ArchivedLogs:Just Lunch

Just Lunch
Dramatis Personae Aloke, Mallory
In Absentia	2013-09-24 Caution: Contains Teacher Butt
Location <XS> - Forest
Quiet and shady, the trees rise all around here high and thick. In stillness, woodland creatures make appearances, though sudden noises scare them back into the cover. Dappled sunlight filters down between the thick foliage, and the ground underfoot is heavily overgrown, though here and there paths have been worn, by deer or years of students wandering familiar trails. It’s midday, and technically a little past lunch time, but Aloke hasn’t resumed classes yet, so his notion of schedules is still a little off. The day never really warmed up, too. It’s only September, but the brisk morning only went up to 60 degrees or so, light jacket weather for most, including Aloke. He’s in tan chinos, a brown, button-up linen shirt, and flip-flops. Looks like he’s had a shave and a haircut too. The shorter crop only manages to highlight the stately gray at his temples, but all of this is a great step up from the robe and slippers most people have seen him wandering around campus in lately. He texted Mallory earlier in the day about lunch, and met her on the back porch wearing a small backpack, and carrying a loaded picnic basket, with all sorts of odds and ends poking out - the top of a bottle, the corner of a checkered cloth, a baguette. Only the classics, apparently. “Hey,” he says, “Glad you were free. If it’s not too creepy, I found this clearing in the woods I thought you’d like.” He grins and shrugs. “Sort of reminded of this place in the Lake District, I stumbled across way back.” Or last year. Mallory is likely supposed to be grading papers during the free period after lunch, but that sort of thing can wait, apparently. She is dressed for the slightly cool weather, with a pair of flowing wrap pants in a deep burgundy brocade fabric, the cuffs near the bottom a black and gold brocade, left untied so that the fabric flutters with each step. These are paired with a relatively simple black tunic top with long sleeves and a scoop neckline, belted about her narrow waist with a dark red cloth belt. A bag, likely containing the papers she should be grading, is tossed over one shoulder, probably to assuage the feeling that she is slacking off to go to lunch. As they start across the school grounds, Mallory chuckles lightly, “Oh, not too creepy. Gives me a reason to be outside in the lovely weather, instead of hiding away in my library all day. Thank you for inviting me.” She continues walking, letting Aloke take the lead toward their destination, “I haven’t been to the Lake District before. Heard of it, but as with most places, only seen photos in travel books and the internet.” There’s a hint of regret in her voice when she mentions that, but she grins, hazarding a glance towards Aloke, “I like the new hair cut. Looks good on you.” “Oh, thanks,” Aloke says quietly. He runs a hand through his hair self-consciously, actually mussing it some. It looks like he spent a little time on it this morning, but now he’s looking a bit more like his old professor-self. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to the Lake District though. It’s beautiful. I did a whole series of paintings out there one spring and summer.” He grins and looks up at the blue sky. “Is it weird that my favorite days out there were the rainy ones? I just… I mean I love beautiful weather, but that area… just wanted to be rainy. Needed to be. Those were some of my best pieces.” He shrugs, apparently not feeling the need for any false modesty. He’s a terrific painter, and everyone at school would know. The treeline falls behind them as they walk, and soon even the hustle and bustle in the background of at a place like the mansion fades away, making one aware for the first time that it existed. Aloke takes a deep breath of the moss and leaves and trees and asks, “Are you very familiar with Keats? I read a lot of the romantics that year, but Keats wrote one called, ‘To one who has been long in city pent’. I always think of it when I come out to places like this.” The two are following a deer trail, hardly noticeable at all. It’s not clear yet where this ‘clearing’ might be. “To be fair, I did not grow up around here,” Mallory retorts with a faint smirk, “And prior to that, my family was not exactly keen on letting me travel or go on holiday. There are a great many places I have not been, really.” The mention of his paintings gets a tilt of her horned head as she glances at him, hesitantly asking, “I would like to see those, some time, if you don’t mind? I have heard that you are a quite talented painter, but I’m afraid I haven’t seen your work before. That said - sometimes the rain can be wonderful - I