Kaito didn't mind when she seemed to zone out when he was spouting his technical jargon. A lot of his less tech-savvy customers tended to do that, he just liked to say it anyway to show that he knows what he's doing; and maybe to stroke his own ego a little bit. Nothing wrong with some flaunting of the knowledge he worked hard to earn, right? Some mechanics would take advantage of their customers' lack of knowledge on whatever it is they're fixing for them, but even if it would save Kaito some energy, his pride wouldn't allow for some half-assed attempt to fix something. He had a reputation to keep up, and he wasn't going to throw it away just for a little breathing room. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy working on these machines. It's just that he preferred spending time on some of his more...creative projects.

He raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all. Stupid, sentimental Kaito. Mind your own damn business. You've got enough problems, you don't have time to be hearing someone else's! On the outside, however, he kept his calm demeanor. What was he doing? He never talked to his customers past friendly conversation, and even then, it wasn't usually started by himself. Heh, maybe he just couldn't stand the sight of a pretty girl looking so down. You're still soft. He still didn't know whether to praise or hate himself for keeping that side of him.

Blinking at her explanation, he let out a chuckle at how coincidentally similar his own situation of being kept on his toes is. "I might be able to relate." He blinked, then added, "Well, the "being kept on your toes" part, at least." It would be too hasty to say that he could completely relate. He doesn't know a thing about what kind of problems she's dealing with. Nor does he want to. He may want to cheer her up (although he'd probably never admit it), but, like he thought earlier, he has enough problems of his own to deal with.

Kaito's thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard her last question. He gave her a strange look before a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips. "Depends on what kind of bite you're talking about, lady," A transition back into lighthearted conversation would provide a welcome distraction from his earlier thoughts. That and messing with her sounded like fun. "The bad kind...or the good kind?"

Kaito's Workshop

Tag: Kaito[/center]

Airi awkwardly adjusted herself, moving off and away from the desk by a step and holding herself a little higher. There was nothing here worry-worthy. It was just a mechanic's workplace and normal. It was a conscious effort but she managed to relax a bit and, without her notice, the tremble in her arms ceased. Her eyes scanned the room and it seemed nice and cozy, even if her version of cozy included the smell of fresh bread compared to oil and grease it was like he took the effort to make this place his own.

She nodded, only able to wonder what was keeping him on his toes. He didn't look like a bender - not many benders took jobs like this. Not that benders couldn't or that nonbenders weren't good enough for other stuff and thus had to be mechanics or the like! No, just that it seemed different than places with benders, but not a bad kind of different. She couldn't place her finger on how she wanted to describe it. Still, he probably didn't have to worry about Equalists and now that she... changed, she didn't either. Did other nonbenders worry about the Equalists? Because she knew not all nonbenders liked or even supported the Equalists. Some just wanted to be left alone. Maybe that's the group she fit in right now.

Her mouth opened slightly, ready to ask exactly what he was nervous or otherwise about but quickly shut it. He wasn't asking her about her problems so she shouldn't pry either. Besides, it's not like they know each other. Wait. He didn't know her. There always seemed to be someone out there ready to point out that she was once a probender before they shut the arena down even if she had only been in one game as an alternate and for two rounds, no less. It was a nice change of pace.

However, the look that colored his face made her really regret what she had said. "I... uh... um,"

[/color] she found herself mumbling with a surprised and flushed look plastered across her features. Her head felt like it was rolling around and she couldn't grasp at a single thought. A bad bite was like when... well, you bit someone for whatever reason. "What on Earth is a good bite?"[/color] she found herself voicing her thoughts, the words coming out before she could stop them. "N-nevermind! Don't answer that!"[/color] Airi started waving her hands in a 'stop that' behavior. Now all she could wonder was how good of a mechanic he was if her father sent her to this guy.

"So what are your thoughts on the news lately?"[/color] she asked if only to change the subject. It was a vague topic but the only one she could think of quickly. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

He set the clipboard down on the desk then leaned against it, facing the woman. Kaito noted how she seemed to grow a little less nervous. That damn trembling finally seemed to stop at least. He liked to tell himself that it would just be bad for business if people saw one of his customers leaving his workshop a nervous wreck, but there was a small part that held genuine concern, the small part that still cared for his fellow man. Or woman, in this case. He's just had years of practicing how to hide it. Wouldn't do to show that side with the company he's been keeping as of late. Any emotions that the gangs could use against him, he has learned to hide behind a mask of indifference. So hopefully, none of them are watching right now.

