Spying the Bait [I]

Jomo had shown up in the lobby 10 minutes before he was supposed to with a boiling feeling in his stomach. He had never known the term "butterflies in your stomach" so literally as he did right now. He didn't even know what he was so nervous about, was the thing, its not like this was a date.. And as soon as those thought had passed through his mind he could feel his face become as red as a rose, his ears already wiggling.

It was just Dimi! The guy who he had talked to not even a day ago.. A very attractive guy, at that. He couldn't make a fool of himself. He took a deep breath and held on to his tail nervously, it was smooth against his hands, which were slightly raw from washing clothes all day.

He turned his gaze up, his eyes scanning over the crowd for a familiar face. All that he saw was guests checking in though.. After all, there was still a little before the actual meeting time.

Jomo inhaled deeply and looked back down to his tail, he needed to be patient.

Clad in a pair of baggy gray drawstring pants and a navy tank top, Dimi makes his way through the teeming crowd of guests and works, his eyes scanning for his potential friend and current acquaintance.

Dimi, contrasting from the timid Jomo, is about ten minutes late to their meeting time, his work keeping him later than he'd like. He isn't too worried about his tardiness however, Jomo seems like a relaxed enough guy.

His gaze finally scopes out Jomo standing in the crowd, looking small among the people, positively adorable mixed among all the others, shimmering with colorful scales that adorn his neck, fins, and visible appendages. Dimi stands there a moment, just admiring the sight, but he's quick to shake himself out of it, reminding himself not to get carried away with these thoughts.

"Hey Jomo, you look a 'lil lost," he speaks and waves his hand slightly to get his attention, tall enough to be visible in the crowd.

Jomos smile brightens as soon as he lays eyes on Dimi, relieved that he's not alone anymore. Most of the people that come in the bathhouse are quite wealthy and it always made him feel a little uncomfortable being surrounded by people in such a higher class than him.

"Yeah, a little." He says with a smile that reaches his eyes. With that, he lets go of his tail and it starts gingerly swaying behind him.

"How was your day?" He asks soon after, figuring it'd be polite to ask how his work went. He unconsciously tries to fix his hair, but it naturally falls in the exact same place as it had been before.

"It was alright, busy as usual," he speaks causally, "Pipes are always gett'in busted for shit in this place." He smirks and starts guiding Jomo away from the busy crowd, over to the back exit of the main lobby. He knows of a little dumpy back room where they can just sit around and hang out, it's a pretty slow pathway for workers so some people will seem them, making this less... Intimate of an experience.

He opens the door for Jomo and holds it, letting the younger man enter first. Dimi catches himself doing this and his brow furrows slightly, he doesn't normally do this for people, what's so special about this guy?

"How about you how was your work?" he questions casually, taking a seat on some stacked crates that lean against the walls of the passageway.

Jomo gives Dimi a thankful smile as he opens the door for him and hurries through without much of a second thought to it. He follows the tanner man to stacked crates and takes a seat on one next to him, his still swaying behind him.

"It was good! I mean, I guess it was the same amount of laundry we usually get but.. I had a good time." He nods his head as he speaks, looking pleased with himself.

He had spent the day tirelessly washing dirty laundry, though he was in no room to complain. He wouldn't dream of it, given the situation in which he got here in the first place. In all honesty he was just happy to get out of the house.. Though it made him queasy at first, he was starting to like the independence he got here. Not only that, he felt safe. There were so many people around, what could possibly happen?

A small feeling of unease comes over Dimi as Jomo sits next to him, pretty close to him. A part of him wonders if anyone will see, or question why they are sitting so close to one another, would they suspect something... More than just friendship. Another part of him feels a restless stir in the pit of his gut, an urge to sit closer to Jomo.

Dimi resolves to ignore both and look as casual and calm as possible on his exterior.

"Well I guess it's good to have a good time at work huh? Never much thought of it as a good time though," he smirks down at Jomo, a flicker of warmth coming over the green irises of his eyes, "Every man to his own though... So does laundry work normally suck ass or what?"

He crosses his legs and rests his hands on his ankles, his body angled slightly towards Dimi so he can talk to him easily. He tilts his head upwards in thought, weighing out the pros and cons of his work. Though of course, his optimistic attitude never failed to find more good than bad in a situation.