love the slightly chilled rain that occasionally happens this time of year.” A faint shiver passes through her at the thought of the cold rain, “I’m a bit odd, though, admittedly.” As they enter the woods, Mallory is surprisingly agile on the somewhat uneven ground of the forest, delicate hooves able to pick through the undergrowth without much issue. A relaxed smile brightens her features at the literary reference, and she responds with the next line, “‘Tis very sweet to look into the fair / And open face of heaven, --to breathe a prayer’…” she trails off at the end, her smile fading, taking a deep breath of the clean air of the forest. “It is a fitting piece, yes,” her voice is largely lost in the overarching quiet of the forest. “Oh sure,” Aloke says. “I have some of them on my tablet, actually. There are about a dozen pieces from that season that I can’t leave home without.” He jostles his shoulder, indicating his tablet is probably inside the backpack. He grins and adds, “I guess it isn’t very modest. Or… like wearing the band’s t-shirt to their concert. But what can you do?” The older man stops walking and gives Mallory a bemused smile when she begins reciting, and turns his glowing eyes on her until she finishes. His expression is almost as if he’s seeing her for the first time. And his eyes seem brighter than ever. They’re not painful to look at, but where they used to be a subtle shine, visible in the right lighting conditions, now they actively shine, like very soft flashlights, in the dappled shadows of the midday forest. “Wow… I can’t believe you know that one by heart…” Turning to continue, Aloke takes a careful step over a foot-high fallen log, and instinctively turns and takes Mallory’s hand to help her as well. “Wonderful. I imagine carrying a tablet with the digital images is just a bit easier than attempting to haul completed canvases along with you. Likely safer for the paintings, as well,” Mallory says with a chuckle, accepting the hand up over the log, carefully lowering herself down on the other side with assistance. She blushes at the attention when she recites the next line of the poem, smiling nervously, “I, well, I am a librarian. I got my degrees in literature, actually, which involved a great deal of memorization, oddly enough. Made discussion in class easier if I could recite passages.” Her own dark eyes meet his, and she looks just the tiniest bit startled to see the shine returned to them, “Oh, your… your eyes. They’re,” she smiles slightly, pausing in her walk, her voice hushed, “They’re glowing again. I mean… it’s… haven’t seen them like this for a while…” There’s hesitation in her voice, as though she were afraid she would upset him. Aloke looks down, finally a little self-conscious. His eyes throw faint pools of light on the dark forest floor, which contract slightly like someone adjusting the focus on a pair of flashlights. “Yeah, I mean, they seem even brighter than before. To me at least. Hank and Charles think it’s because my mind and body have reached an equilibrium. It’s why I can… do this new thing now. I don’t um… travel as much, but that’s probably a good thing. I think I was overdoing it, without realizing.” Aloke leads the way through some low hanging branches, and unless Mallory lets go, he seems to have forgotten to release her hand. After ducking through the last bit of overgrowth however, the two emerge into a small grove, maybe a hundred feet across, ringed with ancient oaks which provide a nice bit of cover, except for right in the middle. They seem to have timed their arrival just right as well. The midday sun is slanting down through the opening, creating a spear of bright sunlight which illuminates a patch of clover, and the doe munching there. Her head pops up when the two enter the clearing, and she only waits a moment before bounding off through the trees. Aloke lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, in a sigh that sounds a lot like, “Oh...” Guilt flashes across Mallory's features when Aloke looks down, and she gently squeezes the hand she's still holding, gently, reassuringly. "Sorry - I just... it's good to see the light back in your eyes, I think. It's nice," she says quietly, stumbling over her words briefly, not letting go of his hand unless he pulls away. The mention of a 'new' thing gets a curious blink and head tilt, the faint orange glow of her eyes visible in the shade of the trees. But the concern and babbling falls away as they reach their destination, her eyes going wide in surprise at the view. Mallory draws in a sharp breath of awe, looking over the glade, gaze settling on the doe in the center. "Oh, wow. This is... stunning," she says, barely above a whisper, her body frozen in place, as though afraid if she