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>> ” Hmmm. I think I could do that. Think about the things she normally wears, the things she hates, get her sizes, and give me a price range.”

Great. So it was a date, then. Aurum thought for a second about what sorts of things Ami usually wore. "Hmm, she likes cute shirts, hooded sweatshirts, skirts, jean jackets... the occasional dress. I guess her tastes sort of range. She doesn't like it too preppy, not emo or goth... More 'teen' than 'kid', though. She likes reds and blues and yellows and greens... pink. " He held his chin, and turned his head, thinking. "I guess if I saw it, I'd be able to tell 'Ami' or 'Not'. As for price range... go wild. But not too wild. No $60 dollar jeans." He looked back up at her. He hoped that all made sense. A grin slipped onto his face. "Go by those rules, and I think we'll be good."

He'd have to get the sizes, but that was okay. It was getting late. From Kealey's comments, it sounded like she was full, and ready to go.

"You're welcome," Aurum replied politely. "Any time. I guess it's getting late. Do you need any help getting home?"

>>”She likes Princesses and video games, boys and clothes. I can see why you’re having such a hard time choosing something to get for her.

Aurum smirked. "Yeah. It's a real mystery."

>>”Isn’t New York City famous for that giant toy store? I’ll bet they have lots of princesses and video games there. Maybe even some boys and clothes.”

"I am NOT getting her boys," Aurum laughed. "Toys, yes. Boys, definitely not."

As for that last suggestion... "Maybe. Part of me worries she'll come back with something huge, though. Or a store clerk." He nodded with serious eyes and a not-so-serious smile. "But it's definitely an option... if I got her clothes," Aurum added thoughtfully, eyes on Kealey. "I don't have much of an eye, so far as fashion for girls goes. Maybe you could give me some ideas?"

". . ."

Oh dear. They were about to get real revelation, and then... whew. That's some bladder control, Shin. How could one even respond to that sort of thing? Uh.

Uncomfortable silence was one option, but... Aurum hadn't missed the green of the cellphone when Shin had fumbled with it. He had a hunch Shin wasn't going off to relieve himself. Although maybe after he was done, he'd feel a bit of relief.

Aurum let out a sigh. Poor kid. He took another drink of alcoholic escape.

Kealey said something. Aurum looked back to her. He set his drink down, and listened.

>>”I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. When you were talking about people leaving.”

She said. It sounded like doing what she was doing was making it hard to multitask. Aurum nodded quietly. After a moment, he spoke. "Yeah, it's fine." She didn't have to explain why she had snapped if she didn't want to, but... "I probably shouldn't ask. I've had my own share of relationships that went bad..." He shook his head. In the end, maybe he'd asked her anyways. In a roundabout way.

She kept talking.

>> ”Is it as hard for you to picture Shin in a concentration camp as it is for me?”

Aurum nodded his head again. "Gotta be rough."

>>”I hope it was a good idea to let him go off on his own like this. Pure logic can be a dangerous thing.”

"Yeah," Aurum replied behind the rim of his glass. "And listen, sorry about earlier. I know you were giving me mean looks, and..." He smiled weakly. "I was only trying to be the 'bad cop' so Shin would react. And 'bad cops' don't work without 'good'." She was the 'good'. Though right now... his eyes inadvertently back towards the direction of the restrooms. Right now, if he was right... Shin was getting the roughest of the rough treatment in the world.

Aurum's eyes widened. Shin had really set into his drink. It must've been hard deciding whether or not he wanted to let Kealey play with his emotions. Aurum wondered, would he have acted the same...? This sort of thing. Wasn't it a bit extreme? They'd already been reaching headway with Shin before. Now, they were enlisting the help of Kealey's powers?

Her powers... he wondered if she could use them to tell a truth from a lie? Maybe, they'd had so much success dealing with Shin's emotions up until now thanks to that insight... maybe not. Either way... it was intriguing. He took a sip of his drink as he pondered things. Kealey was a triple threat, for sure... if he ever passed the test, if he ever became a lawyer... a silly thought struck him. Kealey could really be useful.

He shook the thought as Shin reached a definitive 'yes'. It sounded like he'd decided exactly what they were going to do.

Aurum sat back and watched. It was sure to be a show.

>> ”You’re very fond of her. I‘m sure she‘ll love whatever you pick out for her. ”

"I hope so," Aurum replied.

The conversation turned to Kealey. Aurum listened to Kealey describe her sister.

Maire. A redhead. Also a handful. She sounded nice. Aurum smiled as Kealey rambled. She sounded like she loved her sister as much as he cared about Ami. The smile faded when Kealey reached the end of her reminiscing.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Aurum said. He hadn't wanted to make Kealey feel like she was killing the mood. Couldn't people reminisce about family without tears?

Ah, well. He let her change the subject. Disney princesses were probably a better topic than deceased loved ones (Sleeping Beauty, notwithstanding).

"Ami set some things out to give me ideas..." Aurum started slowly, remembering the Calvin Kline catalog. "But I think her heart was in the wrong place..." Maybe it would be for the best not to mention that catalog to the lady at the table... "She likes Disney Princess things, and video games, and boys... and clothes, I suppose. What do you think?"

Shin's reason. That's what Aurum had wanted to ascertain. Every drink, every tough comment had been to lure it out of him, because he hadn't seemed like he was being honest. Not to Aurum, not to himself. He was making excuses. X-men, this, Romania, that. They had to get to the crux of the matter. What was his reason? Why did he want to leave her? And so, Aurum played the Bad Cop, and prodded the kid for all he was worth.

Kind of sad how, for some, the prodding of the creator of the blue badger came off as 'badgering'. That totally wasn't his intent.

Okay, so he'd ranted a bit. Sorry for that.

Shin took a calming breath, and steadied himself. Aurum prepared for the answer. It had been unlocked.

>>"Yeah, Aurum. I was in the camps. It was harsh."

So, he had been in them. That was harsh. It was real rough, buddy. But, it wasn't important, and Shin knew that. Because, ultimately (Good choice of words, Shin), he loved her... but ultimately, he doubted he could be fair to her, and do what he needed to do. He wanted to do the noble thing. He wanted to end things, because otherwise, one of them might get hurt. That was what Aurum got from Shin's speech. The guy was soft. He seemed to understand his own weakness.

Aurum's heart went out to him. Dealing with one's own personal weaknesses was a tough thing to do. Was it right, though? Was it right for Shin to leave her to protect the girl he loved, and to protect himself from getting hurt?

If he couldn't live with the worry... if he couldn't handle knowing he was endangering her, every time he fought...

Aurum's eyes were focused on Shin. He totally missed Kealey's glares every now and then in his speech.

Was it right?

Sure.

Just so long as Shin thought it was.

Aurum looked to Kealey as she focused on him and dropped a comment. Perhaps, they focused just a hair too long?

Oops.

>>”And sometimes people leave for no reason. At least Shin has one.”

Aurum looked to Shin. "If you can't deal with dating her and working with her at the same time, then yeah. Maybe. ... And sometimes, people do leave for reasons. They just might not have had the chance to say their final good byes..." He kept his eyes tuned to Shin as he said it. "It's a lot harder to move on if you don't give someone that finality." It was kinder. Even if it hurt.