[PRP] running back (kaleb & nasir)

[azuredreams]

While he did not normally have to worry about running out of things, that did not apply to things that he did not make. Which was why Nasir was coming out of the bakery not that far from Darlene's with a box. The young man was in a rush, meaning to get back to Darlene's before some of the staff left, and did not even notice when his wallet dropped from his jacket pocket.

He was moving quick, having to nudge his glasses up with the back of his hand and then check the time. Hopefully no one had left yet ...

Grey Dragon

<3 <3 <3

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was finished with all his classes for the day, but he had not yet decided where to settle for his next long R&R session. Reading and Relaxation. After the bustle on campus and people coming and going from one class to the next, the studious teen often decided peace and quiet was the best way to spend the rest of his day.

Having decided on a quiet park not far from the school, Kaleb was just outside the bakery when he happened to glance up at just the right moment. A man was leaving the bakery, and a wallet slipped from his pocket to land on the sidewalk. Nobody else seemed to notice, not even the guy it belonged to.

Kaleb quickly scooped it up, but the man was walking so fast that Kaleb almost lost him in that second of broken visual contact. Then he caught a glimpse of the guy up ahead, already too far off for the shy student to call out to him. With his reading time forgotten, Kaleb headed after the man.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir did not stop, clearly unaware that he was being followed. He was very much a man on a mission, though he stumbled on a bit of ice and nearly lost his footing. It meant that Kaleb was able to catch up a little bit but not much.

A path was made through town quickly, one that clearly took advantage of side streets, when he finally made it back to Darlene's and went inside.

Grey Dragon

and now kaleb is prob lost <___<;;

 

[Grey Dragon]

It was rare Kaleb could match anyone for determination, but with the wallet in hand and the owner still in sight he knew there was still a chance to reunite them immediately. He nearly lost the man in some of the side streets, not noticing his quarry had turned until nearly passing by the street entirely. It was only by sheer luck he spotted the man entering a shop.

He almost ran the last few metres to the door, pushed it open, and stumbled in almost frantically. It was clear he wasn't there for a meal by the way he stopped in place before even leaving the door mat at the front, and scanned the room for the wallet's owner.

azuredreams

Definitely lost. XD

 

[azuredreams]

Darlene's was an old dive bar that was turned into a family friendly bar and restaurant. It was warm inside and there was someone who probably could've been Santa Claus working the bar while a far shorter redhead stood next to him.

They were both laughing, waving off Nasir after they took the box of baked goods from him before they moved away to deal with customers.

Nasir was smiling and let out a pleased, slumping a bit on his stool to catch his breath.

Still hadn't realized he was missing his wallet either.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb quickly made his way to the dark-haired man at the counter.

"Excuse me... you dropped your wallet," He squeaked out in a pathetic wheeze, perhaps even more out of breath than the man he had been chasing. Kaleb was hardly an athletic sort, even a good run from one class to another at the college was enough to define the limits of his small, scrawny body. The brisk walk had barely left him time to remember to breathe.

He held out the wallet nervously.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir turned when he heard someone say excuse me, eyes widening as Kaleb held out his wallet. It was taken with him blinking a bit and then face darkening with a blush. "Oh, oh ... did you follow me all the way from the bakery?"

A hand reached out and tugged Kaleb to sit before he was reaching behind the bar to get him a bottle of water. "Sit, breathe, and have that." There was a warm smile on his face. "Thanks so much for bringing this to me. I probably wouldn't have realized it was missing until I got home."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was silent for a moment, a matching blush crossing his cheeks. All the way from... It sounded kinda stalkery the way the other man said it, but the shy teen had no time to confirm or deny. With words at least, his face spoke volumes.

He accepted the bottle of water, but only held it without opening it. Clearly the man knew the staff, but was it okay for Kaleb to have the bottle? Social anxiety tugged at his thoughts.

