Amidst the hustle of the many compacted bodies, the shouts of students making their way from classrooms and towards the lunch room or trailing towards the parking lot, and the general chaos that was known as lunch break at Benton University, one could hardly take two steps before being jostled by a passerby. The entire ordeal was exciting and breathtaking, or a major headache depending on your viewpoint, even to those who had been attending the school for several years now. The noise level peaked as a group of freshman guys produced a set of speakers they hooked up to their iPod, Blasting music and attempting to spur those nearest into a spontaneous dance party. One of them, a skinny kid with long blonde hair and several piercings, was running into the crowd, forcibly grabbing people and actively trying to get them to start dancing. He had just convinced a group of girls to join the throng when he turned towards his next target, and froze.

Cinead wasn't entirely sure if he was intimidating on purpose. He certainly wasn't trying to be when the young man turned in his direction and then skidded to a stop. Then again, maybe he was trying just a little. He really didn't want to dance. What ever his intentions, the boy quickly recovered and scurried in the opposite direction. Sighing through his nose, Cin calmly walked past the impromptu party, feeling, not for the first time, a little out of place. There were still times when he still didn't feel used to such a multitude of strange faces and colors, humans dominating with their patches of hair above or growing out of pink or brown colored faces, foreign accents rolling off of tongues. That was probably due to the fact that he wasn't human, not in The slightest, though in the sense of the body he currently wore, he was a mid 20s college student in his senior year.

No, he thought quietly as he watched a group of couples bouncing around in a ridiculous dance, he was far from being human. If the crowd around him caught even a glimpse of his true shape, they would be scared witless, Perhaps admitted to a mental institution for the wild stories that would spring up. Dragons weren't something you saw every day after all. Or in his case, ever. He wasn't so foolish or quite so young that he would risk blowing his cover. Human technology and science had advanced so far that his species was constantly in danger of being discovered. That was why so many of them had decided to do their utmost to blend in, adopting human guises and integrating into society quietly and efficiently. That hadn't kept a lot of them from dying out, but it kept the rest of his kind safe. And he wasn't going to ruin it for everyone merely for a few moments of pleasure at watching a herd of freshman run for their lives.

At last escaping from the immediate press of people, Cinead began heading towards the street, intending on making his way to a local sandwich shop for lunch instead of fighting his way through the parking lot. Away from the crowd, his shoulders relaxed somewhat and it became less obvious just how tall he was. It was always an awkward feeling to view himself as a giant among people, but his frame was well above average, even if he had struggled to make his magic give him a less conspicuous shape. It hadn't worked, naturally. Dragon magic was a fickle thing, unhappy to constrict itself into such a strange body. But he made do with what he had. Shrugging his messenger bag into a more comfortable position on his shoulder, he did his best to block out the world for a little while, doing his best to ignore the smells and sounds around him.

Being as petite as she was had so many annoying things that came with it. For instance, the fact that so many people were making it completely impossible for her to move at least 2 feet without her faceplanting into someone's back or bag or something. The college was awesome but sometimes the crowds made her wish she had went to another college. She grunted as another person bumped into her. It seemed like one of the freshman frat pledges wanted to throw a flash mob or something.

"Hey Lil Mama, come over and dances with us!" The stranger then proceeded to grab her arm and try to pull her over. The boy was met with a glare and a shove. Anna was in no mood to be dealing anyone that was keeping her from her lunch. She couldn't wait to have it, but she needed to run over to a shop and actually get a drink to go with it since she chugged her lemon water down during her previous classes. She was grabbed again by another frat pledge, most likely doing the same as the other guy. Was it part of their hazing or something? God, they were annoying!

"Hey, come dance with me to this beat!" This guy had been a red head and was a tall guy who looked like some sort of muscular athlete. When she looked up at him, his smile went away.

"Woah, you looking for someone, little girl?" His only response was a punch to the gut and the short senior stomping away while he tried to rebalance himself. She was even more annoyed than before now. She got out her phone and texted a classmate about the homework for one of her classes and sighed in relief when she finally escaped that huge crowd. All that was left was to get to the shop and everything would be fine.

Once at the shop, she walked right on in and straight towards the freezer where they kept her favorite ginger ale. She giggled a little as the memory of calling the drink the 'sweet nectar of the gods' with a friend during an all-nighter while both were extremely tired. Luckily it was gonna be finals week soon and all she would do for this summer was sleep, sleep and maybe hang out with some good friends. Speaking of, she had to check her mini calendar in case something was happening that weekend. She opened the bag as she walked to where the line was and yelled when she bumped into someone and her bag spilled its entire contents across the floor around her and whomever she bumped into.

