Private Finished So a Fox Walks Into a Spa

Kal had pretty much known from the start that he was not going to win their little game. Cam was far better at controlling his face and was probably a lot more practiced at that type of back and forth teasing and joking. Still Kal was happy with how long he had more or less kept up with Cam and there was no shame in losing to him.

He let Cam revel in his victorious moment of gloating. How could he spoil such a happy moment for the man? The claim that he was the best comedian on Earth was ridiculous and they both seemed to know it. Kal didn't contradict him though. On top of that, as far as he knew Cam was right in that he hadn't been off this planet. Truth be told even if he knew where he had come from it wasn't like he exactly had a chance to experience any comedy there. "Ok, fair. You're the best comedian until some alien comes to steal your throne of puns." After a moment of thought Kal actually wondered if there was a comedy club or something on the station. The jokes might or might not make as much sense but it kind of seemed like an interesting thing to try out if it existed.

It was true Kal's tone had dropped a little when he used the word abandoned. How could it not when that was one of the most likely options for how he had been found my his mother. None of the other options he could think of were that great either. Children weren't meant to be left alone, floating in the ocean. Still it was only a brief moment of discomfort as Kal returned to their happy conversation. Being reassured that he was precious did actually help some, though upon thinking about it being called precious by another man made him feel a bit... strange? He wasn't really sure how to describe it. Not bad per se, but not what he would normally expect.

If Kal felt good after being called precious then the only way to describe what he saw on Cam's face as he described the Forbidden Zone would have had to be absolute joy. It almost felt like the man was going to jump off the table and sprint out towards the coffee shop without a second thought. Thankfully for public decency's sake Cam seemed able to contain his excitement to just a huge radiant smile and a sort of glowing in his face.

Being edgy and talking to emo people didn't immediately strike Kal as a very fun thing to do but he wasn't all that judgmental unless someone was getting hurt. At least Cam agreed that a good trip to the beach was enjoyable. His attempt to look angry and sullen however was pretty much terrible. He sort of looked like a kid trying to get their parent to buy them a toy after being told they couldn't have one. Perhaps if Cam had really been angry about something he could have done a little better. As it stood though if that was what he thought anger looked like Kal hoped Cam was never around when his own anger boiled forth in its waves of uncontrollable fury.

Kal couldn't help but snicker at the 'not a phase' comment. "Wow, I'm pretty sure I've had my moments but I've never said something like that. What are you a movie character? Though paragliding? You must be very adventurous." To be fair Lyrseir also had never called anything Kal did a phase, even if he had done some very cringe-worthy things when he was younger. Cam didn't need to know all that.

Cam was almost definitely full of surprises. Kal barely knew the man and could tell he had all sorts of talents that hadn't yet been revealed. Some people just gave off the air of a person who is drawn to all kinds of exciting things. Kal pretty much lived with the mindset that he would try anything once but he also had never really been away from beach-side towns. He had secretly gone to surf the huge waves during the lead-up to a big storm a few time though. Now that was exhilarating.

Kal wasn't entirely sure if Cam was trying to get him to go for coffee then or at some later point in time. Logically it made more sense for the latter but the man did seem to work according to his own whims sometimes. He decided to just be clear about it. "I would love to go get coffee sometime but i'm afraid i'll be stuck here at work for the rest of the day. How about we figure out another time when we can meet up there? I'll bring some bandaids just in case the edge is a little too much," Kal grinned


Speaking of movies, Cam was apparently a very good actor. His impression of an old man was phenomenal. "If I wasn't so aware of your distinct lack of wrinkles I'd be convinced some old man snuck in here and replaced you. Don't worry about the cost so much, I can see about some sort of senior discount for ancient people." As much as Kal was trying to be professional he was pretty sure that unless he went way overboard Cam would appreciate the jokes. Besides Cam was the one both saying he was old and pretending to be like that. He was just such a good actor, how could Kal know he wasn't really a senior citizen? Of course Kal's own laughter proved he was in no way being serious. Keeping a straigh face around Cam was very difficult to do.

