The waitress smiled. “Wonderful, I’ll give you two a few more minutes.” She Walker back behind the counter, leaving Gwen and Marla alone again.
“My life just flashed before my eyes.” Gwen laughed, relieved one part of ordering was over. “I’m terrible at being human.” Then she froze. “Er… elven.”
A weak laugh slipped past her lips, as did a whispered prayer that she wouldn’t collapse onto her knees in front of this girl. Was she intoxicated? Was there a love potion in the air? Because God, she could not seem to keep her eyes off of Gwen.
“I mean, you didn’t faint, so I guess your good,” she replied, a little breathless.
“Agreed.” Gwen smiled, trying not to loose her head under Marla’s intense stare. “Okay, I need to decide what to eat because if I’m put on the spot again I won’t hesitate to cry.” She joked, clicking her tongue while she looked at the menu.
“Well, I’ll be, um, happy to dry your tears.” And hold you. Under a blanket. And cuddle. And— Malra had to cut her train of thought off before it got to be out of hand. “Uhh, why don’t we get something to share? Since— since you know the place better than me, I mean.”
“Good idea!” Gwendolyn Thomas DO NOT get any ideas. Is this a date? Do I ask? Don’t ask. Bad idea. Okay, okay. Don’t freak out. She’s wearing my clothes though! Just don’t panic. Be cool.
“Wanna get some fries? They’d probably go good with that milkshake you got.” She smiled, hoping her furiously red blush wasn’t showing.
“Sounds— sounds good.” Marla offered up a ridiculously dorky grin, propping her elbows up on the table in a desperate attempt to ease herself closer to the girl across from her. God, why was this happening to her, they’d met yesterday, for Christ’s sake, and she was already this enamoured?
This is what happens when you’re touch-starved and anti-social…
This is what happens when you’re touch-starved and anti-social…
(Omg how is Marla suddenly the most relatable character???)
(Lolll thanks, that line was inspired by how I feel on a daily basis)
Gwen smiled bashfully back at Marla. Good gods, don’t do anything stupid. “Sooo… How’s it hanging?”
Mission failed! Mission failed!
“Gods, sorry. That was lame. Fries then, yeah? Those are good here. I’ve had them before.” She rambled, trying to make up for her flustered stammering.
(I should go get some rest since I have two midterms tomorrow. Also these two are so so adorable rn! I love the way you write Marla! Goodnight Topaz!)
(Good night, and good luck for midterms! Ahh yes agreed lol, and thank you!)
“Don’t worry about it,” Marla assured her hastily, doing her best to keep the conversation moving like a well-oiled steam engine. Were steam engines oiled? She had no idea, both literally and metaphorically, which was the problem. “And yeah— the fried sound- Delicious.”
(Thanks! I have math first today so I’m gonna need all the luck I can get!)
Gwen couldn’t take her eyes off of Marla, but now she faced the issue of trying to come up with conversation so she didn’t look like a total creep. She coughed awkwardly a few times, struggling to think of something clever to say. “So… Wanna tell me a bit more about yourself?”
(good luck!)
Macha went completely blank. Her brain short-circuited. Wild train of thought slowed to a stop.
To put it plainly, was left with absolutely nothing to say.
"Uhh– I– um–"
Come on, you idiot, it's not that hard! Think!
Nothing came up.
Scrambling to find an answer to the question, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"I– I used to make up Tarot cards. Like, my own. Except- Except not evil spirits possessing a deck. I would paint them– and stuff."
“Wait, wait. Hold up, evil spirits possessing a deck of cards? That’s how tarot works?” Gwen’s eyes widened. “I thought it was just like… magic and stuff!” Her rambling was interrupted as the waitress returned withe their drinks, setting down the lemonade in front of Gwen and the milkshake with two straws closer to the center of the table than it was to Marla.
“Are you girls ready to order?” She asked warmly. Gwen looked at Marla desperately. Hoping she would take this one for the team. Her gaze fixated on the milkshake, starting to blush furiously.
(That was a big L, but at least I’m home now. Two down, five to go.)
(ah, sorry
I'm sure they went better than you expected, though
How're you?)
Unfortunately, Marla's eyes were also glued to the second straw of the huge pink drink set in the middle of the table. She barely managed to stammer out their order for the waitress, thanking her weakly before attempting a reply to Gwen's question.
"The true– The true decks are possessed. Usually the older ones. But it's not- It's not like they can kill you, unless it's a really powerful deck– they only predict your future."
“Well uh… that’s new info for me. Learn something new everyday, right?” Gwen awkwardly laughed, trying to ignore the straw. She sipped quietly on her icy lemonade instead, hoping the drink would cool her cheeks.
“So are you in danger when you use them ever? Can the spirits leave the cards?” She asked, keeping her gaze fixed on the table instead.
Gwen wasn't looking at her…. had she done something wrong? Was it because she wasn't giving back the flannel? Or because she didn't want to share a drink? Marla bit her tongue before responding. "Again, depends on how powerful they are. To leave the cards, the user would have to be of prophetical significance and would have to sacrifice a loved one, then spill their blood over the cards. And you're only in danger if you disrespect the cards or break the rules."