"I'm glad I caught up," he finally replied, his voice timid and barely loud enough to hear over the chatter of the other bar patrons. "I don't think anyone else noticed it, so I had to make sure you got it back..."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It's fine, you can drink it. I work here and the owners are nice." As Nasir was the kind of person who noticed when people were nervous because he, himself, got far too nervous.

"... and I'm really glad that you noticed! It would be a pain to go through the process of getting all my identification again and never mind credit cards ..." There was a shake of his head, Nasir carefully putting away his wallet this time and then double patting to make sure it was there a moment later. "I'm going to be triple checking myself a lot for the next week."

Then, as if realizing it, a hand was held out. "I'm Nasir, and I am eternally grateful you brought my wallet back to me."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb cracked open the bottle of water and took a sip, because at this point it would be more awkward to continue protesting than to accept the token of goodwill. If he still felt uncomfortable about it later, he had enough change in his pocket to offer a 'tip' to cover the cost. It was refreshing though, he probably hadn't had anything to drink since leaving for classes that morning.

The youth had to hastily switch the water bottle to his other hand before he could return the handshake.

"Kaleb, it's nice to meet you!" He replied quickly, and then took a second to finally glance around the room. The establishment did have a welcoming atmosphere to it, Kaleb could imagine liking it here if he weren't so afraid of eating in restaurants. However, the examination confirmed his suspicions. He was completely lost.

"You said you work here? Where is... here?" He asked sheepishly, his blush now almost overpowering the freckles.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"This place is called Darlene's, after the owners's late wife." Yes, that was the possessive plural of owners. Nasir was still having to adapt to that change but he was happy Borr wasn't alone anymore. He was feeling a bit bad that he might have gotten someone lost, however. Ashdown was a decent size town and for those who did not live here all the time, it was easy to get lost.

"I run the kitchen for Borr and Killian. Keep an eye on inventory, cook, that sort of thing." Nasir pulled his glasses off and was wiping them with a cloth from his pocket. His eyes were particularly brown and particularly warm and friendly as he blinked at Kaleb to have him come into focus before he put his glasses back on. "It was reopened last year to be more family friendly. Also," he leaned in a quiet, conspiratorial voice, "because they started serving really good food."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb leaned back on the stool to catch a glimpse through a window, and the street outside was entirely unfamiliar. Yep, still lost. But at least he now knew where he was lost, and that the food was good. Family friendly probably also meant kids meals.

"I take it the good food part is your contribution?" He asked, painfully timid-looking despite the good humour in his words. The shy, lopsided smile Nasir had managed to draw out just then was hesitant. It lasted for a brief second before it was abruptly replaced by an expression of dismay.

"I'm not keeping you from your work right now, am I?" Kaleb asked quickly.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It is," Nasir agreed with a warm chuckle. "I really enjoy cooking and I'm glad that I was able to help this place open back up ..."

He blinked as that look of dismay came over Kaleb's face and quickly shook his face. "Oh! No! Not at all! I actually just got off work and wanted to get something for everyone working but I didn't have time to do anything myself, so I grabbed something from the bakery ..."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb settled down, but the worry lingered a little longer out of habit. One fear had simply opened the doors to all it's brethren, those similar fears continuing to plague him even though the first had been dismissed.

"I wouldn't want to keep you occupied too long if you had other things to do," he said, glancing down at the water bottle in his hands. On impulse he unscrewed the top and took a large gulp, and promptly suffered through a coughing fit that was even more awkward than the silence it might have filled.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir was leaning forward the moment Kaleb started coughing, a hand patting his back and his face fixed with concern. "You're not keeping me occupied," he said once the coughing stopped, "as this was the only thing that I was in a rush to do- get back here, I mean. Which I've done."

Warm brown eyes focused on Kaleb as Nasir sat back on his seat. "Besides, I think I've got to get you something for what you did. You deserve something more than my getting you lost," he was assuming since Kaleb hadn't known Darlene's, "for bringing me my wallet."

Grey Dragon