<span style="font-family:Cairo">If anyone had to guess what happened the moment the door was opened and the moment that Amadan’s eyes fell upon Anthony Deschenes, they probably would’ve drawn a line between the two of them and directed every other pair of eyes in that room to a point upon that line. And that was certainly what it felt like for Tony at that time. The detective wasn’t even sure whether or not he really wanted to be there. A small part of him truly did - curiosity, still some sympathy over Amadan’s forced stay in the interrogation room, and an overall recollection of Amadan’s words. Tony had felt that Amadan’s invitation to come here had been sincere even if everything else about that encounter was marked in an area of his mind that he wanted to forget. Even with that small part of him that did want to be there, though, Tony wasn’t <i>entirely</i> there by choice. He was there because in the week since Amadan’s release, nothing had changed. The department hadn’t acquired any new information about the terrorist attacks and for some reason or another, the chief still seemed to think that Amadan had something to do with it. Tony tried prying for more details as to why, but he hadn’t managed to get anything yet. That was one annoying aspect of the Austin Police Chief. He had been around Tony enough to know how to keep his emotions vague. <br/>
<br/>
It was upon the police chief’s insistence that Tony’s approach had shifted from distant observation to an attempt at more direct interaction. His distant observations hadn’t unveiled anything extraordinary. Tony would’ve thought that would make Amadan innocent, but apparently people more influential than him had decided it just made him good at hiding things. It was an argument that Tony hadn’t even bothered to start because it simply hadn’t been worth the effort. <br/>
<br/>
Although it had been the chief’s insistence that brought him there, it was Tony’s own hesitance that kept him frozen where he stood. Part of him didn’t want to intrude on what looked like a rather peaceful existence for Amadan. He knew that the stay in the interrogation room had done its damage and he feared that bringing himself into Casa Marianella would only add onto that moment. And as he stood, frozen in place for what felt like eons, the scents of all the meals that everyone had prepared wafted his way. <br/>
<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:hotpink">“You’re welcome to come in,”</span> Kelsey invited him as she realized he didn’t seem to intend on doing so at first. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:hotpink">“The food is for everyone, and so are the festivities.”</span> <br/>
<br/>
The thing that brought Tony inside wasn’t the invitation itself. Instead, it was the feeling he got from her, that she was sincere in the invitation. He could already tell why there were so many people who enjoyed this little place and what kept so many of the refugees in the area, what kept so many immigrants from fleeing. Tony’s profession put him in a position to see all the bad things that happened to people who were different, but he’d never taken an opportunity to see all the good that could also be done for them, all the acceptance that existed in various corners, even in the city he now called his home. He went inside because he wanted to see more of that, to <i>feel</i> more of it. And Tony trusted that he could keep to the truth with the chief, enough to keep more of a situation that didn’t seem to involve Amadan in the slightest from disturbing this seemingly peaceful little place in Austin Texas. <br/>
<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“Thank you,”</span> he replied to the woman. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“I would’ve made a New Orleans recipe had I known there would be food.”</span> He smiled at the thought. His mother would’ve loved if he had called asking for one of her classic recipes. She always liked receiving phone calls from her son, though, since she saw him so rarely and often worried more than he liked. <br/>
<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:hotpink">“There’s always an opportunity to bring food here,”</span> Kelsey commented as Tony walked in and as she closed the door behind him. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:hotpink">“Maybe you’ll think of it next time.”</span> And within her voice was the invitation to come back anytime because that was simply the welcoming kind of place that Casa Marianella managed to be with anyone who visited once. It was a place that loved bringing people back. It was more than a place, actually. It was a community. <br/>
<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“Of course,”</span> Tony nodded his understanding and thanks. <br/>
<br/>
Since he was there and since he was taking steps forward, Tony decided that there was nothing better than to approach Amadan directly. He could tell that Amadan was surprised to see him and that made him feel a little bit better about everything. His watching eyes on Amadan since the time that he’d been released seemed to have gone completely unnoticed and that would make the whole situation more pleasant overall - well, he hoped it would. <br/>
<br/>
First he nodded and smiled to Fernando simply because it seemed proper to greet the person he’d never met first. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“Good evening,”</span> he said as he extended a hand. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“Anthony Deschenes.”</span> His last name rolled off his tongue in the manner he’d always been taught it was meant to be pronounced even though he remembered trying to say it very differently as he’d been learning to read. <br/>
<br/>
<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">‘E’s and S’s don’t go “aay…”’</span></i> he remembered objecting to both his teachers and his parents when he’d first learned it. By now, though, he knew that there were many worse violations of the way letters were supposed to sound. <br/>
<br/>
Regardless, he shook hands with Fernando and then turned to face Amadan, to whom he extended his hand much in the same manner. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“I was thinking that this environment would’ve been much better for a first meeting,”</span> he commented. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:thistle">“I’ve only been here a few minutes and I can already tell why you like coming back, why you spend so much of your time here.”</span> He hoped it was a pleasant start to a nice conversation. <br/>
<br/>
One thing that Tony remembered, that he’d always been taught, was that first impressions were rarely ever accurate. His first impression had definitely been interesting, but he knew there was bound to be more to Amadan than that and he felt he owed at least a little bit of effort towards seeing what else there was. Accepting an offered invitation to visit this place was already starting to make him glad that he had.</span>