All about Perspective

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Luke scratched his chin, silver eyes idly studying the bazaar. Like most days, it was packed to the brim. But the stand he usually frequented, the one that sold scrap and other scavenged parts from Automata and it's scrapyard, wasn't around today. Dammit, I need parts for my Doomba. The young techy thought bitterly. It was possible the old coot was sick or something, or maybe he just didn't have much right now. But that certainly made Luke's shopping trip a bit more... exasperating. The young man needed a few more bits to finish his newest... project... and the bazaar had always been the closest to home. All the others were either a good distance away or in other sections of the capital. 
    
    Right now it came down to how worthwhile it would be to head elsewhere. Guy certainly could use the fresh air. But he didn't want the fresh air, he wanted to exist in a tiny room inhaling dangerous fumes and feeding off his own concentrated spite. Actually, yeah. Idiot he may be, Luke at least knew when he needed out. The techhead stuffed his hands into his pockets and steered away from the bazaar. The guy would rather deal with people in passing than go completely stir crazy.

    Or would he?

    The punk techy did have video games.

    Luke sighed and ended his mental debate with one thought; Better to finish it up earlier and get it done now than wind up shooting myself in my own foot and waiting. No telling when something could be in stock. And he certainly didn't want to risk having to take a trip out to the scrapyard himself because the one part he needed was bought up the next day. 

    Fingers dug through strands of soft black hair, scratching at the skin beneath. Less because it actually itched, and more because idle hands needed something to do. The weather matched the state his mind was in. Gray, dull, bland. Uninspiring and uninteresting, with nary a single break in the dense cloud cover in sight. Truth be told, the young man slightly regretted not being home right now. This was the type of day the boy preferred to just spend on the couch or in his workshop. If he needed fresh air, he could have just gone out on his balcony. Relaxed there, maybe with a book or some music. 

    The wind chimes idly sang their songs in the endless gentle breeze, giving off a subtle glow, barely noticeable. Luke stopped to stare up at them, picking apart how different of a world it all felt compared to the streetlamps and smog. The young punk had certainly never seen clouds this light back in The City. 

    Wonder if it's gonna rain today. The techy mused. Some days when he woke up, he felt like he wasn't even there. The world around him was so different to where he was born it was unreal. It made him feel so disconnected. Who is that man wandering aimlessly? I don't recognize him. He's nothing like the one I know. His friends are weird. Nothing like him. Does he even know the meaning?

    Luke blinked and made a face like he had just caught a whiff of something vile. The fuck am I doing thinkin' like that? The boy asked himself. I ain't no fuckin'... philosopher bitch. The young man gave his head a shake, then clapped his cheeks. You know what, fuck it, I'm gonna save the parts for later. I'm gonna go look for something fun. My mind needs a break. 
    
    Recently the days had certainly been... interesting and busy. Only natural that something was gonna fry. The punk just needed something interesting to reset it. Like... a small change in perspective, or a mental vacation.

    A MeCation. 

    There were many places Luke had yet to go in Hurricane Keep. Parks, music shops, hell, if he looked hard enough the boy wondered if he'd find an arcade somewhere in the mix. Place had to be way too proper for an actual skate park, and besides, the guy didn't even have his board on him. But that wasn't the point. Luke was going on an adventure. And hey, if there were skate-parks, then there had to be skateboard shops that he could go to. Buy a board, have some fun, then give it to some loser who didn't have one. That's how the next generations were birthed. 

    As he walked, the boy hummed a tune, using his fingers to mimic the act of playing a guitar. Hell, maybe I  could get into a little bit of trouble while I'm at it? Couldn't hurt to get into one little scuffle here or there. Maybe cause some mischief. The young punk certainly did have his... "tools" on him. 

    See, it was all about your outlook. If you went into the day and focused on how miserable it looked, your mind was going to be all cluttered with junk and bullshit. But if you looked at it through the lenses of potential, then that's where all the doors began to open. And right now, Luke was all about the potential, and the boy was ready to grab it by the throat. Don't worry, he wasn't planning on breaking laws. Probably.

    That's not the point here. 

    Actually, was there a point? Well, that's probably just another goal to discover on this adventure. Just as long as some weirdly socially inept god[dess] didn't throw themselves into the mix, everything would work out fine. But where would his first stop be? Or rather, who would his first target be. You know, he had a whole lot of inventions that he hadn't been able to use in a while. Luke's finger grazed over Dabby-boi Jr, a smirk growing as his eyes locked on target. "Bangarang." He whispered. 

