Monday, The Kitchen, Morning

Monday; the start of the work-week and the day that most working people dread to wake up to. Unlike normal where he would be working himself to the bone at the gym with his tattooed comrade, Michael was busy in the kitchen preparing some breakfast for himself and some others.

Littering the countertop were the remnants of chopped strawberries, chocolate chips and blueberries. Sizzling in the pan in front of him were small saucers of morning goodness, glowing with their golden tops once flipped.

Michael let out a hum as he smelled the results of his cooking, slipping the pancakes onto an already occupied plate of similar morsels. The pancakes were merely the beginning as he took some bacon and placed them onto the pan, the strips of meat sizzling loudly as they crackled.

"Man...Haric better not kill me over this…" Michael mused with a smile on his face, knowing full-well how unpredictable his friend could be. He would react in one of three ways; genuinely be happy about the offering of breakfast foods, reprimand Michael and work him to the bone, or both. Speaking of the devil, Michael's phone that sat on the nearby counter began ringing with Haric's picture and name lighting up the screen. Keeping one hand on the pan's handle, Michael answered his phone.

"Morning, Haric." He answered, shaking the pan back and forth and making the sizzling bacon strips sing louder as their oil began to occupy the pan. Michael could make out the loud rumbling of a motor as Haric recklessly took to the morning streets of the city.

"Hey buddy! You dressed for the gym already?" His friend shouted.

Michael looked down at the sweat pants and t-shirt he was in before answering his question. "I'm not dressed yet." He started before shifting his eyes back to his pan of sizzling meat, and flicking his wrist to flip the bacon over. In hindsight, that wasn't the smartest idea as some small drops of oil splashed out and landed on his hand. "GAH! Bollocks..!" He hissed, quickly placing the pan onto the stovetop and waving his hand rapidly.

"Oy dude! Don't go using British swears on me now!" Haric jokingly shouted on the other line. "Stub your toe?" He asked.

Gripping his hand, Michael would still feel the sting of the oil for a couple of seconds before it finally faded away. "Mmmh nope." Michael sharply spoke before taking a breath and rubbing his hand against his pants. "Just cooking some breakfast and the oil found it funny to jump on my hand."

"Ooof. I tell you man, the kitchen's a dangerous place." Haric's sarcasm was laid on thick as Michael elected to use a pair of tongs to maneuver his bacon instead of using the pan. "So since you're making breakfast, are you gonna be late to the gym?" He asked.

"Uhhhh yyyyeah…" Michael winced as he confirmed to his friend. "But I'm making pancake sandwiches..!" He said as if he were bargaining for his life against a mildly-annoyed king. "I can bring you one..!" His tempting words expertly slipped into his friend's head with the tantalizing sizzling of bacon.

Haric fell silent for a moment, the only sound making its way into Michael's ears were the hums of the model's vehicle as he pondered Michael's deal. "Hmmm...I do like your pancakes...and you didn't put syrup in them this time, right?" He asked.

"'Course not. I know how obsessed you are with your micros or whatever." Michael purposefully messed up the word, knowing Haric's response.

"It's macros you fool!" Haric returned the purposeful grammatical error with his own overly exaggerated reaction. "And sure, you can make me one if you have enough." He accepted.

"Alrighty man; I'll see you in roughly...half an hour or so. I gotta do something else first." Michael explained, to which Haric understood.

"No need to tell me. A guy's gotta take care of some things." He hinted, making Michael take his ear away from his phone and look at the screen for a moment. He could hear Haric's laughter on the other line before putting the phone back to his ear.

"Not what I meant dude." He said. Haric loved to throw in the occasional childish joke from time to time; it kept Michael on his toes when they spoke, which he enjoyed.

"I know I know. Just messing with you. I'll see you at the gym! Remember it's a pull day! Buh-bye!" Haric made a loud kissing noise before hanging up. Michael couldn't help but smile as he placed his phone back on the countertop and shook his head, returning his gaze to the bacon that was just about done with cooking. The slight appley scent would make anybody drool.

"Perfect…" Taking the bacon off of the pan, he carefully laid them straight onto a plate with a paper towel to help absorb the excess oil.

Going to the fridge, he fished out a carton of eggs and cracked a number of them into the heated pan, the yolks almost immediately turning white. As he was cooking the final component of his breakfast sandwiches, the light of an all-too familiar fairy flashed behind him.

"Morning playa-Oooooh…" Kyu sniffed the air and looked around the kitchen, eventually finding the bacon and small pancakes sitting on separate plates beside each other. "People coming over or something?" She asked as Michael quickly moved to a cabinet and pulled out a small cup. Filling it with a small amount of water, he carefully spilled the liquid into the pan and swiftly covered it with a glass lid before responding to the curious fairy.

"I'm making some breakfast sandwiches for some people. Figured I would since I woke up a bit earlier than usual." Michael said.

Kyu arched an eyebrow as she watched as the bacon lightly glistened as residual oil dripped onto the paper towels. "And I'm gonna assume that these are gonna be for the fitness-fanatic and that blue-haired chick." She was right on the money as Michael removed the top with a plume of steam rising up, revealing a group of finely cooked sunny-side up eggs.

"What gave you that idea?" Michael asked as he began building his breakfast sandwiches. He carefully folded the still fresh bacon so they fit onto the small yet soft discs of breakfast goodness. Each pair of pancakes were unique in that one pair had chocolate chips inside of them, whilst another had strawberries, and another even had blueberries!

"Well you did leave your phone on last night." She stated. Her response was simple enough for the man as he blinked at the realization.

"You didn't take a picture of me and her, did you?" He looked over his shoulder as he topped one of the sandwiches with its corresponding pancake. Onto the next ones…

"Nope. You two looked so cute that I didn't wanna spoil the moment, as much as I wanted to." She said, which made Michael relax knowing that the fairy didn't try anything cheeky whilst he was sleeping. "I'm your mentor, not a monster you know." She crossed her arms.

Michael exhaled from his nose as he finished the remainder of his sandwiches. Wrapping them in clear wrap, he let them set as he went to his room to change into his exercising clothes.

"Still gonna work out, huh?" Kyu asked as he stepped out of his room, hair tied back and glasses on.

"How else am I gonna look this good?" He turned around, letting Kyu look at the entirety of his body even though it was hidden behind a pair of track pants and a tank top.

"For someone that whines about people looking at your ass, you like to show off alot." She pointed out as Michael took the sandwiches and put them into a small carrying bag.

"Shush. I'll care if I catch them looking or they actively mention it." He stated.

"So ignorance is bliss?" She filled in.

"In that regard, yes." Michael nodded. Checking his pockets for his essentials, he confirmed he had his phone, wallet and keys before heading out of his apartment.

"Not showering at the gym either huh? You're changing things up I see." Kyu floated as Michael walked down the hall and down the stairs.

"Yep. It's nice to change things up every once and a while." Michael looked to the fairy as they made it outside. "Now I just gotta stop at one place before the gym…" He said as he and Kyu began moving down the street towards a quaint little cafe not too far from where he lived.

Monday, Nutmeg Cafe, Morning

Approaching the cafe, Michael couldn't help but smile as he could already see the distinct blue color he had grown to like. Jogging up the small staircase up to the cafe, he walked up to the door and pushed it open. As the bell rang, the blue-haired girl slightly perked up as her eyes shifted to the door.

