Nick munches on a bite from the cone, nodding. After swallowing, he states, "No problem. And I can't wait. But I dunno how we'll one up going to an ice cream shoppe."

Nick is also enjoying the comfortable quiet. He hardly ever felt comfortable enough to not feel the need to endlessly speak around someone.

He attempts to take a big bite out of the ice cream and cone, and he accomplishes getting it into his mouth, but his frozen brain was a different problem. He makes an uncomfortable face, scrunching up his countenance! and without much thought he presses his thumb against the roof of his mouth in an attempt to fix the situation. It helps very little, if at all. "Owh, owh, owh, owh..."

He freezes when he realizes that he is indeed in a public place. And in front of Alli, no less! He attempts to speak with his thumb against the roof of his mouth. "Uhgm...sorghy?"

He then breaks into a grin, realizing how odd he must look.

Nick smiles, laughing a little. With his non-saliva-thumbed hand he slides the box into her reach, and then takes her hand and guides her to it. He picks a few napkins himself, attempting to help her clean the accumulating mess on the table.

Wren was shopping. Specifically shopping for both Grace and Tobi... who both needed some decent clothes. She had several bags and boxes floating behind her in a cocoon of energy filled with new clothes. She'd gotten Tobi's measurements from his father, swearing him to secrecy, and had just had fun with picking out a new outfit for him. After hearing more of his story, she knew what a triumph his current state was.

She'd picked Tobi out a grey t-shirt with a platypus printed on it along with the statement 'Go home evolution, you're drunk', a nice loose pair of cargo pants in black, and an overshirt in black with a d20 printed on the breast pocket. To top it off, she'd gotten him a pair of converse in black with parts of the periodic table in light grey.

For Grace, she'd picked out a few halter tops in bright, cheerful colors, a beautifully flowing skirt in a soft golden color, and a brightly patterned pair of sandals with long cotton straps that wrapped around the lower calves. She was very pleased with her efforts, and hoped that her friends would like her gifts.

It was in this happy state of self satisfaction that she looked in the window of the ice cream shop, and dropped her bags and boxes with loud thumps.

"Nicky has a giiirlfrieeeend..." she chuckles, grinning evilly. To call Grace to come meet her here to poke fun at the little brother or not? She pondered for a few moments then shook her head. her packages rose into the air once more, surrounded by a faint blue-ish energy field, and followed her into the shop. This was gonna be fun...

Alli easily allows Nick to take her hand and pull it halfway across the table, biting her lip through a smile. She 'watches' for a moment or two, her head tilted to one side, face fully visible due to her pinned back hair on the left side-- cheeks still noticeably pink, though from mirth or shyness it can't really be determined.

As Wren enters the shop, Alli registers that someone else was around but doesn't pay much attention just yet, answering Nick thoughtfully, "For the most part, yes... but I think I'll need a wet-wipe thingy or something." She giggles, and lets herself grin. "You definitely do, too! I bet you this happens all the time-- they probably have some at the counter--"

She hadn't taken her hand back yet, still examining it critically.

At the sound of Wren's voice, Nick immediately pales to the color of a sheet and the reddens to a tomato-like hue. He doesn't let Allison's hand go, however -- which surprises him.

"She, ah--...This--...It was--" Nick allows a few strands of hair to fall into his eyes, and says shyly to both of them, while thoroughly examining the tabletop, "Allison, this Wren. Wren, this is Allison. I'm just gonna...go get wet wipes...yeah, that's what I'm doing..." He leaves Allison's hand on the table, and awkwardly stands and walks over to the counter to ask the attendant for something wet to clean with, leaving the two alone for a few moments

Wren chuckles as Nick flees, then turns to Allison. "I'm Wren, it's nice to meet you. And yeah, I know Nicky-boy. He's my little brother. Not by blood, though. You know the old saying: 'The best family is the family you get to choose.', well he's that kind of family. Hell, I wouldn't have run into you two if I hadn't been buying new outfits for two other members of our strange little family."

She ponders for a moment, "I'm wondering just -how- much I should mess with Nick..." Chuckling, she sits int he booth behind them, placing her packages on the table, and turning to kneel on the bench, arms crossed on the back where Nick had been sitting. "I think at least -some- messing with him is required. Just so you know, I'm not mean, and I'm not poking at Nick to hurt him. Buuuut he's the little brother, so he gets to be messed with. It's like a law or something. And if not, then it should be... just to be official."

