Playing the Game [ Chai & Razgriz ]

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


There was nothing to say as Stella walked along with Ric to the woods, listening to his story. There were some things that intrigued her—; vampire colonies, or even just one vampire, were things she didn't get to see on a daily basis. In fact she hadn't seen much of the supernatural creatures at all, given that she had grown up in extremely well-guarded areas. As smart as she was, it was amazing the kinds of things she didn't know simply because of her elite upbringing. Questions floated in her mind, ones that she wanted to ask, but the more Ric talked, the more she became irritated with his attitude. His contempt for the Council was hardly concealed, but did he seem to forget who he was talking to?

Ric finished his story, and unable to hold her tongue any longer, Stella had stopped walking a few feet before he did, then crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Looks like they weren't going home yet. "Aren't those council dogs my family, Ric? I'm sure that counts in some way or form to the 'offensive language' rule." She glared at him, not in her usual mild annoyance, but with pure, unadulterated anger. It seemed Adrian wasn't the only one to defend his friends and family.

"In case you forgot, the families of royal lineage were established because we were the ones who wanted to stop the mass murder of our people. We were the ones willing to coexist peacefully with the Normals. What were the Dregs doing during that time? Maybe that's why the Council loathes all of you." In all honestly, she had no idea where he had been or if he had even been alive, but it was no secret that many of the Dregs had only made things harder for the Council. Most of them had been unwilling to cooperate; what other choice did the Council have other than to imprison them? Were they supposed to run free and destroy everything the Council established?

"I wish they had caught you then, but I guess I can't complain since you ended up in prison anyway," Stella snapped, walking forward so she stood right in front of him. She uncrossed her arms only to cross them again, holding her balled up fists tightly against her body as if to suppress the growing need to slap him across the face. Backhand that bitch like no other. "You seem to love talking big shit, but it was also my grandfather who was willing to give the Dregs a second chance. Who gave you a second chance."

She knew perfectly well that the D.I.R.T program was convenience disguised as nobility (no member of the Ten actually wanted to take care of the nightmarish creatures that often plagued their society), and ultimately it was a form of control. Controlling the monstrous secrets of their world, controlling the power of the Dregs, and controlling the Normals with pretty lies. But still, she knew her grandfather was an understanding and compassionate man, one who sought a mutual relationship between Society and the Dregs that would benefit them all. And that mindset had earned House Durante more than one political enemy in the world. But what would Ric care? He probably didn't.

Stella tore her gaze away for a moment, watching as a car disappeared around the bend, partially obscured by the shadows of the trees. She let out a frustrated sigh, her eyes flicking to Ric's face. "Whatever. I don't care. I'm not sure why I'm bothering to explain any of this to you. If you hate them so much, why are you still here? I don't need you, so you can carry your ass back to wherever the hell you came from."

She then turned away to teleport back to the house——alone——but as she uttered the words and the energy flowed through her body, she felt a foreign force negating her own magic. "Fucking what even..." she muttered out loud, suddenly realizing that Ric's contract likely had a distance limit. Silently, she cursed her father for being so thorough, though she couldn't quite figure out if it was so that Ric didn't escape, or so she was forced to keep her bodyguard with her. Maybe it was both. Whatever the limit was, it kept her from her dramatic exit. "That is honestly the most annoying thing," she said, voice still abrasive and sharp from the previously heated moments.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

It was clear by this point that Ric was still a bit fired up, even if he had calmed down some. "Really...You saw how the Normals treated our kind, right? Or has the Council, in all their infinite wisdom, erased the past from the textbooks? Was Salem a myth? Were people just lying for attention when they mourned those lost in Scotland? Or hell, let's just forget about the mass burials in Germany and the current onslaught of executions in India. The Normals would rather see us gone." was his reply to her, looking her square in the eye, "But I don't care about that. I honestly don't; I've ended my share of Dregs too. Only if they came after me, but I ended them nonetheless."

And while it was true that then Head of House Durante Gabriele had drafted D.I.R.T. as a means to quell the bloodshed, Ric knew than to think it was anything more than the Council trying to control those more powerful than themselves. If they could, they would eradicate the Dregs and anyone else they deemed undesirable from Society. And if Stella honestly didn't see that, then in his mind she was not only blind but stupid too.

However, her implication about Dregs got him more than a little peeved, "And for your information, missy, not all Dregs refused to see us coexist. But your darling Council, sitting high on their fucking golden thrones of blood, didn't like that we tried to understand and utilize previously 'forbidden' magic. They thought our experiments were too dangerous, unenforceable. And the only reason they ban its use is because they don't understand it. We did. And if you knew the things your Council did to keep its power, you wouldn't be feeling so sentimental right now." If only she knew what he had really done...But then maybe it wouldn't matter anyway. She had her opinion about Dregs, and he had his opinion about the Council.

And no amount of arguing change that. At least that was something they could agree on.

And then she worded exactly what he knew: She didn't need him. Even if she didn't state it outright before, Ric's suspicions were spot on. All these elite progeny were the same: They thought their status was a godsend, something that made him intrinsically untouchable. Though he had to stifle a laugh when she tried to teleport, her attempt to get away from him interrupted by the bonds of their contract.

"Guess Little Miss Perfect didn't read the fine print as well as she thought" he mocked, putting a finger to his forehead and slowly drawing it away from him; threads of light streamed into his finger, seeming to pull something literally from his head. Before long, quite the impressive text block - no doubt a portion of the contract that was signed - hovered between the two of them. "The relevant passage, in case you're still wondering..." he started; giving a small but deliberate cough, he then read:

"As preceded in Article 17, Paragraph 10, Subsection 2A, the distance between the contracted party (here named 'Ricendithas Wolfswift) and the assignee (here named 'Ellastaria Durante') shall not exceed fifteen meters, except when within the bounds of the assignee's dwelling, to which the distance shall never exceed twenty meters beyond its perimeter. When attempting to utilize rapid transit arcana, both parties must grip each other in some fashion lest the spell fall upon itself by means of this contractual negation rite:

Haec duo non possunt separari. Rejiciunt conatus relinquere et ligabis eos.

Any attempts of one party to relieve the other of said presence shall be denied. This clause will remain in effect until the conditions described in Article 1, Paragraph 1, Subsection 1A have been met and the assignee has relinquished the duty of protection from the contracted party (here named 'Ricendithas Wolfswift') along with the permission of the contract drafter {here named 'Lorencio Durante').

And with a snap of his fingers, the words vanished from sight. "Can't say I disagree, but I guess we need to hurry up and make you Queen. Because until that happens, we're both stuck with each other." he then said, giving a sort of satisfied smirk. "Don't think that just because we're on this little play date that you're going to change what I do or who I am." He then walked up closer and stood over her, his voice lowering as he said with a tone of finality, "You might be who I have to protect, but you are in no way my master and I no way your slave."

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"I didn't have reason to read the contract," Stella commented pointedly as a string of letters were pulled from the warlock's mind, forming into a suspended paragraph of contractual text. She knew she should have read the document it in its entirety rather than skim through it——it was almost embarrassing that Ric actually had to quote the damn thing——but it wasn't her contract to begin with. Why would she have to digest page after page of legalese and fine print, most of which wasn't even relevant to her? "Some of us aren't freaks of nature who absorb words upon contact," she said. But the irony of her words didn't escape her; all warlocks and witches were seen as freaks of nature by the Normals (herself included), but she couldn't help throwing out the petty insult as she remembered how he had somehow managed to read through hundreds of pages of information within an instant. He was unnaturally powerful by magical standards too, though she kept her mouth shut with that thought.

The text disappeared then, and she rolled her eyes, shifting her eyes to the side. "I mean, I think 'Little Miss Perfect' is a good..." Her voice trailed off, the haughty tone dying down as Ric stepped closer, his height seemingly looming over her own small stature. There was something in his voice that made it clear he wasn't joking, and that, in spite of his know-it-all smirk and the casual nature of his words, he was dead serious about how he felt about being tied to her. Interestingly, it also meant he was aware of the way many Society members treated the Dregs that were under contract. Even those with valuable positions such as protectors, advisors, and house doctors were still treated much of the same way; they were regarded as servants of the elite families, more of less seen as resources that could be used and exploited rather than actual people.

Stella visibly swallowed, her body tensing and mouth running dry as her violet eyes peered up at Ric, and her neck angled upwards to look at him. The dim lighting of the night caused his hood to cast a shadow over much of his face, but she could still see the green eye staring her down. No, she wasn't afraid, but for the first time in a long time someone had the ability to make her feel small. Someone who wasn't afraid to tell her how wrong she was, or how wrong he thought she was. The feeling was strange, foreign even, like a slip in the tight control she had over her life. It hadn't even been a full day and his very presence in front of her was unnerving. She moved as if to take a step back, but then she felt an energy not of her own magic extend outwards, creating a violet-red tinged ring that encircled her and pushed Ric backwards with a good amount of force. It wasn't enough for it too hurt, but its strength was an indication that he was much too close for comfort.

A heavy breath that Stella hadn't realized she was holding escaped her chest, and her posture noticeably relaxed, shoulders dropping the slightest bit while she shifted her body weight onto one hip. The ring that surrounded her lasted for a few seconds before it faded, the berry color shimmering in air as the ward dissipated into emptiness. Even though she hadn't fully read the contract, she knew what that was. "The binding magic of the spell will protect you, always. Even from the Dreg himself," she remembered her father's words to her as he gave her the general run-down of the contract's contents. Initially she had taken the purpose of the ward as a sexual deterrent, but it was readily apparent now that any sort of heavy discomfort seemed to activate the ward.

"Let's see it then," she taunted Ric lightly, though it was clear her previously authoritative aura had not returned. "I want a full citation from the document detailing the parts where it states that you're not supposed to cross this line." She used the tip of her boot to draw a narrow mark in front of her on the snow-dusted ground, but she carelessly stepped over it upon finishing, then marched right up to her bodyguard. No, she was not his master and he was not her slave, but technically she was in charge. And she would not relinquish that hold for someone who seemed to be just as hard-headed as she was. If he wanted a pissing contest over who could be the most stubborn, then she would only lose when hell froze over. "Take me home, Wolfswift," she said icily, loosely grasping his hand in a way that one might grab a bag of trash. It wasn't like one was much different from the other anyway.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric wouldn't back down, not from this little tart and her superiority complex. It was going to take a lot more than her simply believing she was better than him to ever accept her as his 'handler'. Though if he really thought about it, it was kind of the other way around. He was technically handling her, but that didn't mean jack squat to him. Nothing about this job was supposed to be enjoyable, that much he knew. But he would find ways to make it so, servant of a royal family or not. That didn't detract from his contempt for her or any other elite snoot from Society, but at least he could have more freedom than in that blasted prison.

Ric just sneered at her, noticing her high-and-mighty aura falter under his gaze, his eye narrowing as she took a step back. He looked down as a red glow showed up in his peripheral, an unseen force pushing him back quite hard. Not enough to knock him on his ass, but enough to make him have to regain his footing. "What's the matter, princess...Didn't scare you, did I?" the warlock asked heatedly; really, she felt threatened by that of all things? He knew damn well about the protection spell

And then she decided to taunt him further, even going so far as to literally draw a line in the sand. "You know damn well there's nothing about a line..." he replied heatedly, his hands clenching. He felt himself starting to lose his cool again, the air around him starting to shimmer from the heat he was putting off; if only this contract didn't prevent him from teaching her a lesson, he thought. But he knew he couldn't do anything...Not yet. He'd have ample opportunity for payback later, a la his future 'visit' with Rowena. That thought made him grin some more, but didn't fully quell the animosity he felt towards her.

