iamthefirechild started following you
Catching sight of a distinctly pretty young woman he’d never seen before, Larke made a point of approaching her. “Good evening, Miss,” he greeted, offering a hand to shake. “I’m Larke… I’m fairly new around here, and I’m a bit lost. Is there any chance you could assist me, Miss…?”
Summer arched an eyebrow, more than a little surprised at being approached out of nowhere. Usually she vanished into the crowd on the streets of the city. “Um, hi. Summer. You can call me Summer.” She took his hand, taking a quick assessment of his emotions as well. No threat, a little confused … she relaxed slightly. “Another southerner, hm? Where are you trying to go?”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Summer,” he said warmly. She seemed a bit uneasy, but it was a reasonable reaction. He should have considered how she would feel about being confronted by a man on the street. “I’m terribly sorry if I’ve spooked you… I don’t bite,” he smiled. He pulled a small strip of paper out of his back pocket, squinting to read scribbled handwriting. “I’m looking for 653 Dolin Street. Do you happen to know where that is?” He held out the paper for her to see, although the writing was likely illegible to anyone but himself.
“Dolin, Dolin,” Summer muttered to herself. “It doesn’t sound familiar, no. I don’t usually leave the park area, though, so I’m not as familiar with the city as I could be. Did you try to flag down a cab and ask them?”
Larke shook his head, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid. “No, Miss. I haven’t tried that,” he chuckled nervously. “Didn’t even occur to me… Perhaps I should. I hope it isn’t far… I have an appointment, you see, and…” He shook his head again. “It’s not important. Would you happen to have the time?”
Pulling out her smartphone, Summer glanced down at it. “It’s almost 2:30.” Cocking her head to the side, she regarded Larke with a narrowed gaze. “I can help you out a bit better than that, then, although I warn you, if this is some kind of confidence trick, you’re like to regret it. Come on, I’ll drive you and make the gps figure it out.”