Kea was like a lava flow, a flowing heat that covered everything in its light. If someone else was treated that way, they might not even show after being invited. The Vermillion rode his broom over though, not feeling an once of bitterness. The teenager really did love their older sister after all and knew her intentions behind everything were pure. His clothing just involved sandals, short fluffy pine green pants, his belt being a pale muted lime green that matched the green mantis symbol on their mantel. Their current shirt was a deep brown color and loose fitting with long sleeves. It wasn't unusual for the bendy boy to dress pain and informal in a way that made it seem like they might just do yoga all day if fate permitted it. Without any goals of his own, that's probably exactly what he would do if it was possible. They quickly jumped off their broom once close to the meeting place, almost forgetting to grab the broom up after hopping off. Of course this was the same amount of excitement he had for just about anything, for the youth was easy to please. There should be an extra show for excitement, he did love her, she was family, his sister. Honestly, the same level of excitement he would show a stranger was fine, at least he always knew that hugs would be fine to give. The broom was a normal common sort of transportation item, but it was still his.

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There are people who would likely worry about the ability to stalk someone so well, but Kea wasn't. If it was anyone else? Then it would be unnerving. His elder sister was someone he had full trust in. The teenager wasn't so stupid that he didn't know stalking was a bad sign, but was either too naive to be suspicious or cared of their sibling or simply trusted her that much. “I didn't know you could keep track of me even off the family estate, that's pretty amazing.” His sister was a better hunter than he thought, which was good. Why not? Vermillions were supposed to be good hunters, but in making friends all over like she did? It made her a better hunter than someone who relied on brute force alone. Of course he was smiling brightly and cheerfully, for he was now with their precious elder sibling. Nobody understood him as well, but nobody was as protective. She was probably the only person who was even a little protective of him and they both knew this. Maybe that was one of the reasons she was that way with him. Neither of them were all that close to their parents, so her not even considering it a possibility to ask them was very much a Leonora thing. Where they neglected him as 'the extra', they hyper focused on his sister to hold up to their every expectation. He used to wish they had some hopes in him outside of being a 'good boy'.

Those hopes ended around the time he was still just a child. “I really like it. There it doesn't matter who I am, just how well I can work and help others. I'm learning how to do that, it's really nice. I've started realizing though that Taiyo hasn't been doing his best. You've done a lot of traveling and work and stuff that helps people so you've been too busy to even think about all the deamon stuff I bet. Taiyo hasn't though, so why didn't he help with it? Learning about them being a bigger issue that I used to know was a bit of a shell shock. But for the first time it also feels like you're not the only one who believes in me. I'm starting to think things our parents wouldn't like if they knew, like what do I want? Instead of what our family wants me to do.” She was someone he could tell anything and everything to. The tangerine red haired boy was a very open person as a whole though if there was anyone that could get him to say even more, it would probably be her. Maybe it was all the years of being caged up on the estate, but he was still a very naive person. It seemed they flourished when give the chance, though they obviously had a lot of self doubt. “..Is there a way to learn how to want things?” If anyone else asked, the question probably would have seemed like a joke. Kea was too honest to lie about something, if he even knew how.

“Maybe it's a good sign if I'm thinking that way. Anyway, what have you been up to?” This of course meant he wanted details on what she had been busy with. It was interesting, she was interesting and one he looked up to.

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This was something Kea used to believe before becoming part of the green mantis. He really had been that naive, but now the teen new better. It may have seemed like something he should already know, or a small step, but the first steps were often the hardest. “Big sister, I know people just don't tell any random person everything. You're underplaying the smarts and charm it takes to get information regularly from people. Even if that's not something some family would consider a very Vermillion skill, it's a very valuable and practical one. It's better than trying to punch your way out of any issue and I think is an example of true determination. I think being determined to reach your goal is more Vermillion than anything anyone has done in a long time.” It was unusual for Kea to not speak in an excited tone, but the joy woven in their voice spoke louder in a way. It didn't matter that his voice was at what most would consider a calm and normal volume. There didn't seem to be much that could ever turn Kea from his sister, at least for now. He was still very naive and inexperienced, even if they were taking steps towards changing that. Their fingers started tapping against the table gently with his excited excess energy being kept mostly under control. Those hands calmed down when Leonora put her tea down, feeling as curious as ever on what she was about to do.

