A Visit Home [CLOSED]

Her eyes glided to the opposite side of the table, withdrawing her hands with a shaky breath. Magic had taken the player and he seemed to finally relax a bit - a small, soft smile was on his face. A smile that sent butterflies to her stomach and made her want to look but at the same time, shy away because she wouldn't be able to match that kind of light-hearted and cheerful expression. Thinning her lips, Lamia fought hard not to blush - even though the shadows and dim lights of the restaurant made it hard to see anything, he looked... ethereal. It was kind of hard for her to imagine that he had a difficult time before coming to the academy with such a carefree attitude.

Lamia cast her gaze downward, feeling heat crawl up her cheeks and spreading to her ears, fervently wishing that nobody would notice. The menu was still in front of her, untouched and splayed out on the table's surface. She couldn't make a choice... she'd probably go with whatever. Awkwardly shifting in her place, she cast a glance over her shoulder, half-expecting some unsuspecting character to pop up, waltzing in as though it was their parade, and scare the wits out of her. No such luck could save her because the next thing to happen was the waitress walking up without a glance at her. Suddenly, she felt smaller and she could've sworn she was sinking into the chair, unable to get a grasp and reach back up.

Why? Why did the person who was serving their table so much more... charismatic and attractive. A soft, luminous bob of red hair rested on her head, her features well defined, and vibrant green eyes. The plain, black employee outfit only seemed to cling in closer and emphasize her curves, a light batch of freckles dusting her nose and cheeks. A delightful smile and a cute voice to boot. Lamia couldn't help but see how much better Magic would be hanging out with someone like the waitress; the Winter on the other hand, considered herself bland, too petite, and unable to make any kind of presence known. Most people didn't even bother shooting a look at her unless she did something so horrendously stupid.

"Hiya there, what can I get for you today, handsome?" What the hell was with that flirtatious tone? Lamia tried hunching her shoulders, wishing she could just disappear right now and then. Her stupid jealousy wasn't doing anything to help her right now. The waitress' warm, practically seductive smile. And here she was, sitting as though she were a ghost out in the middle of nowhere - unseen and unheard of. "We have the special at a discount today, but of course," Lamia didn't like where this sentence was going. Goddammit. "I can give you something far better if you want." Crossed arms right below the chest area... trying to accentuate that. Did all girls think that guys were attracted to those things? It's not like they were that great or anything... Appearance didn't matter all that much...

... Or at least that was what she was trying to convince herself of. Who am I kidding? Most guys fall in love with the most attractive girl around, Maybe her brain was messed up or something. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but found herself unable to get any words out. Why? Why now did her voice decide to fail? Guys like open, honest, and charismatic girls. Not someone as... pathetic as me. Lamia slid a bit lower down the booth chair, trying to duck her head in hopes of hiding herself further. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets again, and she bit her lip.

Magic just glanced up at their waitress. He had seen this before. The way they tried to make their boobs look bigger. It was a typical thing. Female gang members used it to seduce men into giving them information. Something Magic didn't really care for, nor did he fall for. She was trying to hard to catch his attention. She wanted something from him that he wasn't going to give. He didn't come here for any special treatment. Even with the music blaring right in his ear her still heard the girl clearly. The way she was just blatantly ignoring Lamia, kind of pissed him off too. Well time to be sassy. "Oh please like you could give me what I want." He shot the waitress a glare. "And stop trying to make your boobs look bigger, you aren't fooling anyone here. Now it might be best for you to do your job and stop trying to flirt with me." He said in a kind of dark tone. "Or you could send another waiter or waitress our way." He didn't really want to deal with this right now.. Espacially not in front of Lamia. He was tempted to draw the gang symbol just to kind of ward her off.. She wouldn't want to flirt with him after that maybe.

