It was a gorgeous spring day, with the sun shining down from high up in the sky. It was a little after 12:00 noon, and many people had the idea that it was time for lunch. Which included the couple that were sitting out in a patio of a small restaurant. They were off to the side, near the metal fence that acted as a boundary between the restaurant's property and the sidewalk, both shielded from the sun by a large umbrella in the middle of their table. Coupled with the cool breeze that whipped up every so often, it made for an absolutely gorgeous day.

The two had just been seated and had been given menus, while being told their server would be by soon with glasses of ice water for them. When the person then left to tend to other patrons, the male just smiled, and moved some of his jet-black hair out of his eyes. To look at him, one would make an assumption that he was some sort of up and coming movie star... or musical idol... or influencer... or anything that involved him selling his looks and charm, because he gave off the aura of a heartthrob. Which wasn't technically wrong, but he was nowhere NEAR anything to those career choices. He was a therapist, and the reason he was such a compelling individual was... he was the son of a very compelling demon. His mother was a Lilim, one of the daughters of THE Lilith. So while he was not a succubus, nor was he technically an incubus... he had natural charms that were VERY hard to resist.

He looked around slightly, before looking at the young woman that he had come here with.

"Perfect weather for an outside lunch." he told her, his voice the audio equivalent to velvet. "Looks like it's one of those places that are new, but are soon to be local favourite." he reasoned, looking at the menu. "And while the variety is a little lacking, I'd say that's in its favour." he then commented. "Means that the chances are good that they really know how to do these dishes, and they know how to do them WELL." he said further.

"Stroke of brilliance to come here." he finished. They had both decided that some lunch would be wonderful, and she had noticed this place, suggesting they try it, rather than one of their more common haunts. And he wasn't one to shy away from new things, so he readily agreed. Already it seemed like it was paying off, but the real proof would come later.

The man held in his own sigh as she said what she did, and shook his head.

He knew she needed a new camera. And she needed a quality camera, too. The one she'd had previously had been good... but it had been a bit outdated. And then it just... gave up the ghost. It ceased functioning properly, and to get it fixed was far too expensive, relevant to how out-of-date it had been. Sure, it would have been cheaper than getting a newer camera, but it would have ultimately been a waste of money. A decent sum of money. So now, here she was, lacking a proper camera, and no way to GET one. Yes, she had stated that HE could have paid for it... he still could. He worked as a therapist/psychiatrist at The Unit in San Diego, he made more than decent pay. And he was willing to get her said camera... they were boyfriend and girlfriend, they loved each other, and he had no issues with a nice gesture or present every so often... more expensive ones, anyway. But he could understand that she didn't want this to essentially be a charity thing. She had saved up the money beforehand for her previous camera, and it had served her well, so it was a point of pride for her that she had bought it herself. There was a very good chance that perhaps it would be a blow to her pride if she got one from HIM, just because HE could afford it, and she couldn't. He didn't like it, because that meant she was feeling down on herself now, but he understood it.

He was about to say something to her in response, when a third voice spoke up.

"Excuse me." the male voice interjected lightly. When the two of them looked over towards where it had originated from, they saw a man standing there. He had been walking down the sidewalk, and was obviously close enough to speak with them in a normal tone of voice. The two WERE sitting rather close to the fence after all, so it wasn't too surprising. The man had dark brown hair, which was short and looked a little disheveled. He had stubble on his face that looked to be a couple of days old, and had tired bags under his eyes. He was wearing a faded grey shirt and dark blue jeans, as well as sneakers that looked like they were coming up on their retirement. He also seemed to be carrying a plastic grocery bag with some boxes in it, but the contents could not be discerned properly.

'Must be looking for some money...' the black-haired man thought, as he started to go for his wallet to give the man a $20 bill. It didn't matter if it was for something legit, like food or drink, or if it was for drugs or alcohol, he just wanted them to be left alone, and not pestered. He figured paying him 20 to go away was the best option. But he barely had time to make a move for it, when the man spoke again.

"Did I hear you say you were looking for a new camera?" the slightly-haggard man asked the young woman.

The man shook his head in response.

"I'm sorry, I didn't." he responded. The two men saw her expression change... the hope leave her eyes, and she almost drooped back into her seat. "B-but! But I think I can still help!" he quickly added.

"Oh?" the black-haired man asked. "How do you mean?" he asked further.

"Do you mind if I intrude upon your tablespace slightly for this?" the newcomer asked in response.

"We haven't even had our drink orders yet, so sure." the woman's date told him, still on guard a little, as he wasn't sure what was going to happen next. The second man then placed the plastic bag on the table, and sifted through some of the boxes, pulling a few out and setting them off to the side. They looked to be somewhat generic boxes, taped closed securely. However, the man then pulled out a larger box. One that was VERY clearly labeled and designed.

It was the box to a Sonitronic brand camera. And not just ANY Sonitronic camera, but their Delta-EON model as well. It had come out late last year, and was easily worth just under $3000 new, at full price. The box had been opened, clearly, as there were minor scuff-marks around where it DID open, and the tape that had been there previously was gone.

The man then put the other boxes back in his bag, and pushed the camera towards the young lady.

"Take a look." he told her, removing the bag from the table. "Will that work for you, miss?" he asked.

The man shook his head.

"I don't want your money." he responded. "I don't want anything from you in return for this." he said further. "If you can genuinely use it, then please... put it to good use." he told her.

"But... why?" the man sitting down asked. "As she said, you could easily get 2 grand for this, even more if it's barely used." he told him. "So why just... give it away?" he asked further, growing more than a little suspicious now.

"..." the man was silent, before looking down slightly.