"Yeah yeah" was his response, their bodies quickly vanishing into the ether. Their tangled forms raced through nothing, soon landing just feet outside her home in the woods. And before long, both of them were inside, Ric looking around to see if there was something he could do about these remaining holes. He needed something to distract him for how much she got him riled. And if it meant that she wouldn't throw a bitch fit at him, all the better.

Without so much as a word, his aura roared to life as he began pushing the princess' energy residing in the house this way and that, his own energy forming symbols that floated up to respective weak points to create nexus areas; with how much she gave, there was more than enough to secure every inch of the house itself. But the warding outside would still need work, and for that, he would need her to point out where she laid the wards. Something he felt she wouldn't exactly feel like doing right after their little lover's spat in the forest.

"Better get to bed, princess. Wouldn't want all those suitors to see you messy and raggled. Who knows, some sleep might help with your 'chest problem' a little." he then said snarkily, continuing his work nonchalantly; maybe he was playing with fire on that last bit, but damn it all if she hadn't managed to piss him off in the littlest bit. Whether or not she chose to do anything about it would be her prerogative; the contract did everything it could to stop Ric from harming Stella, even going so far as to drain his energy if he started getting too violent. But it did next to nothing should Stella wish to inflict harm on him...Basically turning him into a whipping boy should she ever feel the need or desire arise.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


The princess immediately let go of Ric as soon as she felt her feet touch the stone walkway leading to the entrance of her house, snatching her hand away to let him know just how much she detested being with him. How much she absolutely loathed having to teleport together. Maybe next time she could just hang onto his cloak and not actually have to touch him, but she wondered how effective that would be since she wouldn't entirely be gripping him in some fashion, and there was no doubt in her mind that the contract was iron-clad. It would be nearly impossible to skirt around the rules that were in place, and for some reason that thought made her even more upset. It was like Lorencio was trying his absolute hardest to stick two people together that obviously would not work well together. She and Ric were like water and oil, light and dark, or gasoline and fire, it seemed, by the way they seemed to butt heads.

Then they were inside, and she immediately made for the stairs, not saying a word to her bodyguard as she saw him weaving magic around the house. He could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't get in her way, and if he wanted to continue working on the house then he was free to do so. It wasn't like she was going to help him anyway. What she wanted to do was relax, take a hot bath or do something else to relieve the stress of the day. She hadn't even had to relieve stress before in her life, but here she was, finally forced to find something to do simply because he came into her life. Him and his stupid contract and stupid attitude. Looking back, maybe she should have pushed for her dad to choose Sydney. Anyone but Ric.

She was halfway up when she heard his comment about her chest, and immediately her anger spiked again. Really? He just had to go for that? It wasn't a sensitive topic, but the fact that it was coming from him made it so much worse. "Funny," she sneered at him from the top of the landing, looking down at him with not an ounce of amusement in her voice. "Does sleep help with your tiny dick?"

The golden flecks scattered throughout her irises seemed to swallow the purple as her rage reached a boiling point, and in an instant a flash of blinding light came down to strike the warlock in a diagonal motion from his shoulder to mid-chest, sharp and hot like a searing blade. She heard the fabric of his clothing tear from the sudden attack, but without having any idea if it actually hurt him or not, she quickly turned on her heel to rush the rest of the way to her room. A few seconds later, the sound of a slamming door reverberated throughout the house, an action that Stella knew was more likely done by one of those petulant teenagers of the Normal world and not a princess of the magical world. If it was a fight Ric wanted, then a fight he was going to get. Her royal status and supposed magical inferiority didn't mean she was weak or unwilling to stand up to him, and he would do well to remember it.


Two days had gone by since that first night, with Stella falling into a normal routine of avoidance disguised under civility, doing what she could to minimize the actual time she spent with Ric. If she had to go out, he was just something that she was forced to bring with her, like an accessory of sorts that was just there. His presence became more like a shadow that followed her everywhere, and she didn't doubt that this was the way her father intended things to be. Sometimes if the lack of interaction lasted long enough, it was almost as if she was completely alone, just like it had been before. Almost, but not quite; someone or something would always remind her that he was there, mostly asking out of curiosity (as most of her magical acquaintances did). Some of them seemed to know of him, or had heard of him through one way or another, but she didn't care. He could have been a god among the Dregs for that matter, and maybe he was, but she still would have hated him.

On that third morning, Stella had taken a trip to one of the local cafes, seated by a window where the winter sun streamed through. She was wearing a white tank top with baggy grey sweatpants hanging off her hips, a hand's breadth of light olive skin showing between where the tank ended and the band of the sweatpants began. Her wavy medium-length hair was tied up in a loose bun at the top of her head, stray strands falling out of the back and resting on her bare back and shoulders. Large, plastic-framed black glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, falling a bit as she continuously looked from a notebook of scribbled spells to the myriad of open books that took up quite a bit of space on the table in front of her. The largest of them was a text entirely in Latin, thick and obviously of old age. The other two books looked much newer, with one being a book on non-Latin based magic (borrowed from Adrian), and the last being some book in an Asian language. One might have recognized the Korean characters if they knew how to distinguish between the Eastern languages.

"U-um, excuse me, miss?" A small, soft-spoken employee tapped her on the shoulder, her eyes nervously switching back and forth between the princess and the far corner of the room. "Your friend... he, uh..."

Stella checked the time on her phone and sighed, more annoyed with the fact that someone had interrupted her work, but she turned around anyway, fully prepared to chew him out for whatever it was he was doing. It was only 8:30 AM, and she was already over this shit.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric couldn't help but laugh as she retaliated with her tiny dick theory; really, that was the best she could do? She was told, with no form of buffer whatsoever, that he was packing something impressive. Granted, it was from Rowena - a fellow Dreg like himself - but her attempt to rile made his previous tension just disappear. "Maybe I should show you just how tiny it is, Princess." was what he shot back at her, a grin on his face as he continued his work around the house.

Which quickly faded as he continued to work...And received a blade of light cutting across his back, nearly cutting the cape of his cloak clean below the shoulders blade, the fabric held together by a few measly threads. Thankfully, the dragonscale armor protected from the sharpness of the edge, but he still felt the impact and was thrown back a few feet. He barely managed to miss his footing, his momentum serving to make him stumble over the couch and land on his head with a rather impressive thud.

It took him a few minutes to stand up and brush himself off, his eye traveling down to his outfit; given that the dragonscale was on the outside, the only sections with a cut were the shoulder sleeve and the part of his top that hanged outside the protective plate near his left hip. It wasn't anything a little heat couldn't fix, but now she went and got him mad. Something that he would end up regretting: As soon as his anger started to boil, his flames at the ready to bust her door open, he felt the negation clauses kick in and sap his energy, drawing it off to who knew where.

And after a short bit of fighting it, he eventually calmed down and sank to a knee, a bright crimson still surrounding his body. Mostly from feeling exhausted, but he calmed down, the red shade fading from existence. "Fuck this..." he muttered, crawling onto the couch; he managed to get quite a few of the holes patched in the short time he'd been working regardless. He honestly didn't know what this would mean for the two of them. Why he was stuck with such a hard-head was obvious: Stella was someone who could take his bullshit and deal it back to him. Didn't mean he liked it, but he could at least respect she had something of a backbone. Despite her obvious inexperience compared to him.

Alas, he drifted off to sleep, his cloak serving as more than ample cover for his body throughout the night.

---

The next few days were uneventful, to say the least. Mostly it was her just leading him around, doing her various errands and him just getting to play the part of the intimidating watcher. More than a few heads turned their way, especially considering his 'odd' state of dress. His cloak was now fixed, hanging just above his ankles and hiding his arms from view. And though he heard snarky comments of him being 'goth' and 'emo', he knew they were just petty insults. The things he could do just by looking at them...But Stella, in all her mighty knowledge, forbade him from doing anything to draw too much attention to themselves.

Something he failed to adhere to when she decided to study in a cafe; last he checked, her house had a fully functioning library. Complete with plush couches and tables to pile books up high. Hell, the only thing it needed was a front desk with a sexy librarian. And despite Ric's earlier comments, picturing Stella as that stereotypical skirt-and-stocking type was quite a provocative image. And if he were being honest...Those glasses didn't look half bad. Not that he would ever say that to her face, lest she take it like a back-handed compliment and have a hissy fit.

And really, she should have figured he would do something to amuse himself. For Normals without access to magic, some of the women in here were not bad-looking...Even if they sounded like complete pseudo-intellectual morons. And some of the men looked like they would burst into flame if they stayed out in the sun for too long.

But still, from what Stella had told him, they were still by and large as superstitious and cowardly as their ancestors. Which meant plenty of opportunity to mess them a little. First it was minor things: Making their drinks too hot, causing a laptop or two to malfunction, and in one messing with a guy's glasses to make them so heavy they fell off his face and left a dent in the floor. But then he stepped it up one notch; more than a few times, he made someone's beverage spill forward onto one of his buddies or outright just float out of their hand.

And the whole time he was barely suppressing his laughter; and right as Stella turned around she would witness the best prank yet: A latte with a double-shot of espresso was floating, but the drinker's hand was still attached to it. It was a young woman in her twenties, her attire that similar to Stella's but even more revealing: Her hot-pink belly shirt exposed plenty of flat slightly-pale midriff and her shorts gave anyone who looked a decent panty-line with a side of asscrack. She tried to pull it back down, and eventually started calling for help once she began lifting off her seat. By this point, nearly the entire cafe was looking at her and a few of the stronger-looking guys tried to pull her down to no avail.

She cried out in pain, telling them to help her in a high-pitched and terrified voice as tears started to stream down her cheeks; and though no one actually saw Ric doing in anything - in fact he was helping himself to a steaming cup of (poorly made, in his opinion) herbal tea - it would be obvious to anyone attuned to magic that it was his handiwork.

Or in, incredibly judgmental Normals who felt like confronting someone who could literally turn them inside out with a thought was a brilliant plan.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ric heard one of them shout at him, looking up from his tea to see himself now surrounded by a group of people. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize having a cup of tea was illegal...Now fuck off, the lot of you. If you would be so kind." was his response, the last bit accompanied by a polite nod of the head. "Hey, douche, get her down now or you're going to regret it!" said another, this one a slightly bulkier male in blue jeans and pink polo shirt.

"Someone get me down! Please!" the poor girl shrieked, her grip unable to release itself from the cup.

Sitting back in his chair, Ric just held his arms open, "Do you morons see me with a spellbook? Or chanting at all?" At this some of them seemed to falter, realizing the possibility might have gotten the wrong person. "Well...Can you do magic?" another girl asked, to which Ric replied, "Of course...So if you ask me nicely, I can try to let her down gently."