His smirk grew wider as he watched her stutter for an answer. This might just become a habit if she decided to stick around. Highly unlikely, he thought to himself. She didn't seem like the type that would become a regular, unless his initial impressions of her were wrong and she did indeed use more machines in her life. He'll probably never see her again after he fixes her phone. Which was fine. It just felt nice to be able to talk to someone without worrying about any agendas they might have against him, for a change.

Kaito's smirk turned into a full-on grin as he got ready to answer her question. Unfortunately, she stopped him before he could, but he couldn't hold it in anymore: he laughed. Not one of those fake laughs he would use to satisfy one of the gang members he'd hang around with; a genuine laugh. He can't remember the last time he had one of those. Calming down, he wiped a tear from his eye as he smiled at her. "I'm sorry. That was mean. Should've seen your face, though."

His smile faltered a little when she asked him about the news. Nowadays, people only meant one thing when they asked about the news: Equalists. So much for lighthearted conversation. This wasn't the first time a customer has brought it up in his workshop; it was a common topic for conversation. Didn't mean he had to like it, though. In general, he didn't like serious conversations at all. So, he did what he would do whenever his customers would ask about it: trivialize it.

"Well, I'll miss that Fire Ferret mascot. He could do some neat tricks."

Kaito's Workshop

Tag: Kaito[/center]

She found herself smiling at his laugh and apology. Airi never minded being the cause for a good laugh - it was much better than people scorning her for her forgetfulness after all. While she hadn't managed a laugh like that since... well, that night, it was nice to hear it from someone else. Even her own family looked down in the dumps because of her. No more silly jokes from her father or laughable lectures from her mother. Not even Aisen telling her to stop eating because she'd get fat. She missed all of it.

"Heh, it's fine,"

[/color] she said dismissivly with a nod, trying to imagine her face. She remembered her eyes widening at the thought of whatever a "good bite" could be, her eyebrows shooting up, her mouth open. Comical. She smiled. Yeah, she liked to be comical. "I walked into that one,"[/color] Airi admitted with a lighthearted shrug, finding herself more and more relaxed. Maybe she should just go outside and get used to talking to people again. It did her no good to stay in her room all the time. Besides, she was a nonbender now and there was nothing she could do about it other than to adjust.

Wow, that took a turn in her thoughts that she wasn't expecting. Brooding around in her room all day, never wanting to get up or do anything. The fact her parents were benders just reminded her of what she lost was hard to be around.

Airi managed a faint smile as she thought of Pabu. "I know'em. The mascot. His name is Pabu,"[/color] she mused as she walked around the desk a bit and leaned forward only a small bit and her hands resting on her knees.

Then, she found herself asking something she didn't think she'd ever ask to a stranger in a time like this: "A-are you a nonbender?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

"Tch, that's an understatement," Kaito replied with a small chuckle. At least the playful conversation relaxed her a little more. Now that he thought about it, why was he spending so much time talking to her? By this time, he'd usually shoo off his customers after taking their order and telling them when they could pick it up. Not that he's on a tight schedule, but he didn't like the idea of getting too close to his customers; even the regulars. To be fair, you don't like the idea of getting close to anyone. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he's had someone he could openly talk to. He hasn't even talked to his parents in years. Things were just better that way. For both parties involved.

Just as he was thinking of dismissing her and getting back to work, he perked up when he heard about her knowing the mascot. "Really? What's he like?" Blinking, he looked away and rubbed at the back of his head, slightly embarrassed at the slip. "...Just a little curious is all." Kaito wasn't a big probending fan, but it was always amusing seeing that fire ferret perform tricks before a game. While he loved his work, he needed other forms of entertainment as well. Animals just seemed to easily amuse him.

Kaito frowned at her next question. First she asks what he thought about the recent events, then she asks if he's a non-bender. There was certainly something she was trying to get at, but he had no idea what it was. Was she trying to figure out his take on what's been happening? Whatever it was, he decided to play along, figuring that it was a harmless question. Shrugging indifferently, he replied, "Yeah. What about it?"

Kaito's Workshop

Tag: Kaito[/center]

Airi really brightened at the subject of Pabu. "Well, I think he's really silly and cute. At first, I wasn't sure about holding him."

