(Untitled)

[quarkonium]

Hey Marcus, got a minute? There's something I need to ask you.

((Because sneaky!Merlot is sneaky. ♥ Also, she has no idea that her dad's around... yet. :D))

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[quarkonium]

Khrista was at the café early, and it wasn't because she was excited. The date, after all, was merely a dare, and there were only two reasons why she was taking it seriously: one, because she wanted to show Merlot that she wasn't the type to back down from any form of challenge, and two, because she resented being told to look and act like a lady. She was ladylike, only that convenience usually won over style and grace, and she was going to prove that now. What was the best way to do that but to turn herself into a housewife-cross-supermodel?

The first part was easy. She chose the café, which met the 'somewhere suitable' requirement, but instead of simply ordering something to eat, she opted to cook herself. She might've lost the time to indulge herself in such a hobby as of late, but she was a good cook, inheriting most of his father's talent. The second was even easier; she'd learned to dress up for various occasions, as it came with being a politician

[quarkonium]

"Well, if you don't want to start, I can." She considered bringing in something to drink now, but she wasn't sure if Marcus would be up to it. "You'll have to ask the questions, though."

[inmymothersname]

It didn't really help that he was still at the stage where her smiling at him made it hard to think. "Well. Um. When's your birthday?" He knew he needed to know that.

[quarkonium]

And he was right. It was a girl thing.

"April 6th. SD 774," Khrista answered. "Yourself?"

[inmymothersname]

"June 16th. AD 2036." Marcus smiled sheepishly. "Blame time travel."

[quarkonium]

Khrista looked at him incredulously. "You're really not kidding about that, are you?" He'd told her that once before, but she didn't really believe him. "What was Earth like back then?"

[inmymothersname]

"Afraid not. My entire family is lousy at three things: singing, cooking, and lying."

He shook his head. "It's... not all that pleasant. I don't think it was like this in our world, but... let's just say I'm glad we left before I was old enough to understand just how much of a mess the world was."

[quarkonium]

Khrista laughed. "Funny how my family's good at that. Just not all of us at the same time. You've heard Merlot, and god knows what else her voice can do. Father's a great cook, I heard... and when you're a politician, you'd have to be at least a decent liar, or you don't last long enough to get what you want."

She nodded at his words, then smiled. "Liking it in Elicoor, then?"

[inmymothersname]

"Well, it might be just me who can't lie to save my life."

Marcus nodded. "Definitely. Even with everything that's going on right now..."

[quarkonium]

"Lying just takes practice, and learning how to keep a poker face whenever you do. Not that I'm encouraging it." There seemed no need to bring out the liquor just yet, although Khrista had been considering it.

"How can you stand it, though? Elicoor just seems so..." She struggled with the right word to use, not wanting to offend Marcus. "... well, low-tech. Although it might be just me, growing up with gadgets for playthings and having a bit of an obsession with battle simulators," Khrista admitted with a sheepish smile. Oh, she had no idea she and Nausy were going to get along very well with that part; that was the only thing about Earth that Nausy missed, at least from what she could remember. There was no telling if the same could be said about Marcus, though.

[inmymothersname]

Marcus shrugged. "I was never as into electronics as Nausy was. And it was more than ten years ago. I always thought living surrounded by gadgets must be incredibly confusing." He smiled slightly. "Guess we really do come from different worlds."

[quarkonium]

"Does that bother you?" Khrista asked, leaning back against her seat.

[inmymothersname]

Marcus shrugged. "Not really. It's just... a little strange, is all."

[quarkonium]

Khrista laughed, a little humorlessly, as she poked her food with her fork. "You might find yourself not liking me so much anymore once you get to know me better."

[inmymothersname]

Marcus frowned. "What do you mean, Khrista?"

[quarkonium]

She shook her head. "It's just us being from different worlds, I guess. Literally and figuratively. Sure, they say sparks fly with opposite forces, but there's really no point getting into anything if we don't get along, is there?"