Private Finished A Spot of Coffee, Maybe a Bandaid

Kal grinned as Cam continued on with the infomercial joke. It seemed like the easiest thing in the world to just continue joking with Cam. Good thing they hadn't planned anything more than coffee or they might never have got anything done that day.

Kal had paused and looked concerned at the injured fingers but Cams good mood and jokes reassured him that it wasnt something pressing to ask about. Especially with Cam so close to him he felt compelled to keep that smile on the other man's face.

He snapped himself out of his worries and looked into the nonexistent camera, holding up a finger. "Wait, folks that's not all. Call us in the next 30 minutes and we'll throw in boxes of these other band aids for free. You get the amazing, spectacular, Kal's Grin bandages, the Perfect Pickle bandages and of course the cute little unicorn bandages. All for just two easy payments of 'hanging out'. While supplies last, shipping and handling extra. No refunds except where local laws require it." With that all said he took a bow. Ok so he had strayed a little from what a real infomercial would sound like but he had decided to tailor it towards their actual situation. Kal really did have boxes of each kind of bandage to offer Cam. He wasn't really sure what the 'shipping and handling' part was supposed to mean but oh well.

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Kal didn't catch all of the excitement between Cam and the other people in The Forbidden Zone as they walked over to the table but he did notice one guy who suddenly turned and stopped looking at them. Kal looked back at Cam to see what had happened but only caught the other man grinning right back at him. Kal was pretty sure he missed a joke but that was ok.

Of course once they were at the table Cam had replied to Kals joke with a complete barrage of puns. Kal pretended to hold his chest like he had been shot. "Oh no, I've been slain. Too many puns. My poor heart," he lamented in the most melodramatic tone as he slumped back into his seat. For only a moment though, because he couldn't keep it up any longer and sat back up grinning and laughing.

Kal was a little disappointed at first when Cam's face became serious but Cam had only been saying he would pay Kal back. "No, no you really don't have to pay me back. I owed you this coffee- well I guess you didn't get coffee, but still. Besides, I think I'm having enough fun to make spending a couple dollars worth it," he smiled. Really it wasn't that much money and Kal was feeling pretty generous with all the grinning and joking going on. This little outing was going to keep him happy for the day and could very well be the highlight of his week. That was an odd thought though.

Kal kept finding himself distracted from his own drink by Cam's grins. He would be talking and joking and all of a sudden he would realize he hadn't taken a sip of his coffee in a while. In the hope that he wouldn't look weird by having his drink last far longer than Cam's he then would take a larger than normal sip. Totally normal, definitely no reason for him to feel nervous. Except he did. Even though it was easy and comfortable to spend time joking with Cam there was still this faint feeling of nervousness and excitement. And the coffee hadn't helped.

He listened as Cam talked all about aesthetics and design. Kal was completely out of his depth in those topics but he could probably listen to Cam talk about anything. "Yes you're rambling old man," he admitted and joked, "but that's ok. Have to tell those old war stories to someone and I'm all ears."

The foam on Cam's lips gave Kal an idea. Well technically two ideas but he didn't act on the second one. Kal began to respond about the whole bonding thing but as he did so he carefully watched for when Cam was about to take another sip of his hot chocolate. When he did Kal was ready with a tiny puff of wind to cut into the foam a little bit and splash the foam onto Cams face. Kal intended to keep a straight face while he continued talking, as of it wasn't completely clear who had caused the little mess, but he tended to have a lot of trouble keeping a straight face around Cam.

"I guess I have a sort of similar story about my mom and I setting up the Spa here. Though it probably goes a lot quicker when you don't really argue the details with your mother. It was more of her telling me where things should go and me helping to get them there. She does have way more experience than me after all." In truth Lyrseir's aura made it very hard to get upset or angry at her. Any time you did you just found yourself calming back down. Unless you were really angry. Enough to lose control and quite literally storm off. But that was probably a story for some other time. He didn't want to ruin the mood.

The two of them could just not stop making each other laugh and smile. Someone more self conscious might have been starting to get concerned that other patrons were surely staring at them. The were after all in a super edgy cafe where everyone was supposed to be creepy and unsettling. Yet here these two men were having a great time making jokes and being downright ridiculous.

Honestly though Kal wasn't noticing anything else that was going on in the room. His focus only consisted of just him and Cam, their drinks, and the furniture they were using. Anything outside that bubble was just ignored. This was hands down the absolute best coffee Kal had ever tasted, and he had been there to get coffee multiple times in the past. With Cam there it just seemed to taste better. Even with Kal taking his extra large sips in a futile attempt to not draw attention to how distracted he was by talking to Cam.

"I see how it is," he joked with a big goofy grin on his face, "you use your good looks and charm to swindle good hardworking folks out of their coffee money." Kal then took a nice swig of his coffee and paused a moment before adding with a chuckle, "Oh well, I can live with that." The laughter that followed it made it clear he was in no way serious about his "accusation".

