Not a date

Looking back, Naoko wasn't sure what she'd been thinking. The whole thing was... well, it was practically a date, wasn't it? Bringing a boy home who she had only talked to a few times. She'd mentioned the whole thing to her mom, but her dad? Well, she'd opted to leave him mostly in the dark to avoid upsetting him. It didn't really matter that it was a cute guy right?

Okay, maybe it did matter a little bit.

Naoko waited in front of the school for Devias to arrive, rocking back and forth on her heels as she tried to not stress about it. She probably looked even scarier then usual, lost in thought as she considered all the possible implications. It was just a movie, right? It wasn't that big a deal, right?

There was always the question of how much to say. On the island, surrounded by strangers, people often came to the conclusion that they could share anything. Who would judge a vampire that only enjoyed the taste of men when they shared a class with a wendigo?

But Naoko had lived on the island her entire life, and she knew that wasn't true. Even on an island with so many people, there was still an element of shame. Some people were embarrassing. Some things were better hidden.

It was with that in mind that Naoko usually kept her father to herself, only bringing it up when it was necessary, but if Devias was going to be visiting her home, it was necessary.

"I should warn you," Naoko said as they started off towards her house. "My father can be a bit... unusual? Not in terms of species or anything, but just in terms of personality."

Yes, definitely better to warn him before they got there.

Her father was definitely not dangerous, but even so the warning took a load of Naoko's mind. At least, no matter what happened or how Devias felt, Naoko had warned him.

Naoko paused mid-step at the mention of Devias having done traditions. Honestly, a part of her had sort of forgotten he wasn't from the island. Yes, he was from elsewhere, but compared to many people who acted entirely in alien manners, he acted downright normal.

Only it was flowers. Flowers and... flowers and chocolate. Not even flowers. Roses. Roses and chocolate.

Naoko went very red very fast, quickly turning away to hide the worst of her blush. This - what? Was he misunderstanding what a guests gift was supposed to be, or was that his convenient excuse to hide things?

Naoko was the sort of person who wasn't going to just let things lie. She wasn't going to just mislead him and let him think it was normal. What if it was a genuine misunderstanding and he went around handing out roses to everyone he saw?!

"Ah," Naoko started, trying to compose herself. "Well, I think you got classes of gifts mixed up. I mean, this is a very nice gift and the sentiment is appreciated, but..."

But what? How did she explain it?

"Normally a thank you gift would be a bouquet of colorful flowers, or something to contribute to the dinner. A bottle of wine. These kinds of gifts... chocolate and roses are... uh, romantic."

"It is common," Naoko quickly corrected. "Just, red roses are usually romantic, and chocolates is like a valentines thing..."

This was all a bit too much, and Naoko quickly waved it off.

"No, they're not - they're fine. Good. I just wanted to tell you because I know you're new here, and I didn't want you getting in trouble because you were giving roses to like, someone with a boyfriend or something. I don't need a replacement. In fact..."

Naoko didn't really leave much room for argument, reaching over to scoop the bouquet out of Devias's arms. "They're beautiful. I'll show them to my mom when we get there even, she'll get a vase."

Naoko's house was not far from the school. It was definitely a walk, but not a terrible one by any means. Before long they were cutting through what could really be described only as a surburb. Nice lawns, plenty of fallen leaves, a mix of housing styles occasionally marked by something unusual, like an entire house with no windows, or one painted neon green.

Manta Carlos was an unusual place.

Naoko's own house was a nice two story home that would not have looked even slightly out of place in any suburb in America. A brick exterior, a shingle roof, and a large, old oak tree in the front yard which looked like it once have might had a swing on it. The front of the house had a large concrete porch with a proper bench-style swing, and Naoko was very nearly IN the door when she abruptly halted.

Maybe it was better to explain? This might very well be new to him.

"Everyone here is families, more or less. Or were families but the kids have moved out. There's no need for this much space otherwise. Elias - if you know him from the club - lives a couple houses down that way," Naoko explained, gesturing as she did. "He was the closest to my age, but there are some other kids in the general range."

Maybe she was talking about herself too much? "Did you have houses like this?"