Afternoon Sushi-Break

[Fell]

It was almost exactly 12 noon when Ariel closed his laptop, laced his fingers and stretched backwards with a content sigh. That done, he put all of his chair\'s legs back on the ground and looked out his window. It was one damn nice view, all considered - he could see some of the sky and some of the city. The building he was in was taller than most of the ones around it, too. Ariel really couldn\'t complain about the location.

Of course, that was because he\'d chosen it himself. Had been a bitch and a half to pull off, but the building now belonged to RKHT Productions. That would be Ariel\'s record company, a fact he was ever-proud of. It hadn\'t exactly been easy making all of this happen, after all. It had most certainly kept the behemoth busy, which had been the goal.

In any case, Ariel had had enough busy for one morning. The white-haired man stood and shrugged on a light white trenchcoat with red lining. It was a particularly long specimen, and one of Ariel\'s favourites - especially for the spring, when it was cool and sunny - much like today. Ariel liked this weather, actually. It was refreshing.

It was only a short trip to his car. Ariel waved at the secretary on his way out, keys already spinning in one hand. I\'m thinking sushi, the CEO thought with a grin. It had been a couple of days since his last visit to Blowfish. It was a cute little sushi place, pretty and chic, in the Cypress Shopping mall. Ariel had discovered it entirely by accident, but he\'d begun to frequent it since. The family-style seating was fun, especially since the staff loved to put strangers together.

One 10 minute drive later, Ariel was parking in the front lot. And just 5 minutes after that, he was walking into the restaurant of his choice. "Seat for one, please," he said as he walked in, giving the waitress at the front a pleasant smile. The woman gave him a small bow in return, ushering him to one of the smaller family-style tables. 4-person, yet he was the only one there so far. Ariel sighed, not bothering to open his menu. He knew precisely what he wanted. He did hope he\'d have some company soon, however. Lunch alone was fine, but meeting people could be so... rewarding.

With that in mind, the behemoth leaned back, indigo eyes casting about patiently for whomever would end up joining him. I hope I get lucky soon, Ariel thought lazily. If he didn\'t, he\'d be done with his meal before they\'d even ordered. Always unfortunate when that happened. "So kiss me, kiss me, Lady Luck," Ariel half-whispered, half-sung with a smile as he waved over a cup of green tea.

[Wrakune]

Ramsie sauntered into the sushi bar, feeling uneasy since she was alone. "Just me," she said politely to the waitress, careful to hide her nerves. The waitress, a young and fairly pretty human girl, lead her to a table occupied by only one person.

The man sitting in the seat struck her fancy immediately with his long, silver coloured hair and fiercely indigo coloured eyes. She pushed own her dark hair out of her face and sat down, suddenly excited. She knew right off that he couldn\'t be a normal man, from all that Ansley\'s mother had taught her, but she couldn\'t tell what he was exactly.

Her intention of finding this out was written clearly on her face as she spoke a soft, almost sultry, "Hello." She didn\'t give him her name right away. She wanted him to ask for it, he had to want it. She smiled to herself and thought, Alright then, this should be good.

[Macabre Beauty]

The cheery chime jingled as another face added itself to establishment’s growing patronage. A young well-dressed man, with a curiously poised air, stood before the entrance. Crimson hair spilled carelessly over silk clad shoulders and sharp sapphire eyes ticked over the chic interior, after the initial once over a pair of pouting lips curled at their corners. Well, this certainly seemed to be a suitable place to dine, not only did it look good on the inside but they also had fish, both behind glass and on the tables. Pleased with his selection, because it had been something of a random one, the male shifted from the door and drifted to the hostess’ podium. When it was apparent that she was busy seating those that had arrived before him, he wandered over to the aquarium.

After an entertaining bout of fish watching, they were so brilliantly colored here, the crimson-haired youth found the hostess at his elbow. It took a moment, for the bright hues enthralled him, to realize that she was waiting for him but once he gracefully collected himself he turned to the woman and offered her an extremely charming smile. Which, of course, caused the poor girl to blush and glance away. Humans could be such shy creatures…

“Will it be just you this afternoon, Sir?” She queried pleasantly after she collected herself.

“Mm? Yes, I believe so.” He responded, his syllables rolling with their natural purr.

The girl blushed again then nodded and bustled back to her podium to collect a menu and a silver ware setting. He watched with a glimmer of bemusement refracted in that beryl gaze. As she lingered behind her block of wood, apparently flustered by the charming gentleman, he sauntered forward only to follow when she finally scurried away to escort him to a table which had all ready gained two occupants.