Alli hadn't really been anticipating meeting any of Nick's family at this point-- or really for awhile yet. She hadn't thought of anything to say-- but, well... at least she figures she looks okay enough to pass whatever muster Wren might put against her that way. Funnily enough, this whole situation just became a challenge to Allison-- and one she is stubbornly refusing to let get the best of her.

"I never had any brothers or sisters, so I'm not sure how it works," she says quietly to Wren, now leaning over the back of Nick's seat from the next booth over. "But-- don't be too rough?" She flushes a bit, high up in the cheeks with a bit of a grin.

When Nick comes back, she smiles openly at him, saying, "Thanks, Nick!" and taking up a moist towelette, vigorously rubbing the last of her peanut butter chocolate swirl off of her hand and wrist. She seeks around with her fingertips, finding sticky spots on the table, and wipes those considerately up, too.

Casting about for some neutral subject, Alli leans her elbows and forearms on the table and says to Wren's amorphous 'field' over Nick's shoulder. "Soooo... You have wings, then. Can you fly really well?"

Her 'gaze' flicks back to Nick and, perhaps surprisingly, lands right on his eyes with a small smile. She notices the hairs he's left over his eyes, and her fingers twitch, wanting to tuck them back... but she hesitates, waiting for a moment, uncertain if that would embarrass nick an awful lot.

When Wren had spoken to him, he had blushed and inadvertently said, "Tell me about it," which made him blush even more.

Nick grins a little wider at Wren's question, suppressing a sound of amusment. Wren and her friendliness.

Nick leans forward a little, resting one elbow on the table and setting his chin on his hand. He did not blow the hair out of his face, and his eyes were encouraging. He had noticed Allison's reaction earlier, even if it was slight. He had guessed at what she was wanting to do.

"That's a good flavor, but I think I still prefer my mint chocolate chip." She smiles and chuckles, "I thought it was something with the eyes, but who cares! The metals stuff is frackin' cool. How did it happen? Was it always like this, or an accident or something?" she stops for a moment and chuckles, "Damn... I apologize for the rapid-fire questions. I just haven't has too many people to talk to until lately."

Alli had giggled a little at the mention of Maddie. Her sudden tension eases just enough to allow for the small sound of amusement, as she wonders if Wren's talkativeness might be a result of associating with Nick for long periods, too... It is pretty contagious, she'd found out, and she gives Nick a small, quick flash of a conspiratorial smile.

"I-it happened a little at a time, about four years ago. I couldn't see anything at all from when I was three, up til then... And I just woke up one day with something in my 'vision' that wasn't, well... nothing. It was really freaky at the time... but now it's just... nice. It's not perfect, and it's limited by a lot of things, but it's gotten way more defined since I've been practicing with it. It's just... [i]nice[/i]" She smiles shyly at Nick again, unable to imagine having to rely only on the mental image of his face conjured by touch, as she would have had to do in the past with only the blackness in her eyes...

"And I like Maddie. But I don't know if she likes me, exactly..." Alli had drawn her fingertip in a shy circle on the table, remembering Maddie's, 'she's out of your league' comment.

Nick responds to Alli's question, "She likes you. Maddie likes everyone. Even bad guys. She gave a bank robber a hug once. She just doesn't know you well enough yet."

Nick fidgeted with a balled-up napkin while they spoke, rolling it back and forth between his hands. He suddenly remembered something, having to awkwardly stand without standing, reaching into a Jean pocket. He finally fishes out what he'd been looking for: a small, black, thin, metal box that was about the size of his palm. It had no visible seams, and no outstanding features on it's surface besides a slightly raised outline of a lock with four chains connected to it, which reached for the four corners of the surface it was on. The further the chains reached from the image of the lock, they more melted into the sides of the box. One side of the box would be warm from being pressed against Nick's body.

He places it softly in front of Allison on the table, blushing and smiling shyly. "There's your gift."

