CLOUD ACADEMY discussion
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This is where Ace enjoyed finding himself. The restaurant was nothing fancy, but it was a place he could practice his skills. He observed the people around him daintily, his dark brown eyes flickering over their faces. He lifted his glass of water and sipped at it, adjusting his collar with the other hand. Ace shifted in his seat, crossing his ankles. Soon came over a waitress, of whom was gorgeous to innocent eyes. He flashed a grin at her, leaning forward and placing his jeweled hand on the table in the same movement. Intimidate. The steps were recited smoothly in him mind. "Hello Miss." Ace fluttered his eyes at her, his voice husky and low. He saw her swallow, one hand moved to her waistband. She tugged at it, unable to keep eye contact. Flustered. Good. His free hand slid over the table, veins pulsing, and he pulled the menu towards him. "Gosh, aren't you gorgeous." He murmured, eyes now on the book in his hand. Ace heard her stammer and thank him.
"I'd like the summer salad, please and thank you." Then he handed the menu off to her, using the tips of his fingers to brush her hand. Of course, this small movement distracted her so he could thieve the ring off her. It looked much like a valuable jewel he could sell. Ace thanked her and turned back to his water, sipping it contentedly. Once again at his full awareness, he glanced around him. Dates and friendly night outs packed this place to the brim. Laughter and hushed murmurs alike. He caught a glimpse of someone looking at him. Ace, of course, winked at her. She turned away quickly and continued feasting upon her heaping plate. Pigs. Ace thought to himself, a twinge of disgust tainting his thoughts. Bits of food scattered the carpeted flooring, and smears of sticky unknown substances decorated the otherwise bland tables. Naught but pigs. Soon the waitress returned, delicately placing a bowl in front of him. The salad was bright and looked delicious, topped with sliced almonds and strawberries. "Thank you." Ace smiled to her, to which she returned. The he lifted his fork as she trotted away and began to eat.
A loud slurping sound cut through the air, and seconds later an aroma of lilies, white strawberry, and mint followed that. “You stole that ring, huh? I mean to be fair: to be fair, it looked so nice. The jewel, that is. All red and pretty. And when the light hits it—it looks very rich and like blood.” Katniss stood nearby, slurping a smoothie from a straw, and watching Ace, leaning against the other chair at his table.
Katniss, an Oleander Seventh Year and one of the group of students whose parents helped oversee CLOUD itself, casually watched Ace with observant brown eyes. “So whatcha gonna do with it?” She asked her housemate, tapping finger fingers along her cup. Honestly, whether or not Katniss actually had ever spoken to Ace before didn’t matter—the girl was always chattery and naturally friendly with everyone, never mind the fact she was also a manipulative kid and a pathological liar. She just liked meeting people and speaking to anyone she could. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Sometimes Katniss hated people who broke rules like stealing rings, but this wasn’t really on campus so she didn’t care that much right now. “Anyway, how’s the salad? I got a smoothie but like…y’know, that’s not super filling, and I am hungry. Gosh!” Without asking, the brunette slipped into the seat across from Ace and groaned. “It’s been a long day, mate. Anyway, I hope your day is good. Well, you got a pretty gem there so it must be.” Her voice remained quieter, so it was clear she had no real intention to tell Ace off for the theft. “Then again you never know, you could have a terrible day.” She also tended to just…talk too much. She set her drink down and yawned before she plucked a strawberry from Ace’s salad and plopped it into her mouth. “Ooh okay! That is good. Maybe I will order one.”
Ace turned his head, sizing her up quickly. What a chatterbox. He thought. A small smile slowly filled his expression, eyes glinting curiously. "Oh, yes. It is quite nice, though I don't plan on keeping it." He held it in his fingers, comparing it to the berries in his salad.