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


That was it. Stella was going to kill him. She was going to murder him, then bring him back to life only to kill him again. What couldn't he understand about sitting the fuck still? She watched quietly as pink-shirt girl was raised even higher in the air, unable to let go of her latte. After a brief moment of consideration, she decided it was best to try and counter Ric's magic rather than confront him outright. Not that she had any problems with confronting him (that much was clear), but she wanted to keep this incident relatively minor. No sense in blowing it up when she didn't have to. She began quietly reciting spells in attempt to relieve the girl of her predicament, but she frowned; Ric's magic was tough to crack, even if it was something as simple as a little cafe prank.

"Her!"

Stella stopped murmuring her spells to look towards the source of the new voice, and she saw a tall blonde glaring at her with her an arm raised and finger pointing at the princess. The blonde looked about pink-shirt's age, maybe a couple of years younger, but it was obvious they were close friends.

"Look—she's chanting, and she's got spellbooks. Three of them!"

The small crowd that had gathered around Ric switched their interest to Stella, some of them pushing their way to see the supposed evidence of the perpetrator. The men looked mostly surprised upon seeing her—how could a young woman, short and dressed exactly like a one of them, be responsible for this heinous act? One of them even shook his head and opened his mouth as if to disagree, but the damage had already been done: a majority of the female members of the crowd nodded their heads, murmuring amongst themselves and shooting dirty side-glances at her.

"Quit being a bitch and let her down!" the blonde snapped again.

"I'm trying to help her," Stella said rather calmly, face flat and emotionless as she said the words. The only indication that she was irked beyond understanding was the slight furrowing on her left brow, along with her clenched jaw. These Normals were always so combative and catty, especially the women. And more than half the people in this cafe seemed to lack a brain, seeing as pink-shirt had been floating even before Stella started working on the counter-magic.

"'Help her' my ass," blondie fired back, standing with her hands on her hips. "I'll bet you just wanted to fuck up someone's morning, didn't you?"

Stella stared at her blankly, fighting the urge to light her ass on fire instead of helping her friend. It was honestly unbelievable how ignorant a person could be, but she guessed she couldn't blame them. Ric was right in that regard; the Normals were only fearful of that which they didn't understand, so quick to blame the person who only looked like they were working some sort of strange voodoo shit. If only they had known that the things written in her notebook weren't fully formed spells at all, but mostly just translations and pieces that helped her in the learning process. Idiots, the lot of them.

She sighed and stood, holding her hands up in a conciliatory fashion, then shrugged. There was only one way to take care of this now without shit officially hitting the fan. "I don't know why you would think it was me doing that to your friend, but please trust me when I say that I have no part in this. I only came here to relax and start my morning, just like you." A sweet smile turned up her lips, transforming her previously neutral expression into one of blissful serenity. If she was pretty before, just the slight change in her features made her look almost angelic. It was magic-fueled, of course, spreading with it an air of calm and peacefulness, making many of the angrier patrons un-clench their balled fists or relax their postures. Even blondie's face went from that nasty bitchiness to one that was looked less aggressive.

It was one of Stella's more hidden magical talents, her ability to manipulate emotions. It wasn't anything like compulsion, but the Normals were easy enough to fall prey to the moments when she decided to share—or in this case, force—her feelings on the people around her. It wasn't something she did often (who the hell actually wanted to constantly share and absorb emotions), especially because it was easily detectable by any warlock or witch who had any ounce of magical capability. She never thought it'd be something that would ever help her, but apparently she was wrong.

"This problem is easily solved," she said softly, continuing to smile as the crowd and even the employees had calmed down. "You heard him... If we ask nicely, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to let her down." Then walking to Ric, her violet eyes glinted dangerously behind the glasses. It was an odd contrast to the rest of her face, but she knew he would know she wasn't playing any games. "Ric, please let her down," she said, though the tone of her voice made it clear that it was more of a command than a request.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Well now, this was a surprise.

Seemed Stella Durante was more than just a walking laser cannon; she could engage her magic to alter the brain chemistry and psychological states of those around her. An interesting nugget to find, to say the least; from her hothead nature, he wouldn't have guessed she could be serene enough to engage in thought manipulation work. But least it seemed to be working; the Normals seemed to relax quite easily now that the fair princess was 'strutting her stuff'.

Giving her a mock clap and a grin in response to her death glare, he simply replied in that 'Go fuck yourself' casual nature, "Why of course...See? Having a semblance of manners can get you so far in life." He then raised his right hand up and extended his index finger outward; slowly, he moved it down and with it the poor girl slowly began to drop. Eventually, she landed right back in her seat as gentle as a kitten, her fingers now able to uncurl from her drink. "Oh thank God..." she murmured, her friends instantly coming to hug her and comfort her from the horrifying ordeal.

Really though, this was minor; he could have made things so much. Like having her 'phase' through the roof and up into the sky. He had no doubt she would have messed her pants up something fierce. In any event, the event was over and Ric decided that maybe he should give her a little showcase of his own talent.

"Everyone, everyone, if I could have your attention please." he then called out, standing up. "First off...You all are quite possibly the biggest lot of sheep I've ever seen in one place. The fact you actually bought my spellbook and chant spiel shows how amazingly ignorant you are about magic." And just like that, Stella's calming aura seemed to have its effects lessened; anger started to flow, outrage at basically being called stupid.

And boy was there one HELL of an uproar.

"What the hell, man?"

"What did she do to you?"

"You could have made her arm rip itself off or something?"

At this, Ricendithas held up a hand and brought a finger to his lips, saying only "Shhhh...." Oddly enough, everyone became mute, their lips forming words but no voice coming out to give them presence. Many of the Normals looked to each other in confusion, trying to talk but having no success.

Ric then snapped his fingers and continued, "Are we done? Good. As I was saying: In case your tiny minds couldn't put two and two together, I was responsible for the young woman's little trip. The 'spellbooks' the young lass is reading have NOTHING to do with spells at all. In fact, if any of you had a decent grasp of Latin, you might actually learn a lot about the nature of magic through those books." One of the younger men - a lean individual in a light blue button-up and black slacks in front of a laptop - raised a hand and said, "I got my PhD in foreign literature." Ric just gave him a blank stare, said "Congratulations." in the blandest voice possible and flicked a finger towards the man, a cookie from the display case flying out and landing in his lap. "Have a cookie for your great success."

Turning his attention back to the crowd, he continued, "Now then, since you're all so nicely focused on this handsome mug of mine..." His one visible eye glowed again, power booming through the room as he changed tongues from Latin to Scandinavian:

"Ved forlengelse av mitt sinn , la nylige hendelser strømme til meg.
Slett deg selv av tanker akkurat nå, og glemme hva du har sett.
Gå tilbake til som du var, og la dette øyeblikk aldri bli."

A wave of energy soon washed through the room, effectively erasing everyone's mind of these past few moments save for those of exceptional magical prowess, like himself and Stella. Though he wished she would forget too. If only because of the ass-chewing he knew was coming. Really, he could have not made an ass of himself, but he was bored. And it wasn't like he killed anyone, for Pete's sake.

Once it was done, the energy seemed to collapse back on him, taking everyone's very-short term memories with it. The Normals looked around confused, as if wondering why they were all standing in such a big group. The young man at the laptop looked down at his lap, his expression one of puzzlement as he picked up the cookie. "I don't remember ordering this..." he muttered, but shrugged and took a bite anyway.

"PhD my sweet ass...." Ric mused to himself, coming to sit directly across from Stella herself now that things had calmed down again. "So, for lunch, I was thinking Mexican...Or perhaps Japanese? If you like, there's this killer sushi place in Tokyo that serves it on a freaking conveyor belt. I mean, how cool is that? We can blast over there and back before anyone notices we're gone...And let's just say I helped the owner with a particularly ornery Onryo on one of my assignments...You know that means discount." He of course spoke as if he had done nothing wrong, his expression playful and innocent as the Normals resumed their idle chatter amongst themselves.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


Ric sat down in front of her, but Stella's gaze remained on her work as she resumed writing, having turned back to the books as the Normals had their memories erased. "Why are you sitting here, Mr. Wolfswift? I thought I was clear in you staying well away from me in public," she began, scribbling a mix of Latin-to-Korean translations as her eyes remained glued to the paper, her voice bland but stern as she spoke to him. The tone was much like how a boss would speak to an insubordinate employee, one who had stepped far too much out of line.

"I hope you realize how incredibly stupid that was. Not only did you put a Normal in harm's way—regardless of how small of a joke you thought it was—but you also allowed it to be seen by a whole group of them. This explicitly goes against the Council rules regarding the use of magic to or around Normals, and as such, it qualifies as a minor offense. I could report you, and I should report you, but I'm not going to. Not because I like you or anything ridiculous like that, but because I happen to think everyone here is an ignorant little shit." She knew he didn't give a rat's ass about the Council, but it was a chance for her to lord her superiority over him.

The princess looked up at him then and cocked her head a small angle to the right, causing her glasses to slightly slide lopsidedly against her nose and cheek. "Why do you think I told you I didn't like startling the Normals with things they don't like seeing? Something like this happens, and it somehow falls on me that they saw something they didn't understand. Then they get angry, and hell seems to erupt in the smallest of places. Like here."

If one was around her long enough, it wasn't hard to guess that she was someone of magical blood. Even though she dressed normally like any other young woman her age, the way she talked and interacted with the Normals made it apparent to most that she wasn't one of them. Not to mention her eyes that were usually complimented among the magical community were usually seen as eerie and otherworldly to the Normals. And the only reason she wouldn't outright say what Ric announced was because she had an angry father and Council to answer to if she ever did anything as brash as his actions. He had some balls to do that right in front of her, especially after that first night.

Stella's eyes slid down once more to the notebook below, and a small smile appeared on her glossed lips. "You know, I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do. On one hand, I really, really want to drag you outside and serve your ass to you on a silver platter. On the other hand... You can be funny sometimes. And Japanese does sound good, to be honest." She wanted to ask about all the places he had visited over the years, but she was interrupted by one of the men around them; it was the same blue-jeans and pink-polo guy who had threatened Ric earlier. Not that he would remember it.

"Hey beautiful," he said to her, waggling his eyebrows while a cocky, arrogant grin flashed across his face. Stella raised her head to look at him, and he seemed to pause for a second as he took in her strange eyes. But within a second the cocky grin returned, and he asked, "I was wondering if you might be free later tonight? I'm—"

"No thanks," she cut him off with a cold smile, then proceeded to read the giant Latin text sitting open on the table. After waiting a few seconds and seeing that the block of pink Polo Ralph Lauren had not moved, she looked up once more.

"So... what are you reading?" he attempted to continue their conversation, casually leaning one hand on the table to glance at the old book.

"Just brushing up on some language skills," Stella answered flatly, nodding towards the book in Korean. "Obviously."

"You studying Latin for your major or something? Girls and foreign languages are pretty sexy."

The poor thing; he probably thought he was being smooth, but it wasn't impressive in the slightest. "No. I'm studying magic."

The bluntness of her words seemed to stop the guy in his tracks, and he stared at her dumbfounded for a moment before his grin returned, wider than ever. "Great," he leaned in closer to her, eyes flicking down to the bit cleavage showing beneath the tank top. "I'm sure you can show me some great magic in bed."

Stella dropped her pen on the table, then turned to give Ric a wide-eyed look of exasperation that seemed to say, "Oh my fucking god, why."

