Wednesday, Morning, Apartment

Michael was still resting after a night of fun, his smooth locks spread out like a ragged fan draped over his pillow. The only cause for him to stir on his rest day was the sound of thumping feet as his late-night partner was putting her clothes back on.

Green hues slowly emerged, finding the gorgeous Hispanic woman slipping her yellow leggings on before turning around and spotting the waking man.

"Morning man..!" Were the first words he would hear from the cheery woman. Michael on the other hand was starting to lift himself out of the bed, brushing his curtain of golden hair out of his face so he could see her clearly.

"Going to the gym..?" He asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"No; I forgot that Tiffany has classes today and I need to get back home." Michael hummed out in acknowledgment to Kyanna's reason, taking a deep breath. Looking around the floor near the bed, his discarded boxers laid within the pile his pants and shirt made from the night before. Feeling himself waking up, Michael slipped out of the bed and grabbed his dirty clothes, putting them into his hamper before going to his drawers to pull out a fresh pair of boxers. As he was dressing himself, Kyanna looked back on the night's events and her smile grew even more.

"Thanks for letting me stay over last night, man." She approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around him in a tight morning embrace. Michael's breath was vacated from his lungs when she hugged him, making his eyes widen for a moment as he spoke.

"Hooooh..! No...problem…" He heaved out before grabbing her hands and loosening them for a second to get his breath. As her grip loosened, he took the moment to turn around and wrap his arms around her as well. "If you want, we can always do this again." His inviting words were like a hand as they urged the woman to look up at him.

"I guess you'd enjoy that?" She playfully giggled as her eyes locked with his. A flirtatious smile fell upon Michael's face as his hands rested on her lower back.

"Only if you're feeling really stressed. So you better work hard to get what you want." His words were strangely encouraging, reminding Kyanna of their conversation during dinner.

"Don't worry, I'll try the hardest I ever have..!" She told him before tightening her arms once again. Michael wheezed but quickly followed up with a tight hug of his own. With how hard Kyanna was holding him he wouldn't be surprised if she lifted him up and swung him around. After a few more seconds of intense hugging, the two broke their embrace and began walking to the door.

"Want to walk me out do you?" Kyanna asked, giggling as Michael was still in his boxers.

"Well I'd like to get one last look at you before you leave." He said as they approached the entryway, Kyanna slipping on her flats.

"I'll see you at the gym later right?" Her question would make Michael shake his head as he needed to relax his body.

"Not today unfortunately. It's a rest day." With how Haric has him working out, he would have three days of working out, one day of rest and rinse and repeat.

"Ohhhhh, well I'll make sure to say hey to Haric for you." She said as she grabbed the door handle. Before she left, Michael lifted a hand and urged for her to come over one more time.

"What's up?" His intentions would be made as he pressed his lips against hers once again, pulling a squeak out from the woman. Her eyes closed as she pushed against his lips before quickly pulling away.

"I'll see you later dude..!" She waved.

"Give Philip a big hug for me." Michael waved back.

"Definitely..!" And with that, she slipped out the door and left the man alone in his apartment once again.

Michael was standing in the entryway for a moment before a light shiver made goosebumps form on his skin. Looking down, he remembered the fact that he was still wearing just his boxers.

"Guess I should get at least a little cleaned up." Stepping back into his room, he fished out some proper clothes and a towel before making his way to the bathroom to get himself ready to take on the day.

A shower truly was what he needed especially after a night of love-making with one of his two gym partners. Feeling refreshed and clean of residual sweat and what other bodily fluids, the next task of the day was to make some breakfast. Since he could take a little more time for himself, his choice of breakfast was none other than a plateful of pancakes, cooked sausages, eggs and orange juice; a stereotypical breakfast but a good one.

As Michael had just finished preparing his breakfast ensemble, as if on cue, Kyu had popped into the main cooking area of the kitchen, expecting her client to be there.

"How's my superstar-wait. Where..?" She looked around the spot before turning around and finding the man of the hour at the table with a smirk on his face.

"Wrong place this time." He called to the fairy right before taking a sip of his orange juice. Kyu rolled her eyes as she floated over and pulled up her chair, taking a seat across from him.

"Oh ha-ha." Sarcasm dripped from her tongue like water as she got herself comfortable, crossing her arms as she checked in on the man.

"Soooo how was that Kyanna girl? Sweaty I imagined." Kyu quipped, getting an arched eyebrow from Michael in return. But it wouldn't take long for his face to relax and lean his head from side to side.

"Things did get sweaty if that's what you were getting at." He thought back to last night and how sweaty things indeed got. It was a pleasurable experience no doubt, and that shower that morning was definitely something needed. He just needed to wash his sheets some time today.

"Ooooh my little boy is turning into such a man..!" She joked. Michael rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his breakfast. Although he had only slept with two girls, he hadn't seen the fairy as often as he did when he was out meeting ladies.

"So what've you been up to anyway? You haven't been hovering over my shoulder as much as you were a while ago." He pointed out.

"My guy, there's a TON of virgins out there remember? I know you want to keep me all to yourself, but I have multiple clients I work with. You aren't missing me are you?" She floated over and rested her head on the back of his chair, gazing down at the man's golden head.

