Devil's Dinner [Jagara]

All the sky's light had long since gone, the two women turning their backs on the building of the Lavender Lounge. Their heeled feet clicked along the pavement and the werewolf lifted her head to the breeze, breathing in the much welcomed cool autumn air after the hot, compacted bodies in the lounge had been quite overwhelming. Upon reaching the street corner she halted at the curb and glanced back briefly to make sure her companion was at least nearby and hopefully following before continuing to navigate along the streets. It was for Jagara's sake that she had left the music and drinks behind, since the feline had not been particularly comfortable with either the busy crowd or the form of dancing that was expected in the situation of a club. Either way Callista didn't blame her, she normally found those things not to her taste either though for once she found herself actually enjoying it a little, although it was the company and maybe alcohol she in fact enjoyed and not the atmosphere nor the dancing. No, she didn't have a liking for hanging around places full of beings who would judge her or flirt with her, as humans always do, or lock her away and possibly kill her if they knew what was capable of bursting through her seemingly human flesh. But there were times when she could be adaptable and able to tolerate. If she wasn't to some extent she wouldn't have survived so long, but it normally in exceptional circumstances. She had to tolerate the other races of the world, so that she didn't turn to blind rage in their presence and decapitate every creature that made her nose wrinkle in disgust. Most of all she had tolerated so much pain. The other, adaptability. She was quick to adapt to any situation, just like how she had been able to adjust to her beastly body all that time ago and how back at the gorge she had adapted to Jagara's personality quickly. Right at that moment she was quick to go with the flow of how the night was changing, and if that meant taking a lady for dinner then so it would be.

It was not too long, somewhere less than half an hour of walking, that the wolf came out of one final side street to arrive at the destination of where they would eat. She probably should have gotten them a cab, but she preferred walking. It wasn't a place to indulge in fancy fine dining with champagne and the elaborate nonsense, as it served mostly traditional, hearty food, with great meat dishes and some seafood. It was still a very popular place and was reasonably expensive. However it was quite a grand looking building, as it was very old judging by the current standards, and it was built out of the old stone and design. It was a quirky place with a long driveway and large gardens surrounding it as it had once been solely a park or some green area, and it appeared the owner strived to incorporate any festivals and celebrations into the feel of the restaurant. At least that seemed to be the case as Callista looked to the place. She quirked a brow and stopped in her tracks just outside the wide archway in the wall that was the entrance to the path. The building itself was decorated in tattered signs and bits of wood to look like an old haunted house, and there were all manners of things set up on the lawns either side of the long pebbled path that lead to the door. Tombstones, skulls, cobwebs and what was almost certainly fake blood strewn about but it was difficult to see any scarlet color with all the darkness, it just looked like black liquid. "Forgot it's almost Halloween." She muttered as her eyes gazed around the scene, speaking somewhat to the feline she had traveled with but not paying much attention to where Jagara was around her. If she was to make a guess and with noticing a girl entering the restaurant looking very shaken up, she would also assume that there were actors hiding around the trees and bushes that lined the path, dressed in scary costumes to jump out and terrify people who walked past. Callista wasn't one to jump at such things, and simply smirked in slight amusement. She figured Jagara also wouldn't be bothered by such scares, but she could also be wrong. But she would find out. "Oh look, a full moon tonight. Perfect." The beta joked as she turned her dark brown eyes upwards, mocking what humans associated with werewolves shifting, and playfully hinting that she could transform and scare the life out of whatever popped out at them. As much as she'd enjoy that, she knew she couldn't, or well, shouldn't. "Afraid of things that go bump in the night, Jagara?" She asked and finally turned her head to look at the beautiful blonde, but didn't expect an answer. What an uncharacteristically good mood she was in. Snorting a chuckle, she rolled her black eyeliner rimmed eyes. "Come on, let's eat."

Jagara moved along quietly, only a stride behind Callista. But unlike her companion, she was not as relaxed. In fact, she felt a little bit embarrassed about her awkwardness at the club. The shifter had hoped to get drunk enough to forget that she wasn’t a great dancer but failed. Her almost-sober awareness had made her movements on the dance floor seem even more uncomfortable. Silently, she was grateful to Callista for offering to go out to dinner instead. Never, of course, would Jagara allow her internal shame to show up on her features, but she figured it was best not to speak along their way. Callista seemed to be enjoying the walk anyway. Why interrupt her bliss?