moved, the picturesque scene would vanish before her eyes, "I didn't think places like this actually existed outside of fairy tales." Aloke smiles at Mallory’s reassurances, but doesn’t comment specifically. He just stands, facing the clearing, hand-in-hand with her. He takes a breath, and his voice takes on a whispered, dreamy quality. It becomes clear he’s quoting from his favorite poem again. “Who is more happy, when, with hearts content, / Fatigued he sinks into some pleasant lair / Of wavy grass…” He squeezes Mallory’s hand once more, and releases it gently so he can switch hands with the basket. He takes a step out into the clearing, taking it all in wide-eyed. “I keep forgetting… I wasn’t really gone that long.” His voice is even and calm. It seems he’s made a lot of progress on this front. “I had a feeling this place wouldn’t still be here, but… wow. And I never saw it like this. The light, and the doe… just, wow. There /were/ a couple rabbits here last time, but…” Aloke shrugs and walks a little closer to the center of the clearing, turning slowly to take it all in. Finally he turns and faces Mallory again. “So, where should we set up?” Mallory's features are paused in an expression of dazed wonderment, her eyes still scanning the area, taking in all of the wonderful details of the clearing. She lets her hand fall away from Aloke's, fingertips trailing lightly against his palm for a brief moment; the words of the poem are forming on her lips as he talks, but no sound escapes, her voice lost in the appreciation of the scene. Mallory watches his steps into the forest, a slight smile blooming, though she hangs back, allowing him the opportunity to revisit the site first. A faint blush creeps into her already crimson cheeks, at the mention of the accident, still unsure of how to respond. Mallory shifts gently from side to side, for a moment looking like she is swaying in the breeze, though she stops the movement when Aloke turns around toward her again. "Set up? Oh, yes, lunch, right," she says in a hushed voice, grinning sheepishly, "Perhaps just there? At the edge of the pool of light?" Finally, she continues moving forward into the clearing, hooves rustling the grass quietly with each step, her tail barely brushing the top of the grass as it sways behind her. Her posture and movement seem almost reverent, as though she were entering a great cathedral, afraid to offend the surroundings with her presence. Aloke nods and drops the basket near where Mallory indicated, and shrugs off his backpack as well. He opens the basket and removes the cloth, revealing a decent selection of foods - cheeses, veggies, dip, and sandwich stuff. The bottle turns out to be sparkling water. There also looks to be an assortment of powerbars, and a couple cans of Rockstar energy drinks, which probably seems a little weird because Aloke has historically always made so much of eating healthy. On the other hand, he may also be concerned about high calorie counts. He remains standing, and says, “Have a seat,” with a big smile, waiting in case she needs a hand, never really sure where her legs will create a hindrance or not. Mallory looks pleasantly surprised at the array of food Aloke has packed, a bemused smirk on her lips at the power bars and energy drinks. “Oh my, hearkening back to my college days with those,” she laughs with a gesture at the somewhat out of place food, “I all but survived on that stuff for a while, because I was an absolute rubbish cook, and I could only eat curry takeaway so many times in a week.” Amazingly, Mallory is able to settle herself down to a seating position on the ground without too much effort, somewhere between reclining and sitting, legs tucked comfortably beneath her and to the side, with her tail curled over them to be out of the way. It takes a few moments to settle in, but once she’s down, it looks surprisingly comfortable for her, especially having seen her sit in a normal chair before. “Yeah, I mean now that Hank has my diet all sorted out, he’s saying four to five thousand calories on regular days….” Aloke shakes his head, and glances down at the basket. “I mean, I didn’t even eat like that as a /teenager/.” He laughs and adds, “I’ll only partially agree with you on the curry though. ‘Takeaway’, yes. There’s a limit. But my /dad’s/ curry? Lady, you don’t even know.” He chuckles, though a flicker of some dark cloud seems to pass over his face for the briefest moment. It fades as quickly as it appears, his genuine smile and bright eyes returning. “Oh, wow,” Aloke says thoughtfully, watching Mallory sit. He shakes his head and holds up a hand, while lowering himself to the ground in a kneeling position. “Crap, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I mean, most people