Red Blood High

"It is my favorite here. I just don't know if I have a favorite between my tree and the trees at home..." They were actually very similar, and she had ties to both. So it wasn't that she didn't think it was possible to have a favorite... it was just that thinking about it, she wasn't sure there was one she felt more strongly about than another.
Then he was moving on, and Amnesia blinked in surprise at the complete change in questioning, though she seemed to take it seriously, going quiet for several long moments as she seemed to search her memory.
"I... don't know," she finally admitted. "When Amaryllis called you my boyfriend and you explained what it was and said we weren't that, I knew I loved you, and it hurt that you didn't feel the same way because I'd just thought you did, for some reason... But I know I loved you before then. When that demon hurt you the first time, when you showed up in the forest leaking and then tried to say you were fine and focus on me back when you first learned about Amaryllis... maybe even when you gave me the hoodie to keep me warm, even though I didn't need it... I think I've loved you a long time and just didn't know it. I can't think of when it happened though."
Amnesia nodded. While she didn't like the way they argued and fought with one another, she also knew that was just how it was. She couldn't just say they wouldn't, and it would happen that way. While she didn't know the exact history of what had happened to bring them to this point, she'd been around them enough to know how they were. Maybe she'd be able to help things a little by changing the way Khal saw James, but also...
"You have to stop trying to work him up on purpose though!" There was only so much progress that could be made by talking to Khal. James had to work on it too.
She smiled as he reutrned her kiss and her words. "I think that sounds like a good idea," she agreed.

As he sat and slowly rubbed the lower part of her back, he eventually found his hand coming to a slow still, simply resting on he listened to her talk, moving so his cheek was pressing slightly more against the pillow, still watching her.
She made it seem like she had loved him for the longest time…and, though she was unsure herself, he realized he had been blind to her affection until she had mentioned it, hell, he’d seemingly been unaware of his own affection until it became a focus of his.
“No exact time huh.”
He seemed to almost snuggle closer in to her, blinking his eyelids.
“I think mine, or, realizing how I felt, was when you were gone for so long. I ended up laying around in bed…. had nothing else to think about, or, well, nothing good….and I kept wondering why you didn’t come by and see me, thought you knew where I lived. I went from thinking about that to you telling me you love me, and before I knew it, it was all I could think about…I finally realized that it hurt me seeing the way it hurt you when you thought I didn’t love you. I went from there…and, before I knew it, I was jumping out my window and racing to find you when I heard you were missing.”
It was the first time he remembered telling her when he ended up realizing how he felt, which had started about a week or so before he’d found out she was missing and managed to keep him up at night, along with the pain in his back.
“I don’t know how long I’ve loved you, but I realized it then. You’ve always been way too nice and trusting with me, so, I could’ve fallen in love right after we met for all I know.”
He’d never truly registered her on a level like that until after she’d told him how she felt, but he could’ve been in love and not known it for so long, simply because he didn’t do relationships up until this point. This was something he’d never thought he’d try again. Yet here he was.
As she told him what not to do with Khal, he chuckled out of his nose, released in a small blast of air that he’d moved for, so as not to blow it in her face, before leaning back inward.
“He’s really easy to mess with thought! I don’t even mean to do it most of the time, he just gets annoyed, I promise! I’m never actually trying to fight with him until he says something that makes me mad. Like last time it was the way he talked about me to you, and the way he seemed to talk about you like you were some other person. That got on my nerves.”
It wasn’t a lie, even if he had been picking at Khal in the first place.
“You like that idea? Then that’s what we’ll go with.”
The longer he sat still, the more he felt tiredness creeping over him, and, in irritation, he began to move his hand on her lower back again.

