“Well, if they’re not hiring, you just might have to settle for something else. Beggars can’t be choosers, as my father has told me on many occasions. But I think you’ll find a job where you want. I mean, if you’re passionate about something, it shows, and they’ll want to hire you. Besides, you can just flash them a smile, and I’m sure they’ll melt.” With her last remark about his good looks, she grinned and winked.
When he said he’d been to the library in the past, she felt a bit of worry creep over her. She was guiding him to it a different way, after all. However, his next statement relaxed her. If he’d never been to it by the same route, he wouldn’t think anything of this one. Maybe in the future when he got used to the campus more, he would realize she had been kind of weird about the way to get there, but maybe he would just think it was because she wanted to share his company. “Well, it’s always good to go different ways. You’ll learn more about the campus that way, and maybe you’ll find things you never would have if you always go the same route?”
The dryad listened as he spoke about his “normal” hobbies. Hers were pretty normal, too, she thought. “Well, you and I are quite the opposites. I mean, I like movies, but I haven’t seen Prince of Persia, and I never played the game - or any real video games for that matter - so I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She laughed softly to ensure there wasn’t a reproach to be heard from her words. “I’m not much for driving, either, so driving fast is out. I’m also an early riser. I always feel like I’ve wasted half my day if I sleep late.” She thought a little. Jia was listing things she didn’t do when she should have been telling him things she did do.
“Well, I dance even when the team isn’t together. I also like going to environmental protests, but I haven’t been to one in a while. My roommate is trying to convince me to go to one with her Monday, and I think I’m going to do it. I also like to listen to music and read books. Meeting new people in coffee shops is also fun.” She smiled at him.
“Parkour? Why does that sound familiar?” She thought a little about it. “Is that like… the same thing as free running? I’ve always thought it looked so cool, and I tried it once a few years ago, but it requires more strength than even a simple dancer’s body has. Plus, I didn’t exactly… train before I tried it… I just saw it on Ripley’s Believe It or Not and thought I’d try to emulate it.” Of course, if it wasn’t the same thing, she was going to be a little embarrassed, but if it was, she would feel knowledgeable. After she’d seen it on that show, she had heard a little about it other times. A few of the girls on her dance squad had been talking about it. None of them could do it, either.
Jia stilled a little. Was he trying to get rid of her? This was the second time he had given her an “out,” a way to go away peacefully. She’d thought she was being polite at first, but now she felt that if she continued with him, he wouldn’t appreciate it. “Um… Actually, you know what? I just remembered that I do have something to do.” She hated to lie, but calling him on not wanting to be around her seemed rude, especially when he was being nice about it. “If you’re sure you can find it on your own, then I’ll trust you, especially since you’ve been there before.”
People could do terrible things when they were uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to suddenly learn that he needed anger management or something. “I guess I’ll… see you around? I hope you have a good day.” She smiled politely and waved before very gracefully turning on her heel to head in the opposite direction.