With another grin to the girl, this one almost feline, he slid bonelessly into the seat that rested between the male and female occupant. The menu was immediately placed before him and the girl lingered a bit to stare before she finally inquired after drinks. The latest arrival promptly ordered his, a glass of ice cold milk, which left the young hostess to glance expectantly between the pair that had been seated prior. Apparently, she wasn’t in as much of a hurry as she should have been and she patiently waited for their order.

Once again bemused by the young human’s antics, a smirk pulled at Nanashi’s lips. Honestly you would think the frail thing was smitten. Though if he were to judge by the way the hostess was eye-balling the other male patron, he wasn’t the only one that had struck her fancy. Granted he certainly couldn’t say he blamed the woman… she was a mortal after all.

A small yawn touched the air and idly his gaze lazed to the female seated at the table. Silently he assessed the woman, as he had the man only moments ago, and found his brow lifting. Hm, apparently the hostess wasn’t the only one enthralled by sir silver-hair. With a quiet snicker, he collected his menu and began to look over the selection of fish.

[Fell]

Well! I suppose I should be careful what I wish for, Ariel thought cynically, a wry smile finding its place on his lips. Just seconds after a girl had seated herself, another person followed. Ariel looked closely at both of them, concluding that the girl was probably human but the boy... Well, the reaction Ariel felt in himself hinted at his being at least part incubus. "Hey!" Ariel greeted cheerfully, grinning at both the girl and the boy. They both looked to be in their early 20\'s, but Ariel knew that the boy, at least, could be much older.

"I\'m Ariel," he said, maintaining his boyish cheeriness as he reached across the table to offer his hand to first the girl, then the boy. It was an act he was expert in. "Pleased to meet you both!" The cup of green tea came moments later, eliciting another grin. "Sweet," Ariel said softly as he took hold of his tea, speaking more to himself than to anyone else.

The waitress who\'d brought him his tea looked expectantly at both the other occupants of the table, seemingly waiting for their drink orders as well. Or maybe she was just staring - her eyes spent quite some time on the red-haired boy with Ariel coming in second place for that one. The waitress who\'d brought the redhead over gave her one of those looks, though, and the girl who\'d brought Ariel\'s drink moved off fairly quickly.

Ariel couldn\'t help but chuckle, a sound made deep in his throat. People were ever so entertaining. "Chirashi donburi, please," he said to the remaining waitress, his demeanor not suggesting that he\'d noticed the momentary power struggle between them at all.

[Wrakune]

Another was seated with them, this one a stunning red headed man. Ramsie was not shocked by the colour, but she liked it. She was still enthralled by the silver haired man, however, seeing as how he was he first interest.

"Ariel?" she asked. "Lovely name. Mine is Ramsie." A hand through her hair accompanied this statement as she looked at Ariel. She was sure he could she that she intended on getting to know him more. She remembered the other man present and nodded to him, offering a hand for shaking. Yes, he was quite striking as well. If Ariel doesn\'t work out, "Flaming Hair" over here will suit me fine, she thought and accidentally laughed aloud.

[Macabre Beauty]

“I want a Smoked Salmon Temaki,” He voiced shortly after Ariel’s order was recorded, “add cream cheese, Crab, and Roe… An Ebi Temaki with cream cheese, An Uni Maki, An Unagi Maki with extra sauce… Miso for the soup and Soy vingerette for the salad.”

Dutifully, the waitress nodded and scribed his order onto her pad. When her attention shifted to the female, it was apparent that Ramsie’s flirtatious overtures were observed by more than just the males at the table. In fact, the server was quite aware of the young woman’s advances and evidence of this awareness glistened behind her cheerful mask. Women could be such entertaining creatures, when they weren’t trying to be.

Bemused, the feral fae folded his menu and allowed his attention to return to the table. Sapphire eyes shifted lazily to the offered hands and a small smirk quirked his lips. Handshakes… What was it with people and their handshakes? Was there something gained in that small moment of contact?

Quite capable of playing the gentleman, despite his lack of understanding, Nanashi accepted the male’s hand first. With a firm squeeze and an idle straying thumb, that always seemed to circle between the flesh of the thumb and pointer, he shook Ariel’s hand then released. Ramsie’s hand was collected in his palm and her fingers brought within centimeters of his lips, though not touching, before he let it go. An easy grin was offered to them both and his lean form relaxed against the back of his chair.

