Ely was just a little, hm, starstruck. Yes. That is what she was, starstruck. That would definitely be the reason for all the sparkles in front of her eyes and the fact that she couldn't manage to keep up with Kiga's rapid actions. She had only gotten used to being caught up in his arms when he pulled her up from the floor.
Now he was wanting to know where they were going. Ely could not recover quite so quickly. She smoothed her hair down, brushed off her clothes, and tried to appear to be what her mother always wanted, a elegant young lady. It did not work when she was a teen and it did not work now. Still, it gave her enough time to think.
"There is a new restaurant (Surely such things exist by now.) close to that crazy hotel. You know the one? With all the rooms that are done up in red silk and lace?"
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga looked immediately interested. Not in the hotel, that place was all kinds of odd and he knew it. He'd had to deal with enough of the patronage after a night's debauchery, though his extent in such matters generally meant informing the Sentinel.
But a new restaurant? That appealed a great deal to him because, like most people; Kiga enjoyed eating. He wasn't the biggest person in town, but he might just have the largest appetite. Something had to fuel his energy after all.
He grinned and bounced just a little, doing his best not to grab her by the wrist and go whooshing out the door. Besides, it was going to be all manner of wet and slick out there, which meant it was not the time for him to be zipping about town. So instead, he pulled his jacket in tighter and then nodded.
"Sounds good to me, Ely. Shall we go?"
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely gave him a smile that lit up her whole face. A night out with Kiga was something to treasure, especially with all the things he had been trying to keep up with recently. She tucked her hand in against the bend of his elbow, her body warm and curved close to him.
"Yes, of course. We should leave immediately. I would not want you to collapse from hunger on the way there."
She would not want that at all. But, the mental image of him tangled up on the ground was rather, um, thrilling. Ely's mind lingered on him in such a fashion for the time it took to head downstairs, find the front door, and step outside.
The cold air hit her immediately. And while Ely rarely, if ever, was actually cold, she gave a shiver anyway and snuggled even closer to the leather clad Kiga.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga smiled as he escorted her outside and his hand managed to sneak behind her hip to rest just above her tail. He held the door for her, of course and then peered outside into the cold, the wind whipping down the street and making his hair rock back and forth, slight dabs of snow settling on his cheek and brow. He laughed a little as he closed the door behind them.
"Brrr! It's seriously cold out here! Thank you for the jacket Ely, this is almost too much!"
Kiga's teeth weren't chattering now and whilst his nose and cheeks seemed a little rosey, it seemed the jacket was indeed doing it's intended job. Kiga looked up and down the street and as luck would have it, a cab was coming by, vapor rising from the horse's nostrils. He hailed the driver, all bundled in furs and as the small carriage pulled to a halt, Kiga lifted Ely from her doorstep and ever so gently helped her onto the step.
This happened to be the only cab that operated in Wistvale presently, and most people had not taken to the idea. Kiga himself hadn't found a need for it, but thoughts of Ely tromping through the slush and cold seemed to necessitate such a mode of travel. The driver turned with a wriggle, as he was certainly wrapped up tight against the weather; and smiled as Kiga climbed on board.
Ely was quite surprised by the cab, She had been in them before in bigger cities but had not known there was one in Wistvale. Trust Kiga to know. He knew everyone and everything that happened, or so Ely thought. In fact, Kiga was nigh on perfect in her mind. That is the way of things with lovers, you know. The thought that the other one is absolutely, beyond all shadow of a doubt, perfect.
Kiga helped her into the cab and Ely gave a tiny sigh while settling in close to his body. He was shivering an awful lot and body heat, her body heat, would warm him up. She couldn't let him freeze after he managed to get the cab. Right?
"Miss Gwen's Place, driver."
