Kamryn's Audio Diary.

So...I think Eryx left. I've been trying to call him...a-and her hasn't responded. I haven't seen him or any of Echo's other AEs at Crumbl lately. So I think he left.

We didn't get to talk much on the chat thread, but at least I-I got to say 'hi'.

Ugh, I don't think you knows h-how much I...love him. I mean, I saw Five. Strawberry's boyfriend give her a kiss on the cheek..I mean. I've never done that but neither has he.

He always seemed a bit....nervous around me. I don't know why but...*voice softens* I love him and I don't know if he knows that...so. Yeah. I just to give him one last. And maybe my first and last kiss on the cheek to him... 

@pangolin - Ah, that's great! If we didn't move them along they'd never get anywhere. After this part, do you want to timeskip ahead to the afternoon, or give them a break for a bit, or something else?

~~~

Friendo:

Barnacle talks about stargazing and playing the guitar, which I think is incredible. The only instrument I can play is the kazoo, although I am rather talented with the kazoo if I do say so myself. Then he asks me about teaching him  ceramics or woodcarving and about meeting up later.

Literally nothing makes me happier than the prospect of meeting up later. Wait, what? Why am I thinking that? It's not like that... Definetely not. Totally not. Nope. I'm being totally honest with myself here. Definetely not lying to myself. Ugh, if Skree ever knew about this I'd never live this down.

I realize Barnacle is watching me and waiting for an answer. Oops. I just know that my traitor of a face is turning bright red right now.

"Oh, um, yes, I'd love to! But only if you want to, I don't want to impose... Do you want to meet up here again? Or we can meet up somewhere else, if you want..." I give a little nervous laugh and immediately wince at how it sounded, and look down at my feet. Okay, Friendo. You can do this. Pull it together. Be confident.

"Um, how about we meet up here again, since you've got to go right now, and we can decide what to do then?" I say.

Ugh, why did that come out as a question? What happened to being confident? I watch Junie as she gives Barnacle a goodbye ankle lick. Earlier I thought I was about as clumsy as Junie but now even she looks composed compared to me.

*Quinn*

*As I walk up to the doors of the roller rink, I have to admit I'm a little nervous. This is going to be what I believe is my… first official date with Ever. Still, I take a breath and try and calm my nerves as I open the doors. I want to seem confident when I see him - cool.*

*Inside the roller rink, 80s music is playing. The air smells of blue raspberry slushies and dreams. I smile and walk over to the roller skate area. "*Hi, can I rent a pair of roller skates?*" I ask the man. I pick a pair - white with red laces - in my size, then head over to a bench to put them on. "*Sweet,*" I say, putting my hair back in a ponytail to keep it out of my face while I'm skating.*

*Now I've got my roller skates, but I decide to wait until Ever arrives to go onto the rink.*

^^^

Okay! Here's the beginning of Quinn and Ever's date. 

Ever

*Quinn*

*I look up and see Ever. It's hard not to miss him - he has a sort of glow, this way he lights up the room. It's one of my favorite things about him. "*Hi!*" I say as he sits next to me. "Are you good at roller skating?"*

*I pause. The answer to this question is technically no. The last time I roller skated, I was quite young and fell on my face fifty times. But I kind of want to say yes anyway, to seem cool. Still, lying isn't fair, and I'll only be more embarrassed when I fall and Ever realizes I lied, so I confess "*Not really,*" with a nervous laugh. "*But I think I'll get the hang of it.*" I get up and look towards the rink, then at Ever. "*Shall we?*"* 

Ever

"We shall!" I say, standing up. We half-walk half-skate over to the rink itself. It's dark there right now with bright neon lights and blasting music. We make our way out onto the rink and start skating. I go a little slow so Quinn can warm up to the rink. It's especially hard in the dark, I keep forgetting which foot is in front of me. Dark and skating doesn't mix as nicely as it should.

The song changes to Say It Ain't So by Weezer. It's one of the three Weezer songs I actually listen to- it's really good. "I love this song," I say, sparking up conversation. I could talk about music forever.

*Quinn*

*I laugh as we get onto the rink, struggling to keep my balance. It's a fun kind of ridiculous, roller skating.*

*Then the song switches to Say It Ain't So, by Weezer. It's one of my favorites. "I love this song," says Ever. I grin. "*Me too!*" I do a little spin and nod my head to the music. "*You like rock then? That's awesome! I've only really gotten into it recently, but it's some of the best music I've heard. I like 80s rock too, not just 90s. I wonder if they'll play any 80s…*" I redden a bit, feeling as though I've talked too much, and distract myself with another spin. Turns out I'm not quite as bad as I'd thought. Not amazing, either, though, considering I almost lose my balance on that last spin, though luckily I catch myself.*

Ever

I smile. "80s rock is the best! I'm all for 80s rock, classic bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard. I like all rock, though, rock's the best!" I speed up a lil and then just glide without moving my feet, gradually losing speed until I have to move again.

Quinn keeps spinning. When she spins again, I say "And you told me you were bad at skating," with a wink. "You're really good at it. We should race!" I think Quinn's better at skating than she's letting on. And I'm planning to prove that! With nothing other than a race!

*Quinn*

*I grin. "*Okay,*" I say. "*How about we race from here to…*" I look around. "*… The other side of the rink?*"*