everything in his might to protect her newfound partner as well as herself, as he was fiercely protective of everyone Alyssa found important.

Was she already thinking of this male as an important part of her life? She had just met him, yet formed a bond. Yes, she believed she did think of him as important already, even if it was just because he kept the split quiet. Though he would be a nice sight to gaze upon during their travels. She did get lonely a lot, and she was sure he would ease the loneliness a bit. The wind had blown his hair into a new direction as she was sure it was doing to her own, yet the man still looked exquisite and she could not help but deem him the title of god-like. There seemed to be nothing that could make the man look any less powerful or handsome than he was.

As he shouted, Alyssa couldn't help but look around to see if anyone had glanced at them in a strange way. Though even if they had, they would have believed it more of a relationship proposal than a teammate one. The thought made her blush. She shouldn't care what other people thought, but for some reason, it gave her butterflies in her stomach to think of what other people would be thinking. She took his outstretched arm and smiled. "Oh, are we off to see the wizard now?" She joked. "Be careful, wouldn't want to get lost in my eyes, might be a prison you won't be able to escape." She winked and grinned.

Beautiful new friend on his arm, the sun shining over him and his day becoming brighter, no man should be so lucky, but he had to keep himself humble for the moment. If he did too much she may be deterred by his approach, and if he did to little she may think his intentions weren’t as pure as he made them out to be, which they were of course pure, but given how gruff he looked and the pushiness of his personality some may think that he merely wanted to lead on this young woman for something other than a civil partnership. Then again, even if his intent was anything but friendly, she didn’t seem to be the type to fall for such things, that and the way she introduced herself still silently poked at the back of his mind. She probably could kill him, and he wouldn’t blame her if he was being a sleaze ball, well, how would he blame her? He’d be dead...

This was a strange, exciting incident for Kenny. Alyssa was an extremely unique woman and even after a few moments and no prior contact he felt as if he could rely on her heavily. His mind wasn’t at conflict over what he was doing, he didn’t feel the urge to distance himself, or flirt heavily, he simply wanted to engage her and be as kind and courteous as he could. Even with his lack of strength he may even go as far as to protect her if need be. He allowed himself to fall for a pair of eyes and an angelic appeal. He was a foolish man, yet every time he looked over at her he felt at ease strangely enough. Destiny was a fickle thing, and it seemed to be having fun with Kenny over the past few days.

His mind would break of his thoughts as he caught her joke about the yellow brick road, “Ah yes, the yellow brick road should be somewhere around here.” he joked along, how could she be anymore delightful? Her sense of humor was greatly appreciated. Though, there was one thing Kenny was interested in. The first person he had met had a bit of a dark side, as did the others in Era. Did Alyssa have a dark side? She seemed sweet, too sweet for dirty work but more than capable of dishing out damage when need be. Could she have hints of a bad side inside of her? To Kenny everyone had it in them, no matter who they were from the highest preacher to the lowest beggar anyone could go sour in a snap… Then again, if they were going to be partners, what was the problem with trying to see her dark side? If she had one.

“Who’d say I’d try to escape?” he chuckled, “Let’s see if we can find a nice spot to eat Milady.” he placed his free hand over his eyes to form a visor as he searched for a decent spot.

“How about a ramen shop?” he pointed to a noodle shop in between two other eateries, “I mean unless you’re craving something else, I’ll eat whatever you like my dear.”

Alyssa perked up at the sound of ramen.  It had been years since she had last eaten as such a shop and boy did she miss it.  Of course, she missed all food at the moment.  She was used to carrying something on her at all points in time, yet she had forgot to go to the store during the morning hours.  The girl was a food fanatic, as her metabolism was much higher than most others, keeping her thin, yet eating all the time.  "Ramen sounds great!"  She exclaimed with a chipper tone.  It was easy for Alyssa to talk to the man.  Though they had only met that day, it seemed like she had known him for a long time.  She was completely at ease and dare she say comfortable around the man.

