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thechurbyboxmod) wrote in
thechurbymusebox2023-08-30 09:29 pm
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It's For Your Own Good

Let's face it, sometimes it's difficult finding someone to share your time, and your heart (or maybe just your body), with. Luckily for you, you have well meaning friends. Unfortunately for you, you have well meaning friends who didn't tell you this was coming. That's right. They have taken it upon themselves (and no doubt friends of friends or family members or someone else who clearly doesn't know you) to arrange a date. Without telling you.
That's right. The dreaded blind date. Which means now you've got to get through at least a reasonable amount of time with a total stranger (or maybe not a stranger if you're particularly, well, we can't say if it's lucky or not) before you can reasonably escape. Maybe it will go well. Maybe this will be the start of the rest of your lives. Maybe you'll get laid. Maybe you'll have a horror story for the ages.
No matter what plays out, though, you're here. Might as well see just how your luck is going to play out.
How to Play1. Post your character and canon below along with any preferences. Then go back and edit your comment with the next number in order (i.e. first TL is 1, second is 2, etc) 2. Tag other TLs. If a character isn't in normal preferences, ask if they might want a date that goes poorly instead! 3. Optionally, get yourself a truly blind experience by going here and randomly generating a number. Then find the matching TL (numbered back in step one) and enjoy your blind date. 4. For more fun, use the list in the first comment for randomized date locations!
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The Games held in Greece were definitely not what Waver was referring to, mostly because he didn’t know Terra had been there in the first place. “So we’re both new to the bar, then.” He responded, offering an awkward smile.
People kept telling him he should be less serious, try smiling more (he did smile though! It was just a rare thing. Like shooting stars and rainbows.)… It felt weird? Did it look weird? He sure as hell hoped not.
Trying to focus less on if the smile looked weird, he focused on the comment instead. The pinball machines, huh? He glanced in their direction curiously. They weren’t usually his go to, but they were something of a classic in arcades. Then again, he was curious at the other part of what Terra said. “Something from home? So, you’re not from the city.” Waver wasn’t either. Technically, he’d grown up outside the city before moving to attend the tower when he was younger and staying permanently after his travels. It just seemed a bit curious to wonder if he’d been set up on a blind date with someone who was only around temporarily, if he wasn’t permanently living here as well. Seemed important to find that out now, he decided. Plus it was was natural to be curious about your date in general, right? One was supposed to get to know them. “Where are you from?”
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"Ya sorry, I don't tend to go out too much lately."
There were plenty of reasons for that but he didn't say what they were. However, he did notice that awkward smile. Wow, that was nice. But it made him smile too and he was more than sure his face was turning red for no reason and got a breather when the other looked away. But the question he had to answer.
"No, I'm not from the city. I'm from another city originally, but we just moved here so I'm trying to learn it. But what about you?"
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Waver had indeed offered ‘something else,’ if Terra desired it. He meant it too, but he wasn’t going to try to push the other to make a decision, in case he wasn’t interested. It seemed… safer that way? Or at least more polite, he thought. Better than assuming that Terra would want to go through with an entire date, or just drinks if he decided this wasn’t going to work for him. The mage would, of course, eat if the other decided to, but Waver’s diet tended towards being rather lacking and small meals over large ones these days due to his stomach often giving him trouble.
“Hm? No need to apologize.” He offered quickly with a small rise of his brow, given it seemed entirely unnecessary to the professor. “I’m not exactly known for going out much myself. There are plenty of things to keep one busy and unfamiliar with local bars.” He added, tone a bit final on the idea that one needed to apologize here. After all, the furthest he tended to go when he wasn’t at the Clock Tower to teach was a small café that wasn’t far from his flat.
And since it sounded like Terra was new to the city itself, it was entirely reasonable that he didn’t know places like this yet. Though it did beg the question of if the man frequented them where he came from. A question for another time, perhaps. “Ah, then welcome. I hope you find the city agreeable.” He offered politely before tilting his head slightly to consider the question. His background was not something he talked about a lot anymore. Being who he was did not really mesh with the expectations of the reputation of a Lord of the Clock Tower, and best kept to himself. Some people still did their digging, of course, and use such information to try to get under his skin.
