Lost

There was not much else Jacob could do to elaborate on his explanation without getting either getting more complex or backtracking and saying it was magic or something. The looks Acai gave him clearly stated that she did not believe him. All he could do was smile reassuringly back and give her a good side hug squeeze to show that he meant no harm or disrespect. For a few moments, it was nice and peaceful as he watched the movie with a lovely girl at his side.

But Acai would not be Acai if she did not have some kind of embarrassing outburst. Jacob was slow on the reaction again and she managed to slip out of his arms on her quest to help the people on screen. She was already on the way to the screen by the time he had gotten up. He had also grabbed the bag because, he bet, she was not going to act in a way conducive to remaining in the theater.

Just before she could reach the screen, Jacob caught her around the waist with both arms and pulled her back and away from the screen. He already saw a few people looking at them and he ignored them. His love of her youthful exuberance was tempered by the natural embarrassment of interrupting a movie, and he was left chuckling nervously as he pulled her closer to a nearby exit. He turned her around to face him while holding her still and talking quietly. Chances were he was going to have to leave with her, but he could at least try to get her settle down.

Jacob just so very much wanted to enjoy something with Acai. Her outbursts and rambunctiousness were not bad things necessarily, and he even liked it sometimes. But they usually manifested in her running away from him and just playing by herself. At least once, he thought, maybe, he would like something where she would even momentarily acknowledge what he was trying to establish with her.

"Shhh... What are you doing, Acai? You can't interrupt the show. I know it looks bad now, but wait until the very end. You'll see. It'll work out."

Tears. Jacob could never stand the sight of a girl crying. Never. Every little drop that fell down Acai's cheeks tugged at his oft-vulnerable heart and he wished so very hard that it did not have to come to that. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and squeeze her until she felt as safe and comfy as possible, then tell her everything was going to be okay.

But the place was not right. The movie was still going and he could feel her quiver and quake with every sound it made. Utterly pushing everyone else in the theater out of his mind, Jacob held Acai close to him as he pushed the exit door open and ushered her into the daylight outside. There he could wrap his arms around her and hug her close to his chest, trying to make the tears go away.

"It's okay. It's okay..."

Letting her go a little so he could look into her eyes, he gave her another smile.

"Where's your home? I'll walk with you there."

It looked like the faur-date was over, unless she invited him in to her place. The city was still too much for her and she had reached her limit. It was never his goal to acclimate to her to the urban jungle. He just wanted to spend time with her and maybe... maybe impress his feelings upon her, if she was willing. At least the first part was mostly a success.

Ah. Jacob should have surmised that her home was near the flower shop, or even WAS the flower shop itself. At least he knew where to go at least, and started off hand-in-hand with Acai. For a little while, there was silence between them, brought about by that rather awkward exit from the theater.

Every time he glanced at her, she was looking away, and it made his heart droop. Without seeing her face, he could not tell why she was avoiding his gaze and his mind, of course, jumped to the worst conclusions. Was she upset? Of course she was upset. But was she angry at him? Angry for dragging her to a dark and confusing place that she was not equipped to handle? Did he offend her again? What if it was the acorn incident all over again?!

Then she spoke, and his fears were quickly replaced by sympathy.

"Nah. I thought today was actually pretty fun. Just different from what I'm used to."

His voice was soft and reassuring, and a little hopeful. It was only a simple question, but it seemed that Acai was at least a little aware of how he felt. And his answer was truthful! Even as he looked down at the bits of dirt on himself and the bag that still held the chocolate and dandelions, Jacob thought about how enjoyable it was to cut loose a little and be totally spontaneous. Acai's free spirit may have crossed into "confused outsider" a few times, but he still loved the times when she was a plucky, innocent nymph.

They arrived at the front of the flower shop, and Jacob stopped, unsure of where exactly her place was.

Acai saved Jacob the task of somehow asking for an inviation by giving it right off the bat.

"Of course! I was hoping we could share a cup of the dandelion tea you suggested."

He might have sounded a little more enthusiastic about being invited into her home than he meant to. But he was so relieved that she was not so down on herself about the date that she would push him away and ask for time to herself. Again, for all the awkwardness and weirdness of their time together, Jacob still rather enjoyed it in an offbeat sort of way. No one got really hurt and anything that might have been considered "damages" were limited to minor messes.

Since she invited him, Jacob had to start wondering what exactly her place looked like. She was a forest spirit who very obviously loved the outdoors and nature, so he had a difficult time imagining her in an apartment above a flower shop. If he knew her, he would bet that an apartment would be... too small for her or too "boxy" or something cute like that.

"So lead the way, sweety. Introduce me to your abode."

Acai's smile might have been a small, uncertain one, but Jacob's heart rose all the same. He liked to think that the embarrassment and shame that had nearly overwhelmed her before was not only starting to wear away, but it was also being replaced by more palatable and enjoyable feelings. His hand gave her's a gentle squeeze to her feelings high before letting go and letting her give her shop a once-over.

"Huh? And who might this little guy be?"

The flower shop was quaint and beautiful, and it smelled great. However, the thing that caught his eye was a small animal that looked like a cross between a ferret and a leopard. He would have thought it was a stray had it been something less exotic.

"Hello there, Finn."

Jacob gave the little creature a friendly wave as it curled up on her shoulder, then dug around in his bag to pull out a single dandelion to offer to the pet.

"Must be nice to cuddle up on Acai, hm? I'm kinda jealous."