"Welcome to-" She sounded as if she was going to fall asleep, repeating the same thing over and over would have that effect on someone. As she spoke, she quickly perked up upon seeing Michael grinning as he strolled over towards her. "It's you…" She said with relief.

"You sound relieved to see me." Michael said as he leaned against the counter, resting one arm on the top. Nikki sighed as she slowly leaned her body off of the counter, letting out a hum as she did.

"It's better than seeing one of the regulars coming to get their 'quick fix'." She said with a slight shiver at the thought of the rest of the day.

"Ohhh it can't be that bad right?" He tilted his head. Nikki rolled her eyes with a light groan.

"You'd understand if you were behind this. Things get shitty quick." She knocked on the wood which let out an audible and sturdy clonk.

Taking Nikki's words to heart, Michael stood up and walked around the counter in search of something. The blue-haired woman would ask him what he's doing only to be met with silence before he finally found the entrance on the side of the counter. Lifting up the small door that prevented anyone from leaving, he stepped in and took his spot right beside her.

"Hmm you're right...it's even nicer back here than on the other side." Michael nodded his head as he surveyed the cafe with a new perspective.

"I said it was worse back here, not better." She corrected him, crossing her arms.

"Really? I find it pretty nice." Michael pressed, turning his head to lock his brilliant green eyes with Nikki's. "Especially when someone like you is with me." He winked.

"You don't have to say that, you know..?" She sheepishly said as she looked away from the man in hopes that he wouldn't notice the pink hue that painted her pale visage.

"I know I don't, but I will anyway." He chuckled. Not wanting to be distracted from what he originally came here to do, Michael vacated the serving side of the counter and began fishing through his carrying bag for a specific sandwich. "Anyways Nikki, I wanted to give you a little something for the morning." He said as he pulled out the chocolate-chip pancake sandwich.

Nikki heard the crumpling of the plastic bag and turned her gaze to the source of the sound. The sandwich was as pristine as it was when Michael wrapped it up; the pancakes were fluffy and dotted with the chocolate chips that were baked into it. "Did...you make that for me..?" She asked.

"Yep..!" Michael grinned as he placed the sandwich on the countertop. "I don't come here alot, but I've seen the lines that form in the morning so I figured I'd make you something with a little bit of sugar in it to keep you pepped up." It was like he knew that she didn't eat breakfast this morning, so this was truly a blessing for the woman; especially with her love of all things chocolate.

"Wow...I feel a little bit bad now that I don't have anything for you…" She said as she hesitantly took the sandwich. Upon unwrapping it she was graced with the decadent smell of chocolate, bacon, eggs and pancake.

Michael shook his head as he zipped up his bag. "Don't feel bad. You're worth the time it took to make." He said. Taking out his phone, he noticed that he was running a little behind schedule.

"Alrighty, I gotta get going." He said. Just as he was about to leave, Nikki spoke up.

"Uhm if you're leaving now...maybe I'll see you later..?" She asked, unsure of what his answer could be. He was a freelance artist so an offer could come out of the blue any second-

"Sure! How about I see you after you get off?" His request was met with a nod and a soft grin.

"Yeah, that works." She agreed.

Michael grinned and waved at the woman as he placed his hand on the door's handle, pushing it. Little did he remember that the door opened into the building, so he accidentally smacked into it.

"What the-Oh." Turning around, he saw Nikki giggling at his blatant ignorance to the sign that said 'pull' stuck to the glass.

"I meant to do that." He pointed at the woman before pulling the door open and slipping out.

"Smooth moves, man." Kyu jokingly added as Michael walked down the stairs.

"Shush. It's morning." Was all he said as if it was the end-all be-all reason for his mistake. Kyu shrugged her shoulders knowing better, but didn't argue with him as they continued up the road towards the fitness center.

Monday, Fitness Center, Morning

Michael wasted no time in going to the locker room and putting his stuff away and ascending the stairs to the weight-lifting floor. Luckily for him being an hour late didn't mean much as he saw only a small number of people getting their morning workouts in. Making his way to one of the pulldown machines, Michael finally began to warm up his muscles for another session of burning and building.

Once warmed up, he shifted the weight to a heavier load than what he warmed up with and got to work. As he pulled the weight, already beginning to feel the burn in his back, he noticed Haric standing under the pull-up bar taking a swig of his water bottle. The two men acknowledged each other with an upwards nod while Haric added a wave along with his nod. Looking to his side, Haric waved at Kyanna who approached him with that same bright smile before being directed to look at where Michael was. Managing to squeeze out one more rep before taking a small break, the blond man let the weight down with an audible metallic clack; using his now free hands to wave at the Hispanic woman.

Kyanna looked back at Haric and waved at him before moving across the gym to talk to the man with the golden locks. Haric would be seen giving Michael a thumbs up as Kyanna walked away from him.

"Morning dude! Ready to get the day started?" She asked as the man brushed some hair over his shoulders.

"You know it..!" He grinned, holding his hand up for a slightly sweaty high-five to which she happily took.

"So what're your plans for the day?" She asked him. Michael sat there for a moment as he took a moment to reflect on what he was going to do on this fine Monday.

"I'm taking a small break from work, so that gives me plenty of time to do some planning." He started, catching Kyanna's interest.

"And just what are you scheming hm?" Kyanna asked, arching an eyebrow as she awaited his answer. That was when a cheeky grin formed on his face.

"You know, planning on where I should take you for our next date." He could see her smile grow at the mention of a second date; if it was going to be anything like the first then she was definitely excited.

"Oh really?" She saw Michael nod in agreement, his blond hair swishing up and down.

"Yep..! I enjoyed yesterday a lot, and I'm sure you did as well?" Michael asked.

"Totally..!" She almost instantly answered back. "Yesterday was the most fun I've had in a while. It definitely helped take some stress away."

Michael could only imagine what it must be like to be a single mother in this day and age, and he shivered at the thought of the amount of stress that would quickly build up as a result of all of that. "I'm glad that I could be of service to help relieve a bit of stress. Maybe next time I can help relieve a little more..~" He flirted with a comedic raise of his eyebrows.

Kyanna's eyes widened and she couldn't help but laugh at his flirtatious advance, lightly smacking his shoulder. "Michael..! Isn't it too early to hint at stuff like that?" She asked.

"Gotta start early. You know what they say 'early bird gets the worm'." He jokingly shrugged.

"You really have a way with words, man." She sighed.

"What can I say?" He shrugged.

"Probably say when it'll be?" Kyanna wanted to make sure she could get a babysitter if she was going out with Michael.

"Ohhhh...how about tomorrow night?" Michael asked.

"Sure! I'll make sure to get a sitter for Philip. Just in case I have to stay the night..~" She leaned down, pressing her breasts together and letting Michael get a good look down her top.

"And you got on me when I flirt…" He blushed. Kyanna giggled at his reaction, fixing her top so her chest as she stood back up.

"Just letting you know I can flirt just as much as you." She grinned as Michael reached up for the bar.

And just like that, the flirtatious air was quickly wafted away. "I'll let you get to it then. Have a good workout!" Kyanna grinned before walking off.

