Resetarits fidgeted on the bench and continued to look around.All of the tables were full and a few teenagers, from the graduating cla.s.s, were meandering between the tables to talk with their friends. Quite a few people sat or stood in the waiting area between the doors of the restaurant.
"No, no, no," he whispered, as he saw how full the restaurant was.
Water droplets landed on his face. He turned in the direction they had come and hissed like a p.i.s.sed cat. He stopped when he realized he faced Lottatna. Resetarits waited with an expression like he expected her to walk off.
Lottatna looked a bit surprised, but then her features relaxed.
"Lottatna," Resetarits started. "I…"
She held up a finger for him to wait. "Much of the crowd will be gone in half an hour," she said. "There will be less people then, so you won"t need to worry. In the meantime, you know what your touch does to people, I do not. So I will ask again, what changes when someone touches you?"
Resetarits jabbed his fork into his noodles and twisted them on the fork. "You"ll never speak to me again if I tell you."
"It takes a lot to push me away, Resetarits. Especially when I can tell the person I"m with wants and is willing to accept help."
Lottatna continued to eat her broccoli beef and waited on Resetarits. They ate in silence for several minutes listening to the laughter and conversations from the other tables. Lottatna sat up a little and searched through her bag. Resetarits set his fork down, the edges of his mouth pulling down more.
She pulled out a notebook and little pen. She set these on the table then pushed them towards Resetarits. "If it will put you more at ease instead of needing to say it," she said.
Lottatna left them next to him and went back to eating. Resetarits eyed the notebook as they continued to eat. Slowly, very slowly, he picked up the pen and wrote.
"I"d rather not say and keep your openness then tell you and have you reject me too." He pushed it toward Lottatna.
She wiped off her mouth then picked up the pen. She wrote. She pushed the notebook back.
"Is it matter of life and death?"
Resetarits let out a breath, wrote, "Yes" then pushed the notebook back to her.
She wrote and pushed it back. "Then you"d better tell me so someone doesn"t die on our way out."
Resetarits shook his head and covered his mouth once he read what Lottatna had written. He eyed the notebook for several minutes before he turned them to her.
"You admitted not knowing a lot about me," she said. "Here"s your chance to find out what kind of person I really am."
He debated for several more minutes before picking up the pen and writing his response.
"The change that comes kills the form the person has and gives them a few form. One unknown to your people. …A form unknown to this planet."
He reread what he had written then hesitantly slid the notebook back over to her.
"Sounds like reincarnation," Lottatna said, tearing out the single sheet they had written on.
"You don"t understand, Lottatna. It"s worse than that. The change makes them like me. And knowing how your people react to someone who is different…. I don"t want to see another walk the steps I must to keep others safe."
She crinkled up the page and dropped it into one of the candle holders on the table. The page ignited and burned to ash. He watched the flame.
"Then will you accept my help in walking that path?"
Resetarits shook his head. "I won"t do that to you."
"I"m not asking you to touch me. I"m offering to help you so you can safely be out in public."
He still shook his head. "This isn"t your problem."
"It"s my friend"s problem, therefore it"s my problem."
"Wait, what? Did you just call me…?"
"My friend," she smiled.
Resetarits finally smiled. His tails weaving with his happiness against his back. Lottatna"s head tipped to the side, slightly curious.
"What is it?" Resetarits asked, looking over his shoulder to the booth behind him.
"I"ve never seen shoulder muscles move someone"s shirt like that," Lottatna remarked, pointing to the mirror.
He glanced down then looked terrified. She"d seen his tails move.
"Looked cool," she continued. "What other talents do you have, Resetarits?"
"Uh…. Um… talents?" he fumbled.
She nodded.
"I… don"t really have any talents," he admitted.
"Do you play an instrument? Can you sing? Do you dance?"
"No. I can"t do anything." He sighed. "Lottatna, the shifting…."
"Don"t tell me until you feel you need to," she interrupted. "Then at least wait until there is no one else around."
He nodded and went back to eating.
"Favorite color," she said as they neared the end of their meal.
"I… don"t see color," he replied.
"Okay then favorite texture."
"Fluffy. It"s amazing to see the fibers…." He stopped when he looked at her and turned back to his last few bites. "Nevermind."
"Don"t nevermind, me. What do the fibers do?"
"They cling to one another while looking like they aren"t attached to anything," he said with much less enthusiasm then when he started.
"That"s amazing! What kind of material do you see that most in?"
"You must be nuts to really thing this is fascinating."
"Because it is fascinating. I can almost picture what it is you see when you describe it. So, tell me. Which material has the most disembodied cling-ons?"
Resetarits chuckled. "Disembodied cling-ons. I would have to say wool, before it"s been washed."
She smiled bigger.
"Is there a color you like, Lottatna?"
"White."
"White?"
She nodded, "Because it holds all the colors except black."
"Do you not like black?"
"It"s a useful frequency, but it"s hard to say it"s a favorite color since black is essentially the absence of color."
"I guess that makes sense."
There was less movement in the restaurant and several of the tables were empty now. They had both finished their meals.
"Are you ready to leave, Resetarits?" Lottatna asked.
He glanced around the restaurant. "Now seems like a good time, if ever, to escape."
"Okay. I"ll meet you in the waiting area."
"Here," he said. "At least let me…"
"No. It was my invitation that brought you out here. Dinner"s on me."
"Okay."
She waited until Resetarits had pa.s.sed her before following him to the register. He kept walking then sat cross legged in the corner furthest from the doors. Lottatna paid for their meals then got Resetarits to follow her from the restaurant.
"How did you get down here?" she asked.
"I walked."
"Me, too."
They stepped off the sidewalk around the building and crossed the parking lot to the regular sidewalk and headed back to the apartment.
"Do you not own a car, Lottatna?" he asked.
"Don"t have enough business to afford one."
"Not enough house clearings to do?"
"I do more than house clearings. I a.s.sist other in making changes in their life for better health, success, and to overcome traumas."
"How?"
"Some of it is shifting energy off the body, but a lot of it requires touch in order to be effective."
Resetarits nodded.
"Thank you for explaining to me why I shouldn"t touch you Resetarits, it…"
A man ran pa.s.sed them, knocking Lottatna into Resetarits. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.