[/color] And then mumbled, "I'm not even good around turtleducks,"[/color] as her hand moved from her knee to scratch the back of her head. It was such an irrational fear, to be afraid of turtleducks and now seemed ridiculous at the moment. Was that how everyone else saw it?

"Pabu is a real sweetheart and so is his owner, Bolin. They've been good friends to me."[/color] For a moment, she almost sounded sad but quickly picked up her tone. Bolin and Pabu were great, Bolin even more so. He hung out with her, talked to her, reassured her and help her through tough situations. Her mind flashed back to the police station, sitting on the cold floor in her night clothes and seeing Bolin come in, apologizing that she had her bending taken even if it wasn't his fault.

"Oh! I didn't mean anything by it,"[/color] she tried to say, looking alarmed for a moment, waving her hands about frantically. "Just..."[/color] Hey eyes dropped down to stare at the floor. Would it be right to tell a stranger something like this? Would it be so wrong to want to talk about it to someone she didn't know explicitly because she didn't know them?

"Just... I'm trying to adjust,"[/color] Airi said, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I used to be a bender."[/color] She winced, expecting... well, she didn't know what to expect. She hadn't told anyone this. Her parents already knew from the police, her neighbors and friends guessed it from the papers and talking about it never felt right. Why not just tell it to someone she'd most likely never see again and never have to worry about it? [/blockquote][/blockquote]

He blinked. "Turtleducks?" He's never heard of someone who's had a fear of turtleducks before. Then again, Kaito had his own set of irrational fears as well. "Guess I can't judge you. Babies creep me out," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The way they squirmed and cried, it was all just...ugh. No, thank you. He was glad that his parents never decided to have another child while he was in the house. He didn't know how he would have dealt with having a baby in the same vicinity as himself.

Kaito tried to downplay his interest in the probending mascot. "Oh yeah, I'll bet they are..." he said dismissively, trying to sound uninterested. No way was he going to let the world know he was an animal lover. Since he had gotten the workshop, he had thought over buying a pet a few times. But after his dealings with the gangs, he had never given it a second thought. His money was spread pretty thin as it was; he couldn't afford another mouth to feed. At least, not without putting a stop to his other side projects. And between getting a pet and playing around with machines, it was a pretty easy choice. Even if having a pet would've been kind of cool.

He waved off her sudden alarm. "Forget about it, I honestly don't make such a big deal out of it, unlike some of those nuts on the news," he said. While he was neither for or against the Equalists, he found their cause to be quite stupid. It wasn't a question of whether or not you can bend. People were just cruel by nature, and no amount of spiritual superpowers, or lack thereof, was going to change that. They just didn't want to admit it, so they start pointing fingers at others to give themselves a sense of moral superiority. But he wasn't about to go over there to give them a lecture about it. Let them do what they want. As long as they don't give me any trouble, I couldn't care less.

Oh. Oh. Now it all made sense; her initial attitude, her questions, all of it. She was one of those people from the news. The ones that got kidnapped and then dropped off at the Police Headquarters after the Equalists finished their business. "...Huh," he said awkwardly. Now this conversation was starting to get a little too heavy. Which Kaito did not like. At all. Scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, he glanced off to the side. "Look, you're a nice enough girl, but I'm hardly the right guy to be talking about this kind of problem with. Shouldn't you be taking these problems to, I don't know, your family or boyfriend or something?" Anyone other than himself.

Kaito's Workshop

Tag: Kaito[/center]

"Babies?"

[/color] she asked quizzically, cocking her head slightly to the side. She had never heard of anyone having a fear of babies but, to quote him, she couldn't judge him. Turtleducks just seemed like the freakiest things to her for no other reason than what they were. Fluffy and then hard and impossible. She never understood why people liked them so much or would feed them at the park. Not to mention that they'd feed them bread! Bread! Bread that her family worked to produce only to be fed to those animals!

Airi instantly regretted telling him by the way he reacted. Yeah, she supposed telling a random person wasn't fair to the person despite how it felt to her to just let it out, like it took some weight off her shoulders. "Oh, I'm sorry. But, no, not really. My parents are benders and my brother, he's a nonbender, but I think he likes it better that I'm not a bender anymore,"[/color] she said with a heavy sigh. "And no, no boyfriend. Just a couple of friends but I haven't seen them in a while."[/color]

Desperate to change the topic, she wracked through her brain, trying to think of something else to say. "Do you think I could stay and watch? I don't have much else to do today,"[/color] she asked with a faint smile. While she didn't understand mechanics or even thought she'd remember any of it, it had to be better than wandering around and waiting. With a slightly bigger smile, she offered, "And I promise no more heavy subjects."[/color] Hopefully, she didn't seem like some downer to him from what she said earlier.

