Special delivery! [Moonie!]

[Rhi-Rhi]

Last night had been an experiment.

Having his own apartment, finally, was awesome! Not just because he got a place to himself to decorate however he liked, but because of the oven. The oven was what made this place glorious and he'd put it to fast use. Over the past week or so that he'd been Stage 5, he'd baked more things than he knew what to do with and so had given them away to various Pilots and personnel. It had been years since he'd gotten to do this (because despite his best attempts to improve the quality of the cafeteria's food, they never had allowed him back into the kitchen) and maybe he'd gone a little overboard, but it was fun!

And it left his whole apartment smelling like home.

Today, however, his baking had a purpose. He'd tried his hand at his mom's carrot cake recipe (a recipe that dated back to his great-grandparents, at least), which involved grating carrots by hand and making up a cream cheese frosting. It turned out great for a first try, if he said so himself! Which was good, because it was for Pilot Meadows.

For ease of delivery, he'd made cupcakes instead of a cake, put them into a large Tupperware container and a bag, and then he was on his way--after making sure he looked decent, of course. He was trying out something new and had straightened his hair.

Considering the work Pilots did, coffee was always readily available in the Citadel, either through vending machines if you just wanted a quick cup or through the cafe, and Dakota stopped off there before he headed for Summer's office. It didn't take him long before he reached it and he rapped lightly on the door.

"Knock knock! Special delivery!" he called.

[Anonymous]

Let's see, what had Summer been doing last night? Oh, that's right. She'd been right where she was now, practically glued to her desk chair. There was a time for work and a time for play, but right now she had shit to do. All Pilots got assigned duties, generally based on their strengths regarding psionic ability. As a teletechnopath, Summer generally got shoveled into computer and tech work. Right now she was monitoring VCN activity. Generally it was a pretty boring job, really. Occasionally a pop-up would alert her to 'activity of interest', but it was almost always minor enough to be simply noted and more or less ignored.

It was a pain to pull an all-nighter, but she did her work diligently, and Zenith was even asleep! Her mind was blissfully clear of his nagging for a change. Right now she was simply waiting for her relief to log on so she could log off. In another hour or less, she would finally be free to go home, take a hot shower, and crawl happily into bed. Maybe Zenith would even let her sleep peacefully for a full eight hours. Maybe that would be asking too much.

The only sounds she'd heard for hours had been from her computer, so when she heard a knock at her door she nearly jumped out of her seat. Absolute murder burned in her eyes for a moment, but then she heard Dakota calling out in his always overly cheery way. Rubbing her eyes tiredly she got up, every bone and joint in her body seemed to creak and pop in protest. Oh yeah, her relief better hurry his punk ass up, she was getting too old for this shit.

"Candidate Lewis, you better come bearing a peace offering or I'm gonna put my boot up your ass for bothering me!" With that said she opened the door, green eyes flashing in annoyance. The kid was her Candidate, she'd been mentoring him for years now. He'd taken some getting used to, that was for sure, but he was alright. She had even become rather fond of him.

Tilting her head slightly to the side she studied him. Oh wow, she smelled carrot cake, yeah, that would work. Can't be too pissed off when the kid brings you cake! Besides, she was starving, and bless his little bleeding heart, he'd brought coffee too! She opened the door further and stepped aside so he could enter. "Eh? Well if you've come bearing offerings, then I guess you can come in."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Dakota was smiling brightly when Summer opened the door. He knew she didn't really mean that, and that it was said with love. "I always come prepared, ma'am!" he said cheerfully. "What kind of guest would I be if I didn't bring treats?"

He breezed inside the room as soon as she moved to admit him and settled the goodies down onto her desk. Besides, not only was it just polite and good manners to bring food to share when visiting someone--at least, that's how he'd been raised, in an environment where food was love and cooking ran in the family--but it never failed to smooth things over. People couldn't really scream in your face when you had an armful of fresh baked goods.

It was a great defense mechanism!

He set the coffee down and opened the tupperware container to let the smell of carrot cake waft through the room. "You look awfully peaked. Long day?"

[Anonymous]

Summer made a noncommital sound as he stolled into the room, going on about being a good guest by bringing treats. Gods, but he was a strange boy. Well, young man, now, she thought dryly. He'd grown up a bit over the years, hadn't he? Now that Dakota was a Stage 5, she should probably start thinking of him more as an adult and not as a child. He was almost there, practically in the clear now. Not that she would say so out loud, but Summer was proud of him. Sure, he was still weird, overly pleasant, much too chipper, and not nearly messed up enough in the head(compared to some Pilots), but he'd come far and was a good kid. Young man. Fuck, but it was hard to view him as something other than a kid.