“Most refer to me as Red, and it is a pleasure to meet you both,” He responded, the half-truth lilting from his lips on a light purr. While present company was bound to prove entertaining; he found there were certain elements of it he could do without. Not that this opinion would show in any manner for the incubus was accustomed to wearing many masks. About to continue in conversation, he hesitated upon hearing laughter.

When the woman, Ramsie, laughed unseen ears twitched to catch the sound and a crimson brow arched delicately. Curious, a querying gaze turned to the female. Had there been some joke he missed? Or was the woman the laughing at the layered and hidden animosity she was receiving from the waitress?

[Wrakune]

Ramsie felt the waitress watching her and shot a glance in her direction. However, she didn\'t pay her much mind except to place her order. "Buri Toro on rice and green tea for me as well," she said with a cocky tilt of the head. She wanted the waitress to leave and hurry with her food, hunger knawed at her insides.

She retured her gaze to Red as he took her hand and asked, "What is it that you ordered? Mine is yellowtail belly. I\'m surprised they have it here." She smiled and glanced back at the other man, feeling like he was somewhat out of it, she ignored him and focused on Red.

Suddenly, smiled and laughed to herself again. She realized they must be confused about her giggling when nothing apparent was amusing, but decided it best not to mention it. She hoped he would not think she was laughing at him, but who knew? He could very well get angry for her rudness. Oh, well, she thought, better to let him wonder. And with that thought came her tea. She smelled it and sihed with the instant relaxation it brought. This sould be fun, she thought.

[Fell]

"Nice to meet you," Ariel returned to Ramsie, grinning, "And nice name." The tone wasn\'t mocking; just a little playful. Ariel was curious about where she\'d gotten her name, but he decided to ask later. Then it was time to shake the redhead\'s hand. Well, someone shakes in an interesting manner, Ariel thought, noting the stray thumb that stroked the flesh between his index finger and thumb. He also noted how the contact made the hairs on the back of is neck rise, and not in an altogether unpleasant fashion.

Hmm, yes, almost certainly at least part incubus, the behemoth thought, though he kept his light smile on. No other creature had ever managed quite the same effect with so little as did an incubus. "Red, then? Pleased to meet you too," Ariel returned politely. He was always careful to watch himself - just a little! - around those with incubus blood. It was so easy to forget the logical side of things when presented with... Well. Never mind that, Ariel thought, electing to simply be careful. Not that it should be too difficult in a sushi parlour.

And then Ramsie started laughing out loud... seemingly at nothing. Ariel turned slowly to look at her, an eyebrow raised quizzically. Dear lord, if they\'ve seated me with a schizophrenic again, he thought, wondering why on Earth she would be laughing at nothing if she were entirely sane. "That\'s twice now; share the joke already," Ariel said with a smile as the waitress placed their teas in front of them. He picked up his and took a couple sips, then smiled like a cat with cream. They\'d finally gotten the brew right! It had taken them long enough, given his instruction on how to do so. Ariel had to wonder what the hell they\'d been waiting for.

At least it\'s done right now, the silver-haired man thought, stroking the edge of the cup with a stray index finger. All the while his indigo eyes watched Ramsie, wondering what answer she would come up with and very much hoping that she was *not* mentally ill. It was always interesting to interact with one, true, but Ariel had other interesting things and people he could speak with or do. An afternoon sushi break was meant to be relaxing, and the behemoth would be rather irritated if this one didn\'t prove to be.

[Wrakune]

"Thank you," she grinned as Ariel complimented her name. When her asked her to spill about her silent joke, she was stunned. He seem somewhat angry.

"Well," she smiled, "you see, I came in expecting to eat alone and have a boring time of it. But now that I\'ve joined you, Ariel, and Red has joined us, I find myself in quite the bubbly mood." She was beaming. She place her hands with fingers laced around the cup of tea before her and took a long drink. It was good ad she was happy she decided to come. Her thoughts were not focused on this fact, however. As her facial expression would portray along with her all-so-telling gaze that would confirm it, all she could think of was Ariel and how best to get him alone. Not that she minded Red being in the mix. The more the merrier, they say, but Ramsie was ready and she was out to get what she wanted, no matter who was offended in the process.

She leaned back in her chair in the most lady-like fashion, crossing her lags under the table and waited to see what the colourful men would say in response to her inside joke.

