𝐎𝐇𝘋𝘈𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘎 .

"Mm, just a little eager," Chai hummed, her tone light and mixed with amusement, a smirk imprinting itself upon her lips, "But I can't blame you for trying, I'd want me too... but the night is still young, so much time to have some fun." She shifted weight of her body to prop it against the low back rest of the stool, as if feeling accomplished, the sensation of being wanted was always such an irresitable one. "Thank you," she offered, a hint of smugness tinged words.

"it might be little, but it sure does know how to cause damage." avery nodded as she finished bangaging up the hand. "trust me, in a week you shouldn't even be able to tell their was a scratch there! but if i'm wrong, feel free to have your revenge."

"You're not wrong about that," Chai huffed, her gaze fixated on the efforts of the other bandaging up the wound, satisfied with the precision, the neatness, of the dressing. "No revenge on you though," she clarified, raising her hand as if to inspect, her tone shifting, "Excellent job on this. I most definitely can find a way to make this work."

Plans had been made to re-aquaint with Selene and there was an intoxicating excitement that swelled with Chai, as she danced around her home in preparation. Upon kitchen worktops sat an array of snacks, all attentively constructed, none of which requiring the use of any cooking equipment; which was fortunate, otherwise there would have been potential that the house would of been burnt to the ground before her guest had even arrived. Beats thudded from the speaker, elevating an already positive mood, so that she even heard the arrival of the other was short of a miracle. "COMING!" response was provided in a loud yell, to match the energy of the other and to be heard over the noise of her home. With a swing of the door, a bright smile claiming her expression, Chai welcomed the other. "You know exactly what I like," she ushered the other in, arm directing her towards the comfort of her kitchen, "I have setup in the kitchen."

"Just a cat scratch?!" Chai's words were laced with a combination of horror and disgust, a bubbling anger was forming in the pit of her stomach, "That little creature just attacked me." It was not uncommon for Chai to gain minor injuries to her skin, as consequence for her own decision, but that did not alleviate her irritation. "I have an event to go to next week, if it's not gone by then... I will get my revenge."

With a mischievous grin adorning her expression, Chai leaned back in her seat with eyebrows raised in the direction of the other, "Quite the offer," she hummed, albeit tempted with the proposal, "But did nobody ever teach you that you should at least buy a girl a drink first?" There was a small pause, manicured fingertip twirling a strand on hair that framed her face, before tucking it behind her ear, "I'll take a white wine." There was confidence that dripped from each syllable, and a teasing nature encapsulating every movement.

Pondering for a moment, evident by the contorting of expression, Chai was attempting to recall the discussion she had we said co-worker. Most of the time, she would not follow through with the suggestions of others, but this one had intrigued her; perhaps, that is why she should have wrote something down to assist in her search. "Hm, I think it was some sort of fantasy," a singular finger tapped at her chin, "Set in India, I want to say."

As if by second nature, Chai was once again occupying her usual spot at the bar, work attire still gracing over her figure. She had attempted to coerce some co-workers to accompany her on her venture, but they had all declined with lame excuses; Chai had come to the conclusion the were all too boring or intimidated to be in her presence. Either way, she did not care about attending solo. It was the presence of another, and the departure of their words, that shifted attention from a busy mind. "Oh, but I do mind," Chai retorted, whilst her tone carried the familiar bluntness it typically did, it was intertwined with a light, teasing-esque nature. Shooting a glare, whilst taking a sip of her wine, her expression lasted merely seconds before crumbling to display a humoured smile. "I'm messing with you," Chai offered up, the glass once grasped by manicured fingertips safely placed back on the surface, as a short-lived laugh parted from lips. "You're more than fine to sit there, it is an empty chair in a public place afterall... but, you do know sitting there has some conditions."

"As beautiful as me?" With her palm resting atop her chest, feigned admiration glistened over an expression, Chai offered a sickenly sweet smile, "You have taste." Leaning towards to the other, a hint of menace glazing over features, the girl offered up a suggestion, "If you're looking for someone to take home, I could assist in finding you some more than acceptable company..." With a smirk, Chai continued, a teasing nature lacing her tone, "Unless that was a hint at me."

this  was  exactly  why  having  chai  around  was  both  a  blessing  and  a  curse.  sure,  she  understood  the  sorts  of  pressure  that  gab  was  putting  herself  under,  but  she  could  be  just  as  much  of  a  bad  influence  as  she  was  a  good  one.  and  she  knew  that  mimosa's  might  just  be  the  promise  she  needed  to  be  coaxed  away  from  the  papers  around  her.  ❝  if  you  keeping  yourself  busy  with  a  new  bartender  means  that  i  don't  have  to  deal  with  you  complaining  about  being  bored  when  i  start  looking  at  my  papers  again,  then  i  won't  be  stopping  you.  ❞  she  chuckled,  pulling  her  belongings  together  into  her  bag  and  slinging  it  quickly  over  her  shoulder.  ❝  but  if  you  end  up  ditching  me  with  said  bartender,  i  will  need  a  full  debrief.  obviously.  ❞

"It's a deal!" Words spilled with an escatic victory, grasping her purse and tucking it beneath her arm for security, footsteps moved her frame with the soft clicking of heeled-shoes, a bounce in her step; as if she had just conquered the unachievable. If there was anything that would bring Chai a sense of pure joy, it would be getting her own way. "What if..." Chai began in offering, whilst making haste to her desired location, the mere thought of having a mimosa in her hand being the fuel for the speed of her pace, "...the bartender has a cute friend or brother?" Eyebrows raised, irises glistening with a swirl of anticipation and mischief, "I could set you up. It might be the perfect way to relieve some tension."