"You too..!" Michael's shout would transition into a grunt as he resumed his exercising. As he began pulling the weight down, his eyes wandered to where Kyanna was currently walking. It could have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw her adding a more emphasis in her steps as soon as she had her back towards him, adding more movement and flare into her hip movements.

Before he could take another second to stare at Kyanna's form, the muscles in his back began to scream with a burning sensation echoing out. He was holding the weight for a bit too long. Regaining his concentration, he blinked his eyes and refocused on the task at hand; workout or else Haric'll crush him.

Aside from small talk between the two, Haric didn't join in on Michael's workout this time yet somehow they were finished at the same time. Retiring to the locker room, Michael found Haric at his locker mixing up their protein shakes.

"Thought I told you I was gonna be late?" Michael spoke as he approached his locker. Haric waved one of his hands dismissively as his other hand shook one of his bottles.

"We get done at roughly the same time anyway and besides…" He pointed towards the small carrying bag that Michael had brought with him. "I doubt you'd be able to carry a bottle with powder in that thing even if you tried." He said.

Michael looked at the bag for a moment; his friend had a good point there. The bag was small enough to house a decently sized tupperware, but not big enough to contain what he needed for a well-needed protein shake. That's when Haric came in handy.

"Hey." Haric called to the man once again and offered one of the bottles to him, a light brown liquid swirling inside after a minute of vigorous shaking and stirring. "Let's head outside. It's actually breezy today." He offered. Upon seeing Michael take the offered bottle he knew what his answer was.

Haric's recommendation was proven correct as soon as the two sat down on a bench just outside of the fitness building; a breeze rolling through the two and even blowing some loose hairs over their shoulders. Michael breathed out as the wind helped chill their warm bodies; a fitting contrast to the hot and sweaty iron temple.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they took their time with Haric's shakes. It tasted like a mixture of chocolate and vanilla; a combination as consistent as working out together. Letting out a soft breath after swallowing another mouthful of the shake, Haric turned his eyes towards his friend with a grin on his face.

"So? How was it?" He asked.

"Hm?" Michael hummed mid-drink. Pulling the bottle from his brims, Michael licked off what moustache had been created by the liquid. "How was what? The shake? Cause you can't go wrong with chocolate and vanilla."

Haric chuckled and shook his head as he lifted his arms to rest against the backs of the bench, holding the top of his bottle with just his fingers. "No, not the shake. I know how mediocre the taste is." He said before continuing. "How was your date with Kyanna?" He asked.

Michael's eyes widened with the realization of what Haric wanted to know. "Ohhh that was going to be my second guess." He said as before quickly finishing the last of his shake and wiping the rest off his lips. "It was pretty fun." He stated.

Haric sat in silence for the next few moments, gazing at him intently. It came to the point where he lifted up his hand and started making small circles with it, "Well come on..! Lemme hear more!" He laughed.

"Well what else is there to talk about? We went on a date to the waterpark and that was it..!" Michael told him. Haric rolled his eyes in response, shaking his head.

"Dude, do you really expect me to not want to know everything that happened? And with a woman whose body is as killer as Kyanna's? Something else definitely happened." Haric said.

"Don't assume just because someone has a good body that something always happens when you go out with them..!" Michael said as he tried to hide what had happened from the man, but the piercing yellow eyes of his friend saw right through him as if he was made of glass.

"Something definitely happened." Haric's smirk made Michael finally give in, knowing that he didn't have anywhere else to go. But he shouldn't complain, he was going to tell him one time or another.

"You know me too well…" Michael would compliment his friend before elaborating further on the events that had transpired yesterday. Haric listened eagerly, not taking his eyes off his friend as Michael finally reached the 'highlight' of the date. That was when Haric's smirk transformed into a full blown grin..

"What a lucky guy you are becoming..!" Haric scooched closer and wrapped his arm around his friend's neck.

"Ah-Dude you're still sweaty..!" Michael commented, wincing his face as he was in rather close proximity to the tattooed man's underarms. Haric laughed and got a bit closer before releasing him.

Letting out a content sigh, Haric stood up and finished the last of his drink before tossing it into his bag. Turning to face Michael, he stared at him for a few seconds, his cheeky grin unknowingly softening the longer he looked at him.

"You got something to say, Haric?" Michael would ask, tilting his head as he stood up as well. His friend would let out an amused exhale; a predecessor to what his answer would be.

"Just making sure that you're still you and not some womanizer disguised as you." Haric joked.

Michael would chuckle in return, brushing some hair out of his face. "Don't worry Haric; I'm still me. As proof-" He opened up his small carrying bag and offered his friend a promised pancake sandwich he made this morning.

Haric took it, examining the contents wrapped inside before looking at Michael. "My favorite?" He asked.

"Blueberry." Michael would reply. "Not like I could forget; you always bothered my mom for them when we were kids." He mentioned.

"Only because your mom made the best pancakes." Haric would reason as he stashed the sandwich away in a smaller pocket of his bag for later consumption. "Welp, I gotta hit the road." Haric told him. "Maybe we can take some time to actually hang out one of these days." He said as he began walking away.

"I'm always here; you just gotta set the time." Michael snapped his finger, pointing at him as he walked away.

"Noted!" Haric shouted as he made his way into the parking lot. Hopping onto a black motorcycle, Michael rolled his eyes as he watched his friend slip on a black helmet with cat-ears sticking out of the top.

"That Haric?" Michael turned and saw Kyanna walking up to him.

"Mhmm. Almost forgot he had that." He replied. Seeing the two, Haric waved his hand before revving his motorcycle and riding away.

"So you're done too?" Michael asked.

"Yep! I have work today so I gotta go home and get ready." She told him. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She grinned.

"Wait a second..!" Michael suddenly stopped her. Reaching into his bag, he fished out the final sandwich he had; a strawberry pancake sandwich. "Here; I made some of these this morning and figured you should have one too. It's a strawberry pancake sandwich with bacon."

Kyanna's eyes lit up as she was offered the breakfast food. "Dude, thank you so much..! I was running a little low on fuel after that workout..!"

"Let me know what you think; when you have the time. Do it on your break or something." He playfully advised. Kyanna giggled as she fiddled with the wrapping of the sandwich.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll catch ya on the flip flop! Can't wait for our date..!" She beamed before quickly heading off.

"Take care; I'll see you later!" Michael returned before making his way back to his apartment to freshen up and change.

Monday, Apartment, Afternoon

A shower was definitely something that he needed after a harsh workout session; and with nothing to do after that shower, Michael made the choice to lay on his bed and stare up at the ceiling. There was something on his mind that he couldn't take his mind off of since last night. As he was in his thoughts, Kyu made herself known with her typical teleportation, floating above the man.

"What's good playa? Shouldn't you be out with one of the lovely ladies?" She asked.

"Mmmh...just thinking." He stared up at her, lifting his head so he could rest it on his hands.

"Abouuuut..?" She moved so she was floating with her belly facing the floor. It was like she was laying on an invisible bed.

"Have you...ever seen anything weird on the beach?" He asked.

Kyu arched her eyebrow, "Where'd that come from? The blue haired girl?"

"Her name's Nikki, and yeah." He corrected her.

Kyu rolled her eyes and smirked at Michael's defensive response to her accurate description. "Come to think of it, when I was out when you were sleeping one day I did see someone walking around on the beach." She explained.

