While he found them a place for them to sit, Phedre, having lost his little snow challenge, dutifully placed their order and then some. Chai tea and a story were all he had asked for but it didn’t stop her from getting a few pastries with a plate of extra whip cream for Abby either. With all that running around Zac had made her do, she desperately needed energy if only to keep herself awake until she got home.
When their order was finally called Phedre carried the tray across the room, expertly skirting around a few tables and somehow dodging the chair when a kid abruptly stood up, without knocking over either of their drinks. Who knew that some of those tips he had shared would actually be applicable to anything outside of a battle? Phedre did, to a degree at least, not that she would admit it out loud.
After setting the tray down on the table between them, she passed Zac his chai and a napkin with it. It was almost unfair with how relaxed he looked, then again she had to wonder if he even broke a sweat; probably not. Just because he could move faster didn’t mean he exerted more energy. Or did it? Lord, there was still too much she didn’t understand.
“Do you want the cinnamon roll or pumpkin spice bread?” Phe asked as she took a seat in the chair beside him.
~~~
He looked amused as he watched her circumnavigate the obstacles, the grin finally spreading across his face as she settled into place.
“I see a lot of improvement dodging.” He said with a wicked glint in his eyes.
“But… I’ll let you pick. Either sounds like it would be delicious.” He admitted.
“So, do I get to claim my story this time?” He asked tipping his head slightly as he wrapped his hands around the chai drink, leaning just forward over to breathe deeply over the steaming cup.
“Mmmmm… “ He hummed appreciatively.
~~~
Phedre shot him over of those ‘excuse you’ looks that suggested she was about to say something. However she thought twice and instead, she simply smiled, rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion and shook her head. He could have his moment, this time at least.
“Yes, you get to pick the story this time. Is there anything specific you want to know?” She raised an eyebrow in his direction questioningly.
While she waited for Zac to pick a topic, Phedre picked up one of the knives to cut each dessert in half before handing him a small plate supporting the larger half of each delectable treat.
~~~
He gave a small laugh and shook his head at her, before using his knife and fork to give her the larger half of one of them to balance the affair out.
“Mmm… No preference.” He said shaking his head. “Tell me something about you...on par with what you ask me I suppose.” he then tucked his fork into the smaller piece that he’d liberated from her own place, cutting a corner off and taking a bite.
“The better the story the more likely I am to put our next training, indoors.” He said with a wicked grin.
~~~
Phedre raised an eyebrow in his direction.
Steepling her fingers she leaned forward, “Oh really?” How kind …. “Here’s a true story for you.” A genuine smile spread across her face as she struggled not to actually laugh until she finished saying her piece. “You’re sadistic…” Phedre pointed a finger at him then leaned back in her chair. “The end.”
“I’m just kidding,” She blew on her chai tea a few times before taking a sip. “Mostly anyway.”
“Have you ever wondered why I’m so interested in your stories? Why I prefer them over anything tangible or favors as prizes?” Reaching over she broke off the corner piece of the pumpkin bread and chewed the bite thoughtfully as she tried to think of something worth sharing.
~~~
“Only a little sadistic.” He said waving a hand dismissively. “I’m sure that it’s considered a desirable trait as far as training is concerned.”
“That could be an interesting story to be sure.” He murmured. “Let’s go with that one today then.” He said with a smile.
“Besides, I think you’ll prefer the chalk to the snow. Even if it has helped.” he chuckled.
“Just think of it as an advantage to any dancing lessons you take.”
~~~
“Is this you offering to be my dance partner. I’m flattered, really, but I’m willing to bet you have two left feet. Then again you could just be the next Lindsey Stirling for all I know.” Sure he could dodge a snowball with grace, but he could also fall off the roof of her car like a flailing peacock; a sight she would never forget and always give her reason to smile. If only she had a camera with her, she could have printed it off and pinned it on her fridge.
“All joking aside.” Phedre waved her hand dismissively knowing that if she continued down this beaten path she was on, Zac would just come up with more ‘fun’ and ‘creative’ ways to get back at her for it. “The reason I put more value on stories than anything else is because of my Grandfather.”
“You see, not only is he a war veteran, but both he and his parents were very smart with their money, investing in real estate all around the world. Whenever everyone else turned a blind eye, they saw potential. Over time they acquired a collection several estates, family sized home and even a few cabins by a lake.”
“For my Aunt and Uncle, and to a degree my parents as well, they really only see the monetary value of each property. But for him…” Phedre’s gaze dropped down to the marshmallow-like foam cap that covered her chai tea. “He loved history, and things with some sort of cultural significance. My Grandfather was truly a fountain of knowledge, he could tell you everything about the town were currently visiting. Or if there was any part of the building's structure had been reclaimed or repurposed after going through a remodel he could tell you its significance. Although I admit, there were times I felt like he was making things up just to be silly. However, I will say that he did, in fact, win one of the cabins off a bet.”
“But I’ll never forget, as a kid, whenever I had trouble sleeping, he and I would sneak into the kitchen and share one of those chocolate Ferrero Rocher and he would spend the next hour, or however long it took for me to fall asleep, telling me stories of the adventures he had been a part of. Not all of them were happy, but they were all evidence of a life well lived.
“He was truly a fascinating man,” He had a way with words that could hush a crowd of people and draw them into his story telling. “My Grandfather had a thing for theatrics, his voice would fluctuate whenever he would read a book out loud.” Especially when he would read the Night Before Christmas.
