Apr 03 00:16:38 <WyrmKnave>	The text, painstakingly written out, read "Cass, can you meet me by the gazebo?" Callum was already waiting there, white button-up and black slacks carefully ironed, hair combed into... well, there's really not much you can do with hair that short. Just combed.
Apr 03 00:20:13 <Antichthon>	<Be right there.> Cass had thought she would be the one to get the three of them together, when it was time. So when she arrived at the gazebo, no more and no less dressed up as usual, she was surprised to see Callum so dressed up. "Nice getup dude," she said, grinning. She could put two and two together. At least she was presenting as a girl today; neither Callum or Yuki had yet to see her as anything else, and this wasn't the time to ease them into that part of who she was. "How do you feel?"
Apr 03 00:23:17 <WyrmKnave>	Callum smiles nervously, "Kind of like there's a hornet's nest in my stomach." His hand goes to run through his hair, then pauses and goes back down to his side as he remembers he put effort in, "What about you? Cool as always?"
Apr 03 00:25:13 <Antichthon>	Cass grinned wider. "As far as you know I am." Cass put her chair beside Callum, gave the man's thigh a pat. Highest part of him she could reach. "Did you text Yuki yet?"
Apr 03 00:26:34 <WyrmKnave>	"Could you?" He says, inclining his head, a pathetic pleading whine in his voice. We have found the boy's kryptonite.
Apr 03 00:28:57 <Antichthon>	"Sure." Cass didn't take out any sort of phone, because who needed such stone-age technology when you were Cass? She texted Yuki with her mind. <Yuki, darling. Are you free? Callum and I would like to talk with you at the Gazebo.> "If you don't mind, I'll be the one to ask her. I ain't gonna dominate the conversation, but I'm better with nerves. Dig?"
Apr 03 00:30:00 <WyrmKnave>	Callum nods, his mouth clamped shut. He visibly focuses on breathing in and out.
Apr 03 00:30:26 <Antichthon>	Cass looked up at Callum. "Want to know the secret to dealing with stress like this?"
Apr 03 00:31:10 <WyrmKnave>	Callum looked down at Cass, "Yes, he said with due anticipation of cynicism?" He smiled weakly.
Apr 03 00:32:33 <Antichthon>	That earned a laugh. "Nah, no cynicism this time. What you do is come to terms with all possibilities. actually think through the worst case scenario, as opposed to wincing when your mind touches on that 'what-if.' You'l see it isn't the end of the world."
Apr 03 00:33:00 <LipstickThespian>	<Give me a second and I'll be down!>  There was a bit of a flurry of activity as she shut down the game she was playing and grabbed her shoes.  The small girl ran down stairs in a flurry, barely having time to clip a barrette in her hair before she made it to the courtyard.  It was more a light jog, enjoying the sun hitting her skin as she went.  A simple outfit, a layered pink skirt, yellow tank with visible white cami underneath, open jean vest, white thigh hi socks and simple sneakers.  It was the weekend after all!  A telltale pink clip in her hair to give herself a small side pony tail and a bounce in her step.  Yuki was her usual self, giving a large wave to the two as she ran up.  Coming to a stop in the gazebo and catching her breath quickly.  "Ohayo Callum-chan and Cass-chan," she says with her cheery voice.
Apr 03 00:34:31 <WyrmKnave>	"Hey." Callum waves, a small smile on his face. The nerves are pretty well-masked, actually, as long as you don't realize that said face isn't really moving. At all.
Apr 03 00:37:22 <Antichthon>	Well, Callum's nervousness was well masked but that couldn't last forever. Eventually it was going to be blantanly obvious, and it was the kind of nervousness that was contagious. It was important to set the stage right away, if they were going to prevent Yuki becoming uncomfortable even before they asked the question. Cass gave her usual Cassgrin. "Hey, Yukes. Sit down, please." she
Apr 03 00:37:22 <Antichthon>	gestured to the bench. "Callum and I have something to ask you. It's a positive thing, but it is going to stress you out, alright? So, tell us when you're ready."
