Seeing

6 - Opportunity

Both children were learning quickly.
After several hours of simple tests and practices, uncle Dan suggested they take a break for lunch.

There were lots of shops and restaurants in this outdoor market area. Pip's stomach growled and Bon licked her lips as they got closer to the medley of smells. Herbs, spices, and exotic foods from all over the known world gathered here and provided an almost overwhelming array of options.
They had invited Calista too, but she declined in favor of preparing her own food.

After some deliberation about what each person wanted to eat, they sat down at a quaint and comfy cafe that served soups and fresh breads. Perusing the carefully crafted menus, they each found something they liked and told a cheerful and polite waitress who jotted it down in a small notepad and reported back to the kitchen.

Bon bounced in her seat as they waited, looking around and taking in all of the exiting scenery and bustle of the crowd, occasionally overhearing a passing conversion or two. Her head stoped it's wandering and her expression dropped to a mix of shock and sternness as she glanced to the corner of the cafe's seating area, almost speechless for a moment.
"Wha- Hey!!" She nearly hopped out of her seat but decided to communicate with the boys instead, continuing in an obvious attempt at a quieter voice, "Look! Over there! That's the boy I saw before stealing! That's him, you both saw him too right??"

In the direction Bon was pointing, sitting at the corner table was a young teen with a faded hoodie, rolled up jeans, and dark brown hair with noticeably lighter tips. They sat with their feet pulled in close on their chair as they plucked at the prongs of a fork.

Dan seemed cautious in his speech, "uh, yes that's the kid you ran up to yesterday, isn't it? But, you can't just accuse people of stealing... Neither of us saw it and even the shop lady said he didn't..."

"Oh, whatever! He may not of gotten a chance cuz I stoped him, but he was going to, I saw it!" Bon protested.

Pip sipped on his iced tea and looked over at the teen.
They must have noticed the ruckus or something, because they looked back.
For a moment Pip was shocked for some reason, he didn't blink and they both stared at each other for a few seconds. Breaking the awkward pause the stranger blinked and glanced at Pip's companions, looking somewhat terrified upon spying Bon. Immediately they turned away, pulling their hood up over their face and walked inside.

"Huh..." was all that Pip found to say.
Bon looked over at her brother and followed his gaze to see the "thief's" chair empty. "Ahh! Pip, why didn't you tell me he walked away?! He might try it again! This time I'll prove it to you both!" Bon hopped out of her chair and followed the stranger inside, glancing around she saw him at the counter and walked over. After a second of pause, she reluctantly hid behind a nearby wall and listened, keeping a close eye on the stranger.

"Pops, it was that crazy girl from yesterday, she was right outside! I don't know what her problem was, accusing me of stealing out of nowhere, it was kinda weird..." the teen huffed at the man across the counter.

"Huh, you sure? That is strange. But come on J, I'm sure she was just mistaken. You can't blame someone for trying to stop a robbery, even if it was wrong in the end!" The older man snickered.

J, as was presumably their name, seemed more annoyed, "Ahhg, You're not taking this seriously! She grabbed my arm and yelled at me, what a weirdo! I've never even seen her around before... and now she comes to our restaurant! Do you think she's a stalker...?"

From behind her hiding place, Bon puffed her cheeks in anger. What nerve, calling her a stalker?! He was the thief here! But, it seemed like his dad owned this place, so it was unlikely anyone would believe her, Bon thought. An unusually reasonable conclusion for the little girl.