"Oh, Jeez. I'm so sorry!"

The smell of freshly baked bread was an inviting cloud that enveloped him as Cinead opened the door to the sandwich shop, the little bell by the door tinkling and announcing his arrival. His stomach growled it's approval at the scent as he stepped to the back of the short line in front of the counter, studying the menu easily over the heads of those in front of him. Behind him, the bell rang once again, signaling The entrance of another customer and he glanced briefly towards the woman as she made her way over to the refrigerators along one wall before putting her out of his mind and returning to his decision-making. But a brief moment later, all his attention was back on the woman as something collided with his lower back, pens, Notebooks, various papers, and text books scattering across the floor, hitting his legs on the way. Instinctively, Cin partially twisted around, steadying The woman behind him with a hand around her upper arm before he blinked, registering what he had just done. Quickly releasing his hold, he glanced down at her empty bag, down to the debris now scattered across the floor, and then up at her face.

"not a problem." He responded in a deep baritone that hinted at a Welsh accent. "accidents happen to everyone." Before she could protest, Cinead crouched down, scooping up pens and books, piling things together in a somewhat orderly fashion. "whatever you were focused on must've been exceptionally interesting. I am rather hard to miss." He teased lightly, offering the collected belongings as he straightened up.

Anna had been a bit shocked at how everything was now everywhere and the fact that the person she bumped into had caught her so easily. She guessed he had good reflexes. She then made the mistake of looking up at him and getting a bit flustered because of how good-looking he was. She didn't need this rom-com-esque meeting but she was a bit happy that the guy was nice enough to help her as she scrambled to pick up all of her stuff from the floor. She shoved her stuff back in and graciously took the stuff he had from him before doing the same to that. His voice did not help her slight infatuation with him. After mentally slapping herself, she took a deep breathe and offered Cinead a smile of thanks.

"Seriously, thanks. I was, uh, reminiscing about a funny thing me and a friend did while extremely tired. Besides, when you're this small, everyone's back fades into the background." She rubbed the back of her neck, a blush appearing on her face. "Please, let me show my thanks by buying you a sandwich or something." She offered soon after. Anna felt that was the right thing to do...and it would be nice to talk to him a little more but if he said no she wouldn't push for it either. He probably had a girlfriend that was more...suited for him. He was a giant compared to her and not many guys liked looking down like he had to see a girl they liked. It strained people's necks. It was a shame because he seemed like her type, but whatever. Maybe they could at least be friendly accquaintances.

She was quite a bit shorter than he was, Cinead observed, The difference becoming much more obvious now that he wasn't focused on the college paraphernalia that had been scattered on the floor, standing at his full height and looking down to meet the woman's gaze. Not that he wasn't quite a bit taller than most people, this stranger seemed particularly short though, Easily over a foot beneath his own height. But she seemed relatively comfortable with her stature, smoothly making a joke about not paying particular attention to everyone's backsides. It was enough that the faintest of smiles ghosted across his lips, The humor remaining strongest in his eyes.

"Well, I can't easily pass up the opportunity for a free sandwich now can I? Thank you." He said, briefly running his eyes across her face, her hair, trying to distinguish if he had seen her before. But he was still rather inept at picking out specific differences in each human face. Hiding the smallest of sighs, he made a concerted effort to not let any of his brief frustration show in his face, he didn't want to give this woman the idea that he was annoyed with her. "I don't believe we have ever met before. You may call me Cinead. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He offered One of his hands, hoping that the human gesture still held relevance in the current social standards among peers.

She offered a cheesy grin when she noticed the slight smile and the humor in his eyes. "Yep, everything tastes better when it's free too." She added with a small giggle. Anna made sure everything was in her bag quickly while there was a small pause in their conversation. She was happy when he introduced himself, she believed if she did it at that point that she would seem creepy or forward. "I don't think so either. I'm Anna, nice to meet'cha." He offered his hand and she shook it a bit firmly.

"Ok, your hand is huge. But that may partly be because I'm tiny." She added when she realized just how tiny her hands were compared to his. Now that she got a good look at him, he did look a bit familiar. Maybe they shared a class and never had a chance to notice each other or something. They soon got to the counter and she made an 'after you' gesture to him. She would get her ginger ale with whatever he ordered so there was less receipts.

