Lei waited for Yu to put away the coat and sit down. Lei had been so focused on Yu's and her own appearance, she wasn't sure anymore, from where Yu had stood up from.
So she waited for her to take her to the seat, which she had chosen in this coffee shop.
The place could be described with two adjectives, fuzzy and cute. It looked comfortable, especially for cats and other small shifters. There were a lot of pastels and a second floor with a lot of climbing opportunities leading from or to it, but also scattered around at the ground floor, where she was at.
Lei smiled and watched as tiny animals were jumping about and playing. She knew that they were not from the café inherently, and wouldn't stay here, but for the non-magick people there was detailed information about how the neighbours brought the cats here and other tiny creatures, so that they could exhaust themselves better.
A small smirk played on Lei's feature's most of the owners on the fotos, probably were the animals in question and just loved to play around here and with the people, and the other shifters, to entertain themselves and the other customers.
The dragon found this so adorable, and was really tempted to turn and shrink herself, to play with the other animals around her.
Laughter emitted from her, and Yu turned around to reflect this with a smile, as she pulled a chair back for her to sit on.
Lei followed her unspoken plea, and Yu sat down across from her. Yu, after sitting down, crossed one leg over the other, before giving her the menu.
This was a small booklet with a section of warm drinks, cold drinks, bakery goods and snacks. There was no meal-type of dish, which had to be expected, but there were special dishes for the small pets.
They looked very interesting and cute, so as Lei browsed through the booklet, her eyes were really stuck on all the salads for the rabbits.
She was a vegetarian. Not all her siblings had this trait from their father, but some had. Her other father ate meat, but he also had stated multiple times, that this was not necessarily tied together. As in just because he was a french dragon didn’t mean there were no other’s from that region that weren’t vegetarians, as well as her other father was.
His mother had hunted and it had thus been passed down. Even though he still looked as if his husband wanted to poison him, he still ate the salad, which he lovingly had made for him.
"Can you recommend anything?", she asked after ripping her eyes away from the dish and looked up at Yu, who had already closed her own menu and put a hand against her cheek.
"Hmmm ... I love the Momiji Manju and white cocoa, with white peach flavour, or strawberry...", Yu started to answer. "You need to tell me first, what you like, and then we can look together?" - "I also like peaches and hot cocoa. I love salads and cherry tomatoes. I'm a moderate sweet tooth, so maybe fruity Mochi? Or Dango?", Lei stated and hesitated a bit, because she hadn't been asked this in a while, she really needed to think.
"Well that sounds like something they can do, and about the dish you were eyeing, they also have a person version that will be less suspicious.....", a pause.
"Oh, and maybe try tangerine, that and hot cocoa is the best in my opinion.", she gave her a brilliant smile and then asked for Momo-san, one of Ai's siblings and gave her the order.
"How is Ai-chan?", she inquired as Momo-san collected the menu from both of them. "You know her, either learning or practising until her finger's bleed. Thus, Ruika-kun needed to fill in today. He is not amused. There is a wolf leering at him.", Momo had bowed closer to Yu's ear at those last words, so that only she and Lei could hear them.
"Do you know anything?", a glint appeared in Yu's eye, answering Momo's question and Lei's unspoken one.
"Well. I will go get your drinks then. You guys have fun!", she said and turned around to leave, her orange ponytail bumping up and down on her back.
Yu nodded and looked at Lei, and Lei gazed into her starry eyes at the same time.
They were so pretty, and she wanted to delve into them.
"Do you want to take a picture together?", Yu suggested and put out her phone. "It's okay if not, though..." - "No, don't worry, it will be a nice memento. I already have so many pictures…I’m kind of a photo geek, since the invention of the camera. It makes capturing moments, so much easier. ", Lei beamed at her shyly and scooted a bit closer for the photo. “Plus it’s always clearer than the memory.”, she added in a lower tone, not wanting to talk through the shop.
They were interrupted by Momo bringing the drinks, after the 5th photo, regardless, even with the phone put down now, they stayed where they had moved to.
"So you have premonitions?" - "No. I can do readings. It's more spellwork than inherent gift. But it's very accurate and yes my inherent intuition is the hint of magic, which I need to be this accurate... It makes it so much easier to guess correctly.", the joke left her lips with a faint smile.
"I know what you mean." A pause. "My element is lightning, but I technically could work some weather and rain spells, but it’s so infrequently working… I’ll sooner be able to create fire." Lei admitted and looked at her beverage, that was steaming, and nipped at it to test its temperature.
Since she was a lightning spewing dragon, this heat didn't bother her, on the contrary it warmed her up more, as she was inherently not self warming. The beverage caused her to be warmer than she was in general.
So, when she brushed Yu's shoulder and noticed that the other was cold, she looked at her quizzically.
Yu nodded, guessing the question resting in Lei's golden eyes.
This prompted her to put an arm around her, while Yu put her hands around the cup, which was too hot for her to drink, but perfect for warming her regularly cold fingertips.
"My dad also has a colder core than most. And my father loves to embrace him with a blanket. I don't have one here right now, but I hope that I'm warm enough.", Lei mumbled into Yu's ear and pulled her closer.
