An appointment with heirtothearcane

[chiron_survivor]

Adia sits eagerly in the waiting room of Viatorus's office, a small notebook and pen in her hands. Surprised that the dreamwalker had agreed to meet with her so soon after Khan's invasion, she leapt at the chance anyway. The anti-violence was restored, after all, and Isidor surely wouldn't have let her brother return to the Nexus if any danger remained.

In a way, Adia, too, was restored, freed from a filthy settlement and returned to her spaceship. She is once again dressed semi-professionally, her hair clean, the mottled bruise on the left side of her face the only reminder of her close call on New Caprica. More importantly, her heart is filled with hope -- hope for her people's future, and hope for her own.

Absently doodling a tulip in the corner of her notebook, she glances up every so often at the office door in anticipation of it opening. She can't wait to talk to Viatorus about the possibility of a research lab in the Nexus, one that caters to both magic and science. Oh, and maybe she should mention Iphigenia's idea of building a shrine to their gods in the Nexus, too...

And her nightmares. She's supposed to ask about how to stop her nightmares.

Her excitement tempered by the unpleasant reminder, she scratches out the tulip while she waits. By the time Viatorus arrives, it's nothing but an angry blue blot.

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

If there is a patriarch of sorts to the Durant family, then it stands to reason in Adia's mind that it must be a large family. Her assumption is proven correct, and Viatorus's answer, combined with what he has already said about his family, paints a particular picture for her. It reminds her of the royal bloodlines on Virgon (and Leonis, too, although she hopes the Durant family doesn't have as many marriages between cousins and half-siblings). "My family was very small. I'm an only child, and so was my dad. Only one of my aunts had kids. I would have liked more cousins, I think."

"You'd want an EEG machine, then," she tells him. "Or an MRI, but those are expensive and require a lot of maintenance. And loud, too, I don't know how anyone could fall asleep in one." She shrugs and writes down "brain scan" anyway. Maybe there is some advanced tech out there that would avoid both of those problems. "But yeah, it would be really interesting. Do you have different schools of magic in your world? Or is it more different applications of the same magic?"

She nearly answers that of course you can see that with science, if something is hereditary then it has to have a genetic component, but she catches herself at the last moment. "You know... there was a time when I thought that you could see anything with science, provided that you asked the right questions and had the proper equipment." She gives Viatorus a thoughtful smile. "But honestly, I don't know. I'd love to try and find out though."

[heirtothearcane]

"I think I would have liked a few less. I still keep forgetting their names," he admits sheepishly. "Were you close to your cousins?"

Money isn't a problem and he almost says as much, but the mention of noise is another matter. Theoretically a sleep spell would work but that sometimes influences a dream and he'd rather not. "We have different schools, and different sources. Lineaged magic is the easiest to work with but there's always divine magic, ritual magic, earth magic... Sometimes that influences what schools of magic you can do."

Viatorus smiles back. "I was told that we can do anything with magic. All we need to do is learn how." Suddenly he beams and bounces on the spot. "This is exciting! We should see who else might be interested or if there is a way it could give back to the Nexus."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia shakes her head. "No, the youngest of them was still a decade older than me. My mom was the youngest of her siblings." Gods, it's been a long time since she's thought of her cousins. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, feeling guilty over it. "They were boys, too. They didn't spend much time with me."

She taps the pen against her notebook. That's a lot of different kinds of magic. "You don't happen to have a, um, a book or something that explains all this? Oh, I promised your sister a book about Colonial culture. I'm still deciding between two different titles, can I drop it off here once I've picked it out?"

His enthusiasm is contagious, eliciting a bright smile from her. It's so nice to find a kindred spirit, someone who appreciates learning as much as she does. "We should, yes. Although I think the odds are skewed in your favor. I've met far more magic users than scientists. And I'm sure we can find ways to give back to the Nexus. You already do that with your dream research."

[heirtothearcane]

"Oh. That's understandable then." He tries for an encouraging smile. "At least you didn't have to deal with as many pranks?"

"Of course! And I have lots of books to explain all of it. I'll have to take you to see one of the family libraries one day. But I can get you a couple of books for the next time we meet, too."

"More scientists might appear if they have a place to work," he points out hopefully. "Especially if they have someone to collaborate with. You might help bring them all together."

