Cloud Association: Pretty Boy Psycho

Psyched Up

Stood outside the noodle house I'm thinking this was a pretty lame place to invite Casey for our first date. Most diners run in and hurry out with cartons of noodles. I pop my head round the door to see what the atmosphere is like inside. There are a few empty tables that look as though they have not been used in years. Shame.

Here comes Casey, on time, as he always is for appointments. He casually cruises down the street on his skateboard, staring up at red paper lanterns on his way. I hope I look decent. Was a rush getting here. We were called into Courtney's office over this fire at Spindle Tower. Geordie made up some wild story about us going nowhere near the place let alone me being taken captive and experimented on. Obviously, Midnight was the liar because here I was breathing. Cain even backed us up. Said we'd hung out together that evening. That Midnight was obviously making trouble for him. Then we were sent on an annoying patrol round Dover to see if any Thunder camps had been put up. There were a couple of new additions. Then I flew home fast. Threw on a new outfit. Sorted my hair and flew straight here.

Here's Casey! I straighten out my left sleeve hoping to make an amazing first impression on our first date, sorry, outing together.

Casey hops off his board. His left leg buckles beneath him then he sort of hovers on it, putting most of his weight on his right leg. "What happened?" I blurt not the best greeting in the world. Especially when he looks much more handsome than me in his red shirt with the slit right down the middle of the chest, that almost doesn't leave enough room for the imagination.

"I tried boarding off your roof." Casey makes a zoom motion with his arm then darts his hand downwards. "It didn't go quite to plan. I came off on landing. Bashed my knee."

"The roof! I was kidding."

"Were you? I will board off anything suggested just so you know. I would like to go from the top of a waterfall one day. Know where we can find one of those?"

So, it is alright for him to jump off the roof but I am not allowed to sit up there. Figures. I bite my tongue not wanting to spoil our evening before it's even started especially seen as he seems to have let my pot smoking go.

"Nope. Charlie might know. He's good at geography. I don't think you should be leaping off waterfalls."

"Boarding off waterfalls," Casey corrects as he enters the noodle bar. "And I have Prince so if I am terribly off balance he will be on standby to catch me. My boarding is the same as you free falling." Casey places his board out the way by an umbrella stand then gives a slight bow with his hands pressed together in greeting to the elderly man at the head of the counter.

"Nǐ hǎo Casey."

"Nǐ hǎo ma?"

"Gèng hǎo dì wéi nín de guānglín."

"Liáng. Wǒ kěyǐ yǒu wǒ de chángguī biǎogé, qǐng?"

The man at the counter nods and Casey takes me over to a table by the window.

"Wow, I didn't know you could speak Chinese."

"Mandarin. Sure, I think it is important to know another language save your own. I am surprised Danny doesn't know any Japanese."

"I think he does. He chooses not to speak it since his sister went missing. Then shut down from where he came from completely when his mum wandered off with the affliction."

"And his dad?"

"He doesn't speak about him. Geordie doesn't even know any history about Mister Kaito. Where did you learn to speak Mandarin? I didn't think it was on the Kensington Palace curriculum."