"What, is he your boyfriend or something?" The guy turned to Ric, seemingly noticing him for the first time, his eyes traveling down the warlock's cloaked form as if silently sizing him up. On another level, his face showed disbelief, unable to comprehend why Stella would be with a guy like Ric.

"You know what, fuck it, yeah he is," Stella finally muttered in obvious annoyance as she started to gather her things, closing the books and stacking them one on top of the other. "He's my boyfriend, and you have to go. We have to go." She stood and shrugged on a coat, grabbed the books and murmured, "Come on," to her bodyguard as she moved to head out the door.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric just snickered as Stella so thoughtfully reproached any attempt at civil conversation; boy, she might think herself a kind soul but she was a bitch and a cheat like every other Council brat. "You say that like I should give a damn." he thought to himself; ironically, he didn't really hate Normals. They were ignorant and blind, sure, but they couldn't help it. In all the time humanity had spent on this Earth, the ones that could do magic always kept themselves hidden away. Besides, he imagined he would be afraid too if he were in their shoes. Even after unveiling their existence, it took a lot of effort to build something close to a trusting relationship between the two 'races'.

Nonetheless the prejudice was still there, and everyone knew it even if they didn't want to openly acknowledge it. Still, before he was captured and caged, he was actually one of humanity's hidden defenders. He decided early on tht he wouldn't give Stella that much. She would have to earn his story, if she even bothered to care about why he was the way he was.

For the situation at hand, all Ric could do was quirk a brow as Stella gave in. Boyfriend, was he? Well now, someone changed their tune mighty quick when it served them conveniently. Especially considering the guy was about as sharp as a bowling ball, and probably half as smart. Not to mention his pick up lines were downright atrocious. Granted he wasn't all that refined himself, but the guy could have at least put some effort into it. Some real effort.

"Sorry, my friend...A lady wants what a lady wants." Ric replied sarcastically, patting Mister Flamingo Shirt on the shoulder as he stood to make his exit. "You think you're some hot shit, don't you? Hey, what do you see in him, girl? Look at his weak ass. He looks like Harry Potter and Twilight had a bastard child, then threw it in the dumpster." Ric just stopped at the door, his arm bracing it open so that Stella would hear every last word of the man's pathetic attempt at a taunt, despite it having some degree of accuracy when it came to 'Normal' perception.

"I apologize, little man, but my lady wants to go...And frankly, I find these kinds of cafes nauseating. One can only stomach so much idiocy in a single serving. So, good day to you." was his calm reply, stepping outside and going to walk with Stella to somewhere secluded so they could teleport.

Except Pink-Shirt had a different idea; his face red as a tomato from the insinuation, he charged out the door and shouted, "Hey, I'm not done with you! No one calls me stupid!" And when neither of them turned around to engage him, he charged ahead and stepped in front of the two of them. "Hey asshole, I don't think you heard me!" the young man said with quite the heat in his tone. "No, I heard you just fine. I only chose not to respond because it would be a waste of breath. And as for me calling you stupid...I called everyone in there stupid. So trust me, it wasn't directed at you." Ric stated in a bemused fashion; Normals were so funny when they were angry. Especially at the slightest hit against their pride.

"Yeah, well, I'm still going to kick your ass...Then maybe your bitch girlfriend will see what it's like to be with a real man. Not some costumed basement dweller little faggot."

At this, Ric just sighed, "I would tell you don't want this, but you seem to have your mind made up. So...You want first punch?" Pink-Shirt just grinned, muttering gleefully "I'm going to lay your ass out, pussy." then stepped in with a hard left hook, catching Ric in the jaw with an audible 'bwok'. And though the warlock stumbled a little from the force, he didn't seem dazed in the slightest and his attacker was actually clutching his hand in obvious pain. Ricendithas straightened himself and touched where he got hit. Didn't really hurt, but he still felt the impact.

"For a tough guy, you sure don't hit like one."

That was all Ric said before he took one step in and backhanded Pink-Shirt with a closed fist; a nasty-sounding crack resonated through the air, the guy now laying the ground unconscious. Closer inspection would reveal that the man's jawbone didn't look quite right; it was like Ric had broken the man's jaw. "Whoops...That look like it hurt." was all he said, standing over his victim with his arms crossed. By this point, he was drawing yet another crowd around him, many of them looking on in horror and shock at the scene.

"Now then...Are you going to be a good boy and say you're sorry?" Ric asked playfully, knowing full well the man couldn't reply. "No? Well, I guess this will have to do." he added, just continuing to push onward as if this were a normal occurrence. "Come on, Stella...I'm freaking starving." he then said, not really caring for the asshat that attacked him because he got his feelings hurt.

Some people started taking out their phones and began recording, one even dialing for the police and an ambulance. Within moments, every single electrical device began to fizzle and spark for no apparent reason; all of them were dropped in shock, some going so far as to back away from the sudden and bizarre occurrence.

"Don't need any of that noise..." Ric thought to himself, smirking even though it looked like he had done nothing at all. The Normals couldn't see him beneath his hood, but Stella would know instantly that he had done something to help give them a clean escape from the sheep flock.

Once they had gotten away to a secluded alleyway, he looked around and said, "Off we go...Konnichiwa, Nippon!" Grabbing her arm, he then teleported them once more, their essences flying through reality before reappearing in yet another alleyway...Right next to the sushi restaurant in question: Heiroku Sushi in the heart of Omotesando. "Well? Let's go in...Their 4-piece tuna plate is to DIE for" he then said with a happy grin, leading the way without even so much as a how-do-you-do for his earlier actions.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"Ric."

Stella stood there with her arms crossed, un-moving even as a group of locals and tourists passed her by. It was late in Tokyo, but it was just as lively as ever: the hum of car engines and tires on road, and people everywhere. A Caucasian couple walking hand-in-hand—obviously tourists as they were carrying quite a few shopping bags between them—bumped into her harshly, and the male paused in his step to say some vulgar insults in Italian, gesturing at her as he muttered profanities. Annoyed already, Stella snapped back, watching his face go from amusement to horror as he realized she was fluent in the language. Eventually he and his partner shuffled off, and Stella sighed. Everyone was testing her patience lately, but she had no problem fighting with everybody. And she would, too.

"Ric," she repeated again as she took a step forward and grabbed his wrist, her fingers digging into the cloth of his glove as she pulled him to the wall. She wasn’t exactly mad, but she gave him a hard look that conveyed the seriousness of the matter. "Listen to me. You can’t be doing dumb shit anymore. That’s not okay, especially when you knew there was no possible way he could have hurt you. Your job is to protect me, not beat the shit out of people because they aggravate you. I mean, was breaking his jaw really necessary? Then leaving him like that? And what about this?" She then held up her free hand, showing him what it was that had actually angered her more than him injuring pink-shirt. She shook her phone in his face, the screen remaining black even as she pressed the 'on' button. It was dead now, completely useless as it had accidentally been included in Ric's fun little game of destroying people's electronic devices. Fucking idiot.

"I like having this, just so you know. It's very expensive, but you have absolutely no concept of how pricey things are considering all the money you do spend is mine anyway." She released his arm and turned away to tuck the phone away in the pocket of her sweatpants, then uttered a spell and dropped the books in her bag, all three of them plus the notebook falling inside with no effort at all. After situating the plum bag onto the other arm, she sighed and looked down at her outfit. She really wasn't dressed for this at all, but there was an easy remedy to that. A wicked grin lit up her features as she looked across the street and saw Omotesando Hills and the bright label of 'DOLCE & GABBANA' shining out through a window. And she knew that right down the street would be a Louis Vuitton. They were closed at this hour, but Ric was right; coming here was an excellent idea.

But nonetheless, she followed Ric inside, with both of them seated at a long black sushi bar. The most interesting part was that everyone who wasn't a tourist didn't bat a single eyelid at his appearance. He was... normal here. But she knew that already; it was like that in much of the Eastern and South-eastern Asian countries, where mysticism had always been a part of their cultures since the very beginning. A menu was placed between the two of them although Stella's eyes were already on the conveyor belt of color-coded plates that were passing them by. She hadn't had Japanese in a while. Well, not like this. Fast-food 'Japanese' from the mall, or even the major Japanese restaurant chains didn't exactly count in her book. And while she loved the Korean food she grew up with, the flavor palette was still different than the Japanese food she had also grown to love. Not that she even made or ate Korean food all that much at home, but she still had it more than she had Japanese.

Eyes skimming over the menu, she leaned closer to the warlock beside her and said in an innocent voice, "So afterwards, I was thinking that since you got your sushi, I kind of want to stay the night and shop around for a bit tomorrow." She pulled her first plate off the conveyor belt, her mouth practically watering at the sight of the unagi nigiri. "I haven't treated myself in a while, and I could honestly go on all day." Her voice was more than civil; it was sweet, dripping with kindness, but the smirk that played on her lips was an obvious indication that she was only trying to get on his nerves again. It served him right, she thought to herself, after the incident with her phone.

Then at that moment, her eyes connected with one of the chefs'... And then watched as the chef's eyes slid over to Ric, his face breaking out in a wide grin. She heard rapid Japanese as he spoke excitedly with one of the chefs beside him, and Stella raised an eyebrow at her bodyguard as she mixed a healthy amount of wasabi paste into her soy sauce.

"So how many friends around the world do you really have?" she asked him, nodding to the chefs. "Is this some sort of sign that I need to join your list of admirers or what? Because we both know that's definitely not happening."

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric just rolled his eyes as she pushed against the wall and chewed him out, telling him about what he could and couldn't do; so what, he was supposed to let some smart-mouth little shit walk all over him because he was her bodyguard now? Did she completely forget that Flamingo Boy threw the first punch?

Fuck that.

Regardless, he let her yammer on...And then she shook his phone in his face. Alright, maybe he should have exercised a little caution there...But the last thing either of them wanted was police showing up and detaining the two of them. "Calm down, let's get some food and we'll talk this out. You know, like adults." he replied, leading her inside to the sushi belt restaurant. Despite having come here multiple times, he found it utterly ingenious that they had conveyor belts where one could just sit at a table and pick whatever suited their fancy.

"Whatever you want....darling. You can shop to your little heart's content. But just know I won't be doing a damn thing to help with your bags. You're on your own there." he teased, picking up a plate of sake sashimi and digging right in. If she honestly thought she could shop and have him holding her merchandise the entire time, she would be in for a rude awakening.

Though he promptly stopped eating as she asked him about his friends, his ears soon picking up the excited Japanese between two of the chefs. It wasn't much else except for "Ricendithas is here! Go tell the boss!" and some other chefs joining afterwards, their curious glances soon catching sight of his cloaked form. one of the younger ones wanting some clarification as to who the hooded man. It was almost like he was a celebrity. And if she remembered what he said before, he kind of was when it came to this along. Along with other locations in Japan.

"List of admirers? You're free to join if you like; there's more to me than just a pretty face after all." he replied to her silly comment. "As for friends, let's just say being a Dreg has its perks. Like we help other Dregs in trouble, and in turn they help me. The whole back-scratching schtick. I definitely can't count them on one hand though, if that's more what you're asking." he then added; there was no way he was giving her an exact number. Some of his friends were still outside Council detention, and there was no way this bitch was going to get their name out of him through such an inconspicuous question.