"I guess I can tolerate a few more puns if I get to have a great repeat customer like you on my schedule." Heck if all his customers were like Cam it would be almost like it wasn't even a job. Sure he enjoyed helping everyone relax but getting to spend at least some of the time joking around and letting his guard down a little bit was very nice.

Kal audibly groaned at the terrible limb joke as he headed out the door. How many times had Cam used that one before? It probably was one of those jokes that came up over and over. At least he was able to joke about it though. Not everyone was strong enough to make light of the fact they were missing a limb. Kal didn't know the reason Cam was missing a leg and didn't see himself asking about it any time soon. What did it really matter anyway? It didn't change anything about hanging out with Cam at all except for giving him fodder for bad jokes.

He waited patiently outside the door while Cam got himself situated and dressed and then casually walked with him to the changing rooms. "Here you go sir, take all the time you need and the showers are there if you decide to use them. I'll go finish off some paperwork and get you a receipt so you can be on your way to enjoy the rest of your day. If i'm not back here by the time you come out just go through this door over here to the lobby." After that he politely waited to answer any questions or comments Cam had. He wouldn't head off to the front desk until Cam was inside the changing rooms.

Kaliyan had heard of Game of Thrones but honestly he only knew what he had read online and overheard from others. It was probably a cool show to watch but sitting down and watching tv by himself had never really interested him. When he was little he would sit on the couch with his mom but as he grew up and their schedules focused more on work that trailed off. So he only vaguely recognized the reference, mostly from a number of memes. "It's ok, i'm sure you can find a few dragons around here to help you hold the throne." It was a pretty lackluster response but Kal didn't know enough about the show to come up with anything too witty. He knew one of the leader types in the show had some dragons so he figured that might make some sense. Maybe he would have to find some time to watch the series.

Kal noticed the pouting face that Cam was making and for a moment thought he had accidentally insulted the man or gone too far but then his smile returned and he knew it was ok. All the talk of adventure sounded like a lot of fun. Perhaps he could be more adventurous here on the island than he had been in California. At least he didn't need to hide what he was so he could take advantage of his abilities. "I believe you and would love to hear some of the stories. Might be dangerous on account of all the gasping but I promise i'm pretty good at breathing so i'll take that risk," he chuckled. He didn't doubt that Cam had seen and done a lot of things. Why would he lie about that? Plus he did seem like the kind of person who threw himself into trying new things a lot.

Yes, Cam would make a fabulous movie character. He was good looking and had a bright personality but had enough mystery and an unusual past to not be one-dimensional. "What a crazy movie it would be if it took place here on the island. Literally anything could happen." He didn't want to lay the compliments on too thick. The man was already acting smug and probably would have done a dramatic flourish of some sort if he hadn't still been on the table.

Kal was relieved, and some of the relief might even have crossed his face, that Cam wasn't intending to invite him to coffee right then. That meant they could meet up there another time and he wouldn't have to actually decline an invitation. Also on a more professional note it would have ruined Cam's relaxation from the massage to then walk across town and start drinking a bunch of caffeine. He smiled though. This would be a good opportunity to hang out with a friend. He hadn't had a whole lot of chances for that even after coming to the island. "Ok, great. We can go some other time. Gives me a chance to find some really embarrassing bandaids with cartoons on them for you." Now that would be funny. Having Cam walk around with little kid styled bandaids. Though in the end he would probably just roll with it and figure out a way to make them look stylish or something

The old man impression was still going strong and Kal couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it was. Between bouts of laughter however Kal did need to actually answer Cam so he forced himself to stop. No his claim to being that old didn't mean a free massage but Kal was probably going to be able to find some way to give a discount. He didn't plan to give that away though. "Oh I'm sorry. If you have lived that long you surely have a vast fortune. Surely the measly cost of a massage won't even put a dent in that." Yes, he definitely needed to go look at the various coupon codes and offers they had. Even if it was only 10% off or something. He wouldn't dream of doing anything shady like giving friends stuff for free but he could work with what they were already offering to other people.

"I think I will choose here rather than shuffleboard old man. At least here I have the home field advantage. Literally. I live on the other side of the building." Kal smirked at that. That joke was one of the perks of living in the same place he worked out of. Technically there was a bit of separation and he wasn't really supposed to go between the two sections while on shift but it was still very convenient. Heck, it was the best commute he could ever hope to have.

