The smile that formed on his face showed that Rowan was appreciative of the vote of confidence. While he hadn't started this encounter with the intention of spilling his guts to a stranger, this was an outlet it seemed he needed, and Loie was both willing to listen and move forward when it was clear the subject was sensitive. A light glint in his eye could be seen as he thought of it, but she was certainly fairly cognizant.

Something he'd need to keep in mind in the future, perhaps.

"Favorite places, huh?" he'd ask, turning back to face Loie properly now. Arms crossed on the table, index fingers tapping along at his elbows.

"I'm an open book, and I've got plenty of favorite places. So, I guess it depends -- what are you looking for?"

That smile tugged yet harder on his lips as he held up both hands, index fingers extended as he began to list things out on one hand.

"So... hangout spots. Food spots. Places to just... get away from everything. What are you in the market for, Ms. Loie?"

Loie Prim

While Loie looked to the ceiling in thought, Rowan's eyes focused on her. She could've taken forever to decide, if she'd wanted, and he'd have had no issue with it.

As Loie made her decision, he'd raise his brows in acknowledgment. Slowly, he'd hold up two fingers on one hand, while his other hand moved up to cup his chin.

"Two separate places, for me," he'd clarify.

His mind went to the water tower first, so it only made sense to talk about that one. Never mind that it was a place he preferred to be alone. "First... this one's in the Bleeding Heart. Usually, it's somewhere I go to be by myself. It can be a bit... loud, down there. A lot of the time, really, it's impossible to actually drown out the hum of machinery. But for me, in this spot, it's like... it's like it all comes together in a way that's almost a hum. Musical, really. It's calming, and you can see the entire sector, and I love it."

Rowan smiled, thinking about the peace he felt when he was there. This would last a couple seconds, before he realized he didn't tell her where the spot actually was, so he'd clear his throat.

"This is, ah -- it's a water tower. The top of one, specifically."

Rowan lowered a finger afterward, leaving one remaining.

"My other spot... I haven't been there in a while, actually, but it's on campus, actually. There's a spot kind of out of the way, past the greenhouse and closer to the wall. There's a patch between there, lots of trees, with this nice little pond. I could show you, if you like? When we're done here, anyway."

Loie Prim

Subconsciously, some part of Rowan mentioned the Bleeding Heart first, just because he knew how people would react to it. It was a problematic place, to be certain, but it had its merits as well. And for someone to potentially want nothing to do with him, it'd be far easier if that was due to the place he spent most of his time, rather than any part being his own fault. For this reason, he was prepared for immediate rejection -- or, at least, immediate within the context of the conversation.

Instead, as Loie seemed to consider his words with an open and respectful mind, his smile grew to a point that he would not be able to hide it, nor the tears that welled him in his eyes. He did not cry right then, no, but that sort of candid acceptance was just... unheard of.

At least for him.

"I'd love to take you. To... both," he said with a nod.

Then, as Loie asked him to take her to the spot on campus, he wasted no time standing to his feet. Respectfully, he cared about her studies, but that warred quite actively with the opportunity to further this. Whatever this was.

"Yeah? Absolutely!"

That chair would be pushed back in, and Rowan gestured to the books. A sort of, "Do I take these, or do we leave these?" situation, as he was a bit unsure. Whatever Loie directed, he'd follow along.

"This one, you'll see soon enough, then. And the Bleeding Heart, well... there's a lot to that." He laughed, running a hand through his hair nervously. "Most of my... friends, I guess, are there. I know a lot of people up here think it's super dangerous, but when you see it like I have, you know there's more to it than that."

That's all he'd start with, at least until Loie started walking with him, once again, toward the door.

"Been a regular down there for something like two years or so, now. Known all kinds of weird experiences in that time. Dangerous, life-threatening events, to calming, endearing, fleeting moments I wish I could back... all of that I experienced there. So, I guess it depends on what sort of "adventure" you'd like to hear about most?"

Loie Prim

"You're..."

Rowan paused for a moment, just staring at Loie with his brow furrowed. His smile faded just enough for his lips to purse, as he looked her in the eyes. He'd fall silent for just a few seconds, before he chuckled, shrugged, and turned to continue walking.