don’t like talking about their mutations. But it only just occurred to me: chairs must be pure torture for you…” “Sounds about right. I don’t typically have to eat /quite/ that much unless I’ve been on fire recently. If that’s the case, then I end up feeling like I’m all but ravenous for a day or two before I equalize,” Mallory says, grinning with a shrug, “Thomas has to eat pretty much constantly to maintain weight - he also tends to run a great deal hotter than I do, just on a day to day basis.” At his defense of curry, Mallory grins, “Oh, good curry I adore, and would totally eat that any chance I got. But it was from one of the only places I could get delivered near my apartment, and they weren’t very good at it. I did eventually learn to feed myself, but it was months of trial and error, and plenty of power bars, before I could even make a passable curry.” Pointed teeth catch her lower lip briefly at the shadowed look, looking for a moment like she might ask something, but thinking better of it. For now, at least. Once Aloke is seated, the response to her own sitting style gets a chuckle and a smile, reassuring him, “Oh, it is not a concern, really. I don’t usually mind discussing the physical aspects of it, since they are so obviously visible.” She snorts slightly, resting her hands in her lap for a moment as she talks, “That said, yes, most chairs are horrible - I tend to sit sideways, or try to find a backless chair of possible. Barstools are better, because I don’t end up with my knees under my chin. Lecture hall seating, however, is the absolute worst for it all, given the brace I was wearing at the time.” A pained grimace crosses her face at this point, and she closes her eyes just for a moment at the memory, before her smile returns. Aloke winces slightly when Mallory mentions being on fire, possibly remembering a time when that was actually his fault. Even if it was an accident. When she mentions Thomas’s temperature versus her own, he looks down grinning, not able to suppress a mumbled, “That’s not how /I/ would rate things…” Apparently he thinks Mallory runs hotter. He smiles and nods when she opens the discussion to physical mutations. "Yeah, I can imagine that being hard. I mean, I can hide mine with a pair of sunglasses." Or at least, he used to be able. Light would surely spill out around the sides nowadays. "I've never really run into that kind if institutional challenge. I bet movie theater seats are just as bad, huh? Oh..." It seems his brain finally caught up with his mouth, and perhaps suggested to him the unlikeliness of Mallory wandering into a regular movie theatre. “Sorry… I was just thinking of what you might want to do if you say ‘yes’ when I ask you out on a date later, but I’m still not sure what to suggest, when I /do/ ask. Any ideas?” Aloke rummages around in the basket, apparently trying to play off the remark. The blush that rises to Mallory’s cheeks is anything but subtle, in response to the mumbled comment, running a hand nervously along one horn and through her hair, head bowed to attempt to hide some of the blush. It is not exactly effective, nor does it hide the pleased grin on her lips, though. Head still bowed, Mallory nods, “Sunglasses are useful, yeah. Especially since the big bug eyed ones are in fashion Stateside right now. Means I can cover a decent portion of my face if I want to go into public - just one part of the costume to try to pass.” Her voice is quiet, but not particularly bitter, or angry, just, thoughtful. “Ah, chairs were the least of my concerns, really. I had doctors notes that let me have special seating when I attended lectures,” Mallory explains with a handwave, finally getting her blush under control well enough to look up at Aloke. “I can’t say I’ve ever been to a cinema, no. Theater, yes, I was occasionally taken to see plays and such. I imagine the seats are similar… and not exactly forgiving for my build.” His last comment, however, brings the deep crimson blush back to Mallory’s cheeks, and she doesn’t even attempt to hide it this time, instead just looking at Aloke with wide, dark eyes, mouth slightly agape. “A… a date? I, well, I suppose I…. alright, I have no idea what actually constitutes a /date/. That is to say, I'm not entirely certain what sort of activities are considered date worthy this side of the pond. Although,” she glances at Aloke, leaning her chin into her hand as she looks at him, bemused smirk on her lips, her voice something of a cautiously amused hush, “Was that actually a decidedly round-about way of asking me out, or just a hypothetical statement?” Aloke watches Mallory closely for a moment after his initial boldness, checking to see how it would be received. When she seems amused, and even possibly