Apr 03 00:39:38 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki eventually catches her breath and then straightens up from where she is.  She stretched a little, a by product of her tennis pastime when she worked out even in a simple run.  "Oh," she looks over to the bench and drops down to sit on it.  Then lifting up to smooth her skirt under her, always forgetting before hand.  "What do you mean stress me out, Cass-chan?"  There was a slight
Apr 03 00:39:38 <LipstickThespian>	tremble of worry in her voice. Being asked to talk to someone in a public place was odd. But talk to two people?
Apr 03 00:41:52 <WyrmKnave>	"It's nothing bad, honest." Callum says with earnestness and just a hint of concern. After realizing that he's the only one standing, he sits down on the bench beside Yuki, his posture just a little too rigid.
Apr 03 00:43:42 <Antichthon>	Cass looked up at Callum, back to Yuki. Her grin had lessened to a confident smile. "This is going to seem sudden, but we don't expect an answer right away. Callum and I were wondering if you'd be willing to try a relationship. With the three of us. A romantic relationship."
Apr 03 00:45:58 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki is about to say that nothing bad was a good thing and then she glanced over at Cass when she heard her speak.  It was slow, but one might be able to see the color draining from her face as she hears it and her mouth dropping to hang open ever so slightly.  And then she's sitting there, glancing between the two with a mixture of emotions on her face.  Her hands begin to wrinkle the
Apr 03 00:45:58 <LipstickThespian>	hem of her skirt, a lot.  Words, however, don't come out.
Apr 03 00:47:50 <WyrmKnave>	"Like she says," Callum says with calmness that's forced but genuine concern, "Take your time. It's-" Callum, unmoving next to Yuki, casts a floundering glance to Cass, "Yeah."
Apr 03 00:49:10 <Antichthon>	Cass didn't look worried; this sort of reaction was on the better side of what she was expecting. Her voice was soft, gentle, very un-Casslike. "This wouldn't mean we expect anything of each other, outside of not getting romantically involved with anyone else. We're still pretty new to each other, I get it. But it's rare for three people to be in such a perfect position for this kind
Apr 03 00:49:11 <Antichthon>	of thing, where we each have a serious interest in each other. It's the sort of opportunity that, if we don't jump on, will be gone in an instant. One of us will get snapped up by someone else, or our feelings will change, who who knows what sort of shit might happen. And I've always been one to anwer when opportunity knocks."
Apr 03 00:56:44 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki finally breaks from the spell, and she stands up. Something about sitting made it very hard to speak, she had decided.  There's a bit of distance created by her stepping aside from the two of them, small but it meant something to her. Breathing room maybe.  Then she dropped into a bow and held her hands in front of her skirt. "I'm sorry," she says in a voice soft and unsure of itself, "I don't think I can do that with you two."  There's a second where she tries to figure out how to say what she wants to say, it's hard when your thoughts are mostly in a language the people you're with don't speak.  "It's not that I don't like both of you. I do!  It's just, I've always wanted a relationship that was traditional."  She straightens up and waves a hand in front of her face, "I'm not a prude, or something like that. It isn't that I'm against dating both of you.  It's that," she glances up to the sky for a second, "I always thought it would be nice to be asked out. To have someone give me small gifts. To confess my love to them.  To work for it.  So I don't think I can agree, because it isn't the way I had hoped it would happen.  I think I would like it more if we didn't act like it's a business deal.  Instead, if we act like it is romance."  There's a mix of hopefulness and worry on her face when she finishes.  Who knew the girl could talk that much.
Apr 03 01:00:50 <WyrmKnave>	Callum breathes in deeply through his nose, eyes shut. /She thinks you're a freak./ His arms spread to rest on the top of the gazebo's fence behind him. Breath out. /You should have known better. Modern doesn't suit you./ His arms brace, muscles tensing visible through the shirt. Breath in. /You were greedy./ He stands up all at once, with a huge breath out, suddenly towering over both girls, "I think I need to take a walk."