Noticing that one of her shoes was untied, she let go of the man's arm momentarily to crouch and retie her laces, using the man's leg as support to keep herself from toppling over as she did.  She earned a lick from Arcane as she was finally down at his level, low enough to the ground for him to do it.  She patted the growlithe's head and stood back up, grinning brighter now as she realized that she was really going to get food.  She did not know what higher power had brought this man into her life, or why it had today of all days, but she was not going to question it.  "Ready!"  She said happily as she linked her arm back up with the man's and began pulling him towards the shop.

So far so good, she seemed up for ramen! Which was great because not only was it affordable, not that he wouldn’t blow all of the money (left) in his pocket on her for food, but delicious as well. Kenny loved Ramen, it was maybe the only food in this life that he frequently craved no matter the time, nor the day. Ramen was always good, and the fact that she liked it made her all the more appealing, a feat that Kenny did not think was possible. Now that he thought about it, maybe his consumption of ramen was why he maintained such a form, he took care of himself and regularly exercised when he could, but all he ate on his day to day was ramen noodles, bread, and whatever else he could scrounge up as he survived on his own. Maybe things would be different now that he had a partner, she probably had a more defined palette for finer foods and could show him things outside of stringy pieces of dough.

When she stopped, he did so as well. Gladly, he would stand as her support, though out of the corner of her eye he would peep down at her. As friendly as he was trying to be, he was stealing a glance at her, it was difficult not to, but his amber eyes wouldn’t look anywhere but at her porcelain strands, an interesting hair color on an interesting woman no doubt. Everything seemed to tie in perfectly on her, from head to toe there was so much to view. He felt like a damned pervert for wanting to gawk at her so, but alas the invisible force called attraction was drawing every fiber in his being to her. A general lack of self control perhaps? Either way he could not complain.

All of his thinking came to a halt when she stood up and began pulling him to the ramen shop with a surprising amount of strength. Maker help him this woman was perfect. Not to make her drag him he kept up and matched her pace.

The ramen shop in question looked more akin to a hole in the wall; there was no door just three walls. The restaurant was cut in two by a long counter where four barstools were present, there was also a lone table at the entrance with four seats two at each side. It wasn’t the biggest place, but it seemed comfy enough. “Would you like to sit at the table or the bar?” he looked down at Alyssa. Hm, now that he thought about it where would their pooch sit? More importantly what would he eat? Maybe they served up more than ramen?

In the distance the rumbling of storm clouds could be heard, oddly enough Kenny didn’t remember a thing about rain as he traveled here from Era.

Alyssa pulled the man along to the little ramen shop, smiling brightly the entire way. Ramen was a top choice food when it came to Alyssa's thoughts. As they approached the shop, Alyssa noticed the way Kenny glanced at Arcane. She chuckled and crouched down to the growlithe's level. She patted his head. "Tell the handsome man not to worry, boy. We have your food figured out, don't we?" She led Kenny to the bar, where she pulled a bowl and some food from the satchel on her side. She put it on the ground beside her and then jumped up onto the bar stool she stood by, silently cursing herself for being so short, and for wearing a short dress that day.

An older man sitting a couple stools down from where she was seemed to be eyeing her, more specifically, her legs. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the pervert as she twisted herself to face Kenny, her back to the staring man. "You look cute one day and every old pervert comes running with their tongues hanging out like dogs. It's never the hot guys either." She muttered quietly. Shrugging, she turned back to the bar to look at the menu. Her eyes widened as she saw the selection they had. "They have Miso Ramen!!" Her excitement was evident as it was her favorite type. She looked up at Kenny with childish wonder glittering in her eyes and knew there was honestly no way to repay him for picking this shop.

