A nerdy date.

a nerdy date.

Dialogue markers:  Jonathan; Morax.

Jonathan fidgeted with his koal, adjusting it, adjusting his scarf.

He felt nervous.

He wasn’t sure why. He talked to new finley all the time! He loved making new friends!

Maybe it was the environment. Friends were a bit different than a potential date. He’d put himself down for both, but having the option out there for romance felt… different. Sighing, Jonathan checked over the heart betta he had brought with him. It swam calmly in its transport tank, unbothered.

“At least you don’t have to worry about whether this will go well…”, he mumbled to the fish.

Stepping into the garden behind the Guild Hall, he checked in with Angel, who gave him his table number, and then made his way through the groups of pink tables. Already there were tables with pairs of Nyulop, Draken, and Astralit chatting away at the tables. Many seemed to be having a great time, though some were sitting in silence. Feeling bad for a duo he saw sitting quietly across from each other, he turned away from the crowd, finally spotting his table. It was set up with a candle, a vase of flowers, and two place cards. One had his name and pronouns written on it, and the other “Morax, he/him.”

Jonathan took a seat at the table, setting his betta down on it. He sat stiffly in his chair, eyes scanning the crowd for whoever might be headed his way. Just breathe. Relax! It would be fine. He’d just talk… and they’d have a good time. With any luck, he’d find a new friend. 

Ixi had encouraged him just before leaving, saying he’d do great. He’d believe that-

“Hello? You must be my partner for the event.”

Oh Circles he’d zoned out.

An elegant Nyulop stood at the other end of the table, tan and white, with golden eyes and whiskers. A set of earrings swayed gently from ears that mirrored Jonathan’s own. In his claws sat a little travel tank with a heart betta swimming inside.

Jonathan stood, bumping into the table slightly in his haste to recover from not paying attention. “Hi! You must be Morax? I uh-” He laughed slightly at the situation, gesturing to the betta on the table. “I also brought a betta.”

Morax’s ears perked up, and he laughed, setting his heart betta tank next to Jonathan’s. “Well, maybe they’ll become friends too.”

Jonathan felt his shoulders relaxing and he pushed his chair in. “Do you want to get some food before we sit down?”

Morax agreed and the two of them joined the line to the buffet, filing their plates before returning to the table.

“So”, Jonathan began as they sat back down, warm food in front of them. “What do you like to do?”

“I like books”, Morax answered quickly. “I’m usually in the library.”

Jonathan perked up. “So do I! Lately I’ve been reading a lot about science and Alchemy magic- it’s super cool!” Shared interests eased his nerves further, allowing him to relax and stop stressing over the whole experience. “Normally I’m trying to learn about how to improve my gliders.”

Morax cocked his head. “Gliders?”

“Yeah! I’ve been trying to make these little paper gliders to sail on the wind”, Jonathan explained, eyes sparkling.

Morax’s eyes widened. “You build them yourself? Did you learn to do it yourself? How long do you manage to keep them airborne?”

And Jonathan set off explaining, no longer nervous and excited to talk about his passion. Morax engaged, knowledgeable in sciences and able to puzzle out problems Jonathan had encountered with his aircraft. Before long, they found themselves jumping from topic to topic, with Morax telling Jonathan of the vast history he had read, and Jonathan sharing his knowledge of the stars.

They were more similar than expected, and ended up chatting the whole blind date away. 

And Jonathan realized he had no reason to be worried at all.