She'd moved to flop back down in her computer chair, throwing her feet up onto her desk. With a quick glance at the computer screen, she sighed, nope, the next shift hadn't logged on yet. Bastard. The first thing she reached for was the coffee, inhaling the rich scent before taking a sip. Very good, he was such a good Candidate, knew just how she liked her coffee and everything. Would suck when he graduated, she'd have to whip another kid into shape. Ah well, she was looking forward to Dakota being a Pilot, it would be another success to her name.

An eye-roll had been given when he'd told her she looked peaked. Yeah, that was one way to put it. "Long night, been here since early yesterday evening. I was supposed to be relieved at midnight, but noooooo, someone found themselves a nice excuse and I had to stay over and work a double." She took another drink of the coffee, very glad for the caffiene, then glanced at the cupcakes. Man, they smelled good, now her entire office smelled edible. She could live with that, she supposed. Still, she eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay, pretty boy, what's the occasion? Coffee and cake, and I don't remember asking for you. Should I start getting pissed off now, or what?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Dakota affected his best kicked puppy look. And he was quite skilled at pulling it off without making it too extreme or comical, eyes wide, lips slightly pouted, and head tilted down so his red hair fell into his eyes. He let his shoulders slump, just a tad. Somehow, even though he was taller than Summer, he could make it seem like he was looking up at her. "I need an occasion to visit you?" he asked, pouring hurt into his voice.

What could he say? It was a carry-over from candidacy. Looking pathetic and harmless and non-threatening sometimes worked wonders!

And alright, so his visit hadn't been entirely altruistic, and he'd been planning on buttering her up first before he got to that--but apparently on top of everything, he'd picked a pretty bad time to try it. She was in a bad mood, and rightfully so! But boy, did his timing stink.

[Anonymous]

Summer's expression didn't change from the suspicious glower she had fixed him with. Oh no, he wasn't giving her that kicked-puppy bullshit. Although, even she had to admit he did look pretty pitiful when he pulled it. It was a good thing he was so cute, she might have felt the need to reach over and smack that pout off his face otherwise. Ah, well, her expression changed into something just tired and resigned. Whatever it was, it couln't be too bad, could it? He'd never given her too much trouble.

Sighing and rolling her shoulders she reclined further in her chair. "You know you don't need an occasion to visit me, Dakota. I'm your mentor, I'm supposed to be here for you, night or day. Or something like that..." She waved a hand dismissively before taking another drink from her coffee. "Anyway, what's up, buttercup? Might as well just go ahead and lay it on me, I'm already in a bit of a pissy mood anyway, if you couldn't tell. Might as well get all the bad and, or annoying, news out of the way first. You can cheer me up afterwards."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Dakota shifted awkwardly, nudging the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Well, it's just...okay, so like, you remember that thing we talked about a few days ago? The shopping trip? The one we were supposed to go on?"

Sure, he could have gone alone, but that was never as much fun and his friends were booked for the week. So he'd decided to harass Summer instead. Maybe she didn't remember? After all, she had a lot on her plate! But he thought it couldn't hurt to try.

He gave a helpless shrug and a sheepish grin. "I need more hair clips."

[Anonymous]

Wait. What?

Had she agreed to go on a shopping trip with Dakota? For the life of her she couldn't remember. Summer hated getting old, there were fifty billion things she needed to get done, and another fifty billion she forgot to do. Well shit. With a groan she rubbed her eyes. An alert came up on her screen letting her know that her relief had logged on. Finally.

"Hair clips? Seriously? You're going to drag me out of the Citadel for hair clips?"

She logged out and stood up to stretch, then gulped down the rest of her coffee. This was going to be a long day. There could be worse things to spend the day doing, she supposed.

"Whatever, but I'm not going anywhere without a shower and change of clothes. So you'll just have to hold your horses there bucko. Are you coming up or should I just meet you in half an hour?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Well...maybe lunch, too?" Dakota offered with a sunny smile. "It's not just hair clips, though. There's a couple other things...but it shouldn't take too long and it should be fun, right?"

As Summer stood, Dakota picked up the muffins he'd brought her. "How about I carry these for ya? I don't mind hanging out at your place! I could do your hair?"

Please, please let me do your hair! Hey, it was fun! He'd wanted to be a beautician before he'd come into the program and his love of it had not faded a bit. All it meant was that he tried to make everyone his guinea pig--and there was a great big pool to draw from here.

So many Pilots and candidates were so...blase about their appearance.