Before their conversation could continue, they were soon granted by a stout Japanese man dressed in a white chef smock - his dark hair tied into a short ponytail - who came to their table. "Ric-san! It really is you!" the man exclaimed, Ric standing up and the two shaking hands. "Long time, Sanshiro. How've things been here?" The man laughed, "Oh, much better now. That Onryo gave us a headache, but now that it's gone, we have an advantage: Only restaurant in town that was actually haunted." Looking at the warlock and then the lady, he then asked with a genuinely polite smile and bow, "My apologies, miss, but I forget my manners sometimes. I am Sanshiro Heiroku. I did not know Ric-san found a 'partner'."

Ric just laughed, "Me? And her? No, no, nothing like that. I'm her bodyguard...She's the reason I'm not in prison right now." Sanshiro's eyes lit up, "Oh, right, I almost forgot that you were on assignment. Still, it was nice to have someone willing to take on such a wicked entity." Ric just shrugged, "It's what I do...Or rather what I did. Now I get to play babysitter, haha."

Turning to Stella, he then introduced the two of them, "Stella, this is Sanshiro. Sanshiro, this is Stella. Sanshiro, join us won't you? Stella's buying." By the terms of the contract, he couldn't actually say what her last name was, as it could potentially draw attention from someone of ill intent towards them. If they already knew who she was, then it wouldn't be a problem.

"Well, a friend of Ric's is a friend of mine." Sanshiro then said, sliding into the seat next to Ric. He then asked her, "Is there anything in particular you want? Our chefs are top-notch here." He then shouted in Japanese to one of the other cooks, telling him to be ready to cook a feast. "I suggest you stay clear when Ric is hungry; sometimes he comes in and nearly puts me out of business." Ric just snickered as he grabbed the 4-piece plate he talked about from the belt, replying "Then you and your cooks need to tone down the flavors, because this stuff is fantastic!"

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"I'm good, but thanks for the offer," Stella said after he joked about her joining his list of admirers, snacking on a pickled ginger slice before speaking again. "For all I know, your admirers could be some weird harem I don't know about. Scary," she finished her thought sarcastically, although she made no comments about his pretty face. Ric was by no means ugly—although he didn't quite fit the modern standards of beauty—and she could even see how women might find him attractive aside from his, er, package the Rowena raved so much about and praised so highly. But just because she could see how one might be attracted to him didn't mean that she herself had any interest in him. And she didn't, for that matter, mostly because she couldn't stand him. Like right now, when he pulled that 'darling' shit.

But the conversation was put on hold when the another man came out whom Stella could only assume was the owner of the sushi place. Her suspicions were confirmed when he greeted her bodyguard warmly, making small-talk and catching up with Ric about the Onryo that had haunted his restaurant. As she lifted a glass of water to her lips, she almost choked on the liquid as Sanshiro referred to her as Ric's partner. His partner.

Really, this was all getting out of hand. Why did everyone think they were dating? There was the age difference to consider (although age gaps, even large ones, weren't uncommon among relationships between warlocks and witches), but more than that, she would have thought people expected her to reach a little higher than someone like Ric. Or maybe they did expect that, just like Pink-Shirt Boy did, but still thought she and Ric were 'together' simply because they were actually together all the time. She could have sighed in exasperation right there; this was the reason she had wanted Ric to sit somewhere else whenever she went out—somewhere far away where he could just sit and watch, and no one could assume such odd things about the two of them.

But Stella gave a small after the introductions, bowing her head respectfully back to him. Her mother had not raised her to be disrespectful to those who were deserving of respect, and she offered him a smile as he sat down, not bothering to correct him in calling her and Ric 'friends.' Were they friends? Maybe... not really. But she knew how to be civil and knew how to act around company, no doubt from her pampered upbringing in the elite political world of the Council. She raised an eyebrow at the 'Stella's buying' comment; it wasn't his money to give out, regardless of the fact that he was being paid quite handsomely by her father, but she figured it wasn't false anyway. And she had just chewed him out for spending what she called her money even though he technically earned it... Like always, she came to the conclusion that he was just trying to poke back at her for the shit she gave him. The cycle was endless.

"Don't I know it," she giggled and grinned to Sanshiro, her eyes flicking toward Ric and forming an exaggerated roll in response to his seemingly bottomless appetite. "I had a whole large tray of lasagna the first night he came, and he nearly finished it all... He so graciously left me with one square when all the damage was dealt. Very thoughtful of him," she teased, reaching for another plate as it went by on the belt. It was a tuna plate identical to Ric's, and she she simply beamed at Sanshiro. Good food was good food, and she had a healthy appetite on her, too, when the food was this good. The Japanese man smiled back at her with curious eyes.

"Hmm... white salmon, if you have it," she made a small request, thinking about how wonderful the ivory king salmon would taste with a hint of truffle oil. The thought made her excited, and she started naming off other items, a look of almost childish happiness on her face. "There are so many good choices! Hamachi, uni... foie gras." There was a pause before she listed off the French delicacy, caught somewhere between wanting to protect her ethical values and wanting to try it prepared as nigiri, the two food cultures having often been twisted into a mix of what could only be accurately described as pure heaven.

"Stella... Choi So-yeon's daughter?" Sanshiro suddenly asked, recognition dawning on his face the more he stared at the young woman on Ric's other side.

Stella looked at him in surprise, a progression of emotions flitting through her eyes: excitement, confusion, curiosity, and finally caution as she dipped a nice, fatty tuna cut into some soy sauce and bit into it. Almost everyone knew her mother as a Durante although So-yeon had never changed her last name to reflect her husband's name. Korean family names were special like that, and even though Stella's mother was biologically only half-Korean, she had been raised in a traditional household. Stella swallowed and looked between the chef and her bodyguard, then asking, "You know my mother?"

"She comes to Tokyo often and has eaten in my restaurant on more than one occasion... You look like her, except for the eyes. A trait she has told me is inherited through your father's side of the family." Sanshiro laughed warmly and made a small gesture of his hand. "She also likes the foie gras. So alike, the two of you," he mused out loud, then calling over one of his chefs to prepare the food. "Is there anything you would like, Ric-san? A drink, perhaps?" The Japanese man grinned and then leaned to look at Stella, his gaze sparkling with an untold story. "Have you seen the man drink? Not only can he empty my food supply, but he can also run me dry!"

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

"Well, you're not entirely wrong there, sweetcheeks." Ric chuckled; while he wouldn't call it a 'harem' per se, he certainly had more than one female acquaintance in various areas of the world that could easily be called a 'friend with benefits'. And it wasn't like he was their only man, either, or at least that classification extended to the majority. There had been a select few who wanted Ric of all people to 'pop' them, mostly after having saved them from being attacked by a monster, but some were just because they wanted to get it over with and not wait, and fewer still just did it to piss off their parents.

And because of this Ric was even more amused at her mortified reaction to being referred as his 'partner'. And while he knew that relationships between polar opposites happened all the time, he was also aware that nothing was EVER going to happen between. They were simply too different from each other. Fine by him, that was his thought. He internally shuddered at the even the remotest prospect of being her husband; god, he wouldn't wish that fate on his worst enemy.

And then she brought up the lasagna. Really, she was going to go there? Fine by him. "What? It's a compliment! You should be honored that it tasted so good I couldn't helping eating more!" the warlock teased, popping another piece of sashimi into his mouth. He could just sit here and eat this all day.

Though now it was his turn for a surprise; her mother visited here? More over, Sanshiro knew she had a daughter? Guess he shouldn't really be surprised; Sanshiro was the type of guy to really want to make his customers comfortable and want to talk about nearly anything. It wasn't a surprise that his sushi joint was a huge success in Japan, even without the local tale of it being haunted.

"Oh, man, you're not going to tell her THAT story, are you?" Ric grinned, Sanshiro laughing, "I would have sworn that he would be dead the next morning. He stayed here all night on the prison's bill after dealing with that Onryo. If there was ever a man I met that could hold his alcohol, it is Ric-san. Ten bottles of my best sake, drained in one night! And the best part was, he didn't even have a hangover! How is that possible? He claimed to not use magic, but I know he did!" Ric just smirked, "I'm telling you, I didn't! And they weren't all your bottles. Remember who actually summoned the damn thing? That other warlock who you threw out for being a dick to your clients?" Sanshiro sighed, "Yes, him. He felt it absolutely necessary to be that way. We don't mind the occassional prank here; hell, Ric once made a customer's nigiri start tap-dancing. But at least he went over and apologized afterwards! Hell, we got even more business that day because we asked Ric to make the sushi come to life! The customers enjoyed it so much! But, my friend, seriously have a drink. Sushi is no good without some sake!"

Ric laughed again, "That honestly was one of the most fun assignments I've ever had. And sure, I'll have a bottle of your best. Bring a saucer for yourself" And like that, Sanshiro was gone, reappearing moments later with a bottle and three saucers. Pouring the trio a first serving, Ric raised his own "To warm memories and good company!" "For the most part" he added as a mental afterthought.

Sanshiro then turned his attention to Stella, "But tell me, how is your mother doing? I have not seen her for some time in here. The last time she did come in, she seemed...On edge. I hope everything is well with her; such a good woman does not deserve to suffer any trouble." Moments later, Stella's food came over. "That one is free of charge. A little bit of courtesy towards a friend of Ric-san." Sanshiro then added, giving her a slight bow of the head.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


Ten bottles of sake?

Stella looked rather alarmed at the amount of alcohol Ric could down in one sitting, her features contorted in an odd mix of disbelief, concern, and a hint of envy. She could hold her liquor enough to sip throughout the night at parties and whatnot, but she would win no contests when it came to drinking. In fact, she couldn't recall a single night worth bragging about when it came to alcohol; how many times had she been teased for being a lightweight? There was a reason she didn't like going out with the rest of the prissy children of the Ten, and it was mostly because she was "that person," the one who would cut the night short because she was tipsy within the first couple of hours. A tiny pang of jealousy shot through her.

"Well isn't someone living the good life," she said to Ric as Sanshiro went away to get the sake. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised the next time you finish another bottle of mine down to the last drop? ... Really, how the hell do you not get hangovers after drinking ten bottles of sake? Ten, Ric. Most people can't even finish one."

Then Sanshiro came back with the alcohol, and Stella joined in on the toast although she fought to hold back a snicker at Ric's words. Warm memories? Good company? Without Sanshiro, this lunch would be neither warm nor good, but she figured having someone there to keep them from verbally abusing each other was for the best. A break could be good sometimes... It gave her time to get ready for the next round of whatever dumb shit he decided to do, hah.

Stella blushed when Sanshiro offered her the plate on the house, touched by the small gesture of kindness. So Ric could keep decent company, she mused to herself within the confines of her mind. Excellent company, actually, who was both generous as he was respectful. "My mother? She..." she started to answer his question but paused for a moment as she realized she was about to say something potentially offensive. There really was no nice way to explain that her mother had been on edge because of the bodyguard. If Stella hated Ric, the way Soyeon Choi felt about him was pretty much indescribable. Violet eyes flashed over to Ric in a look of slight amusement. She had no idea if Ric even knew how much her mother disliked him.

It wasn't a question of whether he was able to protect her; Soyeon, along with her husband, knew he was more than capable of holding his own against whatever or whoever decided to come after their daughter. But because she wanted to be thorough, she had inspected his prison records in full detail and was shocked to see how many women he had over as part of his 'payment' after assignments and missions. Stella raised in eyebrow as a sudden memory came to her, a smirk making her lips twitch upward. What was the word her mother used to refer to Ric...? Ah, yes, she had said: "I don't want to see that man-whore near my daughter." Man-whore. Well, she wasn't exactly wrong according to Society standards, was she?