Ely's voice was soft and warm. She was soft and warm, too
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga was far from perfect and he had no qualms about it. And whilst he knew just about everyone that was in or around Wistvale and just what they did and whom they did it with, he didn't care to flaunt such knowledge in front of Ely. In fact, he took no pride in the matter. It was simply part of his job and really, kept Wistvale a much better place for it. These days he had some help on that front too and whilst he couldn't be everywhere all at once, his other Vangaurd memebers that were under him in the Wistvale region were experts at collecting information. He'd given them some thought lately too, to see if perhaps they were ready for a little more responsibilty which in turn, would allow him a bit more free time.
At any rate, he didn't know too much about where they were going and that was good, as it meant he was quiet excited. He slipped his arm about Ely's waist and made sure to sit as close as he could manage on the seat.
"Heh. I'm kinda excited to try something new. I know it's been a while Ely, but I'm really glad we can find the time."
He was smiling quite cheerfully now and his eyes were brimming with delight.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely found herself reaching up to brush her fingers through his snow-white hair. If you asked her, Ely would quite happily tell you she could not get enough of playing with his hair. At the moment, she did not linger in them, though. Kiga's mood was infectious and she could barely sit still herself. She might pull on them too hard or something crazy like that. It would be a terrible way to begin their night out. Her fingers tingled anyway. Maybe it was magic. Not her magic or his magic but just the magic of being together.
They reached the restaurant, quickly enough, in the cab and Ely saw a brand new placard hanging from the iron post out front. It was lit up with a ruddy glow from the oil lanterns hanging to either side. She hugged herself with both hands. She was going out on a date with her boyfriend. Who was a ninja. She reminded herself to look that word up for probably the millionth time, too.
The driver had pulled the horse to a halt and she nudged Kiga with her elbow.
"We're here."
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga's eyes were wider than usual and glistening with excitement and interest. He was still a little cold from his neck upward, but his ears were burning with curiosity and had turned a reddish hue, as had the tip of his nose. He smiled, but said nothing as he climbed off the cab; his eyes locked on the building the entire time. Something smelled entirely interesting in there and he was quite overcome with interest now.
He hadn't forgotten the most important thing though. He turned about to face the cab and held both hands out for Ely to climb down. Secretly, he rather hoped she'd want him to simply pick her up. It always thrilled him when she rested against him and it never failed to amaze him how little she seemed to weigh.
"Yup, looks like it!"
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely slipped off the steps and into his arms. He was so very strong. Oh, there were Sentinels, guards, and soldiers that might be more muscular, they might have a more powerful grip, for that matter they might have magical armor that imbue them with all manner of talents. None of that mattered to Ely. Her fingertips landed as gently as a butterfly on his nape. That satisfied her need for touch. His arms tightened around her which only intensified it. She did not want to let go.
He was wonderful to hold on to.
It wasn't until the rest of the world began to bleed into her consciousness that Ely heard the faint giggles. She did not need to look around to know they were coming from a pair of teenage girls. That sound was incontrovertible. The tips of her ears went red, well, redder and her tail tried to turn itself into a corkscrew and hide. She did not know whether to laugh, slide from Kiga's grasp, or disappear beneath the street.
Quite frankly she was hoping for the latter.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga on the other hand wasn't bothered in the slightest by the giggling of the onlookers and the fact that Ely was curled up against him made him very, very happy. Indeed, he might not have the strongest arms in Wistvale, but if you were to ask him, his arms were made for the express purpose of holding onto her.
Still, he hadn't intended to carry her into the restarurant or anything so silly, so he gently set her down on her feet. He wasn't quite done having her this close though and so, with his hands still setlled on her waist, he leaned closer and stole a kiss. He didn't steal away nearly as quickly, mind you.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely enjoyed the kiss for the length of time that it lasted offering quiet little murmurs of enjoyment. Her hands fell from his nape to his forearms, nails bent inward to drag along his skin. She wanted the kiss to last until the sun fell out of the sky but she did not complain when it was over. To her Kiga was freedom incarnate and she never wanted to fetter that in any circumstance.