[Anonymous]

"Lunch? Hmm. Okay, but only a real restaurant. None of that fast food junk." It had been a while since Summer had gone out shopping. Maybe there would be something interesting worth picking up. Maybe.

When he offerred/asked to do her hair Summer couldn't help but cringe slightly. The most she did to her hair on most days was to simply wash and brush it. Usually even the blow dryer was ignored. She just didn't really care about making herself up pretty or whatever. As long as she looked presentable she didn't much care. What did a Pilot need to be dolled up for anyway?

"We'll see. If I let you and you make me look stupid, I swear I will kick your scrawny little ass."

Grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair she slipped into it and headed out of the office. It would lock itself behind Dakota. She didn't doubt that he would follow her into the halls and towards the elevators.

"How and why do I get talked into these things again?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Dakota looked appalled, nose wrinkling in disgust.

"You know I eat organic."

Which was far, far more expensive, but well worth it in his opinion. That also ruled out fast food restaurants, which were utterly disgusting to him. Goodness, most restaurants were gross to him! He preferred vegetarian ones, but as most people didn't, he'd go to regular ones so long as they had vegetarian options.

"I know a couple good restaurants we can hit up, anyway! And a fabulous cupcake place for dessert, though mine are better," he said as he followed Summer out the door, hearing it click shut behind him. "As for your hair, Summer! Don't you trust me? I'll make you look gorgeous."

[Zero Undead]

Summer rolled her eyes faintly, but couldn't stop the barest of smiles to cross her lips. Sure, Dakota might be a bit chipper for her, but the kid sure did know how to eat. Well, she didn't mind meat, but she prefered high quality food to junk. Except baked treats, but who could resist those?

"No dessert. You already brought enough dessert to last me a couple days. Hell, are you trying to make me fat?"

As they reached the elevator she tossed her hair dramatically as she hit the button that would take them up to her floor.

"Did you just imply that I'm not gorgeous all the time? I'm hurt. Here I thought I was smokin' hot. What a blow to the ego."

Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Nothing wrong with a little meat on one's bones!" Dakota said with a cheeky smile, but quickly added, "No, of course not. Why, you're fit as a fiddle if I do say so myself! I'm sure your rigorous training regimen can handle a little sweets here and there."

He stepped into the elevator and made puppy eyes at her. "And I would never imply you're anything short of gorgeous! All I'm saying is I can enhance what's already there and really make it pop! Ah, not literally. I won't explode you, I promise!"

[Zero Undead]

"Well, let me tell you something - the older you get, the harder it is to stay in shape, and I'm fucking old."

Sure, her life wasn't even half over, if you considered the average lifespan of the people of Aedolis. She still felt old as dirt most of the time. At least she didn't look like some little old lady yet.

"Mhm. Sure you won't." Folding her arms across her chest she leaned against the back wall of the elevator. "Well, we'll see. Letting you do my hair will just take up time."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"You? Old as dirt?" Dakota pressed a hand to his heard and feigned a tiny gasp. "My lady! Do not insult yourself so! You're beautiful!"

The elevator came to a halt then and Dakota swayed from the shift in gravity. With a ding, the doors slid open and Dakota exited, sticking a hand out to hold the doors for her.

"It's honestly sad, really, how self-critical people are, how fragile our self esteem is. Most people aren't nearly as homely as they think they are, but like a butterfly they just can't see their own wings."

[Zero Undead]

This time she didn’t even try to be subtle about rolling her eyes. What a load of crock. “I’m old enough, and just …what? Butterflies and wings and what? Where the heck do you come up with these things?” She almost could have done a face palm.

Well, she had trained him well, of that she had no doubt, but sometimes she seriously questioned Dakota’s fitness for being a Pilot. Personality wise. He was certainly physically and psychically capable, but he was such a nice kid, and being a Pilot didn’t lend to kindness. Dragons have mercy on him. Hopefully he would get a gentler one.

Still, he had made it all the way through training with his cheery disposition, so she guessed there really wasn’t much left that could truly get him down. Sighing she stalked down the hallway to her apartment. As they arrived the door slid open, it would close behind them after they stepped into her living room.

Summer didn’t invite people into her home often, Dakota, of course, but few others had seen the inside of her quarters. The living room was specifically designed to be an oasis of calm and relaxation. Soft blues covered the walls, the floors were of bamboo, the curtains and furniture were a slightly darker shade of blue from the walls; there were bonsai trees, zen stone gardens, and water fountains everywhere. The kitchen was much the same, and was only separated from the living room by a bar.

She gestured dismissively. “Make yourself at home, I’ll try to be quick getting showered and dressed.”