The waitress didn't budge, only huffing a bit, her hands on her waist. Her brows furrowed and there was a slightly annoyed scowl on her face; it was obvious that she was not pleased that her scheme did not work out exactly how she planned it. At least, that was what Lamia was able to deduce from the entire thing. A small flame of hope burned at the back of her mind, glad that Magic was not exactly into those kinds of girls, but it faded away immediately. Selfish... there is no way he would like you like that. That was all there was to it - she was nothing like the expected image of what every guy desired in a girlfriend. Who cared about a weak and useless thing like her?

With a small 'tsk', the waitress grabbed her clipboard and pen, her smile a little less warm now, asking, "Okay, fine. What would you like to order today?" The hint of determination in her voice was as clear and transparent as ice. Why? Why was she so insistent on trying to win over Magic? Sure, he looked rather cute and strong and easily fitted the protective boyfriend status, but come on. The waitress could easily get some other guy who could fit the bill without having to deal with a more stoic and serious attitude. Or maybe that's why she was driven to get her friend... because he was hard to get? Stupidstupidstupid... why do you even care? Lamia was grasping for excuses in her head, that because she was worried that he might be manipulated or that he just wanted the waitress to leave or something, but the more she tried, the less she saw any real reason. Maybe he was just playing along? He had that kind of attitude, right? Then... what was the glare? Was she over-analyzing this entire thing? Probably.

Taking a deep breath, she managed to fumble around with a few words. "U-u-uhm... e-excuse m-me..." Somehow, the waitress managed to hear her - heaven knows how or why - because she turned around with a rather irritated expression. With an exasperated sigh, the employee asked, "Were you always here? Or were you trying to interrupt us?" Shaking her head, Lamia lowered her head further, her voice shaking. "I-I... u-uhmm..."

Just say it. What could she do to you? You're able to kill. No. She was not thinking about that. The waitress hadn't exactly done anything wrong and she was just being blinded by jealousy... hopefully. She didn't hate anyone that much to want to downright murder anybody... but she was also a push-over.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry... n-n-never m-mind."

The waitress's lips turned upward into a triumphant smirk before she spun back around, gleefully transitioning back to her go-lucky attitude. "Where were we, now?" Under her breath, she muttered softly in a point where she was positive that Magic wouldn't hear her - or so she thought. "I don't get why guys like you hang out with girls that are so pathetic and stupid like her... Why bother hiding her face? Is she that ugly and horrifying?"

A first the winter student was relieved that the waitress went to actually take their order, but right when Lamia said something that stupid attitude of hers returned. His hand curled into a fist as he listened to the girl go on about how stupid Lamia was and how a guy like him shouldn't hang out with her or something like that. He didn't care about the exact words, but he knew what she meant, and it pissed him off.

Magic pulled the earbud out of his ear, and carefully place the device on the table and a bit far away from him. Then he stood up , and slammed his hand on the table out of anger. "The fuck did you just say about my friend? She isn't stupid or pathetic. If anyone here is pathetic here it's you, ya bitch. Trying to tempt a gang leader would get you in quite a mess. You are testing my patience girly.." He said in a dark tone.

The disbelief in the waitress' eyes could easily be seen like shattered glass on the floor. "How the hell did you hear me?" Waving it off with one hand, she changed her question immediately with a colder, almost scolding tone, "You're friends with her? And a gang leader?" As though it were the funniest thing in the world, she laughed, laughed her head off. The gaze she shot at Magic held a contemplating look before her giggles died off, a hand shot up to her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds. "Okay hotshot, what's so great about her compared to me anyway?" Seductive voice. Check. Puckering lips. Check. Leaning in closer and closer. Check. Suddenly cupping Magic's face with her hand. Check. "Look me in the eye and explain tell me how you're so much better off with... her."

Lamia really didn't like the sly smile she held, plastered on her face like mold, or the way she kept looking at him. Why? She could easily get some other guy, couldn't she? Why did she keep trying to rile up Magic like that? When Magic's hand slammed onto the table, practically shaking it from how much force he was using, there was one thing she was certain of: this was going to get out of hand. Please stop... it's not worth it. Silent pleas that she couldn't say out loud. Her heart was rapidly increasing its pace, storming its way through like thunder flashing through the sky. I'm not worth the effort. Tearing her eyes away from the scene, she took her sweaty palms out of her pockets, wiping them on her thighs. How did it suddenly come to this? There was clearly some higher power was controlling this. Whenever things were going rather happily, it just turns out that life was playing a trick on her to get her hopes up.