(BTW, thinking more about it, Allison would likely be able to notice a lot of shielded cables, looking almost like a circulatory system diagram, and a shielded box fit into the chest cavity. She may not be able to sense the power running through those cables, or what amounts to a desktop with a large battery pack in the chest, but the copper shielding I think will definitely be noticeable as it diverts magnetic fields around itself ^_^)

As Wren walked back to her bench, the two smaller girls began talking each other.
"Do you think-"
"Yes, that's Wren. Did you see-"
"The blue feathers, yeah. Should we-?"
"Of course!"

They got off of the stools at the counter and walked over to the table. The larger girl stayed, but watched carefully.

"Hi, are you Wren? I'm Jackie, and this's my sister Diana, and," pointing at the larger girl back at the counter "that's our baby sister Alexandra." Alexandra waves as she is pointed out.

When Wren hugs Nick, he smiles. His now-tousled hair hung well in front of his eyes. He attempts to blow it out of his field of vision, but is only partially successful. He is able to see Allison's response to the present, and he reddens. "I hope you like what's inside more than the box itself. Press down on the lock."

When Allison would press down on the outline of the lock, an audible click emanates from the small box, and a small series of quieter mechanical sounds follow as the box opens from the inside out. It opens in layers, mostly for aesthetics, almost like the blooming of a flower. Inside lies a small, metal bracelet near the same color of the chains that adorn Allison's shoulder.

The bracelet consists of small, reinforced hematite chain links connected to a diamond-shaped metal pendant. The pendant is layered with multiple metals, as Nick had tried to appeal to her sence of sight. On the pendant, there is a small, ornately carved keyhole, and Allison will be able to 'see' the complex inner workings of the device. The bracelet will clink pleasently when Allison picks it up.

As the girls are talking to eachother, Wren scoops up a large finger full of whipped cream, and licks it off happily, taking a large spoonful of deliciousness afterward. At their approach and questioning, she smiles, "Yep. Wren Scott at your service. What can I do for you ladies?"

She's used to attention at this point, being the child of two great heroes, and having been a part of some pretty major fights. It's just a matter of course for her now, and she doesn't mind it. She loves interacting with people, inspiring them to greater heights with encouragement. After all, it was like her mother always said, [i]'Everyone has the potential for great courage, strength and grace. It is our job to help them realize it.'[/i].

Allison is still aware of Wren there-- in fact, even moreso with the enhanced perception given to her by the complexly beautiful bracelet-- but she doesn't regret what she'd done, embarrassed only a little. It was honest, after all.

She keeps hold of Nick's hand, keeping it curled up around his own palm, feeling thrilled and too-warm herself, despite the close proximity of all that ice cream. She smiles bewilderedly, replying, "How could you ever think I wouldn't like it? Even the box is amazing!"

"How on Earth did you make something like this so fast?" Her heart is still pounding, and she's still a bit breathless with the thrill of such an aesthetically pleasing, and functional gift.

Allison has never been on the receiving end of any sort of... well... [i]positive[/i] attention from males of the species, it could be said. Save for her father, the only other experiences she'd had regarding males were the dock workers with which she associated by necessity to procure work. Sailors and dock workers earned their stereotype for coarse language and salty behaviour, and Alli has, in the past, had to stave off more than one drunken advance-- usually from somebody a fair number of years older than herself.

Nick's behaviour is something unfamiliar, if a welcome change to what she's used to. It also doesn't really seem to be his... [i]normal[/i] state of being, either. She gets the distinct impression it's something he drops into unexpectedly, doesn't realize he's doing-- like just now, what he'd said. That seemed... weirdly eloquent, given what she knows about the boy so far, but just as weirdly [i]feasible[/i], given his superior intelligence...

She's so taken aback by these thoughts, that as Nick opens up her palm, she actually lets him, 'watching' in rapt fascination. With the new bracelet swinging it's small pendant and projecting it's own field, Alli doesn't think she'll ever forget anything about the few seconds it takes for Nick to unexpectedly kiss her palm-- he'd closed his eyes for a moment, she saw it, and flickers of white-orange had haloed his head in brief, but startling color...

She is indeed very uncomfortable, blushing fit to peel off her skin, about the only part of her [i]not[/i] uncomfortable being her hand, held in mimicry of how she'd been curling his in on itself not a minute or two before. The fact that other people are in the shop isn't lost on her one bit-- this is a public place, and she knows it. What she'd done had seemed... sort of natural for her, given the extenuating circumstances of her technical blindness and an overwhelming gratitude she couldn't express in any other way just then. But... There's nothing at all 'wrong' with Nick, and something about that makes his return gesture incredibly overwhelming to poor Allison.