"Mh-mh." Michael hummed, shaking his head before swallowing his mouthful of food. "I just wanna make sure that you're actually using those mags you got from me instead of letting them rot in a corner." His response caught Kyu by surprise since he wasn't that forward when it came to talking about sexual things such as the magazine-trove he had traded to her.

"Nope don't worry buddy your pretty little head, those magazines are seeing some serious use." She whispered into his ear, resting a hand on his head as she spoke. Michael winced when she spoke into his ear, making a strange bolt of lightning tickle the center of his back. The mentioning of the magazines reminded Kyu of the mysterious device she had given him; looking around she noticed that it wasn't in sight.

"Hey dude, what'd you do with that weird thing I gave you?" She asked since it wasn't like she could call it and hear it ring.

"Hm..? Oh-That thing..!" Michael blinked as he remembered the all too important piece that brought him into contact with the gorgeous Tendracidean. Looking to Kyu, he readied himself as he began explaining to her the events that led up to him meeting the alien bounty hunter. As he spoke he could see Kyu's expressions changing from bored to interested as he mentioned the planet she was from; it seemed she was familiar with that place.

"Ohhhhhh you managed to get yourself a Tendracide babe!" She cheered. If his neighbors could hear her, Michael would have been evicted the moment she stepped foot into his apartment. "So, did you get some of that space-tang yet?" She immediately followed.

"No, I did not get 'tang'." Michael formed air quotes as he answered her, watching as her expression sunk slightly. "Oh don't look at me like I'm a disappointment. Do you expect me to get into her pants on the first date or something?" He asked.

"Eh, wouldn't hurt to give it a shot." She shrugged. Shaking his head, Michael ran a hand through his smooth locks as he continued.

"Kyu, it would hurt. Wanna know why? She's a bounty hunter; and that means she's armed." He stated. The fairy groaned, leaning herself against his chair.

"Dude, you're acting like she's gonna blow your dick off as soon as you make the wrong move. Hell if you catch her in heat she literally wouldn't let go of you!" Michael blinked at the mention of a specific cycle.

"They...She has heat? How do you know that?" He asked.

"I've seen a lot of shit in my three-hundred years buddy. We don't just help humans out." Was all she said, patting his shoulder. Their breakfast conversation would end there as Michael finished his meal and cleaned up his spot. Grabbing his phone, he sat down in his work chair and scrolled through it and found that the weather was more than tolerable and was perfect for him to go outside and do some drawing.

"Hmm...I guess I can go out to the park today." Michael quickly settled on his plan as he opened one of his drawers and pulled out his sketchbook and moved to his closet to grab his carrying bag.

"Heading out to find some models to draw?" Kyu asked as she followed Michael to his door.

"It's been a couple of days since I drew; I wanna get something down." He answered as they slipped out of his apartment. With his bag resting across his shoulder, Kyu followed the man down the stairs and out of the building into the warm air.

Wednesday, Dawnwood Park, Afternoon

The leaves of the overhanging trees shivered against one another as a breeze swirled through them, chilling whomever occupied the park. Michael was one of these people. Strolling through the tranquil area, Michael was shifting his gaze around in search of his next target to draw; it could be anything. He just wanted to get something onto his paper and his imagination would take over.

His eyes scrutinized the park in the hope that he would come across a detail he had yet to discover. Since he's lived in Glenberry for some time now he had gotten himself accustomed to the characteristics of the park, whether it be the neatly paved and detailed walkways to the structures and sculptures that had been erected to give this place a more standoffish quality, he had seen a lot.

"Suppose the sculptures can work today." Michael shrugged as he leaned his back against the railing and pulled his sketchbook and pencil out of his bag. Falling silent, the empty air was filled with the scribblings and quick strokes of the artist as he drew the sculpture that stood before him. It was an abstract conglomeration of shapes, light from the Sun hitting different areas of the sculpture; a perfect subject to study lighting on shapes that are this complex.

Focus wavering, Michael started tapping his foot to a song that was playing in his head as he drew, starting to bob his head to the imaginary beat. He tapped the tip of his pencil against his paper while his eye darted back and forth from the sculpture to his drawing.

"Nope. Shading's wrong on this one…" He spoke aloud, erasing small bits of the drawing and starting anew. His words had caught the attention of someone however as he resumed his drawing. It wouldn't be long before the person had made themselves known by calling out his name.

"Michael?" A familiar monotonous voice spoke out from behind him, making the British man quickly blink his eyes and turn to see who called his name. The park was separated to two levels, multiple staircases located all over the property allowed people to transition onto the lower area at will, and the one that called to him was found sitting on a bench on that lower level. A pair of blue eyes met Michael's, hidden behind a pair of black glasses as she stared curiously at him.

"Oh-Hey Nikki; I didn't see you down there..!" Michael grinned, waving his pencil at her as he closed his sketchbook to give the lady his attention. "And that's not a height joke by the way." he clarified, urging Nikki to roll her eyes and grin at the man's words.

"I wasn't thinking of it as a tall joke; but now I am so thanks for that." She crossed her arms. Michael's expression softened as he walked towards the staircase to join the lady on the lower level.

"Aww don't be mad at me for that." He quickly joined her, taking a seat beside the girl and placing his sketchbook in his lap. Nikki couldn't help but notice the book, getting an idea of what Michael was doing out here.