Apr 03 01:03:25 <Antichthon>	Cass smile fell for a split second, but only a split second. She was hardly immune to disappointment. "Hey, yep, no problem, Yuki. And...let's not let this damage our relationships, alright? Just figured it was something worth asking." Cass grin faltered a little at Callum, too, but then back to Yuki. "Thank you, Yuki. for considering it."
Apr 03 01:05:09 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki watches with that same nervous look on her face until Callum stands up, and then it turns to a bit of indignation.  Her hands ball up at her side and she raises her voice a bit. "Hey! You said it was going to be a good thing we were talking about.  Don't act like that!"  It seems Cass' thoughts are overshadowed by the tall boy to her.
Apr 03 01:08:10 <WyrmKnave>	Callum's gaze, unfocused and distant, falls on Yuki with sudden sharp proximity. His posture doesn't change, stood statuesque with his shoulders squared and his arms by his side. "Act like what?" He says, his voice hard, but still blank of emotion or deference.
Apr 03 01:10:40 <Antichthon>	Damnit, Callum. If only Cass was capable of telepathy. She couldn't exactly blame him, the poor boy was green and raw to rejection, but Cass couldn't say anything out loud without potentially screwing shit up. Yuki had said no, that didn't mean their friendships were over. She looked from Callum to Yuki, hoping the girl would say the right thing.
Apr 03 01:13:53 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki is, by her nature, an animated girl.  Compared to Callum's stoic gaze and the way he stands, she's almost cartoonish.  "You're acting like I rejected you," she says as her cheeks turn a little bit red.  "Standing up and saying you're going to walk away!  I gave you those chocolates because I like you know.  So why not act like it!"  Even on her tip toes, she was still only at his chest as she looked up at him with as much sterness that she could muster.
Apr 03 01:17:26 <Antichthon>	Cass leaned back, felt a little like she was watching a tennis match. Yuki returns, Callum was up.
Apr 03 01:17:36 <WyrmKnave>	Callum put a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't as gentle as usual, the force being enough to incidentally put her back on the flats of her feet, but it wasn't painful. His face softened a fraction as he looked into Yuki's eyes, but his voice, if anything, got harsher and more punctuated, "I know. I like you too. Both of you. I got my hopes up. I'm disappointed. I don't want to lash out at either of you. So I figured I'd take a walk."
Apr 03 01:18:45 <Antichthon>	Yep, Cass was disappointed, too. Not that she'd admit it to anyone. She stil kept that confident smile on her face, watching them.
Apr 03 01:21:16 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki was pushed down, though she couldn't blame him, he had size on her.  "Why would you lash out at us?" She says as she grows more and more impatient with the boy in front of her.  "Just because a girl wants to be treated properly and courted..."  Her cheeks puff up a bit and she lightly hits him with a balled up fist on his chest, "you're such a baka, Callum-chan."
Apr 03 01:23:14 <Antichthon>	Cass took a breath as if to say something, but thought better of it. Looked down. She was starting to feel she had another reason to be disappointed.
Apr 03 01:25:15 <WyrmKnave>	He shuts his eyes. He counts. Tries to. /Why would you lash out, Callum? Why wouldn't you be in control of your emotions? Why aren't you perfect, Callum?/ To Cass and Yuki, he looks simply inert. Dormant. His hand slips off Yuki's shoulder and runs through his hair, front to back, as he opens his eyes, turns on his heel, and sits back down.
Apr 03 01:27:39 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki watches him, and then she watches him sit down and she for a moment she feels like a strong girl.  "Okay," she says with a nod.  Not sure what to say then in the silence of the gazebo.