He raised an eyebrow as she slid into a seat across from him, perfectly aware of the jealous look the waitress gave him. "I'd like to think I'll sell it. I need money anyways." One leg crossed over the other as he leaned back, pocketing the smooth ring. God, so nosy. Ace's face flickered from disgruntled and back very quickly, his eyes dark and calculating. He found his middle finger tapping against his fork impatiently, and quickly picked it up and stabbed it into the greens. "It's salad." He replied curtly, lifting the silverware to his mouth and chewing carefully. "And your smootie.. What flavour is it?" Suppressing a sigh, the dark-skinned man folded his hand neatly into his lap. He felt painfully aware of his own thin, lean body, and even more aware of the family who ate greedily around. His brows knotted in disgust, eyes flickering from Katniss to someone nearby. Ace seemed transfixed by the grease and crumbs that fell from there mouth. "Such poor manners." Her murmured. Soon though, Ace returned his piercing gaze to the girl across from him. "What-" He grunted, jerking as if he was going to hit her hand away from his bowl. Manners. Scolded the voice in his head, and he smoothed his face to a more placid expression, "You should. Salad it good for you. Fibers and such." Ace managed to smooth his voice to match his face, light curiosity that was blanketed by calm indifference, as though he were suppressing his interest in her person. "On me, if you'd like. I don't mind paying." His mind churned and processed the possibilities and information, attentive to the littlest of details, and not just Katniss. But everything within his field of senses was rarely left unnoticed.
Katniss shrugged and then waved her hand; that made sense; who would want to keep it when they could sell it? Well, then again she did quite appreciate the color and would love to hang it on her wall and watch the sun hit it and turn her room into a glistening blood curtain, but that was just her opinion. “Ah. Okay. Well, that’s probably a good thing to do with a gem, I presume you’d get a lot for that pretty thing,” she stated, and then tilted her head and grabbed her smoothie again. “Let’s just hope the waitress doesn’t notice.” She looked around the room casually as she slid down a bit into her chair, wanting to kick her feet up on the table but knowing that would be absolutely a bad idea at a restaurant. Her brown eyes took in people, including the waitress, and she snorted and turned back to Ace. “What’s her problem? She’s giving us a rude look.” She didn’t quite pick up on the jealousy aspect, maybe because Katniss had no romantic experience ever and didn’t intend to.
She scoffed at the look on his face. “Yes, salad, but what kind of salad?” Katniss pressed. “What kind of dressing? Some is really gross, you know.” She grabbed her smoothie again and narrowed her eyes as she took a sip, watching the look on Ace’s face. Hmm. Not the friendliest and probably someone to watch out for. “It’s strawberry. It’s my favorite flavor.” For everything. She liked the fruit and strawberry candy and drinks and even vitamins if she could choose that. She frowned and followed Ace’s gaze to the person with the bad manners, and she watched them for a second and then turned around. As a chaotic slacker, sometimes Katniss could eat sloppily, too, and she thought for a second. “I mean, maybe they’re really hungry?” She offered. “Like, just wanting as much as possible.” She stared, eyes wide, and then looked at him and swallowed the strawberry. “Oh. Sorry. Right, people don’t just take food from people they don’t know, sorry,” she stared, but it was kind of flippant in nature, and she propped her elbows up on the table before remembering that wasn’t great either, so she dropped her hands to her laps. “That’s true. Fibers and greens. Greens are good too. And fruit, fruits nice.” Katniss hummed when he offered, and she leaned in a bit. “Well, I thought you said you needed the money and now you offer to pay? Look, don’t flirt,” she stated, though if people had innocent intentions it was kinda nice for her to know that people liked her. Deep down, Kat was very insecure in terms of people liking her, but she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship and never would be. “I’d never like anyone back anyway,” she added pointedly, and then took a rather large sip of her smoothie.
((okay! Sounds good, goodnight! And thank you!! Ace is great too!))
"Aye. It'll fetch a fair price." Ace resisted the urge to pat his pocket. He pulled a thin ((TW: Cigarettes)) (view spoiler) His eyes followed her movements, noticing restraints and other peculiarities. "Remind me, what house did you say you were in?" He could guess, but he wanted to hear her say it. Ace's curiosity deepened, Snitches get stitches, girl. Then paused, studying her facial expression as she caught sight of the jealous waitress. "Jealousy." He replied, tapping his fingers against the table. "She thinks I'm dating you and.. that you're prettier than her." A strange look flickered over his face, as if disgusted with the thought of dating either of them.
