The next day, as Mrs. Snow searched for a suitable location to house Ikarus and any potential creatures of his size, Edward prepared to meet with his brother. Contrary to the finer clothes that currently decorated his wardrobe back in his apartment, Edward decided to wear an outfit that spoke of simplicity and normalcy. Alongside his plain outfit, he also wore a dark cap and large sunglasses to hide his draconic features. He didn't want to appear with his game appearance as soon as he met with Brandon, as he didn't want to surprise Brandon with his new appearance. Instead, Edward hoped that he could break the news slowly. He would remove his cap and glasses only after he and Brandon talked for a moment to reveal his current appearance.
He couldn't do anything about the scar on his lip, but he wasn't too worried about it anyway. His scar was a small detail that could easily be overlooked. A few minutes after his outfit was assembled, Edward looked at his phone to check the time.
'There's another few hours until he's supposed to land, so I should try to find a good place to meet up,' Edward said. He considered a public location, as Brandon hopefully wouldn't find it unusual, but Edward didn't want his conversation to be heard by anybody nearby. Edward had to assume his brother would react loudly, so any location with lots of other people was immediately out of the question. However, meeting him in a completely private location wouldn't be a good choice, either, as it would immediately appear suspicious.
In the end, Edward decided on a public location that didn't have that many people, such as a small bowling alley half an hour from the airport. It was still early in the morning, so there wouldn't be that many people already there. If everything went well, only the staffers would be in the same room.
He quickly sent Brandon the location and requested that he meet there. Then, he left his room and began to walk down the hallway. As soon as he did so, Leila opened the door to her own room and turned to look at Edward.
"Where are you going?" She asked, curious.
"I'm meeting with Brandon," Edward quickly answered as he turned around. As he turned to her, his eyes were met with her outfit and widened with surprise. Unlike her usual relaxed attire, Leila was dressed up well. She wore a dark green blouse that complemented her eyes perfectly and a black skirt that hung to an inch above her knees. Her makeup was magnificent, stunning Edward as he turned to look at her face. The sides of her black hair were pulled back and tied in a low braided ponytail reminiscent of old Viking styles that left low bangs hanging over her forehead. She carried a small black purse over her shoulders and stepped gracefully as she left her room.
"Whoa," Edward stammered as he looked at her. Leila appeared bashful as she saw his reaction, then smiled as she stepped forward. The addition to her height delivered by her heels almost made her be as tall as Edward, so their eyes were nearly at the same level. As Leila drew closer to him, Edward began to feel the rhythm of his heartbeat from within his ribcage quicken in a strange sense of excitement. He swallowed his nerves down and felt a pit of nervousness open within his stomach as she came closer.
"Good morning," Leila smiled. Edward quickly nodded, his mind barely free from the shocked state that Leila's outfit had sent him in.
"You look beautiful," Edward told her with a smile. The corners of Leila's mouth raised with glee as a flush of red appeared on her face.
"Oh, you charmer! Thank you. I'm meeting with my roommates and decided to dress better than usual," Leila smiled. For a moment, Edward wondered if she was actually going on a date with somebody—and his heart clenched in fear as soon as the thought crossed his mind. He couldn't understand why, but the idea of Leila being with another man annoyed him.
Still, without showing the strange emotions within his heart, Edward turned to look at Leila and smiled once more, "Oh? I hope you have fun."
"Will you have the time to join me? I was going to knock on your door and ask if you were available today. I think it would be fun if you were there, too," Leila asked as she held her hands with interlocking fingers. Edward smiled, a strange sense of excitement rising in his chest. However, as soon as he remembered that he was to meet with Brandon, he sighed in disappointment and shook his head.
"I want to, truly, but I have to meet with Brandon today," Edward told her. Leila's smile dropped for a moment as a sad frown appeared on her face. Edward felt his chest tighten as he saw her expression, so he quickly tried to raise her spirits, "How long will you be out? I might not be able to be there in the beginning, but I might be able to swing by once my conversation with Brandon is finished."
Leila smiled once more, then nodded, "Then it's a date. I'll be waiting!"
Soon after, like an excited bunny, she skipped down the hallway with a wide grin on her face. Edward watched her as she neared the hallway and felt a similar smile spread upon his face. He looked down and gazed at his lazily chosen t-shirt and jeans. He thought it was utterly inadequate compared to Leila's outfit, so he turned around and walked back into his room with the intention to leave wearing something nicer.
—
A few hours later, Edward found himself waiting in the reception area of a small and empty bowling alley. Other than him and two of the bowling alley's staff members, nobody else was in the building. Edward wore a better outfit than he had initially chosen when he planned to meet up with Brandon, as promised for when he met with Leila. Unlike before, when he only wore black jeans and a gray t-shirt, Edward now wore something similar to a suit. His jeans had been replaced with slacks of the same color but infinitely better quality, while his shirt had been replaced with a thin black jacket and a silky grey shirt. He chose not to wear a tie, as he thought it would be too formal, and instead relaxed by undoing the top button of his shirt just enough to show some skin while also hiding the black scales on his collarbone.
Edward also wore a pair of leather gloves to cover the scales on his knuckles, but he had also chosen to ditch the hat—precautions be damned. He had to look good, after all
He made sure everything he wore matched his naturally dark features, such as his eyes and hair, but he was surprised to find his dark suit contrasting nicely with his pale skin. Of course, he still wore his sunglasses to keep his eyes concealed—for now—as he waited for Brandon to arrive.