"Oh! And what do you think it'll cost?"[/color] Airi asked, pulling out her wallet from her pocket.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

"Yup. Babies," he said with a shudder. Rotten little rascals, they were. With their toothless smiles, their hairless bodies, the constant crying... Kaito didn't want to think about it anymore. Luckily, he's never had to take care of one, but he couldn't help but slightly cringe whenever he saw one while he was outside. He couldn't see the appeal of having one! I wonder how my parents dealt with me, he thought dryly.

His face softened a little when she talked about her family. Turning around, he started rearranging some of the items on his desk to make himself look busy. "Family should be there for you, bending or otherwise," he said distantly. It made Kaito think of his own parents. How they supported him even if his goals in life weren't exactly what they themselves wanted....and how he hasn't talked to them in years. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but with his debts to the gangs, it was best to make them believe that he had no parents. And that meant absolutely zero contact with family. Kaito wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror if they got hurt because of a problem he created. Still, he missed them, and it didn't make the feelings hurt any less.

Kaito blinked and looked back at her. "Really? No boyfriend? I figured a girl like you would...heh. Nevermind. Guess I shouldn't have presumed," he said with an embarassed chuckle, looking back down towards his desk. Most pretty girls that came into his workshop usually made an order as a "surprise gift" for their boyfriends, usually some customization to said boyfriend's Satomobile. Cleaning up the rest of his desk, he stood up straight, looking it over once before giving a small approving nod.

He gave her a strange look at her next question. She wants...to stay? Why? No other customer has ever asked this of him. Was she actually working for one of the gangs, and they sent someone to spy on him? No, she didn't look the type. So why? Gang members hung out with him to keep an eye on him and get the time to pass by faster while they're doing their job, and as far as he could remember, no one else really stuck around after their business was done here. What was her agenda?

Her smile seemed genuine enough. Maybe he was reading too much into it. Checking the time, he looked back at her, saying, "Well, the way I see it, as long as you're not distracting me from my work, you can do whatever you want. Heh, not that there's much work to distract me from. You're actually the first customer I had all day." Walking over to the phone, he said over his shoulder dismissively, "And don't worry about the price right now. You pay up after I'm finished with your order."

Picking up the crate, he walked over to his workbench and set it down on top of it, taking out the phone and looking it over."So why exactly do you want to stick around? I doubt I'm just that entertaining to be around."

Kaito's Workshop

Tagged: Kaito[/center]

She shrugged at his comment about family. "I suppose. I know they love me and I love them; they've always been there for me, but I don't think they know how to act in this situation. Neither do I,"

[/color] Airi commented. Her family used to be the only friends she had until she met Bolin and a few others that were willing to spend their time with her. A lot of people thought her memory problem was a mental disorder and no one that knew of it seemed to want to hang around her, having to deal with her when she forgot what she was talking about or would zone out in the middle of a conversation.

With something of a passive giggle, she shook her head. Airi never had anything of an intimate relationship with anyone before. In school, everyone knew of her memory problem. A few people tolerated her enough to make small chat with her every so often or would tussle with her when she wanted to let out some energy. Besides that she had little contact with people outside her family, much less a boyfriend. And after school, she mostly helped around the house and bakery so she didn't get out too much aside from errands and probending.

With a nod of her head, she snuck her wallet back into her pocket. She followed him a few steps to where he relocated the phone and took a seat where she could. "It's not you,"[/color] she said. "No offense, of course. But I just don't have anywhere I need or want to be, you know? Besides, you're kind of funny. And better than turtleducks."[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

Kaito made no reply to her explanation for her family. What was there to say? He's never had his bending taken away, so it's not like he had any words that might make her feel better about her situation. Was being a nonbender so bad though? Sure they couldn't throw elements around, but life still goes on. Did benders value their abilities so much that they would be left broken without them? How pathetic, he thought to himself. Then again, he imagined what he would do if someone took his workshop away from him. Probably hunt down whoever did it and beat the bastard until he gave it back. And then beat him some more.