But again-- her hand stays on the table. "Oh," she says meekly, unable to get anything else to come out of her stunned mouth, unable to think of any way to respond more eloquently in the presence of other people. Not that if it'd been just them, she'd have been any more able to respond eloquently-- or even coherently.

Nick turns even more red at Wren's statement, and he says quietly, "It's alright. It's worth it."

He takes note of Alli's stunned silence, accepting it, as he'd been much the same way moments before. He laughs slightly, grinning at the feeling he was in. He seems to get control of himself, and he merely studies Allison's face for a few moments with a shy smile, giving her a few moments to return to reality.

He then looks down and nods to her new bracelet, making shy, idle conversation to give her a few moments of peace, "Is your bracelet working okay?"

Diana answered this time. "We'd heard you got hurt last week, and-"
Jackie interrupted, "that other girl got hurt too, but she healed you-"
"and we were wondering how she was doing-"
"and Un- umm, the Falcon said the doctor you were with was very good-"
"but we could tell he was worried."

They seem to have wound down for the moment, or maybe they just paused to continue eating their cones...

Nick was glad to hear the bracelet was working properly. He had tested it for two hours straight before he had decided it was good enough, but even then he hadn't been quite satisfied. But she seemed to think it was amazing, so he accepted the outcome.

Nick grins at Wren's response to Allison's challenge, "At least I have dirt on Grace, because she's making googley eyes at Tobias all of the time, but teasing you is going to be a little more difficult. Maybe I can just sick Maddie on you. She can hug you to death."

Wren grins, "You'll have to wait a long time to get this kind of dirt on me, little brother!" She tousles his hair again before going back to her treat.

Alli does something she's never done before-- and rolls her eyes. She lifts up in her seat a little and says gruffly as she combs her fingers backward through Nick's hair in an effort to get it to stay back this time, "...I swear, I'm going to buy you hair gel, or else you're gonna have to inherit some of my hair clips..."

She paused, sat slowly down again, giving Nick a narrow look, trying to interpret his facial expression. She's very new with interpreting such things, only having recently had any facility to 'see' them. "....You're doing it on purpose, aren't you." It's teasingly accusatory.

It's worth noting she hasn't moved her hand from the table, either.

Nick blushes slightly, unable to lie to Allison, "Some of the time. Okay, maybe most of the time..." He had to admit, he just liked the closeness of it.

Nick opens Allison's hand again, and lightly traces along her palm and down her fingers where the bones would be in her hand, remaining quiet. With one finger, he draws a few shapes onto her palm absent-mindedly, ranging from smiley faces to small links of chain. Onto her hand he also lightly draws a heart, without realizing it.

He continues this, still looking down at her open palm, while he speaks quietly, not wanting to interrupt their comfortable silence. "If you could choose to have wings, would you have them permanently on your back, or would you want them removable?" Nick says the question nonchalantly, but it obviously meant something to him, like he was asking for advice.

He nods, "Thank you." He continues to draw, quieting again.

His eyes wander up the length of her arm to her elbow, thinking for a moment. Without warning, he leans forward, and slowly drags the tips of his fingers along her skin, from near her elbow down to her fingers, light as a feather. He did not know what this would do, thinking it would most likely tickle her, but he was curious.

Nick cracks a small, shy smile. He leans forward, and draws circles down her arm this time, going from largest to smallest.

He doesn't lean back this time, resting on one elbow, but he blushes slightly at the closeness, looking into Allison's cloudy eyes with his light green ones.

Alli isn't usually unnerved by silence-- it's never really silent anyway, there's usually the sound of wind or water, a machine running... But it's been a long time since she was in silent company with a single other person, and this particular person has a reputation for talking a lot.

And... it doesn't exactly unnerve her, really. As Nick leans forward and starts drawing circles down her forearm instead. She can smell his hair from here-- it keeps her just on the edge of her seat, watching with no little surprise. Her heart is in her mouth, but not necessarily in a bad way-- there's just something about this particular touch that seems frivolous, and pleasantly unnecessary-- was this his way of [i]flirting[/i]? Her mind suggests slyly.