"You're a breath of fresh air, Loie."

Whether he'd gotten comfortable in his own self-loathing, or he'd just expected everyone to be as awful as the worst he'd experienced in the Bright End, Rowan's expectations were so low that he couldn't help being surprised by this woman. He didn't want to be so forward with the gratitude that it was like trauma-dumping, but still -- it was hard not to show his appreciation.

"Danger, huh?"

Rowan grinned, holding the door open for Loie as they walked. Once they were back out into the halls, he'd lead her through to the courtyard, and off toward the green house.

"Probably one of my most recent ones... hardly an "adventure," necessarily, since it was work, but one of the sites I was at got demo'd wrong. Basically, someone set off explosives when and where they weren't supposed to. So, bunch of us probably on... what, the fourteenth? Fifteenth floor?"

Rowan would hold up his right hand, making three sides of a box shape with his fingers. His left hand, then, pointed far below, to the base of the "building" he pantomimed.

"Explosions go off here. Foundations of the building crumble. Few seconds and a couple of snap decisions are all that separate me and five in my crew, from the ground. I don't remember what happened in those few seconds, if I'm honest... but I do remember waking up surrounded by debris, with one arm pinned down. I thought I was done for, really."

He chuckled, hands moving to his pockets.

"But then I heard someone call for help. You ever have adrenaline take over? Just... fill you with a strength you didn't know you had?"

He turned to look at Loie with a calm smile, not really sure how she would be reacting to this story as it was a bit of a heavy one. Pun intended, what with the pinning and all.

"That's what happened to me. The memory is a blur, mostly... but I remember I pulled everyone out that I could find before I passed out."

He'd wait a moment after that one, mostly out of his own anxiety, before he turned to walk backward so he could face Loie.

"So... your turn. Tell me a story from your time before here, too. Something... fun. Exciting."

Loie Prim

Rowan laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head as Loie complimented him from the story. That wasn't quite his intention, and he didn't know how to take compliments, so this was the result.

"Ah -- thank you! It sounds more, ah, heroic, than it really was. Trust me, I just did... normal stuff!"

He'd clear his throat and readjust the collar of his shirt for some breathing room, and listen in as Loie started to respond to his request now. He could tell she wasn't the most comfortable with things getting flipped back on her, but wasn't entirely sure of the why of it. So, he simply made a mental note to not pry, and listened to the story for its worth.

"Purple!" Rowan exclaimed with a shocked expression. A sigh of relief escaped him as it turned out no harm was done, and he waved a hand dismissing his reaction.

"Oh, goodness. That's great news. One different ingredient can go from increasing energy, to turning people purple! Wow! What a difficult field you're in!"

Exasperated, he ran a hand through his hair.

"That's brave in its own right, Loie. All I do is work on the buildings that need to be worked on. Yeah, there's "danger" in it, but that's like... if we really mess up, not if we make a tiny mistake."

The man laughed a bit as he cut through the courtyard, walking toward the western end of the green house at a diagonal, aiming to cut right past it and get to the trees.

"You don't have to worry about turning me purple if I hurt myself on accident, I promise. As long as you don't make me green, there will be no trouble."

Bad joke, considering they just passed the green house and it was the first color that came to mind.

Loie Prim

Rowan turned to look at Loie with a cocked brow, his mouth slightly agape as she said that what he did was, somehow, more important. He shook his head, holding up a finger in protest.

"Nonsense. You help people. I work with a demolition team. The level of importance there does have a rather large gap, but it's in your favor. It doesn't matter if my work leads to bigger stories, or if yours is more boring. It's important."

With that, he'd smile, turn back to the path, and continue walking. At least, until he heard her question. Rowan chuckled, before it clicked in his head that the ends of her hair were green. He'd keep walking, but Loie could see his shoulders tense up and his back straighten as he realized he may have just made a mistake.

... that, or she was playing along.

This was the time for a gamble, he reckoned, and it'd either work wonderfully, or it'd crash and burn.

Calming down, Rowan sighed softly, before turning to look Loie in her eyes with a somber expression.

"... I'd never be able to pull it off like you. So it'd be cruel to make me suffer that fate."

Loie Prim