Kal noticed that Cam seemed to be almost never putting his cup of cocoa down. Maybe he was using it to hide behind or maybe Cam wasn't sure what to do with his hands. However Kal didn't think too much into it. He just shrugged it off as maybe Cam enjoyed the warmth on his hands. Who doesn't like the feeling of warm hands?

He snickered at Cam's fake shock and leaned in closer. Kal made a show of looking around conspiratorially before replying with a wink, "well sir, it sounds like your war stories are something of a challenge. I bet you I can keep my ears all nice and attached no matter what crazy stories you can bring up."

The trick with the wind had worked perfectly. He watched as Cam wiped off the foam as he had continued talking and then laughed about the wind. "Yes, I guess the winds can be quite foam-idable around here. Never know when it might strike." Ok so Cam was playing along with the joke and didn't seem to be mad after the initial surprise. That was a very good thing. However that smile seemed to be hiding something. Something devious, though honestly Kal was kind of looking forward to whatever Cam was going to do.

Kal nearly choked on his coffee when Cam mentioned idolizing his mother. It wasn't that he was shocked too much- Cam had mentioned how much he enjoyed the way the spa was set up. The problem was he had suddenly imagined a day spent moving things around and adjusting them as both his mother and Cam argued the finer points of interior design. He was feeling tired just thinking about it. "Oh, uh yeah. I guess I'll have to introduce you two sometime. Especially since you'll be one of our loyal regular customers." Not to mention she was pretty nosy about who Kal was hanging out with. He had learned that hiding stuff from her almost never went well for him.

Kal was starting to feel kind of like when he was flying but he hadn't left his seat. He just felt.... light. Like gravity had weakened and he could just float away if he wanted. Of course that was the last thing he wanted to do right then. No, he was pretty happy being there sitting with Cam.

He chuckled and made a bowing motion, "I'm glad to be worthy of your presence, your grace. Otherwise it would be an awful quiet table as I drank coffee and hot chocolate all by myself," he said with an attempt at an overdramatic flourish in his voice but it didn't really work. Kal wasn't an actor and it showed. The coffee cup hid his face as he tried to hide from his own bad acting.

Despite the merriment Kal definitely recognized that determined and mischievous glint in Cam's grin. It was what he had been secretly hoping for actually. Their challenges so far had been ridiculous and that was probably a good part of why they had been fun. How can you not enjoy overdoing a joke to the point where both people end up barely being able to stand because they are laughing so much? "A fashion show from hell? Must have had all the hot new styles," he snickered and pulled on the neck of his shirt like it was hot. "No, no i'm kidding. I want to hear all about what craziness happened at this fashion show to make it a good war story. My ears are prepared."

His hair... Kal wasn't entirely sure that wasn't some sort of challenge right back. The shine in his eyes was enough to tempt Kal but he held that urge at bay. Something about messing up Cam's hair right then felt just wrong. Like it would be ruining something beautiful. Instead he reached over the table to hand him a stack of paper napkins. "Don't worry, i'm sure the wind won't hurt you or your hair too badly." Without realizing it Kal kind of left his hand sitting there while he looked at Cam as if he had forgotten to pull it back. Just long enough that it was obvious before he hurriedly pulled it back and grabbed his coffee to take a sip.

Kal laughed at Cam's excited reaction to him mentioning meeting his mother. "No, it's fine. You'd be meeting her at some point anyway. She runs the spa. That and sometimes I think she has a sense for when I make a new friend. She always ends up bumping into them somewhere and being a little nosy about things," he explained as he shrugged. It was hard to keep secrets from a person who had centuries of learning how people worked and what stressed them out.

Kal snickered at the attempted hair swish but he really did feel blessed to be sitting there with Cam. Who knew how long they had been sitting there? Kal sure as hell had no idea. All he knew was that he had barely stopped smiling and laughing since they met up. Oh, and that for the last little bit he had been only pretending to sip his nearly finished coffee. Mostly because he wasn't sure what to do with his hands and he didn't want to run out and just sit there staring at Cam. Not that staring at Cam was uncomfortable- it was actually the opposite. Just the part where he realized he might look awkward sitting there and not drinking while Cam was still working on his cocoa.

Right back into the pun battle they both went. Well, actually with the two of them the puns never really stopped. They just laid low and simmered until just the right moment to ignite some laughter. As Cam told his story Kal slowly leaned in a little closer. He didn't even realize he was doing it- he was just listening to the story. Or more specifically he was listening to Cam tell the story. It probably could have been about anything and he would have still unconsciously reacted the same.

Kaliyan sat there imagining a hot Cam- err Cam being hot... it being a hot day and Cam going to a show. Damn, his thoughts were making him confused and flustered as he tried to keep focus on the story. Then Cam had asked Kal what he though had been the first sign of the show from hell. Kal didn't know really anything about modelling and had no idea what it could have been. Which was fine. He was just going to make a joke anyway, he had decided. With a completely.. well mostly straight face he answered, "let me guess, the guy running it had red horns and the theme was brimstone and fire?" After the joke Kal grinned at Cam, just waiting for the reaction.

