"My name's Haiden. Haiden Ashworth." His gaze slowly returned to Xeno.
"Do you want to walk away from the speaker? I'm finding it hard to hear" He said, gesturing to one of the little corridors the face of the balcony made with the walls.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Haiden said, gratefully. He clearly hated the tinny music as much as Xeno did.
As they were walking, he glanced up at the ceiling, with the papier mache pterodactyl strung up. Thinking on his feet, he thought of a conversation opener.
"What's with the pterodactyl? Why does it look like.. that?"
Haiden looked at him with a grin, and feigned offense.
"Don't say that about Steve! He isn't ugly, he's just unique!" he said, grinning.
He took another look at it. Itwasugly,There was no doubt about it. Xeno had never seen a pterodactyl before, but he knew that if they looked like that, they wouldn't have even seen the asteroid, let alone survived it. Its eyes looked in two completely different directions and it was a hideous green, with limbs that stuck out like the shoots of a potato. Not even a mother could love that face.
"It has a name?" He began, "How did you even... get him?" he couldn't believe anyone in the palaeontology department had made it.
"It was a gift from Willowheath primary. It was my first quarter at the museum, and I led them around. Apparently, they were "inspired" by me, and they made it." Haiden beamed with pride.
"How'd they decide to put it up?"
"I'm guessing Ms. Pepper was smitten with one of the primary school teachers. She lobbied until Mr. Crossley put it up, and we've all loved Steve since. Don't you have anything like that in your department?"
"I mean, we've got odd bits and pieces, but I don't think the primary schoolers appreciate the workings of the universe enough to make us a.." He looked back at the paper dinosaur. "gift?"
Haiden laughed, which made him feel very proud. He loved when people laughed at his jokes.
"Fine then, Xeno. What do you get up to in the astronomy department if you aren't receiving gifts like Steve?"
"Work? Most of my entertainment comes from Doctor Aruda- you might know her. She fills me in on the work gossip from.. just about every department." He admitted. Somehow, it seemed she had ties to everyone in the museum.
"Work gossip? I've seen her around when I go to the other departments. Isn't she, like, fifty?" He asked.
"Fifty-five, actually." He began. "But she's a young soul, age doesn't mean that much."
"I guess. I don't feel twenty- three."
Xeno considered for a moment. "I think I feel twenty-five. It's my birthday today, you know."
"Really? And you chose to come here?" he replied, chuckling.
"I'm gonna be honest, I completely forgot it was my birthday."
Haiden's jaw dropped slightly. "How do you just forget? Birthdays should be special, you know?"
"My dad was never really a big birthday person, I guess I just got that from him." he shifted uncomfortably. "What about you, what do you do outside of the museum?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation away from himself.
"I'm actually trying to start a small business."
"Oh really? what do you sell?"
"Promise you won't make fun of me? It's a little embarrassing."
"I promise."
"I sell crochet weighted dinosaur stuff. Like blankets and plushes and.. Whatever else people ask me to make, really."
"That's really cool, actually." Xeno said, honestly. "I'd love to learn to crochet. How many have you sold?"