"Oh... Sorry ... I can get too much, too close and too rash..." - "No don't worry, Lei, I was the one who wanted a photo already, as a memento for the future.", both laughed heartily at that and Yu hugged her tightly, warming herself up on the other and with the drink.
It was uncommon for her to hug so soon, but Lei was so warm... It was deep in her instinct to get closer to a source of warmth - it overwrote her need for distance.
"So you are an actress? Can you tell me about the show?" - "Well, yes that I am, but only sometimes and mostly not longer than 10 years. Anyway, I play Aziza, and I am a 3000-year-old vampire that roams the earth.
I am supposed to help the protagonist fulfil a prophecy, but somehow I felt this script was a bit lazy and not that unique.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
I tried working it over with the director, but somehow it never clicked. I'm a side character anyway, so I will just be written out of the story." - "What do you think the story needs?" - "I don't know. They want the character to stay, because she could help the protagonist as a teacher, but there is no real reason... Or I should say, not a believable reason that Aziza would stay. She is not much of a teacher and there are so many others around the protagonist… But I understand I really like Aziza, she is a bit tougher than I am." - "Hmm... what about me?" - "Huh?" - "Well, what if we make a character that befriends Aziza with a different motif? I don't know, maybe a quirky werewolf for your cold-blooded vampire?", it had been a thick idea and Yu smiled, before starting to laugh.
She didn’t hate wolves, still it was interesting that she came up with a bit of a cliché’d idea. Though she kinda vibed with it, if she was honest.
Lei thought about it slowly, turning it over in her head and ultimately she found the idea incredible.
"I will have to consult the team. Maybe they will be as amazed as I am and if you don't have ... " - "Wait... I'm in, still, this is so weird....All of this, we know each other for only a few days… But don’t get me wrong acting would be soo cool and maybe I could also get my band more attention.", Yu’s features beamed with a radiant smile and shortly after Lei snorted. Now both started laughing until their food came and they started to eat it.
"Have you made progress on your model? Can you show me a picture? Of the temple you designed?" - "Yes I do have new pictures, but I didn't make any progress, not yet. I only had theoretical lectures today.", Yu explained while showing Lei pictures.
"Wow. This looks soo beautiful. Especially, how the light flickers in the glass paintings..." - "Thank you. Do you have anything that you created recently, or haven't shown to me yet?", she nudged.
Lei nodded and showed her a picture of the dress, she had designed and sewn, one of which she hadn't sent her yet.
"Oh... so much detail, did you embroider it yourself?", Yu was stunned by the details and as she zoomed in on the pictures, her breath suddenly hitched. "I need to wear this at some point, please. Do you also sell them?" - "No, it was either or, so that I don't get too much attention." - "Oh right.... That's exactly what I would like to have with my band. Too much attention that is, and I also hope that someday, eto, that we can leave the broom closet. Haha..." - "Broom?" - "Yeah, it's a witchy term. I know it doesn't speak for all of the members of the Magick community, but if I list off everything, the date will never end." - "Hmm... You don't have to list things, Yu, but why should this date end? I don't mind stretching it for a few days.", Lei's smile was as dazzling as a breaking dawn.
"What about months?", Yu looked at her dead serious, before they both started laughing again.
It took a while, before they stopped laughing.
"Okay so, Yu? I'm generally very bad with asking about things, so I figured we could try an either or, with general things, for example movie genres or favourite colours?", Lei suggested and Yu nodded enthusiastically.
"Red or Blue?", Yu shot first after Lei had suggested the game. "Red. And you?" - "Purple."
"Traditional or Modern clothing?", Lei continued. "Both. But, you somehow seem a bit more traditional? I mean, my dad is about the same age as you and the day he doesn't wear a Kimono has yet to arrive..." - "Haha... Yes, I do like traditional Hanfu, but as you can see I also look very good in a more modern Qi Pao.", Lei replied and finished her food.
Thus, she got up and went to the pillow corner of the Café hand in hand with Yu and sat down with her. That hand holding was partly used to pull Yu along, so that they could continue their conversation in the field of pillows.
Yu was again tempted to snuggle up, but she didn't and even though Lei tugged at her, in the end they sat across from one another.
"Cats or dogs?", the red haired asked trying to get a hold of a kitty, but a puppy seemed to be more comfortable being picked up by Lei.
"Foxes.", Yu knelt down and snuggled into the pillows. "I also have a pile of this at home." - "That looks uncomfortable but very snuggly.", Lei grinned and held the pup close, unaware that it was a wolf. Her hand caressed the soft and thick fur.
No one was aware of it, except for the black cat that had tried to disappear, but was recklessly picked up by Yu and caressed lovingly.
"I like all of them. But if I'm gigantic they usually run away??", she admitted, and somehow the pup in her arms snuggled up even more with her, as if he attempted to comfort her. Maybe because a wolf was also slightly larger than your average dog. The reason no one noticed though, because this wolf was tiny now.
"Okay, which of the 5 seasons do you prefer?" - "Summer." - "Fall and Sakura season. You should stay to see it next year.", Yu stopped in her tracks and looked at Ruika-kun in her arms, keeping him there and bullying him a bit via this. At the same time he poked and caressed him, so that he was not too uncomfortable
"See, you are not the only one, who can be rash", Yu admitted and lifted her gaze partially to look directly at Lei.
