Two responsible adults having coffee.

Celeste was running late, and she knew it. She had signed up for the Game of Divine Rights because Shale had. She figured it would be a good opportunity for them to do something together. Of course, Celeste had no idea what the game had actually entailed and now, she had a regalia - a divine and not so invisible being - following her everywhere. Thankfully, hers was a lovely, quite dapper looking older gentleman, but Mr. Parsons (she still didn't know his true name) made things awkward. He was everywhere she went - like everywhere.

And today, of all days, when she was supposed to go out for coffee with Roldan, her regalia had to come too. Not the impression she had wanted to give him. No, not at all. Showing up to a coffee date, get together? - with your grandfather in tow was just going to be, well, she didn't know.... Hopefully, Roldan was understanding, she thought somewhat anxiously.

"What time is it?" Celeste asked Mr. Parsons absentmindedly as she stopped at a crosswalk, letting cars go past, taking a moment to check her reflection in a parked car's side mirror. Yes, she looked okay, hair was fine, jeans, a fitted red top, high heels... nothing too done up, but not too dressed down either.

"Almost four o'clock, my dear. Better get a move on," he said kindly, knowing exactly what was happening. Celeste had not needed to tell him anything. They were not bonded yet, but he knew everything about her.

Glancing then at Mr. Parson's, Celeste felt herself panicking a bit. She hated keeping people waiting, especially, well, especially somebody she'd like to get to know better. And so with this thought in mind, Celeste darted across the street suddenly, a car honking at her as she crossed, and not caring if her regalia was following or not. Moments later, she was on the block where the coffee shop was, and saw, much to her relief a familiar sight.

"Roldan," Celeste said greeting him with a smile as she approached quickly, happy to see him again. "I hope you weren't waiting long?" she inquired, knowing she was a few minutes late and hoping he hadn't been waiting for her too long.

@Kada

"I am really sorry about this," Celeste said apologetically as she looked up at Roldan, before they headed into the coffee shop, knowing how this might look to him.

"This gentleman is, well, he is my regalia, Mr. Parsons," she said, not sure if Roldan even knew what that was. She hadn't, not until a few days ago when Mr. Parsons popped up beside her at the start of the tournament and had never left her side since.

Celeste just looked at Roldan gratefully. She was relieved, glad, that he seemed to understand. Glancing up at Roldan in surprise when he pulled out her chair, Celeste sat down and could help but be impressed by him. She hadn't met anyone so attentive or well-mannered as him in quite a while.

"Actually, if you two will excuse me, I think I see an old friend," Mr Parsons said, suddenly excusing himself, winking then at Celeste, before he walked away into the crowd, mingling a bit and then disappeared without Celeste or Roldan noticing.

"What an odd, odd man..." Celeste sighed, shaking her head, glad he was gone actually, so she could just focus her attention on Roldan, and not worry about whether the old man was judging her somehow.

Looking at Roldan again, Celeste smiled shyly and then nodded, trying to remember what he had asked her.

"I have been.. okay, Shale too actually," she said considering his question. "Things are somewhat better now that all that crazy mess is all over," she said as she toyed with her coffee cup, gazing over at him, noticing his piercings now and smiling at them. Thinking that they suited him somehow, she couldn't say why, but they did.

"And you? How are you and your daughter, Iesha?" she asked with a smile as she took a small sip of her coffee. "Is she adjusting well to everything?" ... almost adding an "And you? to the last question, but thinking it might seem a bit too forward.

"Actually, kind of the same for me as well," Celeste said totally understanding Roldan's situation with his daughter. "Shale has just started school, for the first time ever.. and I hope it gives him a sense of purpose, normalcy that he didn't have before when he was home most of the day... maybe now, things might be better for him, maybe he'll make some real friends too?" she added hopefully.

"I hope it calms down for you soon too," Celeste told him truthfully, "It must be frustrating having to deal with everything that's happening," she said, understanding and knowing, unfortunately, a good deal of what was going on.

"Mr. Parsons has indeed been giving me a hard time," Celeste laughed, "The whole way here he was "better get a move on", "don't want to keep a good man waiting" ... I swear, being subtle is definitely not one of his divine powers," Celeste said smiling now at Roldan.

"Brothers, huh? As in more than one?" she asked him with a chuckle, easily imagining the ribbing he was getting right now.

"Actually, that sounds nice, having all those brothers, bugging you, teasing you about things..." Celeste told Roldan with a laugh, "I am an only child actually. It was just me and my mom mostly when I was growing up. And I always want a brother or sister to confide in, or play with... That's probably why I now love the idea of a large family, adopting, and all that."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Celeste put her cup down, and lent forward a bit, "Not all have weird names like Wind's Respite. Liliana, a student of mine, hers is called Amber, my niece's, hers was Aquarius, another regalia is called Agatha."

"However," Celeste said as she looked directly at Roldan, meeting his warm gaze, "You are right, his name is not Mr. Parsons," she confided, "I don't know his true name. He won't actually tell me his real name until I supposedly win a match against one of the other challengers in the Game of Divine Rights." she explained with a tiny frown.