"You-" Then he stopped himself. That would be bad manners. "Summer, with fresh berries, iceberg lettuce and a mild vinaigrette. Or you could choose Caesar, with romaine lettuce, gluten free croutons, grilled chicken and fresh Parmesan cheese." Ace found himself wanting to keep listing types of salads, which was odd. Why was he so passionate about food. Food feeds the gluttony in the inferior hierarchy. He was at the top, humble and controlled. He listened to her slurp loudly on her smoothie, rolling his eyes inwardly. "Strawberry is pretty good." He agreed, popping the bright berry into his mouth. He frowned at Katniss. "Gluttony." Ace mumbled to no one in particular. "Hunger is a grace not a curse, it measures time, among other things. They should take their time and savor what their given, not take it for granted." ((TW: Cigarette)) (view spoiler) "It's alright," He assured. "You don't need to be so tense. At least you got a smoothie and not a greasy, processed meal like a burger." Ace absently touched his bun, gently squeezing it to make sure it was still there. His lips twitched and pulled into a smile. "Aren't you clever. I can afford two salads, they're relatively cheap." The smile fell quickly, curling into a grimace. "No, no. I'm not flirting with you. It's just basic courtesies." He seemed very sure of himself, very.. judgmental. "I'm not.. not into people I meet so soon." Ha! Wrong! You're into guys. Such a stupid loser, a ((TW: F-Slur, for the use of context.)) (view spoiler) Better pretend you like her so you don't end up with someone like your brother. Ace stabbed his fork into the salad angrily, bringing to his mouth. Then he set the silverware down, directing his gaze to Katniss's. "I'm paying." He said matter-of-factly, already shifting to grab his wallet.
Katniss nodded; she had presumed so, and she had to admit that selling a gem could probably be beneficial to everyone who did it, but at the same time she disliked how Ace had stolen it in a public space. Sure, maybe Ace could have gotten away with it and flirting with your target was not a bad idea, but still, if Katniss had seen it, who else could have? And then that would create more issues. Her nose wrinkled when he pulled out the cigarette, and Kat stared for a moment. “That’s disgusting,” she stated flatly, and leaned back as the smoke drifted through the air. “It is bad for you and doesn’t smell good.” She protectively shifted her smoothie into her other hand. “And what does it matter, about my house? If you were observant; you’d notice were in the same one.” She shrugged. “But that’s okay, it’s not everyone’s strength,” she added to assure; even though Katniss had a slight ego and didn’t quite mean what she said, though for some it could be difficult to tell. The brunette paused and then made another face that twisted her nose up. “Oh, gross, I’d never dare anyone unless I had to for a mission. But wow, some people get jealous so easily—that’s ridiculous, honestly. I mean just because I am prettier than her doesn’t mean I’m dating you, I’d rather die than date anyone,” she stated primly, grabbing a napkin and not-so-daintily wiping at her mouth.
“I what?” She pressed; and then nodded slowly as she studied his salad. Hmm. She liked the berries on it, but Caesar also sounded good. Or maybe she’d go with some healthy soup, a vegetable one or something. Carrot or tomato? Perhaps. “How do you know all those? Do you cook a lot? That’s really cool! Cooking, that is. Oh you test different recipes?” She asked in a curious, excited rush, without even waiting to confirm if Ace did indeed cook anything. But Kat did that, prattled on when she got worked up. She blinked. “Are you calling me a glutton? You know, you judge people too much and too fast,” she stated, improperly setting her elbows on the table and chin on her hands as if they were casual friends. “You don’t know why people eat so fast. Like, what if they hadn’t eaten in awhile and this was their first real meal in two days? I’d scarf it down.” She tilted her head, sending hair falling across her arm. “I mean, savor it, yeah, but some eat simply because they have to. Also: that cigarette. It’s going to wreck your stupid lungs,” she finally stated, now waving a hand, her eyes watering. “Well, I happen to like burgers on occasion,” she defended. But she did prefer smoothies and salads and soups—lighter and healthier meals. Katniss frowned and drew back again. “Well, I am clever, but I feel like you mean that as a sarcastic insult,” she added, running fingers through her hair and trying to avoid inhaling the smoke, because it made the back of her throat burn. “Well, we shall see. I haven’t quite made up my mind yet.” She snatched a menu nearby with painted pale green nails and opened it up to scan the daily soup offerings, before she looked up again. “Uh-huh,” she stated in a flat voice, not believing that. “People do flirt and I would think I know, but…here’s the other thing.” She closed the menu and looked up. “I am not into people at all, so how about we don’t do the flirting thing,” she suggested. Personally, Kat had no issue with whoever anyone dated, she just didn’t get romance, didn’t feel it, and was a bit romance-repulsed, in all honesty. “Wow. That’s a real aggressive stab, what did I say?” She asked. “Oh no did I make you mad? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, just, I don’t want a date. And, no, I’ll pay for mine. Just because you’re a guy doesn’t mean you have to pay for every girl’s meal.”
