"Especially not in this world," he mused softly. The point of this party was partially to forget the world they lived in, probably, but it wasn't practical to forget about it completely. Just like wearing glass shoes in this world wasn't terribly practical. "If, for some reason, we had to run, you'd be in big trouble. So, I guess black flats are a good choice." He paused, then laughed. "I don't have any idea why I'm talking about shoes, by the way. Do you think this means I should surrender my man card?" he asked with a wry little smile. "I should probably surrender my man card." Nodding a sage nod when Kori concurred, Toby smiled. "And it's about time you realized it. Although if you didn't go into teaching, I would probably be kind of screwed over with my girls, so I'm certainly not complaining in the slightest. You know." He smirked.
Kori's expression made Toby laugh out loud. "As if I'd take offense to that," he pointed out. "Being a man, I don't think I'd complain about someone having a hard time seeing me as a woman," he mused, grinning as he looked down at himself. Toby looked down at himself and then then back at Kori. "There are a few people here who aren't dressed up!" he pointed out dramatically, though he really didn't care. "Alright, alright. I don't really mind being in costume anyway. It is a costume party, after all." And a nice costume party, at that. "It's been a long time since I've been to a party this well-put-together. Between the decorations, the band, the food and the costumes," he turned his attention to Kori with a smile when he said that, "it looks almost like something from the old world. A nice reminder that not everything is so bad." It was nice. For a change.
As long as she could remember. Toby smiled. "It must be nice to still have her around," he mused, as he watched the couple walk in the direction of the garage. "So few people have the luxury of still having their closest friends around, and the two of you have stuck together so long." He smiled a little bit as he turned her way. He laughed. "I guess chivalry is in the eye of the beholder, maybe. One man's chivalry is one woman's 'should happen either way.'"
Toby tilted his head when she explained that she wasn't good with animals. "That comes as a surprise," he told her honestly. "All it takes to be good with animals is a kind heart and patience, and you have both of those in spades, so I bet you're better with animals than you think," he suggested. "Is there a pet you were ever interested in?" he asked her.
"Once in awhile, throwing out one's inhibitions isn't such a bad thing, though. So I think things like this are warranted once in awhile." When she explained that she was afraid of setting her dress on fire, he nodded. Just thinking about fire made the burn scars on his back and leg twitch uncomfortably. He shifted against the tree and nodded his head. "Yeah," he muttered. "They do. It's just one of those things. A deep-seeded fear of mine," he explained, admitting more than he actually expected to. "I'm trying not to think about it too much, trying to put my trust in the people up there, rather than just sit here and worry my head off."
He nodded. "They don't!" he said dramatically. They did listen once in awhile, sure, but he wasn't wrong in saying that they didn't listen. "Sometimes they make a game out of not listening to me," he laughed a little. "See how far they can take my temper. They can take it a pretty long way," he added.