    Throwing the puck like some sort of bullshit anime ninja star, Luke pucked the huck at a poor purple haired sod, who would be blissfully unaware of the dumb-ass shenanigans he would soon be roped into. 

    God help his soul if that puck hit him in the back of his neck. May he rest in peace if it hit him in general, really. Because if it hit that poor bastard, then the raging memelord vibrating behind him was going to click a big red button, sending electrical shocks through the man's body forcing him...

    to DAB.

[cyanidesawtooth]

Ross had lived in the capital for some time, he knew the area fairly well but with things constantly changing and popping up, sometimes navigation was hard. On bleary days like today, Ross liked to go for walks. He loved Hurricane Keep because of how at home he felt in those streets. The scent of a waiting rain hang in the air, too faint to be ready just yet. Ross loved this weather, it was the perfect time to people watch. Normally, Ross would be working on something. Covering some odd job around the region, or applying to different shops to get a more stable income, but today? He wanted to relax for a little while. He had bought himself some lunch, a paper boat filled with what looked like dumplings.

The warm paper boat sat on one hand as he walked between the different streets, trying to find a good spot to steak out and just watch people go about their days. It was a bit of a weird hobby, but it steamed from Ross living with his mother. He liked to see what kind of things people did when they weren't thinking about the world around them. He liked to watch people who were caught up in their own little worlds. He eventually found a spot, close to the bazaar. He had climbed up onto a wall, letting his feet dangle from the other side as he absently pushed one of the dumplings into his mouth to take a large bite. The warmth filled him up, bringing a new degree of comfort in the almost cool day.

Go figure, Ross loved to watch people go about their lives in their own little world, he was in his own. Thats part of the reason why he didn't even realize that he was about to get beaned in the worst kind of way. Half eaten dumpling in one hand, boat with the last one in his other, something hit him square in the back. At first he barely registered what was going on, but his body reacted before he could even think. the muscles in his shoulders tensed, almost painfully as his body was filled with an electric shock. His left hand threw the paper boat and uneaten dumpling to the side before his other came up, smashing what was left of the dumpling in his face. He couldn't help but let out a frustrated, annoyed, and surprised yell, quickly throwing the other dumpling and wiping his face before turning around furiously.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Oh my gods. Luke covered his mouth with a gloved hand, snickering and tearing up as a paper boat went flying. This is the best hit I've ever nailed. When the final dumpling smashed straight into the man's face, Luke couldn't contain himself. The techy held his gut as he howled with laughter. Tears were streaming down his face. He could barely breath. The boy only stopped for a brief moment as his victim whipped back to glare at him, but after not even a second, Luke was laughing even harder than he was before.

    Luke staggered to the left, pressing a hand against a wall and wheezing as he tried to calm down. He was failing, but at least he tried. A gloved hand patted the air in the direction of the dumpling devourer as the techy tried to get some words out. "Wai-... Hhheeh- w-wai... wait..." 

    His chest heaved as he sucked in a deep breath. The laughter stopped. And then silver eyes met brown. And there goes the laughter again. A few curses were sprinkled in the midst but eventually the raging memelord was able to calm down. Panting, wheezing, and still giggling a bit, Luke found it difficult to look the other guy in the eye. But at least he tried.

    That phrase was quickly becoming the motto of the day.

    "Aw man dude, that was fuckin' bangarang. I've never gotten a dab that fuckin' great. And I slapped a fuckin' god with that puck." Luke rubbed the heel of his  hand into his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears from his good, hearty laugh. Been awhile since he laughed that hard. But when you make a guy cram a dumpling into his face while simultaneously forcing him to yeet his other into the fucking sun, well, that's a special event that deserves a good laugh. "One day, the dabs..." Luke sucked in a breath, smirked, spun around on one foot, clapped after a full rotation, then slammed out a mighty fucking DAB with the beauty, force, and grace of a thousand shitty meme compilations, falling down to one knee to increase it's immense meme power. "...will be as mighty as mine."

    And then Luke stood up like nothing happened. 

    "Man, it's the little things in life." Luke approached Ross calmly, grin playing on his features. The punk's hand reached out towards the lilac haired man, and with a slight tug of the adhesive, pulled free Dab Bot Jr. Luke's smirk grew as he pulled out the button and gave the other young man a demonstration. A little click, and the tiny metal prongs gave taser like cracks and pops of electricity. "All ya need is to shock the right places and you can make a motherfucker slap himself in his face. Funny shit, innit?"

