From the corner of his eyes, Arvil caught her taking out her phone. Was she going to take notes on his answers? A small chuckle left her lips.
"I have a sister," Arvil responded calmly. "She's two years older than me. She has two kids, a son and a daughter. I don't have any pets; no time to look after them."
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Daisy hummed. “I’m an only child. No pets for me, either, though I wouldn’t mind one,” she said with a shrug. “Okay… Out of everywhere in the world you’ve been, what’s your favorite place?”
"That's a tricky question. I've been to numerous places, but… I guess I'd have to choose Machu Picchu. Or Dubai," Arvil responded with a hum, furrowing his eyebrows. "Am I allowed to ask you questions, or is this interrogation all yours?"
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“Oh, no, go ahead. I just figured these would help us get to know each other better,” Daisy said, looking back over at him again. “What did you want to ask?”
"I forgot," Arvil let out a chuckle. Which, actually, meant that his creator had forgotten which question she had in mind for him to—wait, creator? "I'll fire your question back at you."
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(C 😂😂😂)
Daisy pursed her lips in thought. “All right… Maybe my parents’ lake house? It’s calm and peaceful up there, and they let me go alone sometimes, which means I get to get away from people for a while.”
(🤣It's the truth!)
"I know you're an only child," Arvil wracked his brain for some thoughts, "but are you close with any cousins?"
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“Cousins? No, I’m not. My only cousin is on my dad’s side, and he’s, like, twelve,” Daisy said with a shrug. “My mom is an only child, and my dad’s brother is ten years younger than him.”
"Ah, so it seems," Arvil hummed. "Well, that's a bummer. I have four around my age, but they're a pain in the butt."
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Daisy chuckled softly. “Why’s that?” she asked, crossing her legs as she looked over at him again.
Arvil rolled his eyes. "They just are, I don't want to get into the whole story. Anyway, we're almost there."
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“All right,” Daisy laughed quietly. “Any other questions you have for me?”
"Not exactly," he said, stopping at a red light. "Actually, I think I have one. What made you want to be a writer?"
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Daisy smiled. That wasn’t a bad question, and it was one she could answer easily.
“One of my eighth grade teachers. She gave us a creative writing assignment that I really enjoyed. And then she encouraged me to keep writing so that I would get better at it,” she explained. “What made you want to get into this industry?”
Arvil's eyes went to her face for a brief second, enough to notice the smile on her face. He turned his attention back on the road.
"I was always into games," he answered with a shrug. "My father wanted me to do something else and all, but my interest was always in games. I guess I just liked the thrill and the new world behind screens. So I pursued it."
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“And you’ve all but built an empire of it,” Daisy mused, chuckling as she shook her head. “What does he think of that?”
"He's proud. As is the rest of my family," Arvil replied, sounding proud of his achievements as well. "Actually, he supported me the most when he realized I was serious about what I wanted."
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Daisy raised her eyebrows. His father was proud of him? She honestly wasn’t expecting that…
“You’re lucky he’s supportive, then,” she said softly. “I’m glad you have parents who are proud of what you do.”
She was surprised. Though really, she had a right to be. Her own father didn't support her. He was hell-bent on marrying her off regardless of what she felt, and…
"Parents want what they think is best for their child, and they'll always want that," he started softly. "Doesn't mean they don't care."
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Daisy hummed, nodding as she looked out the window. Maybe he was right… but it didn’t change what her parents were doing. Or trying to do, anyway.
“You said we were almost there?” she asked quietly.
Just as she said that, Arvil pulled his car into a free parking lot.
"I did," he nodded as he killed the engine. "We're here. And it seems my team beat us to it."
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Daisy faced forward again. “Oh, wow. Guess you must drive slowly, then,” she teased woh a quiet chuckle.
Arvil snorted. "I drove slowly because I didn't want to scare you, miss," he said, unbuckling himself. "I didn't want to have my head on a platter. I like it where it is."
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“I like being on time. A little fast driving doesn’t scare me,” Daisy assured him with a roll of her eyes. “As long as you’re not going fast enough to get pulled over.”
"Darling, we're five minutes early," he said to her smugly. "And I don't do a little fast. I like fast, Daisy. Now c'mon, get out of my car."
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Daisy snorted and opened her door. “Okay, more than a little fast doesn’t scare me, either,” she drawled back as she stepped out of the car.
Arvil followed her out, shutting the door and locking his car in the process.
"All right, I know I've said this before, but each child will be given a present," he said to her as they walked inside. The rest of his team were at the front door. "There's no specific gift; they're all the same. You can either help distribute them, or help with the food, or just give them attention. Your choice."
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“Okay. I think I’ll help distribute the presents,” Daisy said as she followed Arvil inside. “Anything else specific I should do or know?”
"Not really. Just act like the way we need to act," Arvil hummed, then looked at her with a small smirk. "Glad the media doesn't know about us yet, are you?"
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Daisy glanced at Arvil. “I suppose. I’d rather not have to deal with their questions just yet, but I also generally know what to say. I am a journalist, after all.”
