Odd Ones Out

Dustin Pushed his hands into his pockets. He would give anything not to be there. Socializing was such an exhausting event and would be just fine on his own. After years of social events, Dustin was used to the rose he fell into when around those who were not family. It was confident and just like his father. So when he strode into the building behind the man he was imitating, Dustin easily picked out the people he would find easiest to talk to while he was there. That was the first step of being social. Then it was up to him to do the rest. smile, open gestures, questions about them. That was on him. It was up to whoever he talked to do participate.

Dustin felt a pat on his shoulder and when he looked up he was met with the sight of his father’s retreating back. He was on his own for a while. Dustin took his hands out of his pockets and walked up to a table with another occupant who looked about his age. “Would you mind if I joined you?” He asked, the boy he was addressing might be easy to talk to. Even before he got confirmation to join at the table, Dustin felt a facade go up. Cool guy was taking over. “It’s a bit crowded here yeah?”

There were only two words to describe La Petite Dragon, crowded and dirty. The whole place was packed tight full of people of all ages, plenty of people Naoki's age some way too excited and some not nearly excited enough. But everyone was starting to smell like the pub and body odor, so in other words the boy was more than ready for his mother to find her way back from talking to people and take him shopping. What she could possibly doing for so long when she didn't know any of them he didn't know but he wished she would hurry up.

The boy had already talked to one person, she was a bit different but seemed alright, but she had left so he was now sitting alone at the table she had just vacated. As expected from the room full of people before long someone else was headed his way looking for a place to sit for a few moments. Naoki quickly ran over some of the greeting phrases in French before the other boy reached his table. "Uh, yes sit." He said lamely when he asked if he would mind him joining the table. "Uh, yes very crowded and hot. Not good idea to make this the only way in." The Japanese boy tried to make small talk about how stupid it was to make a tiny pub the only entrance to the most important wizard alley in France, but his words were a bit choppy.

Dustin took the confirmation that he could join and pulled the seat out and got as comfortable as someone could in a pub filled to the brim with people who just wanted to get through and do their shopping. Dustin wasn’t an exception to that rule, he would like to get his shopping done as well but for that to happen he probably had to make friends so his father would take him to the alley.

The boy that Dustin was sitting across from didn’t have the best command of the language in which he was trying to speak but the message was easy to pick up. Dustin offered a kind smile. Yes talking to him would be much easier than to someone who was native to french. Dustin felt a weight lifting off his shoulders as he glanced around them and nodded in agreement. “Yes they could have thought of a better option by now, than to just have this one entrance.” Not to mention if this was a magical group of people they could have bothered to make the building bigger inside to adjust to the amount of people.

“So,” Dustin said and turned back to the person he had imposed on. “Thank you for letting me sit with you. My name is Dustin Lovette,” He introduced himself and offered his hand over the table for shaking.

Even though he didn't show it Naoki was pleased that someone else had joined his table. Since they came asking him to join the table they obviously had at least some interest in talking to him so he wasn't forcing his presence on anyone, and maybe they would be a bit more tolerant of his stumbling French. He already told his mom that he probably wasn't going to be making any friends on this shopping trip if ever, but that didn't mean he would object to any.

The boy released a small breath he didn't know he had been holding when the newcomer seemed to completely understand what he had said. It was also a relief that he didn't even comment on his crappy language and instead just answered like his speak was normal. Naoki offered the other boy a small smile for the gesture he probably didn't even realize mattered. "Yeah, not a good idea, unless there is other way we don't know." He replied. He wondered if there were others ways into the alley that he just didn't know so he had to sit in her because he didn't know the easier ways.

It seemed a bit odd at first that the boy was thanking him for letting him sit there, it wasn't like he owned that chair or anything the boy had as much right to sit there as anyone. "Nice meeting you Dustin Lovette, I am Hinamori Naoki." He introduced himself as he was accustomed to introducing himself back in Japan not realizing they said it differently here. He gripped the other boys offered hand for a moment for a handshake before sitting back in his seat again.

Dustin could sense a small sense of relief wave off the other boy that he was sitting with so he offered him a kind smile. He hadn’t intended on being all so confident at the moment but it seemed as if the situation called for it. Dustin knew what it was like to be shy and not get any help from whoever he was in a conversation with so he decided to carry this guy through the encounter so that hopefully he left feeling a little better about the whole thing.

He nodded and glanced around, “That is a possibility, considering we’re just getting to school and everyone else probably knows of another way in that we wouldn’t be able to use.” Although if they knew about it, why they didn’t just use that was over his head. No matter, there wasn’t really anything the two of them could do about it. “Or maybe they think just one entrance is the best way to keep track of how busy the day is going to be?” He suggested, really just trying to think of something to talk about but his mind was clogging up and refusing to come up with anything.

“Hinamori Naoki,” he repeated back, trying to piece his name together so that he could say it properly. “That’s a bit of a mouthful,” He smiled, “What would you prefer for me to call you?” He asked. Everyone had their preference about things like that. Dustin didn’t like people calling him anything but his name, however his little sister, Emmalyn, called him Dusty and he just couldn’t argue against her. He didn’t want to upset this boy sitting across form him.