    Luke stuffed away the button and clapped a case over the adhesive portion of his Dabby Boi, stowing that in his pocket as well. With both hands freed, Luke gave the purple haired boy a two fingered salute. "I-" He stopped himself before he gave the "Io" name, remembering that Luna was around somewhere and grit his teeth, changing his direction. "Eldon." Last name was a good bridge for now. 

[cyanidesawtooth]

Long sleeves helped to move most of the warm meaty contents of the dumpling off his face despite ruining his sleeves. Oh well, this shirt would look better as a short sleeve anyway. Maybe once everything was said and done, and if the stains didn't wash out, he would hem it into a short sleeve, or leave it sleeveless.

White hot rage boiled under his skin. He could only guess that the electric shock from whatever contraption that was, was made worse by his affinity for lightening. Either way, his muscles felt sore, still sort of stinging from the shock and the sudden tensing. Despite that, he met the other's eyes with an angry glare. Not only was his lunch ruined, his shirt sleeve was, and so was his day. Not that his day was that great to start off with, but it had already gotten a lot worse since he got smacked in the face with the bun.

He hopped off the wall, albeit ungracefully, even his thighs were a little funny feeling. God, Ross was either super dramatic, or that little shock had set off a crazy chain reaction in his body. Which, was very possible. He walked a lot quicker than Luke, quickly and roughly grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. He pulled him closer, all but threatening. Just about chest to chest, Ross was a bit taken off guard by the other's wheezing laughter, and how he barely choked out the words. His heavy eyebrows furrowed, what the hell was he talking about dabs for?

Then it set in, he had dabbed when he smashed the bun into his mouth and threw the rest of them. That has got to be the dumbest invention he'd ever heard of. It served the stupidest purpose. Ross dropped the guy, groaning in annoyance, "you are the dumbest motherfucker I've ever met."

He gave him a weird look when he approached him to take Dabs Boi off the back of his shirt. His eyebrows were set in annoyance, looking from the sparking little robot to its handler. Despite how much he wanted to knock this guy's teeth in, that prank was pretty good. Against his better judgement, he smirked, giving a cynical little half chuckle.

"Eldon. You owe me lunch." He spoke matter o'factly, nodding towards the buns, now being flocked by the local birds.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   However Ross thought Luke would react to being grabbed and pulled close would probably be far from how the young punk-techy actually reacted. Instead of cowering in fear or lashing out, the young man instead had a cocksure grin. Dude didn't even lay a single finger on Ross either, just kept his hands in his pockets and grinned up at him. Of course, it was entirely in the fighty fuck's nature to kick the ass of anyone bigger than him in a display of dominance, but Ross's threat level barely registered on his radar. And there ain't no glory in kickin' a kid's ass when he can't put up a decent fight.

    Besides, dude might have been taller, but "bigger" was subjective.

    "If I'm the dumbest motherfucker you've met, then I take that as both an compliment and an achievement." Luke smooth the front of his shirt out as he was dropped back to his heels, seeming none-the-worse for it all. "But if that's the only thing you're gauging it off of, then I have some bad news for you brother- there's more disappointment over the horizon."

    The gleam in those silver eyes could have chilled the blood in a monster's veins. There was terrifying mischief behind them. "I make dumb shit on the reg for fun."

    You know that one movie where it stated "With great power comes great responsibility?" Yeah, someone should have told Luke that. His happiness came from causing chaos with his inventions.  But, it never did not work out. Case and point, Ross wasn't trying to fight him now. Sure, that would have been a fucking terrible idea anyways, Luke would rock his shit so hard the kid would have been knocked out of his own body. But needless bravado aside...

    "Heh, bangarang man. If that's all, I know the perfect place. Been meanin' to go there with someone." Luke turned away from Ross and began to walk. "Place's got some great food honestly. Given your tragic lack of dumplings, you'll have yourself a solid replacement there. Trust, brother, bet you fifty gold pieces that they're better than anything you've had before." 

    Luke led the way through the streets, not going too fast or too slow, just travelling at his leisure. He knew grudges well enough to know that he wasn't going to lose the guy at a steady pace, so he didn't look back all that often, not even to speak. Every so often, the cloud cover lightened slightly, and for a brief moment the sun peaked through. It gave a bit of hope that the weather would clear up soon. 