"Drawing something for work?" She pointed to the sketchbook. Michael looked down at the item, messing with the cover of the book when she mentioned it.

"Nah; the weather was nice and figured it had been a couple of days since I drew some of the scenery and whatnot." Michael explained. Opening the sketchbook, he presented Nikki with various small sketches of animals, plants and architecture alike. She could only be described as impressed as she saw the amazing detail he had put into some of these drawings, seeing the sheen of the feathers on one pigeon sketch in particular.

"These are like...stupid-good." She said as she reached to turn the page of the book, her hand accidentally tapped his and like a hermit crab, quickly retracted it.

"Thanks…" Exhaling from his nose, Michael slipped the sketchbook into Nikki's lap and let her peruse it at her own leisure, letting her see the works he had scribbled up so far. Each page was dated by hand; the first page revealing the beginning of the year and each subsequent paper after the first followed the calendar until today which signified the halfway point in the year. If Michael was anything, it was consistent.

Nikki couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at how lifelike these images were; the man was able to sketch animals and plants to the smallest highlight on their fur or dew drop on their leaves. It made that small bit of pride in her art shiver at the sight of these drawings, feeling she was a mere hill seated beside Mt. Everest.

"How long did it take for you to get this good..?" She asked, tilting her head to ask Michael as he rested his back against the bench.

"How long..?" Michael leaned his head down as he dove into his brain, attempting to remember just how long ago it was since he picked up the pencil. "Not sure exactly, but I was a kid when I started."

"Oh...wow…" His response made Nikki's shoulders slump; she had hoped that he had started a couple of years ago to give her hope that she could reach this level of skill in a moderate amount of time. Michael tilted his head, seeing her eyes fall back down to the image of a highly detailed flower. "You make my stuff look like a first-grader's…" She mumbled. Shaking his head, Michael scooted closer to Nikki and leaned forward so that he was in her vision.

"Nikki, I assure you that your art is better than you think." After speaking he saw the girl scoff, brushing her bangs from her face.

"I doubt that. Just look at the detail-" Before she finished speaking Michael held his hand out to the woman.

"Show me what you have." Nikki arched an eyebrow, shutting his sketchbook.

"What do you mean? Like, my art?" She clarified. Michael nodded his head, curling his fingers repeatedly.

"Yep. Show me some of your art; I wanna see." He repeated.

"Okay...I mean, don't be surprised at what you see. I know it isn't great." Nikki exhaled from her nose and fished out her phone. It was clear she didn't want to do this, but for some reason she decided to listen to him anyway. With a couple of taps against the screen she turned the screen towards Michael with a red hue of embarrassment fading onto her cheeks; what would he think about her drawings? She's only been doing this since the beginning of highschool, so Michael has more of an edge on art than she ever could since he's definitely been doing this longer.

"Can I ask you something Nikki..?" Michael spoke as he turned his eyes from her phone. Nervous couldn't even begin to describe how she felt; she had always been insecure about her art and kept it to herself, so showing Michael this was definitely out of her comfort zone.

"What?" Inwardly she braced herself for the laughing that was inevitably going to come from the veteran artist. She was stupid to even come out here since the guy definitely lived close to the park. He was going to laugh at her just like Audrey does. She should've stayed at work-

"Why do you put your art down when you make such fantastic work?" He spoke with a soft smile on his face. The image displayed on her phone was the picture of a beautiful landscape with a large planet blended into the sky. Nikki did enjoy the fantasy genre a lot after all.

The blue-ette blinked her eyes at Michael when positive words flowed from his mouth instead of the typical toxic sludge she's gotten from the feisty red-head. Her negative thoughts always managed to find ways to slither into the forefront of her mind, clouding her head with anxiety and horrible assumptions. When that question hit her, she was lost in how to respond; resorting to blinking her eyes and trying to spit something out.

"Just look at the detail here…" He pointed to her phone while moving his finger in a circle over a specific place in the piece. "There isn't that much, but that's good since it's doing its job in directing the eye towards the main object." Michael explained. Nikki was at a loss for words as the veteran artist explained his enjoyment of her piece. It took her a few seconds to regain herself, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked over her art.

"Well you're just seeing my landscapes...my figure and human drawings are shit." She sighed. Michael agreed with her, placing her phone back in her hand as he crossed one leg over another.

"I know what you mean. People can be such a bitch." His sentiment was agreed upon as Nikki nodded her head. Turning to face the woman, Michael had a smile on his face as he spoke. "And I mean drawing people being a bitch, not actual people being a bitch." That look of lost confidence that he saw on the woman's face had disappeared, replaced with a gentle grin as a result of his previous quip.

"I know, but people can still be a bitch." She looked back, her lips curled into a small smile. "Are you cool with me asking you something?"

"Ask away; what's on your mind?" Her glasses hid a mild curiosity behind those black frames, and Michael wanted to indulge in that with her.

"What's more important to you: looks or personality?" She asked.

"Mmmmh…" Michael bounced his foot up and down, cradling his chin between his thumb and index finger. Looks were a factor in who he wanted to talk to, much like everybody else even if they didn't admit it. "Personality's a pretty big factor for me. Looks can only get you so far." He meshed with a variety of people, but there are times where even second guesses himself on the people he meets.