There was no manual to knowing what you want? Part of him knew that already, but another really did want there to be an easier way to figure it out. Not having a guide to this new type of existence felt a bit like he has been standing in a void of light until recently. Somehow getting to see in many directions meant that he had the option to decide in the direction to go in now. Nobody could force him to go in a certain direction, but he was pretty sure he had the general idea on what to do. Was it what his parents wanted him to do, or him? At first they joined the green mantis because his parents told him to. Nobody told him to want to stay, it was something Kea wanted on his own. “Well, nobody makes fun of me for being sheltered, though I don't think any of my fellow green mantis think highly of our parents. Learning from them and doing good stuff feels nice. They're all really awesome how they patrol and take down criminals. It feels silly to say it out loud like that, I know its a very basic thing.” The red head wouldn't quit the green mantis at this point, even if it upset their parents. The young man was mostly sure they hadn't noticed anything about him that would cause either to tell him to quit, but it wasn't much of a worry to him. The times their legal guardians looked his way could be counted on less than one hand.

“The inner voice, that must be what helps people gain goals and drives. It must be a strong force.” Wishes, goals, drives, all those things that helped people achieve their wants. Being a Vermillion, it only made sense that he had seen a number of people over the years full of passion and drive. It was something Kea always wanted, those people didn't even look slightly lost or questioning their direction in life. His sister was one of those people, it was like she was born knowing what she wanted. “I... think I want that. As an adult, I should know how, but our family just trained me to only follow and be good.” Following without question sounds good at first, but even a military family shouldn't do that. Without learning to question, then they can't become the proud and effective soldiers that they should be. When told to look at the menu, his blue violet eyes glancing towards the menu on the table. “I... like thinking and reading, so I'll do that.” Despite saying that, he still picked the object up. What did he want? Something delicious. Maybe new? 'What have I never tried?' Sweets. His master had him eat nutritious while he was training, and family gatherings typically had exclusively meat, which he felt negatively effected the flavor of those meals. When there's nothing much added to meat, nothing but meat? Then there was nothing to enhance the flavor of the meat.

It was boring. Slow cooking with dry rub seasoning could make interesting flavoring, as could slow cooking in a sauce. Having meats with certain fruit or vegetables could also enhance the taste, depending on the flavor profile of the meat and the seasonings or sauce placed on it. The young man didn't want to be some fool hunter that couldn't even figure out how to cut and prepare the catch properly. Sure, Kea couldn't cook and wasn't allowed in kitchens at home, but he still considered what he did know about food better than nothing. As long as he knew what tasted good, eventually the cooking skills would come, when he was allowed near a kitchen again. Until then? Their eyes scanned through the different items on the menu. It didn't take long for him to close the menu, “I'm gonna go order and pay.” This was a cafe, so he had no expectation to be served at the table. Kea put the menu back down before getting up, cheerfully waving towards the woman behind the counter while walking over. The green mantis ordered excitedly and in a tone of voice that was far from quiet. At the least, unlike with the broom maker he seemed to be aware that trying to hug would not be appropriate. The teenager was quick to take the needed yul to pay out when the time came, after all that was part of ordering food from anywhere that was a business, right?

Of course he thanked the woman before returning back over to his sisters table. It was weird, he wasn't really sure what the next step was. “Uh.” This was his first time actually ordering at a cafe. Kea didn't say anything, but the confidence he had was slowly being replaced with doubt. Was he supposed to sit and wait for it to be ready? Does he pick it up when its done? Do they bring it here? Should he have kept standing near the counter? Should he ask his sister what he should do next? 'No, she isn't always able to be here every second of the day. She already worries about me enough.' He was a bit less concerned now, though it didn't change how clueless he felt. That feeling changed when someone brought over a a drink and some food, placing it in front of him at the tiny table. There was a scone that was cut in half. Its fluffy round body steaming with fresh heat was covered in gooseberry jam and clotted cream. Gooseberrys were sweet but with a bite of citrus, kind of like a more aggressive grape. How would that taste in a jam? He had no idea, nor did he have a clue on anything related to the flavor profile clotted cream might taste like. It looked thicker than whipped cream, but not like butter or custard. Another item was a small banana custard tart with baked banana slices on top, whipped cream, and a drizzle from a cinnamon brown sugar syrup.

