Yes we do.

You walk inside. It’s busier than what you were used to back at the village you were staying in before, but nothing you weren’t already used to. Flora also seemed to be comfortable. Things must be more populated, where she came from. How’d she end up here with the people she’s with? Perhaps if you spend a little more time with her she’ll open to you.

When you walk inside, a boy that looks to be barely past the age of 15 greets you with an expression that only reads “kill me”, at least he did initially, but when he laid his gaze on Flora, he straightens himself and smiles brightly.

“Hello, there!” Flora happily replies.

“Waiting for anyone else?” He inquired.

“No. It’s just us today.” You confirm.

You’re taken to the restaurant, where you are seated near a window. The local bustle of Billings is easily admired through here, and it’s tight security can be monitored.

The boy hands you your menus and then pulls out a notepad and pen, asking what you would like to drink. “Water” you both say.

He nods and then leaves, letting you look at the menu that was provided. You quickly establish what you want. Flora, on the other hand furrows her brows and leans into the menu, gnawing her lip until it’s sore. Her amber eyes glance upward, landing on yours.

“What is it?” She questions.

“Are you OK?” You ask. “It looks like you’re having trouble.”

She narrows her stare at you before she glides them back down to the texts below. “There’s a lot of choices. I’m used to just being fed - or you know, have something picked for me.”

“Ah, jeez princess. Don’t tell me you need me to chew your food for you too.” You sarcastically remark, which prompts her to shoot daggers into you, although she doesn’t reply, which might be a good thing, considering that glance she just shot at you.

Your stare remains on her. Her hazel eyes gliding along the page as her brows furrow in thought. She sucks in her upper lip as she pauses on an item.

“I’m getting steak.” She declares triumphantly. “Medium rare with a baked potato and steamed vegetables.”

“Nice,” you tell her. “Now say that again to the waiter when he returns.”

Flora blushes and places down the menu. You look outside the window for a couple of minutes, Flora does the same. Every so often you peek at her reflection and admire her off-putting beauty. Her hazel eyes follow person to person, but yours mainly focus on her. You manage to avoid her gaze when she looks at you. After a while, you bury your face in your hands.

The butterflies in your stomach are out of control. This is on a different scale as Delilah, there’s no explaining it. Is she pretty? Yes. Is she friendly? From what you’ve seen, undeniably! Is she smart? You were sure she was, but to make sure you decide to ask something. “What’s your opinion of our current situation?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Oh, it’s top notch! As long as we aren’t caught, I think we could pussyfoot around Kenji and do this everyday that they’re gone.” Her expression brightens. “I’m actually really happy I’m out here. Feels next to be doing something normal for once!!”

Was that smart? You weren’t really sure, you find yourself far too distracted by her looks and the sound of the voice. After taking a little longer to chase her with your own reply, you manage to get your words. The idea of going out with Flora while the others are doing their own thing sounds exciting. “Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you don’t go out too often.”

“I used to all the time,” she corrects. “I’ve just never really done anything like this away from where I’m from.”

“Where are you from?”

She chuckles. “Mass-a-chusetts.”

“Boston?” You jokingly suggest.

A smiles creeps on her face as she rolls her eyes. “Not Boston!! I'm from New Bedford. A little ways from the chaos.”

You hadn’t heard of any news about Bedford. You hardly knew it existed until just now. “What did you do down there?”

She perks. “Well, nothing really. I was actually a-“

“Here are your drinks.” The waiter returns, just as she was about to tell you about her background. When he takes your order, she doesn’t pick up where she left off. Perhaps it’s not too late? You look at Flora, silently queuing her to continue. She takes the glass of water and brings her lips to it. Her brows knit as she looks at you. “Ah, we’ll talk about it more later.”

Stupid kid. You think as time passes. You both eat, sharing the same basic small you had been doing since you first left the hideout. It doesn’t really satisfy you, but at least now you feel like you’ve become pretty acquainted with her. Your banter continues however even after you finish your meals. You spend an extra 30-or so minutes inside the restaurant before finally deciding it’s time to leave.

When you step outside, you notice that the weather has taken a bit of a downward turn for the worse. Both wind and a light rain has begun. You shiver and close your eyes - it was just October, but it seems that doesn’t change the mind of winter all that much. Flora let’s out an annoyed groan as she hugs herself from the freezing wind.

“It’s too early for this kind of temperature!” She shakes her head and grabs your arm for support. “Let’s get back before it gets any worse.”

You nod in agreement. “Let’s hope this doesn’t affect the others all that much. The last thing we need is for them to get bogged down in... where-ever-it-is they are at.”

Even though you take your leave sooner than you were hoping, the ride back provides a kind of special endurance that you can both appreciate. Going through something like this always drives two hearts closer together. She has face hidden away mostly all the way back since the wind was fighting you every inch of the way. Bill doesn’t seem to mind much, but you want to get him back to where he was before it gets any worse...So you do and soon you and Flora are back underground…