After Kal led Cam back to the changing rooms he was just about to turn away when the man popped his head back out to make one last terrible pun. Of course being told he was a great masseuse was nice though. "I'm glad you enjoyed your time here today sir," he replied quickly and almost automatically, but still too late to get it out before Cam ducked back inside the changing rooms. It seemed like Cam was really just trying to get out that last pun. Oh well, better there than in a little bit when he was in the lobby.

Kal snickered and then headed out to finish off the paperwork for Cam's visit. By the time Cam was finished and returning to the lobby Kal just needed him to sign off on his receipt and he would be good to go. Sure enough Kal had managed to find a coupon code they used for when guests were referred by one of their regular customers. Technically Kal had referred Cam to the Spa and he also technically was a regular there. It was only 10% off so he wasn't too worried about justifying it. It wouldn't really matter too much since Cam seemed very eager to come back fairly often.

Kal could practically see the wheel spinning in Cam's head as he was clearly thinking back at whatever adventures and stories he had. Perhaps in time he would hear all about them. If they were going to be hanging out, and Cam was going to be a regular customer, then it was pretty much guaranteed. He had no way of knowing the real reason why Cam had been so into throwing himself at all the adventurous opportunities so he mostly chalked it up to Cam's fun-loving personality. "You'll have to tell me all about the scorpion hole and whatever else you want to share. They sound fascinating. I just hope you kept the hat." Kal pictured Cam running about in old tombs with a leather jacket and of course the iconic hat that Indy never left behind. Well maybe Cam could figure out a better outfit but still Kal thought he would look pretty good in that type of clothing.

Then Kal's thoughts drifted to what he would do if he fell into a hole full of scorpions. Well, if it was shallow enough he could probably just fly up and climb out. If not... well he could fight off the creatures with wind and water for a while if he had to. Not that he really felt the need to kill bugs. As far as he was concerned most of them fell into the "don't mess with me and I won't mess with you" category.

'The Mayhem on Manta Carlos' huh? Well that was certainly a title for a movie. Of course in Kal's mind it came across more like one of those old B-movie horror flicks and he was thinking Cam probably warranted something a little more extravagant than that. Those movies could be great fun, though a lot of them were only fun to watch because they were so bad they were great to laugh at. Either way in his vision Cam was the daring scientist who went in to investigate all the crazy happenings and then had to escape with the beautiful local woman who he rescued from some monster. Except something about that part seemed a little off. Oh well, there was only so much time he could allow for these daydreams and not lose focus on his work. "You'd definitely be the lead but I don't know anything about being backstage crew. I'm sure I could learn though. Can't be too hard if you think I can do it," he smirked. At the very least he could probably be production assistant or something that didn't require a lot of knowledge in the field.

Cam was definitely being a lot more flirty than Kal was used to dealing with on a regular basis. Especially since they were both men and he wasn't attracted to men. At least he didn't think so but it was entirely possible he just hadn't discovered that side of himself yet. It's not like he had tried out that type of relationship before. Ultimately Kal didn't actually mind Cam being like that. He was enjoying it. Ok, so his evil genius plan to embarrass Cam with bandaids probably wasn't going to work. It wasn't like Kal really wanted to embarrass him anyway. "It'll be a fun challenge for both of us then." It really would be hard to find something that the man wouldn't just grin at and flaunt like it was the most fashionable thing ever but Kal was going to lose absolutely nothing by trying.

The old man impression was indeed a powerful secret weapon that Kal probably wouldn't get tired of. It really wasn't all that hard to make Kal smile but it was a really funny joke. One that likely could become the sort of inside joke that barely needs a casual reference to bring laughter and tears of joy. Meanwhile everyone else would be utterly confused. The kind of joke that good friends shared. Kal pretended to look worried and held up his hands "My apologies sir, I didn't mean to assume anything. We can't have any of our guests being offended. I'll just go ahead and give you that discount as soon as you can get a letter from an official explaining your lack of funds." He grinned at Cam, very clearly joking about the whole thing. In actuality they had a procedure for dealing with the occasional guest who couldn't afford a visit but really needed it. Lyrseir had been known to authorize completely free treatments on occasion for needy people.