"I know right? My friend Audrey is hot, but she's such a bitch." Nikki nodded.

"But with that being said, I don't make judgements on people until I've known them for a bit. After that I choose whether or not to keep talking to them." He elaborated. Now that Nikki mentioned her, Michael remembered that he had the number of that woman on his phone. She never texted him and he didn't go to the places that the huniebee displayed, so he wasn't that bothered with interacting with her.

"So I guess I'm fine since you're still here, huh?" She asked. They've talked rather frequently these past few days and she didn't admit it to him but she enjoyed their talks when they happened.

"Yep..!" He lifted an arm and draped it behind her shoulders, moving so he was right beside her. "You're chill for the most part and I like that." She could smell the soap and shampoo that he used this morning; being so close to him started making her pale skin become splashed with pink.

As he spoke to her, an idea sprouted into his head; an activity that they can both enjoy. "Hey Nikki, you play games a ton so maybe you can answer this for me; do you know any arcades around here?" Her eyes quickly lit up as that question registered, tilting her head up and to the side to answer him.

"Yeah; there's this place not too far from the beach actually that has a lot of the old fighting game cabinets and some of the newer ones too..!" Her answer was almost instantaneous; a testament to her addiction to retro media and video games in general. Michael could see the enthusiasm radiating from those sapphire jewels as she described the building.

"You sound pretty passionate about that place. Must be good." He spurred Nikki on to continue spouting her love for the arcade.

"It's great! We should definitely go there some time." Michael smiled inwardly at her offer, loving how different she was acting to when he first met her at the nightclub.

"I've got time since I haven't opened commissions yet." The sight of seeing his workstation so empty was a bit of a bother to him, so he was thinking about opening commissions again to get some more work in. Dating was fun, but drawing brought him a different kind of joy.

"Uhm...Tomorrow can work for me. I don't have work the next day so I'm fine." She planned on staying out late with him, and that didn't bother the man since it had been a while since he stepped foot into an arcade. Just as they were going to continue talking, Nikki gazed at her phone and noticed that the time had flown.

"I need to get back to the cafe. My break's done." She explained to the slightly disappointed Michael.

"Aww that's a shame." He whined as she handed him back his sketchbook and stuffed her phone back into her short's pocket. As she was walking away, Nikki turned around to make sure that their plans were agreed upon.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She saw Michael give her a thumbs up with a grin.

"It's a date..!" His more than audible call to her made the girl's face turn red; she didn't want anybody to hear that she was going out with this looker of a man. Nodding her head quickly, she turned and began quickly walking back to her workplace.

As Michael opened up his sketchbook and continued drawing, Kyu floated down and sat beside him. He saw in his peripheral vision the pink fairy gaze at the man's work so far before turning her grassy green eyes upwards to his.

"You're a natural at getting dates now, aren't you?" She jokingly asked.

"I've learned from the best." He replied, pulling his eyes from his work for a moment to lock them with Kyu's.

Unlike previous times where Michael elected to leave once he finished talking to a girl, this time he had chosen to stay at the park and continue spending his time drawing whatever he found interesting. Kyu and him chatted as he worked, lowering his voice when the eventual jogger passed by. Soon enough however the Sun was starting to sink into the horizon, bathing the park in an orange glow that pierced the canopy of the various trees surrounding the area.

"Hm...getting late." Michael noticed, closing his sketchbook and tucking it into his bag.

"You're not going home yet are you? The night hasn't even started yet!" Kyu encouraged him, directing her arms to the city and urging him to stay out.

"I guess I stay in my room a lot so why not..?" His relenting made the fairy pump her fist as he fished out his phone for someone to talk to.

"Maybeeeee...the bar." He said as he spotted that a beautiful blond woman and her yoga instructor of a friend were occupying the Bar and Lounge.

"Ohhhhh good choice..! Drinks always help loosen people up." Kyu followed Michael as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, knowing where the next place he was going to was.

Wednesday, Bar and Lounge, Evening

Stepping through the door, the familiar smell of alcohol quickly entered Michael's senses, making the man blink as the door closed behind him. Although it was a weekday the bar was nowhere near empty as he thought; people scattered throughout the bar whether they were lounging at the tables or enjoying a game of pool or darts with friends.

"Shouldn't be that hard to find those two; would be next to impossible to miss the racks those two are carrying." Kyu said as she floated beside her client as he stepped further in.

"Dude, I'm not some connoisseur that can tell who a woman is based on their chest." Michael quietly replied, rubbing his hand across his mouth to it. He didn't forget that he was talking to an entity that only he could see, so he made up ways of hiding his mouth as he replied to her.

Kyu shrugged her shoulders with a conflicted sigh and shake of her head. She didn't believe him for a second considering his last two partners. "I don't know man. You peek down at their chest from time to time." She pointed out.

"Fine then; test me on some of the girls." He narrowed his eyes towards the fairy. His fiery words didn't quell Kyu's joking manner but she did cross her arms at his request.

"Test you? Alrighty, but you'll need to reach back a bit for this one." She warned. Based on Michael's confident yet burning eyes he was ready for whatever that might come. "When you first met Jessie, what did I tell you?"

