The customers each study the sweets, picking out their preferences and sitting down to enjoy them. The terachnoids chatter amongst themselves, and Nova sticks behind the counter. They've come and go all day, other than the markazian man, and there's an hour left before closing up. She's focused on placing a few charms near the register, adjusting them to the perfect angle. Clank gently taps her side, bringing her attention to the man before her. "Oh. Can I help you, sir?"

"I, uh, saw you a while ago miss, at the hologame shop. When you were playing Fongoid With A Stick?"

Nova's a bit caught off guard by the new face. It's an interaction she's completely unprepared for, a bit unlike running the bakery. Rehearsed phrases like 'How can I help you?' or 'Welcome!' only have so many possible responses, so it's a bit easier to prepare for. "At the game shop? I didn't see you there, sorry."

With that, Nova turns back to her previous task. A subconscious blocker to protect from the unfamiliar situation attempts to end the conversation. The man is a bit confused at the abrupt shutdown and continues, working to break that bubble and speak to her. "My name is Saros Mendrano, can I have yours?"

"Nova. Nova Albedo." She's moved to wiping the counters at this point, and Saros follows. With a warm smile, he tries to lock eyes with Nova, but she's not focused on the stranger.

Her dedication to her task seems kinda cute, so Saros tries to gain her attention once more. "It's a pretty name, very fitting."

"Thank you, my Mama picked it."

The comment goes straight over Nova's head, and she leaves to put the cleaning supplies away for now. Saros looks a bit disappointed at the blunt response. Not a blush, not even a smile! She was listening, but not really listening, or even looking! Saros turns to Clank for guidance. "I saw you at the shop with her too. You're her friend, right? Am I doing something wrong?"

Clank looks toward the closet, then back to Saros. He's processing her behavior with Saros, and comparing them with his own interactions with her. Nova completely deflected Saros's advances. She certainly seems a bit more open with me, however, speaking freely. Nova mentioned being sensitive to Zoni energy, so I would likely be familiar, comparable to a piece of home. Saros does not have that advantage.

"No, I do not believe so. If you wish to court her, I would try a more direct approach to match her direct responses."

The door clicks open, and Nova emerges empty-handed. Clank raises an arm toward her, giving encouragement to Saros. As Nova places herself back at the counter, Saros walks up to her and looks her in the eyes, a hard blush coating his cheeks. "Miss Nova, are you free after work?"

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"I mean, can I take you somewhere? Dinner? A movie?"

Nova's mind runs a mile a minute, and a knot rises in her throat. A what? Oh, uh, this is new. This is sudden. Oh, no. He seems nice enough, though. Should I? But I've got the shop to run too. What kind of movie? I only have work clothes. I'm not prepared for this. Maybe it would be fun, but I'm not ready..I'm not.. Nova opens her mouth, prepared to speak her mind, and... "Uh, okay. What time?"

Crap. Now I'm committed. Maybe it'll be fun?

Saros's face lights up, and he gives the biggest grin he can muster. His obvious excitement coats his voice and body. Yes! He was right about the direct thing. Thank the stars for that robot. "I'll pick you up at 8, then. Here's my com number."

Saros holds out a napkin with a code written on it. His arm is stiff, like he's nervous that Nova will refuse the number. Nova looks to Saros, then to the paper, and takes it. "Oh, okay. See ya, Saros."

"Thank you, Nova!"

With that, Saros leaves, likely to prepare for the impromptu date. Nova's gone stiff at this point. The knot in her throat is thick, but beginning to recede now that the conversation is over. For now. She lets out a deep breath as the last few customers leave, and moves to lock the door. Clank sits at the table as Nova brings the register till for them to count down. "Are you alright? You seem a bit upset. Did Saros make you uncomfortable?"

"No," she answers, "That's not quite it. He wasn't rude or anything. I just didn't expect it, that's all."

"If you do not wish to go with him on this date, no one will force you, Nova. You can simply say that you changed your mind."

Nova takes a deep breath, staring into the table's surface. I wish it was that easy. I don't want to be rude. He looked so excited. "No, I want to go. Maybe it'll be fun. I'll have to get something to wear first. I probably shouldn't show up in a dirty work shirt."

…

Saros shows up right on time, in a spiffy white button up shirt and grey pants. He holds in his hands a small bouquet of flowers, gently knocking on the glass door. From the back of the store, Nova emerges, and it blows Saros away.

