50th Trial of Zi'da,
Arc 716
Arc 716
Vega was still on the first glass and seemed to be developing a backlog. She was used to drinking, but she was used to drinking slowly and as Arlo drained his second glass, she grinned. "If I end up puttin' you to bed dead drunk, yer sleepin' in the bath." She didn't mind the dead drunk in the slightest, but she wasn't wasting a perfectly wonderful bed on someone who couldn't appreciate it, and she told him so quite clearly. Dead drunk was fine, he just wasn't doing it in the first bed she'd slept in for an arc. Then, though, when he explained what a trinket wife was like, Vega listened and nodded, apparently seriously. "Yeah, see? Jus' like me. Seen, not 'eard. Never got opinions and even on those rare moments where I do, I never say 'em. An' disagree with you? Me? I can't imagine it, can you?" Her eyes were twinkling as she considered it. "You wouldn't know what to do with me, an' you'd spend yer time tryin' to work out who I was, an' what I'd done with the real me." In truth, he'd be right to.
The fish was like nothing she'd ever tasted, and she told him so. He wasn't paying attention, though, he was staring off to the empty table next to them, behind her. Vega had her back to it, but looking in the window she could see the reflection and there was no one sitting there. Yet, Arlo smiled and was staring. That gave her an opportunity and she moved her glass of water, giving herself a clear trajectory, then swiped a piece of his fish, quite content to accept the 'you snooze, you loose' school of fish-stealing.
But then, he purposely set his finger on fire and Vega told him to stop but he didn't listen. "What do you mean, you can't? It's your finger, stop it!" Vega's voice was a low whisper and then she frowned as he put his finger in her water, moved there in order to facilitate her fish-stealing in fairness. "Gerroff my water, stick yer finger in your own drink." She picked up her napkin and dropped it on his hand, but nothing stopped it.
"Who?" Vega said and first looked in the reflection in the window and then turned around, again, to look at where he meant. "That group of four? Think they're 'ere for that kid's birthday? Maybe it's a trick. Want me to go thump the kid till they stop?" She was entirely serious, although she looked at him with a look which suggested that perhaps he was going mad. "I mean, 'ow do you know it's them?" The group of four in question were two tables away and didn't really seem to be involved.
The waiter glanced over, checking that everything was alright, since there seemed to be a commotion. Thank Xiur he hadn't noticed Arlo's flaming finger, Vega thought and she smiled at him. Then she turned back to Arlo. "You know, I don't know but maybe put it in yer mouth? Then, if you close your mouth around it, then yer cuttin' off the air an' that kills a fire. It don't burn. If it burns you, don't do it." The elderly couple who Vega evidently didn't see were still pointing and the lady of the pair was waving.
The thing was, to Arlo, they looked entirely solid and normal. How Vega couldn't see them must seem like a mystery until they stood up and walked towards the young couple. Now that, in and of itself was fine, but people didn't usually walk through the table, so much as around it. So, of course, because it was them on their first date Arlo found himself in the most expensive restaurant on Scalvoris, perhaps for quite a bit further than that, sitting across from his girlfriend who had stolen a fair portion of his dish as two ghosts walked up to them and, completely unknown to Vega, the older man said, "I wonder, may we join you? Lovely young couple." Hopefully Arlo said yes because they were sitting at the table with the two of them as Arlo blinked.
Oh, and his finger was still, very much, on fire. Vega looked at him like his head was spinning around on the spot and then she grinned. The older woman was examining a strand of Vega's hair, not that the redhead had any idea, nor could she hear the "oh, it is beautiful. Soft too." Vega's grin, though, was entirely genuine as she asked "Arlo, wot in the name of Xiur's perky nips is goin' on?" Three pairs of eyes, two dead and one very much alive looked at him.
The fish was like nothing she'd ever tasted, and she told him so. He wasn't paying attention, though, he was staring off to the empty table next to them, behind her. Vega had her back to it, but looking in the window she could see the reflection and there was no one sitting there. Yet, Arlo smiled and was staring. That gave her an opportunity and she moved her glass of water, giving herself a clear trajectory, then swiped a piece of his fish, quite content to accept the 'you snooze, you loose' school of fish-stealing.
But then, he purposely set his finger on fire and Vega told him to stop but he didn't listen. "What do you mean, you can't? It's your finger, stop it!" Vega's voice was a low whisper and then she frowned as he put his finger in her water, moved there in order to facilitate her fish-stealing in fairness. "Gerroff my water, stick yer finger in your own drink." She picked up her napkin and dropped it on his hand, but nothing stopped it.
"Who?" Vega said and first looked in the reflection in the window and then turned around, again, to look at where he meant. "That group of four? Think they're 'ere for that kid's birthday? Maybe it's a trick. Want me to go thump the kid till they stop?" She was entirely serious, although she looked at him with a look which suggested that perhaps he was going mad. "I mean, 'ow do you know it's them?" The group of four in question were two tables away and didn't really seem to be involved.
The waiter glanced over, checking that everything was alright, since there seemed to be a commotion. Thank Xiur he hadn't noticed Arlo's flaming finger, Vega thought and she smiled at him. Then she turned back to Arlo. "You know, I don't know but maybe put it in yer mouth? Then, if you close your mouth around it, then yer cuttin' off the air an' that kills a fire. It don't burn. If it burns you, don't do it." The elderly couple who Vega evidently didn't see were still pointing and the lady of the pair was waving.
The thing was, to Arlo, they looked entirely solid and normal. How Vega couldn't see them must seem like a mystery until they stood up and walked towards the young couple. Now that, in and of itself was fine, but people didn't usually walk through the table, so much as around it. So, of course, because it was them on their first date Arlo found himself in the most expensive restaurant on Scalvoris, perhaps for quite a bit further than that, sitting across from his girlfriend who had stolen a fair portion of his dish as two ghosts walked up to them and, completely unknown to Vega, the older man said, "I wonder, may we join you? Lovely young couple." Hopefully Arlo said yes because they were sitting at the table with the two of them as Arlo blinked.
Oh, and his finger was still, very much, on fire. Vega looked at him like his head was spinning around on the spot and then she grinned. The older woman was examining a strand of Vega's hair, not that the redhead had any idea, nor could she hear the "oh, it is beautiful. Soft too." Vega's grin, though, was entirely genuine as she asked "Arlo, wot in the name of Xiur's perky nips is goin' on?" Three pairs of eyes, two dead and one very much alive looked at him.