This was not like that, though, and as far as he knew, Reines would have cleared the concerns on that front before now. “I’m originally from a smaller town outside the city and moved here to study at the Clock Tower when I was a teen. Never really left, aside from some travelling.” Probably not the whole truth, but that was even more complicated… “I run one of the departments and teach there now.”
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Nodding when he heard that he didn't need to apologize, he still felt as if he should know more about this place. But he'd been swamped with work and that didnt allow him to really get out as of yet. If Heartless or Unversed showed up then he'd be way more busy than he already was. And then he learned this man was a teacher, like himself and that perked him up a little.
"You teach? What sort of things?"
As soon as those words got out, his stomach growled pretty loudly.
"Thanks."
He knew all too well about keeping busy and work really did consume a lot of time other than training himself and mundane things such as eating or resting. Aqua kicked him out of the kitchen at every opportunity so there wasn't room to improve that really.
Waver's politeness and welcoming him to this strange city was really heartwarming even if he still felt like his knowledge of it should exceed what it currently was. "I hope to be able to get out to learn more about it soon." And he felt kind of shy about that for some reason.
The reply hit his ears and Master Yen Sid's tower came to mind. It wasn't a clock tower, but he was familiar with what a tower looked like.
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A second or two ticked by quietly as his mind raced as it tried to work out if Terra had indicated being hungry before. Should he have assumed that he was and ordered food when he got drinks?? Well - says a voice that sounds suspiciously like Reines in his head - Dates usually involve food. A meal is generally anticipated. But he also DID say Terra should let him know if he wanted something else, and he didn’t… did he? No, no, he hadn’t!
The small back-and-forth argument with himself took no more than that quiet second or two before he pushed up from his seat swiftly. “You should have told me you were hungry. I meant it when I said to tell me if you wanted anything else.” He says, tone a touch stern (grumpy) and awkward.
Let it be known: He’s not upset with Terra (well he is a little that he didn’t ask for food when more than drinks were offered!) so much as with himself for not being better at this and doing the sensible thing that seemed obvious now and getting something right off the bat.
So, feeling a little ruffled and out of his element, he was going to put a pause on the question and the conversation until this was sorted, clearly! “What do you like, and is there anything you’re allergic to?” He says, gesturing firmly to the little table menu. These are the important questions, of course!
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Blue eyes then looked up almost in an alarmed manner as the other spoke and he shook his head. "I wasn't sure if you were hungry and I'm not the type to eat in front of someone else without offering." Master Eraqus had been very adamant on manners after all. So he'd kept it inside for as long as he could because he wasn't sure what the right move was.
If only he could call Aqua.
Looking at the mage now, he shook his head. "I was going to pay for the food. I mean..it's only proper right? You already paid for the drinks, so it's only fair that I get the food."
Hopefully he was correct here although he sure was in over his head and had no real idea what the story was or how it was supposed to go. He'd come here more than prepared to pay for everything and even that seemed to be wrong?
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The explanation instead gets a quiet contemplation, his expression unchanging from its awkward and a bit sharp tone while he does… He can at least understand what the man is telling him, but he still would rather Terra have spoken up. “I meant it when I offered to get something if you wanted anything else,” He responded, sighing as his shoulder’s settled just a touch. Continuing, he rubbed the side of his head awkwardly. “I could probably use something to eat anyway,” Not entirely a lie, something small won’t hurt. He doesn’t eat as much as he probably should sometimes, as it stands for various reasons. But the point is: Terra should eat if he was hungry, and this was Waver’s way of seeing to it in hopes of not failing the date spectacularly. The way the man was built indicated to Waver that he probably had a higher caloric need throughout the day than someone like himself.
