âIs it better? I have one exactly like it, so I donât want it at all. I was going to give it to someone, why not you?â Rat said. What was the value of something you didnât want compared to the value of something you didnât know if you wanted or not? What even was value, if he didnât want it, and thus didnât value it, and she did? These were none of the thoughts racing through Ratâs mind, he isnât that deep.
Noting her energy dying, but suddenly returning Rat grinned at her. âI have just these two,â Rat said, tapping his earrings.
âBut I wouldnât mind more. They just close up really fast⌠So itâs hard to keep them. Iâve had other piercings, but they fell out and the holes healed up before I could get replacements.â Rat flicked his ear again, thinking about it.
âI just moved to this country, so I donât have any girlfriends yet.â Rat said. Pausing, he looked at her for a moment, down and back up. As his cheeks brightened, he looked back at her eyes and winked.
âYou know what? I actually really need a favor⌠well two favors. Iâm bound to get lost finding this Russia Sushi place, and Iâd hate to eat alone. Would you come with me? AndâŚâ Rat hesitated.
Ratâs eyes slide away, and he blushed deeper. âAnd I have another issue with restaurants in this country, I hope you can help me with.â
âDo they really close up that fast?â Erika leaned in like a student examining a science experiment. She herself didn't have any piercings but she knew people who did, and it didn't seem like they had much trouble with their holes closing if they needed to pop them out for a short while...
When the man began to survey her she leaned back, setting one hand on her hip and pointing the other wildly at his face, âOahh! Girlfriends? Does that mean that you keep a lot of them at the same time? I know a guy like that. He has a load of them, but even though it makes me jealous, unless everyone's okay with it it's pretty bad, you know!â
âAh, ah! What a transparent way to ask that question. If you need me to show you where it is, I know just where to go.â Being that she knew the city like the back of her hand, âAs for the other favor, it depends on what it is. I won't make promises without knowing what it is first!â
Lest she find herself entrapped in a deal from which she could not escape.
It was Erika's time to size him up, wavering her eyes from his feet to his head and nodding along with her findings; though her expression gave no clues either way as to what she might be thinking of him.