Without being asked, James volunteered the information on his own, and Amnesia continued to watch him as he described what essentially equated to the last couple of months. There was a little pit of guilt when he mentioned hi she hadn’t come to see him, though she’d been asleep for most of that time, and then he told her how he’d ended up searching for her in the forest. She hadn’t thought to ask how he and Khal had ended up searching for her, but now that she’d heard, her eyes widened.
“James! You were still hurt!” It was a little late to fuss at him, but she hadn’t thought that he’d done something like that. She wasn’t sure what she’d thought... that he’d taken it easy or Khal had looked out for him maybe... not that he’d done something so extreme. Because he’d been worried about her... It was the same as the day before, when she’d run here in a panic about him. It didn’t come off as strongly, but maybe he was a little protective too.
“Maybe we both did and didn’t know it... you’ve always been kind and patient with me, you know. I had a good feeling about you the moment we met, and I don’t think I’ve ever been too nice or trusting with you. I think I’ve been just enough.”
With a smile, Amnesia leaned in and gently pressed her forehead against his. It was strange to think about, that they might’ve felt this way since the beginning and just not realized it, that it had taken so much and so long to get to this point. It was worth it though; she didn’t regret a single moment that had led them to getting to this place.
Then the nice, quiet moment was interrupted by his laughter and defense of his actions. “You were trying to annoy him on purpose though! If it happens on accident, that’s fine, but you can’t do it on purpose too. Not if I’m going to convince him you’re good, okay?”
The mention of his reaction when he’d gotten angry last time though... Amnesia lifted her hand, letting her fingers run through his hair for a moment, but that felt odd in their position, and she let it fall, coming to a more natural position against his collarbone. “Just because he says something about you doesn’t mean I’m going to believe it, you know... and he’s having trouble getting used to me, how I am now. I think Equinox is going to have the same problem, but probably even worse. You might have to be patient with them the same way you’re patient with me.” As she spoke, almost without realizing it, her fingers began to idly move over his chest where they rested, tracing light paths on his skin, and soon, she felt his hand begin to rub over her back again. There wasn’t really anything to either of their actions; it was just nice... relaxing.

“I’ve done worse for less.”
He replied, seeming completely content with his actions, jumping straight out of the window.
“Dealt with some leg pain from the rough landing until your blood healed me.”
He’d endured the pain the whole time he’d been trying to convince her to cheer up after they’d found her.
“I don’t know…we might have. Trust me, you’ve been better to me than you can imagine.”
Their foreheads were lightly placed against each other, staring direct right into the eyes he’d called so beautiful moments before.
She’d never been afraid of him, never not attempted to take his side. She’d never once not trusted him, not taken his word…she was so trustworthy, it was almost worship, though she had a mind of her own. He’d returned such trust and worship in his own way, treating her in a way that everyone else would beg for…. though, he doubted she’d recognize it. He wouldn’t rub in her face how well she had it, though, sure that she understood to at least some degree that he treated her well…or, he at least thought he did, being that he always did what he could when he could do it.
“Okay…okay. I’ll try not to annoy him on purpose…some of it is on accident though, cross my heart.”
Some of it was…he just naturally got under the angel’s skin, though he secretly wore the fact proudly.
He made no attempt to stop her from running her hand through his hair, the hand on her back simply laying pressed against her bare skin as their odd position left her to eventually let her hand fall against his collarbone.
“He talked to you like you didn’t know anything, and I hate that. And then he tries to throw words about me into your ear, it pisses me off.”
Probably the bluntest term he’d used directly to her in forever, though, there was truth to be found with its bluntness.
“You’re a lot different from them. First off, you’re a girl.”
He seemed to find this humorous.
“I can try…Equinox does seem like it’s going to be worse with him, though…I really don’t think he liked me.”
The way she moved against his chest was comforting, and, despite his wishes, he found his eyelids starting to suffer heavy drops, his hand still moving, though slowing down the longer she moved her hand.

"James... I don't want you to hurt yourself because of me." He'd admitted to it casually, as if it weren't a big deal in the least, but to her, it was. And while at one end, there was this little bit of warmth at knowing he cared enough to do such a thing, she'd meant what she said. She didn't want him hurt at all, but especially not because of her. Ever.
"I don't know why you think that," she said softly to him as he insisted that she'd treated him so well. "I've just... treated you how I thought you should be treated. You've never given me a reason not to trust you or to be mean or anything less than what I've been. You've always done things for me and tried to take care of me too that I always feel like I'm trying to make it up to you but you hardly ever let me."
That was just the way she looked at it. He was and always had been completely amazing in the way he'd treated her, and she couldn't imagine returning that by being anything less than how she'd been to him. And despite always wishing she could do more for him, she either never seemed to know what to do, or when she'd suggest something, he'd turn her down. One of the few times he'd ever actually let her do something was when she'd healed him with her blood, and she felt more as if she owed it to him after being the cause of his injuries in the first place.
James' agreement not to annoy Khal on purpose sounded good to Amnesia, and she nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you." She was sure it would help, and she was glad that he'd agreed to it.
"He knows there's a lot that I don't know, and he was just being protective... I reminded him that I was an adult and not a child though. Just because I don't know about certain things doesn't mean I'm unable to make my own decisions." The last was said more in a flash of remembered frustration than anything else. James had never tried to make decisions for her. If anything, he'd always given an explanation and then let her come to her own decision based on the explanation. It wasn't until recently that she'd even had this sort of problem with Khal, and she just didn't know if it had to do with her lost memories or if he was really that against James that he couldn't bring himself to trust her judgement.
At the mention of how Equinox had acted, Amnesia gave him an apologetic look. "He... he just needs a little time and maybe to get to know you a little..." Even as she spoke, she noticed how he seemed to be drifting off a little. Honestly, he should've been asleep awhile ago, so this time she didn't ask if he was getting tired, instead choosing to simply continue what was doing, guessing that he would probably fall asleep soon enough if she did.