"I-i-it's f-fine... Pl-please d-don't... I-I c-can't..." Is that all she can say? Really? Don't fight. Why can't she speak up louder? Why can't she do anything? "Th-this i-i-isn't a-a..." Good idea? Of course not. Just freaking say something for once.

"See? Weak, worthless, and useless. She doesn't even want to look at you."

"Sh-shut u-u-up...!"

Magic gritted his teeth at he response. He grabbed the waitresses hand and forced it off his face, basically throwing her arm back to her side. "She is more helpful than you, she cares about people. She knows how to put people first, and could probably take a punch better than you can. She is probably the only one who can handle me at my worst." He said to the waitress. He wasn't pleased with this at all.. He was extremely pissed off.

There was only one way he could prove that he was a gang leader though. It was the tattoo that he had hidden. It sat on his back. On the back of his shoulder to be exact. It was painful getting it, but the symbol he has on his back is the same well known symbol people kind of feared through the city. It was a known symbol that was for sure.

"And if anyone here is useless it's you. Can't even do your damn job. You would rather terrorize your customers instead. And if you don't believe I'm a gang leader then we could go take a walk down to the ghetto, where you can meet all of my gang, and put you whorish ways to good use. I'm sure they would love it if you came down there. It would give them some entertainment, but I'm sure you wouldn't be able to compete with me breaking a guys leg earlier. They hadn't seen that in a while. They were pretty entertained." He said, a creepy smile on his face. He knew they were going to have to leave the place after this. There was no way he was going to stick around with her anymore. "I could always do the same to you. You wouldn't be able to sue me or call the police because you were harassing me, and my friend, It would just be self-defense." He was pretty sure she would still be able to call the police, but it was just a bluff. Hopefully it was enough of a bluff to make her back off.

Was he being truthful with his words? A bitter smile came unbidden to her lips, her gaze drifting towards the outside city. People were coming... they were starting a scene. All because she stupidly spoke up to try and ask the waitress to take their order. If she hadn't let out a peep, she would've been ignored and this wouldn't be happening. It was all her fault. Because she was so foolish and stupid and pathetic, just like the waitress had said. Lamia had come to terms with those words long ago, constantly echoing in her head as a reminder rather than to torment her. She was selfish, self-centered, needy, and jealous; she was glad she could hide those emotions behind a mask as though every day was Halloween and she was pretending to be someone else. But if he knew the real her? The one that killed people mercilessly because they told her about her image towards others and how bratty she had been, Magic would've never said anything like he did now.

She wanted to change, to get rid of her hopeless, unreasonable feelings, but it was etched into her nature as though she required it to survive. I'm so stupid... The waitress didn't even make him that angry... Lamia was taking the blame. Always - anything that went wrong while she was around was her fault. If she hadn't noticed me, he wouldn't have to try and defend me because I'm too weak to do fight for myself... Looking up, Magic was still spitting words at his own expense because of her. What the hell did she do to deserve him as a friend?

The waitress took a step back, her scowl deepening before it started to slip into a fearful expression, terror evident in her eyes. Yet, she still continued speaking, her voice shaking slightly in a desperate attempt to fight back, "E-except you're the only one throwing threats around like it's candy! The police would clearly arrest you first" A victorious, Cheshire Cat-like grin crept onto her face, "The cameras would have recorded what you said about being a gang leader, if that's even true. The bounty on your head must be pretty high, then." She feigned a false innocent smile, her index finger touching the bottom of her lips. "Why take the waitress when they have the gang leader?"