The slight smirk transformed into a full smile, and Stella moved her eyes back to Sanshiro. "My apologies. Soyeon is doing very well! She is now, I mean." The princess gave a small laugh, her next words tinged with a taste of sadness. "I'm afraid I was the one who caused her to worry. I moved out of our family home to live on my own, and she did what all mothers do, I suppose. Worry about my safety. Thankfully, Ric here agreed to being my bodyguard. My babysitter, as he called it earlier. I'm sure my mother is resting easy knowing he's with me." Oh man. That couldn't have been farther from the truth, but it was always easier to avoid conflict. Besides, Sanshiro and Ric were friends, and she wasn't stupid enough to just start ragging on the warlock.

Keeping those thoughts to herself, she finished off the last of the specialty plate, savoring flavor of the foie gras as it faded from her taste buds. "Really, the food here is excellent. Thank you so much," she practically gushed to the owner. And then more quietly, she murmured in Ric's general direction, "You too. Thanks." Then the moment was over and she took a sip from her glass of water, leaning back as if she had said nothing at all.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Sanshiro beamed as she complimented the food; he liked to pride himself on hiring people who could respect the traditional means of preparing fish for consumption. Of course, the REAL sushi he also knew would probably not be well appreciated; still, he did always serve some to people on occasion. "You are too kind, miss." he replied honestly, adding "But I have no doubt your mother means well. Still, it is never easy for a parent to see their children grow and become independent. It is, like you said, what all parents do. They worry, but they cannot help it."

And like that, the crowd started to pick again; it seemed like his time to visit was cut off. "Please, enjoy the food. Stay as long as you like." Giving the pair another small bow, he went to join his workers in the kitchen to help prepare for the new rush of customers. Ric snickered, "Ah, Sanshiro...Great guy. A little bit of an oddball, but hey...Who am I to judge, right?"

Though he couldn't help placing a hand to his ear afterwards in that playful fashion, as if to tease her for her off-hand compliment. "What's this? Did the high and mighty Stella Durante just 'thank' me? Why, hell must have frozen over, bahahaha." the warlock smirked, watching as she tried to play it off. "But seriously, did I not call it on this place? Great food, awesome service...All that's missing is a busty waitress." The last bit he let taper off into a little whisper, taking another sip of sake. Not that they would have heard him given the fresh influx of business.

*Some time later*

Stella and Ric walked out of the restaurant and into the streets of Tokyo; it wasn't all that late, but knowing Stella, she'd probably want to find somewhere to lay down when she felt a need to sleep. Regardless, he felt it nice where he could be more open about his talents; and though she might deny it, he imagined the princess would feel less stressed about having to conceal her abilities.

And with how into these digitized characters - the so-called 'anime', something that Ric still didn't understand - the youth were, she would find that next to no one would give Ric an odd stare at his attire, save for the tourists who happened to be traveling through. His one green eye scanned the streets, taking in the scenery before him; it was weird how much this place changed. Once littered with palaces and shrines, it was now an urban metropolis, bright neon signs on ever shop and every street corner.

And what's more, something to his chagrin, was the increased 'creature' presence in this part of the world. Granted, Tokyo had the smallest number in terms of population density...But there were plenty of provinces in Japan where monsters mingled freely with humans. It was a fact that really got under his skin, especially since he'd spent so much time on his assignments trying to get rid of them. Even as they walked, he could clearly make out at least three shape-shifters assuming an otherwise indistinguishable human guise. And god, his hand was resting far too closely to the blade on his hip for comfort.

"So...Where to first, Princess? Wanna find one of those love hotels so we can 'get to know each other' better? Or rather, so I can get to know some of the locals better? Their beds are freaking amazing, you know...Really helps let off the steam." he then asked her out of the blue, grinning that stupid grin as he tried to relax himself. Her father had certainly dug into his past, and though he wasn't certain about her mother he imagined she did so as well. Under the contract, he was expressly forbidden from going after monsters unless they posed a direct and dire threat to Stella. So getting worked up about monsters that weren't even looking at them wasn't going to help either of them.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


Stella followed Ric out of the restaurant, hugging the coat tighter around herself against the chilly air. An easy smile lifted her face as she gazed out at the liveliness of the city. She was content and full on fresh sushi, with a warm glow touching her cheeks from the sake. Sanshiro had poured more before he left them, and she had drunk still more as their meal went on, saying hello to the various employees that had come by to greet Ric. It wasn't enough to make her drunk—she knew well what her limits were—but it caused a pink color to blossom over the apples of her cheeks, an indication that she was more relaxed than she normally was.

"Get to know each other better?" she asked absently to the warlock, seemingly more fascinated with the trees that lined the street. The Japanese elms were still beautiful even when they were bare, wrapped in their seasonal holiday lights that gave the avenue a majestic glow. It was almost romantic... Except for the fact that she was with Ric, who was the farthest thing from romantic. For god's sake, he had just asked her if she wanted to go to a love hotel. If only her mother could hear him now; Soyeon would have killed him for making such a suggestion. Well, she would have tried to, at least.

Stella shot her bodyguard a mild look of derision. "How about no? I thought I said I wasn't interested in your harem, and I'm not taking any invitations to apply either. Besides, I'm sure we know far too much about each other already, and I'd rather you didn't find out whether sleep helped my boobs or not." She rolled her eyes, though the boob comment was said without malice. "You can let off whatever steam you want later, but I won't be joining you." In any case, she wasn't even sleepy despite it being dark outside, although she knew it was because her body was functioning on Mountain Time from Colorado. And without her phone working, she had no immediate way of knowing exactly what time it was. It was late in Tokyo but still mid-day in Colorado, with a... 14 hour difference? No, that wasn't right... She frowned as she tried calculating the time difference in her head, but the details were hard to work out in her alcohol riddled mind. The same mind that was totally oblivious to Ric's slight discomfort and the monsters that blended within the crowd.

They passed a few shops, the windows lined with crazy fashion that she might have worn just for the hell of it. "You think I could pull that off?" she asked, pointing to the display window of a little boutique. Inside was a mannequin displaying an outfit that was on obvious play off the classic school-girl look that was often the object of adoration in the Japanese clothing culture. It was complete with an unbelievably short plaid skirt and thigh-high socks, with a platform boots and a blazer coat to match. It might have been cute if it wasn't for the fact that the skirt rode the borderline between being tastefully leggy and glaringly whoreish.

She sighed. "It just isn't the same if you're not a tiny Japanese woman. I'd feel like I was about to step in some weird porno if I was wearing that. Not really my thing. I mean, if it's your thing then that's cool, I'm not judging." She paused for a moment, then laughed out loud, placing one hand on Ric's arm. "Wait, no, I am judging! That's kinky." For some reason, the idea of him being turned on by school-themed dirty videos was beyond hilarious, and she struggled to contain the bursts of laughter that bubbled up out of her mouth. She was clearly more talkative and open now, a fact that didn't seem to bother her at the moment.

At this point, she stopped walking to watch as a group of teenagers gathered around one of the trees, using magic to make the lights blink on and off. A few of them were holding wands to help direct the magical energy, but on the whole they were doing a decent job. The lights flashed different colors, sparkling from white to blue to yellow to pink, then back to white. Stella looked on in delight, then with a subtle gesture of her hand she decided to join in on the fun, the lights seemingly rising from the tree to suspend in the air above it. Using her hand as if to conduct the small glowing circles, the lights started spiraling and moving into a fantastic show, rising high into the sky before plummeting down to encircle some of the watchers. They floated gracefully into different images and patterns, fading from one color to the next before swirling into a large sphere at the top of the tree. After a second, the ball of light exploded into a shower of shimmering white dots before they fell back down onto the tree.

The onlookers she attracted with the light show burst in a small applause, and Stella practically beamed, a seed of pride blossoming somewhere inside her. Using magic so openly wasn't something she did all that much, and admittedly it was refreshing to truly be herself. She giggled and turned to Ric. "See? You're not the only one who knows how to have fun around here. And you probably thought I walked around with a stick up my ass, didn't you?"

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

"Can't blame me for trying, right?" he shot back, giving her a playful smirk. He knew very well nothing was ever going to happen. Still didn't mean he wouldn't tease her about it. The way she got so flustered was just fantastic; it would be a never ending source of amusement for him to make these kinds of suggestions. Until she finally decided to just stop responding or something, then he'd have to delve deeper into his bag of tricks.

And then they came to the window shop, where she started ogling a very stereotypical school girl outfit. And oddly enough, despite his perverse nature, he never quite understood just why this got so many people worked up. Well, he actually did in the literal sense; it was the feigned innocence of it. Of someone who was supposed to be untouched. But for him, it just felt like this was trying too hard. But hey, to each their own: If this helped them get their jollies, then more power to them.

Then came quite another surprise: She started laughing and joking about how kinky it was. A look of bemused shock crossed his face; was she drunk? No, she was still lucid mostly...But the princess was more open than usual. "Well, well, this is a side of you I didn't expect to see for a while." he crossed his arms in apparent satisfaction; it was about time she loosened up a little.

But then she really surprised him: She went and used magic in the open! And to think she was giving him such shit earlier. "Look at you, you hypocritical show-off. I think you're just trying to make me look bad." was his joking response; truth be told, her capacity was awe-inspiring. There was only so much he, despite his many many years of experience, could do with light. In short, it was nothing like this. Not even close. She had talent, that much he knew. But maybe he had underestimated how much: The Durantes had lumomancy deeply ingrained in their lineage.

"Don't kid yourself, Stella; I think we both know this is just the booze giving you some free reign. By this time tomorrow, you'll be back to having it firmly inserted. Still..." he trailed off to which the last bits of illumination fade into the night sky, continuing as he looked to the heavens, "Have to admit that was pretty damn impressive. You've got some talent there, little lady."

Giving a snap of his fingers, her dead phone floated into his palm, "And just because you gave me such a damn good show, I'll give you one of mine." Closing his free hand over it, the phone was soon encased in an orb of radiant fire. At first it was a simple little ember, glowing soft red and orange much like that in a camp site. But then it grew and shifted to blue, before turning into a near-blinding white as it drew attention from the little ones that had been the center of Stella's performance.

And just as quickly as it appeared, the fire faded, leaving her device perfectly intact if a little warm from the contact. He never really used one of these before, so he had no idea how to operate it. The most advanced communication technology he ever used was an older telephone, with the plastic keys and the cord in the wall and everything. "Go ahead, power it on. Bet it works now." he then said to her with a little grin

"Mister, what did you do?"

"That was cool! You can use fire magic? Lucky!"

Ric just grinned, "You're darned right I did. And trust me, kid...That's nothing. Watch this." Slapping his hands together, they became alight in neon-green fire, the flames forming into a near perfect sphere as he pulled apart. The orb then shot skyward, detonating about two hundred feet off the ground and forming into a giant Eastern dragon, complete with the branch-like horns and chin-beard. Which then in turned roared quite audibly and shot out a jet of flame before bursting into little green sparks that subsequently exploded into little fizzling fireworks.