“I guess, in a way, when we first met, I felt like even though we're pretty close in age, that…”Again Phedre paused and after a moment she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, I assumed that given your position, you must have some interesting stories related to the history of what has been going on before I had been conscripted into joining the efforts. I suppose that’s why, despite all my swearing and what not, I don’t mind the training we did earlier.” Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she definitely minded the cold and would love nothing more than a lap blanket to warm up her legs but that was beside the point.
~~~
He leaned back looking thoughtful before he spoke, quietly.
“I was less, part of the most interesting things, at least I do not feel so.” He said quietly.
“Well, I mean there were a few incidents, not the least memorable of which involved nightmares having actual impacts on the world.”
He grimaced, remembering the fight for ‘elysion’ such as it had gone.
“Also a very strange time with… well, I was just a lieutenant, and it’s very silly to look back on.” He admitted frowning.
“I suppose some things would be at least more interesting if you hadn’t lived them.”
~~~
Phedre tested the temperature of her drink with her top lip before taking a sip. “You know, I would be happy to listen to either story. But keep in mind, if I ask something your not comfortable answering, it is ok to tell me no or to bugger off.” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips because she knew that there were times where she could be a bit… how to put it… invasive with her questioning.
“One of these days, when the weather gets warmer, I will take you to my favorite place he owns. It is a beachfront property, not too terribly far away, that has a lighthouse up on the hill. A place I like to go when I need to just get away and think sometimes.” Although going there would mean she would likely have to introduce the two considering her grandfather retired there about a decade ago.
~~~
“Well… I shall tantalize you with the information that it involved a leopard, who was in fact on fire. It gave me a ...hug.” He said with the utmost cutting edge of sarcasm. There was also a damned quail, and a...seal. It was very odd.”
He shook his head and shrugged.
“We live in the oddest of times, holidays seem to be especially dangerous as far as attracting strange events, well, mostly strange more than dangerous I admit.”
~~~
Had he of glanced in her direction, Zac would have seen a rather bewildered yet perplexed expression on Phedre’s face. Her head canted to the side somewhat curiously with her lips pursed in a way that it seemed she was torn between laughing at a thought she dare not speak or asking for clarification.
“I remember you mentioning the leopard; that’s how you got burned. In that dream-like-place that had real-life consequences. But a quail?” One eyebrow raised questioningly. “What did it do? Flap its wings at you and say ‘eat me!’?” At that comment, Phedre couldn’t help but smile.
“I apologize,” she held up one of her hands as an indication she would stop with the teasing. “It probably wasn’t a joking matter. What happened with the bird and seal?”
~~~
“They are still… somewhere as far as I know. Still alive.” He shrugged. “They had something to do with the dreams, but they stopped at least, that was enough as far as I’m concerned. And I haven’t...or hadn’t seen them appear in the city.”
“At the time, we first thought we had to fight them, then we grabbed the quail, and ...well, that seemed to help. I… forget what happened with the seal. I’m sure it was, irritating.” He made a face.
~~~
“So I take it they are, or were, on the same side as the White Moon then?” For these animals to cause so much mayhem, it seemed like a safe enough assumption to make. Knights had beasts they could summon whereas Agents had monsters instead.
Phedre took a bite of her half of the cinnamon roll and chewed thoughtfully; wondering if she would ever have the ability to summon something as she rose through the ranks.
~~~
He nodded… “The white moon tried to defend them, of course, regardless of the havoc being inflicted in the city, Never mind that ...nightmare things that weren’t even youma were pulling free of buildings and chasing people, attacking people… and this..nightmare dreamscape that we got drawn into was just ridiculous as well.”
He waved a hand dismissive, clearly irritated by the memory.
“Of course, now I’ve been absent some, five years and everything has gone mad anyhow. How surprised could I possibly be?” He shook his head and sat back with a sigh.
“Sorry, I think this is all you have really known, it would be hard to ...describe how strange I find the state of things.”
~~~
“Not as strange as you might think. We’re on different ends of the of the seesaw, you n’ I. Unfortunately I’m too new to offer much insight on how things are now. But going forward…” Perhaps there was a way for her to repay the favor though. She may be a simple senshi but that was also a disarming feature about her when powered up; less of a thread. It also meant she was still at a disadvantage when compared to super or eternals because she had no means of escape if things turned south.
But… for him, it was worth the risk.
Phedre gingerly sipped at her chai tea. Information was a valuable thing, and he had already shared so much; not only about the past, or tactics on how to remain aware and keep safe, but also about himself. For all her questioning he had been anything if not patient, a fact she would not take for granted in intended to return in kind.
“Going forward we can only take things one step at a time and learn what we can along the way.”
“I might be a little bit of a sore loser.” she admitted with a bit of a guilty smile. “But I want you to know that I appreciate your… guidance-” For all the things she could have said, Phedre chose the word carefully as things like a**-kicking, cruel and unusual punishment and even torture were high on the list. “I will do my best to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.” Because next time she would, no doubt, have better aim.
~~~
The stronger you get, the more you reward yourself by being more capable.” He said firmly. “I’ll work on more ways to train you, and yes we can bring others if we need.” He added.
“Cheers..” he said after a moment.
“To getting stronger.”
Endejester