Another item was a sweet roll baked good that had butter, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, along with ground up tiny bits of toasted walnut, toasted pecans, and toasted hazelnuts tucked along with all those spices in each sweet and flaky fold in the desert, the brown sugar and butter being the key ingredients that held it all together. The drink was apple cider, the menu made it look like a type of seasoned warm apple drink. He got it for that reason, but also the lack of description told Kea that most people knew about this drink. There was no point on putting a description if everyone knew what something tasted like, it was a simple enough concept for even him to understand. There was a moist lemon cake the size of a short cupcake, the scent of lemon giving a good indication that this was unlikely to be the typical type that was overwhelmed by sugar. In between the layers seemed to be lemon marmalade and tiny chopped up pieces of strawberry, larger chunks of strawberry laying atop of it over a bed of whipped cream. The last item was next to the plate rather than on it, a small bowl filled with stew. The stews contents were chunks of fried potato, shredded cabbage, edamame beans, roasted white corn, carrot, mellow and sweet pattypan squash, dark colored caramelized onions, green onion, black beans, minced shiitake mushroom, and chopped heirloom tomato all sitting in a dark brown thick soup base.

While the liquid base resembled gravy, it seemed unlikely to contain any form of animal fat in it like gravy typically did. This was more likely a type of brown sauce, but how it was created would only be a guess. Neither of them made the vegetable soup after all. “Oh.” It was time to eat all these foods now, right?

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He knew already that Leonora didn't believe in listening to their parents. They had focused on her as relentlessly as they had ignored him. They put too much weight and thought into Leonoras every move while the two grew up, but refused to even glance in Keas direction unless needed. He had been the 'good' child, well behaved, and younger. If either of the two were expected to have children and carry the family name, it wasn't him. Anything he may or may not accomplish in the future would be expected and ignored, where his sisters would be scolded if he ever caught up to her. Even without being told this face to face, he knew from how they spoke and treated the two in the past. He was expected to never do as well as his elder sister who had to be the better of the two. She was the speedy wild untamed lion and he was the quiet cub that hadn't had any experience of anything outside of his cage until recent times. 'They stopped fighting you because their ego let them believe they won against you, but I think you know how stupid they are.' These words were thought, but not spoken out loud. What point would there be to do that? It was something both of them knew already, no matter how much neither liked it. His and her feelings on the topic didn't change reality as it stood however.

It felt a bit like Leonora could read his mind with what she said. Maybe it was less that and more that she knew how caged up Kea had been, their true lack of experience in the world, or how their emotions and thoughts tended to leak to the face. In some ways he was like a child, though the Vermillion was still a young adult that craved battle and blood that had a strong temper, but a stronger hold over it. Therapy had been very useful for that, as well as training lessons from his master. This didn't change how long he had been trapped at the estate, nor the lack of experience. Their elder sister explaining cafes to him was a bit unusual, but it was something he needed. The teenager tilted his head a bit, thinking on the information a bit. “Cafes sound like imperfect meditation to help calm the mind.” He would never call it proper or perfect, as you need to interact with the world and people around it to some degree. It did require patience and some clearing of the mind if you were alone though, which gave it some things in common with meditation. While not one to one, it was close enough to Kea. This comparison helped him understand how it functioned and why. He wasn't sure how his choices were good, or if they were bad. Their sister seemed to approve, even if he didn't know the taste yet.

“I think I've only asked for people to do things for me twice in my life. The broom maker didn't let me hug them though.” Kea was used to doing a few things for himself, which was what tended to happen He didn't make his own baths until after leaving home, nor did he know how to cook, but he had most basic life skills. How could he not ask servants how to do things so he could do it? “I feel like if I accept them not telling me what to do completely, I'll be alone... But even if I have no idea what any of this will taste like, it still felt nice to do it.” That was his only connection to his parents, wasn't it? No help, not telling servants to help him, not wanting anything specific to help him, but they would tell him what to do. They would get upset about not being informed about big events in his life, but they never had conversations with him. Lessons were from other people. Interactions were from other people. The first item he grabbed was the scone. The breading tasted different than a bread, but had nothing in his mind to compare it to. Its texture was its own and it had a mild sweetness. The jams tart and sweet flavor was amazing, the clotted cream was sweeter than the bread but not as sweet as a fruit. Though there was no words on his thoughts concerning the scone, how quickly it was devoured certainly told of his opinion on its own.

“Who thought of that first? I wonder how many people eat this already.” There was a mix of joy from something wonderful and new, but also a reminder, a feeling that this was probably common to a degree. A cafe was still a business. Businesses thrived on consistency, meaning it was more likely to serve foods that they already knew people liked. It didn't take a genius to figure that out, but it didn't change reality. “Maybe I should give up on them. I think you and master are the only ones who expected anything out of me until I joined the green mantis. Master moved on a long while back to his next student though.” It was strange how much one piece of food could get someone to look themselves over. Their parents hold wasn't healthy, he knew that. Each thing he never experienced before was one more reminder of that.

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