“Don’t tell me not to hurt myself for you or because of you. You’d do it for me in a heartbeat. Don’t tell me not to when we both would do it.”
He didn’t seem to make it a command, instead smiling a casual smile as he said it, knowing full well that he was right.
“Besides, we’d have to take some blows for each other every now and again…you want to get married one day, right? That means we have to be a team, and teams help each other out.”
His body was about as closer to her as he could be without completely pressing into her, though, as he spoke, he slowly turned his body, laying with his chest and stomach facing upward, and, after he was situated, he guided her to lay on him, much closer to his body than she had been before.
“I know the perfect way you can make it up to me.”
He said.
“You can be yourself. You can trust me and love me like you have been. That’s all you have to do to make me happy.”
She kept moving her hand, even after he’d situated them, and, with his head staring up toward the ceiling, he turned to stare back at her just as she kissed his cheek.
“You’re a person, you think, you feel. Sometimes, just from the way he talks, even if he already knows you, him acting like he has to make your decisions…makes me want to fight him.”
A pause.
“I won’t fight him, but I won’t keep my mouth shut if he does it again. I don’t like it and won’t act like I could sit and deal with it.”
It was no question that he understood being protective, but it felt like something different sometimes, more like Khal felt she needed to do something a certain way instead of giving her an option. Maybe it had something to do with James, maybe it was something else entirely…he didn’t know.
Moving back up toward the ceiling, he found his eyes drooping, and fought it back as she spoke again.
“He also seems like he didn’t like us getting touchy with each other...”
Though he responded, he had lost any of the fight to the tiredness he was feeling, releasing the smallest of yawns before his eyes seemed too heavy to keep open.

Amnesia couldn't even argue with that because he was right. She would. She knew it, and he knew it too, apparently. Still, she couldn't help but smile a bit as he continued, even if she didn't like the thought of him getting hurt. "I guess I'll have to live with it then, huh?"
As he moved, she stayed where she was to give him time to get comfortable, though as soon as he was settled, he was pulling her close, and Amnesia, who had been planning to simply snuggle up against his side, found herself halfway draped across his chest, where she gladly remained. "I don't know if I ever said this... but thank you for coming to find me and talking to me and making me stay." She couldn't imagine the sort of state she'd be in at this moment if he hadn't.
"I don't think I could stop if I tried," she assured him as she laid her head down against his chest, getting comfortable herself.
Though she wanted to say more about it, Amnesia chose to let the subject of Khal drop rather than continue to get James worked up about it. If it happened again, she planned on handling it herself since it frustrated her, but she also didn't doubt that James would have something to say as well, if he was there when it happened, which wouldn't help anything between the two of them.
Then, before she could formulate a response about Equinox, it seemed as if he had fallen asleep, eyes completely falling closed. Amnesia quieted so as not to take the chance that she might wake him up, continuing to lightly run her fingers over his skin until she was sure that he'd fallen asleep.
It was the second day in a row he'd fallen asleep simply talking to her, the second day she'd gotten to watch him just slowly drift off, and she was beginning to think it was something she could get used to. There was something about the simpleness of it all that she just liked. And once again, rather than attempt to move, though it would've been easier with their positioning now as opposed to last time, she simply let her own eyes close.