    The two would pass by a few different stands, some showing off food, some displaying other items of value. While passing by a fruit stand, the man behind would be shouting out his wears, trying to garner any sort of customers. Luke flashed him a smile, and the stand owner smiled back, before continuing his shouting. Once past, Luke tossed an apple back to Ross. 

    Sneaky bastard. 

    But, those were the skills Luke had cultivated back in his home city. Flash the teeth,  make sure they've got something else to look at while you're moving. Quick, subtle movements. Go too slow and they'll notice, go too fast and aggressive and you'll lose subtly. The art of thievery is  one of balance.  
    
    "So anyways..." Luke began, stopping before a delicious smelling restaurant. "What's your name anyways? Y'never said when I introduce myself."

[cyanidesawtooth]

That stupid, almost shit eating grin, on the other guy's face when Ross grabbed him threw his confidence. Just something about being confronted with someone who has no fear or hesitation. Something about this guy's cockiness threw him off. He wanted to think that this could be attributed to the idea that Elton never had his ass handed to him. He wanted to think it could be from Luke's expertise with electronics and tinkering. Something like that could contribute to this dude's cockiness right? That had to be what it was, right? Something about that just made Ross uneasy. Mostly from the fact that he was a little deterred from it, he let him go.

He couldnt help but roll his eyes when Eldon commented on taking the dumbass insult as a compliment. As if being the biggest dumbass in hurricane keep was a compliment. Ross wouldnt admit it but he could tell this Eldon dude was pretty smart. Something about him gave off that air, and the sharp look in those silver eyes was unnerving.

Bangerang? Who the hell says Bangerang? Ross couldnt help but let out a soft little chuckle at that, rolling his eyes. "Bangerang?" He questioned, quirking a brow at the other as he tugged his shirt off since there was a pretty sizable stain around the neck. Under his regular shirt, was a plain black tee shirt. He tucked his over shirt under his other arm, still kind of rubbing the remnants of the dumpling from his face with a slight frown. "Honestly, as long as its edible, i dont think i care that much." He ran a hand through his hair, glancing over at Eldon, quirking a brow as they walked. "And im not your brother."


Ross kept up his pace, granted they were both pretty close in size, similar enough stride length. Ross didnt seem to be paying too much attention to the silence, his eyes flickered at the stands as they walked past, familiar and comfortable. Ross didnt feel terribly on edge at least. It wasnt until Elton tossed an apple at him that his eyes returned to Eldon. He shook his head with a bit of a stern look, taking a bite into the apple anwyay. Ross didnt often steal if he didnt need to, he never really took actions he couldnt defend. Even still, he wasnt going to hold this against Eldon, maybe it would be letting him get away with it, but oh well.

"Ross," He spoke softly, giving the other a curious look. He wasnt going to lie, he didnt really have a reason to lie about his name. Just his first name, and given that it was plenty common, Ross really didnt feel too tied to it.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   "Yeah, Bangarang. Got a problem with it?" The question was rhetorical. Luke really didn't care. Bangarang was the only phrase that helped connect him to  his past. The one habit he never grew out of, never wanted to grow out of. It wasn't going to be Luke problem if Ross didn't like it, that much was for damn sure.

    Once there, the young techy walked up to the front doors, spinning to look at Ross as he pushed it open with his back. "C'mon." The boy jerked his head inwards. The open door allowed for a wall of delicious scents to pummel the two young men. Different seasoning and smells of meats and vegetables. It was mouth watering. Luke's expression didn't break for a single second, a calm smirk painted upon his features. Unbothered by Ross's quips and quirks. 

    Luke was not an imposing individual. He certainly was fit, and he had the attitude of someone tough as nails, but "imposing" or "threatening" would not be words typically used to describe him. He wasn't built like a tank, he wasn't massive, or covered in scars, bristling with magic or weapons. However, the tech-head still had an air around him. Something hidden. He had a presence about him, in the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way his eyes seemed to study, to learn. His oafish personality belied something dangerous. As though to emphasize this point, when inside the restaurant, the young techy rolled his shoulder, the muscles tensing and making themselves apparent.

    Showing Ross one of the reasons why Luke didn't fear him. 

    There was no threat, however. The punk didn't think of Ross as an enemy, and was genuinely showing good humor towards the other boy. A stray dog accepting the presence of someone else. For now. 