Apr 03 01:29:46 <Antichthon>	Cass spoke at last. "Still friends, then?" Cass slapped Callum's shoulder, which she could reach now. "Still going to come make sure I don't drown, and put up with my risque jokes?" To Yuki, "Still gonna finish that dungeon with me in GotL tonight?"
Apr 03 01:30:45 <WyrmKnave>	"Yeah." Callum says, patting Cass's hand gently, eyes on the floor, "Still friends."
Apr 03 01:32:50 <LipstickThespian>	"Yeah." Yuki says with a nod, "friends. And maybe more."  She lets out a small bright laugh as she says it.
Apr 03 01:34:31 <Antichthon>	"Alright." More Cassgrins. "...Now if you'll excuse me, teenage emotions are a damn intense thing. I really do need to go back to my room, let this mix of hormones in my brain metabolize. Okay?" She looked for permission from both of them.
Apr 03 01:35:58 <WyrmKnave>	"Fine by me." Callum looks at Cass, offering a brief, weak smile.
Apr 03 01:36:23 <LipstickThespian>	"Please enjoy your rest Cass-chan," Yuki says to the girl with a small smile.
Apr 03 01:37:53 <Antichthon>	Cass gave a salute, and headed out. There was an ulterior motive to leaving first; Callum was better for Yuki. He really was.
Apr 03 01:39:44 <WyrmKnave>	Callum stayed in place, elbows resting on his knees, hands interlaced between them, shoulders slumped. With his eyes focused intently on the empty bench across from him and his regular breathing through the nose, he gave the impression of a steaming ox.
Apr 03 01:40:15 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki watched Cass go, giving the girl a wave as she went before she turned to Callum.  What does she even say to the boy? She felt like she had crushed him for some reason. "Callum-chan," she says as she holds her hands behind her back, "what are you thinking?"
Apr 03 01:42:11 <WyrmKnave>	He spread one hand out from the bridge of his nose, rubbing the underside of his eyes with thumb and forefinger. He shrugs. "Trying not to."
Apr 03 01:44:24 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki stood there, like a guard who wouldn't let a prisoner escape from their cell. Except the that the cell was a nice old wood gazebo that the sun was dancing around.  "Why not?"
Apr 03 01:45:32 <WyrmKnave>	Callum's head rolled back, resting on the fence behind him. He stared blankly at the gazebo roof, hands now flat on the bench by his sides, "In case I think something mean."
Apr 03 01:47:07 <LipstickThespian>	"Why would you think something mean?" Yuki was probing, more than antagonizing. Well, she might have been doing the second part subconciously.
Apr 03 01:48:38 <WyrmKnave>	His head rolls slightly towards her, his eyes concentrating on her without expression, "Because I'm not perfect, Yuki." He glances down, then his head rolls back to its original position, staring right up.
Apr 03 01:58:34 <LipstickThespian>	"No one is perfect," Yuki says as a matter of fact and with a short nod of her head.  "Tell me what you're thinking, Callum-chan! We're friends, you can be honest with me."
Apr 03 02:02:44 <WyrmKnave>	"Honestly?" Callum pulls his head upright, and fixes his gaze on Yuki. His answer comes out like a big sigh, "I think that's a silly reason. Like Cass said, this is... an opportunity. Who knows what the situation will be a month from now? If we all like each other I don't see why we need to delay ourselves and go through the motions." He shrugs, rolling his shoulders back and turning his head away again to focus on the distance.
Apr 03 02:13:08 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki seems to be off put by the fact that Callum might actually speak up for himself, even when asked to.  "It's," she says as she catches herself from dismissing him completely when she was the one who asked.  "I don't think it's the motions," she says, "I think it's the right thing to do.  Because if we have feelings for each other, then it should be a fun journey to go on together."
Apr 03 03:37:37 <WyrmKnave>	"I guess I just don't see why it has to be that exact journey." Callum stands up, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. I just don't see why we have to follow the path we think is set for us."
