It was relatively late at night on a schoolday. Late, at least, in that it was getting fairly close to most students bedtimes. The Botanical Gardens were mostly closing down, the park attendants shuffling those who were lingering out, though Eilam had quietly paid one or two to just... leave him alone for the evening and he would let himself out. At the moment he was sitting quietly on a bench near the edge of the koi pond, staring absent-mindedly into it. Even in the low light, with just the moonlight at the moment really showing much, Eilam could see the silhouettes of the fish moving about in the water, absentmindedly going about their own lives.
Perhaps it was because of them why he'd thought to reach out towards someone he hadn't spoke to in a bit. Reiko Touyama.
Since the incident at the pier, neither had really spoken to one another, either for being busy or chance or direct efforts of simply being awkward. Eilam wasn't awkward, he just... sometimes lost track of time. Time was relative to him after all.
A nearby cherry tree was where he had his stave, hooked across a couple of branches with the suit jacket of his outfit taken off and hanging over it, leaving him in a soft pastel pink dress shirt and otherwise, the black slacks and fancy cuffery/shoes/etc that he was normally in. Plus the silly 'rainbow' hair dye he had done a bit back. Overall an odd look, his cell phone in the pocket of his jacket, the same phone he had used to contact Reiko and offer her to come to the park to talk for a bit.
It is not a schoolday because School's on Midterm Break still.
Reiko however, is an evening owl anyways and she gets a text to join Eilam somewhere in the park!? Oh yeah, she's all over that.
She arrives dressed up as she can get in her current state-- something she thinks is elegant that Hiroko-chan once helped her pick up. She smiles and beams a bit at Eilam. "Eilam-kun~" she sings out.
"Hey!" she says. "Um. Sorry. I haven't been bugging you. I know you get super tired. I don't wanna be a bother. Like a big bully goldfish." she insists with a matter of fact nod with a grin.
"....school's on break so." she beams.
It was only when she spoke that Eilam looked around, seeing her and nodding. "Hello." Was a rather simple response offered to her, listening then to what she had to say and smiling a bit. "You are not a bother. I am a big boy, I am capable of deciding on my own if I am too tired to continue. Thank you for the concern, though. Join me? I had hoped to speak with you a bit, about various things. We will be alone for the evening, so no worries about anyone overhearing."
And then he turned to look back towards the fish in the pond. "No reason to apologize for anything either. You have nothing to apologize for. And even if you did... still no need. Especially with me. I enjoy your company besides." The bench that Eilam was seated on was easily large enough for three, or maybe four if they were cozy, so two could easily sit comfortably. "I had begun to worry that what we spoke about last time might have scared you away. I mean... yes, you do have your own unique perspective on life, but I worried I had put a bit too much on you at once. I seem to have forgot how old you were in light of how brave you are."
Reiko Touyama gently slides onto the bench and gives a bright smile. Her usual self. Nothing seems overtly wrong. She looks down at the fish in the pond and purses her lips. "I like to come down here with a net sometimes and 'fish'." she says. "Net's a softer, and don't hurt the fish, and you get to look at them close up in a bucket. I have one with a battery powered bubbler taped to the side. S'let's me keep them in the bucket for a bit without worries about suffocation." she nods matter of factly.
She looks back up to Eilam. "Well what did you wanna talk about?" she asks. "And.. as far as. 'Guy who lives forever' goes..." she says. "Kinda low on the weird-ometer to me." she smiles a bit.
She head tilts.
Fishing? With a net? That seemed strange to Eilam. Then again, she was infatuated with fish in general and seemed to like Sushi, so perhaps trying to reason out her adoration of fish was a bit unwise on his part. Though the next part had him curious. "It is? I... feel the need to ask, then, what is higher? Because you are still the weirdest girl I have ever met. Then again you were also the first magical girl I ever met. ...that I know of. Though what I wanted to talk to you about... I guess it was really just that. Not everyone I have ever told about myself throughout my life has taken that information well. I had /hoped/ you were not going to suddenly run screaming about me. I did not think you would, but I have been wrong in the past."
Slowly pushing himself to a stand, Eilam walks to take the suit jacket he had laying over the stave in the tree and pull it free before walking back over and sitting down again where he was. "Would you like something warmer? I am a bad judge of temperature, what is hot or cold to me... is largely irrelevant to others comfort."
Reiko Touyama ohs! Well. He's offering a jacket! That makes her blush a little. "Well. It is a little chilly with the wind. We're getting into September. All this wonderful warm weather is going to go away... the fish are going to go into deeper water again soon..." she murmurs.
She gently sighs a bit. "Well. Let's see. I'mmm fighting a Princess who wants to turn the world grey with my friends... I was caught out of free fall by a magical tuxedo'ed prince in a cape and a top hat once-- who was lookin for a 'Moon Princess'... I fought a really punchy girl and a Puella Magi over magical gems... I've seen someone's literal dream get stolen in an egg and taken away...."