Kenny breathed a sigh of relief when she had spoken about her partner’s food being covered, not that he minded paying for his meal too if he were to have one, but more because he was assured that the two of them wouldn’t be eating in front of the poor pooch while it starved. She had called him handsome, the very words from her lips made his throat go dry, he feigned clearing it and followed her to the bar. There was something that caught his attention that he didn’t notice earlier, she was wearing a rather short dress. Great, he was already trying his best not to dreamily stare at her, her eyes alone put him in a trance, the addition of her legs was welcomed, but maker have mercy, if he thought it once he’d think it again ‘she is perfect’.

He followed her to the bar and was just about to sit at the seat next to her when he took note of the old man sitting not too far from them. Well wasn’t this a fine distraction. Kenny was by no means a white knight, he wasn’t one to get offended for someone else, or even get testy when a young lady was being peeped on in his vicinity, but, fate have it today was the day that he felt legitimate disdain for another human being. This old man had the nerve to look at Alyssa? The The audacity of this old fool, he thought he had the status to look in her direction with anything but respect? Okay, Ken was jealous, sue him, he’s human.

“You. Look. Great.” he said through gritted teeth as he hawked at the older man, eyes narrowed. Kenny’s glare would soon be interrupted however when Alyssa spoke to him, the look on her face was stunning, she was beaming, smile lighting up the bar and making Kenny’s envy subside, “I love miso too,” he replied though he failed to match her excitement, all the same, he was excited too, “Order as much as you like, hell get the biggest bowl they have! It’s on me.”

When the cashier came, she had brought a bottle of alcohol as well, placing it in front of the two, “For you mam, from the gentlemen over there.” she had pointed to the same man from earlier, ““May I take your orders?”

“Hm, I’ll take the large bowl of Miso Ramen.”

The thunder rumbled once again, perhaps it foreshadowed events ahead of the two... Maybe it singlaed a changed in mood... Kenny silently prayed that it did neither.

The older man was now hitting on her in the worst possible way. He seemed to be maybe in his late forties early fifties, which was extremely too old for him to be thinking he would have a chance with a female as young as Alyssa. Though she was of legal age, the thought of being with someone as...disgusting as the man sitting down the bar made her sick to her stomach. Buying Alyssa a drink would be a fine way to get her on your good side, but only if you also had the personality and physical qualities Alyssa looked for in a man, which definitely was not 'sugar-daddy' style.

The bottom of her dress rode about mid thigh, higher when she sat down. The light pink material was also nearly skin-tight, accenting parts of her body that need not be shown to the older man. She tried to pull the bottom of the dress a bit lower, covering barely an inch more of her thin ivory legs, unmarked by blemishes despite the many battles she had been in. Though pulling the dress down covered a bit more of her legs, it began showing more of her chest than necessary, which upset her a bit. Normally, she loved being looked at by people, as she knew she was extremely beautiful, but now, the gaze just made her feel dirty. At least the older man would not be able to see the parts of her chest now showing unless he decided to walk over, which she strongly hoped he would not be stupid enough to do.

Leaving the dress as was at the point, she took the beer from the woman and placed it in front of herself before giving the waitress a smile. "I'll take a large Miso as well, please." She looked over at Kenny as it thundered and frowned, she had never liked thunderstorms. "I honestly hope that man has to walk home in the rain." She muttered. Her pure personality could not think of anything worse to happen to the man, as she was an altogether good person, though her split was thinking of many different ways to punish the man preying on young women.

“Now, now, my dear.” Kenny reached for her hand and placed his free hand over hers with a gentle grip, “He seems to be as entranced by your beauty as I am. I can’t blame him, when a goddess enters the room eyes tend to gravitate to them is all.” he rubbed her hand, and patted it gently. It was a relaxing move to soften her up for his next proposal.  Kenny leaned in closely, just close enough to whisper in her ear invading her personal space just enough to feign flirtatiously whispering in her ear,   “Say, since he’s so infatuated with you, let’s have a little fun with him? If you asked he may just buy your meal and mine. But what I am about to ask of you will sting for one of us.”