[Rhi-Rhi]

"It's true if you think about it!" Dakota insisted as he slipped inside her apartment. "Butterflies are so gorgeous but their brains are so tiny and simple and their little insect bodies are all ugly, so they have no idea how beautiful they really are to everyone who looks at them! Just like people, who see only their own flaws when they look in the mirror--the acne scars, the wrinkles, the pudge--and completely miss the big picture. But everyone else sees what they don't--what they can't! It's pretty much life's ultimate tragedy."

He took a seat on her couch and leaned back into the cushions, letting out a happy sigh. Her home was always so nice and relaxing; goodness, but he couldn't wait to have some actual free time so he could spruce up his place. But between shadowing Pilots and training and missions and things, by the time he got home he was usually too tired to bother.

"No rush! Take your time!" he called to her, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, relaxing to the sounds of trickling fountains.

[Zero Undead]

Summer wasn’t about to be dragged into some philosophical debate with a candidate so she merely gave him a non-committal grunt at his explanation. She didn’t even jump at the chance to accuse him of implying she had such imperfections. At this point it just wasn’t worth it. Her apartment beckoned; her little slice of paradise. Too bad she didn’t get to properly enjoy it. What she wouldn’t have given to simply collapse into bed and sleep for a good six to eight hours.

Oh well, a promise was a promise and so she headed to her room to get ready. She’d have loved to take a long, hot shower to relax, but the sooner they could leave, the sooner she could come home. So she settled for a quick, cold shower to stay awake. She barely more than toweled off before heading to her closet, which was large and neatly organized, much like the rest of her space. For a minute all she could do was let her eyes move over the assortment of clothing hanging there.

Most of her clothing was comfortable and easy to work with, she did have her uniforms, and formal attire for the rare fancy occasion, but she really needed something kind of in-between. Somehow cargos, boots, and a tank top didn’t seem like enough. Especially if she was going to let Dakota do her hair. Wouldn’t do to have her hair a hot mess and have her clothes look like she was about to stomp a face in.

Well, at least her undergarments were easy enough to pick out, red and lacy, maybe she wasn’t a girlie girl with her choice in outfits, but that was no reason not to indulge herself under that less exciting front. Black dress pants were another easy choice, because like hell she was wearing a skirt or dress if she didn’t have to. Choosing a shirt was next to impossible, though. Sighing she pulled two shirts down, still on their hangers.

In her state of half dress she made her way to the living room, holding up both shirts. One was red and silky with a plunging neckline, the other was also red, but was one of those weird wrap around shirts she could barely figure out how to even put on. “Alright fashion guru, what do you think? Which one?”

[Rhi-Rhi]

Dakota soon left the couch to go tinker around in Summer's kitchen. It was immaculate like the rest of her home, but as far as he was concerned, there was always room for improvement--and he just liked kitchens. Before long, he was so absorbed in his task that he didn't even hear the shower shut off.

 He had just finished arranging all her cups and mugs by size and color when he heard Summer's voice and looked up from his task.

And nearly swallowed his tongue, his face going warm.

Needless to say, the shirts were not the first thing he noticed.

"Oh, ah..." That was a really lovely bra. Red and lacy. Oh my...she was coordinating her shirt with her bra, and a he felt a little tinge of pride, right alongside the boyish thoughts of boobs. He would not have expected that of her and--oh. He was staring, wasn't he? Raising his eyes back to her face, he smiled cheerfully and did his best to recover.

"Ah. The shirts. Yes." He actually looked at them then, considered one and then the other, and then pointed to the wrap-around blouse. "That one! Those are very in right now. Very chic."

Oh jeez, he just couldn't help himself!

"You're matching!" he gushed, beaming at her.

[Zero Undead]

Yes, Summer had walked into her own living room without a shirt on, the fact that Dakota was there was really irrelevant. She noticed where his gaze was drawn to and she rolled her eyes. Really, what was so fascinating about breasts? Really, if he got this bad about seeing her in a bra, she wondered how he would fair seeing a woman in a swimsuit. Heck, the things women wore swimming showed off more skin than bras and panties did. The fact that it might just be because it was her didn’t really cross her mind.

She shook the shirts at him, and he finally seemed to realize what he was supposed to be looking at. When he pointed out the wrap-around one Summer made a face. Figures he would pick the one that took a freaking PhD to put on. Draping the other shirt over the back of the couch she pulled the annoying one off the hanger and slid her arms into the sleeves, which flared at the elbow, red fabric hanging down in what she guessed was supposed to be fashionable frill.

As she attempted to close the shirt properly(a process that never ended well), she gave him a withering look at his comment. “You do realize I am more than capable of picking out things of the same color. Why is it so shocking that I match?”