She was trying to threaten Magic. Even after all of that? Lamia's body trembled, her legs felt like jelly and her arms hung limply at her sides as she shakily stood up. Everyone in the restaurant was staring intently, gossip and murmurs erupting as they continued to watch. Her cheeks were a rose red, and all she could do was stand there, thinking. Pulling her hood down lower to cover her face further, she finally spoke up. "Wh-why d-do y-you k-keep t-t-talking to him l-like he's y-your toy?" Deep breaths, deep deep breaths. Magic wasn't taking the blame for whatever happened right now. Bitterly, she recalled what happened the last time she tried to defend him. This was a total stranger though.

"L-leave h-him a-alone. Pl-please just stop." She couldn't keep going. That was it. She wasn't waiting for this waitress' response; Lamia was going to make a selfish decision here. A fight wasn't breaking out now. Their vacation wasn't going to be ruined because of her stupid mistake. Taking Magic's hand, feeling slightly more relaxed and comfortable from just the touch and warmth, she walked out of the restaurant without another word, dragging him with her.

She didn't stop until they were a good distance away from that place. It was a bad idea on her part because she had no clue where she was going. Slowly down particularly in the middle of nowhere, Lamia finally let go of his hand, biting her lip before turning around and giving him a timid, nervous smile, "S-s-sorry, th-that was s-selfish of m-me. W-we didn't e-even w-wind up eating..." Right, it was all her fault. "I-I-I sh-shouldn't have spoken u-up. I-If I d-didn't, sh-she wouldn't h-have said a-anything else..."

"Hehe... I-I really a-am as p-pathetic and st-stupid as she said." Casting her gaze downward, she drew her arms closing to herself. "I-I-I'm s-sorry for ruining t-tonight... I-I can't do anything r-r-right." Lamia knew she left her MP3 player there; she was positive she wasn't getting it back.

Magic was a bit surprised when Lamia grabbed his hand, and dragged him out of the place. He stayed silent and followed the other winter away from the place. He kept track of where they were going so that way he could easily find the way back to the hotel. It would be easy. He almost tripped when they stopped because he wasn't really paying attention, but he managed to stop himself before he ran into Lamia.

He listened to the winter speak disagreeing with that what she said. "Lamia, she would have kept trying to get me if you hadn't spoken up, anyway. It probably would have ended the same way cause I would have gotta annoyed with her anyway. And it wasn't selfish at all because you honestly kept me from punching her right in her face." He said, "And you aren't pathetic and stupid to me. She couldn't even do her job right."

A toothy smile soon appeared on his face in spite of the kind of down moment. "That was actually pretty fun. I haven't had to flee a place like that in a long time. I should try to get kicked out of somewhere tomorrow, it will be fun. Just like old times.." Magic and Laine would always cause trouble for people in places. They would either make a scene so bad they would have to leave or they would be kicked out just for causing too much trouble.

Then Magic though about what the waitress said. "Besides she wouldn't have been able to prove anything. Most of those people wouldn't want to say anything and those camera wouldn't have any audio cause I cut it off. All it would show is a waitress messing with a customer, thats about it.. Police can be paid of super easily too.. A lot is corrupt in this city.." Mason let out a small sigh. "Anyway, let's head back to the hotel, I can just get something from room service, it's a fancy hotel they are bound to have some good food." He said.

The silence seemed to stretch out for so long, and Lamia anxiously drew her arms around her own body, worried about Magic's response, if maybe she went too far. She was scared that she had completely screwed up, knowing the unbearable weight of being useless, the lump in your throat when you knew that you'd be taking everyone down with you if you made one tiny mistake. Those feelings had been lingering in her head for so long, without any kind of anchor or secret passage to help her find confidence. Without that kind of hook, some kind of attachment, she felt scared. Her failures meant bad things.

She ignored his first remark. He was only saying those things to make her feel better. It didn't stop the familiar warmth on her cheeks; her face was probably aflame right now. Racing to find a way to placate the situation, a blanket of surprise collapsed around her, her mouth open as she wanted to say something, but stopped immediately. Gulping, Lamia stammered, "Wh-what...?" It wasn't fair how hard her heart thumped at the mere sight of his smile. A hand shot up to clamp her mouth, her eyes dropping to the floor bashfully as they widened in small surprise. "I-I'm s-sorry. D-did y-you w-want to r-really g-g-get kicked out?"