After Kal left to finish the paperwork it really wasn't all that long before Cam was strolling about out into the lobby. Kal was no empath but he did have a fair bit of experience judging how stressed out people were. It was kind of what happened after spending a lot of time around people when they came in stressed out and tensed up and, hopefully, left feeling relaxed. Even if Kal hadn't just been Cam's masseuse he probably could have still seen that the man was far more relaxed than he had been upon arrival. He wasn't walking around with his muscles all clenched in soreness and pain and he almost seemed lighter as he walked. The smile on his face was probably the best part.

Kal struggled mightily to hold a straight face as Cam literally addressed him as "Miracle Worker" in front of the front desk employees. Well, that was going to be a topic of conversation among them for probably the rest of the week. "I'm glad we could satisfy your needs sir. Your total comes to $63 for today's visit" Kal held out the receipt for Cam to see. The normal rate for an hour of massage was $70. The 10% discount was clearly marked on the receipt but the code didn't explain why there was a discount, only that one had been applied.

Kal still stubbornly clung to his opinion that the hat would look good on Cam but he wasn't going to argue the point. Far be it from him to start trying to tell the model what looks good. The whip comment however was a little... well he guessed it wasn't all that unexpected considering they were talking about Indiana Jones. Still it was weird enough that Kal was wondering to himself whether Cam had been serious about owning a whip and why he would have that. Well there were a couple reasons and at least some of them were less than appropriate to be considering while at work. So Kal just blinked and then rolled right past that topic.

"Your personal masseuse while on set? So you are a movie star then. Living it up between takes. Probably lounging back with sunglasses on and ordering crazy complicated food and coffee." Kal was grinning. Of course it was all in good fun but he was pretty sure he could see at least some of that happening. Cam also had alluded to having worked backstage before and though he had a lot more experience with show business than Kal did it was pretty likely that it would be something he could pick up easily enough. At least the hauling around random stuff from place to place and other grunt work.

Kal was really going to have his work cut out for him if he was going to actually make the challenge difficult for Cam. He couldn't just pull out some little kid's pink pony design bandaids or something like that. It would require actual thought and planning. Which was a little strange. Putting all that thought into a stupid little joke. Yet there he was deciding to go through with it anyway. Something about Cam made him not care about how he was probably going to fail miserably. It would still be a good time. "I would expect nothing less, but you'll have to prove it to me when we go get coffee. We'll have to come up with the stakes of this challenge at some point" Kal wouldn't really consider himself to be overly competitive but a little competition here and there to keep you on your toes was nice.

He continued struggling mightily to remain professional and composed at the front desk. No way was Cam going to make him break in front of the other employees. "Yes if you don't mind, sign right here."

Kal was in agreement that the ingredients for Cam's ultimate coffee concoction did sound like some huge quest that could span the better part of a movie or maybe be featured in a videogame that was a little crazy about it's quests. Not that Kal had a whole lot of experience with gaming. It wasn't a popular hobby when just being near controllers tended to make them get moisture inside and eventually just short out.

He also had no doubts that Cam was going to pull out all the stops in trying to make whatever strange bandaids Kal selected become the new fashion craze. Kal did chuckle though at the thought of Cam just being a model for bandaids. Strolling around in the commercials and ads just showing off like bandages were the new must-have accessories. "Ok, we'll talk about the stakes when we pick out a time and date when we can meet up for coffee. That'll give me time to figure out what crazy bandaids I can find for you." After that they had continued going back and forth until they separated for the changing rooms and later met up again at the front desk.

Kal could almost feel Cam struggling to keep from saying something that would ruin Kal's professional look out in the main lobby. He was so extremely relieved and thankful when the man just acted like a normal customer and signed the receipt. It didn't mean Kal couldn't use the situation to get one more joke in though. "We appreciate your business and will be glad to see you next time you come in, sir." Kal was turned away from the other employees so he felt it was safe to risk a grin and a wink at Cam. "We hope you have a pleasant rest of your day. If you should need anything don't hesitate to call us to make an appointment or just stop by."