“And if you want to pay part of the tab off at the end of the night, that’s fine…” Because it sounded important to Terra and it was a reasonable enough request he supposed… “But I’m already up so you might as well tell me what you’d like.” He ended, waiting for Terra to either agree or challenge him on it since Waver was used to being challenged. Some might point out that he seemed to gravitate towards challenging people despite his complaints.
The fact that Terra wasn’t excusing himself from this whole night was honestly a pretty big shock already, if the mage was being honest.
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Terra noted the shoulders thing and the sharp tone. That meant that a second date was out then, right? THE guy almost sounded exasperated with him and he wasn't sure what to do until Waver mentioned eating. "I can get it." This wasn't a challenge so much as Terra expected to have to work and do things and pay for things and not just sit back and let someone do all of the work or just totally pay for him.
Waver then mentioned paying for part of the tab at the end of the night and he nodded. He intended to at least pay half of it if not more. So he looked down at the menu and nodded. "I'll take the bacon cheeseburger, fried cheese sticks and chocolate milkshake." That he would start with and just get more later if he was still hungry. Of course he'd get the mage anything that he wanted to. But he was just trying to play it careful here and not cause the other any more distress.
That was never on his agenda.
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Waver would be surprised to hear that Terra was thinking about a second date at all, considering how poorly the mage’s performance had been so far. That said, if there wasn’t a chance? Waver wouldn’t still be standing there trying to actually go through with the first date. He was very well known for turning people down and keeping interested people at a distance, so much so that his bachelor status and other related things were often a subject of interest. He could make an excuse to those who had set up the blind date on his end that it hadn’t been working and they decided to end the night. For reasons the mage couldn’t really explain to himself, he was invested in at least not ending the night in a total disaster.
A date with Waver Velvet was like playing hard mode on a video game.
The reply that Terra could get it is met with a roll of his green eyes and a small sigh. Like he both expected Terra to say that and that he couldn’t believe he actually did, how he rolled two contradicting energies into one reaction was unsurprising. He’s silent long enough for Terra to decide what he wanted and share that information, though, before finally speaking his mind again. “And I said I’m already up, so sit there and I’ll be back.” He responded with a stubborn tone, hair swishing around his waist as he turned quickly to head back to the counter. “Besides. I know what you want now, and you don’t know what I want. So it makes more sense.” He added over his shoulder as he departed, with maybe a tiny bit of satisfaction under the stubborn bluster.
Terra is left alone at the table to watch him go again, and when the man returned, it was balancing two trays. One with Terra’s order and one with his own. Waver’s own meal choice was a small BLT sandwich with a side of fries. Close enough to his usual preference when he was out and it shouldn’t be too much for him. Setting both down, he seemed to have pieced together a semblance of calm to mask the awkwardness for the time being. Who knew how long that was going to last, though?
“There we are, now um… What were we talking about?” His brow furrowed once he took a seat, trying to remember what they were talking about before the whole… food thing. Trying very stubbornly to get past the awkward, to act normal and not like a disaster… “Right, you asked what I taught. I’m the head of the Modern Magecraft Theories department, so I teach the fundamentals and how to explore new innovations for various kinds of magecraft in the modern day.”
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But then there was the part where the mage almost seemed annoyed with his reply. Was that wrong to want to pay for things? True, Waver had an absolute point that he couldn't debate, but then again the other hadn't been forthcoming with what he wanted to order either. So he could only nod mutely, wondering again if he was in the wrong here somehow. Terra of course noted that stubborn tone and he could get stubborn at times too if one would ask Ven or Aqua. But this was a completely different situation, setting and person.
When Waver came back, he nodded a little hopefully (maybe too much) at the meal. It looked good and he was determined to enjoy it even if he still was confused deep down. He wasn't going to bring any of it up though, he'd just simply have to wait to talk to Aqua. Maybe yet again he'd failed to learn something.
"Thank you." he replied as the other sat down. Terra had half an inkling to stand every time Waver sat but he kept himself seated.
Half of what the mage explained went right over his head, but it still brought Aqua to mind since she was more of a mage. He tried a smile after swallowing the bite of the delicious burger and wiped his mouth politely.