Michael tapped his chin for a moment, thinking up an answer. "You mean other than 'Milf alert'?" He arched an eyebrow, a snarky smirk hidden behind his hand as he saw Kyu roll her eyes.

"Lemme be more specific then, Mr. Smartass. What did I tell you to do when you met Jessie?" Her rephrasing didn't give Michael much ammunition to sarcastically answer with this time, so now it was time to test his memory. Their meeting was more than a week ago, but he could still remember the smooth and sultry tone of that blond seductress.

"It was to be aggressive, right? No nice-guy BS?" Michael had merged both Haric and Kyu's tips into his answer, and judging based on the nod of the fairy's pink head he was right.

"Not bad. I'll need to hit you with a harder question next time." Kyu grinned, boosting Michael's confidence a bit more as he huffed out his chest.

"Told you." His comeback was quick, but his snark would cease for the moment as he seemed to have caught the eyes of the pair he was here for.

Jessie was seated at the bar in the same attire Michael saw her the night they first met, a glass of white wine nestled in her fingers as she smiled towards the man. Beside her was none other than Beli, dressed in her red sari and purple dress with a glass of a dark red liquid standing on the table. Michael didn't hear Jessie, but he saw her mouth moving, her head tilting quickly in his direction before Beli leaned in her seat to see what she was talking about. The yoga-enthusiasts lips curled into a grin as she spotted the man, waving her hand softly towards the man.

"It's showtime." Kyu patted his shoulder. "Remember, don't lose your cool..!" She said before floating back and letting Michael step forward.

"You got it, 'boss'." Michael sarcastically whispered loud enough for Kyu to hear him before approaching the women at the bar. He didn't see it, but Kyu shook her head with an audible chuckle before disappearing in a pink flash.

Beli watched with a gentle smile as Michael waved his hand despite already having the duo's attention. Taking a seat beside the yoga instructor, Michael saw Jessie staring at both him and her friend, not taking her eyes off of them as she took another sip of her beverage.

"Is there something on my face..?" He asked, ushering Beli to turn and answer that question herself. Her delicate eyes scanned his visage and found nothing out of place; no blemish, no scratch.

"I don't think so. Did you feel a bug on you?" She was curious as she tilted her head curiously, continuing to scan his face before their eyes connected. Michael shook his head, looking at Jessie as the predatory-blondie eyed the both of them with a grin.

"No, but she was eyeing me up a bit. Just wanted to make sure nothing was on me." The mention of her friend reminded Beli who pulled her out to the bar for the evening. She saw Jessie resting her head on her hand, gazing at the two fondly with a carefree grin.

"O-Oh, right..! Jessie, this is...an acquaintance I met at the beach." Beli introduced him, lifting a hand and presenting the man to her blond friend. "He also took one of my yoga classes, but I haven't seen him after that." Turning to Michael, she saw him wince in fake pain at her words.

"Oof... your words hurt, Beli. I thought we were at least friends." He huffed. Not a second passed before he saw her eyes widen in concern for the man.

"Oh-I'm sorry..!" She spoke. Seeing how his joke triggered some form of protective instinct in the woman, Michael quickly cleared his throat with the wish to clear the air as fast as he could.

"I'm fine..! I was just joking." He told her. They could hear Jessie giggling behind them as she twisted her wine glass from left to right.

"You two are so fucking cute." She cooed. Training her eyes on her girl friend she quickly noticed the pink hue sinking onto her cheeks, her eyes quickly darting to look away from Michael's direction.

"Don't say that, we're just friends." Beli spoke back.

"But didn't you just say I was your acquaintance?" Michael chimed in, reminding Beli of the words she had spit out not even two minutes ago.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Michael. She tends to mess up her words when she's blushing." Jessie's teasing remark only worsened Beli's situation as her cheeks darkened, lifting her hand to hide her face from Michael's stare as he leaned forward to try and see what Jessie mentioned.

"But moving on…" His eyes were taken off of Beli and back to the blue-eyed beauty who was now wearing a pout. "Why haven't you been to more of Beli's classes? You'd see me and even more pretty girls if you did." It sounded like she was trying to tempt Michael into taking one of the woman's classes once again. He couldn't lie, seeing how after the class he felt more limber than if he did his own stretches at home.

"What can I say..? I've been a busy man these past few days." He shrugged his shoulders, making the bag that hung across his shoulder rustle and bounce up and down. Jessie seemed to take notice of it, pointing a finger to the bag. With Beli noticing it as well, the pair's curious gaze urged Michael to take out the sketchbook that lay inside, allowing the two women to take a look at what was scribbled onto the pages.

Beli's amazement couldn't be contained as the two women gazed at the pages of the book. Jessie simply gazed at the paper with a smile as she let Beli speak for the both of them. She went on about how detailed the pictures were, turning to Michael with a question in mind.

"These are beautiful…" She hesitated before speaking. "Uhm...what is it that you did again..? It was being an artist, right?" She sounded unsure-nervous even as she asked the man. "Sorry if I forgot…" She timidly spoke. Michael shook his head, waving his hand at Beli's apology.