pleased, he grins and nods along with her description of disguises, but doesn’t have anything to add. He listens carefully to her problems with chairs, and then her comment about ‘builds’, and boldly holds her gaze, watching her reactions closely. “Well, technically, it was neither,” he says, with a grin. “I’ve never really liked hypotheticals. I mean, there could be theories about /your/ reactions, but ‘when I ask you out’ is just a matter of time. Not ‘if’. But that’s something for ‘future me’. Charles and I have been philosophizing quite a bit on the nature of time, lately, and one’s place in the flow of time.” Aloke pours two glasses of sparkling water, and hands one to Mallory. “I was having panic attacks, because the normal flow of time felt so /fast/ all of a sudden. So we discussed the idea of thinking less linearly, and more laterally. I kind of like his ‘flat time’ theory, where everything happens at the same time. Apparently it makes no sense in physics, but then, neither does being a Hindu. Still, both make me feel better.” He smiles and shrugs, very matter of fact about his progress with Charles. He sips from his water, and reaches up to run a hand through his graying hair. “Although,” he says, switching topics yet again, “I doubt dating is all that different over here. I mean, you get a bite to eat, see a movie or something, and talk till the sun comes up. Then again, I haven’t dated in /ages/. Not seriously, anyway.” He shrugs and sips more water. Mallory maintains her gentle smile as Aloke explains, nodding lightly when he mentions the future, her eyes briefly flicking to look down at her hands, before catching his gaze again. She remains quiet for a moment, accepting the water from him and carefully holding it in the fingertips of both hands, minimizing surface contact with her skin. "Well, when future you is ready to ask, future me will be here waiting, and I'm fairly certain I'll still say yes," Mallory responds with a nervous smile, still looking into his eyes, though her gaze falters for a moment as she second guesses herself, "A... assuming you're still interested, then, that is." The comment about similarities in dating gets a nervous smile, and she has to drop her gaze as she admits, "I... can't say I have been on anything that could be considered proper date. Out drinking with a group of friends, or going to a convention, sure, but, um..." She sort of shrugs as she trails off, chuckling self consciously at herself, taking a delicate sip from her water. The conversation about time is met with polite nods, although it seems like the idea goes just a bit over her head. As much as it would ruffle the feathers of some of the other professors here, I'm not always so certain physics and science need to be able to explain everything," the librarian admits, with a sheepish smile, looking up at Aloke again, "I am glad that you have found things that help; you are doing better, and that is what counts. Science be damned." At the last bit of her statement, she grins a bit broader, pink tongue sticking out between her teeth in a silly expression, though the expression fades to a more thoughtful one after a moment. "Were, ah, were you raised Hindu? If you don't mind my asking," she asks quietly, head canted slightly to the side in curiosity, once again looking up at Aloke as she talks. "You know, one thing I feel like I can say we do well here is dating." Aloke idly pulls his legs into lotus and straightens his back to stretch out a little. "My great-grandma came here to get out of an arranged marriage. That whole story is kind of exciting actually, but the point is, my family came here and really embraced the New World. Sure, they mostly all married Indian immigrants," Aloke laughs out loud. "And you should see some of my mother's attempts to set me up!" He laughs so hard he snorts as well. "Kind of ironic, huh?" When he recovers some, he unwraps a power bar and gestures for Mallory to help herself to whatever she might want. He takes a bite, chews and washes it down with more water. "And yeah, I was raised Hindu, sort of the way a lot of Jews are raised Jewish, not really 'observing', but the family traditions are so deep..." He shrugs and smiles. "But then, science doesn't really have all the answers either, right? I mean, at this point I assume most of the old stories about gods sprung up around early mutants. But I /feel/ better when I make a sunrise offering, and pray to Lakshmi. And I don't feel a need to explain that." He smiles warmly, but also with a note of hope as he explains the finer points of his faith. Hope for understanding, possibly, or at least tolerance. "I've been drawn to her my whole life, the goddess of light, and now it kind of makes sense. To me at least." He shrugs