Alli blushes with more vigor, gulps once, but the idea appeals in a way that makes her feel really scandalous somehow. She bites her lip through a little grin, almost laughing a moment later, though she could totally just cover herself by reiterating that the spot was ticklish. Her cloudy 'gaze' is direct, peering up under strands of his unruly hair that, thanks to the enhancement of the new bracelet, she can actually see move from time to time...

She makes a mental note to ask Wren if this is normal behaviour for him-- though she already knows it isn't.

Alli laughs a little, shrugging. She considers a moment, then says softly, "Maybe. I dunno... What's too quiet?"

With a smile, she adds honestly, "...It's a public place. I'm used to all this-- Sorta--" she gestures with her chin to his fingers on her arm, "--but... That, plus the quiet?... Kinda makes you look, um... suspicious?" She huffs an amused sound, raising an eyebrow, still quite pink in the cheeks.

Another long pause, before she suggests, "...Maybe we could walk somewhere? See what else is here?" and laughs a little at her use of the word 'see'. "...I bet you there's mini-golf around here somewhere... that'd be funny, for me, anyway."

Most of her sudden talkativeness is just words trying to push past her heart-- which can't decide whether to be in her chest or her mouth, and seems to travel between the two locations at random intervals.

Alli hadn't expected to be taken seriously, in all honesty. So, having herself drawn up out of the booth, she blinks rapidly in surprise. "Oh. Well... I hope it has a metal sign then. And I [i]do[/i] know what a golf club 'looks' like. Just a sec--"

She doesn't let go Nick's hand, leaning into the booth again with a knee on the seat to collect her backpack. She shoves the amazing metal box into a side pocket one-handed and slings it over her shoulder. She then gives Wren an apologetic smile and says, maybe a bit too loudly, "See you later, Wren!" The smile warps into a bit of a mischevious grin as she looks back at Nick, her pulse speeding up somewhat with a faint excitement.

As they exit the shop, Nick squeezes Allison's hand slightly, interlocking their fingers, "How did you like meeting my big sister?"

Alli, still a bit pink in the face, laces her fingers up with Nick's and squeezes tighter than he had in response to the physical gesture. She smiles a bit, the lights catching on the metallic gold embossment of the guitar on her shirt.

"Big? Seems like she was smaller than you--" She huffs a laugh, as soon as they're out of range and walking-- well, somewhere, anyway. "She 'looks' cool... and she seems nice enough." A hesitation, before Alli asks, "...Can you handle her teasing you?" in a shyer tone of voice.

Alli laughs a little, only a bit uncomfortable, rubbing the back of her neck-- the bracelet clinking against the chains around her neck. "...Yeah, I guess. I mean... it's not like she's doing it to be mean... I'll just have to get used to it maybe. Yeah. I'll get used to it, though I think [i]you're[/i] gonna cop it harder just 'cause you'll see her more."

She grins a bit, and brushes the back of Nick's knuckles with her thumb, back and forth, her grip almost possessive. "Hmmn... I can't read a directory, but [i]you[/i] can. If you 'see' one, we should probably figure out where we're going-- unless you wanted t'do something else." She adds the last bit almost as an afterthought, but gives him a sideways 'look' anyway, one corner of her mouth turned up.

"Liiike... wash your hands? Since I'm holding the one you had in your mouth?" She goes red with laughter, teasing him and bumping him with her hip.

Alli had been fizzing with laughter, and it bursts out full force as Nick tries to talk with his tongue out. She clutches her stomach with the opposite arm, subsiding into giggles. "You've done almost everything -but- lick me already, dude-- I think my blind-person weirdness counteracts your cooties. Pre-programmed antibodies, nyah!" She stuck her tongue out impudently in his direction, too, though quickly dissolves into another laugh as she does.

She'd walked at a slight angle, stretching their arms out a little between them, but comes back to walk close again, swinging their clasped hands minutely as she regains her composure. It's only then, really, that she thinks back on what she'd said and remembers to blush. She just felt so at ease around Nick! But, maybe that had been just a little bit-- well, maybe more than a little bit-- but he started it!...

She clears her throat quietly, looking down at her sneakers as they continue to walk, seemingly aimlessly, smiling somewhat but unable to hide it behind her pinned-back hair.

