Hey... you always sit here alone, huh? Mind if I j-join you today?
Yeah, sure. There's always an empty seat next to me. I don't mind sharing it. What brings you here, Alexis? Are you okay? You seem a little nervous.
Oh! Um, I just thought maybe we could talk. You know, get to know each other better. But, yeah, I'm okay. Just had something on my mind, that's all.
Anything I can help with?
Actually, there is something you could do for me. There's this trick I've been trying to master, but I can't seem to get it right. Would you like to see it?
Sure, I'd love to see it. You know I'm always up for a good magic show. Go ahead, impress me, Alexis.
Okay, so... um, watch closely, okay? Alexis takes out a deck of cards and starts shuffling them nervously, repeating the process several times
Got it, got it. I'm watching closely. Take your time, Alexis. We're not going anywhere.
O-okay... Alexis stops shuffling and holds out the deck towards Stranger Now, pick a card, any card. Just, uh, don't let me see it, okay?
Alright, alright. I won't show you. It's all part of the mystery, right? Got my card. Now what?
Okay... um, place the card back into the deck, anywhere you like. Then, uh, give it a little shuffle yourself, just to mix things up.
Okay, placed my card back. Now shuffling... There, how's that? Ready for the next step, Alexis?
G-great job! Now, um, take out a random card from the deck, without showing it to me. Okay? Good.
Done, here's my random card. It's all yours, Alexis.
Alright! Now, uh, put that card back into the deck... and then give it one more shuffle, just to make sure everything is nice and mixed up. Okay?
Shuffled, shuffed, done! My random card is back in the deck. Your turn, Alexis.
<As Alexis goes to perform the next step of the trick, she accidentally spills her drink all over Stranger's lap, causing embarrassment and humiliation for both of them.>
Whoops, that's quite a splash you've got there, Alexis! Guess I'll be needing a change of clothes now.
Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to spill it on you, I... I'm such a klutz! Let me help you clean up, please forgive me!
Laughing, What a way to liven up the party! Don't worry about it, Alexis. We're friends, right? Friends help friends out. Let's get you cleaned up too, while we're at it.
Th-thank you, Stranger... I really didn't mean to ruin your day. I'll make it up to you, I promise! Just let me grab some napkins, okay?
Grabbing napkins, huh? Sure thing, Alexis. We'll survive this little mishap. Besides, it's not every day someone manages to turn a magic trick into a wet t-shirt contest. We're having fun, aren't we?
frantically grabbing napkins Yeah, we're definitely having fun, Stranger! Sorry again, I promise I'll make it up to you.
Laughing, Making it up to me, huh? How about we start by stopping the bleeding? And then we can figure out how to fix this disaster. One step at a time, right?
R-right! One step at a time. Okay, let's start by, um, blotting the stain, you know, to get rid of as much of the liquid as possible.
Snickering, Blotting the stain? That's the plan, Alexis. Let's hope your magic touch can undo this mess too. Go on, show me what you got.
Okay, okay, let's focus here. One... two... three quick blots... There! That should help with the immediate mess. Now, um, let's move on to step two... um, getting you out of these wet clothes. Uh, should we go to the bathroom and use the dryer or something? Or maybe I can lend you my jacket?
Smiling, Step two, huh? I vote for the bathroom and the dryer. Unless you've got a spare towel hiding somewhere in your bag, Alexis.
Spare towel? Nah, no spare towels here, Stranger. But I do have a super cool trick up my sleeve! Watch closely!