Words spoken only for the other
"Okay, maybe then Exes next, because I don't know about you, but I think it shouldn't only be the good things... If that makes sense." - "Well, there was one. Her name was Mariko, and she was more in love with her sponsor than she was in love with me. Honestly though, she always saw me as a friend and I should have respected that. I was never untowards, but I always had hoped, for a different fate. I don't blame her for taking a bit of advantage of me. Since it took a bit for me to realise it... I don't think any more detail is a good idea during our first date. Since this was already bordering oversharing already. Ah well it is maybe overshared... Nothing to do about it now that the words are out." - "I'm sorry. Do not worry about it. I have siblings and sometimes tmi, is what I get and didn't ask for, or ask for and don't get. I really like that you can be this honest with me. It really encourages me to do the same, as well. I hope you don't mind it?" - "Noo how could I. I'm happy that this is more encouragement than awkward." - "Well, back to the question I previously only had no strings attached situations. And I really enjoyed some aspects, sometimes the physical sometimes the simple companionship, but I never felt like my dad had described it, in his stories, when he was wandering into my father's territory by accident... So maybe it wasn't entirely only One-Night-Stands... but still. After a while I didn't feel comfortable anymore, so I ran away, because I didn't want to lie to them. They just had felt temporary and there is nothing wrong with it, but some of them had not taken it well, if I had told them, so at some point I just stopped elaborating on it. Other times there were people, where I could say 'No It's not you' and still be friends with them, but those were few and far between. Thus, I do apologise in advance, if you never see me again, after I have run for the hills." - "You can sure try running, but I will not let someone slip away again! Especially, when my parents are so strange about you... giving me this.", Yu gestured at what she was wearing. She still felt overdressed, though she was not alone, as Lei was also overdressed, but still it did not take away this slight buzz on her skin, reminding her that she looked dressed for a Gala and not a Coffee Date...
"Haha... Well I thought my colleagues were too eager as well, hence I was glad that I'm not the only one." A pause. "This doesn't top your parents, but...", Lei's cheeks bloomed with a fuchsia undertone and she freed a hand to show a message to her.
"I didn't tell him...", she explained, so that the message, which she showed to Yu had a bit more impact and when Yu looked closer, while gently rubbing the cat's ears between her thumb and index, the effect was not lost on her.
The message read: 'Good Luck Xiao Lei. '
"Oh.... your dad seems to be more in tune than me." - "Well, divination is more of a hobby of his. He is very good in pattern recognition. Sometimes, though, it's more along the lines of that he just 'knows'. Similar to you." - "Maybe. It is no science after all. But sometimes this knowing, is not useful... Also, I can not see anything about my life, which is probably for the best, but at the same time a bit annoying for me. ", Yu states “Oh wait, but sometimes I do get hitches and uncertain feelings.”, she admits a second later and Lei nods in agreement, as she is familiar with this from her family and her father.
She puts her phone away and puts the pup down. Shortly after this, the cat jumps over Yu's shoulder and runs off, followed by the little wolf and frightening Lei a bit.
"What do they have going on?" - "Well I did see that one, but it's best if we don't talk about it here, because the little cat should not know." - "Why don't we head for a walk then? The weather is still so good.", Lei inquired and Yu nodded, a brilliant smile brightening her features again. It was as if their smiles illuminated each of them from within and always caused one heart or both to leap in a bound of cheer.
They got up then and left the coffee shop after giving a tip.
The air that greeted them, after they had left was a bit brisk and immediately Lei took her coat, which Yu had put away for her, and Lei had taken it back, to only wrap it around Yu the next moment.
Yu also had had brought a slim jacket, which she had just put on, when Lei got very close to wrap her up in the warmth of the coat, she noticed that it also smelled like the enchanting dragon in front of her.
Yu couldn't stop smiling, her heartbeat acclerating, and a rosé colourbegan to tint her previously pale cheeks.
What was this? If it was only a date it really should never end... but what if they were too fast?
But both were the same?
What was she to do...?
What could they do?
It definitely did not help, to see the other's expression also become a bit more coy, her eyes narrowed a bit and she could not sustain eye contact.
Both hearts skipped a beat and if Yu had to bet, she'd say that she would not have to worry about Lei running away, even though at the same time, there was a partin her that wanted to dash as fast as she could, not because she disliked it, quite the contrary.
Additionally it was not Yu's style to run away and specifically this situation sparked content in her, like only few other situations had had. She just knew no one would run or hide.
Regardless of this feeling she didn't know, if the other felt the same, which was the exact worry Lei had about Yu in this moment. But no one, at least for now would bring it up, who would want to be this arrogant? They both preferred to enjoy the moment as it came and if they both they chose they would rush it and if not they would not. It was their decision in the end. And no matter how secure each was, nothing was to be taken lightly or for granted, maybe it should lead them somewhere else or to someone else? They did not believe that. Not even close. But albeit this insecurity there was something else, where neither could quite put their finger on...