Kenny released her hand, “I want you to trust me, and slap me as hard as you can,” yes, slap him as hard as she could, why? What better way to get their prey to pay other than comforting a saddened lass? It was going to hurt, Kenny’s cheeks were ready for the beating however. He had never been slapped, he had been hit by an elbow, beaten up, but he had never really felt the sting of a woman’s open palm. Kenny was always one to find the silver lining thus he took this chance of being slapped into next week as a new fun experience. So fun that he may even get a mark on his face for the next few months as a momento. All he needed was for her to get angry enough to do so with passion and heat. The only obstacle was making himself seem like a big enough jerk to make her angry at him. But how? They weren’t exactly together, but could jealousy work? He would never forgive himself if he hurt her, but he wouldn’t mean it, so it’d be fine right? Yes. It had to be, he needed it to be.

Not thinking twice Kenny leaned in towards the waitress and threw on an alluring smile, his rough features hopefully coming into play as his rugged charm went on full display. “Excuse me mam, but I couldn’t help but stare into your eyes and get lost. Would you care to maybe get a bite to eat together sometime? After I part with uh…” he snapped his fingers, “What was your name again dear? Doesn’t matter. So are you free?” the waitress paused and looked at Kenny with furrowed brows.

“But sir, I-”

“No buts, just a yes or no beautiful.” Kenny felt sick to his stomach as he said these things, but free food was on the line, and he needed to sell being a jerk… Even if it made him ill, “Oh Alyssa, that’s right. Do you mind picking up the tab? I think I might want to take the waitress on her break.”

‘Dear maker, please let the pain coming to me be subtle. May the strike be fierce and the food be worth it. May my cheek heal well, and my heart recover.’ another silent prayer…

Kenny faked the most arrogant smile he could and looked to Alyssa. He winked at her, a small hopeful action to hopefully tell her he was only acting. Though it could also come off as him being a prick.

Alyssa was steaming, though she knew Kenny was putting on an act, jealously still burned in the pit of her stomach. She felt tears of anger welling up in her eyes and for a split moment, she wanted to let her split take control. Being the nice person she was, she would have never thought of harming another person, she would usually just let Arcane do it if it came down to the situation, but as jealously coursed through her veins, she could not help but bring her hand back and smack the man with all the power she had in her body. She sound echoed through the place, causing even the elderly man to seem shocked at the power behind it. The young waitress backed up slowly into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

The tears of anger had spilled onto her cheeks and she was still very heated at the things Kenny had said, though the slap had taken a lot of the anger away. "How dare you?!" Now she was playing along, though the words held some true meaning behind them. "How heartless can you be?" It was a whisper, but she made sure the elderly man heard it. She dropped her head, playing the hurt little girl. She could not help but smile secretly as she stared down at the floor. Being a bit mean kinda felt...nice.

Kenny’s desperately tried to keep the smile up, it worked? Great! Wait no, her eyes, he could see it in her eyes and the sight tugged at his heartstrings. He wanted to reach out to her and say it was all just an act, that he didn’t mean these things, that she was the only one he wanted to partner up with, but he couldn’t or more it was too late for him to call it off. Without so much as a warning she struck him, and struck him hard. Far harder than he imagined, his cheek stung as he fell through with the smack. His head hit the table, or well his arm placed just in the right place to prevent contact with the hard wood table as he sold the painful smack. He would make it up to her after this, he couldn’t handle the sight of her sad. He was such an idiot, but his plan worked! And the noodles were worth the concussion.

Kenny crumpled against the counter as he held his cheek, “W-what was that for?” he kept up the selfish jerk act as much as he could through the pain, okay, now all they needed was for the pervert to come and play hero. If she was acting along she was doing great. “Heartless?” he echoed, “Don’t be st-” his words were cut off by the approaching older gent. He was shorter than Kenny, about 5’9 had a balding head of black hair, a bad tan and was dressed well for someone who appeared to be so unsavory. A plump hand would find Alyssa’s shoulder as he leaned over and “comforted her” his other hand finding her thigh.