Now it was his turn to be applaud; not quite as loud as Stella's audience was, but still an impressive ovation. Ric then got an idea. "Hey, princess, what say we give them a real show? After all, fire and light go hand in hand." Sure, she might go back to hating his guts tomorrow. Perhaps more so if he managed to get her to do something so open and public, even in a magic-tolerant country like Japan. But damn it, now he was curious to see even a glimpse of what she might be capable of!

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"Firmly inserted..." she echoed immaturely with a snicker, "Hey, people like me know how to have the most fun! Work hard, play hard... or whatever the fuck that saying is." She waved her hand as a some of the children pointed at her, slowly edging closer to herself and Ric. "It was pretty, wasn't it?" she continued, the words coming out with more than a little pride. "I'm a Durante. We practically bleed light, in case you haven't noticed. It's such a beautiful form of magic."

She looked down as she felt her phone sliding out of her pocket. "Hey! What are you—" she started to say, but was cut off when she saw that Ric was attempting to fix it. She watched in wonder as the fire seemed to consume the small electronic device, giving off a brightness that rivaled her own magic. Then it was gone, and Stella tentatively reached for her phone, raising an eyebrow at him as she held down the small button at the top of the iPhone. A couple of seconds passed, then the the front of it lit up as the standard "Hello" message flashed across the screen, eventually switching to a floral phone wallpaper as it prompted her to put in the four-digit password.

"I... thank you," Stella said quietly, offering an appreciative nod of the head as she tilted the phone so Ric could see that it was functioning properly. "I didn't think you had it in you, hothead, but I guess even you can do something nice every once in a while." She tucked the phone back in her pocket, smiling in spite of the words, then took a step back as a couple kids rushed over to admire Ric's work.

A small, pouty frown crossed her face as the warlock formed an impressive emerald dragon; now he was just trying to outdo her! His magic was also rewarded with public applause, some of the onlookers shouting for him to keep going. But even she agreed that it was a fantastic display—fire was generally an element that the magical Society tended to avoid because of its destructive properties, yet Ric was wielding it like she did with light; it was fire like she had never seen before, powerful and beautiful in its own way.

"A real show?" she asked, laughing with unconcealed delight. Her fingers were already itching him to show him exactly how advanced her light manipulation was. It was truly the only magic she was fully comfortable with, requiring little to no effort to bend the element to her will. "I mean, I guess, but you can't blame me if people think fire is shit compared to light," she teased him, placing her bag on the concrete beside her for just a moment as she contemplated what she was going to do.

A few seconds later, a large section of the trees wrapped with strings of holiday lights suddenly went out, causing some of the crowd to gasp at the unexpected dimming of the area. It was a small price to be paid; she had to draw the energy from somewhere, and it was much easier to manipulate existing sources of light as opposed to creating her own. Then in the palm of her hands, just one dot of glowing champagne-colored radiance filled the space, slowly growing until it formed a rather large softly glowing sphere, almost as if she had plucked a star right out of the night sky. She offered it to the youngest of the children, placing it gingerly in his hands before taking a step back.

"Go on," she said kindly, a sweet smile on her face. The kid only looked at her in wonder, searching for some kind of clue as to what he should do with the magic resting in his hands.

A moment passed and with wide eyes he dropped it on the ground next to the tree he was standing underneath, then scurried back a few steps as the magic sunk into the ground and formed a gorgeous sun-looking circle with swirly patterns swimming within. Stella brought up a hand, and a tendril of the warm light extended out from the circle and snaked around the elm tree, effectively concealing it from view as a golden cherry tree grew rapidly in its place. It brought with it the fragrant scent of Japanese cherry blossoms despite the winter season, and after it had reached its peak height, a faint rustling sound caused some of the watchers to step back in caution.

"Oooooh!" the crowd then exclaimed in unison as a majestic bird flew out from the top of the blossoms, circling them once before it landed on Stella's outstretched arm. It was slightly larger than an eagle, its feathers colored in vibrant warm hues, ranging from yellows to oranges to reds, while its talons shined as if they were made of pure gold. The bird's tail feathers hung gracefully off the young witch's arm; it looked like it was something out of a fairy tale. In fact, it seemed to resemble some sort of mythological bird, but something was missing...

"If you would be so kind, please," Stella turned to ask her bodyguard, gesturing to the illusion with her free hand while the perched bird spread its impressive wings. Ric had the element needed to complete her creation, and she didn't doubt he would make it just as wonderful as his dragon.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

"Well, I'm not all sex appeal and a bottomless pit, you know" he replied cheekily; honestly, seeing this side of her was making him start to hate her less and less. He knew they would be back to grinding each other's asses tomorrow, so he decided to make the most of this while he still could. If only so he could lord it over her later if she ever decided to give him shit for anything. He could simply say, "Hey, remember in Japan how you turned into an enormous hypocrite?" and had a suspicion he would win more arguments that way.

But then she summoned a ball of light herself, letting a kid plant it in the ground like it was to be some sort of newborn tree. And it way that was what it sort of became: The lights flashed, swirling around until he saw a creature come forth that he'd only ever seen once in his lifetime.

It was a phoenix, and it looked damn real. Hell, if Ric hadn't seen her make the light sphere, he would have thought it was real himself. The warlock could only in mild jealousy as she had this beast of light land on her arm, only breaking his stupor when she asked him to make his own contribution to the art. Well, there was definitely lacking in a certain area, and he knew just how to make this thing really burn the sky.

Challenge accepted, he thought to himself, a wicked grin crossing his features.

"Absolutely" was the only word he said, snapping his fingers and making both of his hands come alive with roaring crimson flame. Holding them outstretched, the fire seemed to pour out and form a miniature cyclone, encircling the phoenix before it took flight from Stella's arm, cawing loudly as it took to the night sky, heated air rushing from the flaps of its enormous wingspan. The fire on its 'skin' trailed almost perfectly behind as it flew around and around, making the crowd applaud even more at the amazing spectacle, tiny embers falling and fading quickly as the phoenix continued its flight, even a few of its 'feathers' of light floating gently downward to make the illusion even more real for the growing throng of spectators.

"You realize there's only one thing that can follow from this, don't you? A creature symbolizing the very cycle of life and death; the Romans had something somewhat similar and in my eyes, is very underappreciated for what it truly signifies. Now let us see if you can figure out the missing piece to this." he then said to her, using his control of fire to have the phoenix fly high into the sky before erupting. Ric swung his hands outward, making the flames from the phoenix's feathers burst out and form a massive rolling sphere in the sky. Different tinges of orange, white and yellow mixed together to form a very familiar-looking heavenly body, roiling and shifting about all too realistically. But even with this, something was lacking.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


Stella turned her cheek away to avoid the growing heat as crimson spun around the phoenix, and then finally put her arm down when it took flight. Gusts of almost scorching air blew down and made her hair fly away from her face, revealing a wide grin. "Not bad," she commented to the warlock beside her as she watched their now fiery creation decorate the night sky. It was story time now. "The phoenix is the sigil of House Durante. Associated with the cycle of life and death, yes, but also with the sun and the coming of light. Creation. In Ancient Egypt, the bird was actually a part of Ra, their sun god, and carried their priests to Heliopolis. It's song is said to be so beautiful that even Apollo would stop his chariot to listen..."

She had meant to say more, particularly tied to the Chinese and Japanese equivalents of the phoenix, but she trailed off at the sight of spectacular show above her. Fire seemed to dance across the bird's form, the feathers made of light blending seamlessly into tongues of flame that flickered as it continued its flight over the crowd. Oh well, Ric probably knew all about mythological creatures better than she did anyway.

An eyebrow quirked up as Ric had the bird fly high and pause for a moment as churning fire poured forth out of its wings, eventually forming into a large sphere suspended in the air. The observers made a collective gasp, watching as it grew in size until Stella raised a hand and flicked her wrist, making the phoenix cease its stream of fire and hover above the sphere. Shifting her eyes curiously to her bodyguard, the princess gave him an inquisitive look. If it was what she thought it was, then he had some explaining to do afterwards.

But she turned back to the rolling planet (for that's what she knew it was), and smiled. She liked it, and she would put a ring on it.

The phoenix glowed with a burst of new light as Stella raised her hands and moved them, directing the bird so it began circling the yellowish orb, slowly at first, then picking up speed as time went on. Light particles hung in the air in its path of movement, a few at first, and then many falling into the familiar bands that seemed to complete the Ric's magical creation. Then she moved her hands down, and the phoenix perched on top of the tree from which it came. The planet Saturn now floated above them, and the crowd roared with appreciation. Even the princess took a break from her work to gaze at the celestial body. It was interesting that Ric chose the Roman god whose reign represented a time of peace and prosperity, with Saturn himself symbolizing renewal. Yep, he had some major explaining to do afterwards.

But for now it was time for her to end her show. She extended her arm in the air, calling on the phoenix to fly down to where she stood. It circled her once, then snapped its wings open in front of her in a burst of bright light, the fire consuming its body from the tail up until the light faded and all was left was a pile of ashes. The crowd murmured as even Stella had seemed to disappear, but she smiled to herself; the light had only served a method for her to conceal herself. After a few seconds, tendrils of light escaped the ashes where Stella had previously stood, crawling up into the air like vines. The further it went up, it started to reveal the princess little bit little, until her grande finale came:

The same burst of light came forth, causing some of the closer observers to shield their eyes. An enlarged version of the phoenix's wings extended outwards behind her back as she revealed herself, surrounding her in a halo of light and flame. The crowed erupted into enormous applause, and she laughed, letting the illusion on her body fade.

"Top that, bitch," she told Ric lightheartedly with a silly, childish grin playing on her lips.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

"Alright there, Professor. No need to be a show-off" Ric grinned, knowing full well it was just her getting caught up in the frenzy. God, if they had done this in the Americas both of them would have been thrown in jail, or at the very least have gotten in some serious trouble. Thankfully, the laws in Japan regarding the public use of magic were far more lax than those of most. And besides, who in their right mind didn't enjoy a beautiful show of light and sound? Especially when it was free

And then came the rings, bringing the creation to perfect completion. He had his reasons for choosing this, one of which was following the obvious (to him at least) theme of rebirth and cycles. He couldn't help but wonder how far she might try to read into it, and if she, how right she would be. Hell, if one really thought about it, all of magic was one enormous causal subset within the fabric of reality. It was just that the select few had the gifts to tap into it and bring themselves within its near-limitless bounds.

And though it was getting late, Ric oddly didn't feel at all tired; being who he was, combined with the fact that the few days he spent in the Americas already had him acclimated to the time there, it took a lot to wear him down. Still, it was probably best to find somewhere to crash, since she DID want to stay here and shop around for a few days.

Then she made the choice to call him out. A poor one, since the things he could do would easily make her little 'angel of light' trick look like child's play. Still...Maybe he should give her this one victory. It was an impressive feat after all; he had definitely underestimated her ability of light manipulation. Still, he could at least reach her where she stood now: On the corner of a relatively-high rooftop on an apartment building. In his own way of course.

Spreading his arms out in a dramatic fashion, he wordlessly went up into a cloud of smoke, soon having re-materialized from the thin tendrils of vapor next to the Princess herself. "Alright, show-off...You have me beat this round. What say we call it a night, eh? Didn't you want to go shopping tomorrow or something?"
he then said; there really was no topping this anyway. It was clear this was the finale, and after all, it was always best to follow the first rule of show business:

Always leave them wanting more.