Jagara continued on wordlessly, her posture still dignified despite having to flee the social situation. As they approached what seemed to be their destination, the feline became very confused. What was it with humans and all of this decoration nonsense? As far as she could recall, Halloween was usually meant to be frightening, but this looked more like a joke. Styrofoam and plastic props, as well as those cheap cobwebs littered the lawn. Jagara huffed quietly, still judging the amateur level of craftsmanship, when her mental criticisms were interrupted by her companion’s comment. The Auxiliary paused, watching the olive-skinned woman as she seemed to mutter to herself. It was as if she did not care whether or not her companion was behind her. As a test, Jagara slowed her pace to see if Callista would notice that she fell behind. One second passed, then another, and yet there was no reaction. The happy canine kept walking ahead. Disenchanted, Jagara turned her head away, looking once more to the lawn. In the darkness, something small seemed to move. With her feline grace, she stepped off of the walkway and calmly strode towards it, squatting down once she got close. A small smile crept its way onto her face as she realized it was just a young black kitten. She stretched her arm forward towards it, giving the softest of purrs in encouragement. The little familiar looked over to her with his wide orange eyes and bounced over to meet her hand, his tiny paws pitter-pattering against the grass. It was comforting to see such a small yet relatable creature here at that particular moment, though Jagara could not understand why.

After a bit of scratching the little tyke along his spine, she picked him up, cradling him close to her chest. Even if cat hair remained on her dress, it would not bother her anyway. Around this time, Callista joked about the full moon, but Jagara did not hear it. She was just beginning to make her way back, focusing on her surroundings as not to trip and, in falling, potentially injure the kitten. Being acutely aware of the world around her, Jagara noticed what seemed like a muffled exhale in a bush somewhere to the right of her. The leopardess would have tried to scent the air, but it would have given her nothing. After all, nearly everything around her bore the overwhelming stench of humankind. Moving her newest companion to be held at her side by her left arm, she effectively shielded him and continued walking briskly. The actor in the bush, in his naivety, must have mistaken the speed of her pace as fear, given that he took the moment to charge at her whilst revving his rubber-bladed chainsaw. Though Jagara knew in the back of her mind that this was nothing more than a prank, her instincts reacted before reason could stop her. But even if she had thought about it, would she really have refrained from such fun? When the masked man ran towards her, she met him with a hardened fist that collided with the bone of his jaw in an upward-sweeping strike. Had this been elsewhere, Jagara would have sprung from her human shell, but practice and caution allowed her to avoid at least those impulsive decisions. The poor human fell backwards with a cry of pain, turning the heads of many people towards the spectacle. Jagara played it off by yelling back at him, “Fucking watch where you’re going… You could’ve made me crush this kitten!” She raised the cat pointedly, finishing, “Have some consideration for the little defenseless animal next time, you insensitive jackass.” With a dignified huff, she turned away from his groaning body, holding the little feline protectively. A few spectators shrugged in agreement with her, and others simply went on with their evening. Quietly, she whispered into the little charcoal ear, “Run along now, alright?” Once she was back on the walkway, she bent down and released her furry friend, who frolicked away into the night. Jagara watched him disappear before finally turning back around and making her way to the entrance to the restaurant where Callista was. Brushing off her dress and hands, she stepped up to her calmly, looking ahead. Inside, the light was a warm, cozy orange like the tongues of a flame. It seemed fairly inviting, despite the decoration. The leopard passed the werewolf, accidentally brushing her pale hand against the warm, dark one of her friend. Stepping inside without waiting for Callista, Jagara reversed their roles. Now she was the one in front who did not care about the whereabouts of the one behind, assuming that they would follow along anyway. A waiter came up to them, offering to escort them to a table. Jagara nodded, following him through the diner.

To anyone else they might have thought that the she-wolf had not arrived here with Jagara since they did not stay together in the sense of walking side by side or something of that sort. While the shifter seemed to take her time to analyze the surroundings or whatever it was that she was doing, Callista saw no point in waiting any longer and had walked on ahead, slightly enjoying the opportunity to see what foolish things the humans disguised as and what feeble attempts they would make to frighten her. It had been a medium-length distance from the Lavender Lounge to the restaurant and now all she had in her mind was to eat, as that was after all the whole reason she had come here, and it was for Jagara that she had even gone to dinner. The Beta could have stayed in the club and enjoyed herself with several more drinks, or if she truly was hungry she could have left to return to her pack and hunted herself a snack or perhaps a packmate would have already caught something and was willing to share. Yet, she had done neither of those things and had instead chosen company over going solo in order to please the feline, who she supposed was now her friend. On the outside Callista surely seemed not to care much, but she was not completely empty of feeling. In fact she was very much attuned to others, but chose to regularly ignore them. Perhaps on the journey to the diner the Auxiliary may have felt it rude that the werewolfess had not bothered to talk to her or check she was following while she lead the way, but really just because she had not glanced back it did not mean her ears and nose were not trained on her whereabouts. For the whole time in fact she had kept making sure that Jagara was close by, and did not need to keep looking behind. Sure, she could've tried to be friendly by making conversation or whatever, but that wasn't really who she was, she had always had an independent nature in order to survive. Maybe she didn't need to be like that, however. At least not with everyone.

