( Nate, man, if you don't know why he asked you out you gotta take a few minutes to reflect. Everything that happened afterward, all the bullshit Nate put up with — or maybe more importantly, all the bullshit he didn't put up with. It feels like it's been a long but steady road, and if it were possible to test a proof of concept with relationships the Aerie's as close as anyone will ever get. The beta version was pretty fucking convincing. )

Oh yeah, no, no, I saw that.

( Agreed easily, tossing a lazy glance over his shoulder toward the general direction they came from. )

That was, like, the haiku of walking. Five steps and then just this sudden stop...

( Backpedal seven. He's amusing himself if nothing else. )