“Good gods!” Gwen looked up again, allowing herself to steal another glance at Marla in her flannel. “”Why do spirits have to be so intense? Can’t they just be cool? Like, we got it, you can’t buy them at CVS. No need for that.” She shook her head, amused and a bit distressed at the same time.
“Do you use like training cards or something. Not like— that sounded stupid. Not like a Pokemon way, but… you know?”
Marla's eyes were stuck on a permanent loop, darting back and forth from Gwen to the two straws. "Nope. Just a few years of theory in high school, then if you've got Sight and aren't just a person interested in Prophecy, you've got to go through this whole ominous ritual thing that exposes your mind to the Universe."
“That sounds like a cult.” Gwen smirked, trying to make Marla smile. She noticed the girl was staring at the straws as well. “Hey, don’t stress. I won’t steal your milkshake unless you want me too.” Gwen silently prayed the words came out smoothly. “Have you ever dipped fries in a milkshake before? I’ve heard it’s pretty good, but I never tried to myself. Seems too risk a flavor combination.”
“It is sort of a cult,” she admitted with a shaky chuckle. “In a way. And ah— hold off on the fries in the milkshake. That.. sounds sort of gross. And I don’t mind sharing— there are, um, two straws for a reason.”
Gwen smiled at Marla, trying not to freak out. Something about her had Gwen taking more risks in the past two days than she had in the past two months. Keeping up with the trend, she leaned forwarded, stealing a small sip of the milkshake.
“It’s pretty good!” She announced, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. “And to counter your fry argument I now have to ask the question. What is the difference between taking a sip of a milkshake and then eating a fry and dipping a fry in the milkshake?”
“When you drink a milkshake after a fry and vice versa— you’re washing away the taste of the previous item, not mixing the two. It’s like— would you eat a big plate of tuna with ice cream heaped on top?”
Marla leaned forward and took a sip of the milkshake, her nose an inch from Gwen’s.
Gwen stared at Marla, resisting the temptation to lean forward. She quickly withdrew herself backwards. “Ugh! Brain freeze!” She whined, rubbing the bridge of her nose. After a moment she stopped, looking back at Marla. “And I guess you have a point. I’m all grossed out by the though of tuna ice cream now.” Gwen wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Marla face fell, if only for a split second. She’d overstepped…. what had she been thinking? The answer: she hadn’t. “See? I’m always right,” she answered with her previous flustered smile, her last shred of confidence crumbling to bits.
(I literally just want to hug Marla omg)
“Okay, fine. Maybe you were right.” Gwen teased. “But you have to admit, I was right about the flannel. Here, hold on, I’ll take a picture of you so you can see yourself better!” Gwen quickly took out her phone.
This is definitely not weird. You are doing this to show her how she looks. You’re going to delete this after and not be creepy about it. It’s honestly not that hard to just delete a photo.
Gwen definitely wasn’t going to delete the photo. She waited for Marla’s approval, her gaze pleading.
(Marla really wants to hug you too)
(And Gwen)
(Really hard)
(On the lips)
(With her lips)
Marla’s eyes widened a fraction, her mouth leaving the pink straw. “Uh— sure, yeah. Sounds- sounds good. Just, ah, my face will probably look awful, I should warn you in advance.”
“Yeah, you look dreadful, not like your outfit is perfect or anything.” Gwen mumbled under her breath sarcastically. She grinned and held up her phone, focusing the camera. “Say cheese! Unless your lactose intolerant! Then say depression and fake ice cream!” She kept up the cheery voice, trying to get a genuine smile out of Marla.
(I’m laughing so hard XD I honestly think you just made my day.)
(lol I'm glad my weird-ass sense of humour accomplished something today)
(omg now it's my turn to laugh)
Marla's sweet laugh broke through her self-doubt, a smile settling on the curve of her lips. "Cheese!" After the picture had been taken, she shook her head in an amused fashion. "You know, you get me to laugh every time."
Gwen admired the picture for a moment, trying to memorize the sound of Marla’s laughter. She took a quick glance at the photos of the past students on the walls. A mix of B&W and colored photos. A variety of students with different backgrounds, powers, and arrays of accomplishments. But the one thing they all shared was the same dead eyed stare. And that was the one thing the picture of the smiling girl in front of her would enterally lord over their heads. Trapped in a moment of laughter instead of grim annoyance.
She quickly texted the photo to Marla, giving it a caption.
GWEN: [Photo Attachment]
Princess Charming 80s Retro Au
“What can I say? I have a gift. The plant thing is nothing compared to my lovely charm and wit.” Gwen smiled softly at Marla, taking one last look at the picture on her phone before shutting it off and placing it facedown on the table.
“If it’s worth anything- I think both charm and plant thing are lovely.” Ducking her head so that strands of platinum fell in front of her eyes, Marla took out her phone. She blushed, seeing the photo and the caption. “Thanks.”