“Excuse me miss, I couldn’t help but see your quarrel with you boyfriend, excuse me, ex-boyfriend and I was hoping that maybe you and I could eat together? Just until your anger at that moron is calmed.”

Kenny fell from the bar, holding his head as he looked up at the two, “No, Alyssa please don’t do this to me,” he got on his knees and looked up with soulful eyes, he put his hands together and got into full begging position. “Please Alyssa, I love you, don’t do this to me, not with him.” pain was in his eyes, guilt on his mind, and fear crept up from behind. He was acting sure, but it felt so real, he did his best to look pathetic. “I know I screwed up, but you mean the world to me, I know we’ve only met but I feel like you’re my entire world, my everything…” his words trailed off when the perv laughed aloud and poured the liquor he had sent to Alyssa on Kenny’s head.

“How pathetic, can’t you see she’s done with you?”

Kenny froze and looked up at her, now all they needed was the last nail in the coffin. Hopefully she had an idea.

Disgusted by the older man's actions, Alyssa knew she had to put up with him for just a bit longer. She pushed Kenny away from her and allowed the older man to escort her to a seat near him on the bar. Alyssa put on a flirty smile. "Sir, could you please get me a bowl of ramen, this all has made me very hungry." She said using the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster. The man caved easily, asking what she wanted. She ordered two more bowls of Miso, happy when the man paid for them along with another drink for her even though she hadn't gotten a chance to touch the first. She couldn't help but hope Kenny had a plan.

The older man placed his hand on her thigh, nearly under the hem of her dress, and his eyes were now trained on her chest where she had forgotten to pull the dress back up. "My miss, you are extremely sexy." He muttered. Sexy was not a word Alyssa strived to be called. She was beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, but not sexy. "After this, what do you say we get out of here? I can buy you something nice and we can go back to my place. I can make you forget your ex there." Things were getting to be a bit too much. Alyssa looked back at Kenny with pleading eyes. She needed to get away from the man already.

The shove out of the way was perfect, Kenn became a pathetic, wet, mess on the floor. He closed his eyes, peeked one open as he watched her go with him. It would take a moment for her to work her magic, he could just barely hear her convince him to buy her a meal, it was more than likely easy for her given the fact that she was an adorable young woman with enough feminine charms to make even the burliest man cave in to her whim. Kenny began calculating the next move, what better way to pull off the job than with some fair dramatics? Simple, he would get up and man up, the last situation made him look weak, now he had to step his game up.

He stood up from the bar and slicked back his hair. Phase one was complete, now it was time for phase two; get the girl. Kenny sauntered over to the two as they “flirted”, he had to be sharp and cunning to get Alyssa out of this situation. What would he do first to get their food? Simple. The hero had already brought her a meal and even another drink, now came the hard part. Kenny walked over to the two and simply picked up the second bowl of noodles.

“Whaddya think you’re doing kid? Didn’t I tell you to scram?” Alyssa’s hero asked, “How about I show you a thing or two outside? Since you won’t leave the lady alone, I’ll handle you the old fashioned way!” oh, a threat? A challenge to a fight? Perfect. Kenny nodded his head and the two would step outside for a moment, just a moment leaving Alyssa alone.

They’d walked out of the ramen shop, or so they would have, Kenny tripped the old man up and like a clutz “fell” on top of him. While getting up, Kenny “Accidently” slammed the poor guy’s head into the ground at least four times, before having a hand slip into the sugar daddy to be’s pocket, there he would acquire a nice little golden pocket watch, “That all?” Kenny stood up disappointed, he looked to Alyssa and rushed to her side.

“I’m so sorry!” he rushed up to her immediately pulling her into his embrace, “I didn’t mean any of that! Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I’m so sorry Alyssa, please forgive me!” he darn neared pulled her out of the street, his hug would have been so rough if she allowed him. “Wanna kiss and make up?”

