group
He laughed at her comment. "Yes, I'm talking about my hair. And I'd say both, but I don't really pay attention to the looks part." He made a small noise and tapped her arm with two fingers. "Hooligan children charging your way," he warned as the screaming group came barreling towards them.
"Hooligan. Such an odd word." She said, pulling her cane up and against her as she stepped closer to him to make sure she was fully out of the way. "Thank you, once again, for saving me from utter humiliation. I owe you."
group
"Just being a decent human being," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Once again, he didn't see any reason to mention her blindfold—and the reason she couldn't see what she was running into. "You don't owe me anything," he continued with a shrug.
"And yet, I still feel like I do." She shook her head, waiting until she was fairly certain the children had passed to place her cane back down. And she really did. There was no doubt that it hadn't escaped him, the blindfold, that showed that she probably could see. And yet, he still let her know when she was about to bump into something, and was willing to talk to her so she knew where to go.
group
He started walking again, tapping her shoulder once so she knew it was safe to go. "If I keep this up, then you'd be drowning in debt," he joked with a soft laugh. "Maybe I should just put you in a protective case and call it a day." He was joking, of course. He figured she could handle herself quite well and wouldn't appreciate people going out of their way to help her—just a feeling he had.
"That sounds very much like a glorified prison." She said, wrinkling her nose. Not in an offended way, definitely more playful, evidenced by the ghost of the smile that made it obvious she knew he wasn't serious. "I should at least find a way to pay you back once."
group
Rory hummed as he thought about it, fingers curling and uncurling in his coat pockets as he sought the comfort of the fluff. He wasn't uncomfortable, but the soft texture was always welcomed. "If you don't mind me doing so…I could use someone less loud every now and again."
Aika tilted her head, back up towards him, in surprise. "I-if you are suggesting spending time with me for somewhat of a quieter time, I think that would be nice." His presence had managed to keep the loneliness away, and it was nice, talking to someone who wasn't concerned solely with her future. Or now, the lack of it.
group
He nodded and smiled slightly. "Then there's your form of repayment. But I'd rather not pop in when your family's visiting, so that might become a problem." He hummed, then shrugged his shoulders. He spotted the cafeteria doors to their right and reached out to tap on Aika's arm thrice. "Cafeteria is to the right."
"I don't think any of my family will be visiting, so feel free to visit whenever you need a break. Room 305." She said, voice oddly void of emotion, tilting her head as he tapped her arm. She was good at not showing emotions in front of others. "Oh, good." She turned, placing a hand on Rory's arm to make sure she didn't bump into him.
group
He made sure to keep out of her way as they turned into the cafeteria. The food couldn't exactly be described as heavenly, but it did its job. "Huh, well, then look forward me showing up at the brink of insanity, because I just know it'll happen."
She huffed a laugh, pausing to try and remember which direction the counters were. "I look forward to it. Not your insanity, but the company. Though, I will warn you." She said, taking a small step in the right direction, and then another, using her cane to avoid tab;es and chairs. "My room neighbor is fairly loud himself."
group
"I can take one loud person in exchange for five," Rory said as he walked alongside Aika, keeping an eye out for stray feet or spilled food that her cane wouldn't warn her about. He didn't try to lead her, though, just let her find her own way through the cafeteria.
"Luckily, he'll usually turn his music down if someone asks." Aika didn't usually have a problem with Gage's music, but occasionally, the volume of it was just a bit too much. She made it to the counter without incident, likely thanks to the few people who moved out of her way willingly before shooting Rory a smile.
group
"That's good at least, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with his music, since I'm used to being blasted with it on a daily," he said, referring to being on stage surrounded by loud music. It had to be in order for people to hear it. He resumed his spot at Aika's side. "So, anything specific you're hungry for?"
"I was more focused on getting here, so I didn't even think about that." She said, scrunching up her nose slightly as she thought. "Maybe…something with chicken? What are you getting? Maybe that will help me get some ideas."
group
"I'm going to be getting something for Jordan, maybe some spaghetti, because he's a sucker for pasta," Rory said, running his fingers through his hair as he thought. "I'll probably be getting something with biscuits. Fluffy biscuits, not those rubbish hard ones that've been sitting there all day."
"I don't think I've ever actually eaten biscuits." Aika mused, tilting her head slightly. She rested her hand on the edge of the counter, tapping her cane again to the same beat. "Hm…chicken works, maybe some sort of vegetable, if I can. Mind directing me?"
group
"Not at all." Rory kept a light touch on Aika's shoulder so she knew he was still there as he craned his neck to see what foods were available. He let out a small, "Ah ha" when he found the chicken, which was also near the vegetables. He tapped her shoulder once. "Chicken is just this way, and the vegetables are right next to it."
"Over…here?" Aika asked, tapping near where the chicken was. She tilted her head, moving her hand along the counter to find where the trays were, smiling when she found them.
group
"Yup, right around there," Rory said, nodding his head. He spotted the spaghetti and the biscuits, so he turned to Aika and said, "I'm going to go get my stuff real quick. I'll be back before you know it." He didn't want to just abandon her without telling her, so he let her know what he was doing.
"I'll try not to accidentally shove my hand into the mashed potatoes." Aika said with a nod, shooting him a smile, if aimed slightly off. She grabbed one of the trays, carefully setting it near the chicken.
group
((btw, check messenger. I sent the finished sketch of Val. I'll do it digitally tomorrow))
Rory laughed softly, then headed to the spaghetti first. He grabbed a box to put it into so that he could easily take it to Jordan, then went to the biscuits. He smiled brightly when he saw that they were freshly made—and most importantly, fluffy.
Aika, with somewhat of a lack of inhibitions in certain cases after everything, hummed softly as she carefully set a few pieces of the chicken on her tray, and then some of the vegetables. She made sure not to overload the tray, not that she would have anyway, but she needed it to be fairly easy to carry.
group
Rory grabbed some butter for the biscuits and got a cup of chicken noodle soup for himself, then headed back over to Aika. He cleared his throat as he approached so that the didn't startle her, also making sure his footsteps were heard—not hard, thanks to his boots.
"Did you find your biscuits?" Aika asked as Rory approached, pausing her humming and turning her head in the direction of his footsteps as she picked up her tray with one hand. "And were they the fluffy ones?"
group
"Yes, I found my fluffy biscuits. Freshly made, so it's even better. I'm quite happy now," he chirped with a smile. He kept an eye on her tray so that she didn't drop it, but didn't try to grab it from her. "I also got Jordan some food as well, and myself some soup."
"If you need somewhere to set them, to free your hands, there should be room on the tray." She offered, stepping away from the counter. She swept her cane in a radius of about a foot, making sure she wouldn't bump into anything.
group
"You're alright," he told her, nudging her with his elbow once to tell her that she can go. "And I have my biscuits on top of the spaghetti box and the soup in the other hand, so I'm good. Food's just a little hot," he admitted, shifting it slightly to help his poor hands.
"Good god, Rory." She would have rolled her eyes, if he could have seen it. Instead, she settled for tucking her cane into the crook of her elbow to hold it, before reaching out and plucking the food from his hands. She set the spaghetti box down on the tray, slipping her cane back into her hand to check for chairs and tables as she started off across the cafeteria.