Michael's eyes lit up once he heard her answer; aliens did exist! Though he shouldn't be as excited since he was talking to a literal fairy. And there was more!

"And I also found this...thing when I was skinny dipping one day." Reaching into a pocket that was somehow in her rather skimpy attire, she fished out a strangely shaped device. It was a pink sphere floating between two metallic triangles, a strange hum emanating from the contraption that was no bigger than his cellphone.

"What..?" He didn't know what he was looking at, and his curiosity was getting the better of him as he reached up to try and take the device from her grasp, only for it to be quickly pulled away.

"Ah-ah! Don't touch. I found it." She said. Michael rolled his eyes; he was going to have to trade for this huh?

"Sooo...what do you want?" He asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" She smirked, knowing exactly where he was going with this.

"What do you want for it?" He was truly curious about it to the point where he was willing to part ways with anything in order to get a closer look.

Kyu floated about for a moment as she pondered her possibilities; she could get anything she wanted from him! His computer? His tablet? His-

"Want my porn mags?" Michael offered. If she was a cat, Kyu's ears would've perked up and her eyes would go wide.

"You sure? You've been using those for years." She made herself sound like she was having second thoughts, twirling one of her pink locks in her fingers.

"Just take them. I wouldn't be surprised if you had already been taking them so just take 'em and gimme." He lifted his hands and opened and closed them, wanting to hold the device. Kyu couldn't deny the treasure trove of naked women hidden inside of his closet, and now it belonged to her!

"Niiiice, I know what I'm doing tonight. Here ya go." She put the device in his hand and went over to his closet to collect her due.

The device had a bit of weight to it along with the constant humming that came from the sphere; the triangles shivering against his palms as Michael sat up to get a better look at the device.

"So you just found it floating in the water?" He asked, looking over to find Kyu pulling his drawing boxes out of his closet.

"Yep..! Thought it was a weird vibrator because it shook a bit..!" She said between heavy tugs. Michael hummed before looking back to the weird thing, running his fingers along the interconnecting metal pieces of the triangles.

"Need help?" He saw the fairy having some trouble with the box and sat up. Kyu took her hands off of the item and waved them, signalling for him to not assist her.

"I'm good..! Just gotta put some...elbow grease into it..!" She resumed her tugging of the heavy box across the floor. Seeing her struggle was enough for Michael to put the strange device on his nightstand and help her.

"You're gonna scrape up my floor." He said as he squatted down and lifted up the box of her desired goods, carrying it out of the closet and placing it in the center of the floor.

With the box of goodies now in her possession, Kyu was sitting on her knees as she fished out the magazines that were hidden underneath a canopy of highschool memories. Michael took a moment to look at the papers that had been moved aside by the fairy before returning to his nightstand and lifting up the unknown machine. His analyzing wouldn't last long as he felt his stomach grumble.

"Guess I can look this over a bit later." He said before putting the device into his pocket and marching his way to the kitchen for a much needed lunch.

The meal he made was simple enough with some stir fried chicken breast along with some green beans and rice; an effective, simple and tasty lunch. As Michael was looking at his phone as he stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth, Kyu floated over to the table and took a seat across from him; magazine in her hands as she didn't read, but more or less mused about the unmentionable things she would do to the women on the paper.

As he was scrolling through his phone, he made the choice to go into his contacts to see if there was someone he could chat with to kill some time before Nikki got off of work. That was when he saw Aiko's name once again and a smile grew on his face. He knew where he was going next.

"What's with the smile now?" Kyu asked right as Michael forked some green beans and rice into his mouth. An inconvenient timing. The man covered his mouth as he sped up his chewing before swallowing and providing his answer.

"Just thinking about paying someone a visit when I'm done eating." She smirked, turning her eyes back to the magazine.

"Gonna pay that milf at the bar a visit?" She asked. "I saw the way you ogled her tits when you met her." She grinned, reminding him of another woman whom he had to eventually hook up with.

"No, not her." He shook his head. "I'm thinking about heading to the campus to chat with Aiko." He would see Kyu's smile grow; knowing that she has a massive girl-crush on the professor she wouldn't complain.

"I guess that smile means you're coming along?" He chuckled as Kyu answered his question with just a lock of their eyes. Once he was finished eating, he got his stuff and stepped out from his humble abode.

Monday, University Campus, Afternoon

The campus was bustling with students as one would expect on a Monday afternoon, all of them dressed in their school's required uniforms. Michael was one of the people that stood out amongst the white and red, electing to wear a black short-sleeved shirt with golden vines forming small spirals around his torso.

Kyu floated alongside the man as they strolled through the campus, the both of them scanning the area in search of their favorite sarcastic professor. While they walked however, the love-fairy was a little confused as to why Michael had decided upon visiting Aiko instead of staying home and working. It was a welcomed change for sure, but it was certainly different from what she was accustomed to seeing Michael doing.

"Hey Michael, I got a question for ya." Kyu said. Michael turned his head slightly with a hum, lending his ear to the fairy.

"What's up?" He responded quickly so as to not let the passing students surmise that he was a man talking to himself.

"So why aren't you at home working right now?" Michael tilted his head for a moment in response to her question, tapping his chin.

"I don't have anything to work on right now. And I'm also letting my wrists have a break from constant work." He would massage his left wrist for a moment to provide emphasis from his answer. "Carpal tunnel syndrome is a thing and I'm too young to be getting it." He added as they kept on searching.

It would take them a few more minutes before an all too familiar two-toned head of hair was visible to the both of them with her typical white shorts and white jacket. Michael took the moment to see what Kyu was doing and when he turned his eyes all he could see was a big grin and glistening eyes.

"Her back's turned, man." She schemed, looking at Michael with that grin of her's. "You should slap her ass." Michael blinked at her absurd plan followed by an arch of his eyebrow.

"Dude...We're on a campus." He spoke as if that was the only reason as to why he wouldn't walk up and grab a handful at this moment.

"You're point..? She likes being choked, remember?" Kyu countered.

Michael shook his head, pushing his glasses up to rub his eyes. "That's not the-mhhh…" He exhaled. "I'm not doing that." His answer made Kyu groan, knowing that if she were in his position she would go right up and grab the biggest serving of ass that she could. Instead of that though, Michael went for a bit of a more normal approach.

Since Aiko was looking the other way, the tall man hunched down and tip-toed his way over to her. And right when he was practically on top of her he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Guess who..~" He sang. The sudden embrace made the woman jump, quickly looking to the direction of the voice with wide eyes.

"HOH!" She shouted as she realized that it was simply Michael hugging her. "Shit...don't sneak up on me like that..!" She whined, causing the man to chuckle as he pulled her back against his chest.

"Glad to see you haven't forgotten me." Michael joked, resting his chin on top of her head.

Aiko could feel his heart beat against her back, feeling that same warmth that she felt in the night. Taking his arms, she pulled them apart and slipped from his grip before turning to face the man.

"And what makes you think I'd forget you?" She asked. Before Michael could answer her however, he was pulled down so she could whisper into his ear. "That night was one of the best I've had in a while." Once she pulled away she saw his ears light up like they've done before, making her giggle..

"But no, I wouldn't forget you a few days after fucking you." She waved her hand. Seeing a nearby bench become available, the pair took their spots and continued their talk.

"So what've you been doing? Get into any more trouble with the girls?" Aiko joked as she relaxed against the bench.