Alli's hand had squeezed convulsively against Nick's, her knuckles white for a moment at the turn in the tone of his voice, feeling like her ears had pricked up like a dog's. Her scalp prickles and a thrill chases like lightning down her back, making her shiver as he whispers in her ear-- He may as well have set the poor girl on fire, and her blush matches the sentiment almost exactly. Only years of practice walking in total darkness keep her feet moving mechanically, and keep her from tripping onto her face.

Alli Cat. She had a nickname. It's such a little thing, but it's such an ego boost, and it emboldens her so much she teases cheekily back with an echoing grin, "I'll tempt you if I feel like it-- what're you gonna do about it anyway, Professor? No Levi t'help you now!" Her laugh is genuine, but a bit nervous-sounding anyway. This whole thing is weird, wonderful new territory, and it's as exciting as it is utterly terrifying.

She'd only looked instinctively when he pointed, strung so tight with reaction to what he'd said and [i]how[/i] he'd said it that she doesn't understand what he'd said for a moment. "Oh-- g-good!" she stammers quickly as the words finally become intelligible through a haze of excited energy, taking the initiative to speed up and half-pull Nick in that direction.

Alli actually made a small squeak of surprise as Nick speaks even quieter, jerking slightly and gripping his hand tightly again. She'd been TOO focused on the directory, although looking more at it's internal wiring than anything it actually says on the screen, determined NOT to look at Nick for a few moments to get her composure back...

So much for that, then.

She turns her head toward him abruptly, opening her mouth to say something in a huffed, stubborn retort-- but hadn't realized just how close he actually was, and before she can get out more than, "I--", she smacks her nose right into Nick's chin.

She sucks in a gasp and claps her free hand to her face with a hilarious look of surprise, muffling a very un-ladylike oath behind her fingers. "Chriiist.... [i]I[/i] might... Nngh!"

She nevertheless manages to laugh-- with an undertone of embarrassment-- at herself.

Alli gives Nick a seriously affronted look, blushing and rubbing her red nose for a long moment, lips pursed. She lets him have his laugh, then harumphs, "Oh ha-[i]ha[/i]... It's not my fault your chin was there! I could have broken my nose or something-- [i]that[/i] would've broken the mood. Break the mood, huh?"

Suddenly finding the boldness she hadn't been able to before, thinly disguised as revenge, Alli reaches out and grasps Nick by both ears, straightening him up abruptly, with a strong but non-painful grip on their upper curves. She then leans up slightly on the balls of her feet, her sneakers squeaking funnily against the polished floors, turns Nick's head by one ear, and kisses him firmly on his right cheek, lingering there long enough to be sure he gets the message.

Dropping down again, she tugs Nick's head back the other way and says somewhat gruffly with emotion, breathing somewhat audibly from that monumental effort, "Read the directory, Nick-- is there mini-golf here?"

At Nick's apology, Alli tucks her lower lip into her mouth, cooling off almost immediately. She squeezes Nick's hand reassuringly with a shy smile, watching his face so able to see in the direction she nods. Maybe by way of reconciliation, she waits for him to lead her there.

"...I'm not upset, y'know," she says with quiet sincerity. "I'm just... nervous?..." She laughs a little then, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. "But... if I [i]was[/i] mad, and that's what I did every time you pissed me off, that wouldn't be so bad-- would it?" She ventures a quiet laugh, sounding maybe a bit hopeful, trying to steer things back to wherever they'd just been. It was awesomely embarrassing, where they had just been, and she'd much rather be in that frame of mind than having Nick think she was upset or something!

"Okay, okay, fine..." Alli rolls her cloudy eyes and accepts this 'olive branch' of a situation, reaching up carefully as they walk to push his hair out of his face. "And [i]no[/i], I haven't got an [i]extra[/i]," she adds with a little laugh. "Just the one, and I'm using it-- I told'ja I'm not a super 'girly' kinda girl!"

Still, maybe she [i]should[/i] have had an extra-- was that the proper girly thing to have on you all the time? She blushes for the dozenth time, giggling under her breath. She mimics the motions of Nick's fingers almost as second nature, a reassurance in reply to his reassurance.

"I never told you what happened with my eyes," she says suddenly, sounding a bit startled.