He’d been trying to help her decide on her clothing since he’d asked if she’d wanted to go out. He’d at least convinced her into a dress for the time being, one he left her to hold his hand in as the two followed the small filter of people who remained awake and moving within the village, their activities not affected by the dark sky around them.
He kept her somewhat close despite their held hands, as if a part of him suspected she would get lost without him there to walk her around. He was a tower compared to her, his body skinny, surprising height making what fat he had on his body disperse itself in a way that left him tall yet only just barely hitting an expected weight. On his upper body, a grey short sleeve t-shirt, conforming yet not tightly gripping to the skin beneath it.
His feet would occasionally click, the sandals on his feet the work of a man feeling too lazy to tie his shoes, their clicking not interrupted in any sense by the blue jeans covering his legs.
Blonde hair shaved on both the sides on back, the top and front of the dirty blonde color fell forward to cover the blue eyes beneath it, instead pushed to the side as he walked.
Their hands weren’t too tightly held together, and, there was chatter and conversing between the two, both seeming simply happy to be out and about together. They were more side-by-side than him leading her, though, there seemed to be occasional moments where he would take the lead, turning them in a certain direction and leading her to follow him.
The location in mind was revealed as he pushed open the door in front of them, listening to the ring of a bell above them, the chatter of others instantly meeting the sound in unison, his head turning back to give her a look as he held the door open, allowing her through before he slipped into her hand again, stepping back into the pattern they’d been following as he went for an empty pair of seats, slipping into one before she had the chance to question it, gesturing for her to sit beside him.
“Lot of noise, but the food’s alright. We can ask them to make something for us and they’ll bring it out. I don’t really…. know if you have a favorite food, so we can just try a few things, alright?”

After how their last date had gone, Amnesia was glad when James suggested that they try again, this time with him picking what they would do. She still planned on taking him out to the forest as a surprise once the flowers on her tree were blooming as a sort of way to apologize for how their last attempt had gone, but she certainly wasn't going to say no if he was going to suggest another one in the interim.
Since they were going out into the Strange Wood, she'd donned one of the dresses he'd recently gotten her, insisting that she needed something to wear that wasn't just one of his shirts and that she needed more than one. To someone who had only recently begun to wear clothing some of the time and had never before had more than one thing to choose from, this was strange to her, and she'd only hesitantly agreed to listen to him on it. The dress felt far more comfortable than some other clothing had though, and she found she genuinely liked it. It was a pale pink, with thin straps that sat on her shoulders and two little strings tied to form a bow right in the middle of her chest that she'd actually spent a little time playing with. It sat close to her body around her torso, but flared out after that, falling just a little past her knees in a flowy way that allowed her plenty of room to move and kind of fluttered in the wind in a way that fascinated her.
Rather than being left to its usual, messy devices, she had tamed her sunny blonde hair into a braid which draped over her shoulder and held together by something new to her, a little stretchy circle apparently called a hairbow. Otherwise, Amnesia was unadorned, down to her bare feet, which stepped over stones that had since lost any warmth gained from the sun over the course of the day.
As they paused in front of a building she wasn't familiar with, Amnesia went quiet, aquiline eyes roaming over everything as she stepped in with James, the quiet jingle overhead lost in all of the other noise she heard. The sudden chilliness of the ground surprised her, compared to the relative warmth of the stones outside, and in fact, the air felt a good bit colder. There also seemed to be many different smells floating around, almost all of them unfamiliar but some of them pleasant, and as she followed James, still looking about her surroundings, he suddenly sat down on something that vaguely resembled what he'd explained to her was actually called a couch, not a comfortable log.
Before he'd even motioned for her to join him, she was moving to sit as well, the thought of sitting across from him never occurring to her as she carefully moved into the seat beside him, which was not nearly as comfortable a log as couches were.
"Okay," Amnesia agreed with a smile. "I don't think I have a favorite food either, though, just so you know. The only time I really eat anything is if I need the energy." She looked away from him, back towards everything else, unable to help but wonder what sort of food they gathered and how they managed to get so much of it that they were able to feed so many people.