"Nothing to say sorry for; we haven't talked in a quick second anyway. But yeah, I'm a freelance artist." He simply spoke, Beli sighing as she had almost forgotten what his profession was. Michael didn't care if people forgot what he did; as long as he knew what it was then that was all he needed.

"Ooooh an artist huh?" Jessie spoke as Beli looked to take a sip of her own drink. "I'm something of an...artist myself." Her voice took a sultry tone at her quip, her friend's eyes widening at her statement. Before Beli could say anything Michael nodded his head, interested in Jessie's line of work.

"Really now..? What kind of art do you do..?" He asked, not knowing the reason for Jessie's ever growing smile as she answered.

"I don't do the drawing, I'm more of the canvas. Most of my clients love using white." She ran her finger across her lower lip, her blue eyes gazing into Michael's..

"Ohhhh...so you do bodypainting? That's pretty neat..!" Oh how dim the man can be at times, and he wasn't even drinking anything; there are just moments where someone can be unexpectedly ignorant. This was one of those moments.

"Jessie..!" Beli whined towards her giggling friend. As Michael saw Beli's reaction, he slowly connected the dots in his own mind about what Jessie was talking about. She wasn't a model for bodypainting...but that was one of the various scenarios that Jessie had performed.

"Oh come on Beli, you can't blame me for making some lighthearted jokes." Jessie giggled once more. As Beli spoke to the woman, Michael continued to connect the dots as he stared at the blonde lady. Those piercing blue eyes were so familiar to her, and that length of golden hair; if it were longer he'd easily confuse her for Tiffany. Wait…

"Ohhhhhhh that makes more sense." Michael's outburst didn't go unnoticed, making Jessie giggle even more. At this point it was unknown if it was the alcohol making her giggle so much or she just found Michael's response that humorous.

"Caught red-handed huh?" Jessie hummed. She believed he was still stuck on what she said, but unbeknownst to her Michael had just figured out that he had met her daughter yesterday. It definitely felt weird talking to Tiffany's mom knowing she was an 'adult artist', but didn't want to mention her daughter to her for fear of making the situation unbearably awkward.

"Okay, can we move onto something else please..?" Beli quickly cut in. Jessie shrugged her shoulders, waving over the bartender for another glass of wine. As Jessie was getting her cup refilled, Beli turned to face Michael. He stared at her sudden turn to him, arching an eyebrow.

"Hey, can I ask you something..?" She said. Michael didn't know what she would ask, but surely it wasn't going to be anything outlandish considering her cool, yet timid nature.

"Sure, ask away." Michael welcomed her request with a grin.

"Will I be seeing you in the studio soon? Aiko's saying that she needs a partner. I don't get it since I don't do partner yoga." She asked.

"Hmmm...I know I'll be at the gym tomorrow...Sure, I'll stop by." Michael nodded which made Beli's lips curl up into a soft smile. Jessie had overheard their conversation and chimed in, her glass now full once more.

"You should definitely come tomorrow. A ton of hot girls come out at night for the class. You'll love it." Her words attempted to spur the man on, but he was already set on going whether or not there was a hot woman there. But this was as good a time as ever to let loose another playful verse.

"Oh I'll really be there now. How am I gonna miss a yoga class with two beauties like you?"" Michael's playful words made Beli blush slightly and Jessie hum a soft giggle.

"Glad to hear it." Jessie spoke. The trio continued to talk for another few minutes before Michael inevitably checked his phone and saw the time. Jessie whined as she saw the handsome man stand up, taking his sketchbook off the table and tucking it into his bag.

"Aww, already leaving..? The night's still young…" Her eyes practically begged for him to stay.

"As much as I'd love to stay and hear you two talk, I've got to get home." He stated. Beli was the faster of the two to bid him farewell.

"I guess since you're a freelancer you don't really get days off, huh?" Beli asked.

"Kind of. I've gotta get home and get ready for things I have to do tomorrow. Have a good rest of your night, you two. It was nice talking to you..!" He told them. With a saddened whine, Jessie waved at the man along with Beli as he stepped away from the two and left the building with a soft smile on his face.

"Enjoyed talking to those hotties did ya?" Kyu asked as she popped back next to the man.

"Mhm. Now I have more stuff to do tomorrow...Maybe I should open up my commissions again. Give myself some more stuff to do." Michael mused as he and Kyu strolled across the street towards the park.

"Why're we going through here? You didn't forget something did you?" Kyu asked once again.

"Nah, it's just shorter than going around the park. Besides, there's plenty of lights so we can see just fine." He told her, pointing to the park and proving his point as the multiple lamp posts that dotted the property lit up the area; not leaving one spot unlit.

Wednesday, Dawnwood Park, Night

Strolling through the park at night gave off a feeling of surrealness; a sensation similar to walking through the halls of a school after hours. The setting was still familiar, but the lack of sunlight had changed the mood and feeling of the park. Certainty was still there, but an uncanny shiver couldn't resist crawling up Michael's spine regardless of how many times he has taken this route. But the uncanny sensation that he had experienced didn't bring anxiety. Instead it brought with it a calm serenity that could only be provided by a scenario such as this.

Venturing between the golden islands of light the various lamps had provided to him, the silence was dispatched by the talkative love mentor.