He shrugged at her denial of a relationship with anyone. It was a stupid thing to assume; not every pretty girl had to be taken...though she's been the first one in his workshop that was single. Either way, it was a bit of a personal question to ask, much less to someone he just met! Well, at least it diverted her attention from the heavier topic of her losing her bending. It would've been rather awkward if she wanted to keep talking about it. Kaito just...doesn't do serious conversations. He'd rather keep things light and fun, something he actually knows how to deal with.

Taking out a screwdriver from underneath the workbench, he began to disassemble the phone at a comfortable pace. "So you're basically saying you're staying here because you've got nothing better to do? I don't know whether to feel complimented or insulted," he said dryly. Hearing her next statement, he stopped his work for a moment to face her with a deadpan look. "...And I make better company than turtleducks. What a relief. I'm starting to lean slightly more towards "insulted" now. Y'know, if I was still contemplating on whether or not to let you stay, you wouldn't exactly be making a convincing argument there," he said before returning back to his work.

Kaito's Workshop

Tagged: Kaito[/center]

Airi pursed her lips as he commented on what she said. "I said that wrong,"

[/color] she said out loud, already wondering what words would convey what she wanted to say. She stayed silent for a while, though winced at his words. No! She didn't mean to insult him. After all, wouldn't it be the opposite? That if she didn't want to be doing nothing so badly and didn't want to stay here instead? Like saying she'd rather face turtleducks than be around him? Huh, maybe she just chose the wrong words after all. "Sorry I insulted you."[/color]

"I meant you seem like nice enough company. I'd rather be here than elsewhere,"[/color] the woman tried again, hoping her point would come across this time. Letting her legs swing a little, she watched as he took apart her phone with a spark of curiosity. So that's what her phone looked like on the inside. Interesting how it all worked. She never really took the time to wonder how they worked other than the fact they just did. To be able to throw your voice elsewhere seemed just as magical as bending was.

"I'm also not very good at arguments,"[/color] she mused out loud, tilting her head back so her yellow eyes looked up at the ceiling. "I'm good at baking, though. I love the smell of bread,"[/color] Airi told him with a chuckle, passively wondering if he was even listening to her at this point.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

(ooc; eep sorry for the short post)

(ooc: heh, it's okay, we all make those sometimes



Kaito chuckled at her reaction. Waving her off, he replied, "Lady, you'll know when I get insulted. You're just really easy to mess with." Was she always this sensitive to other people's feelings? He never really understood those kinds of people. If you have something on your mind, just say it; regardless of how the other person might take it. Anyhow, he filed that little piece of information in the back of his mind in case he ever wanted to mess with her again in the future. He blinked, momentarily stopping his work. He just assumed that they would see each other again after this. Weird.

"Heh, I know what you meant earlier. And...thanks," he said awkwardly For some reason, her statement seemed more genuine than the "I like you, Ishiguro" that he would get from the gang members he would hang out with. Maybe it's because she's not a gang member, he thought with a small deadpan expression. Still, he wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Hell, he wasn't even used to his customers staying here this long! It wasn't necessarily bad, he just wasn't sure how to deal with it. Shrugging it off, he figured he'd just act like he normally does and see how it goes from there.

"Aww, don't feel bad," he replied with mock comfort, "maybe you can win an argument against those turtleducks that I'm so much better than!" If she was going to stick around, she'd better get used to his sarcastic humor. It'd be exasperating to have to explain every time that he didn't really mean what he said and that it was all in good fun. Finished with disassembling the phone, he laid out the wiring and circuitry, examining each part closely for something he might have missed in his initial observations. Still busy examining one of the parts, he asked offhandedly, "So you're a baker then?"

Kaito's Workshop

Tagged: Kaito[/center]

"Oh,"

[/color] was all the woman could come up to say. Easy to mess with? No one really played tricks on her, with words or pranks so she didn't know what that was like. Well, none that she remembered. Perhaps people have always been sarcastic with her and she just never noticed it. She wasn't serious all the time! Just she tended to be more of a direct joker or unintentionally funny. Bringing smiles to people's faces was a joy and she had never seen that happen much with sarcasm.

Airi smiled at his thanks. "No problem,"[/color] she replied, picking her head up to look over at him instead of the ceiling. "Hey, I don't think I've picked up your name. I'm Airi Hitomi."[/color] In her head, she had just kept calling him "him" or "the guy" or whatever. It'd be nice to note down a name, even if she would only use it in this one conversation.