He’d already complimented the way the dress looked one her when they’d picked it out and she’d changed into it, though, when she sat down beside him, he found himself wanting to do it again.
Even if she was missing shoes, she looked good with her hair pulled back and a dress over her, and though he had grown to love her lack of awkwardness when it came to nudity, he appreciated this as well.
When she slid in, he lightly slipped his arm over her shoulder, waiting a moment before he turned to notice someone walking towards them.
He didn’t know what she’d eat or drink, and, though he had something in mind for himself, he found it hard to imagine her eating what he might eat on the first try…so, that being said, he found himself thinking of something for her and then himself, turning his attention back toward her when they were once more alone.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to eat while you’re on a date. Besides…hopefully you’ll like what they have here.”
He’d always like the food here, though it was just a casual diner, he’d never really vomited or felt sick after eating the food here…so he counted that as a positive.
Aside from all the people around them, it wasn’t a bad spot to bring someone on a date, though others might see it as a less creative way to entertain during a date. All of it was new to her, and, though anywhere felt alright with her, not knowing a lot about where she was helped to make everything they tried to do interesting. Even when he’d walked around and checked out clothes with her, her reactions to things he thought normal had at least been entertaining.
It was several minutes before they were met with another again, food being placed beside them both, separate even though the two seemed attached at the hip. He’d chosen a salad and a coke for her, simply unsure what she might like and gathering that she was more a plant eater, while he himself had gotten fries, a hamburger, and coke, the same as herself.
Before he even got a reaction, he picked for one of his fries, raising it up and pointing it in her direction, offering it to her before she’d even touched her salad.

When she sat down, rather than give James space like most would have, she scooted up close to him until they were practically pressed together, something he didn't seem to mind in the least as he laid an arm around her shoulders. Then a woman walked up to them, asking if they were ready to order, and James answered, the entire exchange foreign to Amnesia, who didn't argue as he spoke for her, simply trusting in him.
"I'm sure I will!" she assured him with a smile. "Something smells really good." She wasn't quite sure what, and as she continued to look around, she couldn't guess what, but she knew it existed.
Actually, the more she continued to take others in, the more she noticed how others seemed to keep a certain amount of space between them, even in seats like what she and James sat in, whereas one more person could probably fit in beside her. From what she could see, they were the only two sitting so close, and she couldn't help but wonder about it.
"James," she said as she turned to look back up at him, "Do most people like space? Like with how you used to be with me?" She had absolutely no intentions of moving, perfectly happy where she was at and sure that he was too, but she couldn't help but be curious. She'd never really felt the need to maintain space between herself and others, and she'd thought James and Khal were just two people who happened to like their space, but from looking around... she couldn't help but wonder if maybe that wasn't quite it.
Then, not much later, the same woman from before returned, this time carrying food and drinks, some of which was placed in front of James and some of which was placed a little further away, as if it was expected that Amnesia would move now. Not a word had left her mouth about the dark bubbly liquid or the leaves not far from her when James picked up what looked like a little yellow stick and offered it to her.
Curious, she accepted it from him, finding it to be much softer than a stick and warm and a little gritty. It even sagged a bit between her fingers, as if it didn't quite want to stand up straight. Her attention was completely absorbed by the yellow stick, even as she raised it to her lips and took a bite from it, eyes widening as she did so. It was soft! And tasted unlike anything she'd ever eaten before, in a good way. She really liked the saltiness it had too, and after swallowing the first bite, she put the rest of it in her mouth, finishing it off.

“They’re probably back there cooking something.”
He responded, finding that he took her in much easier than he had before. He’d accepted her closeness, arm moving to wrap around, finding his head turning and brow raising as she said his name.
A curious glance at the area around them, taking in what he saw as she finished her questions, arm remaining around her shoulder.
“I guess it all depends on what people are like. Truth be told, I don’t mind closeness as much after I’m used to someone. I don’t know what anyone else here thinks.”
It was an honest answer at least.
“I don’t see a lot of couples here, anyway. We might see some people sitting closer together if there were more couples.”
His hand lightly rubbed at the shoulder it rested on as he said this.
Watching for her reaction, he found an amused smile, watching her discover what a French fry was, lightly sliding most of the fries over toward her, still intent on eating them but seeing that she didn’t seem to hate it.
“There’s plenty if you want some more.”
Saying this, he grabbed for the burger nearest, lifting it up as good as possible with one hand, raising it up and taking a quick bite, lowering it back where it had been as he chewed and quietly swallowed.
“Also.”
He started, reaching for one of the forks that had been left behind, grabbing it and quietly settling it in the leafy pile nearest her.
“Be better off using that to eat your salad instead of using your hands.”
Saying this, he grabbed for one of his fries, biting into it, and quickly eating the rest of it, before raising his drink and taking a sip from it.