"I'm kinda surprised you didn't pay their tab." She regarded how after their conversation had finished, Michael bid farewell to the lovely ladies at the bar. An arched eyebrow was directed to her, hands holding themselves shut in his pockets.

"I wasn't going to pay a tab I didn't partake in, Kyu. I'm not just gonna throw my money about just because." His eyes returned to the next spot of light, moving from point to point as if he was connecting dots to finish a picture he could not see.

"Yeah but it's still gentlemanly to do that." The love fairy floated beside him as he walked, a smile on her face as she awaited his reply.

"Dude I'm generous, but I'm not generous to the point of walking in, paying a tab and walking out." He returned, stopping under the golden light to continue talking.

"It's not like you got nothing out of it. You got a yoga appointment with some more hotties tomorrow..!" Kyu's reminder did little to incentivise the man. He was already too far away from the bar and the wish to go back dwindled with every second under the lamp.

"That was what we humans call an invitation. It's not something we owe back. Not sure if they have that word in your fairy dictionary." His sarcastic hiss was combated with a light bop to the back of his head. Michael squinted as he lifted a hand to fix the hair that Kyu had just disturbed, and the retort he had was swiftly shut away as soon as rustling bushes tickled his ears.

The answer to the 'what' that was pulsing through Michael's mind was answered with a step onto the patterned stone walkway of the park with a soft clack. As Michael's curiosity was sated, Kyu floated over to the familiar blue figure that stepped closer and closer to the lights.

"Oh, what a coincidence meeting you tonight." Celeste spoke as the lights from the bustling city and the lamps highlighted her figure. A smile took the place of the curious grimace that Michael had adorned for the moment, pleasantly surprised to see the alien woman so far from the shore.

"Likewise. I thought you'd still be at the beach." It was confusing seeing her so far from the shore where they last met. Celeste's vigilant glance spotted Michael's curious expression, folding her arms under her generous chest with a leathery squeak from her gloves.

"I examined that the humans in this sector have a tendency of dressing abnormally to their daytime counterparts. With this fact in mind, I'm able to explore this area freely without attracting too much attention whilst my ship repairs itself." Michael nodded his head before turning and continuing his walk further into the park. This time however he didn't go towards the exits, but instead led Celeste to one of the benches to sit down.

"Really..? You don't need to repair the ship by hand?" He asked, to which Celeste acknowledged his question with a gentle nod as they both took a seat.

"That is correct. The A.I that my kind has invented is capable of self-preservation and repairs. Soon enough I'll be back on my assignments." Michael didn't need the reminder that she was an alien bounty hunter.

"Aww, so does that mean I won't see you again?" He asked. His tone was in a slightly joking manner so as to not cause Celeste to worry too much, but he would be lying if the thought of her leaving so soon didn't hurt him somewhat.

"There's no need to fret, Michael. It will still take the ship a couple of days before I'm capable of interstellar travel." Well that was a relief somewhat. Michael inwardly sighed.

"That's good. It'll give you some time to take a look around the city." He saw Celeste tilt her head after he spoke, orange eyes glancing curiously into his.

"You seem rather invested in our relationship despite this being our second meeting." She didn't notice it but she was leaning in as if to see deeper into his emerald orbs.

"Well you know, I get attached pretty easily to interesting people." He started, slowly leaning back after noticing how close she was getting. He could definitely smell her, but it wasn't one that he could put a singular name to.

"Besides..." He paused. "It's not every day I get to talk to an interstellar beauty like you." The warm tone was an effective companion to the sweet words. So much so that the blue-skinned extraterrestrial's features had no choice but to darken at her cheeks.

"You're a strange human...but thank you for the compliment." One of her hands brushed snow white strands from her face; a way to occupy her hand as she saw him shrug. Most humans she had encountered were startled by her appearance, or at least what they could see. All of her run-ins with humans were at the dimly lit beach, so all they could see was a horned silhouette with glowing eyes. Being afraid of the unknown was what many humans had in common, and so nobody stayed for too long after seeing her shadow. Michael was different. He wasn't afraid of her once their eyes met; he was curious.

She shifted her eyes down to the grey canvas bag that stood like a pillar between their legs. It acted like a barrier, preventing her leg from coming into contact with the denim that laid just behind it.

"Is it rude to ask what you are carrying?" She finally said. The artist followed the imaginary bridge her eyes had created and smiled.

"Nope. A few people have been wanting to look at what's inside today." With a tilt of her head she watched as Michael unclipped the bag and revealed to her the scribbled pages that were bound in black. Flipping the graphite-laden pages to a random spot, he watched as Celeste's curious eyes analyzed the details of the marked paper. The page that caught her interest was the portrait of a girl with short hair and glasses. Her eyes were nearly closed due to the radiant smile that she wore, small shaded specks dotted the upper half of her face right below her eyes.

Impressed was only the beginning. Michael had to bring a hand over and stop the confused alien before she ripped the page with her constant rubbing of one of the girl's facial specks.

"That's part of the page..?" She clearly didn't understand human anatomy and why should she? Before a couple of weeks ago she had no idea of this planet's existence.

"Mhm." Michael hummed. "It's called a freckle. Pretty much a little bit of skin that isn't the exact tone as the rest." His knowledge of human anatomy wasn't on the level to attain a PhD surely, but it was enough to get a point across to a curious alien.