[Macabre Beauty]

"Women are such fickle creatures," He thought idly, with a small smirk as he noted the dual shift of Ramsie\'s interest. First, it had been the silver haired gentleman... Ariel. Then, when it appeared that he was not giving her the attention she assumed she was due, her focus shifted to him. Ah, but once Ariel acknowledged her the woman was back at his heels like a trained dog. Though, perhaps, a dog in heat would\'ve been more accurate given the pheromones and obvious assertiveness. With a humored glint in his eye, he turned his attention to the query that had been asked of him.

"Eel, Crab, Sea Urchin, and Salmon," He returned casually naming off the rolls he had ordered. Technically there was more to the sushi than just that but, he didn\'t particularly care to divulge the little details, such as the fish eggs, cucumber, avocado and the like.

"Red indeed." Nanashi continued with a small laugh, "Though the name seems moderately bland in comparison to both of yours."

An idle shrug was offered here and the fae fell silent to allow the pair to converse. He hadn\'t been the only one to catch the woman\'s laughter and now it seemed she was being asked to explain herself. Curious, he listened to the explanation with a half-cocked ear as he sipped at his milk. His drink, of course, having arrived with their teas.

A bubbly mood? That was the source of her secretive laughter? Oddly disappointed with this revelation, the half-blood\'s opinion of the woman slipped down another notch. Bubbly often walked hand in hand with air-headed and ditzy. Neither of which, were traits that he admired. Not that anyone would be aware of such, of course, forever the charmer \'Nashi was never one to let his true nature slip through the mask of his pleasant demeanor.

"Well, I for one, am glad our presence here could put such a lift in your mood." He countered smoothly gracing her with a charming smile, "and to say that I am not also enamoured by present company as well... would be a lie."

The last was said with a lilting purr and sly curl of the lip as his sapphire gaze shifted between the two. He was rather aware of how his words might be interpreted but he was certain the translation, at least for one, would be construed quite differently than it was intended. Not that it mattered, particularly. He was merely seeking the most out of this little rendezvous. Just in case he became bored with the female\'s attempts at wooing Ariel.

[Wrakune]

Ramsie listened to Red, though she was only slightly interested. His final words, however, made her angry.

"Enamored as well?" she questioned. "As well as who?" Who was he to blow her cover like that. It was obvious enough that she was stunned by the silver haired man, but for him to point it out thoroughly pissed her off. If it hadn\'t been for her food arriving precisely at that moment, she might have hit him. Though, he would have seen it coming. The supple shifter was angry, but she managed to hide her emotion in a blur of thanking the waitress and diverting her attention to food.

[Fell]

Oh joy, Ariel thought dryly. Perhaps the girl was just another human airhead. Of course, she could also be playing the same kind of game Ariel did... Though the behemoth highly doubted it. She wouldn\'t be capable of playing it with enough skill for him not to notice. The redhead, on the other hand...

Ariel\'s indigo eyes played over him once more. Who knew? It was often hard to tell with other supernaturals, unless one knew exactly what they were and how long they\'d lived. It was possible that he was playing them both. Some of his mannerisms *almost* suggested it, but Ariel just couldn\'t be sure. He made a mental note to watch him. It wouldn\'t hurt.

Ariel let out a light laugh, half hidden by a hand, at both Red\'s words and Ramsie\'s response to them. Humans get so flustered! the silver haired man thought, thoroughly amused. It hadn\'t exactly been a secret before Red had pointed it out... Ariel was looking forward to watching a verbal confrontation, but the arrival of food prevented it.

"Ah, thanks!" Ariel said, accepting his chirashi from the lingering waitress. Rice and raw fish - a perfect meal. He ate in silence for a couple of seconds just to get a taste for it, then glanced up at both of the others. "Good?" he asked, reaching for another piece of salmon. It was mostly to keep the conversation going. After all, it would be dull if they all just ate in silence.

[Wrakune]

Ramsie scowled. She knew she\'d made them think little of her. She looked at the Ariel and narrowed her eyes. He had no right to think of her that way. She realized she was pushing quite roughly against the barriers in his mind, though she didn’t feel like he was trying to push her away. It was quite possible that he had not noticed, but she doubted it. She pulled away quickly feeling like an accidental intruder.

Ariel thought she was a human! She was shocked. Surely he had more perception than that. She was angry. Mostly at herself than with him, for making herself seem so much lower in status than she was.

