Although I hated to prove Knell right…I’d decided to take Peal up on her offer. I didn’t have anything else to do that night, and I’ve always been a firm believer in giving people a chance. I figured it was more fair to find out exactly what I was getting into, and then reject them.

Nevertheless, all the dates I’d been on lately had been awkward disasters. I didn’t attract many admirers, but those I did were usually silly types who thought I might be some kind of “tall, dark and mysterious” trope.

Well, long story short: I’m not.

I didn’t know if Peal was a silly type. She was supposedly a scientist, so she could have intelligence on her side. But it seemed like her actual job consisted only of performing errands for “Saint Toll”…and she did have a rather “silly” personality.

In any case, she was an angel. Even if I somehow fell head-over-heels for her, we were still two different species, and I’m sure she realized that, too. What exactly were her long-term plans for this potential relationship? Did she have any?

“You don’t need plans,” said Knell, reading my thoughts again. “Just marry her and live happily ever after, forever and ever.”

“You really need to shut up.”

I was lying on my bed, brooding, while Knell was going through my closet. He’d insisted on picking out my clothes for the date, and although I hated having him involved in the matter, this was the only thing that had cheered him up in days, and part of me wanted that to last.

“I didn’t know you had so many clothes…you pretty much only wear the same 4 outfits, day after day. And that includes your hunting stuff.”

“We can’t all be fashion-obsessed.”

“Well, then why do you have them…? Anyway, speaking of hunting, I decided I’m going to go out by myself tonight, so you two can be left alone~.”

I sat up. “Are you sure?”

“Don’t worry about me. I was on my own before I met you, and since then, I’ve only gotten smarter. You taught me a lot. And besides, if all this research talk is really getting serious…it might be the last time I eat for a while.” He pulled out an orange striped shirt. “How’s this?”

“I hate it.”

“I’m not really a fan of it either, but I think Peal likes orange. She wears that orange vest, and her party dress was basically the pink version of orange. I hope she doesn’t feel stuck with it because of her skin tone…I think she could look good in neutrals, too. And pastels…and maybe red.”

“You think everyone and everything looks good in red.”

“Red is the best color,” he said, grinning. “If I could, I would dye the whole world red.”

“Don’t say that in front of any cameras.”

Knell laughed. “I should totally do that! Do you think Toll would get spooked? I mean, angels don’t have blood, but he would get the meaning, right?”

“I’m warning you, Knell…”

“Okay, fine…I’ve got it: red-orange!”

I ended up wearing a turtleneck of that color with a gray vest. Knell had gushed about the outfit for hours, but I just felt stupid. Not stupid-looking, of course- Knell’s talent for design was undeniable- but stupid as in “out of my element”. I felt like people were staring…

Peal was already waiting for me at the park. It was as if she’d taken Knell’s advice: she was wearing a kind of pastel-neutral combination. The only bright color on her was an oddly-shaped ornament that was buoyed in her hair. It was red-orange.

“Oh, so that’s why!” she said upon seeing me. “Knell left a strange message for me at the Facility a few hours ago, saying weird things like ‘brown with black accents’ and ‘something red-orange’... I didn’t really understand at the time, but now I get it: he just wanted us to match! Isn’t that cute?”

Damn that kid.

“Forget him, please…so, what do you want to do?” I asked halfheartedly.

“Well, I know that humans usually eat dinner together for things like this, but I can’t really…do that…which I apologize for!” she said. “So I thought we could just…walk together in this park.”

I noticed that she was wearing shoes, and her feet were actually on the ground. Apparently, she really did intend to walk.

“I think our main problem is that we hardly know anything about each other. So that’s what I want to change,” she finished.

So far, her intentions seemed surprisingly un-silly. But it was too early to know for sure. I started walking.