    Savory scents filled the room, dimly lit and using warm, dark colors that were easy on the eyes. It was rustic, in a sense. Tables hardwood, flooring lightly carpeted with abstract designs. Busy, but not bustling, the restaurant had different patrons from all walks of life. Luke picked out a spot at a table in a back corner and settled in with a stretch. "I've only been here a couple'a times. But the food is solid. I actually have been planning on bringing my friends here, treat them all to a nice meal an all that shit. They got some larger dining rooms in back that can be rented out, so it'd be a nice place to chill out and fuck around, Y'know?" 
    
    Luke casually tossed a menu down in front of Ross. "Take your pick, just don't buy out the whole entire place. I'm not made of gold here."  A small chuckle escaped the punk's lips. "Enjoy, you get to pick how much those dumplings were really worth to you." 
    

[cyanidesawtooth]

"Huh," he shrugged a little bit at it, kind of laughing it off. Whatever works, works. This Eldon kid was peculiar, but he didnt have a bad vibe. Ross was just working on getting to understand the head space this guy was in. It was a little rough around the edges, but mellow enough to work with. It really was kind of the same feeling as a friendly stray dog. You know that if you rub it the wrong way it could bite you, but play your cards right and you might have a good friend. Even still, Ross is pretty hesitant to try and get much closer.

On top of that, hes still a little annoyed at the fact that this shit head ruined his lunch. The only reason why he really followed this guy was because he didnt have anything else to do. Then again, he really should be a lot more careful, and now the anxiety sets in. This dude could be kidnapping him, or going to rob him. Not that Ross couldnt put up a fight, he definetly could. He prefered to not fight if he could, but he wouldnt back down from a fight if it came to it. God who was he kidding though, they were literally in a restaurant. But what if this was all a clever ruse? He could be in kahoots with the staff. He could be part of some elaborate plan. No, that was silly. Right? Yeah, totally.

Unconsciously, Ross dug his nails into his palm, rocking them back and forth to deepen the grooves left behind. He didnt realize how much he had been doing it until they found a table. His eyes followed around the area, taking in the atmosphere. It was nice, almost surprisingly so. This really isnt what he was expecting. This would be a great date spot. Now that you mention it. Wait, no ew. Eldon is not really his type. Hes too similar that would be a little too chaotic. Ross squinted a little, too deep in thought before being brought out of it when Luke talked. Back to reality. He offered a little half smile, quirking a brow. "Pretty fancy I guess."

His eyes moved back to the menu, reading over a few of the options. Things seemed pretty standard, they all sounded really good honestly. Ross silently picked something simple and pretty cheap too. The dumplings really werent worth too much and Ross isnt really the type to try and take advantage of a situation like this. Its more surprising that Eldon even agreed to take him out for lunch anyway. Ross wasnt gonna look a gift horse in the house. Once his mind was made up he closed the menu, laying it flat and meeting the other Punk's eyes with an almost dead look. However, there was a little bit of an underlying curiosity.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Fancy?" Luke looked around the place and seemed to work that word around in his head a bit. It just seemed like any other restaurant. Nothing super high end or anything like that. But it was also clean and had a good vibe so... maybe he could see what Ross was getting at? The punk techy gave a shrug. "I mean, I guess?"

    When the waitress came by, Luke was first to order, getting a glass of cherry lemonade and an order of sweet n sour chicken. He wasn't looking for any sort of hefty meal right now, but this was still a good little bite to keep of the edge off, though. the black-haired punk did not normally eat a whole lot. Was it healthy? No probably not. But listen! Sometimes he just forgot... and then it just became part of his daily habits. It was easier to focus on work and stuff when you didn't have to worry about stupid shit like eating! 

    Hahaa... he was so not healthy...

    Looked good though!
    
    Well. As good as he can? Look, semantics. The young man relaxed back in his seat, a big yawn escaping his lips. With the menu down, Luke met Ross's gaze, silver meeting brown. It wasn't hard to tell there was something there, it wasn't like the Mr. Purple over there was trying to hide it or anything. The young techy propped his arm backwards up onto the back of his chair and quirked a brow in Ross's direction. 

    "What, I got something on my face or somethin'?" Luke like messing with people. Shocker, what else was new? Grass was green, the sky was blue, and Luke was a mischievous asshole. These were simple facts of life. Don't like it? Tough shit, trying to change Luke was going to be as hard as changing a light-bulb with your mouth... while it was on. Those fuckers get hot, so good luck with that. But, that's also completely on purpose too. Call it a defense mechanism, call it a personality quirk- Luke acted the way he did to keep people at arms length. Weed out the weak. Anyone who was worthwhile stuck around, pushed through his bullshit or even just rolled with it. 

