𝗶 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙

andrina wasn’t wrong. technically speaking, putting bubbles in a public fountain was considered vandalism in every form. she purses her lips and hums softly, trying to imagine the consequences were they actually caught. “i think we can get away with this ...”

you still mad at me, huh ? the hurt and rage in jasmine’s chest begins to bubble and she sucks in a breath, taking a side step away from him. “well, apparently you do a lot of things you don’t mean, so ...” she turns to level her gaze at him, onyx eyes full to the brim with something like skepticism. almost as if she were waiting for him to prove her wrong. and maybe part of her was. maybe part of her wants him to show her that she can trust him, rely on him. but for now, she’ll remain angry. “i am still upset with you, yes. and rightfully so.”

“… i- … yes.”

jasmine: but so no more, i'm on my way. do i need to bring anything?

jasmine hesitantly reaches out, gently gripping his hand with her own in greeting. “pleasure to make your acquaintance, hades. i’m jasmine.” she introduces, giving his hand a light shake before letting go. “undertaker of the cemetery, hm ? interesting profession. why’d you decide to pursue it ?” her curiosity gets the better of her, and a gleam of interest lights her eyes. “i work via social media. i make my living off of those apps i just mentioned needing a break from,” she chuckles at the irony, shrugging her shoulders. “but it’s fun, and i get to make my own schedule, so ...”

fingertips graze over the cool metal of the copper vase sitting on the vendor cart, a look of interest gracing jasmine’s features. she’s so enchanted by the hammered designs that she doesn’t even notice aladdin casually step up beside her ... which is precisely why she lets out a loud gasp, hand flying out to smack against his chest. “don’t do that !” she whisper yells, bringing her hand back to clutch at her heart as if that could soothe its newfound thundering pace. “what do you want, ali ?” she emphasizes his fake name, any and all amusement nowhere to be found. 

“nah, don’t apologize. this hint is damn near impossible, so i really can’t blame you.” she sets the crossword book down, bringing her knees up to her chest. “i like to do them when i’m stressed. usually they calm me down, but ...” she shrugs her shoulders, casting a distasteful look at the ink-ridden page. 

“just plain, black coffee ?” she asks, only to make sure she doesn’t end up ordering the wrong thing for him. there was something about being given the wrong coffee order that seemed to drive people insane, and that’s truly the last thing that jasmine wants to witness on this oh so fine morning. “i like a little something extra with my coffee. i’m a big caramel macchiato gal, but i usually get an extra shot added to it just for some more ... oomph.” 

jasmine has to bring a hand to her mouth to stop herself from properly snorting in amusement. a right ol’ schmuck ? that wasn’t something you heard everyday. “can’t argue with that. hell, i make my living via technology. but it’s nice to sit back with something ... authentic, every now and then. use a map instead of a gps, or read a book once in a while. just little reminders that we don’t have to spend every waking second scrolling through instagram or twitter.”

full lips purse and groomed eyebrows scrunch together, depicting a convincing expression of contemplation. “hmm ...” she hums, tapping her finger to her chin as if she were some detective pondering a case. “i mean ... i don’t think we’ll get arrested ? we’re just climbing into the fountain, nothing super criminal about that, right ?”

skeptical brown eyes look him up and down for a moment before she simply shrugs, gesturing for him to follow her into the coffee shop. “everyone has their days,” she answers back breezily. she knew what it was like, feeling as though nothing made sense. this was definitely a different circumstance to her own though, but either way. being scatter brained and a bit off kilter wasn’t something totally foreign to her. “but, as you said, it’s nothing that coffee can’t fix. order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

the barest hint of a smirk plays at jasmine’s lips whilst marie struggles to detangle herself from the door handle. had she not been so rude, jasmine may have offered her a bit of help, but there was something ... poetic, almost, about this small dose of karma that seemed to strike the blonde. “princess ? gee, such an original insult. a tad bit hypocritical, but oh well ... c’est la vie,” she waves a hand in the air as if to brush away the subject, though there’s a bitter feeling rising from the pit of her stomach. jasmine is many things, but she’s not pompous. “the last thing i’d care about is waiting in a check out line. but, when someone opens a shop door and starts off with a ‘can i help you’ as if opening the door to a house, i’m going to remind you that you’re taking up the doorway. this entire altercation would have easily been avoided if you’d just ... oh, moved quicker ? or perhaps even not taken what i’d said so personally ? i hadn’t even insulted you. i’d just asked if you were going to move or if you were holding the door open.” she shrugs her shoulders and practically prances over the shop’s threshold, casting a bright smile over her shoulders. “quit assuming things about other people and maybe you’ll have someone that’ll want to shop with you !” if there’s one thing jasmine hates the most, it’s assumptions being made about her. of course she was going to retaliate when that happened.

jasmine’s shoulders cave forward and she tosses the unfinished puzzle beside her on the edge of the fountain she was perched on. she heaves a sigh and clicks her pen, tucking it behind her ear for safe keeping. “it’s alright -- today’s clues are just ridiculous. no need to apologize, though.” she purses her lips and they fall back into silence again, only the slightest hint of awkward hanging in the air. “they’re not usually that hard, though.”

the word is uttered so quickly from his lips that for a moment, jasmine is positive she imagines it. did he really just guess the word that fast ?  “i- ..” she pulls the pad back to test the word, letting out an outraged gasp when it did, indeed, fit. jasmine was no idiot -- in fact, she was quite possibly one of the smartest people that she knew ( though she didn’t know many ) -- and she couldn’t guess a word like discourage ? of all the words ? “that was a stupid hint for that word,” she grumbles haughtily, curls bouncing as she shakes her head in annoyance. it’s then that the stranger speaks again, and jasmine finds herself intrigued by what he’s said. “really ? i like crosswords. a good way to keep your vocabulary in check and get a daily dose of brain exercise. it’s usually more fun when the hints aren’t so wildly obscure, though.”