🐺 ~PROJECT SAC-1~ ⚔️

Chapter 14 - First Trip to 79's (Part 1) 🍹🥴

A hum of understanding was followed by a knowing smirk of his own, "What'd you say to that?"

"We didn't -" Skylar cut in, just in case, wanting to prevent a swap-spit moment between her brother and best friend who were annoyingly a PDA type of couple. "The girl hyper-fixated on the hair-dying process two seconds after that, wanting to know all the science-y mumbo jumbo behind it."

To Skylar's satisfaction, her interruption had succeeded in preventing a potential cringy spectator moment, "Eh, probably for the best." Nik agreed with a slight shrug, "I think she's still a bit too starry eyed to really understand all that hefty relationship junk right now."

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Snippets of different attempts at apologies sputtered out of Hunter's mouth as soon as Talla was in hearing range, "I'm - I'm really - I - I didn't mean to - I swear I'm - er - Blast it!" He made a noise of total frustration at being reduced to nothing more than a blithering fool, and pinched the bridge of his nose with enough force that it only aggravated the oncoming stress headache instead of helping it go away.

Talla successfully shut him up with a calm raise of her hand, "Let's just forget about it, okay?" Her eyes were widened in concern at his unusual, frazzled state, and that was enough to know he was sincerely sorry for his comment back there. "You look like your about to face the Maker." She nervously joked.

Hunter either blatantly ignored that last comment or just didn't hear it, "Sure!" He gave a quick clear of his throat so his high-pitched tone would go back to its normal clipped baritone. "Sure." He shoved his hands into his pockets in an attempt to steady himself, but he still could not look directly at the inquisitive and beautiful Agent, "But um, full disclosure you do look -" He tried plowing on. 'Come on, you can do it! Bea-U-Ti-ful.' He cleared his throat again. "- nice." ... 'Wow. Here's your 'Compliment of the Year!' Medal, di'kut.'

"I know." Talla's response to that pathetic compliment certainly sounded believably self-assured. But in reality, it was made to be exactly that so as not to expose the little shreds of doubt that did persist at the back of her mind, but not from Hunter's comment anymore! It was clear that he very sorry about that. It was from her own negative views about herself given to her by Nala Se. Talla brushed one side of her new curtain bangs behind her ear, "Appreciate it though." She bashfully followed up with. Which was a sincere reply this time, so he'd hopefully stop being so wound up, and also because she really did appreciate that Hunter liked the new look. It made her giddy and timid at the same time, and she tried to mask it with a spiteful jest towards her makeover, "You really think this'll be enough to stick it to the witchy piece of aiwha-bait?"

"If it doesn't, I don't know what will." Hunter muttered, and he mentally face-palmed. That comment could be taken in a good or bad way, so he immediately jerked his head to the left, abruptly changing the subject, "We should get going, if I'm not there to monitor the others, Crosshair will get Wrecker completely blasted just for kicks and Tech won't intervene because he avoids all confrontation."

To his sweet relief Talla dropped the awkward conversation they were failing to rescue and fell into a brisk walk alongside him to keep up as he posthaste led the way to the bar, which was several streets over. "The girls told me that this type of drinking establishment has blaring music, crowded floors and bright, flashing strobe lights." He confirmed this description with a short, 'Mm-hm', so Talla asked the obvious question, "Isn't that a recipe for disaster with our enhanced senses?"

Thankfully, he became a bit more conversational with such a safe topic, "These chaotic surroundings are the best way to teach you how to control the enhancement so that you can stay grounded out in the field, and don't experience another sensory overload that hurts you or others."