Alli smiles a bit, shrugging, the charm on her bracelet knocking lightly against Nick's wrist, her shoes squeaking occasionally on the floor as they walk. "I know, but... I [i]want[/i] you to know-- it's part of me, right?"

As she's being lead, she collects her thoughts, then says quietly, thoughtfully, "When my folks first suspected something was wrong, they took me to the doctor, and after a couple of specialists they diagnosed me with bi-lateral retinoblastoma. It's-- it's a cancer that makes malignant tumors in the retina of the eye, and it usually messes with the ability to see light first off."

She pauses, then says shyly, "I'm really glad my folks didn't just let them take my eyes. ...It was a genetic mutation that made it that way. I guess my dad, especially, thought it was his fault... Anyway, I had EBR -- it's radiation treatment, basically-- in my eyes, and it got the cancer, but... Not really in enough time. I still had my eyes, but the end result was the same-- I still couldn't see anything."

Alli squeezes his hand gently, and continues after a moment as they turn a corner, headed pretty much to the other end of the mall, "...When I woke up and, well, 'saw' something the first time, we were all scared the cancer was back and maybe I had tumors that were pressing on my nerves or something." She huffs a little sound of amusement.

"Turns out, that genetic thing plus the crazy radiation they gave me actually did something to my brain. It's still a mutated gene, it just-- mutated the other way, and sort of--" She struggles a bit to explain, but finally settles with, "--Well, to the best anybody can tell me so far, it's actually re-routing my neurons and stuff in such a way that my optical nerves still can perceive things like the fields, and they tell my brain it's 'seeing'. I really am [i]using[/i] my eyes for some of it... That's how come when I practice, I actually get a tiny bit better over time-- making new pathways and stuff."

Realizing she's been talking for awhile, she quiets for a moment, squeaks the toe of her sneaker on the floor. "...[i]I[/i] think it's pretty cool anyways..."

Alli laughs a little, sounding relieved on the one hand-- and then amused as she notices the name of the putt-putt course via the slightly cheesy signage. She blushes, feeling that faint rush, the prickly feeling on her scalp again as she can't help murmuring amusedly, "I'd [i]like[/i] to know how you dream about me, buuut..." she clears her throat a bit, "[i]Yeah[/i], I wanna know-- if you're cool talking about it... I wanna know everything about you that you're cool with telling me. And maybe some of the other stuff, too--"

She clears her throat again, half-smiling at Nick. Sometimes being honest was really embarrassing... She sets her head on a slow swivel, looking for a collection of putters, as that's the likeliest place for a service counter to be.

Alli laughs and nudges Nick with her elbow, smiling up at the attendant. She'd fished out her wallet and handed the bored-looking teen more than enough, correcting her aim as her new bracelet clarified his extremities for her.

"I said the next thing was my shout!" she reminds Nick.

Change made and passed back to her, Alli sticks her tongue out briefly at Nick and shoves her wallet back in her jeans, moving to pick out a putter. She tries one or two in her hands before picking one, and holds out her left hand to bring the bracelet's influence further forward to locate a golf ball-- though for the life of her she'll never know what color she picks. Turns out it's a neon yellow.

Alli grins. "...Ready to look like a total idiot in front of a guy I like?" She burbles out a laugh, shaking her head but saying to the contrary to the motion of her head, "Prof-- I do this all the time. I'm [i]so[/i] ready!"

She follows Nick to the first hole, widening her eyes a little and holding out her left hand toward it, hoping to get a bit of a look at... well... something!... but not really expecting it. She'll probably have to walk the route and just remember where she's supposed to aim.

"oh hey Ron!" shouted Callum. Callum had already arrived in the costume shop wondering what to choose.

Allison gives Nick a narrow look, highly debating whether to trust this or not... but it's Nick, and though they tease each other, maybe this first one wouldn't be so bad. After all, the first holes usually are the easiest ones.

As Nick moves about six feet away, he 'visually' becomes fuzzy and loses a bit of definition-- except round the legs, where she's able to see the tin bottom of the hole jus g below the ground. "This is going to be so embarrassing.... I bet you can see angles and trajectories and get it on the first hit every time..." she mutters, setting down the ball and standing up.

She lines up with Nick's putter and swings a bit awkwardly-- but it works, and the ball goes a bit wide, rolling to a stop just beyond Nick's foot.