He was probably just trying to lighten up the situation, to tell her that she didn't do anything wrong. Lamia still felt guilty. It was her fault for screwing up, trying to interfere. The way he was so carefree and didn't mind breaking the rules drove feelings she couldn't interpret properly into her chest. Her lips thinned - there was confusion, disappointment, and a small flash of hope that she tried to will away. What more could she be expecting? Nothing, she never wanted anything. Or at least she didn't want to say it verbally. Why couldn't she fucking think right now? The same frustration... why did it keep appearing? Everything floating in her mind was in disarray.

Forget about that now, just.. forget it. He didn't really care about what happened, so she probably shouldn't either. Something drove her to say the her next words, something she wanted to avoid. It sounded so quiet, she wasn't sure that she had said anything so absentmindedly.

"B-b-back th-then... e-everything y-you s-s-said a-about m-me... D-did y-you---"

Lamia didn't try to finish it, never tried to make it more coherent. Taking a deep breath, she snatched his hand, whether out of comfort or anything, with a small nod, and smiled softly, "L-let's j-just h-head b-back th-th-then." The feeling of dread still rolled inside her, dawdling like a person trying to bypass awkward conversation by using their phone in the elevator.

Please don't answer my question.

It was an unsaid request. Honestly, it was just her, brainlessly, so silly, expecting something so farfetched and nothing that she will ever be able to grasp or become.

Magic felt a blush spread across his face as Lamia grabbed his hand again. He could get use to this. It felt really nice.. Though he knew it would go away as soon as they went back to the academy.. He kind of didn't want to go back. Doing what he wanted was nice, but he knew being at the school was good for him.

He smiled at Lamia and nodded. "It shouldn't take to long. You managed to drag us in the right direction." He didn't really try to answer her question even though he knew what she was trying to ask. Yes.. I really meant it.. He thought in his head. He knew she didn't want him to answer or something like that. That is why she stopped herself.

"Come on let's go. We will get to see the city lights on the way back. They can be pretty if you like that kind of thins. I do for some reason." He said, kind of giving a little fact about himself. He started walking away from their area, taking Lamia along with him.

"R-r-really?" Her eyes widened in mild shock, Lamia turning her head away as a shade of red reached up to the tips of her ears. "I-I th-thought I m-might've gone the wr-wrong way..." Truth in case, she was terrible with directions. Give her a map, she'll not be able to read it properly. At least she did something right today... or maybe he was just saying that because he knew the way around the city and could easily figure out where he had to go next without knowing their current location. She wouldn't say anything about it, though. He might not exactly care or want to talk about something as trivial as that.

Following Magic's footsteps with small strides, her eyes wandered around, brightening as she walked around. It was childish, she knew, but inside her mind, she was trying to point things out and she almost squeaked in happiness. The lights danced around like a ballet, imaginary music playing around them - it was really beautiful. Normally, she didn't try and find good things of everything around her because her jealousy would take over. But now... just her surroundings, everything made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Lamia has seen these sort of things before, with her family, yet, it didn't feel anything like this. It was like she was living a dream, just during that moment.

The moment they reached the hotel, entering and heading back to their room, her smile died a little. She hadn't wanted that to end, the butterflies, the maelstrom of feelings and thoughts; it felt so wonderful and pleasant. It made her feel as though she belonged, just for that moment. But I don't belong anywhere... Those negative emotions washed over her, bringing her back to reality, an illusion broken. The door opened and she hesitantly walked in.

Wake up, you're in the wrong world. She didn't deserve to be happy, not after everything in her past. Her feelings lingered back there, and she didn't want to think about a future that only brought sadness and confusion. Even if everything was alright for now, Lamia knew, it wasn't going to end well eventually. All good things come to an end.