Phaedra did feel something wonderful about these sweet offerings.  Looking at Ky, she felt he seemed more at ease, the tension gone from the big shoulders, and a smile was actually twitching on his well-formed mouth as he regarded the women behind the counter.  She also felt a sense of well-being, her tiredness slipping away from her.<br/><br/>When the gold-haired woman returned with their plates, Ky actually took off his sunglasses, blinking as he gazed at what the woman had prepared for them.  Cerulean blue eyes that weren’t empty at all—in fact, they seemed to contain a world of secrets, secrets deep and hidden even from himself.<br/><br/>“Wow,” he murmured.  “Now<em>that’s</em>a meal.”  He looked at the woman whose name was Ari and smiled.  “Thanks.”  Maybe he didn’t say very much, but what he did say was packed with meaning.  He was beginning to realize just what sort of world Earth was, and what sort of people it contained… of course not knowing that the Corner Sweets shop was not a typical Earth bakery!<br/><br/>Phaedra’s jaw had dropped a little as she looked at the laden plates, then her face broke out in a smile as bright as a sunspot.  “Thanks so much! Oh yes, we’ll take a couple of this .. and this… and this…”  She pointed to the succulents behind the glass, not caring if she was ordering overkill for their meal.  Besides, it was better to buy too much rather than too little where Ky was concerned, and she really was determined to give the shop as much business as she could.  She opened her purse to take out her wallet, took out money to pay for their meal, dropped a few bills in the tip container, and tilted her head to one side as she regarded the other woman with a puzzled smile.<br/><br/>Most of the time she kept her empath suppressed, not wishing to pry on others and to keep the stimuli down.  But she couldn’t help sensing something different about the woman… and the shop.<br/><br/>“Thank you so much,” she repeated warmly. Then she blinked in delight and confusion as the girl called Ally granted them the two life-like sugar creations.  “Why, thank you!”<br/><br/>“Thanks!” Ky called after Ally, then regarded his catfish admiringly.  “This would look great on my desk.”<br/><br/>“I think we’re supposed to eat them,” Phaedra whispered to him.  Then, uncertainly, “Aren’t we?”<br/><br/>“You eat Wasabi. Sushi goes on my desk,” he said firmly.  He liked the catfish.<br/><br/>Phaedra had to laugh and turned back to Ari with a grin.  “How much do we owe you?”<br/>