Her brows knit together with frustration as she tried to figure out what he said. If she couldn't win an argument with him and he was better than turtleducks, by his logic she could win an argument with the small creatures? But turtleducks couldn't talk so arguing with them would be a one sided battle. Not even a battle. No, none of this made any sense, but then she remembered what he had said about her being easy to tease. Oooh, she thought to herself after the realization, her head nodding a bit. Okay, so that was just for jokes so she let the subject go.

"Yeah, it's my family's trade,"[/color] she said with a nod and a smile. "I've been helping out in the bakery since I was little, though I guess that doesn't say too much,"[/color] Airi said, giggling lightly at her joke on her own height. Last time she measured herself, hadn't she been five feet tall and two inches? three inches? She couldn't remember the little details. "My brother and father like to experiment with pastries so it's usually just my mother and I who do the bread."[/color]

"What about... this?"[/color] She gestured vaguely at the shop. "Is this a family thing or just you?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

"...Kaito. Kaito Ishiguro," he said after giving it some thought. It didn't matter, most of the gangs he was in contact with knew his full name already; he didn't think it would make much of a difference if he told someone else. Still, though, it felt weird to be telling someone else his name besides business purposes. It made him feel a little more vulnerable. And for some reason, that smile that Airi gave him didn't make him feel any better about it. He shrugged off the feeling; as long as they didn't talk about anything too personal, it should be fine.

He was only half-listening to Airi's story about her family's bakery as he searched through his drawers, looking for a spare dial ring. "Hrm, if you guys sell cookies or some other kind of sweets, I might be interested in buying...they help me work when I have to pull all-nighters," he clarified. They also made him crash really hard afterwards, depending on how much he ate. But, nevertheless, he is usually able to get quite a bit of work done before then. Blinking, he just remembered that he had to replenish his stash of food that he kept here whenever he decided to stay overnight instead of going home. Kaito mentally filed that in the back of his head as he continued searching the drawers.

Finally finding a dial ring of the correct size in the bottom drawer, he got back up and grabbed the screwdriver from his workbench. His eyes becoming more focused, Kaito got to work in fastening the new dial ring to Airi's phone. He was constantly tugging on the dial to check if either it was still too loose or if it was screwed in too tight at one of the points. After giving it a final tug, he watched with satisfaction as it rotated smoothly from where he pulled it back to where it originally started. Taking the generator that came with the phone, he began to dismantle it screw by screw in order to get a better look at what went wrong with it.

Being caught off guard by her question of whether or not this was a family business, his hand slipped while trying to unscrew one of the parts, causing him to accidentally drop his screwdriver. Kaito blinked, staring at the fallen tool dumbly for a moment before picking it back up. He should have seen that question coming. He just had to give her the "official" story that he practiced a thousand times in the mirror. "A little bit of both, I guess. My parents left this to me after they died, so I've been on my own for the past few years," he lied easily, picking the screwdriver back up and getting back to work, albeit at a slower pace.

Why did he feel worse lying to this girl? He told the same story to the various gangs that questioned him on his background, and he didn't feel anything afterward. Was it because, compared to the gangs, she posed no threat to his family? As far as you know, his slightly paranoid side chimed in. Either way, it wasn't as if it was a total lie. They did help pay for this place in the beginning, and with the lack of contact over the years, there were plenty of times where they did feel dead to him.

"Can we...talk about something else?" he asked with a small hint of desperation, wanting to banish the thoughts from his mind. He mentally berated himself at how he sounded. He had always prided himself on not showing his true feelings, and yet he doesn't even know how to act in a conversation that got a little personal. With normal people. Perhaps I should get out more, he mused dryly.

Kaito's Workshop

Tagged: Kaito[/center]

Kaito Ishiguro. Huh. That name wasn't even on the top ten names she thought he might have been, but, then again, one of those ten names included Lee so it was notable even to her she didn't know many guy names. It was a cool name. She repeated his last name over and over in her head, enjoying the sound of it. I-shi-gur-o she articulated silently with a slight smile, her tongue bouncing off the roof of her closed mouth with each syllable. Airi Hitomi didn't sound as smooth or easy to say as Kaito Ishiguro was. Her first name was already awkward enough, saying it like eye-ree. A lot of people tended to mispronounce it, going Air-ree.

Airi nodded though she knew he wouldn't take notice of it. "We do, actually!"