"Not really. I've just been going to the gym and working for the past few days." Although Michael said that, it was like he was made of glass since Aiko continued to stare at him for a moment longer than normal with a grin on her face.

"Having fun with the new girl?" She asked. Michael took a second to think of what she meant by the 'new girl'. She couldn't mean Kyanna, right?

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You don't have to hide stuff. She's the girl at the gym right? Hispanic with big tits?" Aiko was dead on with the general description.

"So you saw her huh?" He didn't know what to say, especially with how well she saw through him.

"Yep. She's a looker too; the tits on her are something else; good job pulling her." She said with a nudge of his arm.

"Thanks..?" He wasn't sure how to act since she knew who Kyanna looked like. "How did you know..?" He followed up.

"Oh that? I go to the gym sometimes too, you know? And she tends to talk a lot with this guy with tattoos." She explained.

"Ahhh I got it now." Michael nodded. "And what've you been up to? Got any plans coming up?" He asked, moving the conversation to her now instead.

"Ehhh kind of. I have some plans with my girl friends tonight. Hopefully it'll be fun." She groaned.

"I'm sure it will be. With someone as fun as you, I'd say that I'm a little jealous that I won't be joining." His complement didn't fall on deaf ears as Aiko exhaled through her nose, pushing her glasses up, a grin on her face.

They sat there in silence for a few more seconds before Aiko hit him with one of her trademark questions. "Did you fuck her yet?" She asked.

Michael quickly turned his head as if he were going to snap his neck. "That came out of nowhere."

"What? I wanna know." She shrugged.

He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. But I think it'll be soon." He explained.

Aiko chuckled, stretching her arms over her head and standing up, the sound of her phone's timer signalling to them one thing. "Damn, and right when I was about to give you some tips too." She joked, fishing her phone out and shutting off the timer.

Michael stood up and dusted off his shirt, looking down at the short woman. "It was nice seeing you." He said. Aiko brushed some hair from her face before reaching up and putting a hand on his neck, pulling him down. Moving quickly, the professor took the chance to steal another taste of the man's lips and leave him with reddened cheeks.

"It was good seeing you too." She would return the sentiment, even going so far as to steal yet another kiss from the man before releasing his neck. "You better be a good boy out there." She teased before leaving him.

"You know I will." Michael teased back, kissing his hand and blowing it at the woman. Aiko grabbed the air and waved as she walked back towards the main building, disappearing behind its doors.

"C'mon, let's get going." Kyu told him. Michael listened to her choice to leave the campus, looking back at the building one more time before walking down the road and heading home to wait for Nikki get off of work.

After spending some time at home, Michael slipped out of his apartment for the second time today, this time without Kyu in tow.

"You sure you don't wanna go?" Michael asked as he stood at his door, pushing his glasses back up.

"Nah you go on. I've got me some reading to do." Kyu shouted from his room.

"Better not do anything on my bed!" He called to the pinkette before dipping out of the door.

Monday, Nutmeg Cafe, Evening

Now at the cafe, Michael took a seat at one of the empty tables outside of the cafe as he waited for the blue-haired girl to step out of the building. With the fear of people seeing the weird device, Michael only thought about what the machine was used for.

"It's not anything I've seen…" He mumbled as the device subtly vibrated in his pocket.

"You're just sitting out here?" Michael was pulled from his thoughts by the monotonous voice of a certain blue-haired woman. Turning his eyes towards the door, he saw Nikki exiting from.

"That isn't a problem, is it?" A smile curled up once he saw the blue-haired woman approaching him.

"I thought you'd be too busy with work or something to think about me." Michael was confused by what Nikki had said as she stood by his table. Standing up, he lifted his hand and poked the center of her forehead.

"Don't say things like that, Nikki." He rubbed the tip of his finger into her head for a moment before she grabbed his hand and pushed it to the side.

"Yeah yeah, I bet you say that to all the girls." She would say as they began walking away from the cafe.

Michael shrugged his shoulders and moved his head from side to side. "I say that to everyone regardless." He told her, moving a hand up to push some hair from his face.

Nikki blinked for a second as the significantly taller man slipped his hands into his pockets; the primary reason being that he wanted to suppress the possible noise the vibrating of the mysterious device emanated. She gripped her hands against her shorts as they walked while his kind words swirled through her head. The silence was quickly severed once again by none other than the golden-haired man once he noticed where they were walking.

"Sssoooo where are we walking?" His voice brought the focus back into the shorter woman's eyes. She looked up from the black asphalt her introverted eyes had befriended, a light drone leaking from her mouth as she took in her surroundings once again.

"Uhhh...It's Monday right?" With the combination of waking up early for work and staying up late playing video games, along with unscheduled naps throughout the day her sense of time was slightly skewed. She looked up at him expectantly, almost as if she was predicting him to snarkily mock her less than preferable sleep schedule. What she got instead was a pair of green eyes staring down at his hand as he counted his fingers.

Michael was seen mouthing the days quietly as he poked his fingers. "Yyyyes..! It's Monday." He smiled once he had his answer. Upon looking at Nikki, he was met with an arched eyebrow and a relieved grin. "What?" She was definitely wrong about him judging her, in fact it seemed to be the other way around.

"Did you really not know what day it was?" She asked, her voice shaking as she tried to suppress a giggle; finding him counting his fingers to be quite humorous to her. Michael pursed his lips once he heard her slight giggling, squinting his eyes at the girl.

"Don't judge me. I zone out when I work and the next thing I know I have to wake up in an hour." His attempts at justifying his reasons for staying up late did the opposite of what he wanted and had Nikki giggling. Her soft laughter was slightly suppressed by her hand coming up to her mouth.

"Mmmh..!" His overexaggerated hum had gotten Nikki to slowly stop laughing, letting her inhale before he resumed his questioning. "So why did you need to know what day it was?" He asked. Nikki then turned her head to the sky and found it to be just about completely dark orange as the Sun was setting without a cloud in sight. Michael copied her, staring up at the nearly featureless sky above.

After confirming that the day was going to be mostly if not completely cloudless, Nikki looked back to Michael who was still looking at the sky. "I was planning on going to the beach tonight to relax." She finally told him. Michael was still looking up at the sky for a few seconds longer, giving her ample time to get a good look at the man's features. A complexion as clear as can be and gorgeous blond hair that bounced whenever he took a step; why would such a good looking guy even think of talking to a boring and shy girl like her?

He tilted his head down after finishing his viewing of the sky, locking his green hues with her blue orbs. "Really..?" He asked. "I guess it makes sense since the beach is pretty empty on the weekdays." Quickly answering his own question, he continued walking with her even once they had reached the hill that revealed the boardwalk and beach.

"So I'm guessing you're tagging along?" She asked. Michael nodded his head as they began walking down to the boardwalk.

"I think so. Am I?" He countered. Nikki wasn't used to people asking permission to hang out, even though she asked just this morning if she would see him later.

"U-Uhhh...Don't you have work to do..?" She quickly asked, unsure of what exactly to ask so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Huh, I thought I told you last night that I was done with working for now." He couldn't quite remember if he did tell her that or not since last night was rather pleasant for the both of them and that there were so many things said.

"Maybe...I don't really know." She shakily said. Why was she acting like this around him of all people? All of the guys she had interacted with before didn't make her stumble over herself as much as Michael did.