[chiron_survivor]

"No pranks," Adia confirms. Her much older cousins knew better than to play tricks on a shy, sensitive child. "Why, is that what your cousins did?"

The offer to take her to one of his family's libraries has her leaning forward eagerly, her notes forgotten. "Oh, that is so generous of you, I'd love to see it. And yes, any book that you think would help me understand the different schools and styles." If she knew Viatorus a little better, she'd ask if she could see some of his Earth, too, but she's not quite so desperate to visit different Earths as she used to be, now that the fleet has resumed its search for the one in her universe.

"Oh... that's true." Now it's her turn to feel the pressure of responsibility. What if their research center doesn't attract other scientists? She was never the type to lead symposia or conferences. But instead of wilting, she puts on a determined expression and nods. If she can survive heartbreak, an evacuation, and and a Nexus invasion in less than a week, she can handle this, too. "I'll do my best to try."

[heirtothearcane]

"Yes, sort of, yes," he answers, voice light and hasty. It's far too easy to make his family sound bad, but he's never been good at lying for any reason so a poor attempt at distraction or deflection has to do.

"There are different philosophies and opinions on how magic should be classed, of course... I'm sure I can pick out a few general guides for a start. I'll try not to choose any heavy reading. Some of the older Scholars were... hm... wordy," he admits with a small smile. He might have been forced to read through all of their musings and entitled opinions but at least Adia can be spared.

Viatorus gestures to the notebook. "If you have a list and specifications for a kind of building you'd like then Isidor could start looking into properties. Finance and organisation really is her area of expertise."

[chiron_survivor]

Based on his answer, and his nature in general, Adia can make a pretty good guess of how often Viatorus was a victim of his cousins' pranks. She frowns sympathetically but isn't sure what to say, not wanting to embarrass him. "I've never been a fan of pranks," she says finally. "Not unless they were something silly, like filling a room with balloons or something. At least you're all adults now. Right?"

"Science has the same problems with classification... and excess verbage." Adia smiles at the similarities. "I appreciate the discretion."

As a matter of fact, she does. Adia flips to a page in the back where she had written down some parameters for the building itself. She tears it out and offers it to Viatorus, anxious that Isidor will deem it worthy. "Most of what I put down is negotiable. But, um... I know that there's more space in the Industrial District, but I'd really rather not have it all the way out there. Because of... um, y'know. I know the AV field extends out there but it's still safer closer to the Plaza."

[heirtothearcane]

She gets a wide, flickering smile that looks like it takes as much effort to construct as his previous neutral answer. "Right."

"Maybe it wouldn't be as difficult to understand as I thought," he says after a small amused titter.

The sound of paper tearing automatically gets a flinch from the scholar, but he smiles gently as he accepts the list. "Don't worry. If there's anything Isidor will make sure of it's that this place will be safe. She'll put wards and protections on it as well as the anti-violence field… Will you research alien microbiology? Or focus on your world?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia has forced herself to make that smile enough times in her life that she recognizes it for what it is. Would it be socially inappropriate to commiserate with him? Or should she drop the subject and move on? She knows what she wants to say, but she doesn't know if that's proper etiquette during a semi-professional meeting, of if showing her sympathy would even make things better.

"How about Isidor?" She asks instead, desperate to fill up the awkward silence. "Did she pull pranks?" She can't imagine someone pulling a prank on her without deeply regretting it afterwards.

Flashing a brief grin, she replies, "Hopefully not. I'll ask you about anything that needs clarification."

At least the edge is perforated so there aren't annoying little tabs of paper littering the ground as often happens with traditional spiral notebooks. "That's good to know," Adia says with visible relief. The question surprises her, but in a happy way. "Oh... alien microbiology for sure. Or even a chance to see what sort of microscopic creatures live in the Nexus water and soil, if any are native or if they're all transplants from other worlds. Not that my own work on the Chiron is boring, but it's not something I need to do here." She pauses before adding somewhat wryly, "And honestly, what my world needs right now is a good astrophysicist. Someone who could use Nexus knowledge to find our Earth. I am definitely not qualified."

[heirtothearcane]

That gets a light laugh from him. "Oh no, no. Isidor has always been an adult. She was telling people off and giving orders before she learned how to ride."

