Kuram's reply marked the beginning of their game, a subtle flirtation of words and half-actions. The tension was there, but only if one squinted hard enough. It was an art, and Juniper was the unwitting admirer who'd wandered into the gallery.  "Hah, someone is confident." And why wouldn't he be? Her eyes scanned him then, from his broad shoulders to his sun-kissed hair and deep-set silver eyes. She'd spent her college life fighting monsters as a Scythe, but she wasn't blind.<br/><br/>His words were merely the truth. Handsome boy with his silver tongue and enchanting mysteries.<br/><br/>"Sounds like you and your clansmen were close. It must have been nice, fighting arm-in-arm with your family. Must have brought you all closer. I doubt I'll be able to tell mine about any of this, they'll think I've gone crazy." Juniper frowned. "Feels a lot like lying to them, but it's for their safety too... sorry, I didn't mean to remind you about your family."<br/><br/>She was worried when he grew quiet, but Kuram was quick to move on, easily picking up where they'd last left off in their game.<br/><br/>He practically confessed, and the confidence Juniper wore like a second skin seemed to melt away. She was suddenly aware of her own self-consciousness, and her heart thrummed in her chest like the steady beating of a drum. It had been a long time since she'd played the flirting game with a boy. She allowed herself to relish the sweetness he gave her. "Right, I'm supposed to believe that?" She grinned and threw his words right back at him. "Devastatingly handsome guy like you must have trouble keeping the ladies away?" And she meant it too, he had a way with words. "Anyway, that's probably because it's just easier to talk to people who've been through similar stuff."<br/><br/>She offered him a slight smile when he grew somber, turning away merely to confirm her dessert of choice on the menu.<br/><br/>"Sorry about your friends. You're definitely right though, life's short, we should live it up. Which is what we're doing right now. Dessert might not fix everything, but it fixes some things. If it cheers you up, Kuram, we can even call this a date." She grinned.