He didn't pay her not knowing any mind as he smiled. "So is that a yes to me staying with you?" He asked. He saw Nikki fall silent as she contemplated her answer until looking up at him and giving him a nod.

"Nice. Now thennnn…" Michael stared at the almost unoccupied boardwalk, contemplating on where to go before he felt his own stomach tense slightly and let out that trademark gurgle that meant only one thing.

"Hungry?" Nikki was the only other person to hear the gurgling, so her question was answered by Michael sighing. Curse his metabolism. "Cause I'm in the same boat as you." Now their first mission was set; find a stand with some good food for the both of them to enjoy. Lord help Michael if Haric caught him eating the greasy food from this place.

Monday, Turtle Bay Beach, Night

It took the two a few minutes to find a suitable place for the both of them to eat, but they settled on a stand that sold fried food. A boardwalk classic.

Nikki was walking with a sturdy white and red food basket with chicken tenders seated on a bed of fries. As she crunched through the golden, oily skin of the chicken, Michael was walking beside her with three corn dogs slitted between each pair of his fingers. In his other hand was a plate of funnel cake for the two to share as desert for later on.

As the pair perused the boardwalk, enjoying their fried goods ,the Sun was starting to lower more and more under the horizon and darkening the sky even more. Nikki couldn't be more relieved to feel the heat of the merciless star begin to subside the further it dove.

"Huh, the Sun's already setting." Michael pointed out, turning his eyes directly towards the dropping star like the utter genius he was.

"Good. I burn like shit." She said before crunching down on another small handful of fries, taking enjoyment in the flavor that the combination of salted potatoes and fried chicken gave her.

"You're telling me. I'm British. Burning is practically in our genes." He joked. Even though he said that, he hasn't felt the effects of being in the Sun for more than a couple of hours yesterday which was weird for him.

It wouldn't be much longer before the Sun had fallen far beneath the horizon, stars slowly appearing within the brilliant dark purple canvas of the night sky.

Nikki saw the stars emerging from the darkness and nudged Michael's shoulder to get his attention. He turned his head and she found him with half of the second corndog in his mouth, rendering him unable to speak for the moment.

"Tch…" She exhaled as she turned her eyes to the beach. She didn't need to say anything as Michael acknowledged her with an audible hum as he bit off half off his meal. As if on reflex she reached her hand up to try and grab his shirt so she wouldn't lose him, but caught herself last second and quickly pulled it away which made the man tilt his head as he followed her onto the soft sands.

The beach was lit by rows of torches that were far enough from the water so that they wouldn't be knocked over or extinguished; a quality that served its purpose well as the two marched on the sands toward the edge of the beach.

"Look at that…" Michael spoke as Nikki continued to eat her food. She could feel the comforting heat of the sands permeate through her shoes, helping her relax before she elected to sit down on one of the wooden beach chairs that occupied the area. Luckily for them there was a small circular stand between two chairs which was perfect for it to hold their food.

Taking a seat beside her, Michael was able to finish his final corndog in just a couple of bites, sliding the sticks into his empty pocket for eventual disposal while Nikki was practically done with her food as well. Placing her basket on her lap, she turned her eyes to Michael and pointed at the funnel cake he was holding this whole time.

"You can put that here so you don't have to hold it." She advised, pointing down at the wooden stand. Taking her advice, Michael placed the plate between them and right as he did Nikki dove her hand down and tore off a piece of the treat. Michael did the same, stuffing some of the sugary treat into his mouth as he turned his eyes to the sky.

"So do you come out here to just relax and look at the stars..?" Michael asked once he was finished with his small mouthful of funnel cake.

"Not particularly…" She answered. "It's...well…" She knew that she spoke to him last night about the paranormal and aliens last night, but she was still shaky about telling him it regardless of him already knowing.

"Oh..!" Luckily for her Michael had connected the dots. "It's to try and see aliens, right..?" He held a hand over his mouth as he turned to face her, muting himself from anybody that could be walking around on the beach. His answer was confirmed with a nod as she pointed up to the sky.

"Other than the sighting that you talked about last night with the blue-skinned one, did you see anything else?" Michael asked as he took another piece of funnel cake.

Nikki didn't take her eyes off the sky as she stared out into the sea of stars, searching for anything that would be considered unordinary. "Nothing was going to top that, but I think I saw a space-ship or something go by where Jupiter is." She would answer.

Michael shifted his eyes from the sky back to Nikki. "Really..?" He was responded to by a nod followed by her lifting up her hand to point to where the subtle glow of the gas-giant was.

"Yep. Right over there." She had the glow of the planet locked into her memory, knowing where exactly to look if she wanted to find it.

Michael followed where her finger pointed and squinted his eyes, but found nothing. "Uhm...lemme see…" He adjusted himself and leaned closer to Nikki so his head was basically resting on her shoulder, using her finger as a sight to try and find where Jupiter hid. "How do you even see that..?" He asked.

Michael was so close that she could smell the apple-scented shampoo he used, it was definitely more enjoyable than the frequent smell of coffee or fried food she had come to know. "You get used to it…" She felt her cheeks heat up subtly due to how close he was. "I've been stargazing for a few years now."

"Ohhh..!" Michael pulled himself away from her side, giving her some space. Since they were on the topic of space-ships and space in general, a question popped into Michael's head.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to visit other planets in the future?" He asked.

"I mean...we have managed to reach the moon in a few years. I think we will eventually." She answered, taking another piece of funnel cake to fulfill her craving for sweets.

"I think so too...If I ever get into a serious relationship, I hope my children get to see that happen." Michael mentioned. Nikki listened intently once he mentioned a serious relationship, hinting that he might be looking for something more in the future.

"A serious relationship..?" She asked. "You mean you haven't been in one before..?" She was confused since she thought a guy like him would have definitely had a girlfriend more than a couple of times by this point. That was greatly amplified when she looked over to him and saw the man shaking his head.

"Not really. I tend to keep things on the casual side of things." He admitted.

"Really..? So you fuck the girls you meet and leave them?" She cut to the quick with what she wanted to know, wanting to make sure that her time wasn't going to be wasted on a jackass.

The look on Michael's face read one of confusion and admittedly a little bit hurt by her question. "What-No..! I'm not some jackass that leaves the girl after that." He told her. "I'm honestly completely fine if that happens or not..." He explained.

Nikki gulped as she loaded up her next question, one hand gripping her shorts as she inhaled. "So...if that happened between us...what would you do?" She asked.

She saw Michael blink his eyes as he registered her question. "I'd still find the time to see you when I could. I'm not some asshole who'd disappear from your life as soon as I'm done." He spoke. She could hear how softly he spoke, and the look in his eyes revealed to her just how honest he was being with her.

"So...are you talking to anyone else right now..?" She asked. She heard Michael breathe in as he was prepared to answer, and right then she could tell what his answer was.

"Yes...I am." He responded. However, instead of her exploding on him like he had expected her to, he was just bathed in silence as he looked at her and saw her eyes trained on him.

"Then...am I just another girl for you to date..?" She asked. She could feel her heart shiver when she asked that question, her throat tightening and feeling herself slowly crack. Michael stood up and walked around the chair so he was in front of her chair.