Amnesia considered James' answer. While he'd said it was a preference, like she'd though, he also made it sound as if it were usually couples that were close anyway. So, maybe if people didn't prefer space, they were just used to it? Because, as long as they'd known each other, James had to have been used to her long before they started dating, but it wasn't until recently that he'd stopped getting tense whenever she went to hug him. But if he was so used to it, what had made him suddenly change from avoiding or just tolerating touch to seeming to crave it as much as she did, if not more?
"What made you change so much with me?" It might have outwardly seemed like a random question, but it was her inner thoughts that led her to it as she looked up at him.
As she tried the new food, Amnesia didn't seem shy or self-conscious in the least about the wide-eyed reaction she gave, her expressions as open as ever, and when James slid the pile of yellow sticks towards her. "Thank you. That tasted really good," she told him, leaning in to kiss his cheek, then watching as he took a bite of something strange-looking.
She was distracted from questioning him about it though as he reached around her and picked something up and set it down in front of her, his words only leading to more questions as she picked up the smooth, metallic object which had four prongs protruding from the end but, as she felt them, didn't appear to be sharp.
Seeming to be absorbed in the strange object that had been placed in front of her, Amnesia thought about how he had mentioned using it to eat instead of her hands. It didn't seem like something that should be scooped with, but the prongs didn't seem sharp enough to poke something with either. Those seemed like the logical things to do though, so with her hand wrapped around the long part in much the same way a toddler might, she first attempted scooping, which led to everything falling back into the pile, then stabbing, which yielded much better results, shown as she lifted it up, finding that she'd gotten a few leaves and something round and red that looked a bit like a huge berry to her, and she pulled it off the prongs first and then put it into her mouth.
It didn't really have a flavor at first, but when she bit down, it seemed to explode in her mouth, surprising her. It was sweet, not like a berry at all though, and very juicy, and immediately she decided she liked it.

He sat and seemed to watch her facial expressions, letting her thoughts process, await an answer or another question she might have to throw his way.
Her next question seemed surprising though, as if he himself hadn’t made much thought about it.
Well…. there were a lot of answers to that question. He’d warmed up to her without realizing it, really, almost subconsciously letting his guard down around her. Another answer could’ve been her acceptance of the truths he’d kept hidden, such easy acceptance making his closeness to her grow. Another could’ve been her confessing…. while the other, most realistic to him, was there skin on skin contact.
Strange as it sounded, skin on skin was what he knew…what he felt the most comfortable with, what he knew. It was possible that her allowing him the honor of kissing her skin and seeing her at her most vulnerable helped him loosen around her, as if this privilege led him to realize that, though she was a spirit, she had traits about her he understood…well, physical traits, like the way her body worked, where he could work her most, he understood that at least. This and her trust in him made it easier to open, to become much less awkward with time.
“I guess it was just…. time, really.”
It was the easier answer for him to give.
“Being around you a lot, working and learning more about each other…. that made me drop my guard.”
He didn’t have to tell her that their skin on skin sessions made it easier to drop his guard around her, mostly because he didn’t want her to think it was something she had to do to get closer to him.
He leaned forward by the slightest towards her kiss, nodding his head.
“It’s called a French fry. It’s a cut up potato.”
There was hope she might already know what a potato was, speaking since she seemed more well-versed in stuff like that, bur he’d answer a question if she had it.
He’d sat the fork down right in her salad, eyes following her hand, watching her attempt to grab the tomato in her salad.
Seeing her grab the tomato, he slipped his hand outward, reaching himself for one of the red tomatoes in her salad. Winking at her, he flicked it up into the air, watching as it flew upward, and, instead of falling back down, did a spin in the air, flying and spinning in mid-air for a moment before it flew in his direction.
His teeth caught it in time, stopping it before it went straight down his throat, teeth gripping for a moment, before he let go and let it roll in his mouth, chewing and swallowing with a cheeky smile on his face, lifting his hamburger with one hand and taking another bite out of it.
“Just stab your lettuce like you did before and you can eat it like that.”
She seemed confused by how to use the fork, so, he could help her with that much. She’d figure it out if he gave her some time…she did that with most things, after all.