"Its alright.. My hands are a little sore afterwards though." He says with a shrug, looking at his hands and rubbing them a little. "What about you?" He asks kindly.

He has a trouble finding his own spot to clean clothes sometimes, most of the workers were much older than him and they didn't like to share their space with a newbie. Though, he was always able to find a spot to slip in and hastily work as he always did. The steam of the hot water always made his scales and fins feel quite softer after work, in contrast with the way his hands felt raw. His hands had been better than most others he'd seen though because he was a fish eidolon who was accustomed to water.

Dimi's gaze turns down to Jomo's hands when he looks at them, scanning over the scald marks and blister scars, all signs of real work in Dimi's opinion. He raises his own hands for Jomo to see all of the scars he obtained from his work as a furnace feeder and later as a maintenance worker. His hands are rough, calloused, and large, the hands of a firm worker.

"I know that feeling man... They never tell you that you can't have pretty hands if you wanna work as a furnace feeder," he speaks this sarcastically, but his tone is somewhat serious, serious enough that it's pretty obvious he's telling a joke. He looks up at Jomo when he questions his job.

"Maintenance work's alright, you get to wander around, but you can't be afraid of gett'in dirty or burned or kicked around by superiors," he speaks honestly, encountering such conflicts on nearly a daily basis with his work.

Jomo nods his head as he listens to Dimi, moving his hands back down so they're resting on his ankles. He never saw much of his superiors, maybe once a day, but the laundry hall was always so crowded with people that it was rare. Everyone was doing their job in the exception of few.

"Well, I'm sure you find a lot of cool spots in the bathhouse ya know?" He says smiling.

He usually stayed in the same place, only moving around to go get another load or moving from one tup to another. Not that he minded that he didn't move much, he was just sure Dimi got some good exploring time around the bathhouse.

"Yeah, I've seen a lot in my job," he says with a smirk, looking down at his feet, "Some of the best places to lay low are the higher levels, above all the customer shit, like the gardens. Even been there?" He looks over at Jomo when he questions, his green eyes flickering with curiosity though his tone is rather flat.

Dimi finds Jomo's curiosity to be interesting, cute even, how little he knows of this place. But Dimi himself is but a speck on the massive canvas of the Bathhouse. That is what intimidates Dimi the most is that there are so many stones he has yet to turn. He knows the back alleys and the streets of the ghettos of Solo, but this place... It's an entirely new world.

He wonders how Jomo feels about it all.

"Honestly..." He says meekly, and looks down slightly. "I didn't even know there were gardens here. I haven't been exploring much, really." He says, feeling a little embarrassed he hadn't taken the time to do so already. Though, he just started working here as well so he supposed that counted as an excuse.

He hadn't really thought about it though. Sure, he had wandered around, but he was always too afraid that he would be caught by someone, or be told he wasn't supposed to be somewhere, and because of that he hadn't strayed very far from the washrooms. It was also why, of course, he had looked so lost in the main lobby.

He looked back up to Dimi, his hands resting on his ankles and his tail now wrapping around his waist, tapping him lightly on the side as it rested.

Dimi nods his head sympathetically to Jomo's comments, knowing that being so fresh in a place like this as well as having a starting position like a laundry worker doesn't leave much time for exploring.

"Yeah, it's a big ass bathhouse, it would take years to see every place in this... place," he looks off and his brow furrows at how dumb that comment sounded, "If you ever get off work I can show you what I've seen if you'd like."

His words are quite and he speaks them without looking at Jomo, making sure no one else is around when he makes his offer. It's a fact that he wants to hang out with Jomo more, he would like to know him better as a person, actually have a friend for once in his life. It scares him a little bit to think about, but Jomo seems like a safe person... It's not like he's throwing himself at Dimi or any shit like that.

The young man runs his hand over his face and back through his hair, as if he's trying to wipe away these thoughts.

"Yeah.. That'd be great! Thank you.." He says, his face flushing slightly. "Do you know if they have a pool?" He asks hopefully, he hadn't had time to swim today because he ran into Dimi in the morning, and although thankful to meet him, he was getting a little jumpy.