"I got that camera for my fiancée for Christmas last year." he revealed. "We weren't the sort to spend a lot of money on rings and stuff, so I got her a simple silver band, and that camera as an engagement ring/present combo." he told them. "And she was thrilled with it. She loved taking pictures of nature and stuff, so it was a gift she was really excited for." he continued.

"...about a month ago, I found out she was cheating on me with my cousin." he then sighed. "Not to go into a sob story or pity party, but when I confronted her, it got ugly. So I got out of there, and I made sure that she wasn't going to profit of me any longer." he said further, slight venom in his tone now, before he cleared his throat lightly. "So I gathered possessions of mine that had sentimental value to me, or could be pawned off to get some money back." he explained to them. "However, it's not about the money for me. I just didn't want HER to pawn the things off and still make a fool of me. I realise that may sound petty, but... well... yeah." he sighed.

"Believe me, that is more than understandable." the black-haired man stated.

"To really shorten this story, I was making my way to a pawn shop to see if I could unload this stuff, but I think it'd be better if it went directly to someone that will appreciate it." the new man stated. "So when I overheard that you wanted a new camera, and saw the hope in your eyes when you thought I'd seen a sale, I knew you would put that camera to good use." he told the woman.

"I don't need the money. I'm fine, financially. But I can't bring myself to outright destroy this stuff. So I'm going to pawn the rest, and move on with my life... try and get over her and move on with my life." he then sighed.

"Sorry to give a bit of my life story to a pair of strangers, but the more context you have for a sudden gift like this out of nowhere, the better, I feel." he added at the end.

The man shook his head once more.

"Just promise me you'll take care of it, and make sure it gets used to the fullest extent." he said. "Such a piece of equipment deserves to be utilised for only the best of intentions, in the hands of a good person." he told her.

"I promise." she responded. "This will help me more than you could ever imagine." she assured him, which caused him to smile sincerely.

"Good." he said. "And with that, I should be off. Odds are someone may think I'm attempting to harass you or something if I stick around much longer, and none of us need that hassle." he reasoned.

"While that might be a longshot, I understand." the black-haired man replied. "Thank you for this random act of kindness." he then said.

"Yes, thank you!" the young woman repeated.

"You're very welcome." the man told her. "You two have a lovely day, and cherish each other for the rest of your lives." he finished, before continuing on his journey. The two sitting down watched him go, until he turned a corner and disappeared.

"...looks like luck was smiling down on you today, Jordan." the man said, looking back at her.

He just sighed in response, looking at the camera.

"I mean... yeah. Yeah, it DOES seem way to good to be true." he admitted. "And they say that if something seems too good to be true, it IS too good to be true." he went on, but then paused.

"...however, the fact that someone, this man in specific, had to go through such misery for you to get this camera could very well just be the proof that this ISN'T too good to be true. Like, there's the payment for it, there's the reality." he commented.

"Not to say that you should feel bad or anything." he quickly stressed. "I've seen and heard of things like this before. Someone just wants a fresh start, or to be rid of their sordid memories of the past, so they rid themselves of objects and possessions that may harbour those memories." he reasoned. "Plus... he DID say that this was to spite his ex..." he then mumbled.

"Eh, seems legit to me." he concluded.

"Better check to see if there's any photos or anything stored in its memory." he suggested.

The man, Sebastien, heard his phone go off, and smirked at her.

"All right, all right." he said, as he dug his phone out and looked at what she had sent. He paused as he looked at the photo, and almost found himself... compelled by it. it was... stunning. It was crisp, it was vibrant, it was... practically lifelike. He sore he could almost get sucked into it, and it was almost like he was looking out a WINDOW... had it not been a still image.

He was silent for a good 5 seconds, before shaking his head lightly.

"Wow." he muttered.

"I know Sonitronic was good, but... damn, that's quality." he commented.

"Looks like you scored BIG." he told her with a small laugh.

"Grats!"

Bast was about to finish on his phone, when she sent him the photo she snagged of him. He brought it up, and he had to admit, it looked good. REAL good. Again, it saw and felt almost... lifelike. It was amazing, and a little unnerving. It was almost as though he felt he was in two places at the same time. But that feeling was very brief, and it disappeared as quickly as it came. He then sighed and shook his head, before putting his phone away and looking at Jordan with a smirk.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"I would imagine so, as those photos are amazing quality." he told her.

"Your course should be pleased to see you have it now." he went on. "Should make things a lot easier, anyway." he added.

"Good thing we decided to come here." be then chuckled.

"..." Bast was silent as he heard that, before clearing his throat.

"Uh... right." he said. "If you want, feel free to give your Mom a call and tell her that's not going to be a thing any longer." he suggested. "I mean, I can understand if you want this camera to be a surprise or whatever, but... hoo boy, I can see your Dad NOT taking it well if he learns you were being potentially forced to take a term off from lack of equipment." he went on.

"So... maybe calling her and saying that's no longer a worry MIGHT be best." he reasoned, pausing for a moment.

"Unless you REALLY want to surprise them with this... super-good new piece of tech you just got." he then said.

"Seriously, this is equipment that is probably considered premium, in the consumer market." he muttered. "I'm not counting the cameras that cost $10,000 and up. Quite frankly, that makes my head spin." he told her.

Bast merely nodded in response.

"Yes, calling your Mother about this would be prudent." he agreed. "As for your Father, he'd better not have any issues with that." he then stated. "It's a high-end camera, and a necessary piece of equipment for you." he reasoned.

"If he has issues with THIS, I don't know WHAT will satisfy him in all this." he muttered.

"Seriously, I see no issues with you getting this, under the circumstances you have." he finished.