"Do you have a big class?"
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Alas, for Terra, she was not present. And if Terra happened to get stubborn in turn, well… It would be interesting, and certainly get Waver’s attention. Be brave, good sir. He’s a reactive and sometimes difficult man, but there is a softer layer under all that.
And since Waver felt… somewhat victorious (finally!) for successfully retrieving the meal even if Terra would pay part later, he seemed to have calmed down from his grumpy attitude a considerable amount again. So very changeable, so quick to get ruffled and just as quick to cool down. “You’re welcome. Please enjoy it.” He said, taking a bite of his own sandwich while he waited for Terra to respond to the explanation.
It gets a small shrug at first as he finished his bite. Modern Magecraft Theories was largely considered the joke of the Clock Tower, given it often went against most traditional teachings by its very definition. The class meant the world to him, though, even if he wasn’t quite so open with his feelings on that. “Its definitely grown since I started. The main class is about 30 students now and I host open lectures a couple times a month that anyone can sit in on.” Mostly mages from new families, and students who had nowhere else to go for one reason or another.
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So he nodded politely and gratefully to the mage, because he'd been so hungry. There was a lesson to be learned here for certain and he was definitely learning that he shouldn't go so long without eating, considering that he had a rigorous workout before taking a shower and heading out the door.
Terra took in Waver's mood change and wondered at it. Had the mage been hungry too and this was helping him as well? It was a good question in his mind but he didn't want to ask that because he'd be rude. And that wasn't something that Terra was unless the situation called for it. This was a date, and was to be relaxed and all of that. Or so Aqua had said.
And speaking of. "You guys seem to be pretty exclusive right? I mean, you guys don't accept fellow mages or anything right? And your magic must be powerful enough to keep yourselves safe?"
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Picking up his sandwich again, there’s a frown creeping back onto his face. The honesty is slipping through now, and it’s an honesty that gets him in trouble sometimes. “That said, the Tower doesn’t make it easy to stay if you aren’t seen as someone who belongs there. Students that don’t fit the mould have to build up a thick skin and be dedicated to pushing forward in their studies despite the challenges.” Spoken as someone who did not come from the right family… His position and situation were really rather strange to anyone who knew. “You’d be surprised how many mages with potential have ended up out the door because the Tower is too damn stupid and narrowminded to see it.” He stops short of calling it a den of poisonous snakes, even if that’s what it was like sometimes.
But talk like this meant Waver was not popular among some of his colleagues. The students, though? They’d turn the Clock Tower on its head if he asked them to, even if he was a bit pathetic and lacking in magical abilities by comparison to them. He was a good teacher and a more… accepting one. Forward thinking and not hung up on traditions. “There have been students who only ended up in Modern Magecraft Theories because the other departments wouldn’t or couldn’t have them there.” Everyone else’s loss, really.
The other half of the question is one that gets a raised eyebrow. “The Clock Tower’s security itself. It is rather impressive, I admit, but off school grounds? While powerful mages are definitely capable of protecting themselves, if they don’t have an ounce of common sense or get careless, it’s not hard to take them down. So I would say that largely depends on the mage.” Most of the mages that targeted him had more power in one pinky finger than he did in total.
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When Waver mentioned that last bit though, he stopped. Aqua might not be seen as someone who could belong? Her keyblade skills had earned her the title of Master which was no easy feat. Would that somehow disqualify her? It was another piece of information to give her though because Terra didn't want her walking into something that she might really want to do, only to be shown the door as the mage was saying.
Finishing his burger, Terra wiped his mouth and looked at the mage. "I was thinking of sending my friend Aqua. She's way better at magic than I am, but I don't want to send her if you think she'd just be wasting her time if they don't want her."
He then shook his head. "She'd be looking out for the others and the clock tower itself instead of herself."