She stifled her anger and leaned toward the silver-haired one and whispered, “I am most certainly not a human, love.” Her voice was almost inaudible, but she knew that he would hear her and hoped he would agree.

[Macabre Beauty]

The defensive tone delivered with Ramsie’s words caused a glamoured ear to flick back and a crimson brow to lift. His words had been misconstrued all right, though not quite in the manner he had anticipated. Instead of taking them as a compliment onto herself, as most women would have, she took offense. Which, of course, pointed out an interesting element in her personality; Ramsie, was not nearly as composed and self-confident as she presented herself to be. Amused having found such a flaw so effortlessly, the fae chuckled and watched as the woman’s attention went resolutely to her food. Such a temperamental thing… all that huff over a few words.

“Dear woman,” He began pleasantly, the words silken and convincingly contrite, “I was merely offering a compliment. Pardon, if you found my choice of words accusing.”

With a winning smile and a tail flick that went unseen, the feral male shifted his attention to the food that been set before him. After a quick assessment to ensure that all had arrived as it was supposed to, he snatched up a piece of the Uni roll and popped it into his mouth. As the curious texture and unique flavor of the sea urchin spread across his tongue, a soft inaudible purr began to rumble deep within his throat. There was absolutely nothing in the world that could compete with fresh seafood. Well… perhaps there were two things, but neither could be attained at restaurant without drawing a few indignant looks from the patrons.

As he continued to sample his rolls, a half-cocked ear caught Ariel’s query. Swallowing the shrimp he had bitten into, he offered the silver-haired gentleman a grin before giving his reply, “Quite good actually. In fact, I’m rather surprised at the quality of the Eel they offer. It isn’t everyday you find a place picky enough to remove all the skin before they roll it.”

Incidentally, those words were the most truthful offered yet and there was nothing hidden in them.

“What about yours Ramsie?” He queried politely as the woman bowed across the table towards Ariel. The words that passed the shifter’s lips as he spoke caused his sensitive ears to twitch. The woman wasn’t human? Why would that have any bearing on anything? Not that anyone with a nose on them wouldn’t have known all ready… but since the words were obviously not meant to be overheard, how was she to know he had exceptional hearing, he made no notice and returned to his meal as he waited for the conversation to resume.

[Fell]

Oh yeah, Red there was definitely playing some kind of game. Ariel couldn\'t help but like him, but couldn\'t help but be suspicious of him either. And really, who talked like that anymore? Maybe he\'s old, Ariel thought. Or rather, maybe he was one of the many older supernaturals who simply hadn\'t adapted to the more modern world. Gods knew there were many in the community. Ariel himself did not have that problem, as evidenced by the iTouch sitting next to his cellphone in the front pocket of his coat. Technology was one of Ariel\'s favourite things - particularly because of heated pools. It was wonderful.

When Red commented on the quality of the eel in this establishment, Ariel beamed. "There\'s a reason I like it so much!" the man said pleasantly, downing yet another strip of fish. That was when he first felt Ramsie\'s touch.

Ariel had to admit, he was surprised when he found the girl shoving roughly against his mind. Not only rude, but no finesse, Ariel thought disdainfully. Any halfway decent behemoth would know the feeling of someone trying to invade their thoughts, and to be sure, this behemoth did not appreciate it. His pleasant smile turned slightly feral, a hint of his serpentine nature, as he looked over to her. So. She had actually caught some of his thoughts. Ariel didn\'t like that.

"If I ever catch you in my thoughts again, I will roast you where you stand," Ariel told her, his voice quiet but his tone disconcertingly cheerful and pleasant for such a threat. All the same, the invasion of one\'s mental privacy was quite a slight in the silver-haired man\'s eyes, and it was all the worse as she wasn\'t even a behemoth. Ariel gave his own kind a bit more leeway when it came to telepathy and such simply because it was how behemoths tended to communicate. Sometimes it was hard to help picking up a stray thought or two, especially if it was on the surface. But this girl, who had no reason or precedent to be so much as knocking on his mental door...

Ariel flashed her one last smile, then went back to his chirashi. "Well?" Ariel asked Ramsie, prompting her to respond to Red. Ariel wondered if he\'d heard their exchange. A gut reaction would be "yes", but it didn\'t much matter if he had or hadn\'t. Honestly, Ariel didn\'t see why any  of it was significant. Who cared if he thought she was human or not? Apparently Ramsie, but...