"Thank you, thank you! You've been a wonderful audience!" Ric shouted over the thundering applause, taking Stella's hand and having them give a simultaneous bow to the spectators below. The giant gas planet illusion still burning strong as ever in the evening sky above them. He knew that this would definitely be on the news tomorrow, especially after this planned dramatic exit.

"Oyasuminasai, Nippon!"

The flames that covered Stella's body soon grew to cover his own, the pair alight in roiling fire; just then, a brilliant flash emanated outward with the pair having disappeared into a cloud of crackling embers when it faded.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Across town*----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stella and Ric would soon find themselves in an alleyway next to the Hotel Unizo, still holding hands after their spectacular performance tonight. He couldn't wait to see it on the morning news. And thankfully, they were less than a mile from Omotesando, which meant Stella would be free to spend the day shopping to her heart's desire.

"Alright, well, that was one hell of a night. Now then, let's see about getting a room, shall we?" he then asked, his head nodding towards the hotel to his left. He'd stayed here a few times before, but it was unlikely anyone would remember him. His old 'profession' didn't exactly let him stay in swanky places like this.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"You're no fun," Stella poked fun at her bodyguard as he took them away to... to another part of Tokyo, a moderately tall building beside them. She tilted her head back and inspected the exterior of the hotel. "Stay here?" she asked, a smirk lighting up her face. "I mean, it's alright. Nothing grand, but it'll do."

They entered the hotel together, still loosely attached by their hands as they wove through other travelers scattered throughout the lobby. The hotel was slightly busy in the late hour, most of them foreigners, and Stella knew she would have no trouble finding someone who spoke English. Her guess proved to be correct when she walked up to the first available employee at the lobby desk, and a middle-aged Japanese woman offered to assist them, her words coming out in near-fluent English. "Good evening," she said with a plastered, tired smile on her pretty face, "Welcome to Hotel Unizo Shibuya. How may I help you?"

"Do you have any available rooms for tonight?" Stella asked, already getting ready to pull her wallet out of the plum colored bag hanging off the crook of her arm. Her spending of money wasn't monitored in any way—she was free to go where she wanted whenever she wanted—but she wondered if her family would be interested to find out she was staying in Japan, especially considering she didn't go places very often. Or maybe they wouldn't care, considering her mother also visited Tokyo on some sort of regular basis.

"Yes, we have a few vacant rooms for tonight. How many people is this room for?" The Japanese woman flicked her eyes to Ric, then back to the princess.

"Oh no—we'll be in separate..." Stella trailed off, her eyes growing wide as she suddenly realized that there was no possible way to have separate rooms as this wasn't her house. What had Ric said earlier...? 'Now, let's see about getting a room, shall we?'

A room. Just one. One room. For the both of them. Fuck, she thought, but quickly erased the word from her mind. Fucking was definitely the last thing they would be doing. "Um, a twin room," she finally confirmed, unable to help the warm flush that formed on her cheeks. There would be two beds in the room, she knew, but she had a feeling the measly distance between both beds wouldn't be enough to ease her mind.

The receptionist was oblivious to her discomfort, or at least she appeared to be as she typed away at the computer in front of her. "May I have a last name?" she asked among other things, continuing to talk while Stella just zoned out, watching her lips move but not comprehending anything. In the end, the princess handed over a gold-plated Mastercard (money truly was one of the grander perks of being part of the Ten) and absentmindedly murmured, "Durante," while the woman behind the desk processed the information.

The princess was taken out of her thoughts as the receptionist handed back her card and slid a paper across the desk for her to sign. The receipt, she realized, and picked up a pen to scribble 'Ellastaria C Durante' in large cursive. At some point the letters in her name ended up bleeding together as indiscernible loops, and she finished off by making two horizontal lines where the 't's were supposed to be located. As she slid the paper back, the Japanese woman gave her a set of two keycards. "Your room is 614. Please take the elevators to the sixth floor, and make a left in the hallway. The room is on your right."

"Thank you," was all Stella said before she led the way to the room, her adrenaline-fueled sense of elation from the night's activities quickly fading as she opened the door and saw the space between the beds were just as small as she imagined them to be. She walked to the far end of the room, set her bag on the puffy white sheets, then turned to face Ric. They couldn't be more than 15 meters apart, but that didn't mean they had to be right next to each other.

"There's an imaginary line right here," she pointed to the floor, tracing the strip of space that separated the two beds, "and we're not going to cross that line, okay?" There was neither anger or annoyance in her voice, not while she was still appropriately buzzed from both the sake and the magic, but she made it clear (at least she tried to) that there would be no funny business just because they were sharing a room.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

It looked a little different than before; but then, he hadn't been here in a LONG while. So doubtless there would be some remodeling that he didn't experience. All to attract foreigners to drive the tourism industry. It was something Ric mostly ignored, but at times, he was crestfallen at the 'de-historification' of these buildings. It used to resemble more something like traditional Japanese architecture, but now it was a cookie-cutter model like the rest.

And while the ladies talked, Ric's energy was on alert; he felt like there was something tailing him, but he couldn't make out what. Well, at least he would be able to cast some basic warding on the room when they got there. God forbid Lord Durante get in a hissy fit because he didn't supply ENOUGH protection to his precious daughter. He honestly figured that she would just want to get some sushi and head home. Though to be fair, he didn't help by suggesting they give the entire city a fireworks show. That was fun though, so he supposed he owed Stella a chance to do some mindless shopping for clothes or whatever she had her eyes on. And besides, another fun bit of the contract that Stella probably glanced over was that Ric had final say on abandoning their location should her life be immediately threatened. Which meant under the right circumstances, they could get the hell out of dodge if need be and she couldn't do a thing to stop him.

Following her upstairs and into the room, he sat down on the bed closest to the door; at least with Stella against the window wall, there was a bend that any intruder would have to turn around if they decided to come in that way, giving him a straight shot to deal with them. The feeling of being stalked never left him; there was no way that he was imagining it either. Something or someone knew who they were; he searched his mind, already weaving a potent but easily-crafted set of seals that would keep most things out.

His eye then glanced to her as she drew a line in the sand, almost literally save for the lack of fine-grain rock. "Relax, princess, you already made it clear. Besides, you know as well as I do that the contract won't let me anywhere near you for that...Although that doesn't mean I can't look, if ya catch my drift." he grinned at her, raising the one eyebrow suggestively. If she ever wanted to strip down in front of, he wouldn't complain, that much was certain.

"Alright, well...Better get started." he muttered, already going to work; his own energy soon flowed from the entirety of his body, runes of cool blue flame floating off of him like beads of plasma, affixing themselves to the walls and spreading out in thin tendrils to connect with each other. Already anticipating a potential response about paying for damage, he said aloud "Don't even think about whining. They won't charge you for damages; these things won't scorch the walls or anything like that."

Heading to the bathroom, he then said "I think a nice hot shower is in order." Giving her a wink, he then added smirkingly "You're free to join me if you want." before disappearing in a puff, his clothes, affixed sword and armor hanging in the air for a moment before collapsing to the ground as if they were in some form of crazy cartoon. The sound of running water soon resonated throughout the room, Ric's bountiful whistling following along with it.

At this room, the light made the scales of the dragonskin gleam something fierce, almost like they were still alive, attached to the creature they were severed from. His sword did the same, the length shimmering along the dual razor edges in an eerie glow and giving it a very dangerous presence. It could very well make one wonder how Ric managed to get something like this; besides being incredibly expensive, dragonscale wasn't exactly something one could just walk to the local apothecary and pick up. Same went for black ivory, even more so since legend held that it could only be obtained from dragons of significant age.

"Oh, and don't touch my stuff! I'm going to count my change when I'm done, young lady!" Ric then shouted at her in a joking fashion; hopefully she wouldn't get any funny ideas about his things. Besides the fact of its rarity, the armor and blade held a very important part of Ric's life in their history. But it wasn't anything he would tell her.

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]


"If I see you sneaking a peek, I swear I'll burn your retinas," the princess said with a snort, sliding the coat off her arms and hanging it on the back of a chair before lifting her arms to stretch and yawn, the tank top lifting a few inches to reveal a hint of the toned stomach underneath. She sank down on the bed, taking off her pink Nikes and tossing them on the floor beside her, then fell onto her back into the soft white sheets. But she shouldn't complain as he worked; he was a total pervert, but at least he was thorough. Of course, she would have preferred someone who wasn't a pervert and still thorough, but she doubted any of the Dregs knew how to be gentlemanly, much less Ric.

"What a tempting offer that is," she called out sarcastically as he disappeared for his shower, rolling her eyes at the suggestion. Gross. "But I don't think I'll be able to handle all of that... or whatever is actually there," she tacked on more quietly at the end, though she was sure he would have been able to hear it even over the pitter-patter of falling water. He wasn't the only one filled with jokes, after all.

Stella laid in silence for a couple minutes, listening to the water and whistling, caught in a daze of being not completely tired but not all that awake either. Using magic for prolonged periods of time or in large quantity did that to her; there was always a noticeable drop in her energy, one that was large enough for her to leave her feeling lazy. She wanted to lie down but not sleep, do something but not move. The worst part was that she was bored, and she just wasn't going to sit there all night (or afternoon, in Colorado time) while her bodyguard likely tried his best to get her naked. Not that she would let him do anything as simple as even stealing a glance her way.

She needed something to do. Something fun.

A little grin crept over her face as she eyed Ric's clothes and other personal belongings on the floor, the grin growing even wider when she realized that messing with him was both something to do and something that was fun. She wouldn't be touching them for all that long, really. It was his fault for leaving them there, anyway.

Swinging her legs over the side of the mattress, she walked over to the pile and knelt down, inspecting the items as her sense of curiosity grew. The armor was gleaming even in the soft light of the room, cool to the touch as she ran her fingers over the material, feeling the natural smooth grooves of it. Maybe this was why he was a dirt poor bastard; he spent his money on expensive shit, and she imagined he spent whatever was left on whores and drink.

But it was the sword that really caught her attention, shiny and sharp, and she grabbed the hilt greedily to see how it felt. Obviously it was much too big, heavier than she imagined too, but still a sight to behold. Lightly, she rested the blade against her free hand, curiosity getting the best of her as she ran it ever so softly against her palm, taking care not to slice herself.

But then the sound of the water shutting off and movement in the bathroom made her startle, and she snapped her head up just as she felt a stinging sensation on the soft flesh of her hand. "Fuck," she mumbled, inhaling sharply through her nose and letting the breath out as a hiss. The cut wasn't deep—it was more like an extra large paper-cut that happened to hurt much worse, really—but still she could see the line of dark red thickening, beading at the bottom and threatening to start a trickle of blood down her wrist. Oops.

Hurriedly, she stood and dragged his things to her bed, lifting them with some effort and plopping them down on the blanket. One by one, she fed them into her bag (clothes and all), the space enlargement spell allowing it to swallow everything with ease. And when she was done, she placed it beside her on the bed, a fun little illusion spell hiding the purse from view. Without time to properly take care of her hand, she carefully slid underneath the sheets and clutched a bunched up wad from her sweatpants to hold the bleeding, then turned on her side as if she were sleeping.