It was an unfamiliar setting and moreso an unfamiliar territory for Chai, the vision of books lining walls in their designated section was one she had not often acquainted with. It was not that she was opposed to reading, but that she did not allocate the time to do so, opting for social outings over the tranquility of her own home. "Oh!" Greeting from the other prompted a smile to grace over Chai's lips, "You most certainly can! I'm looking for..." Biting her tongue to avoid profanities departing from her lips, "Well, it is something a co-worker suggested, but for the life of me, I can't remember the name."

UPTOWN GIRLS 2003 | dir. Boaz Yakin

pen  dropped  into  the  thick  notebook  she'd  been  keeping  track  of  page  numbers  in,  sighing  slightly  as  her  head  turned  towards  her  friend.  ❝  i  did  warn  you  that  this  was  going  to  be  a  long  slog,  i  have  to  be  in  court  with  this  in  three  days,  i  need  to  be  perfect.  ❞  sure,  some  of  her  colleagues  would  have  done  her  level  of  preparation  and  considered  it  enough,  but  gabriela  wasn't  any  lawyer.  she  didn't  take  well  with  losing,  and  that  meant  far  more  hours  were  spent  pre-courtroom.  ❝  that,  ––  ❞  whisper  of  a  smile  curled  at  the  corner  of  her  lips,  ❝  is  an  evil  thing  to  tempt  me  with.  ❞  yet  it  worked,  of  course.  ❝  just  one,  and  then  i  have  to  keep  preparing.  deal  ?  ❞

Elation graced features in the form of a beaming grin, satisfaction that her suggestion had been successful, as palms clapped together; each beat resounding with her triumph. "Perfect! If I didn't have lipstick on I would kiss you!" Emphasisim in words made clear that she was aiming for dramatics, which was not foreign coming from Chai's tongue. Without hesistation, the girl hopped to feet and instantaneously began ushering for the other to accompany her, "Deal, just one— on the terms that you can't complain if I get bored and flirt with the bartender. I heard they just hired a new one and he is just delicious."

she'd  likely  consider  this  her  good  deed  for  the  day,  saving  one  unknowing  bar  patron  from  the  disgusting  swill  that  would  have  been  placed  in  front  of  her.  leyla  had  been  to  the  bar  enough  times  to  be  very  well  acquainted  with  the  menu,  and  saving  someone  from  making  a  mistake  she  too  had  made  once  upon  a  time  was  too  easy  to  pass  up.  ❝  you  don't  have  to  do  that.  but  i  certainly  won't  refuse.  ❞  she  grinned,  her  attention  turning  to  the  bartender,  lifting  two  fingers  up  to  signal  her  next  order,  ❝  my  good  pal  steven  will  sort  you  out  with  my  usual.  it's  way  better,  and  not  on  the  menu.  like  a  starbucks  secret  item.  ❞  she  wasn't  actually  sure  the  bartenders  name  was  steven,  but  that  had  never  stopped  her  level  of  confidence.

Palms of hands wafted in the empty space before her frame, dismissal of words in their movement, "Of course I do, it's the least I can do." There was sincerity that clung to words, a genuine sense of gratitude for being saved the grief that a distateful drink would have surely wrought. Whilst she had the funds to waste on a drink, it did not mean she would ever be willing to, or be accepting of. Upon the other placing an order on their behalf, Chai fixed her position and adjusted her frame to welcome the company of another into her space, shoulders twisting and her gaze following. "You may as well just be an angel— That could be retracted if whatever it is you ordered tastes awful, but I have an incling that won't be the case." With the welcoming of a smile that spread across her face, Chai took the opportunity to introduce herself, "I'm Chai, by the way. You are?"

A singular moment passed in contemplation, barely a second of questioning whether to entertain the humor, before settling with a huff of mild amusement partnered with the raise of an eyebrow; attention swiftly turning to the bartender. "You heard the man," instruction hummed from lips, a commanding tone interlaced with syllables, "And in the spirit of cocktails, I'll take a mojito. Thanks." "Now that is taken care of—" Chai's position twisted, signal of full, undivided, attention, as the warmth of a smile graced over lips. At almost any given opportunity, the girl would love to talk about herself, however, when there was a form of gossip or drama involved, that took priority. Flicking strands of onyx hair off from her shoulder, "I'm doing wonderful, as always," Chai's words did not necessarily hold a great deal of sincerity, but they were not completely untrue, "but I'd be doing even better if you fill me on what happened... And not skip out on any of the details."

The list of things Chai hated was extensive, but grocery stores were nearing the top of said list, filled with strangers, screaming children, overly bright lights, and the sensation that everything was just a little bit dirty. Whenever it came to groceries, Chai took the order it to her door approach and avoid the need to enter a store when possible. However, the girl was not always able to avoid what was inevitable, and had bribed herself with the reward of picking up a bottle of white wine whilst she was there. "Ack—" Pulled from her own world following the light bump, Chai swiftly shifted herself back, manicured fingertips brushing against fabric where contact was made. Features distorted to discomfort, a mild sense of disgust, gaze averting to meet the figure, "It's fine, I guess. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

A, albeit somewhat dramatised, gasp parted from glossy lips, as her gaze fixated on the source of response. There was a combination of sympathy and a miniscule aspect of her revelling in the drama, it was only human nature to after all. If it had been a different person, the intensity of sensations would be reversed; less sympathy, more revelling, but this was Felix and there was a soft spot reserved just for him. "No way," words escaped laced with a hint of shock, features tugging to display a vision of concern, "What happened? Did she say why?" Before allowing space for response, Chai interjected once more, noticing the bartender approaching, "Wait, hold that thought— Let me get you a drink first, what are you having?"