[/color] she exclaimed happily, as if she had just won some sort of prize. "Aisen really likes to mess around with different pastries and some come out really weird, but my father - his name is Nosen, but sometimes we call him Nose-y - tends to stick to more practical stuff. Some cakes, cookies, sweetbreads."[/color] She remembered a time when Aisen first started to experiment with ingredients they ended up eating some type of sticky rice dessert covered in sugar and then stuffed inside a bread pocket. It wasn't half bad but it had been odd.

Hearing his story about his parents instantly kicked her from her bubbly mood as well as made her regret asking him about it. As she thought about it, she had dropped the bomb on him about her bending; who was she to judge if he wanted to mention the fact his parents were deceased? Perhaps he thought the same, that they might not see each other again so it'd be safe to talk about some times. "They must've been good parents; I think they'd be proud,"[/color] she said, half not knowing what her words meant. They just sounded better than saying sorry for something she wasn't responsible for.

"Sure!"[/color] Airi chimed, not minding another topic changer. "Ummm, how about this: Have you lived in Republic City all your life? Do you like it here? Would you rather be elsewhere?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

Kaito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The thought of restocking his food storage here with pastries and sweets did sound appealing...and also incredibly unhealthy. Despite preferring to be cooped up in his workshop, he did make an effort to stay in shape. Mostly by either running or fighting, though he preferred fighting much more. If there was anything he was grateful to the gangs for, it was for the opportunities to get into more street fights. No better way to let off some steam then with a good, old-fashioned fistfight...although some jerks cheat and use a little bending. "I'll think about it," he said, finally reaching a decision, "maybe one of these days when my food here runs empty." Guess it wouldn't hurt to indulge himself a little.

"Yeah...I'd like to think that they would've been," Kaito said distantly, trying not to show how close that hit home. Would they be proud of him? Sure he had his own place of business now, but he was waist-deep in debts to some very unsavory people and he's been surrounding himself with said unsavory people. How would they react if he told them about it? He shook off the thought, deeming it irrelevant; they would never learn about it if he could help it. Finally having dismantled the generator, he began to inspect each part closely, trying to keep his mind busy.

"Huh. Do you rehearse these questions, or are you just asking these off the top of your head?" He asked with a chuckle, not really expecting an answer as he continued to examine the generator parts. "Well, in order: no, I migrated from the Fire Nation, yes, I like it well enough, and unless some other city shows up out of nowhere with even better tech, probably not....if you haven't figured by now, I like technology a lot," he added dryly. Blinking, he held up one of the bars inside the generator, showing a bit of a dent in its side. "Alright my turn: same questions, and how roughly do you guys handle your phone?"

Kaito's Workshop

Tagged: Kaito[/center]

Airi decided not to respond to his question, figuring it was his 'teasing' thing again but she did wonder if people actually did just sit around, waiting to be talked to and during that time trying to think up possible conversations. For a moment, she thought that was a weird thing to do until she realized she did it - to an extent. Before she had any real friends or of the like, she'd think of things she wanted to know about people, not just thinking of questions that might prolong a conversation.

The woman listened carefully as he answered her questions, nodding a bit at appropriate times to show that she was listening and paying attention, though she didn't know why he wouldn't already know that seeing as she was the one who asked the questions. It was actually surprising to know he moved here to Republic City; most people she knew were born and raised here. Then again, with all this stuff in the air with Equalists and new Avatars and stuff, was it possible that people who had moved here returned to their homes whereas those that grew up here wanted to stay despite the risks?

"Oh, the first one is kind of weird, I suppose,"

[/color] she generally mused. "My parents moved here when I was only a few years old, two or three, I think. So it's not like I remember living anywhere else, but technically I did move here. I'm twenty now, to give perspective."[/color] Her feet swung back and forth with a child-like nature. "I love it here, but I've never been anywhere else so I don't know what I could compare it to. I've always wanted to travel, though. you know, to see the world and stuff, but I'd love to come back here and settle once that's done."[/color]

Kaito's last question caused Airi to really think on it. It wasn't like it was her phone and her phone alone and she also didn't stare at it every minute of the day. She had always assumed they treated it okay. It was used sporadically, of course. Sometimes large orders were placed via telephone or those that were bedridden but still needed food, that sort of thing. In essence, it was for work only. "Sorry, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that."[/color] She ended with a long string of silence, her mouth open, ready to speak but no words actually came out. "I'm not very good with remembering things like that."[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]