and eats some more. Chuckling, Mallory grins slightly, “Heh, I have to say, when I boarded the plane to the United States, dating was truthfully not even on my mind. Not going to object though.” She watches curiously as he shifts and stretches, idly reaching into the basket to select a container of veggies, nibbling on a carrot as she listens. “Had I been born ‘normal’ I probably would have dealt with something close to an arranged marriage. More of a… highly encouraged socially advantageous betrothal,” Mallory says, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought, though her tone is light, laughing, “They had already started parading Thomas around like a prized pony when we were children, shopping the perfect son around to fish for marriage prospects among society families… hell, they’re likely still making a stab at it, even with him over here. And being gray, and all that.” She shakes her head, grinning slightly, “I wouldn’t mind hearing that story, some time, if you care to share. I always enjoy an exciting tale.” Mallory smiles brightly at the explanation, listening to him talk about his faith. “That is wonderful,” she finally says, reverently, “Thank you, for sharing. It really is wonderful that it brings you joy, and peace. That’s...” her voice trails off, and she sips her water pensively, nodding, but adding nothing else. Aloke grins, and then almost snorts bubbly water out his nose when she uses the word ‘normal’. He laughs and says, “Oh ‘normal’. I remember feeling normal, once upon a time.” He splutters again, recovering quickly. “I will definitely tell you the story. A different day though, if that’s ok?” He clears his throat getting the last of the water out of his lungs, and straightens up in his lotus position. “Because, I still want to ask you out. But I have to show you something first. I want you know the extent of my mutation, not because I think you’d judge me, but just… I don’t know. You make me feel like… Like I don’t want to have any secrets from you.” He smiles, a little shyly for once, and looks down for a moment. Shortly he looks up again, and says, “Also, this is awkward, because the next stage of my mutation ruins my clothes. Um, sort of like yours does.” He pats the unopened backpack and shrugs. “I just wanted to ask first, before launching into a… demonstration, I guess.” He rolls his eyes, more at himself than anything. He’s luck his skin is dark enough to hide most of his blush, but it is well and truly his turn to do so. As she apparently nearly chokes Aloke with laughter, Mallory giggles herself, holding her hand up demurely to cover the smile on her lips while he recovers. She is still smiling as she nods to the deferral of the story, "Understandable. Another day, in that case." When his tone returns to seriousness, Mallory sits up, placing her hands delicately in her lap and listening to him. "Oh," she says quietly, a sympathetic blush rising to her cheeks as she returns his shy smile, dark eyes searching his features briefly, "I appreciate your openness, and..." Her voice trails off when he explains further, and the blush rises further to her cheeks, darkening the dusky red skin, "Oh, dear. I," she clears her throat and looks down momentarily, barest hint of concern crossing her features, "If you are comfortable with demonstrating, I will not object. It is... safe, for you to do this?" There's a pause, and a deep breath as she looks up at Aloke, trying not to let the nervous smile show too much, "That said... and I mean this in the least creepy way possible. But from someone who has destroyed favorite wardrobe pieces before... Disrobing, if you have warning, can be helpful, at least it has been for me." She raises a hand to her exceedingly warm, reddened cheeks and glances down, bashfully, "Forgive my forwardness, it's just, well, you've seen my resultant Lady Godiva impression, and typically just replacing underclothing is far cheaper than replacing a whole outfit. I figured I would offer the advice?" Aloke chuckles nervously, and holds his hands out to either side. “Well, open is the best way, I’m told. And Hank says I seem to be fully stable. We’ve experimented several times in the Danger Room now, and I have a good feel for the effect. It’s funny, before… everything that happened, travelling always felt like ‘letting go’, and just steering the results. But I have a much better sense of my abilities now.” As embarrassed as he is, he keeps his eyes off to one side, and nods again. “That… is an excellent idea.” He smiles and unfolds his legs gracefully, rises and retrieves his backpack. He retreats a small distance and hefts the bag behind the tree, sighs and offers an awkward smile and quickly strips out of shirt and slacks. The man is left in just his