THURSDAY

Aaaaand... another car done.

What was our time?

Twelve minutes and forty-six seconds.

What is our record?

Nine minutes and three seconds.

We can make it better.

Come on, give me a challenge! I'm bored. I'm bursting with creativity, I need to make something new, and not just fix things.

Leo turned around, just to come face to face with Erica standing a foot from him. He jumped.

"AAAAHHH!"

His scream scared her and she jumped too. While she held a hand over her chest to try and calm her heart, Leo noticed her hair was now in two braids, and with a different tiny flower adorning it, this time a yellow one.

It's winter, but she still looks fresh from spring.

She always looks like a dryad.

She always looks pretty.

"Oh, hey, Sweetpea. You scared me."

She bent to retrieve her white board she dropped when Leo scared her.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention.

"Well, you could try to make some noise before approaching, you don't have to be completely silent."

Leo flinched when he saw her casting her eyes down.

Was that insensible?

I think so?

Gee, thanks dad, for amazing people skills.

Leo decided to not let her focus too much on his slip, and bowed to catch her attention by peripheral vision.

"So, my Lady, how can I serve you on this lovely day?"

Both stopped to look to the shop's entrance, where you could see the street wet and forming puddles from the constant pouring rain since from dawn. Erica turned her head back to Leo and raised an eyebrow, with a smile tugging at her lips.

Lovely?

She can't miss a chance to mess with us, right?

I know what to say, just repeat after me.

"Well, I got to see your smile, which is always a sight for sore eyes, and makes this day lovely."

Dude, that was good.

Well, I've been paying attention to Niel.

We already have the looks, and you want to have the charm too? The other guys won't stand a chance!

They never did.

True.

Erica was just staring at him, blushing furiously. Leo kept waiting for her to curtsy or write something on her board, but she just kept staring at him with round eyes, until he started to feel uncomfortable.

"Anyway, what can I do for you?"

Erica shook her head, trying to compose herself. She started writing something, just to erase before showing him. She did that twice more, before setting to write just one word.

Coffe?

Huh. I wonder why she's hesitating.

Only way to find out.

Leo winked and offered her his arm.

"Always, my Duchess."

They shared an umbrella, walking fast to avoid getting wet from the wind blowing the cold rain to their sides, and slow enough to not splash the puddles too much. Getting inside the warm coffe shop was a relief. For some reason, Erica abandoned him by the door and marched to a table with her head ducked.

Did we say something wrong?

I don't think so. We just laughed about getting wet, not mattering the umbrella's position, but she was laughing with us, right?

I think so...

Leo joined her, who was now hidden behind the menu. Leo was checking her every few seconds from behind his own menu.

Should we say something?

Like what?

I don't know, apologize?

For what?

I have no idea. But her silence is a little unnerving.

...

Yeah, that was stupid to say.

You mean her shyness around us is unnerving?

Yeah, something like that.

"So... ready to order?"

She nodded, but didn't put down her menu.

I have no idea how to deal with shy.

Me neither.

***

Their cups were empty, and she was munching on the same macaron for the last two minutes, avoiding look at him the whole time. Finally, Leo had enough. Mostly, it was Leoni singing a music from a advertising over and over that annoyed him.

"So, Sweetpea, what did you want to talk to me? I get that I'm almost like an Adonis standing here for you to admire, but I have a feeling it was not your intention, since you're not looking at me at all."

She flinched, and Leo cursed Leoni for ruining his patience. Still not looking at him, she started writing something on her board, very slowly, her own version of speak with hesitation. When she finally showed him, it was something much more light than he thought it would be.

There is a play in my school, Peter Pan.

Like we wouldn't know, with Niel going on and on about it.

Especially his darling. / Especially his darling.

Do you really think he can convince the director to let him take it home after the play?

That guy is crazy. Where would he put that? It's not like he has his own Bunker 9, right?

"So I've heard. Are you going to play a part?"

She squeezed her eyes and mouth, like holding back a tear or a sob.

Leoni, I can't talk.

So little trust in her own capacity.

"So what? I bet there are plenty of papers without a single line. You're pretty, I'm sure you could play a mermaid and just smile and wave to the crowd, girl. Smile and wave."

For some reason, that brought tears to her eyes, and also panic to Leo and Leoni.

Oh, gods, tears. I can't deal with tears! If a machine leaks, I can fix it, I have no idea what to do when humans start to leak!

Why is she crying? What did we do to her? What do we do?

That was so sweet! Thank you!

So, is it happy tears?

If nothing is wrong, can she please stop leaking?

Would you go to the play with me?

He could see the anxiety in her face, in the white of her knuckles while holding the board, the tense shoulders and arms, and he could bet her legs were just as tense.

So, that was it?

So much shyness for this?

I don't get it, she asked us for burgers the other time just fine.

Girls.

Well, I'm good keeping her company.

Me too.

"Oh, do you want company to go? Sure, we... I mean, I would love to. It will be an honor to accompany such a fine lady to a play."

He never saw her smiling so radiantly. Her face wasn't memorable. However, now, with eyes shining, rosy cheeks and yellow flowers on her hair, she was beautiful. Leo could sense other customers looking at their way to stare at her.

I'll get you a ticket then.

Leo took the board from her hand and shook his head.

"No, I'll take care of your tickets."

She tried to reach for her board, but he held it away from her reach.

"No protesting, I'm doing it and that's final."

He waited, and when Erica finally snorted and nodded with her head, he gave her board back.

"How many tickets should I get? And should I get an armor too, while on it?"

She looked at him puzzled, so he clarified.

"She-devil? Callie? Is she going with us? Should I get an armor to protect myself from her rage?"

She shook her head, her shoulders shaking from laughter.

She's not going with us.

Oh, good.

But the armor might be a good idea.

Why?

Did we do something for her this last week?

She'll freak out if she finds out we're going on a date.

... whaaaaat?

WAIT, we're going on a DATE?

I have to go, see you tomorrow.

She got up, hesitated beside him, before bending and pecking his cheek, running off right after.

We have a DATE?

Ooooh, Styx, how am I going to explain this to my Sunshine?

WE HAVE A DATE!

She's going to kill me. Both Callie AND Calypso.

Crap, what do I do in a date? What should I wear? Do I have to buy her flowers? Stupid, she works on a flowershop! Chocolate then? Leo, a little help?

I'm a dead man.

And I'm an alive man with a date, so a little assistance is more than appreciated!

A/N: *The fun has arrived! Thank you very much* Yeah, I know it took me so long. It feels good to be back, honestly. Those wore some rough weeks for me, both in college and personal life, so Calliope (or Thaleia? I have no idea) kind of abandoned me for a while. And it was a Leo's chapter, always a pain for me to write. So... we reached Chapter 100 (o.O already). A friend, RacAzevedo, the one responsible for Will's fate, asked me if I was going to do something special for it. I think we all deserve something different and special to celebrate it, so I'm (mostly, someone else is) doing a small surprise. It's going to be long, like REALLY long chapter(more than chp 33). But I hope, it'll be as amazing as it'll be long. It'll be a little... different from the other 99 chapters, and you'll understand why once I publish it. So, see you soon, hopefully.