"Indeed." Cin agreed, rather amused, something he was not used to feeling around others. Then, Anna surprised a chuckle out of him with her reaction to the obvious difference between their hands. "That's a new one." He huffed, shaking his head slightly as he stepped up to the counter.

"Hey there!" The girl behind the counter chirped in A relatively friendly fashion. "what can I get you?"

"You're roast beef sub, plain and a cup for water, please." Cinead replied.

"Sure thing!" The cashier said, poking a few buttons on the register. "anything else?" She then asked, looking back up at Cin with a big smile.

In answer, Cinead glanced down to Anna, Mimicking her gesture from earlier with a lift of his eyebrows.

"Ooh, I made you laugh, now did I~?" She pretended to coo, with a small giggle herself. "Yeah. It's better when it's not the same old things being pointed out. So let's go for the semi-obvious things that make us different than the "OMG you're a giant!" Approach." She explained. "My jokes are either cheesy, corny or just straight up observations." She added as she watched him go to order something from the menu.

Anna chuckled at his gesture for her to add on whatever she wanted to before paying. "Just add the ginger ale and that's it. What's the damage?" Anna got out her wallet from her pocket, ready to maybe give the cashier $50 dollars max if needed.

"I'll keep that in mind for any future jokes." He noted before Anna informed the cashier that she would only be adding on a ginger rail. Cinead caught a quick glance in his direction from the woman behind the counter, her eyebrows lifting with surprise before she covered up the expression and turned her smile back to Anna. Was that something disapproving in her look? Not that it mattered... Before he could think to much more on the matter, The cashier had plugged in the information about the drink, and was saying cheerfully, "that total is going to be 7.26 please. Would you like a receipt today?" She continued on to ask, fishing under the counter for a small paper cup that she placed in front of Cin. He took it with a muted word of thanks.

Debating with his options for a moment, Cinead headed over to the soda fountain on the other end of the counter, filling his cup with water before he found himself making a decision that he hadn't anticipated to make. As he turned around, excepting a wrapped sandwich that the woman behind the counter offered to him, he glanced towards Anna. "would you care to find a table together?" He asked, gesturing towards the couple of indoor booths, taking in the front of the shop as well where several outdoor tables were arranged.

"It'd be good to keep that in mind." She grinned. Anna took a deep breathe when the cashier seemed surprised. "Okie dokie, here you are, Darling." She smiled as she gave the woman exact change. She knew it looked weird, but it shouldn't matter if she paid or not, they weren't together and even if they were, she would push to actually pay half at least. She didn't want to be completely taking the money of any guy just because they liked her or something. By that logic, she would be obligated to pay anyway. "Yes please." She took the receipt and was prepared to go on her way.

Anna paused when he suggested sitting together. "O-Oh, sure!" She offered him another smile. "Let's sit over there, if that's ok." She pointed to a semi-secluded booth next to a window.

Glancing in the direction she pointed, Cinead knotted before heading over to the booth. Placing the cup and sandwich onto the table, he slid the strap of his messenger bag over his head and tossed it onto the bench before sliding in after it. He waited a moment for his new acquaintance to get settled before he unwrapped the foil paper from around his sandwich, eagerly taking a bite of the hot meat and bread. For cooked animal and grain, it wasn't half bad.

"So Anna," he started after clearing his mouth, "I take it you also go to Benton?" He asked, turning his Hazel gaze towards the woman as he took a sip of water.

She followed him, pulling out a small Tupperware container with her own small sandwich. She set her bag gently next to her and opened her bottle of ginger ale. After a minute, her phone vibrated and she checked it quickly to see if someone had texted her. After dismissing it as nothing important, she put it back in her pocket and took a bite out of her pwn sandwich. She looked up when he said her name.

"Yes I do. What's your major, Cinead? Can I call you Cin?" She asked. What would a guy like him be into? Maybe he was an engineering major?

"Cin?" That was a new one for him, Coming from someone outside of his head at least. Not that he had used a shortened version of his name to refer to himself on a regular basis. Still, it felt strange in his mouth. "...Sure, I don't mind." He finally decided before reflecting on her first question.

"i'm working on a degree in microbiology." He said, taking another bite of his sandwich. "I find it fascinating that there are so many creatures and viruses that are so small, that so many single cells exist." This was definitely not something he had considered before his survival relied on living among humans. When he had first taken on human shape and worked on blending in, The idea of something so small being deadley to a complex being such as a human or animal had amused him. "and what of yourself? What are you studying?" He then asked, drawing his thoughts away from the past.

