[TAZ] i know i like to draw that line when it starts to get too real

[monstertea]

The problem isn't that the kid is too young to walk himself home, it was the neighborhood. Taako doesn't live in the slums, but his neighborhood isn't really a place for kids to wander around alone, either. Especially a boy detective who does't know how to keep his nose out of other people's business. That's why he's stuck with the kid in the first place, or so he reminds himself when his brain starts to think too fondly of him.

He walks at a languid pace next to Angus, knowing but not acknowledging that he's in no hurry to go home. "You keep working on that mage hand," he says as they walk through a neighborhood much nicer than Taako's. "Just don't go trying anything fancy on your own, little dude." It's a historic area where buildings have been converted into homes and quickly filled by the hoity-toity type of people who like white picket fences and employ other people to take care of their homes. It's easily the nicest foster home Angus has been in yet. So Taako could have dropped him off at the corner, it isn't a neighborhood that sees trouble. He tries to avoid run-ins with Angus's family, but he always has an excuse to see him to his door. At least with this neighborhood he has the easy excuse that it's just interesting to look at the houses, to answer Angus about what each building used to be. Yeah, he knows shit, too. He's just trying to remind the kid that he isn't smarter than him, he's not trying to impress him.

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[solarisirius]

Kravitz wants to be the hot date. Not that he's thinking that, but....y'know.

"Afternoons or evenings are good for me. I can go to work early and just plan to be done for the day when I need to meet you at the house to let you in," Kravitz says, pulling his own phone out of his pocket and almost fumbles it when he's distracted by Taako's charming smile. "Would Thursday suit your schedule?"

[monstertea]

"Thursday is great," Taako answers, making a quick note in his phone. The afternoon would be more professional... "Evening works good for me." He opens up his contacts next, wondering if he might run into Angus when he's in the neighborhood. He'd love to see the look on his face when he sees Taako going into the lich-not-lich's house. "Can I get your digits, my dude?"

[solarisirius]

Again with the almost fumbling the phone thing. It's not like that, although the way Taako asks for his number kind of sounds like the way you might try and pick someone up at a bar, and Kravitz reminds himself that he did put his phone number on the contact sheet Merle is holding (is the dwarf even still there?). "Of course," he says, and then rattles off the number. "Calling is fine, but sometimes I have my hands full and can't get to the phone, so texting might be a better way to get ahold of me should you have the need and it doesn't make you uncomfortable." Honestly, though, he's not sure if there's anything that makes Taako uncomfortable.

[monstertea]

Taako notices Kravitz nearly fumble his phone this time and thinks he could have many needs for texting him. Merle clears his throat while Taako puts the number in. Yeah yeah, old man, he thinks, stop flirting on company time.

He hops off the desk and in the small office that leaves him right next to Kravitz. "Under K for Krav even," he says as he tucks his phone away and reaches out for a handshake. "I'll hit you up Thursday."

[solarisirius]

"I appreciate very much that you didn't put it under L for Lich, so I'll accept the nickname," Kravitz says, looking quietly pleased when it's put in that context. Most people, even his family, call him by his full first name, so having it truncated is new and exciting. "I'll look forward to it." Standing from his seat, he accepts Taako's hand, giving it a firm shake.

[monstertea]

"Good thing since I'm pretty set on calling you that." Taako's handshake is firm in turn, his hands softer than someone in his profession usually are. "I'm already looking forward to it." He draws his hand away carefully, brushing the tips of his fingers over Kravitz's palm. Forget dressing to the nines, he's gonna need to dress to the elevens. "Hopefully it's all good and we can get rolling on this project."

Merle clears his throat after a moment of watching this exchange. "Yeah , we look forward to working with you."

[solarisirius]

Kravitz doesn't immediately drop his hand when Taako releases it, how can he when his hands feel so surprisingly soft and warm against his own rougher and colder ones? But just because he allows his own touch to linger doesn't mean he's expecting Taako to do the same, and it makes him blush rather hard when the elf brushes his fingers over his palm in an almost-but-not-quite caress. "Um," he says intelligently. "Y-yes, thank you for your time, both of you."

He almost just turns around and walks out then, but that'd be a little too much like tucking his tail between his legs and fleeing, so instead he makes himself stay where he's standing. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

[monstertea]

Taako gives himself a high-five mentally at Kravitz's reaction. No, he imagines a fucking majestic unicorn with two horns that gives him a high five. He does not focus on the word cute with relation to Kravitz; he doesn't do cute. But whatever Kravitz is, it's doing it for him.

"That should be all until Taako's taken a look at the place," Merle answers, sliding out of his own chair and stepping aside the desk. He mutters something about elves needing self control.

"I'll be in touch if anything is needed," Taako adds in and he only doesn't bat his eyelashes because Merle's already going to spend the rest of the day harassing him.

[solarisirius]

"Alright, thank you for making the time to meet with me," Kravitz says, giving a little bow before opening the door and making his way out of the office and then subsequently the store. While he likes to think he's above picking a place to do his landscaping because of who happens to work there, he absolutely fucking isn't, and finds himself very glad that he decided to go with Dirty Plants instead of one of their competitors. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have ever had the opportunity to run into Taako again, which would have been the worst kind of shame possible. Instead, he's just going to remain stressed out about impressing the elf for the rest of his natural life, which is fine. Totally fine.