"Of course it is." Ace bit back a snarky remark. "It's better than greasy fast-food." He seemed so obsessed over health and which foods are bad. His whole expression softened, and his eyes glinted with amusement. "Oh don't worry, if it helps, I'll pretend to be clueless on your whole.. 'personality.'" His dark fingers curled around the thin white addiction, smoke curling into a thick halo around his head. Ace's dark brown eyes steeled, flickering over her expression and then over the rest of her, studying her posture. With a snort he leaned back. "Neither would I, honestly. I don't particularly do dating." His chest tightened around his lungs and he leaned away to cough into his elbow.
Ace sighed. "It was a rude comment, I wouldn't like to spoil your.." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Our, little conversation. I rather enjoy it. You're a curious soul." He meant that. Ace found most people quite boring, disgusting even, but Katniss intrigued him. He wasn't attracted to her whatsoever, his heart lay in the hands of men, but female friends were alright to have. Ace waved off her assumptions. "No. I just happen to eat salad for every-" He cut himself off, grunting. Ace thought he'd said too much. "Never mind that, I just like salad, that's all." He noticed how she had to reel in her thoughts, as though she had to stop herself from just motor-mouthing on. Allowing a small smile slide onto his face, he tapped the table lightly. "Of course not. Why would I? I've no reason to call you such a thing." Inwards, he scolded himself because he knew he couldn't assume such things. "You're very empathetic." Ace pointed out, "I guess the jobless would worship over such luxuries." His voice had a dark edge to it, judgement beneath his usual conversation tone. He shrugged lightly, and then poked it into the back of his hand. It went out with a soft hiss and he pulled it away and tucked it into a napkin. For a moment, his eyes were glued to the dark mark it left behind, and if you looked close enough, dozens of circle scars dotted his hand and forearm. Ace forced himself to look away, the burn reduced to a dull throb. "There. I apologize if it scrapes your lungs raw, bad habits I guess." Again his mind was drawn to his hands, captivated. "Not really. I do like sarcasm though." He gently took another bite of his bright salad, flavours bursting in his mouth. The amused sparkle in his coffee-brown eyes darkened quickly, eyelids fluttering down into a more frustrated expression. "Flirting comes naturally for me. I'm in the Oleander house dammit!" Ace smoothed the front of his dress shirt and breathing deeply for a few moments. "If you want to pay for yourself, pay. I don't want to date you either." It came out harsher than he meant it to, and instantly regretted. "I'm not upset with you, I apologize. I'm not used to being argued with." A small laugh escaped him. "You're stubborn as a mule, you know."
((It’s okay! And I’ll reply tomorrow!))
Katniss frowned at that, watching the smoke for a second again, before she let her eyes head back to Ace's face. She huffed. "Yeah, well, greasy fast-food doesn't destroy your lungs," she countered, twirling the straw in her drink between her fingers. Not that she was a huge fan of fast-food, but she didn't understand why Ace was so against it to the point of clear disgust. It bothered her, that and smoking in a restaurant of all places. Katniss was silent for another second before she spoke again. "Well, you shouldn't smoke in a place with food, if you have to do it at all." Leaning forward, her dark hair touched the top of the table as she moved, brown eyes staring right into his. "Uh-huh. And what is my whole 'personality', Mr. Know-It-All?" The brunette demanded, tilting her head. She had a bit of an insane personality, and her lying was breathing--she did it so often it was a comfort to her, and it helped that Katniss had been kind of encouraged to lie her whole life, too. It was fun and a necessity in her mind. "And by you not doing dating, I presume you're just the type to kiss whoever you want, then?" She asked. She knew of players; there were made in the school. Katniss wasn't one of them, but she was beginning to think Ace was, based on the way he was speaking and what he said.