Alyssa had complete faith that Kenny would be taking care of the old man. She was positive he would think twice about preying on young women. As they stepped outside, she wiped her thigh, as if she could remove the man's touch from her skin. She did not enjoy being touched by many people, especially those which seemed tainted with diseases that she did not wish to inherit. As the male began apologizing for things he did not need to, she chuckled. "It's okay, he didn't hurt me, it was just gross."

As she was pulled into an embrace, she froze momentarily and then melted into the male's arms. He was warm and, for once in her life, Alyssa didn't feel strange in someone's arms. It was strange, to feel safe around someone other than Arcane. As the male joked, she blushed a bright red, but that didn't stray her from her flirty personality. "Well, you did buy me dinner first. But, I don't know if I could allow that after you tried to leave me for that waitress." She joked and flashed him a flirty smile with a wink.

Kenny was relieved to know she was okay, that everything was okay. He was so stupid, so, so stupid. How could he have put her in that situation? She deserved better, much better than that old fool. It made him sick to know that those hands, those filthy hands were on her thigh. It made Kenny angry, even though they were acting he felt angry about it. Now that he had her in his arms, however, he didn’t want to let go. He wanted to keep her close, and not let go, forget the reality that she wasn’t his, he didn’t care. For the moment she would be his entire world, even if it’s just flirting between new friends, he didn’t want to lost this person.

Oh wait, yes! She had done well acting, she smacked him just hard enough. She played mean, and did so well, but that was only a small act, they had more to go if he was going to see just how mean she could get. When she brought up the waitress he chuckled, “Oh, well after that slap, I’m certain i won’t be looking at other women ever again, at least until I stop seeing double.” he shook his head. Maybe he was getting a little too into her for someone he had just met, but she was far too amazing to not make a move.

“That wasn’t a no,” he snickered, “But I guess we can make up somewhere private? I could use a place to sleep after all…”

Alyssa yawned, feeling the result of the day weighing upon her like a ton of bricks. She knew Arcane must be tired too, based on the way he was following them sluggishly. "No, it wasn't a no." She flirted back. She cracked her fingers and shrugged. "I have no where to go tonight. Guess we will be making up in private, cause I'm staying wherever you're at tonight." She said with a shrug. She hadn't had time to get a place to stay within the time of meeting him and nighttime. Knowing he must have been staying in a hotel if he was not a native, she checked her bag, making sure she had her extra cash on her in case rooms were too expensive. "I really am sorry about the slap, by the way. You managed to piss me off pretty good. I give you props for that. Though it did feel good to let loose like that." She patted Arcane's head. "So, where are we off to?"

Kenny thought about her words, she was staying wherever he was staying?, thank the maker. He was blessed, there was nothing else to say about it. Maybe he was lucky or he had a look about him that some higher power liked, but either way he couldn’t believe himself. “The slap? Don’t worry about it, I deserved it. But us, we’re going to a hotel, I’ll get a room and we can rest up and make a plan in the morning.” if need be he could get two beds, he didn’t know how the little orange dog would react to his presence. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind too much despite all of this talk of making up. Who was he kidding he was probably going to collapse in bed.

Seemed like the day was zooming by, the storm clouds were already rolling in, but they would soon find a hotel. Kenny, held it open for the others and when she entered he immediately let the door go and stepped up to the receptionist to buy a room. He got the key, and was told their room was on the bottom floor. Kenny, would lead their way to the room and opened the door. It was a nice looking room, well worth the jewels and it had a bed and sofa among other pieces of furniture. “I’ll take the couch.” he yawned, entering the room and plopping down onto the white sofa. “Or we can share the bed and get to making up! Though then I’m afraid we wouldn’t get too much sleep.” he joked, before coughing into a closed fist, “I mean, yeah the couch is comfortable.” he took rubbed the back of his neck and leaned in to it.