Astra rolled her eyes at Kai's question, leaning back in her seat, "I'll just have one of the soft drinks. Something with lemon, thanks."
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
"And I'll have the wine," he said, beaming. "May as well bring the whole bottle."
The waitress nodded and headed off to get their drinks. Kai fiddled with the plastic edge of the menu, glancing at the items. "Everything looks amazing. I'm starved."
"Me too," Astra rested her head in her hand, glancing over the menu again, "I honestly want to try it all. But know we don't have time for that."
Kai shrugged daintily, running his finger along the words. "I guess," he said, "although I'm not in that much of a hurry. Depends on how fast the other bounty hunters track us."
She sighed, biting down on her lip, "Hopefully not fast… I'd rather stay with you then go with someone who is actually going to kill me as soon a they see me."
When she bit her lip his eyes involuntarily followed the movement, then he realized he was staring at her lips and jerked his gaze away, mumbling, "Yeah, I won't kill you unless I have to."
"That's reassuring," She caught his staring, and for a reason unknown to her, she didn't mind it, though it did cause her cheeks to heat, "Thanks."
"Anyway," he said like he was interrupting his own thoughts, "let's pretend I didn't kidnap you and we aren't about to steal a feast right now. What do friends talk about in your city?"
"Depends," She replied, fiddling with the fork on the table, "Local news, gossip going around in town, sports, intergalactic news, boys, books, art, usual things friends talk about."
Kai's eyes lit up. "Boys? Tell me about boys, Princess, got a prince in your life?"
Astra rubbed at the back of her neck, letting out a nervous chuckle, "Ah, right yeah. No, I don't, it's just me, no princes here."
"I'm just messin' with you," he laughed, noting her discomfort. "Give me the city gossip, then. Like for example, what you were up to in the servant quarters when I found you?"
She relaxed a little at the change of subject, "I wanted to say hi to everyone. Evylyn is pregnant at the moment and shouldn't be working but she insists. I keep telling her it's okay and we'll keeping paying her if she takes time off but she still says no."
"Well, that's different than my city," he said, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "We don't really fraternize with poor people."
"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, "They're just the same as us. They have lives and families too, just because they don't have as much money doesn't mean we cannot talk or be around them."
"I don't know, it seems like they're lazy," he said with a squint. "Most planets are pretty advanced. They should do better for themselves."
Astra crossed her arms, "Some people don't have the opportunities that others have. They're trying their best, but sometimes it isn't enough. That's why we've got to understand and try harder to make their lives better."
"I guess so." He shrugged again, placing the pendant on his chain necklace into his mouth absently. "I can't really judge them anymore, since I'm poor now."
“You shouldn’t judge them even when you have money,” Astra let her gaze linger on his mouth for a moment before back to her fork, “They’re all kind people, you’ve… just got to get to know them a little.”
(sorry i disappeared!! 4th of july stuff)
Kai shrugged, smiling. "I'll take your word for it. After all, I'm a decent guy and I'm broke." He drummed his fingers against the table. "Well, what other gossip do you got for me?"
(All good :)) )
She hummed softly for a moment, thinking, "Well I heard that the president of the Yronian government is thinking about stepping down soon because he got caught up in a gambling predicament. But I don't know how true that is."
"A gambling scandal is always bound to happen," Kai said with a laugh. "My father almost got caught up in one, but rich people can get away with just about anything if they're rich enough."
"Sadly," She sighed, "Honestly I don't get why they do it. Probably because they have money and think they're better then everyone else. Awful people."
A distant memory of a different time flitted through his mind. A memory of private school kids, gambling daddy's money, losing it, and being bailed out every time. "Yeah, can't imagine," he said, glancing away.
She tell as he glanced away that clearly this wasn't the subject to be on right now. Astra leaned forwards, resting her chin in her hand, "So.. in your line of work, surely you've been to some pretty impressive places. What's your favourite?"
He brightened up instantly. "Ironically, earth was lowkey really cool. Loved the Moons of Saush, oh and Stovia. Actually, Stovia was my favorite –they package and sell water to the neighboring desert planets. It's basically a rain forest city. The architecture is amazing, it's constantly raining but they celebrate it and they have all sorts of cool parties based on the weather. Swear to God everyone was attractive there too."
"What was Earth like?" Astra asked almost immediately after he'd finished talking, "I never got to go when dad last went, mainly because I was too young and apparently it was too dangerous."
"It's a chaotic hellscape," he admitted with a laugh, "but it's great for gambling and whatnot. Lots of different countries, each with a pretty distinct culture. My favorite was Japan, but I didn't visit too many spots."
"Would you want to go back sometime?" Astra offered a small smile, "I mean would you consider it? Humans can be fairly vile creatures, can't they? As much as I'd like to go I also don't think it'd be very peaceful."
"Peaceful is the last word I'd use," he agreed, tilting his head to the side as he thought about it. "Most of the biggest countries are totally capitalist, so if you've got money, you should have a good time. When I went, I went with cash, so I liked it, but I've heard much worse stories from people who couldn't afford it."