Sitting back in her seat, she crossed her arms and nodded slowly. "Hmm. I see. Well, curiosity is good, you know. It keeps you learning and exploring, and to know I am curious, well, I quite like that." She tucked some of her hair behind an ear--in all honesty, for a liar like Kat, she found being called mysterious or curious a good thing--it meant people couldn't quite pin her down, at least that's what she assumed Ace meant even if she was way off her mark. "Every what? Every meal? Why? Because you're a health nut, right? Your whole disliking of fast food and stuff. At least--no, wait, you can't be a health nut!" Getting too chattery as she sometimes did when she got excited, Kat pointed her spoon at him, sitting up straighter. "Because you smoke and that's bad for you! Or you're trying to compensate for the smoking by eating healthy. Is that it?" She asked. Because why else would someone who wasn't a health nut eat salad for every meal? Okay, he didn't say meal, I said meal but...that must be it. Right? "Because you seem to be judgy of people who eat fast," she stated. "And I personally don't think that's very cool, man," Katniss added, with raised brows. "I mean, you can't judge before you know." Of course you could, and yeah, she did, but not all the time, and she was bothered that Ace just seemed to be shitting on people's eating habits...never mind she was shitting on his smoking. But, well, it was bad for your lungs! Cancer-producing, even! She went silent for a moment at his darker words, because she didn't miss that. Katniss cracked her knuckles before speaking again, letting a few seconds hang between Ace's words and hers. "Empathetic? I dunno. Maybe somewhat," she agreed carefully, and then shrugged. "The jobless would, yeah. I mean, if they haven't eaten in awhile. Look, do you have something against the jobless?" Katniss asked him point-blank, preferring right now not to just dance around the subject. "Its true that they may enjoy a meal and eat it quickly." Her jaw dropped when she saw him put out the cigarette, and she frowned. "I didn't mean put it out on your hand! Why--just--dump it in a sink and toss it!" Concern washed over her, even though Kat was someone who was going a bit insane, but it didn't mean she was completely gone yet, and she stared at his hand for a second, her eyes widening a bit more when she caught sight of the other small burns. "I don't--why--okay, never mind, but you should maybe just...get the burn looked at in the infirmary back at school," she told him. Kat wanted to pry--she was a curious person, way too curious for her own good, but something told her not to pry with Ace and to be careful around him. So the best she could do was just recommend he see a nurse for the current burn, at least she presumed that was what she could do. She sensed the demeanor, the air, in the room surrounding their table had shifted a bit, and Katniss grabbed her glass of water, savoring the coldness on her skin, and took a few sips, watching Ace over the rim. "Well, maybe you could get some help breaking badf habits," she suggested, even though she had many herself that she had very little desire to destroy. Bad habits were more fun, Kat's mind said, but maybe she was more empathetic sometimes than she let on, or maybe now she was just in a healthier mindset than she was other times. "Sarcasm can be fun. Many people use it as a coping mechanism. Hiding emotion and whatnot." She looked pointedly at Ace, wondering now after seeing what she had if he was okay. She presumed not, and it partially concerned her. She snorted. "I'm also in Oleander house and that doesn't mean I flirt with everyone! Like, some people do. But I don't. So even if it's natural, you should be sure not to do it with everyone, since some people may find it...predatory. In fact," she began, tapping her spoon now on the back of her hand as she thought, "another Oleander, if I recall correctly, flirted with his girl in Wisteria, about three-four years ago, and she snapped his wrist and left him on the floor crying without looking back. So just...be careful," Katniss stated, and then dipped her spoon into her smoothie. She removed it with some strawberry chunk and ate it, before she dipped the spoon in again. Maybe most people wouldn't just put a spoon in a drink, but Kat was a bit interesting. She shrugged. "Good. And yes I do want to pay for myself. I mean, I don't want to upset you, and you can pay if you want as long as you know it doesn't make us...dating or whatever," she stated. Katniss hadn't taken offense at the comment, but more so at he fact Ace flirted only with no interest to date. It was one thing to do that on a mission, in life or death circumstances, but she was annoyed at the whole situation anyway. Katniss raised a brow. "That's bad," she stated frankly. "Not used to being argued with? Wow. Just a small word of advice: the world will push back against you. Nobody is right all the time," Kat said, and then smirked. "Yes, I know. It's fun that way."
