[color=lightsteelblue][h2][b][center]Chris MacDonald[/center][/b][/h2][/color]

Somehow he doubted Iris was ever one to be starved for company while she suddenly had him at an unexpected impasse. Chris could manage fuel and weather or even fly on just the gauges alone without even looking out the window, but Iris was a force that couldn’t be managed or predicted. His step up the path faltered just a fraction at her invitation and there were about ten different warning sirens blaring in the back of his mind like an annunciator panel. Luckily,  pragmatism came through, though the words were right on the edge of his thought process. “[color=lightsteelblue]...Yeah, I’m pretty much done for the day at this point.[/color]” He said, speaking as if he were still considering something he might have forgotten and buying some time to think as they walked. Why would she be alone tonight after that whole reunion? Even though she had expressed some reluctance towards coming back to Azul, everything seemed fine when they first landed. When she said she wanted a ride to see her house, he figured it was just the most efficient move. His mind thought similarly: [i]A to B in the best method[/i]. It was literally his job. After he dropped her off, he assumed she would make her way back to Ramilo, but apparently not.  

[i]She just wants her furniture moved and you are already here and can give her a ride[/i]. Yes, that was all there was to it. Deferring to the simplest process was also the easiest explanation. There was no way she could already be avoiding the rest of her family. That was just a tease to entice him to work. All women did it and her change of outfit made the allure all the easier. He’d certainly got a good enough view when he helped her out of the plane. Chris looked ahead now, refocused. He pushed a palm frond out of their way and his thoughts reordered how the rest of his day would likely go if he was going to have to move furniture. Fortunately, “moving” on Azul wasn’t usually the event that it was back in the States. Most all the houses were fairly small, not much more than cottages or apartments and he doubted Iris’ would be any different, especially if it was closer to the center of the island. Push a sofa around, maybe pick up a table and chairs- that would be it. Since it looked like a nap wasn’t going to happen, he considered something from the market that would tide him over when they were done and then he would go for a run later. That would be the best case scenario.

Chris knew which way to look before Iris spoke up and had noticed the figure of Izabel Perkins moving through the flora with a purposeful stride. He’d also noticed Eloy’s truck yet again at the small B&B when they landed which gave him a little smirk and a similar snort of amusement. A small town was easy to see from the air and a small town on an island was even easier. He held the envelope up as a greeting, though he could tell she looked a little annoyed, which usually meant a guest was being difficult. “[color=lightsteelblue]Got somethin’ for ya.[/color]” He said, relaxed. They were cordial enough to be beyond formal greeting and the envelope was handed off no differently than a homework assignment being passed in class. “[color=lightsteelblue]I was up north this morning and checked the box.[/color]” He said, referring to Azul’s Mexpost mail locker in Cancun that he normally collected on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Whatever it was, she was getting it a day early and was important enough for her to come out in hopes of it. Chris tried his best to never intentionally glean anything from the contents of the mail, though often it was unavoidable. He also didn’t partake in a lot of gossip; just between the view and the mail, very little escaped his notice and he kept it to himself.

“[color=lightsteelblue]This is Iris,[/color]” He said, giving his accompaniment a glance. There may have been a tiny upward arc on the corner of his mouth at the introduction that only she could see. The two women didn’t seem to know each other and since Iris didn’t immediately divulge her preferred nickname, he didn’t freely give it. An idea was forming and he wanted to test how fast the Coconut Telegraph would work. Iris was pretty sharp, so he was reasonably sure she would catch on and go with it: “[color=lightsteelblue]We’re going up to town to see about a house,[/color]” He said, letting the statement hang for just a second before before looking fully back at Izabel. “[color=lightsteelblue]Everything good with you?[/color]”   

[@Fading Memory][@Sadie]