black boxer-briefs, revealing a 50-year old’s body in peak condition. He’s not muscly at all, but he is lean, toned, and only sparsely covered in curly black body hair. Yoga has been good to him, and good for his recovery. He takes a deep breath, finally looks Mallory in the eyes again, and smiles. His body takes on the ghostly yellow light it did when he was losing control before, but he seems to be concentrating, rather than panicking. Then, like a fire flickering and finally catching, the pale yellow blossoms into intense yellow-white light, so hard to look at for any length of time, it’s like staring at the sun. Bright as he is, he’s only barely distinguishable as humanoid, but he’s there, two arms, to legs, and a head. His shorts burned away in a fraction of a second in the beginning, and now the ground and brush at his feet smolder as he shifts his weight. Fortunately, it’s been so wet lately that nothing really catches on fire. Also, a keen observer of heat would notice there is essentially no real increase in ambient temperature around him. The indistinct figure shrugs then, and shifts his weight to one side. His voice is surprisingly unchanged, “Hank had a whole string of things to describe the effect. But… yeah. This is me.” When Aloke accepts her advice and retreats to the tree-line, Mallory does the ladylike thing and averts her gaze while he disrobes, her dark eyes instead focusing on a point in the grass just beyond the edge of the picnic blanket. That said, she does look up at him again when he is done, doing what she can to maintain eye contact instead of letting her gaze wander too much over his exposed figure. Not to say she doesn’t look, but she tries not to leer, anyway, even as the warmth of a blush starts to creep up into her cheeks again. Still, she holds his gaze when he does make eye contact, offering a reassuring smile and taking a deep breath in time with his. The actual transformation takes her by surprise, though, and she gasps in shock, eyes going wide for a moment. Even as he begins to catch and glow further, she continues looking at him for a long moment, mesmerized. Eventually, she drops her gaze, eyelids drifting shut against the brilliant light coming from Aloke, the slightest glimmer of tears forming at the edges, even as she smiles. “Aloke… you are beautiful,” she says quietly, still with her eyes shut against the brilliance. “Oh…” It’s not clear what Aloke expected her reaction to be, but her heartfelt compliment definitely caught him off guard. “Thanks…” After barely even a minute of maintaining the effect, Aloke sounds like he’s getting a little out of breath, like trying to talk and run at the same time. “I’m just gonna-” He takes a step towards the tree where his things are, and his light abruptly winks out, leaving just a glimpse of his bare backside before he disappears behind the tree. “I’m ok!” he calls out reassuringly. “Just uh…” The sound of rustling in the bushes, and a zipper. “Just getting dressed. Anyway, I figured it was only fair, after the pool and all.” Aloke emerges from behind the tree wearing his chinos, and the button up shirt which is still unbuttoned. He’s sweating, and his hair is soaked, but he’s also grinning like an idiot. He flaps his shirt front a little to help cool himself off before starting to button it up again. He looks like a man who just ran a race and won. He gives up after just a couple of buttons and leans back against the tree with a deep sigh. “So anyway,” he says in a failed attempt at nonchalance. He looks to where Mallory is sitting. His eyes are still glowing, though somewhat dimmed. “You wanna have dinner with me sometime? I thought maybe I’d make curry, if you like.” Mallory opens her eyes again when it sounds like Aloke is starting to get out of breath, squinting slightly in concern in his general direction. “Are you ok--” she starts to asks, starting to shift herself as though to stand. When his light dims abruptly, she once again averts her eyes again, blinking a few times as though trying to re-focus. There’s a little bit of a snort at the pool incident being brought up, “Hm. Some time, I’d actually like to demonstrate that, in slightly more controlled conditions, where I’m not worried about barbecuing students or friends. Another time, though.” As he emerges from the treeline, Mallory smirks slightly, looking at him with amusement in her eyes. “Y’know, I’d love to make some sort of ‘hot’ comment here, but everything that comes to mind just falls terribly flat,” she says laughingly, leaning her chin into her hand as she watches him trying to cool off for a long moment. The question, though, gets a bright smile from her, and she nods, giggling slightly as she answers, “Sure. Dinner would be absolutely lovely.”