Safi is bouncing on her heels, warming herself in front of the fire. Her legs are bare, and she wears only the lighter tunic of summer--the rest of her clothing is draped over a couple of chairs, steaming in the heat as snowmelt dries.

The door to the diner lets in a blast of cold air and Serendipity, who looks a little bit tired, but cheerful enough. No singing today... but he is humming the same tune he was singing when he last ran into Safi in the library.

Safi turns, to flash him a warm smile. "Ren! Hi, Ren!" Her face is slightly flushed, from the heat.

Serendipity beams back at the girl, strolling in and divesting himself of various warm but currently snowy articles of clothing, onto the table. Coat, scarf, gloves. "Hiya, beautiful!" he greets her, unbinding his hair as he wanders over to join her by the heat.

Safi's eyes light as he frees his hair. She takes a few almost inadvertent steps over, reaching out to touch and then hesitating. "Can I?"

Serendipity shakes it out with a toss of his head and a couple quick combs with his fingers, and stops, grinning crookedly at the question. "Sure, lovely," he grants easily, and tilts his head to let the curtain of hair hang down more conveniently for her hands. His hair is surprisingly soft and smooth, and currently a little moist. Darn snow.

Grinning, she combs her fingers through the silk. "I like, long... you, and Justinn, and Miki." Taking up great handfuls of it, she brings them to her face and buries herself, shaking her head and laughing delightedly.

Serendipity laughs, and makes his hair sway, the ends of strands Safi hasn't collected twining ticklishly about her. "Glad y'like it. I kinda do too. Think about cutting it every so often, but...."

Safi lifts her head to stare at him in horror, her hands combing through what she has tangled, setting it all right. "Oh, no, you must not! It is so pretty..."

Serendipity grins and shifts his head again, this time letting the hair fall to half-veil his face, and giving Safi a coy, sideways smile from behind it. "Yeah?"

Safi steps closer and reaches over to touch his cheek, brushing a few strands from his face. "It is beautiful," she says softly. Her smile is quiet. "Like all of you."

"I got the sexiest spleen in seven counties," Ren agrees flippantly, but the smile is pleased. "Thank you, lovely. It's sweeta you t' say so. 's nice t' be appreciated."

Impulsively, she leans in to kiss his cheek. "You tell me zis before. So I tell you lots. I appreciate." She stays close, a hand still touching his hair.

Serendipity grins, and turns his head to give the girl a kiss in return -- still on the forehead, though this one's more on the temple than the others have been. "And I 'ppreciate you, too, beautiful," he replies, and slips an arm about her shoulders in an affectionate one-armed squeeze of a hug.

Safi leans against him, answering the hug with her free arm. "I do not have nossing to appreciate," she says lightly.

Serendipity laughs. "Now, whaddya mean by that, lovely? Can't be that there's nothing to appreciate about you," he mock-scolds, "'cause there's gotta be a million of 'em..."

Safi lowers her eyes, her expression sobering. "I do not make people happy," she says quietly. "Not like you."

Another laugh, sudden and delighted. "...as a chorus of 'Thank Luna!' rises up from everyone else in town," he replies wryly, and squeezes her again, turning to wrap both arms gently about her. "Some people around here, I don't think 'happy' is the word they'd use for what I make 'em, y'know. And as for you... well, I think you make a lotta people happy, but I can't speak for them. But I can say y'always make =me= happy. Even the other day when I was a little down."

Safi catches her lower lip between her teeth. "I help you, before?"

Serendipity nods, lifting a hand to stroke the girl's hair gently. "Yeah, you helped. Got me outta my head, helped me shake it off. Thanks."

Safi's smile dawns, slowly. "Thank you, for... for letting me to help. And be your friend." She hugs him again, this time throwing both arms around him.

Serendipity grins again, and squeezes tightly, eyes closing a moment. "More'n welcome," he replies. "...thanks for lettin' me be =your= friend. 'specially after I messed up," he adds, rather sheepishly. "But, y'know. I'm glad t'know you, gorgeous."

She stays close long enough to nuzzle his cheek, and then draws away to go closer to the fire. "You are good person, Ren," she says softly.

Serendipity lets her go, and pulls a chair closer for himself, then drops into it, watching the flame with a faint smile. "Yeah? Like t' think so, mostly."

"I ask you, somesing?" She, too, watches the fire--though she sneaks a glance over to him with the question.

Serendipity glances over in return, then back to the fire, and nods. "Shoot, lovely. Ask me anything."

Safi swallows, and studies the fire. She frowns slightly, as if the flames hold the answers. "Am I -- a good friend? Good, to ozzer people?"

Serendipity blinks. Not a question he expected. He thinks on it for a few moments, giving it due consideration. "Well, you're a good friend t'me. To other people... that's harder t'say, beautiful. I'd 'spect so. Why do you ask?"

Safi swallows. "I think... I think I want to stay, here. To be wis' people. But I am... not so good at it. I am trying, to learn. To be good person, and not... not make people angry. To make friends wis' everyone. But I am not always good."

Serendipity twists a little, using the back of his chair like an armrest, and gives Safi a strangely sympathetic smile. "Lovely... no one's friends with everyone. There's always gonna be a person or two you don't get along with, if you're yourself -- if you hide who you are and try to just be what they want you to be, maybe you'll be able to have everyone like you, but they wouldn't really be friends. And it's be a hell of a waste. You're a good person, sweetlet." He pauses, glancing at the fire a moment, then to her again. "Tell you a secret. When people get angry... 'least half the time, it's their problem, not yours. They're insecure, or they're oversensitive, or they're just havin' a bad day and takin' it out on you... it doesn't mean you're bad, doesn't even always mean you did anything wrong."

Safi chews on her lower lip, and watches the fire for a time. "I do not always under-stand," she says quietly. "Because I am not like zem, I do not always have ... people, around me. I under-stand different things. Spirits, mountain, water... I can talk to right. Not always people." She summons a little smile, and looks over to him. "I try to learn bettair."

Serendipity nods a little, at the fire, and then looks at Safi, uncharacteristically serious for the moment. "You try, Safi. That's more'n a lotta people who got brought up around people all their lives." Then he grins again, and shrugs, "Anyway, like they say, how boring would it be if we were all alike?"

Ducking her head again, Safi begins gathering up the rest of her clothing. She puts on the sleeved tunic, and then begins wrapping the makeshift leggings and boots around her legs, tying them into place. Her expression is quiet, thoughtful, as she crosses the lacings and knots them above her knees. Never one for prolonged courtesies, she finishes the job and only says, "Good night." A look, a faint preoccupied smile, and then she leaves.

Serendipity watches the process in silence, and tosses off a little mock salute to the girl as she takes her leave. "G'night, beautiful," he replies, nothing more, and turns to watch the fire again, reading the stories in the flames.