She's wearing a burgundy, sleeveless halter top blouse, dark jeans, and her standard sneakers. There's no jewelry except for the brooch at her chest. Light makeup accentuates her facial features, and a heavy coat of concealers covers her scars. The layer of hair above her ears is tied back, revealing the inner layers of curls and keeping her face exposed. She opens the door, locking it behind her to keep out intruders.

The young man stammers out the best compliment he has to offer at the moment. "Wow, you look great, Nova!"

Nova nods with a smile, accepting his words. "Thanks, Saros. So, where did you have in mind?"

"Straight to the point? Alright then. There's a really nice restaurant downtown that I'd love to show you, then maybe a movie? The IRIS has a huge catalog we could download from."

Nova's mind sticks to the last option, her interest piqued. Her stiff, uncertain stance loosens sightly. A movie sounds nice. Something I can focus on. "Mom and Dad always loved researching Old Earth films. I've never seen one, though."

"Then it's a plan. Shall we?"

Saros extends a hand to Nova's, and they walk to the nearest taxi stop.

…

The diner's decor is simple, yet comfortable. It's nowhere near as fancy as other high-end places, but the pricing and atmosphere compliments the food. Nova and Saros are seated in a booth by the window. Nova looks out the window, quietly observing the streets beyond the glass. The various lights of the city contrast with the backdrop of the night sky. "Sorry I couldn't take us somewhere fancier. View's pretty great though, right Nova?"

Saros's voice diverts her attention a bit. "Mhm. Its nice. I kinda hate that you can't see the stars well, though. There's so much unnatural light that you can't really see them."

"I've always loved the view. I've been here for around a year now, studying at a nearby college. This planet never seems to sleep."

"A year? I've only been here a bit over a week."

"That explains why I haven't seen you around, then. Where are you from?"

"Quantos. My parents lived there for a while, but.."

Nova's voice trails off, and Saros takes notice. She always uses past tense with her parents. Are they gone? There's some sort of scarring on her arms underneath the makeup too, now that I think about it. I shouldn't pry, she looks upset. Whatever happened must have been rough to say the least. He attempts to divert the conversation elsewhere to avoid his previous question. "So, Nova, you like hologames too?"

Nova immediately perks up, and Saros goes along with it. He smiles at her enthusiasm, allowing her to speak without interruption.

"That one I played at the shop was so cool! Clank said he was gonna show me more of it, too. He told me that it's an old title when we got home, and that it was really popular back in the day. He said that there's all sorts of hologames, and that his old friend loved them too!"

The terachnoid waiter wordlessly brings the food, and a tired look in his eyes shows that he's been on the clock for a while, ready to go home hours ago. Saros waves his hand with a quick nod of thanks as he allows Nova to continue her rambling. "The stories that they can tell are so incredible. It's like watching a film or a play, but different. The player doesn't just watch the story unfold, they become a part of it. Their touch makes everything happen, their decisions shape the story's end."

…

Nova returns an hour later, Saros calling a cab and bringing her home. After thanking him for the date, Nova shuffles into the bakery exhausted. After setting the flowers on the counter, she climbs the stairs, opening her living room door. Clank's there looking at two photos, studying them with an intense look on his face. At the sound of Nova's return, he puts them away to greet her. "Hello, Nova. I trust you had an enjoyable time?"

Nova grabs a washcloth to remove her makeup, scrubbing her body clean as she talks. "Yeah, Saros was really nice. He's a college student here, but he hasn't decided on a major yet. We had dinner and watched an Old Earth film. It was hilarious! There was a guy who dances to cool music, a green girl he likes, a guy with weird tattoos, and a talking tree with a raccoon! They all saved the universe together. It was great, no wonder Mom and Dad liked those movies so much."

Clank smiles at her positive recollection. She seemed nervous to go, unwilling to show her scars to a stranger, and unfamiliar with dating in general. "I believe that young Saros fancies you, Nova. Will you give him a chance?"

Nova emerges from the bedroom changed into her pajamas, with a comb in hand to tame her hair before settling down for the night. "Huh? Nah, it's not that serious. He just wanted to meet me, and I don't socialize much when I'm workin'. It was a good chance to catch me in not-work mode."

"Did you not notice his flirting?"

Nova's silent for a moment, pausing in her combing as if the words need time to process. "He was flirting?"

Her absolute cluelessness causes Clank to laugh heartily. Nova, on the other hand, just gets more confused, trying to pinpoint what was said to her that could be considered a flirt.