"I understand," he says honestly. "It's like my dreamwalking. Going into dreams and seeing what I can do is more for fun than anything productive. For my current studies, anyway. But I think it's good to make sure you keep your area fun and playful. That's how we learn so much in life, after all."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia laughs a little, too, both in relief that her question lightened the mood, and also at the mental image of a tiny pantsuit-wearing Isidor giving out orders. "Good for her. What's the age difference between you two? Did you always get along?"

"That's something that science could benefit from," Adia remarks thoughtfully. "At least, the science on my world. Sometimes there was too much emphasis on obtaining funding or getting your research published, and not enough on simply exploring an idea for knowledge's sake. It's different now, but only because of the war."

Setting down her notebook, she remembers her neglected glass of orange juice and takes another sip. "The things you have here... the juice and the flowers, where did they come from? Your world?"

[heirtothearcane]

"Two years, but she can act like a sixty year old when she wants to," he says, in part to give Adia an excuse for if she thought the age difference was greater. Then he nods. "We've always gotten on. She's always been kind to me, even when we thought so differently about things. But I know I'm lucky. Not everyone gets along so well with their sibling."

"It's like that with magic too. It's all about making progress and making breakthroughs." He's quiet while he ponders it. "In my family your name and reputation relies on how great a discovery you make. It's all ranked and assessed, but... sometimes I think that makes magic lose its, well, magic."

He blinks at her a minute and looks around. "Oh, well, most of it is from home. Runa... My fiancée... She brought the flowers. She wanted to make it feel nicer, more homely or comfortable."

[chiron_survivor]

"That means she probably isn't any older than me," Adia muses, a little stunned at the realization. "Not that I thought she was old," she adds hurriedly. "But... wow. She's so mature and put together. That's a good thing, though. I'm an adult, but sometimes I need an adult, you know? I'm glad you've always gotten along. I know some siblings fight, especially ones close in age. But I still would have liked a sibling." Preferably a big sister like Isidor, but a little brother like Viatorus would have been nice, too.

"I know what you mean. It sucks the joy out of it." She laughs a little. "It's the same in the academic community. You're nothing until you're first author on a paper, preferably with some well-established know-it-all as last author. And forget about graduating until you have publishable data."

Adia struggles to swallow her juice and set the glass back down as casually as possible when Viatorus mentions his fiancee. She's still a little embarrassed over her cynical advice about falling in love, but now that he knows the whole story, he can hopefully understand that she was coming from a place of hurt and confusion when she gave it. "Oh, so you, um, you met her, then. How's, um... how's that working out?"

[heirtothearcane]

"I know," he says softly. His sister's maturity and discipline are things he's heard praised often and extensively, among all manner of other traits. He's used to hearing the comments. They are well deserved, after all. "I don't know what I'd do without her," he admits. "We were so busy studying as children that she was my best friend, and my teacher, and my guardian. But I wish she'd gotten to enjoy herself more." A smile breaks his ponderous expression. "That's why I'm glad she's getting along with people here. It's good for her to have someone who's not… well… me." He tilts his head at her. "What was it like to be an only child?"

"Oh." He's not sure whether he's disappointed or glad that it's not that different. "I wish it wasn't that way for you," he says eventually. "Does… Does that mean you've published a paper?"

Adia is not the only one who finds love an awkward and embarrassing subject. His track record thusfar has been rather dismal which only made Adia's advice more difficult to face as it felt more and more true. Viatorus fidgets, and tries not to. He feels the sheet of paper she handed him and resists the urge to fold it repeatedly. "It's, um… I don't know. It's… good? Good. It's good." He moves to a cupboard to get a folder to keep her list safe. "She's pretty, she's kind… She smiles a lot, and bakes a lot."

[chiron_survivor]

She wonders a little at the softness of his acknowledgement. Was she too effusive with her praise? "i'm glad she's making friends, too. The Nexus is good for that. But I'll bet you'll always be her best friend." Considering how protective Isidor is of her brother, she's not about to trade him in for some shiny new friends. As for what it's like to be an only child, it's her turn to fall into quiet thought. "It was a little lonely," she admits. "I was very close to my parents and they made a lot of time for me, but it's not the same as having another kid around. But it was nice not having to share their attention... or my toys, I guess. And I didn't have to worry about being teased or picked on at home. I could relax and be myself."

Adia looks a little surprised by his question. "Yes. A few papers, actually. My thesis was on the genetic variability of the flu virus... not super exciting, but it helped me to graduate."

