Bella is more than happy to follow Celo out of Callhan's sight.

"I got my knife back," he observes cheerfully. "You okay?"

"Just winded. And scared. I had somebody with me, they just ran him off somehow."

"Sucks," he observes. "Need anything?"

"I need to not have large numbers of elves after me."

Celo snorts. "Yeah, that'd be nice. Well, at least next time they come after you they won't be so well-armed."

"I'd reiterate that I'm totally taking Arcane Defense next semester, except I bet at least three of those elves are also wizards."

"Maybe I should just follow you around all the time," he says wryly.

"We have some classes at the same time, and there are more of them now."

"I didn't say it was a good idea."

"I appreciate the thought."

"Anyway, though, it's good that Callahan's on your side," he says. "Where do you wanna go? Back to the dorm?"

"Yeah, that's where I was headed."

Then he goes that way.

"Just need to grab my ID so I can get lunch," she explains. "If I dare. I might need to start - I don't know, having groceries delivered, using the kitchen more."

"I'll cook for you," he offers cheerfully.

"What I really want to do is have a picnic like I used to do when I was a kid, but I don't know how long those elves are going to be running scared and I don't have any picnic stuff."

"What, you mean like... food, picnic blankets...?" he inquires, smiling.

"Portable food, picnic blanket, yeah."

"I have that stuff," says Celo.

"...Tucked away on you right now?"

"Yep! And in case those fuckheads come back, I also have all their hardware," he says brightly. "Let's have a picnic."

"Okay," she beams.

"In case of picnics?" he says, shrugging. "Why not have a picnic blanket?"

"Is there any limit to your carrying capacity?" Ooh, potato salad. Nom.

"Haven't hit it yet," he says cheerfully.

"Then I guess carrying around a random picnic blanket in case of picnic makes perfect sense!"

He giggles.

Om nom nom. "Thank you, this is exactly what I needed."

"Awesome," he beams, nibbling on a strawberry tart.

Picnicking, picnicking! "So apparently I've been demoted from Princess to Screaming Girl. How do her nicknames work?"

"Whim," he shrugs. "I've been Fucktoy since she met me, but these days I know she's using it ironically."

"Which you can tell how?"

He grins. "Because I know her."

"I'd say something like 'you poor soul', but except for being infuriatingly hinty at me she has been a useful force in my life."

"She's nice like that," he says. "In the nastiest possible way."

Bella nods. "I hope you don't object to having your class interrupted too much."

"Nah, I like picnics," he says, smiling at her.

"Me too."

He giggles.

"This is really good, did you just make it all and put it away for a - sunny day?" she asks, gesturing at the clear sky. She is currently working her way through a stuffed grape leaf.

"You can't exactly save picnic gear for a rainy day, so," Bella grins.

Celo giggles again. "Yeah," he says, and he looks at her, and he smiles.

Mmm, dumplings. Bella pops an entire one into her mouth and leans back, arms straight out under her shoulders.

Celo watches her with a big, happy smile on his face.

"You're in a good mood," observes Bella.

"I like you," he explains, as though that's all there is to it. Maybe it is.

"Good. I like you too."

Celo beams.

"I've been largely cured of the habit of starting sentences with I wish," says Bella, "but, apropos of what I just said, it must be so cool to be able to carry everything around unobtrusively like that. Totally a good tradeoff for no pockets."

"Thanks."

"And you're right," he adds, "it's awesome."

"Anything else squirreled away for amenable weather conditions?"

"You could maintain a list," she suggests.

"Sure I could," he snorts. "And by sure I mean like hell."

"Not your style, huh?"

"No way I'd remember every time." He grins. "Besides, I like the surprises."

"Like finding silver pieces in the couch," suggests Bella.

"Exactly! It feels like you're getting a present even though it is a present from your own ability to lose things," he snorts.

"I'd just as soon not lose the things in the first place, but I get the appeal, sorta," laughs Aether. "Keeping lists is definitely my style."

"I know," he says fondly.

Om nom nom, candied orange segments.

"You're giving me funny looks," Bella remarks.

"Are they funny?" he asks, with something not quite exactly like innocence.

"As in peculiar."

"Oh." He studies the candied orange segment. "Well, maybe I am."

"Are you gonna tell me why?"

"...Because I like you?" he says, oddly shy.

"We were over that subject a few minutes ago," Bella points out.

"Yeah?" he says. "It's not like I have exactly one thing I do because I like you and nothing else is ever about that."

"All right," laughs Bella, shaking her head. She takes another candied orange section.

"And now you look all - tentative. Like you met me five minutes ago and don't know if we're going to get along yet."

He grins and looks down at his candied orange segment. "Yeah, you caught me."

"But we did not meet five minutes ago and have been getting along for a while now," she points out. "So where's that coming from?"

"You're the sort of person I'll happily have a picnic with?" says Bella confused. "I like your company, I like your food, I like how you rescued me from mad elves - what do you mean, 'how do people do this'?"

"I - never mind, I guess," he says, shaking his head.

"But now I'm curious."

"...I thought... I don't know," he says, crushing the orange slice in his hand and hugging his knees. "I'm just. Confused? Fuck." He opens his hand, looks at the crushed piece of candied orange, slurps it off his palm, and chews on it, wrapping his arms around his knees again.

"Well - what about, though? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he sighs.

"...You sure?"

He nods.

"...Yes?"

"If I... hypothetically started talking about it again," he says, "I would hypothetically not be joking."

"...Are you just... warning me not to take it as a joke if you hypothetically did that, or are those hypotheticallies for decoration?"

"They're kind of for plausible deniability?" he says. "I get the impression that plays a pretty big part in the early stages of human courtship."

"Are you hoping to court me?"

"You can skip the plausible deniability. I'm a human, but ask me if I care."

Bella giggles. "You're cute."

"We are having a picnic," she points out. "It's a date if we say it is."

"That works," he says, grinning.

"Good. If it didn't I'd have to think of something else."

"Yeah."

He scoots over to her side of the blanket and snuggles up.

Hugs. Hugs and truffles.

Truffles and hugs! Mmm, snuggly.