She took his arm, though, as she had see the fashionable women about town do; tucking her hand around the bend of his elbow. Ely entered the restaurant holding on to him that way and glancing left to right. They were quickly shown to a table made for just two people the chairs had soft cushions and wide arms. They were extremely comfortable.
She smiled at Kiga from across the table and pointed out a few things she had noticed the last time she was here.
"That's the kitchen, Kiga. Through that door."
Ely pointed over her shoulder toward the back of the building.
"They make all the food in there and bring it out to your table when it is done. Sometimes, the food is still on fire."
Ely's eyes were shining when she said that last word.
"I've watched it more than once. I don't know how they do it. It is not magic. They set a tiny torch to the corner of the stone plate and...
POOF!"
Ely spread her hands out in a wide circle in front of her face.
Kiga stared at her like a bewildered child, watching a magician release a dove in a cloud of confetti and sparkles. Her energy was contagious, she was entirely adorable and to Kiga, Ely was just as spontaneous as he was. There were so many reasons why she enthralled him, an unending amount of ways she catpivated his mind and his heart.
He sat transfixed, smiling wide and eyes an easy inch wider. He was star struck, enamored and whilst he just wanted to pounce across the table and kiss on her so many more times, that wouldn't be proper.
So he chuckled, thoroughly enjoying her energy and her story. She had his whole, undivided interest. They'd both been very busy of late and there was nothing that would pull him from her company today.
"Ely? I've missed you."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely flushed and dropped her hands into her lap. She was probably making way too much noise if the people currently staring at her was any indication. But, at Kiga's words her whole face lit back up.
"I always miss you, Kiga. Every day. I'm sorry I've been so busy."
Ely picked up the silver fork setting on the white napkin beside her and fiddled with it. There were probably other things she could talk about but now she was thinking of how lonely he must have been. She had a quick flash of memory, too.
Kiga sitting silently by himself at a table in the tavern. No one was sitting with him and no one had been talking to him until she spoke. It's what prompted her to sit down in the first place. He seemed alone in a room full of people. He still had that ability, too. Ely put the fork down and reached across the table instead.
She left her chair, standing on the tips of her toes, and kissed him right on the lips. She never wanted him to feel alone again.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga would have grabbed her by the hand and scooped her up, only to run out the door and take to the rooftops... if it wouldn't have caused something of a scene. So instead, he sat there and behaved like he very well should and found himself blushing as Ely pressed her lips to his. Kiga was loud and enthusiastic, but never tried to act too disorderly (or at least, he didn't think so). So he was quite reserved, though hardly lacking in passion when he returned that kiss.
Still, it left him breathless and even as she took her seat once more, he sat there, feeling like his head might spin off his shoulders. Wide eyed, his heart racing much too fast, he shook his head to rattle his senses back into their proper order and coughed. He was still quite red and found himself looking about, trying to find something to distract himself as he was quite sure he looked quite silly.
"Oh. We should order some food, shouldn't we? What would you like? The food that's on fire?"
It didn't sound nearly as enchanting in Kiga's words, but it certainly sounded interesting nonetheless.
"Oh yes! I would love that. Lydia took me here a couple of weeks ago and I decided it would be a good idea not to order it then. You know... because of what happened before..."
Ely flushed and looked down at the table. Kiga might not remember her tossing a fireball at the other girl. He'd been in one of the patient rooms at the time because she had thrown one at him.
Ely still felt awful about that, too. She knew it had been the books' influence on her. But every time she thought about it she wanted to cringe. She, who had been practicing fire magic since she was a child, had allowed an outside influence to control her magic.
It wasn't right. The magic was incomparably hers. Anyone with talent could study fire magic, of course. That said, years of study created a talent that was as unique as a signature. In fact, it was as good as a signature in some mage guilds. The books had polluted her mind and in some way she was worried they might still be.
Ely had built a phoenix out of flames to get Kiga's attention in a tavern once. She was not so quick to show off these days; especially around people
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”