At least Viatorus doesn't have to worry about Runa being a sleeper agent for a race of genocidal robots. That often doesn't make for a happy marriage. "That's good," Adia says quickly, trying to ease his nervousness, as well as hers. "She sounds great. The, um, the flowers were a nice touch to your waiting room. Very pretty." She tries to find something else nice to say about a woman that she has never met, then blinks at the implications of Runa having been in Viatorus's office in the first place. "Wait, does that mean that she knows about the Nexus?"

[heirtothearcane]

Viatorus smiles gratefully at her kind words, an expression which turns a little sympathetic at her next words. Something she says causes him to brighten, his brow lifting in interest. "Are you close to your parents?"

"That's one thing I do wish I could help science with, a good flu vaccine. But they have to keep changing it for some reason, don't they? And magic can only help so much with a common cold."

It's certainly one less thing to worry about. His hair bounces as he nods at her question. "Isidor wanted her to come here and meet some of my friends. Truth be told I think she was trying to test her," he admits as he returns to his seat, setting the folder on the table. "It didn't scare her or anything. She's always so... happy. Which is good," he adds hastily and fidgets again. "We... We have pretty different interests, but she's very friendly. With everyone."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia reflexively winces, her expression faltering. It's not the question itself -- Adia likes sharing memories about her family. It's the present tense that stings. But it's not like Viatorus knows any better, and she hates to squash his improved mood. With some effort, she smiles again, but it's bittersweet. "We were very close, yes. My dad was always a good listener. My mom was very outgoing, but she made an effort to do things with me at my pace. They took me everywhere, they taught me all sorts of things..." She chokes a little on a lump in her throat and reaches for a tissue. "S-sorry. I just... I miss them a lot. The didn't survive the Cylon invasion."

Work, at least, is safe to talk about. She pulls herself together to answer his question about influenza. "They do, yes," she says, proud of Viatorus that he's familiar with the flu vaccine. "The genetic material of the flu virus is unstable so it mutates frequently. The vaccines have to keep up with the changes. And forget about the common cold, there's over 200 different viral strains that can cause one."

It takes her a moment to shake her look of surprise. "That's... that's good, then. That she knows and isn't scared. it's not a secret you have to carry around. I, um, I was seeing someone up until recently, but I never told him about the Nexus. Partly because I haven't told anyone on my world about the Nexus, but also... I don't know, I didn't feel like I could share it with him. This is better, that she knows. I hope I get to meet her sometime." Her smile returns, only to be lost again in the wake of his fidgeting. "Different interests? How so? Do you mean her baking?" She leans in worriedly and asks in a hushed tone, "Is she bad at it?"

[heirtothearcane]

Her wince is mirrored by Viatorus once she explains his faux pas. "I'm so sorry, Adia. I-I-I should have- I'm sorry. I just… I'm not very close to my parents. I don't know what that's like. Your parents both sound wonderful, though. Kind and considerate."

Getting an annual flu jab is not something Viatorus is likely to forget. Some things even a wealthy mage can't avoid. "I would have thought an unstable virus would be a good thing for us. It sounds like it would be easier to overcome not more difficult."

"I'm not sure if I would have told her right away if Isidor hadn't insisted," he admits quietly. "It, um, it helps a little that my family isn't in a war. Things might have been different for you otherwise. I'm sure you'll meet her, too. She wants to meet all my friends and make even more… She's very excited about the Nexus."

The worry Adia shows gets a small, breathless laugh and he shakes his head. "No, she's… she's not bad at it. Except for a strudel she made once," He comments with a sheepish smile. "The filling was so tart and the pastry disintegrated… B-But other than that, her baking is good, it's fine. It's just that… She takes lots of classes in things I… don't do. Or know anything about. Like crafting with paper, or refurbishing furniture, or gardening… Everything she does is so different from the things I do."

[chiron_survivor]

"No, it's okay," she says reassuringly, even as she wipes at the corners of her eyes. "You didn't know." How could he possibly know how many billions of lives were lost when the Cylons attacked for the second time? Her eyes clear quickly, however, and she feels a bit guilty for that. Shouldn't she cry more over her loving parents than the three months she spent with a man who ended up breaking her heart? But losing her parents is a simple grief, a wound that aches deep but heals clean. And it helps to talk about them. "They were. They took good care of me... i'm sorry you don't have that kind of relationship with your parents. Are they also mages? They must be very busy."

