Lost

Acai could have called the innocent, finger-related gesture anything she wanted as long as she accepted it and the thought behind it. She indeed seem to understand that it was some kind of agreement gesture, not unlike a handshake, so Jacob did not bother attempting to correct her pronunciation. Besides, the cuteness of her pronunciation tickled him enough to warrant a playful chuckle.

He carefully watched her inspect the dandelions, and her methods of taste testing it. Watching someone work their expertise and worldly wisdom always fascinated Jacob. Like watching an artisan skillfully work their craft or a painter wield their brush, there was simple awe to be had at watching someone go through motions and movements that came so naturally to them after practice and time. One of the things he always looked for were the simple shortcuts a person learned in their craft, things that could not be taught to them and could only be learned through actual usage. For example, the way Acai wrung the oils from the leaf, knowing exactly what she wanted to see and taste.

"Boil? So we'll make some tea later? That sounds pretty good."

Jacob placed the dandelions back in his bag and stood up from the bench. He held his hand out to Acai, smiling and hoping that she'll take it. Being with her again had inspired him to take up the uninhibited feeling she had coaxed out of him before in the woods, and he was ready to try it again.

"INow it's time for an urban adventure, Acai. In the woods, you might lead me to places unknown. But in the city, I'll be your guide, and I got a few secrets to show you. So whaddya say? Give me a chance to impress you?"

In the short time that he had known her, Jacob had gradually learned that Acai was a girl of unspoken words. She made lots of faces at him or his actions without words to accompany them, and he had been remiss to simply overlook them. Knowing that, he made a more concerted effort to pay attention to what she was feeling, and his first success in that field was picking out her displeasure when he put away the dandelions.

"I'm just puttin' them in the bag to hold onto them until we make tea. Oh! And also the chocolate!"

Before they negligently left it behind, he picked up the box of chocolates and put them in the bag too, patting the whole thing gently to show that it was all stowed away safely.

His other hand, meanwhile, was delighted to hold her's. It may have been a little juvenile to take such joy in just holding her hand, but... There he was, happy to just hold her. With her in tow, he was eager to show her around the city on the impromptu tour of adventure. The first stop seemed deeper into the park down the path.

"Um, I guess I could take you to see a magic box, if you tell me what a magic box is."

For all her strangeness, he somehow doubted she meant a television. But with Acai...

"And don't worry about getting lost. You have me to guide you."

All in all, it was a beautiful day for an adventure. The sun was shining bright overhead, not unlike when they first met. But without the trees to block it all out, the day felt brighter and the temperature was certainly warmer. The grass across the park was lush and green, the bushes and flowers perfectly trimmed and in bloom, respectively. The trees were showing off their new leaves, and people were having picnics for lunch. Maybe if they day went well enough, Jacob could have a picnic with Acai too...

"Magic box... Oh! MAGIC box! Yeah. Yeah. I know what you're talking about.

Jacob almost could not believe it. Acai really was talking about a television, or going to see a movie. For a moment, he seemed bewildered that she was still calling it a Magic Box. But then that bewilderment changed into tickled amusement. The sunny tree spirit he held hand with would always find a few way to get a chuckle out of him when it came to her innocent and almost child-like view of the world. There was no way he could hold that against her, it was just too cute.

"We'll go see a magic box later. I know of a big one nearby we can do see. But first..."

Their walk down the park path opened up into a big plaza, criss-crossed by many other paths. It was a big garden, filled with flowers, arranged in a sort of grid pattern, where the paths allowed patrons to walk between the flowered squares. Everything was in bloom and it looked like the world had been splashed with color. But there was something else Jacob wanted to show her.

He lead her further into the blooming flower grid, so that they both could stand at an intersection. His hand intertwined its fingers with her as he looked at his watched and counted down until...

"Dancing water!"

Right on cue, a multitude of streams of water arced gracefully through the air, "jumping" out of little hidden mechanisms within the flower beds. The stream perfectly curved through the air overhead, making the sunlight sparkle. As a stream landed, another would jump, creating the illusion of many living water streams hopping and jumping around the garden in a beautiful dance.

"A-ACAI!"

She was too quick for him. Before he could react, she had broken away to frolic and play in the flowers, with the dancing waters. She was swift on her feet, and Jacob had to drop his bag to give chase.

"Hey! W-Wait!"

For a moment, he could not believe what he saw. He had stopped at the edge of the flower bed, hesitant to enter. But Acai had flung herself full-on into the flowers to play with the water. She was like a little child mixed with a small animal, and Jacob was torn between trying to grab her out of the flowers and looking around to see if anyone noticed. Even when he convinced himself to step inside the flower bed to try and get her, he hesitated because he did not want to get in trouble. Acai leaped and rolled away before he could get to her, though.

Then he took a breath while he watched her play and giggle. She was so cute and innocent. She washed away his worries. Another look around told him that few others were around, and he once again said 'screw it'. He leaped forward toward Acai, taking the last jets of water to the face before the dance of the waters ended.

"Ah ha!"

He finally got her. Jacob avoided pinning her down completely, and just held himself above her as water dripped from his hair and smiling face. Shaking his head, like a dog, he loosed some stray water droplets playfully.

"Ehehe~ You've certainly made a bit of a mess of yourself, you silly kitten! But I think we were just supposed to WATCH the dancing waters. not try and catch them~"

The whole ordeal happened in a split second, leaving Jacob no time for thought or reaciton. There was screaming and mud and panic, and as Jacob himself flailed in an attempt to defend himself he fell over backwards and out of the garden. With a hard thud, he was on his back on the garden path, his smacked with mud and his own clothes dirty. He did not look in that great of shape. And those were some of his good clothes too. For a few moments, he was quiet and still on the ground.

He gave a muffled choking sound as he raised his hands and wiped the mud from his face, and sat up on his bottom. What sounded like choking cleared up and became a chuckle that grew into a laugh.

"Yeah! I'm fine!"

Jacob toothy smile shown bright against the mud he wiped and picked off his face. It was certainly a surprise to get that kind of reaction out of Acai, but he found it difficult to be mad or upset. There were plenty of reasons to be put off--she had dirtied his clothes and face--but it all just seemed so funny.

"Oh~ You're a jumpy girl, aren't ya? But, uh..."

Standing up, he looked over both of them and their dirtiness.

"Heh. We're both gonna have to change or somethin' before we see the magic box. Or at least wash our faces."