"So like. 'Guy living forever' is kinda low there. Like..."
"I mean don't get me wrong! It's unique! and intresting and special!" she says agape! "Just. There's no reason for me to run away screaming, right?" she asks.
When Reiko started to act like she was going to reason herself into accepting the jacket, then finds herself talking about what m ight be considered weird, he does listen but takes the opportunity to unfold it and rather casually reach over to drape it over her shoulders. It was large enough to be quite loose on her, the cologne he wore, the oceany fruit smell, lingered rather profusely on it as it had likely been quite close to his body for a majority of the day.
"I suppose that is good for me, then. At least it means that I can still enjoy your company without bothering you at all. Oh, right... something else I meant to bring up?"
It might come as a bit of a surprise, but Eilam leans over and rather simply attempts to hug Reiko, "At the pier, I was a bit... somtimes I find myself losing track of what others might be thinking about and just get caught up in the results. I got a bit preoccupied with you simply being safe and then things switched, but I never got to ask... are you alright? I know you deal with all kinds of... worrying things, all this magic stuff would worry me I imagine, but I never did give you a chance to try and sort things out. It might not be the best thing for you, but I am here if you would like to relax or if anything is on your mind. I mean I owe you more than you might think, given you tried to protect me that day here in the park."
Reiko Touyama sighs. "I'm used to dealing with these things, honestly that I hardly bat an eye when like. Things like the pier happens." she says. "I mean. Don't get me wrong. it was frightening! But in the end it felt no different than the other stuff." she admits sheepishly as she tugs the jacket around her with another blush.
Ohhh she likes the hug, though it's hard to hug from the side. She appreciates it though, yes she does!
"I know." she says quietly. "Just. Sometimes this is hard. And You seem to like quiet and stuff. I dunno how talking about you about some of the stuff I deal with is going to help you..." she says meekly softly.
"I remolded the old treehouse in my yard recently. It's where me and my friends used to play part of the game. It was like. A headquarters." she blushes.
"I mean. Now it actually /is/ but. I had Grandpa help me replace the old rope ladder with a set of wooden steps. Um.. put in a basket pulley. Wired up an extension cord up the tree n' stuff." she says. "Replaced old wooden boards."
"I'd invite you. But. Well. Climbing up a tree." she giggles. "You'd fall asleep on the halfway mark up the steps." she grins. Still blushing a bit.
"Yeah... I probably would get tired that quickly. I barely have the strength some days to even hold myself upright, let alone climb or anything like that. But still, the offer remains. I am happy to listen. Plus it lets me learn more about you, and your world. And knowing things is never really a bad thing."
Eilam seems to not really be thinking about much as he had since settled lightly against Reiko, half hugging her at this point but more just... not having yet pulled away. Perhaps he was simply a bit absent-minded in his own way. "You will have to show me pictures sometime, if you would like that. I could even make a donation to your headquarters?" he refrained from calling it a treehouse. Headquarters sounded more official. "Maybe get an elevator. Hidden place beneath the tree, lots of technology. You'd be an official hero, hm?"
Reiko Touyama is still blushing. Yup. She's aware of it if Eilam isn't~
"Um. Well." she says softly. "Sure I can show pictures, but... ugh! Granddad would kill me if I got an honest to god like. Watchtower thing going on." she giggles.
"We're fine with the treehouse. It's nice! I have a fishtank up in there. I've named the goldfish in it 'Bloop'." she insists. "And we have one of Hoshi's old telescopes in there since we built in a makeshift observatory for her a long time back as a birthday gift." she laughs.
She smirks a bit and leans back. "Besides. I can already picture the teasing." she rolls her eyes.
"Your choice. I am hardly the type to force money on others. Besides, secrets are a luxury and you are still young. No reason to engrain yourself into a lifestyle like that too soon. Enjoy things while you can, hm? Besides, your friends can make fun of you all they want, you still have something they do not."
But what was that? Well, Eilam didn't elaborate, instead the moment was interrupted by his phone, which was in the pocket of his jacket, vibrating a little. He felt it and casually reached down without thinking to reach into the pocket of the jacket and press the silent-mode button, hand relatively close to Reiko's stomach as he did before pulling it back. "Clock. It vibrates on the hour to help me keep from getting too distracted with the time. Can get a bit lost in my own mind at times and lose track of how long I have been doing something."
Reiko Touyama head tilts, another soft blush as she looks away as she shakes her head closing her eyes and sighs out a little happily confused. Which is better than frustrated confused for some reason!
"Well.." she says softly. "I'm sure you loose track of time easily, given that you lived forever." she says quietly.
She looks around and sighs a bit. "I should introduce you to Hoshi-chan soon." she says quietly.
"She's a good friend." she says quietly. "I hope she's okay right now...." she says silently.