"That's not how our immune system works, unfortunately." She says it without condescension, eager to explain things. "Any time we're exposed to a virus, we make antibodies specific to it. That way, if the virus shows up again, the antibodies will recognize it and our immune system will fight it off right away. But if the virus changes, then the antibodies won't recognize it and we get sick all over again." It's a little more complicated than that, but there's no need to delve into antigens and B cells to explain the basic idea.

"Telling someone about the Nexus is a big deal. I don't blame you for wanting to put it off." War does breed secrets, but Adia doesn't look particularly convinced that things would have been different for her and Will. "I'm impressed at how excited she is. I look forward to meeting her, then."

It sounds to her as if the issue isn't so much Runa's differing interests, but her extraversion in general. "You know," she begins timidly, "My mom was a lot like that. She was always taking classes at the recreation center, or going to parties. My dad wasn't into any of that... so a lot of times, they each did their own thing. But I don't think that caused them any problems. They were very happy together."

[heirtothearcane]

"They are." His fingers twist as he wonders on elaborating, but instead smiles. "We're all very focused on our work. I don't think they'd be as good at doing things with me as your parents were with you... Did they teach you how to cook? O-Or ride a bike?"

As someone who grew up around academics and experts, Viatorus would not hold a note of condescension against Adia. It seems a normal enough thing for people discussing their respective fields. "That sounds... tiring. Can't we... gather the flu together and contain it? I suppose that's too simple. You would have thought of that already."

"My family see it as similar to walking into the Fae Realm. Only less dangerous." It takes him a minute to realise that may not be much of an explanation, so he jumps to add, "It's only as important as any other scholar's work."

Viatorus listens and his thumb rubs his knuckles. "Did they... Did they ever say how they met? Or... why they got together?"

[chiron_survivor]

Somehow that's more unfortunate, that his parents wouldn't be good at doing things with him even if they made the time, but the sad look on her face could easily be mistaken for continued grief over losing her parents. "My dad taught me to ride a bike, and both my parents taught me to cook... not much from scratch, though. They both worked full time. Not as much as yours did, I'm sure." The last thing she wants to imply is that her parents were just as busy as his and yet still made plenty of time for her. "My mom was a literature professor, but she didn't have classes in the summer."

Nothing short of a Nexus LOL would cause Adia to speak to anyone, let alone Viatorus, in a condescending way, but she does smile a little at his idea of gathering up the flu virus. "I wish it were that easy, but with viruses like that, prevention is the best bet. We haven't had a bad breakout in a long time."

"Your world has a fae realm?" She forgets about the topic at hand for a moment, surprised and once again eager to share her knowledge. "I just learned what that is from someone in the Nexus. Have you been? Do the fae ever come into the regular world?" The Nexus does sound less dangerous than the Fae Realm, by comparison. Or maybe the difference is in who resides there.

"Oh... um, yeah, they told me." Not through an arranged marriage, that's for sure. Maybe her parents' differences don't make the best anecdote. "They attended the same university... a friend of my dad's dragged him to a house party." She smiles faintly at the secondhand memory. "Dad liked parties about as much as I did, so when they got there, he made a beeline for the snack table. My mom was in charge of keeping the chip bowl filled, so he just stayed there and ate chips and talked to her. Then, right before he left, she asked for his number." Her smile turns wry. Her mother was a lot of things, but coy was not one of them. "They were together ever since."

[heirtothearcane]

That is exactly what he'll assume. His parents' absenteeism wasn't an issue, considering it wasn't an option. It was what it was, clearly Adia is upset over what shouldn't have been. "That sounds really nice. Did you go on holidays together?"

He nods his understanding and then tilts his head. "Is there prevention you can use other than general hygiene?"

"We have one, but I haven't been. They do come into the world, but my ancestors clashed with them every now and then. Each would try to outwit the other. Eventually they ended up with a truce, though I can't remember how. Mostly we just avoid each other where we can. You don't have Fae?"

A smile flickers across Viatorus' face. "That's a really nice story. It's really very sweet."

