<div class="floatleft">(http://oi67.tinypic.com/30rp8i0.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Shizuma Nori (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=257738.msg12729551#msg12729551)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Cafeteria<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Flashback - a few days before school starts, a little after 7am<br/><strong>With:</strong>Taro + Open<br/><hr/><br/>Shizuma's smile grew warmer as Taro promised to tell her if she demanded too much of him. It was important to her, she didn't want him to decide she was a handful and move on. Though they'd only just reconnected, she remembered what it had been like to care for him and how it felt as he adopted a gently protective way with her and found she really liked it. She wasn't yet able to see how much she was falling for him, but she knew she didn't want this to be the last time they shared. His confession about his parents and intimation of what his absence was encouraging made her giggle, blush darkly and look down at her feet. She wasn't an idiot, so she nodded 'yes' in agreement with him as he winked at her, looking up as he took her hand as he rose out of his seat.<br/><br/>The way his fingers twined about hers, their heat and strength made her heart skip a beat in a way that had her forget herself as they walked through the school together. As Taro led Shizuma through a tour of the school grounds, Taro kept up the easy conversation making her feel safe and comfortable, even happy to be here at Danali. Being so close to him made her feel small, delicate and cared for in a way that made her eyes sparkle as she smiled at this or that thing which he said. Even the fact that he never pushed things further told her so much as they caught up on the little things that Shizuma had missed during her time at the Institute.<br/><br/>Taro suggestion just served to remind Shizuma how isolated she'd become. She hadn't yet even attempted to call her parents out of fear of how they'd treat her. Would they take her call, how would they talk to her, do they still care for her after all that's happened - all these were things she wondered and darkened her face with the shadow of anxious fear. She missed how he tugged at the sleeves of his jacket, but the little pulling feeling brought her back to the present. She nodded and smiled shyly, realizing he was right, the past year or two had wrought changes to her body that would have her old cloths fit her too tightly and too skimpily to be appropriate. "Good point, my old clothes were from when I was still a little girl," she said, then cast him a gently questioning look as she wondered if he noticed the changes time had made to her figure beyond the pink hue of her hair.<br/><br/>Taro's offer was at once kind and shocking to Shizuma, especially as she had just admitted she had no way to pay him back. Though she didn't /think/ he was the type, there were enough folks into 'compensated dating' that the offer he made, especially after admitting he lived alone, could have been heard as an invitation to an illicit relationship. Though those doubts made her right eyebrow raise a little, her fears disappeared when he looked down at her and spoke to her in such warm and generously caring tones. "You are too kind, Taro," she said giving his hand a little squeeze. "You..." she starts to say then blushes a little and bashfully bites her lower lip. There's so much she wants to say, but so much she doesn't dare put into words. Instead, she looks up into his eyes with affection and devotion glowing in her gaze. "... will spoil me rotten, if you keep being so nice," she warns finally, mustering up her courage and a playfully sweet smile. Then she giggled and added, "though, if you're already such a good provider, I could pay you back by taking care of the cooking and cleaning..." She was joking (mostly) but subconsciously she leaned in closer to him just a bit. Not in a way that invaded his personal space but more as an invitation for him to do the same if he wanted to.<br/><br/>What girl could resist the lure of a shopping trip, especially one where a boy willingly offered himself as companion and guide to the city she'd always loved? Shizuma found herself nodding yes, even though she worried her Red Card would confine her to the school and its grounds. "You were?" She asked as he talked about them going into town, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "Thank you, Taro, so, so much," she said happily, almost bouncing in place with her  eagerness to get going. "I don't need much, promise," she said as she favored him with a bright grin after tossing her hair behind herself.