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And the professor hated wasted potential more than anything. It irks him when people who have it don’t get the chance to grow. “It’s not an easy path, but if she has the capabilities that you say and if she has both the desire and will to put forth the effort in spite of potential obstacles, I wouldn’t say it’s a waste.” It was just a particularly challenging place for more reasons that it should be.
Considering the next comment, he brushes a wayward strand of hair aside and puts his meal on hold in favor of the matter of someone’s education. “If she did decide she wanted to know more, I could give you some materials for her to look over. And as I said, I do hold a few open lectures a month that anyone can sit in on to get a better feel for what a class is like.” It was usually full of potential students from newer mage families, and a few of his regular students that liked to sit in regardless and sometimes offer unhelpful interruptions… but that in itself was important, given the chaos that tended to plague his department.
“If she had a specific interest in a kind of magecraft that she wanted to pursue, she could inquire further with the department of her interest at that point.” Waver’s department was a bit of a catch-all that studied many forms of magic but with the intent to focus on new innovations and ways to adapt it to the modern world. He, on the other hand, had been enrolled with the Spiritual Evocations department when he was a student, and his predecessor was alive.
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Finishing his burger, he wiped his mouth and took a sip of his drink. After setting it down, Terra nodded. "I'll have to introduce you two. I'm sure you'll see she can do whatever is asked and she's definitely one with determination and grit." These were facets of her he really admired and kicked him up the rump so to speak when he felt down and lost. She'd always be there to help and so would Ven.
Blue eyes lit up at the offer of the materials, and he nodded. "I'll definitely give them to her. I don't know right now if she's interested, but if she is then we'll get her meeting up with you." He hadn't missed that other part and jumped on it too. "Do you have a set schedule for the lectures that you give? Or can you write them down on the papers so that she can attend?" Terra would be there too, to see what this was all about.
There was another nod. "That will be up to her as to what she's interested in, but I'll definitely give her a heads up. I'm sure she can go from there." And who knew? Maybe Ven might want to see what all of this was about too.
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“I’d be glad to meet her, then. At least if she does decide she’s interested.” He agreed with a small nod and continued as he picked up his drink. “I can have a small packet for you to give to her by the end of day tomorrow, if you don’t mind stopping by my department to pick them up to give to her.” Probably the easiest, he thinks, given he isn’t sure where else might be an easy to find place. “I’ll include the schedule for my open lectures as well as my office hours for reference.”
Waver kept rather late hours compared to the other instructors, between the lordship and being the head of the department he had a fair bit of work… Plus it was a habit, given how often his studies took him down a rabbit hole of one subject or another. It was not strange to his apprentice to find him there in the morning, instead of his apartment, and to need to worry over his rumpled appearance before class from sleeping in a chair.
Ven, of course, would be welcome to sit in as well if he knew about the thought. For now, though, Waver took a sip of his drink and pushed the remains of his plate aside to focus on Terra again when he realized the man had finished his burger. He’s pretty sure it’s… polite to ask your date if they enjoyed their meal, and if they wanted anything else, right? “How was it? Did you want anything else?”
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Picking up a small packet was an extra chance to see Waver so he nodded in agreement at the other's terms. "I don't mind stopping by at all. I'll just get directions and be there whenever you're ready." It was just a small thing, but he hoped he didnt sound overeager. Aqua had gone over a lot of lessons with Terra for this date and she definitely nitpicked everything to the point of Terra not even wanting to go if he couldn't act like himself. Still, her words echoed in his ears as to how to properly behave.
It would be nice if the three friends could find something else to do with their time, as a team. That had been cut short at times and it was hard whenever Aqua had anything to do using her Master rank. Ven was still wanting to get his Mark of Mastery test in as well, to see if he could attain that high and respected rank. But the trio were waiting on current events as well as making sure that Master Yen Sid had the time since it had been a long time ago that he doffed that title of Master.
Thinking on that, his blue eyes lifted to Waver's face when he asked his question. "I was thinking about getting dessert, but since you paid for dinner it's only fair that I get to buy you something this time."