"Yes." She chuckled after he repeated her proposed nickname for him. He seems to be a bit confused about whether or not to let her call him that. She guessed most people stuck with his already kind of short name. But it would help her to remember the name and not call him John or something. Anna gave him a thumbs up when he finally said yes and took another bite of her food.

Anna paused mid-chew when he said his major. She swallowed and looked up at him with a shocked look. "...I'm sorry but that is hilarious!" She burst out laughing. "I-It's because you're so big and you're studying things that are miniscule! Especially when compared to your height!" After a minute she calmed down into a breathless stream of giggles. "I'm in the Vet Tech program." She answered after finally calming down.

Humor had lit his eyes with her reaction to his excepting her nickname, but a true smile touched Cinead's mouth with her genuine mirth as he told her what he was studying. She seemed to be a genuinely happy person, this Anna. The excess of the bubbly emotion helped her stand out from among the other humans he had come in contact with. That was a point in her favor. Perhaps he should learn to be more playful and teasing from her... But he didn't know where to start exactly.

"I may be a giant among raindrops, but you have a desire to become a veterinarian? Aren't you afraid that most of the animals are going to be bigger than you?" He attempted to tease, lifting both of his eyebrows. He did honestly think that the job suited the woman before him in some way. She had the right personality for it.

She paused a little when she realized he was smiling. He looked good smiling. It made him look a bit cuter. She almost wanted to keep it that way, but he would probably go back to being straight-faced all over again. She had to stop herself before she started having a crush on him. There was no use in falling for someone she was 90% sure was at least interested in someone else.

She raised her eyebrows back at him when he teased her back, starting to laugh again. "Hey, at least I can use my height to my advantage! I can give in depth check ups while you're still waiting for your microscope to be tall enough for you!" Anna countered. He seemed very...serious, but at least he didn't turn up his nose from a little humor.

Again, he smiled, The expression lingering in his eyes even after the cork to his lips faded. "Oh, I'm sure they've made a table tall enough to compensate." This humor thing was a bit easier then he had originally imagined. You just had to take an obvious situation and a little twist to the entire thing, and voilà, a joke. The concept was... interesting.

Pausing for a moment to take a drink and eat a bit more of his sandwich, Cinead finally continued the conversation with a bit less humor touching his face. "but in all seriousness, what made you decide to pursue being a veterinarian?" To him, animals weren't really something that you kept as a pet. They were much better suited for being meals. The kind with hooves at least.

There was that smile again. He seemed particularly haoppy about their jokes and that made her happy too. Anna smiled a bit back at him as he smiled for the second time. At his retort, it took her a second to finish another bite and saying her awesome joke that she used to tease him more. "Yes, they're called standing desks." She giggled.

She took another bite and looked up when he started speaking again. "Why? I really like helping animals with ailments that they cannot cure alone. Every pet you save, you also save its family from the loss of their beloved family member." She explained, taking a sip of ginger ale.

Well, no immediate come back to that one came to his mind, so Cinead settled on a soft chuckle and a shake of his head, hopefully conveying that he was conceding defeat to her more experienced use of humor. He found himself finishing up his sandwich and crumpling up the rapper as he listened to Anna's response to his question about why she wanted to be a veterinarian. He tilted his head to one side as he considered her reasons, unable to quite grasp the idea of wanting to help creatures of less intelligence... But that was why he wasn't the one becoming the vet tech. "I suppose you make a valid point. Although I have never personally owned a pet, I suppose their presence is valuable to those who do. And your ability to help animals that are beloved is an honorable choice. The decision suits you." He paused, hoping his comments wouldn't be taken the wrong way. He didn't normally talk so much around other people, He worried that he occasionally came off as sounding a bit archaic.

Anna pretended to fist pump in victory. "Eh, all I can tell you is that my dog got me through a lot of rough times before he passed away. If I can prolong someone else's pet's life even by a little, I'd be happy. Thank you though. As hilarious as it is, microbiology is a very interesting field. It's weird how something so insignificant in size can sometimes cause people to die or help us survive if you wanna mention the ones that live in our bodies." She wondered why he spoke so formally? Maybe it was because they just met? Maybe English was his second language? She wasn't sure, but wouldn't push it just yet.