Jomo had not noticed Dimi's constant worry about what people will think about them hanging out. He didn't even begin to think that Dimi would be uncomfortable being around him when others were watching.. He felt more comfortable than he had since he started working here around Dimi, in fact. Its better he doesn't know.

He had a feeling in his gut that longed for water. As stated above, he gets a little jumpier than normal once it starts coming to the end of the day and he hasn't gone swimming yet. He hopes that Dimi will offer to swim with him but.. He doesn't want to make him do anything he doesn't want to. He can always go by himself later in the night, or at least try to find a place where he can manage to wade around for a bit.

"Uhh..." he scratches the back of his head, pondering if there is such a place, "Probably in one of the spas, but it's a bitch to get in there unless I'm repairing something." Dimi half frowns feeling a tinge of guilt for not being able to provide Jomo with what he needs. Jomo must feel like a fish out of water. He smirks to himself for a moment at the thought.

"I can't really think of any other place that would have something like that..." Dimi looks down at his lap with a furrowed brow as he scans his mind for some kind of swimming hole or something. The only thing that crosses his mind are the baths near the boiler room where furnace feeders could go once or twice a day to rinse off some of the soot that cakes onto their bodies.

"Oh.." His tone is a little disheartened, but he smiles up at Dimi either way. "Well, I always have the laundry tubs in the morning.." He says, shrugging a little.

"Is there some kind of map for around here??" He questions hopefully, figuring that would help him immensely on getting around.

If he planned on going anywhere from the laundry rooms and back, he would almost always get lost. He'd end up wandering around for an hour before he gave in and either recognized where he was or asked someone for help. He didn't mind though, he wasn't one to be prideful and refuse to ask for help. And plus.. He would really like to find a decent place to swim. He supposed he could walk out to the ocean tonight though since he was off.. So he wasn't too worried about finding a place right now.

Dimi laughs at Jomo's comment, a rather warm, amused laugh for him,

"Yeah I gathered that from the way you tried to dive into the empty bathtub today." He can't help but chuckle a few moments, this is probably the hardest he's laughed in a long time. His smile is one of those that's unforgettable because it's just so rare to grace his face.

"Nah if this place had a map I'd know about it, trust me," he says, the smile still lingering on his lips, "There are people that know their way around here though, older people, or maybe Akan the security guy, he's always popp'in up outta nowhere." He's seen the little hat Eidolon before, wandering aroudn the halls, being stealthy; thankfully it hasn't been because Dimi's gotten in trouble... Yet.

Jomo blushes furiously, his ears fluttering and wiggling with embarrassment. He still had a bruise from where he hit the hard bottom of the tub, thinking there was water in it and jumping in. Only as he hit the ground he realized that there was no water and about screamed so loud he would've woken most of the laundry workers.

"I just didin't realize there was water and I just go there every morning to swim because I really like to swim and if I don't i get really jumpy, sometimes, and I don't know I guess I should have checked before hand but I was just so excited and--" He waves his near his head. "I just didn't realize someone was in there or that the tub was cracked and I was so scared and I'm still sorry and!!!" He realized he was rambling and stopped himself dead, his face as red as a beet.

He covered his hands with his face, his ears still fluttering on both sides of his head.

"I think I'll watch out for whats around me more from now on.." He says, moving his hands away from his face again and looking back up to Dimi, smiling nervously.

Dimi's eyes widen as Jomo continues to ramble on and his brow raises, he thought he had made the comment jokingly enough, but it seems to have embarrassed the little guy more than he intended. Instead of feeling guilty about it however, Dimi just feels very amused, a smirk resting itself on his lips. Once Jomo ceases his rambles Dimi pats the younger man's back, his fingertips subconsciously lingering on his back for a moment.

"It's alright man no hard feel'ins," he comforts, looking down at Jomo, "Just make sure to look into the tub first is all." Dimi offers Jomo a comforting smile, something he rarely does for anyone.

"...Besides," he says, looking up at the other side of the wall, "I don't mind having you around so... I'm glad you jumped in." The young man scratches the back of his neck, trying not to look bashful.

Jomo smiles back at him, his ears are still fluttering though so he tries to cover them with his hands. He appreciates how nice Dimi is to him, something he rarely gets from people other than the woman who saved him. Though.. He hadn't talked to a lot of people before coming here.