    That's how Luke knew they were keepers.

    And right now, Luke was trying to feel out Ross's personality. See just how well the other boy would fair. If he could roll with Luke and the gang or not, or if Mr. Eldon here would bail after this little introductory meeting. Date was a strong word, but it was a similar method- only for friendship instead of love interests. Sorry Ross, Luke's cripplingly straight. That's probably a really good thing though, their chaos probably wouldn't blend well. Not to mention a certain white haired fox would certainly have a few words for either of them, and if her knuckles were letters she could type out entire paragraphs on their faces. 

    Luke might have been a solid Six-out-of-Ten on a good day, but he still preferred keeping his face intact. Rambling and ranting aside, though the young punk tech-head was patiently waiting for Ross to give his order... and to actually broach whatever curiosity was bubbling in that grape-flavored head of his.

[cyanidesawtooth]

"Well no, i kinda expected a food cart or something," Ross let out that soft little half laugh, shrugging a little. Being that the dumplings Eldon had destroyed werent exactly high end or expensive. Most of the items on the menu were more expensive than the dumplings. So honestly Ross was just picking one of the cheapest things. Not the cheapest, but one of them. The dumplings were more of a heavy snack than a full lunch, but hey, this kid also tazed the shit out of him.

When the waitress turned to Ross he ended up ordering a water with teriyaki chicken. As soon as she started walking away he thought about the fact that maybe he should have ordered something more heavy or expensive. Ah well, its too late now anyway. There was no point in pestering the poor waitress.

Ross's eyebrows furrowed when the other asked if there was something on his face. He just shook his head a little, almost knocked out of that dead eyed daze. His eyes flickered toward the couple other tables, trying to get a read on the others who occupied the area around them. He rested his cheek on his fist, thinking absently to himself.

Once he had gotten a decent gage of the atmosphere around him, and the people in the restaurant, his eyes returned to the one across the table from him. Ross quirked a brow, tilting his head slightly, almost questioning. It seems that most of Ross's interactions were more from his body language and facial expressions than anything.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Luke was quick to voice Ross's thoughts, leaning back with a shit eating grin. "Damn, you're going soft on me, I expected you to pick somethin' heftier. Try to run me out, you know?" Luke showed his hands to Ross with a shrug. "Not like I'm complaining any. All I'm saying is you totally missed your chance, my dude." 

    A chuckle welled up in Luke's throat, followed by a pleased sigh as he took a drink of his water. Ross was a strange breed, but an easy one to read. The tech-head watched as the purple haired boy scanned the restaurant and its patrons. Really, it wasn't anything impressive, a small family with their two children, a couple groups of friends bantering amongst themselves, a young couple snuggled up as they browsed the desert menu. Pretty much the standard affair for most joints. It wasn't the type of place that got rowdy very easily like some of the places Luke had checked out, nor was it super sophisticated or romantic.

    Gods only knew how sick those latter ones made the young man.

    The boy tilted his chin up as Ross tossed his gaze back in Luke's direction. Silver eyes studied his features in a very clinical manner, expression set to neutral, and eyes hard to judge. Oh I see, you're tryna read me, aren't you? After a moment of this, the smirk returned and Luke leaned forwards. "You got questions. Let me guess, you wanna know 'why' or somethin' like that? I mean, the why is pretty simple. I owed you lunch, I'm getting you lunch." His shoulders lifted into a small shrug. "Or, do you mean why this all started in the first place?"

    Luke's fingers snapped and directed his pointer finger at Ross's face. "Aside from being an easy target for my mischief, you look interesting and I want to see if it's worth it to bring you into my lil gaggle of dumbasses. I seem to be a bit of a collector of those as of late." 

    With a smirk and a stretch, the punk techy kicked back and waved his hands at Ross. "C'mon, c'mon. Lighten up a bit, quit sulking and tell me about yourself already Mister Mopey. Might as well enjoy yourself instead of glowering at me. Chill out a little." The young man flashed a toothy smile. "Unless you still think I'm somehow gonna cut you up and eat'ya or somethin'."

    Gods, Luke was enjoying himself way too much. It was like a breath of fresh air from all the dour thoughts and shitty mood he'd been stuck in for, what, the past couple weeks or so? It'd been a hot minute since he got a chance to kick back and actually fuck around. Everything got so fucking messy lately that it barely gave him a chance to breathe. Sure, this moment may be at the expense of someone else, but when did Luke ever have a good time that didn't cost at least one person's sanity? 

