Thread: Playing the Game [ Chai & Razgriz ]

RE Playing the Game Ariamella Razgriz Colorado Springs, CO Early-mid November Are you out of your mind?! Stella hissed at him, breath forming little puffs of condensation in the air as she struggled to hold back more choice words. She would have said them too if it hadn't been for the cold that immediately bit into her skin, making her clench her teeth and tighten her grip on his hand. The teleportation magic had caught her off guard the whole ordeal hadn't even lasted a full second because the destination was so close, but it still wasn't an enjoyable feeling considering she hadn't known it was coming. She turned her body to look up at him, her deep violet irises glinting almost black in the darkness of the night, and her lips pursed in an obvious expression of annoyance. For someone who claims to be so skilled in magic, you're not too bright, are you? Some protection you are. Ric's question about Jasmine Cafe went unansweredin fact it was completely ignoredas she took the time to inspect both herself and her surroundings. Someone could have seen us, she snapped at him, eyes flicking over to a spot in the parking lot where a family had just stepped out of an SUV to walk to the Subway across the little shopping area. She never liked risking being caught using obvious forms of magic. Normals might have known all about the magical society, various governments even working with the Council of Ten, but that didn't mean they were all accustomed to seeing magic on a daily basis. Especially in the Americas, where many people lived in such ignorant bliss about the magical communities in Europe and Asia. It was her experience that most normals liked living in that ignorance, but it wasn't like she cared. After all it was her goal to not draw attention to herself, which was the entire reason she had moved so far away. Besides, she liked taking the time to drive places and do other things that also seemed totally mundane to most of Society. But more than that, it was his blatant disregard to her safety that annoyed her the most. Honestly it wasn't all that surprising that she survived his little stunt and came out of the ether in one piece, but surely even he knew the safe practices of teleportation? Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but she was willing to bet that he did. Maybe he just liked living life on the wild side, but Stella didn't like taking chances. The rules of magic were no joke, and everyone knew the horror stories of teleportation that had gone wrong. Those who didn't know what they were doing or where they were going either didn't come out whole, or they were forced to wander forever lost within the ether. And neither of those options seemed too appealing to her. You're either trying to kill me or you're trying to piss me off, both of which are fucking stupid. The next time you want to go somewhere, you can ask me where it is. I'd rather show you than risk doing this again. No more hand-holding privileges for you, Stella said, although she pulled him along to the entrance of the Chinese restaurant much like how a mother would treat a disobedient child. And just so you know, I've kissed quite a few people with this mouth, and they happened to like it. Love it, actually. The last statement wasn't quite something that was particularly insulting to him in fact it was arguable that it was more embarrassing for her, but she didn't care. It was just another thing to snap about, and it was the first thing that came to mind that she could throw in his face. Who cared what came out of her mouth anyway? He certainly shouldn't have. She was willing to bet her entire life that his mouth was much dirtier than hers, but she didn't dwell too much on the thought as they walked through the doors of Jasmine Cafe, and her stomach growled audibly at the scent of Asian cuisine that wafted throughout the restaurant. How many? asked one of the Chinese women at the counter, her voice thick with a Mandarin accent. Stella knew she was in her mid-40s, but the woman honestly looked no older than 30 the only indication of age was the slight crinkling at the corner of her eyes as she smiled, tentatively grabbing two menus from a tall stack beside her. Hi, Jiao, Stella smiled politely back at her, demeanor completely changed from irritation to serenity. Two, please. I've got a... friend with me today. The woman, Jiao, nodded and walked around the counter with the menus under one arm, her brown eyes glancing down at the pair's connected hands with far too much curiosity before starting to lead the way to one of the booths in the back. Stella immediately dropped Ric's hand from hers as she followed, frowning slightly. She was a regular at the Jasmine Cafe, having spent way too much time on some occasions just talking and drinking with the owners and wait staff well past closing hours. Having and keeping friends wasn't exactly her thing, but she did have a few close acquaintances at this place. They knew quite a bit about her, including the bit about her being of magical blood although not of her royal status, but they had always been accepting of that. In fact Stella was almost sure it was because magic ran in their family too albeit in small amounts. Jiao treated her like family, and it was precisely this reason that made her let go of Ric's hand how many times had she been asked if she had a boyfriend? And now after tonight, she didn't doubt everyone who worked there would think she was in deep with some green-eyed stranger. Great. Frank is coming, okay? Jiao said as she set the menus down, referring to her son that often worked at the restaurant on the weekends when he wasn't busy in school. Stella nodded, slid within the puffy red seat and murmured her thanks, waiting for the lady to leave before flipping the menu open. So you're totally aware that I have no wallet, no ID, and no money to pay for any of this, right? Looks like I'm still not treating you out to dinner. She glanced up at Ric from underneath her lashes, one eyebrow raised while she flipped one page over. It was a total lieshe always kept emergency cash tucked underneath her bra strap, but he didn't need to know that.