Cam spent a fair amount of time rubbing his face with the napkins. More than Kal thought was probably needed to remove the foam. He didn't think he had caused that much of a mess but he figured maybe Cam was just being careful. Not everyone could just wash their face as easily as running their hand over it and producing water.

Then Kal had leaned back to take his hurried sip of coffee and ended up splashed in the face with it by Cam. It didn't go all over him but it did splash his face and he coughed as some of the coffee went down his throat before he knew what was happening. His body reacted as if he was suffocating or drowning and there was a shimmer around his nose and mouth as air was produced until he was breathing normally again. He paused to let the air effect dissipate and then used the napkins to wipe the coffee off his face. It was the last of his coffee actually.

"Well," he coughed, "guess i'm done drinking that. Darn earthquakes trying to drown me in coffee. Good thing us Kals are strong against drowning effects." He seemed to be fine and still quite happy despite the little bit of coughing but he did slide his empty coffee cup off to the side. No use trying to pretend to drink it now- it was clearly not filled any more.

Kal was a little thrown off by the talk of boyfriends. He had been on dates before but never with a guy. It wasn't that he was against it, he just had never really considered it. Of course none of those dates had really resulted in anything but he had just chalked it up to not enough chemistry between them. What if... Kal looked at Cam and his gorgeous smile and then let the thought trail off in his mind. He was going to have a lot to think about after this coffee trip.

He chuckled a little too nervously, "You think that's tough, try having a mother like that who's a centuries-old dragon. I swear she probably smelled a new person on me when I would come back from a date or hanging out with someone. I remember she'd always tell me I should bring them over to the spa for a discount on a massage or treatment. Done by her specifically of course."

It was a little weird. Apparently Cam had also been leaning in, a little bit less than Kal was, during the story but Kal hadn't noticed at all until he had pulled himself back. It was like Cam's voice and eyes had pulled them together for a bit before they both sort of snapped out of it. He half wondered if maybe Cam had some sort of hypnotic power but he was pretty sure Cam wouldn't have used something like that on him.

Kal was oh so tempted to cut in and make a joke when Cam told him to wait. But it turned out to be a good thing he had listened and not butted in because the next think Cam said was sheer ridiculousness. He roared with laughter at the fact that someone had actually thought making models wear diapers was a good thing to show off. Kal knew very little about fashion, it was true, but holy crap that was a terrible idea. "Please, please tell me you have pictures from that hell," he said between bouts of laughter and then used one of the napkins to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

He snickered a little more before he pulled himself mostly back together. "Seriously though that is a horrible idea. And at a fundraiser for disabled people too." Kal was not the smartest man but he could see where that would be hella offensive. He shook his head, though he did catch himself imagining the face Cam must have had when he found out about the diapers.

Well he hadn't lost his ears just yet but he was pretty sure that story wasn't over. Kal definitely wanted to hear how Cam handled that show. And probably what havoc he wreaked with the organizers for allowing such a thing to happen.


Kal didn't see the twinge of panic as Cam had feared he accidentally went too far but he did hear the "earthquake's" apology and knew it was Cam being sorry for what happened. "Hey, maybe the wind should apologize to for starting the..." he trailed off as Cam reached over to rub a napkin on his face. Only his hand had remained there brushing against his face for longer than was necessary.

For a moment the two of them just silently stared at each other, the only movements were their eyes blinking. Then Cam must have realized what was happening because he pulled his arm back. Smoother than Kal had done earlier but the same idea. If Kal could have turned pink he probably would have. Actually he probably would have been blushing during a lot of their time together getting coffee but his complexion and the way his body worked he barely showed any signs of reddening. He did however look kind of embarrassed. Not mad, just like he didn't know how to handle the situation.

Kal looked over at the coffee cup, glad for something to take his attention away from how hot the room was starting to feel. And that was saying something since he was used to warmth and humidity. "Oh.. uh, no I think maybe i've had enough caffeine," he chuckled nervously. Surely, it was the caffeine causing a surge of happiness and embarrassment all at once and definitely not whatever he was feeling from Cam's touch-even though it was basically just a napkin and probably shouldn't have made him feel anything unusual at all right?

Cam's sexuality hadn't really come up directly but it wasn't like Kal had to do much thinking to determine that Cam was probably gay. Kal really had just assumed Cam flirted like this with everyone. It had never bothered him at all, and honestly that wasn't really what was bothering him now. It was his own mixed up and confused feelings mostly that were throwing him off.

Kal sort of snapped back out of his wandering thoughts as the topic of his mother continued. Leave it to that subject to cool things off a little. He raised an eyebrow, "You definitely would have a lot to talk about. She's probably the best person I know at getting someone to relax while still learning a ton about them. With or without her aura focused on you," he grinned as he remembered how many times some angry old person would come in and act like nothing was ever good enough for them, only to leave happy as could be and telling everyone stories about their wonderful grandchildren. "Don't worry though, as much as I hate it I know she would happily share all kinds of embarrassing things about me. My guess is she'd start with... actually I don't think I'll spoil that one." He gave his own devilish grin right back at Cam.