>>Real shopping? And what would you call what we just did for... how many hours?... I think it's time for some delicious fast food, princess.

"Fast food? How about I bring you out for a late lunch, where we can sit and you can tell me more about your girlfriend." Kate pulled out her card and handed it to the clerk her looked at it wide eyed and rang her out.

"So where do you want to go?" Kate looked up and down the street to see what was available.

>>"Fast food? How about I bring you out for a late lunch, where we can sit and you can tell me more about your girlfriend."

Gawain blinked, half distracted by the card she used. He didn't really know much about cards (he was pretty much a cash kinda guy) but... oh well. It fit Kate's profile prefectly. "Um, sure?"
Why was she so interested in Twyla anyway? Was it a girl thing?

>>"So where do you want to go?"

The young knight smirked. "How 'bout you pick a place where they actually let me in, hm?" he asked her as they walked.

>>How 'bout you pick a place where they actually let me in, hm?

"I still don't' understand why you don't' think they will let you in anywhere. I mean you are a perfectly nice gentleman. Well today anyway." Kate looked up and down the street spotting a nice little cafe that didn't seem to upper-crust, she figured that is what was bothering Gawain. The store they had just gone into had been very sophisticated and well Gawain, even with all his wonderful traits, was still not very at home there.

She walked him across the street and walked in getting a table right away.

"So, if you won't tell me how you met, because according to you it is a long story, at least tell me what she is like." Kate wanted to start some kind of conversation while they waited for the waiter.

>>"I still don't' understand why you don't' think they will let you in anywhere. I mean you are a perfectly nice gentleman. Well today anyway."

"Past experiences, I guess." Gawain shrugged with a grin, and let her pick a restaurant. It was not like he really had been a stereotypical street kid; street kids didn't sleep in hotel rooms every night and didn't have brand new clothes whenever they needed. If s/he wanted to, Mirror could have gotten into any restaurant in any fancy outfit. But it still wouldn't have felt comfortable.

>>"So, if you won't tell me how you met, because according to you it is a long story, at least tell me what she is like."

They got a table, and they were going to get food, which Kate would pay for, since his budget didn't really match eating in a restaurant. Not really knightly. Whatever.

"Twyla?" he blinked, catching up on the thought process that brought the conversation back to his girlfriend "She's... well, she's a mutant, like us. She's a chameleon. And she is also very shy, so she usually blushes in all different colors." he added with a smirk "I met her as Maya first, and we just... well, we were friends before anything else."

>>Twyla? She's... well, she's a mutant, like us. She's a chameleon. And she is also very shy, so she usually blushes in all different colors. I met her as Maya first, and we just... well, we were friends before anything else.

"Two questions. First, did she know about you, Gawain, and second, how did you start dating it she was friends with Maya first?"

A man dressed in a black vest and bowtie walked up just as Kate was asking her questions, "What can I get you to drink today?"

"I would like water please."

>>"Two questions. First, did she know about you, Gawain, and second, how did you start dating it she was friends with Maya first?"

"She knew Gawain as a separate person... but I couldn't fool her for long, she figured it out. As for dating..."

The waiter interrupted the conversation, which was just as well, because he didn't really know where to begin the story.

"Coke, please." he said, then glanced at Kate with a random thought "Can a fire elemental even drink water?..." he paused "Nevermind. So... yeah. We went out to a New Year's party, and I was Gawain, well, after midnight anyway, and I kinda just kissed her. And there was a whole lot of other stuff after that, until we figured out if it could work between us, or not... lucky for me, she decided to give it a try." he summarized with a grin. Lucky was the right word to use.

>>Coke, please. Can a fire elemental even drink water?...

Kate laughed realizing he really did think that she was actually made of fire on the inside. Everything he had said up until now have given her that impression.

>>Nevermind. So... yeah. We went out to a New Year's party, and I was Gawain, well, after midnight anyway, and I kinda just kissed her. And there was a whole lot of other stuff after that, until we figured out if it could work between us, or not... lucky for me, she decided to give it a try.

"That's terribly sweet. I'm glad she gave you a chance you seem to really like her."

The waiter returned with Gawain's coke and Kate's water, placing them in front of their new found owners.

Kate glanced at the glass and giggled. No better time to set the record strait, "I'm not made of fire you know."

>>"That's terribly sweet. I'm glad she gave you a chance you seem to really like her."

"I do." that was an understatement. He was in love, head over heels. He smiled at the thought as the waited returned with their drinks.

>>"I'm not made of fire you know."