    Take it all in Ross, you're gonna be here for a while.

[cyanidesawtooth]

"Honestly, those dumplings werent exactly expensive. Im not really one to take things that i dont feel i deserve." Ross shrugged off the comment, taking a drink of his water almost thoughtfully. Once he set the glass down again he gave a half chuckle, "unless you want me to ask the waitress for the most expensive thing on the menu when she comes back." He spoke almost playfully, seeming to relax a little bit.

Ross was starting to pick up on the fact that Eldon was starting to try and pick up a read on him. Ross, despite a bit of his better judgment, was letting himself start to relax. That neutral and almost gloomy facial expression was slowly melting away to become more expressive. "Well actually, i was more wondering why you would make a machine that basically electrocutes a person into dabbing." He paused for a breath, more or less tossing his next words back and forth in his mind. "Not that it isnt a great invention, but to try it out on some random dude." He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

He jerked back slightly when the other pointed at him, frowning a little at that and quirking a brow. He rolled his eyes at Eldon, "and who said anything about me wanting to join your "gaggle of dumbasses," great name by the way." He teased softly, sitting back in his chair. He let his legs spread out a little, his squared shoulders relaxing slightly as he sipped on his water.

Alright alright, now that things have lightened up a little, Ross was starting to understand the young man across the table from him a little better. He didnt seem to mind being around him as much, even though his partially stained shirt was still draped over his lap.

As the waitress returned with their plates, Ross thanked her quietly. He waited for Eldon to take the first bite, mostly just out of his own idea of politeness. But as soon as that happened, Ross was all in. He really didnt realize that he was that hungry, but then again, this food really was surprisingly good. Much better than street cart dumplings.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Look, it's a waste of time to ask 'why' I built something, because the answer will always be; 'I was bored and wanted to see if I could.' It sounded funny, so I built a set up and it worked, so then I compacted it into the thing I hucked at you." Luke's inspiration was varied and came in waves. Sometimes it was something neat like a fully motorized battleship model with functioning airsoft turrets. Other times it was an air canon that fired out floppy dongs. 

    He liked to keep people guessing.

    Even himself!

    Luke took a sip of water at Ross's mention of his group of friends. The young techy didn't exactly know how to respond at first. Making friends was completely new to him. Before, with the Lost Boys, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Others would pester him and cling to him until he had no choice but to accept their presence and companionship. Cough, cough- Luna- cough, cough. Luke gave a shrug, though, the answer stupidly obvious, now that he actually thought about it. It was the same deal as what happened to him. 

    Setting his drink down, Luke watched as the waitress place the two boys' meals before them. Luke dug in, showing a bit more care than Ross, more cautious about making a mess or completely pigging out. It was kind of funny seeing Ross turn into some sort of ravenous animal as soon as he took his first bite. "Told ya this place was good." he quipped. 

    The techy settled back after a few more bites, approaching Ross's question now. "If I like you enough to want to hang around you, then it's just a simple fact of life that eventually you'll be roped into the group, whether you like it or not. If that's not something you're down for, then I'm not stopping you from leaving. You got your meal and the exit's right there. You won't be hurting my feelings any- it'll just be one less thing and one less person to worry about. As you can tell, I'm not exactly the prime example of a social butterfly. More like a social rock." 

    Shocker, the guy with trust issues so bad he couldn't even give people his real name without some difficulty had poor social skills. Ross interested Luke, the guy had similar mannerisms and styles, but if the purple-haired boy decided to bounce, the techy wouldn't be hurt. That just meant it was one less person for Luke to try to trust. Probably wouldn't be too terrible if Ross left. Luke mused. Sure, Luna bitched at me about not making new friends, and yeah, ok, Io would be disappointed in me for continuing to shoving people away, but fuck you trusting people is hard!

    Who the hell can just look at some new person, not know anything about them or any secrets they may have and just go; "Yeah ok I'm gonna open my fucking heart to this person without any sort of fear about them potentially stabbing me in the back." Who just does that?? Luke blinked slightly out of his thoughts and rolled his shoulders, stretching them to help work himself out of his own mind. Fuck it, might as well just chow down and clear that shit out of my brain. No need to overwork it on an empty stomach. Besides, Ross ain't the only one hungry here.