His attention was caught by Celeste's sudden movement and staring right at him. He couldn't get a word out before she traced a gloved hand down his jawline.

"If you wanted to get physical you could have always asked to come back to my place." He saw her shake her head with an amused grin before turning back to the drawing and doing a similar gesture.

"It's strange. She looks as if she can come out of the book." So that's what she was doing. She was making sure that the image seated in her lap was truly that and not some victim to a cruel magus. She continued moving her hand across the picture until she turned to Michael with a request. After seeing the talent he had with a simple pencil and eraser she wanted to see it for herself.

"You want me to draw you..?" Michael reformed her question to which she nodded.

"Yes. If that request is within reason." She wasn't going to make him draw her, but she wasn't stupid either. She knew what she was to him. An artist like him would kill to have the opportunity to draw a real life extraterrestrial and she knew that.

"Of course that's within reason..!" He fished out his pencil and eraser from one of the pockets that hid within the bag. "It'll take a little bit though so I recommend you get comfortable." His suggestion was given a nod before Celeste shifted to a more comfortable position. Slipping out of the bench to get the angle he wanted, she made good use of the newly acquired free space Michael had provided and lifted her legs to let them rest on the still warm seat. She hooked her wrists around one of her knees as Michael instructed her to get comfortable.

The book rested in the gap formed by his crossed legs; a position that he had grown accustomed to throughout the years. He was meticulous with each line that he drew, erasing when it was needed. His experience as an artist was showing as his eyes darted up to the blue reference that gazed down as he worked. The deep focus he was in showed itself as some of his hair spilled over his shoulders in an attempt to obstruct his vision. He ignored it. Simple hair wasn't a distraction to him anymore. It was like drawing through a curtain.

Celeste saw the hair that draped over his face and reached down, brushing the hair from his face. The result of that was meeting his gaze, emerald jewels acquainting themselves with her's.

"You don't have to do that Celeste." He said as the alien tucked his hair behind his ear.

"I'd rather you see clearly. The result is better when it can be seen." Returning to her position, that would be the last time she would make any major movements until he was finished. There was no talking. No humming. Just the sound of graphite skirting across paper for the next hour and a half.

Finished at last, Michael tucked his tools back into his bag and uncrossed his legs with a sigh. His movements were the signal for Celeste to exit her position with a mild excitement. Her expression easily revealed that she couldn't wait to see what her human friend had created within the timeframe. She didn't expect what he had created however.

It was her. Simple as that. Exactly as how she was seated, gazing up at the brilliant cosmos outside the confines of the page. Each strand of her hair was drawn with care; body perfectly sketched to her proportions. The shading brought her almost out of the page just like the girl from before. She could imagine this iteration of herself slipping out of the page.

"This is amazing..." She spoke gently, shocked at the quality he had conjured up. Sure it was a comment that he had gotten too used to by now, but it felt more meaningful that a being from another planet enjoyed his work as well.

"Thanks. I didn't expect it to be like that either." He got up and joined her back on the bench. Straightening his legs, he allowed his blood to flow back into them and regain their feeling. The next few minutes felt like seconds, but Michael had to check the time. Celeste heard the man sigh softly as he tucked his phone into his pocket.

"Based on your reaction I assume that you must depart?" She watched as he stood up and answered her query.

"Yeah. I've got some stuff I need to do tomorrow and need to rest for it." Her expression softened, saddened that she would have to depart with the magnificent portrait the man had created. She didn't want to leave it and Michael saw it as she stood up, her eyes darting from the page to him.

Taking the book from her grasp he took the page and slowly pulled it from the binding, showing care and ensuring that he didn't accidentally rip the page. Putting his book back into the bag he held the page to her.

"Really..? You are sure of giving this to me..?" She asked.

"Why not? You seemed to like it alot." He saw her face change to reveal what seemed to be slight guilt.

"I appreciate it. I only wish that I could give you something in return." She didn't want to seem like she was ungrateful by not giving him a gift in return but that failed to bother Michael.

"It's okay Celeste, really. I'm sure we can work something out later." His playful wink didn't go unnoticed as a coy smile lifted her lips. It was time to say goodbye however.

"I hope to see you again soon. Tonight was pleasant." She commented.

"You'll see me, don't worry about that." He grinned. As he walked away he looked back to their spot only to find that Celeste was gone. Maybe it was superhuman agility unique to her species? Or perhaps it was technology not yet discovered by man. Either way, she was gone. Possibly to rest since the night had only mere hours before the sun graced the city once again.

"Dude! You weren't kidding about that alien! She's stacked!" Kyu's voice bisected the silence as Michael walked. She heard the man chuckle at her opinion of the alien, knowing that he agreed with her sentiment.

"Yep." he started, looking up as the glittering stars that vanished from the light pollution of the city. "She's a wonder of the galaxy for sure."

Author's note: Wowie that took a long time to finish this huh? Sorry about that long wait! Along with reading to try and update the way that I write, life's been a little all over! I just want you peeps to know that I'm still going to keep updating this! Won't be on a strict schedule like one chapter every two weeks, but I'll update the story whenever I can!

Anyway I love yall! Have a good Morning/Afternoon/Evening!