"Yeah me too.. I think the bruise was worth it." He grins, moving his hands away from his ears and placing them back on his ankles. His tail is swaying behind him happily, the forked end swishing from side to side.

He was happy he chose that particular washtub to jump in and met Dimi, he was one of the only friends he's had in years. He hopes that he won't do something strange and make Dimi not want to be around him anymore.. He realized a lot of people didn't like to be associated with people who were.. Like him. His sexuality had never been a big deal to him, but he had been told it was a bigger deal to some people than others.

The young contortion Eidolon lets out a small hum of a laugh and smiles at Jomo, glad he's calmed down even though his little spazz attack was pretty cute.

"I'll make it up to you somehow," he says casually, the thought crossing loosely in his mind that it was Jomo's bum that got the bruise. His brow furrows slightly, he hopes that didn't sound too... Gay or anything.

"You know like, find you a pool or someth'in," he adds after he thinks about it, leaning back against the wall with his eyes facing forward once again. The look of concern is on his face for he isn't accustom to it, seeing as though he has never had to worry about coming across as gay to anyone... Since he's never really... Interacted with anyone like he is with Jomo right now.

Jomos eyes open wider at the mention of a pool, as well as his smile. He was thankful to have someone who knew the place better than him be his friend and help him find things like a pool in this monster sized building.

"Thank you so much!" He says breathlessly, noticing the concerned look on Dimis face after he speaks. He instantly starts to wonder if he's done something wrong. He wonders if it was weird to say the bruise was worth meeting him.. Though, he truly meant it.

Jomo contemplated asking Dimi if he said anything that put him off but.. How could you ask something like that? What if there was nothing wrong at all and that was just the look on Dimis face? What if he took it as an insult?? He fretted silently and faced forward as well, his ears drooping slightly and his tail wrapping back around his waist. He decided not to ask until he knew there was something wrong, he shouldn't make assumptions, he told himself.

"Yeah no problem, shouldn't be too hard to find out, just gotta talk to the right people is all," he says, his tone and expression growing a bit calmer though anxiety still stirs in the pit of his stomach. He looks over at Jomo and notices how mopey he looks... He hopes in the back of his mind that it wasn't because he came across as something other than casual.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asks quietly, his tone and expression are both rather bland, but this is only because he's forcing down his real emotions of concern for his new friend, not wanting to come across as too clingy or something stupid like that.

That would just be weird.

Jomo turns his head a little too quickly to face Dimi when he asks if theres something wrong with him. He didn't think he'd notice but at the same time.. Hes relieved he cared enough to ask, or noticed in general. Maybe he didn't say anything weird after all.

"Oh, yeah, I was just thinking." He gives Dimi a small reassuring smile. "If you find a pool we should go swimming together sometime, I mean, if you want to." He could feel his face redden and gets a little embarrassed. He finds himself hoping Dimi doesn't notice every time he blushes.

He really needed to get that under control, he thought to himself. Hes always gotten flustered easily, ever since he was a kid.

Dimi does indeed notice every time the younger man blushes, finding it crazy endearing, just as endearing as his fluttering fins. It makes his own face feel a little warm, but he knows he's tan enough to hide any traces of blush on his cheeks.

"I'd like that a lot, but I'll probably just wade or someth'in... Haven't swam since I was younger," he admits, thinking of the times he would dive into the watery passageways of the ghettos to avoid getting caught making art on the city streets. The water was dark, brackish, salty and sludgy all at once, but he swam through it to get away.

"Do your scales dry out or someth'in if you don't swim?" he finally brings himself to ask, looking down at the colorful scales that adorn Jomo's neck and fins.

"Oh wow, thats such a long time!!" He couldn't imagine himself not swimming for that long. It almost seemed impossible in his eyes. Water obviously didn't have the same effects as it did on non fish Eidolon than it did fish Eidolon.

"Well, I guess they do seem less smooth.." He says, rubbing the scales on his shoulder unconsciously. "But mostly I just get kinda jumpy and crave to go swimming. I think its possible for me to survive without water but I would never want to do that!" He wiggles a little, his tail swaying behind him once again.

Even now he was craving to be in water. The longest he's gone was when he was captured many years ago but.. There was a lot more on his mind than being in the water back then.