When she thought about it, it actually made a sort of sense. James started acting more relaxed around her just before she got her memories back, around the same time she'd told him that she loved him, which had also been a moment of them getting closer, and then after that, when she'd had her memories, he'd shared about his demon and her about her identity. And then he'd asked her to be his girlfriend, and they'd been nothing except close since then on a level even Amnesia wasn't used to but was enjoying.
"I'm glad you did," she said after her few moments of contemplation, a smile tugging at her lips.
A french fry? It seemed like a strange name, but the names of most things were strange to her, so she simply nodded as she committed the new term to memory. Then, after she'd put the tiny tomato in her mouth, she watched as James took one, not minding in the least, though rather than simply eat it, he seemed to make a game of it, which she smiled at and gave him a little clap when he caught it in his mouth and ate it.
Then, when he told her what to do with the metal branch she held, she stabbed at the lettuce again, leaves sticking to the prongs, though she paused after this. Last time, she'd simply pulled the tomato off, but once again, James had said it was supposed to be in place of her hands. So, hesitantly, she brought it to her mouth, trusting that he would say something if she was doing it wrong, and pulled the lettuce off the fork with her teeth. The whole thing felt weird, especially holding the metal branch, and as she crunched the lettuce, she set it back down as if she were reluctant to hold onto it any longer.

It was an easy trick to pull off, moving the small tomato like he did. If it were something large, he wouldn’t have been able to make it spin, make it figure eight, making it almost fly, with the ease he had. It was the size and how focused he was that determined how easy it was to pick up and maneuver. Something like a tree, even if it was possible, would be crude and clank-y in the air compared to something like a tomato, or, going up more, a human or clothing. It also depended on how much he tried to pick up at once, of course, depending on how much he could focus on. He knew his powers enough to know their limits. Too much of anything caused headaches and pain, possible bleeding even.
The tomato flew into his mouth with ease, stopped by his teeth and then allowed entry, chewing it down before biting his hamburger and turning back toward her.
When she put it back down, he took the smallest of sips from his drink, situating his body slightly. He reached for the fork, stabbing deep into several lettuce leaves, and, with a casual expression, raised it up toward her, as if either expecting her to take the fork or expecting her to eat off it.
He made a habit to show how he held the fork and how he’d raised it.
“You’ve got it right for the most part. Before you ask, no…I won’t make you use these except when we’re in public. You said you only really needed to eat for energy anyway, so this shouldn’t be so bad.”
He wanted to eat with her simply because it was what you did, or, what he recognized someone would do on a date. Even if she didn’t have to eat, it felt nice to get to sit and eat with someone, wrap an arm around them in public or share food. The simple act alone felt nice, after all the time he’d spent not having anything more than sex with the opposite gender for as long as he had.
“Have you tried the drink yet? It might be a weird taste, but you might not hate it.”
His head casually nodded in the direction of the coke on the table, as if reminding her that she hadn’t touched it.

When he picked up the metal branch, Amnesia blinked, noticing how differently he held it as he showed her, explaining that she'd apparently been able to work out most of how it worked, which she couldn't help but feel a little good about. Most of the time, she had to take guesses on things, which weren't always right, and it always felt good when she got something right, even if James had helped a lot with just a little comment made before she'd started trying to figure it out.
"I mean... I don't really understand it, but it's interesting. I guess I can try... What's it called again?" More than anything, she simply seemed curious about everything at the moment, and as she accepted the metal branch from him, she tried to mimic the way he'd held it, but though she got close, she needed a little help to get the grip right. It felt odd in her hand, though it seemed easier to move around than it had been with the way she'd initially held it. It seemed better for scooping this way too, though James had stabbed the same way she had, and after seeming to play with the movement of how she now held it, she held it up to James, offering the bite of food to him.
Then he pointed her towards the strange liquid she had yet to touch, and it was only after she'd set the metal branch back down that she reached for it. The outside of the clear container was cold and more than a little wet with condensation, which she ignored as she examined the little bubbles within that floated to the top, which seemed odd to her with how cold it felt.
After casting James a sidelong glance though, she carefully tipped the container towards her lips and let the liquid slowly spill into her mouth. Unsure what to expect from it, it still surprised her, her eyes watering a little as she swallowed and set the container back down. It was thickly sweet and kind of burned the back of her throat and made the inside of her mouth feel weird. And a short few moments after swallowing it, even as she was still trying to process how she felt about it, a burp escaped past her lips.