"No. You aren't." His voice was still as soft as ever as he continued to talk. "You're someone whom I've come to like talking to over these past couple of days…" He then took a step back in the case when she wanted to leave. "And I understand if you would want to leave...I won't stop you." At this point he couldn't see her eyes as they were hidden by her bangs, but he could tell that she was let down, even disappointed with hearing this.

Holding his breath, he waited for a slap in the face for being a pig, or a kick in the balls. Anything to indicate her anger towards him. Nikki stood up from her seat and quietly walked up to him. Instead of lifting her hand or pulling a foot back, she elected to walk forward and press her forehead against his chest.

"Nikki..?" He spoke out to her, but the only response she got was her pulling her head back and lightly smacking it against his chest. He felt her hands grabbing at his that hung by his sides, nails lightly dragging against his skin as she wished to grab them. Lifting them, she took them and gripped them tightly.

"Are you going to leave me..?" She asked, her hands shaking as she gripped him with all her might.

"...No. I would never…I promise." His response was hushed, enough for her to listen. He let her hold him as tightly as she could, even going so far as to bruise him if it was enough.

"You better not do some stupid shit…" She quietly threatened, her shaky voice barely audible over the crashing waves.

"I'll still be here when the Sun comes up..." Michael pulled one of his hands out of her grasp and brought it up to her chin and tilted her head up to lock their eyes. He saw the remnants of tears shimmering in the moonlight and he felt his heart shake. His thumb moved on its own and brushed against her cheeks, wiping away the remnants of her tears and eventually just cradling her cheek. Nikki reached her empty hand to hold his wrist as they stared into each other's glistening jewels. They stood in the quiet for who knows how long, the only noise being the crashing waves against the shore. It would finally become time however to release his hands, despite how much she wanted to keep holding onto them.

Pulling away, Nikki lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes free of anything that might've gotten into them.

"I think I'm done for the night…" Nikki stated, turning back around and facing the man.

"Are you sure..?" Michael asked upon noticing the marks.

"I think all that food we ate is making me tired…" She said as she lifted her arms up to stretch herself out.

"True...That was quite a bit we ate, huh..?" He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah…" She awkwardly spoke, turning her eyes away from him. If the silence could write, it would have an entire library made by now.

"So...I'll see you tomorrow..?" He asked. Despite the moment they just had, he wanted to confirm for himself if Nikki wanted to keep talking to him.

His nerves would be quelled when he saw her nod her head. "Yeah...I'll see you tomorrow, Michael..." She turned and began her walk to her home, leaving the man alone.

He took in a deep breath and let out the loudest sigh he could, reaching down to grab the empty plates and trash that he and Nikki had accumulated. "I promise I won't leave you…" He spoke to himself as he walked over to the trash can near the changing rooms. As he was tossing the trash away, the quiet was quickly subdued by the quick shifting of sand, accompanied with the loud thuds of something moving across the beach.

"Who-What..!" Michael perked up, looking towards the source of the sounds. Looking past the trash can, there was nothing hiding behind the container. Stepping back, the swishing of sand had quickly returned and the sudden feeling of grains of sand falling on him had Michael in a panic. His heart raced just as quickly once he heard the sound of something landing behind him.

Turning slowly, he trailed his eyes up from the sand and what he found truly had him shocked. A pair of thigh-high blue latex boots were a start, but the further his eyes travelled, the stranger things had become. The latex boots led his eyes up to a white and blue dress that had a window to reveal a deep blue cleavage. Peaking out of the being's shoulder-length snow white hair were a pair of matching blue horns. Finally there were the burning orange eyes that glared right into his emerald hues, focused and unwavering.

"Uhhh..." Michael was at a loss for words as he was standing in front of what could only be described as an alien. "I come in peace..?" He squinted, turning his head in case she decides to abduct him or vaporize him.

Her calculating stare was directed down towards his pants; specifically one of his pockets. "I believe you have something that belongs to me." She sounded like she had a firm grasp of his language with the way she articulated herself.

Pointing towards his pocket, she continued. "I know you're hiding it in your clothing. You might as well reveal it." She would recommend. It was clear she didn't want to harm him, but didn't mind threatening to get what was rightfully her's.

"O-Okay...just don't do anything." Michael raised his hands, unsure of what action she would take since this was an encounter he was sure nobody had before. Reaching into his pants, he fished out the vibrating device and lifted it up. "You mean this..?"

Shifting his eyes back to the alien woman, he saw her eyes light up and focus on the device. "Exactly. That is a critical component to my ship's engine. How did you get that?" She arched an eyebrow. Working purely on assumptions, Michael's conjecture could only be that her ship might have malfunctioned in some way and ejected what he was holding.

"Well...I...guess I just found it around here." He covered for the love fairy this one time. 'You owe me, Kyu.' He thought as the alien stepped closer to him. She was surprisingly taller than he thought most aliens he thought of but still marginally shorter than him; he never thought that a buxom woman with blue skin and horns would be the first alien he'd see.

"Damn...how could I be so careless?" She hissed to herself, resting her thumb against her chin. Her anger towards herself quickly subsided however, regaining her calm demeanor. "I'll be taking that back now." She said while extending her hand.

He complied with her wishes, handing the engine piece to the lady. "Sure...don't know why I'd need this."

Her serious demeanor melted away for a second as she gave him her thanks. "Thank you...your cooperation is appreciated." She gave him a thankful grin before taking a step back from the man. "It would be wise for you to forget that this encounter ever happened." She said as she began her trip back to repair her damaged ship.

As she disappeared into the night, Michael couldn't get out of his mind what had transpired. He was approached by a shockingly beautiful alien woman, and now she was going to leave just as fast as she appeared. This was going to be the biggest stretch that Michael had ever made.

"Hey-Hold on..!" He called in the direction of where she left. "I didn't even get to know your name..!" The seconds that passed felt an eternity. Luckily his words did not fall upon deaf ears and the sound of shuffling sand tickled his ears once again and loe and behold, the alien woman appeared around the corner with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, you're back..! Didn't really expect that…" He mumbled as the extraterrestrial gal approached him.

"You said that you wanted to know my name. Why would you want to know that?" She inquired followed by a cross of her arms underneath her more than generous bust.

Now was the time to test if his charm was good enough to work on a being that was literally from another world. "I would definitely be doing myself a disservice if I didn't tell you that you were one the sexiest things I've seen." He wasn't wrong; her tight fitting dress left little to the imagination, especially around the chest where her dress had an open window to view her voluptuous bust.

His words clearly got a positive reaction from the woman as she gasped from his compliment. "I...oohhhh…" She was at a loss of words, her voice shivering like a leaf for a moment as she pulled her eyes away, turning them to the ground. It was a clear contrast from when he spoke with her moments ago. "You really think that I'm attractive..?"

It was obvious that she was blindsided by his words, and with her question it was time for him to layer it on. "The night sky's enjoyable to watch, but with you here I'd rather spend my time looking into those gorgeous eyes of yours."

The alien lifted a hand and brushed some hair from her face with a sheepish grin as she pulled her eyes off the sand and stared at Michael. From what she could see in comparison to other humans, he was definitely better looking. With his golden locks and emerald eyes he was an eyecatcher by her standards.

"Well, I suppose you aren't too hideous for a human." She giggled.

"Aww, thanks. Not being seen as very hideous is a good step forward." He joked.