"Yeah, but ya're... hot" he grinned, for the lack of better words to describe it "I thought it would go, y'know, swoooosh." he said, imitating the sound of water poured onto a hot surface and steaming away. "... nevermind."

Sippign his coke, he looked at her.

"So, how 'bout you, princess? First date and all?"

>>Yeah, but ya're... hot. I thought it would go, y'know, swoooosh. ... nevermind.

"I am a normal person and my body temperature is below boiling as far as I know. I actaully need to drink a lot of water to make sure I don't' dehydrate." Kate took a sip of the water just to prove her point.

>>So, how 'bout you, princess? First date and all?

"You know it is. I never interacted with anyone that I could go on a date with before." She was a little confused, what did he mean?

>>"You know it is. I never interacted with anyone that I could go on a date with before."

She seemed confused by he question; Gawain chuckled as he watched her drink. He was still half expecting the water to boil, but she told the truth, nothing spectacular happened at all.

"Don't sweat it" he smiled "I didn't even have a first date until a few weeks ago. The girls before Twy.... um, didn't really know about Maya." he added with a smirk. First dates were decidedly fun. Well, his was fun, at least. Lots of fun. "Dating's fun, you'll get the hang of it. And Andrew seems like a decent guy."

>>Don't sweat it. I didn't even have a first date until a few weeks ago. The girls before Twy.... um, didn't really know about Maya. Dating's fun, you'll get the hang of it. And Andrew seems like a decent guy.

"He does seem like a nice enough guy but I don't' even know if it is a real date. Which is something I am rather worried I am interpreting wrong." Kate wasn't sure if Andrew even liked her let alone wanted to go on a date with her.

The waiter returned interrupting their conversation again, "Can I take your order?" He pulled out his pad and waited for a response.

"Um..." Kate looked over her menu quickly. She wanted something high in crabs, she had had a small breakfast and would need something larger, "The chicken Alfredo and is it possible for you to make that a double portion. Or at the very least a rather large one?"

The waiter looked surprised that such a small little girl was asking for a double portion, "I can charge you for two and see if they can put it on one plate, but I will most definitely have to charge you for two." He seemed to believe that these kids couldn't pay for it.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"And for you sir?" He seemed to force the word sir as if it was odd to call Gawain a sir.

Gawain listened with a grin as Kate ordered food, and ordered the same for himself (except for the double portion, he was not sure he could handle that). Once the stunned waiter walked away, he turned back to her.

"Well, you might drink like a human, but you sure eat like fire." he chuckled "Is that part of your mutation too? Burning food?"

He thought about what she said about her date maybe not being a date.

"Don't worry about it too much" he said finally "You just dress up, be pretty, be nice, and let the guy decide what he wants. That's why it's easy for girls. You just gotta wait for him to make up his mind."

>>Well, you might drink like a human, but you sure eat like fire. Is that part of your mutation too? Burning food?

"If by burning food you mean a really high metabolism then yes." Kate chuckled at his need to believe she was far more amazing then she was.

>>Don't worry about it too much. You just dress up, be pretty, be nice, and let the guy decide what he wants. That's why it's easy for girls. You just gotta wait for him to make up his mind.

"So be myself and let him make up his mind on whether I am worthy or not. Why is it that men get to choose?"

>>"So be myself and let him make up his mind on whether I am worthy or not. Why is it that men get to choose?"

Gawain snorted at that and shook his head.

"God no, men don't get to choose. They just get to make the first step. And then you can decide if you wanna date him, or walk all over him." he grinned "That's the beauty of it. We hit on a girl, and then wait to see of she hits back..."

It was not like Maya hadn't been hit on before by guys. There was always some jerk or loser who thought he had a chance with the tomboy; most of the time she just let them walk away with minor injuries. It was not their fault, after all.

"Just enjoy the date. Never pass up a free meal, that's dating rule number one, right?" he grinned. Well, maybe not number one, but it was definitely in the top 3.

>>God no, men don't get to choose. They just get to make the first step. And then you can decide if you wanna date him, or walk all over him." he grinned "That's the beauty of it. We hit on a girl, and then wait to see of she hits back... Just enjoy the date. Never pass up a free meal, that's dating rule number one, right?

"So basically a boy gets to decide whether he likes you and then you get to decide if you would like to reciprocate?" Could it really be so simple. Kate had always thought it was far more complicated then that to tell you the truth. The movies were always so formulaic when it came to love. She knew that real life couldn't' be so easy, but apparently it was.