The Arrival

Contrary to what she said before, Noct takes the bill and says, "I'll cover it."

"Are you sure?" Sab asked, "I have enough for Aroma and I."

"No, no, its fine," Noct said.

"Thanks," Astarte said, taking her hand out of her bag where she had already gone for her part.

Grimm took all of the food and drink he had left in his kitchen and put it in his backpack, put it on, and then went to his gun cabinet to find his pistol, flashlight and remaining ammunition.

"Don't mention it," Noct said with a smile, having always intended on paying Astarte's meal anyway.

A"Wow, Noct, that's really generous of you. Thank you."

S"Not as impressive, but I'll pay the tip."
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E"I just wish I could still be there to keep some of the monsters at bay...though, not the Shadow, obviously...hey, there's an idea, maybe I can show you some of my moves."

"I should hang out with you guys more often," Mortal said.

"We hang out all the time," Noct pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

This seems to cheer her up.

Taiyo: "Okay."

Astarte smiled.

Grimm left his house and started walking towards the cheapest motel he knew of in the town.

"Okay, well, let's hit the gym!"
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*He is now walking through the crowded downtown, in the direction of the Black Forest.*
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*Once the meal is paid for--Aroma wrote "Thank You! : )" on the receipt--bitches presumably begin to file out.*

Taiyo: "Okay!"

As they do, Noct stays at the back of the group, and grabs Astarte by her wrist, "Hey, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

"Hm? Oh, sure," Astarte allowed herself to be led after glancing at the others walking out.

He kept walking.

Noct smiled for a second, then ran a hand through her hair, "Sorry if this lacks the kind of confidence that'll do it justice, but, if you're not seeing anyone, would you want to go out sometime?" She shifted weight to her other leg, "I think you're beautiful, and so sweet, and I would love to go out with you."

--

Mortal waited some distance away for Noct to emerge, hopefully with a smile. Gabe decided to wait as well. Since Mortal and Gabe were waiting Sab stopped too, "Where is Noctis and-- Ooooh! Shoot, now I'm anxious to know how it turns out..."

*Lilith looks back to see what's happening. Because of unconscious social mimicry, Aroma & Senthose are now staring at them, as well.*
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*He eventually comes to a simple, beige square of a building, 2 floors, with a faded sign that only reads "Hotel" legibly.*
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E"Alright, I just need to stop by my dorm to get some workout clothes."

*She gets up, holding a hand out to Taiyo.*

Taiyo takes Euryale's hand and stands up.

Noct could be forgiven for thinking Astarte was about to red out, considering the intensity of her blush. She ran a hand through her own hair and looked down at her shoes. She waited for a couple of long seconds and looked up, still blushing heavily and gave a nervous nod, "Sur... I mean, o... yes."
She smiled.

Grimm went inside.

"Great!" Noct was practically beaming. She took Astarte's hand, and smiled, "This is great!" She let out a long sigh, and regained some composure, and dignity, "You just made me the happiest girl in this little diner."

--

Mortal looked at the time on her cell phone, "It is taking a while... I bet she said no."

"Don't say that!" Sab said, smacking Mortal's arm, "Sorry..."

"Maybe she snuck out the back to avoid us," Gabe suggested, causing Mortal to chuckle.

*Taiyurle enters the lobby & sees a bunch of jackasses clustered there, drinking pop.*

E"Oh, Jesus, I never gave you my ID! You weren't stuck out here the whole time, were you?"

R"That's the good news & the bad news: No."
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A"Don't say that, that's mean!"

L"Who said no? To wha--oooooohhhh...."

S"Now that you mention it...did Noctis even bother to make sure that she was actually gay, or at least not homophobic?"
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*A blond woman at the desk with a faded uniform looks up.*

<Can I help you?>

Taiyo stands close to Euryale, almost on her toes.

Taiyo: "Hi."

Astarte squeezed her hand back, looking giddy herself, "So, do you wanna' do something tonight?"

"How much for a single room?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Noct said, "But lets get going. They're probably starting to wonder what we're up to." And so Noct took Astarte by the hand, and motioned for the door.

--

"Maybe she thought her raw, animal magnetism would win her over," Mortal said.

"Does that work?" Sab asked.

"I guess we'll soon find out," Mortal replied.

Astarte followed her out.

<The door was open.>
===
{Nothing. Can we meet up?}

S"It would seem that she got lucky."

L"Well, good for her."

*Aroma balls her fists up near her collar bones.*

A"Eeek! I'm so excited for you."

S"Might want to dial that back a bit."

A"Sorry...."
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E"So somebody broke in? Was anything missing?"

R"No. How 'bout we all head up there right now?"

E"Sounds good. I needed something from my room, anyway."
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<$20 a night.>

*Eve nods*

<Sounds good. We didn't see anything stolen though.>

Sab was equally as excited as Aroma, and let out a "Woohoo!" when they emerged hand in hand.

Noct flushed red slightly, "Thanks for not making a big fuss guys, that would have been embarrassing."

Sab felt bad, "Oh, I didn't mean too--"

"No, I'm only joking," Noct said, then looked at Astarte, "I'm too giddy to care about embarrassment."