[chiron_survivor]

"We did. The only vacations I spent without them were at my Nana's -- my father's mother -- during the summer. Otherwise we'd go all sorts of places together." She smiles wistfully at the memories. Nostalgia is a kind of sadness, in some ways, a longing for the past, but it's easier to bear than pure grief. "My favorite was the Dionysia. Do you still have that on your world? My mom would get tickets to our favorite plays. Even my dad would go, although he wasn't much for theater otherwise."

Some other snooty academic might dismiss Viatorus's question immediately, proclaiming that if there was some other form of prevention, they would have discovered it by now, but Adia mulls over the possibility in thoughtful silence, giving it the consideration she believes it deserves. "Aside from good hygiene and vaccines, you'd have to ease up on domestic animal production. That's where it mutates, you know. In huge flocks of chickens or pens full of pigs. It goes around and around until it jumps into the human population. Viruses like that thrive in close quarters."

Adia listens with a small frown on her face. "Why were they clashing with your ancestors in the first place?" Were humans doomed to not get along with anybody else? She dwells on that thought a moment before Viatorus asks about her world. "No. We don't even have the concept of Fae... the closest thing I can think of are the old myths, but those are spirits living in our world, not a separate one. What are they like?"

It is sweet, and now Adia regrets her earlier advice, more than ever. She should have told him that falling in love is the most wonderful thing. It wouldn't have helped him at all, but at least she would have been honest. "I always hoped I'd meet someone that way. That we'd lock eyes at a party and know that we were meant to be together." She twists absently at the ends of her scarf. "But it doesn't always work out that way."

[heirtothearcane]

"My family in Greece holds one every year," he tells her with an equally wistful smile. "I'm sure it's not the same as it was in ancient times, but... the intention is there. I haven't been very often. Did you have a favourite play? Or actor? O-Or year?"

"It... mutates in pigs?" This is news to him, and not the easiest thing to wrap his head around. He thinks under his bewildered frown before asking, "Do the animals get sick too?"

"Fae like power and magic. So did my ancestors. My bloodline and the Fae sought both from each other, but... not in the most noble ways." His lips twist and his brow furrows. "I hear that Fae are... difficult to deal with. They speak in riddles, and hold you by your words, not by what you intended to say. Some are good, most are not, so I've heard. They're like... like forces of nature. Like the wind, they blow one way and then another." He's quiet for a minute. "One of my ancestors was a Planeswalker who went to many different worlds, he did portal magic, but he always tried to stay away from the Fae Realms. When he settled into a new home with his family he found that there was a Fairy hill in his grounds, and one of their paths walked right through his land. He was so terrified they would take his children that he did everything he could to close that door. His wife had to stop him from using dynamite and blowing it up entirely."

Adia's confession gets a gentle smile. "No, it doesn't. I'd... sort of always hoped I'd have met my future wife in a garden at night, with flowers blooming. Maybe near a pond." He shrugs and ducks his head to hide his embarrassed smile. "I've watched too many movies, I suppose. It's not often real life is so... romantic."

[chiron_survivor]

Her entire face lights up at his reply. It's the first she's heard of it still being celebrated on Earth... in Greece, naturally, but she's learned to expect that country's name to pop up when discussing her religion or culture. "That's wonderful. My favorite play was... oh." She blushes a bit before admitting, "Orpheus and Eurydice." Hello, incredibly obvious subconscious. "I know it's a tragedy, but it's so beautifully told... one year they had a modern adaptation and had a famous pop star play the lead. It was really something else... how about you? Do you have a favorite play?"

It's news to a lot of laypeople, and Adia doesn't mind explaining. "Have you ever heard of swine flu or bird flu? These are variants of the influenza virus. They do make the animals sick, and then anybody who comes in contact with the animals. It's a big problem." Or was, anyway. No large populations of domestic animals in the Colonial fleet. "Did you know that you can pass the flu onto a cat? Swine flu, anyway. But not dogs."

Adia listens closely, fascinated but also a little afraid of his description. "I don't think I've met one, then. Or at least not the way you're describing them. What did your ancestor eventually do? I think I would have moved, if I were that close to such dangerous neighbors."

"That's beautiful," she says sincerely. "That'd be a lovely place to meet someone special." She bites her lip, wishing she had something optimistic to say about real life and romance. "You know, um... it wasn't love at first sight for me and Caspar, either. We were friends... good friends, but I didn't even know that he had a crush on me until my birthday."