Apr 03 03:40:11 <LipstickThespian>	"It's not the path that is set for us," Yuki says as she looks up at him. "It's the path that I want to take.  Falling in love, dating, it all sounds so nice don't you think?"  There's a small laugh and she glances down at the ground. "If I wanted to follow the path that was set for me. Then I'd be resigned to marry my fiancé."
Apr 03 03:43:13 <WyrmKnave>	Callum shuts his eyes then turns to Yuki and raises an eyebrow, "You have a fiancé?" He says, equal parts worry and surprise.
Apr 03 03:48:58 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki tilts her head to the side and a mechanical half-laugh escapes her lips.  She leans a bit to the side as she speaks in a tone that is bright, but with bad weather not far off.  "I do," she says, "I've had one since I was twelve.  My parents say I'm going to marry him when I go to University."
Apr 03 03:50:50 <WyrmKnave>	"And you don't want to?" As if a switch had been flipped in his head, Callum was suddenly all chivalric concern, stepping up to Yuki with a face of absurd, puppyish sympathy.
Apr 03 03:57:34 <LipstickThespian>	"He's very nice," Yuki says like one might call a day nice. "His family is very well off, they own a few manufacturing plants.  I would have a very good life, and he likes my flower arrangement.  Though, he does think playing tennis isn't a good activity for a lady like me."  Then she glances up from the ground back to Callum. "So I think it's the right thing to do."  She rocks a bit on her feet, "but sometimes you shouldn't do the right thing.  Instead, you should follow the path your heart sets, Callum-chan."  There's that same happy smile that she always seems to wear, with only a tint of embarassment in her cheeks.
Apr 03 04:01:38 <WyrmKnave>	The voice in Callum's head is not The Voice, not the self-doubt and the knowledge that he's different. It's not even a voice so much as words, a drive. Save her. He steps close, almost looming, as he gently places his index finger beneath her chin. His mouth is dry as he breathes the word, "Yuki..."
Apr 03 04:04:40 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki seems to snap out of her happy-go-lucky smile when Callum steps close to her, and then her head is lifted up.  Her mouth hangs open a little bit, and her cheeks turn a progressively darker shade of red.  "Callum-chan..." she echoes him, as her ocean blue eyes gazed up.
Apr 03 04:09:24 <WyrmKnave>	He swallows, leans in, lips quivering a little with the nerves. Then he's kissing her, gently at first, before the hand on her chin slides up, and his thumb is on her cheek and his strong fingers woven through her hair. He's not perfect, but he's pretty darn good.
Apr 03 04:14:29 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki is, well, her eyes go wide as he actually does it.  Makes a move, does something other than be a passive down on him self kinda guy.  Still, something about it felt pretty nice. To have him pick up her chin and slip his hand into her hair.  Even if she is a novice, it's still a kiss.  Standing in the middle of gazebo on a warm afternoon, she wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the breeze carry some cherry blossoms aroung them.
Apr 03 15:52:22 <Knave>	Callum lets his hand fall, tips of his fingers playing at Yuki's neck as he pulls his head away. His expression is stunned, as if he's surprised by his own actions - clearly, he didn't have a plan for after the kiss. He's just stood there, looking dopily into her eyes, his lips moving slightly as words approach from the distance, "Um..."
Apr 03 15:54:16 <LipstickThespian>	Yuki drops back down, like the wave had passed and she was settling where she was.  Her eyes were still big, and her mouth was half open.  Then, she took a step back and dropped into a quick and curt bow. "Thank you for talking with me, Callum-chan!"  Then she turned on her heel and started to run away. Because that felt like the right thing to do.
Apr 03 15:58:06 <Knave>	Callum's hand goes out after Yuki, and a broken-off vocalisation attempts to escape his throat after her. Then, the arm drops to his side and he stands there watching her go, frozen while his brain runs through the events of the last ten minutes up to this point. With a lengthy exhale he unfastened the top button of his shirt and began to tromp off away from the gazebo. /I need to take a walk./