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Admittedly, his schedule was one of the reasons he was a bit unsure of trying to date in the first place. He knows that busy people are often less desirable and he couldn’t really help that. In this case, he at least hoped it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Practically speaking, it gave Terra a little time to speak with Aqua about it as well, which was probably reasonable enough.
“We can figure out a time between our schedules if that works.” The Norwich buildings where Modern Magecraft Theories resided were a little out of the way, though, making them a little less convenient to get to as the larger departments. So he continued with a small tilt of his head. “I’ll send you directions to the school later, and once we have a meeting time worked out, I can have someone waiting to show you to the buildings where my department is.” Better than getting lost, given the Clock Tower was a rather large place and Terra could be wandering for a while otherwise.
Oh… Now that was a valid point and Waver knows it would be rude to counter that. The thing was, he didn’t really do desserts that often. He didn’t have the biggest sweet tooth, and preferred fresh fruit if he was going to have something at all. That said, he could almost hear Reines not only disparaging his poor manners for denying the date a dessert but also teasing him for the boring decision to not have dessert. Little sugar fiend, that’s what his sister was. “Ah, well, that sounds fair. Did you have something in mind for dessert?” He is hoping that would be the case. He can’t imagine figuring out what to choose.
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He thought that this might be a chance to introduce Waver to his little family. It made him miss Master Eraqus, who he wondered if he would approve of this man. It would be hard to say and of course with the Master gone, there was no way for Terra to find out anything one way or another. He had disappeared along with Master Xehanort after turning into children. It had been endearing, but there was so much he'd wanted to discuss with the man who was like his father.
Thinking on that, Waver piped up about meeting. Well this was about the furthering, not necessarily about anything beyond this date. Terra would clear his schedule and do whatever he needed in order to be able to meet up for another date. But that had yet to be seen. "Whatever works for you." And hopefully he didn't sound too eager. Aqua had tried to whip restraint into him too. However, after hearing about directions he smiled. "I look forward to seeing the place." Fortunately his tongue hadn't betrayed him as he'd wanted to say that he looked forward to seeing Waver again. No, he couldn't do that.
This was nice to hear that dessert wasn't pushed off, although he did have one condition. "You paid for dinner, so it's only fair that I pay for dessert." This was important because he didn't want to seem as if he was just here for the mage to pay for everything. That was rude and disrespectful.
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The condition of paying for dessert is met with a small nod. He can’t deny that it was a reasonable request to make. “That does sound fair, so I’ll agree. Did you have thoughts on what you wanted for dessert, though?” He asked, vaguely hoping Terra had an idea of what he wanted. After all, Waver wasn’t really a dessert person, but would endeavor to be for the evening at least. For the sake of not seeming rude or like a bad date, more so than it already had.
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But he felt really happy and proud of himself to be able to get the bill for the dessert. But he still wanted to give the other man an out just in case. "I'm going to have the marshmallow cookie dough cake. I can get you something too. Or I can have them wrap it for you to take home?"
He fought hard to not show how disappointing that would be.
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Terra’s decision on his dessert sounded like an absolutely sweet monstrosity. Absently he wondered if Reines would like something like that, the little sugar addict that she was underneath the proper, clever heiress of the El-Melloi’s that she was. He was going to have to find something a little less… decadent for his tastes for the sake of his stomach, and it would be rude, he thinks to simple accept dessert and take it to go. So he took a sip of his drink and pulled the dessert menu card over to look over himself. “Hm… I’ll have the berry crumble, then. Though I wouldn’t take it to go, it’d go cold by the time I got back.” He decided with a small nod.
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Trying not to fidget with nervousness was hard, so Terra tried to focus on things in the room so that he could accurately describe them later. There was hope in his eyes as he listened to Waver's reasoning and he was up as soon as the other had decided and finished speaking.
"Berry crumble, I'm on it."
And he got moving in case the mage changed his mind.
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Letting out a small sigh, he swirled the drink in front of him before taking a sip and trying to focus on anything but those thoughts, instead letting his eyes roam the variety of video game stations in the bar collection.