“We call it a fork. You use it to stab into food, so you don’t have to use your hands or teeth.”
He directed some of the way she held it, helping her situate her hand to hold it correctly, or, as close as was possible.
When she turned it on him and instead raised It for him to eat, he smiled, leaning forward and catching the food, taking it off the fork with his mouth, chewing the lettuce behind his lips.
“Not so bad, is it?”
He asked, after he’d swallowed his food, seeming interested in knowing her answer.
She had never been far off on what she’d needed to use it for, though, she seemed much better at it now.
His empty hand, that was on the other side of the bowl, speaking since he still had his other arm casually draped over her shoulder, moved with him, grabbing for the fork as she began to drink from the coke.
Only having time to lightly stir the lettuce around, he watched it move with his fork stirring it around before raising his head, catching her reaction just in time.
A small moment of surprise, before he released a laugh.
“It’s not polite to burp at the table.”
As he said this, he seemed to straighten, opening his mouth wide, pushing his stomach as he too released a burp, though this one was much less escaping from his lips as it did fly form it, slightly louder than hers’, though he found himself laughing, being since it hadn’t overwhelmed the nearby chatter.
“There we go. And now we’re both in trouble for bad table manners.”
As he said this, he stuck the fork into the lettuce, directing some of it for her to bite, caring little for the scene anyone else happened to notice.

"A fork... got it." Amnesia had been doing her best to learn what unfamiliar things were called, something she'd made more progress with recently than she had in the past few years she'd been living in the forest, and while a part of it did have to do with her curiosity, she had to admit that a good part of it had to do with living with James. Sometimes she would ask, sometimes she would describe something in the way she thought about it only to be given its real name, and sometimes it seemed like he just knew that he'd need to give her the name. And while she was sure she was going to forget the name of something at some point, so far, she'd been doing pretty good, picking up a little at a time and trying to adjust her vocabulary to incorporate the new terms so that she wouldn't forget them, even if it was only using the words in her head.
As James accepted the bite she offered, simply leaning forward and taking it off the fork instead of taking the fork from her, Amnesia smiled. "Different and new... but not bad," she agreed as she set the fork down and decided to try the dark liquid.
He wasn't the only one who was surprised by the sound that came out of her, her aquiline eyes widening a little in surprise, though he was the only one who laughed. Instead, her eyebrows drew together at his words, which he offset with a burp of his own, this one louder than hers, and this time, she joined him in a little laugh.
The question she intended on asking was stopped short as James lifted the fork to her mouth, as if expecting her to accept the bite the same way that he had, and she smiled as she leaned in and did just that, taking the lettuce and a piece of cucumber into her mouth, waiting until after she'd chewed and swallowed to speak.
"Why's it not polite to burp when you're eating? Isn't that usually when it's going to happen?"

“There’s a few more things you use to eat too, but, they’re not in front of us now, so we can save them for later.”
It was like he was almost her teacher at this point, hell, he’d basically offered himself for the job. He’d explained so much to her and helped her with so much, though he was unsure if much of it stuck. She seemed to pick up something from him, being that he’d heard her attempting to use some of the things he’d taught her before, but she was far from perfect at it. She didn’t really make him too impatient with all her questions, so, he supposed he could deal with them…heh, not like he had much option now.
He'd almost snatched the food off the fork, smiling slightly in return as she spoke.
“You’ve got time to get the hang of it. We’ll go out on more dates than just this one.”
In general, there was much more he had to show her around the area, much more he thought she should know. Plus, it was an excuse to get her used to clothing in public, since he’d already intended on her wearing what she liked at home, while his brother wasn’t around, that is. Even then, the most he saw her wearing in the comfort of his home was one of his t-shirts, and that wasn’t uncomfortable or constraining at all. Shit…that reminded him…. she was still only wearing a dress. He couldn’t help but like the thought of that…it was well…enticing.
There’d been an opportunity to amuse there, one he found and took, satisfied as she laughed alongside him, making a point to close his mouth as he lightly cleared at his throat.
He seemed once more satisfied when she took the lettuce and cucumber off the fork, lightly setting it back in the bowl of salad as he moved back to hear her question, picking up a fry and eating it as he once more went lax on the chair, able to more comfortably wrap his arm around her. He didn’t have any intention of moving his arm, unless she just got tired of it…which he doubted she would.
“Most people just think it’s rude to burp when you’re at a table with someone. It can be loud, and sometimes you might burp into someone’s face. It’s not really the burp, because, that’s when it happens, but it’s more just burping so loud that it’s louder than other people talking at the table. Could interrupt them, or just be annoying….so most people try not to do it. I was joking about burping at the table though…I don’t care if you do it.”
There was a reminder that popped up in his head to eat his food before it got cold that had to almost refresh every few minutes, his hand reaching down at taking a bite from his hamburger again, this time holding it in his hand, chewing through much more of it than he had before.