Although she was confident in that fact, she was still unsure whether she should stay in contact with this human. "I don't know...this is going against my better judgement…" She stated. "Not to mention that it goes strictly against protocol." She added.

"How does it go against that exactly?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"In order to keep my identity hidden, I need to have as little contact with the indigenous life of a planet as much as possible." Her explanation was justifiable since who knows what would happen if somebody else wound up finding her. Michael didn't want to think of being subjected to whatever scientific methods government officials would do to her.

"Understandable...but how would anybody know..?" He asked. "And besides, I could teach you about human culture if you want since I guess you're a little bit stuck here." He added.

"Mhmm you do have a point; how would Command ever find out anyway?" she nodded in agreement. "And I might as well enjoy myself whilst I'm here." That was when she had settled on her decision with a steadfast grin along with an extension of her hand. "Alright then, you just made yourself a new friend. My name is Celeste."

Relief swept over Michael as she finally gave him her name, and such a beautiful one at that. "It's a pleasure to meet you Celeste." He happily took her gloved hand in his, shaking it. The material of the glove was most certainly some form of latex, but also somehow had a leathery feel to it as well. "You can call me Michael."

"The feeling is mutual." She replied. Before anything else could be said, Celeste had to inform the man about a specific quality that her people have. "If you'd wish to visit me, try to find me later on in the day." She stated as they released each other's hands. "My people are nocturnal and besides, it's too risky to be around in broad daylight."

"I guess that would make sense huh?" Michael chuckled as he leaned against the building for the changing rooms.

"Mhm. From what I've researched about humans, rumors tend to spread rather quickly so I would like to negate as much of that as possible." She said as she moved herself so that she was beside one of the many palm trees that were growing around the beach, positioning herself so that the boardwalk could barely see her.

"Tell me about it. It would also help to know that once a picture begins circulating through the internet there's no way that you could remove it." He could remember time and time again where somebody's career had met an unfortunate end due to the spreading of a picture taken at an inopportune time.

"Ahh the internet...the invisible highway in which most information is transferred, correct?" She kept her eyes on him for confirmation, but confident in her definition.

"Pretty much. It's a useful resource to us in how we communicate as well." Michael nodded. She was more knowledgeable than he had previously given her credit for; he was there to confirm whether she was right or not. Not that he minded.

"So Celeste, I'm a little bit curious about something." Celeste perked up once Michael was hinting towards an upcoming question.

"I'm sure you must be curious about me…" She gave him an eager look as she awaited his question.

"Since you've been here, what've you come to enjoy so far?" She was stuck in a rather populated city, so there was an array of activities to be part of whether it involved going to the carnival, gambling, or maybe just relaxing at the hot springs; there was always something for everybody once they stepped foot into Glenberry.

Celeste didn't take long to respond, possibly due to being mostly stranded and restricted to the beach. That was going to be something Michael will have to fix soon enough. "I enjoy swimming in your planet's ocean. Everything is frozen solid on my home planet." She spoke.

"Your home planet's frozen..?" he was confused since how could life manage to flourish into a species so closely similar to humans..? The universe is a strange place to live, that's for sure.

"Indeed. My planet, Tendricide, has been frozen for as long as I can remember. It's a cold, dangerous place; but it's home nonetheless." Michael nodded, slowly sinking down until he was seated in the sand, listening intently to what Celeste had to say.

"Wow...I'm guessing since it was such a dangerous place you'd have to take some pretty risky jobs too right?" Michael continued with his questions, clearly interested in learning what there was to know about the Tendricidian.

"Without a doubt. I was first merely a protector of my city, but once I was given my own vessel I had elected to enlist in becoming a galactic bounty hunter. The best in my sector, I might add." She added with a small swish of her hair, sporting a confident grin as she explained her job history to the human.

She saw that Michael was taken aback once again by her response. Then again, it wasn't every day where someone could talk to a being not of their own planet, let alone befriend one.

"Now then, I think it's my turn to ask you a question. I'm rather curious about you." Celeste started.

"Go on ahead and ask away." Michael welcomed her question with an open mind, willing to answer whatever it is the woman had wanted to ask.

"Out of the four seasons on your planet, which is the one that you most prefer?" Michael stroked his chin, moving his shoes above the sand as he made his answer.

"I would say winter is my favorite. I've always liked drinking some hot tea when the temperature outside starts to drop." Celeste nodded her head, agreeing with him in the choice of season.

"It's also rather easy to warm up than to cool down, correct?" She continued.

"Unless you want to pay for a visit to cryotherapy specifically to cool yourself off, yeah it's harder to get cold when it's blazing hot." Michael could see the look of curiosity on Celeste's face. He found it cute as she locked his answer away.

"Onto a question that goes further than your planet…" He guessed in his mind that it was going to be something about space, to which he was going to be proven correct. Hopefully it was going to be something that he knew.

"Staying on the subject of the cold, what do you call an object that consists of frozen gases, rock and dust?" Michael arched an eyebrow at her sudden astronomical query, but luckily for him it was mostly common knowledge. At least he hoped it was common knowledge.

"Pretty sure that's a comet." Celeste nodded her head at his answer, happy that he got the simple question correct.

"That was a rather easy question, but you're correct. I'll make sure to ask more challenging questions in the future." Her saying that meant to Michael that they were going to be seeing each other more, which was great for him since he was having just as good of a time with her as he did with Nikki. But sadly, as the night went on Michael was finding himself slowly beginning to fade and so he pushed himself back onto his feet and dusted off his behind of any sand that had clung to his pants.

"Do you plan on leaving?" She asked, seeing as Michael was fixing himself up from having sat for so long.

"Yeah...I can't stay out here all night unless I want to get kicked out." He explained as he finished wiping some sand off of his hands and fixed his glasses.

"That is true...And I'm starting to feel rather tired myself." She added to her comment with a stretch. As she saw Michael readying himself to leave, a question arose in her head.

"Michael, do you have some way that I could communicate with you from a long distance..?" She asked.

"Hm..? Yeah, I have a phone." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the mentioned device, handing it to her as soon as she held her hand out for it, knowing what was going to happen next. With a couple of taps against the screen of his phone, she handed it back to him with a grin.

"I've given you my contact information so that we could talk whenever we aren't here." She explained as Michael slipped the phone into his pocket with a thankful smile.

"Good thinking. I can't wait to talk to you some more after this." He said.

"The feeling is mutual; I'm anticipating our next meeting." She smiled as Michael began stepping away.

"I'll see you later, Celeste..!" He waved his hand as he started making his way back to his apartment.

"Rest well..!" She called back before quickly ducking back into the dark. With that engine piece she had been given, she could finally start working on repairing her ship. It was going to take some time, but thankfully Michael was going to be there to provide some much needed company for the Tendricidian. And with how long they sat around talking to one another, it was going to be an enjoyable experience to say the least.

Author's Note: And so another chapter is done and a new girl has been introduced! The white-haired bombshell bounty hunter Celeste has joined the cast of girls that our blond protagonist has befriended! Next chapter is going to be Kyanna's and Michael's special night, and then after that we'll be moving onto Nikki! The stage is set and now I just need to write it out! As always, feel free to leave a review on this chapter and tell me what you think! Everything helps! Welp, until next time, have a good morning/afternoon/night!