With no reaction to her harmless joking to be heard as the one she had directed it to had wandered off, Callista lost her good spirit somewhat and dropped her smile, striding forward alone to make her way to the door of the diner. It seemed she could not win, for she had to be sociable to develop the friendship with Jagara, yet when she did her efforts tended to be ignored. This time she sensed that the shifter was probably offended by the lack of paying attention to her so was giving Callista the same treatment which, if it was true, did truly disappoint her. The she-wolf crossed her arms across her chest as she walked along the path, her black dress glistening a silver hue beneath the moon and the sharp studs that adorned her footwear and clothing reflecting its light so that they seemed to glow on their very own. Her eyes casually looked around the area that looked like something from a low-budget horror movie yet it did work to give the place an interesting and appropriate theme for the time of year and would get the adrenaline pumping through the veins of some people. Though she supposed it wasn't meant to look genuinely scary as it was meant to be an inviting place to eat rather than a creepy haunted house. As she got to the bottom of the steps by the door she heard a commotion from behind and saw people around her glancing to what was happening. She recognized the voice involved as being Jagara and slowly turned around to see what was going on. Her gaze fell upon the scene of the blonde woman shouting at a fallen actor who had obviously sprung out of hiding at her and come face-to-fist with the feline. Jagara did not seem to be pissed off, so she figured that it had just been instinct, or for her self-amusement, that she had struck the man.

Callista would have turned away then and proceeded to go up to the door had it not been for her seeing something being raised in the distant pale lady’s arms to make a statement along with her yelling. Furrowing her brows, she focused on the small black mass and quickly identified it to be a kitten. Somehow she didn’t wonder where the animal had come from, as she never failed to find strange things about the woman. She smirked slightly at the thought and kept watching even as surrounding spectators had lost interest. Jagara had resumed a position on the path and released the domestic feline before continuing to walk on and get nearer to where she was stood. The wolf watched as the young dark cat trotted away, speculating briefly over whether it was a lost pet or belonged to an employee of the diner who had dragged it in to help the halloween event, as black cats were supposedly bad luck and the companions of witches. She didn't exactly care about the kitten anyway so then turned and unfolded her arms to pull open the door just as Jagara caught up to her and walked on through into the restaurant, without even a thank you for holding open the door. Callista just stared at her and glared silently, her grip tightening a little on the door handle. Their hands touched briefly by accident which automatically caused her posture to straighten slightly at the shock of the relative coldness of the shifter's skin. Then she heard the steps of someone approaching and saw a zombie woman groaning and hobbling up the steps to get to her. She rolled her eyes and followed her friend inside, letting the door fall shut behind her. Looking around, the interior was cozy and traditional, a welcome heat radiated from an open fire beside the corner table where they were lead to by the waiter. The olive skinned beast pulled out a seat for Jagara then moved to the opposite side to sit herself in her own chair. It was her way of apologizing for her earlier lack of attention. Grabbing two menus, she slid one over for the other to read and ordered herself a beer from the waiter before looking back to the shifter. "I saw you had an incident with the chainsaw guy back there. Seemed like you got him good. I'll pretend I didn't see it though, I'm not spending the rest of my night filling out the paperwork. Those actors have it coming anyway, jumping out at people and shit." Her eyes trailed over the other's form quickly, a protective instinct making sure she was okay.

Jagara, in her stubbornness, failed to notice the werewolf holding the door open when she walked by. In fact, she barely even noticed the accidental brush of her hand against the much warmer one and made no acknowledgement of it anyway. She simply followed the waiter as he showed her to their table, a simple round wooden one with two chairs and a small tea candle in the middle. The Auxiliary found this setting to be slightly strange for two friends – or maybe not even that – but chose to ignore it. Mumbling a ‘thank you’ to Callista, she seated herself with the elegance of a feline before looking over the menu that was passed to her. Jagara glanced up at the waiter looming over their table. “Same for me.” The waiter scribbled the two beers down and stepped away, disappearing into the writhing forest of workers and patrons. While reading over the entrees, Jagara once again heard the voice of her companion… The one which was not a fluffy kitten. Not removing her gaze from the laminated paper, she gave a shrug. “Then I suppose I have no reason for reporting a wild, attractive werewolf that wanted my company for dinner…” Her voice hinted lightly that she was jesting, though she was not sure what on earth compelled her to give the compliment. She was certainly tipsy, and the woman in front of her was certainly attractive… It was as if the words slipped out on their own accord. Hopefully, Callista would not pay too much attention to it.

Putting down the menu and sliding it to the side of the table, she looked towards the utensils packaged in the napkin. She carefully unwrapped the cloth, setting the utensils aside and positioning the fabric on top of her lap in a rather civilized manner. But when she was finished, a sudden boredom came upon her. The chatter around the diner was sufficiently loud, according to her sensitive ears, but their individual table was silent. Quietly, she picked up one of the two forks, spinning in between her fingers idly. It was then that a playful idea hit her. Jagara gently prodded the olive hand on the other side of the small table, throwing a playful glance up to the dark eyes of the other. Her gaze remained captivated by the seemingly endless, burning depths of the other’s for a few long moments, but with a few blinks, she refocused herself upon her new mission. A few more soft jabs of the fork were given, urging her into play. Biting her bottom lip, the Auxiliary stifled a chuckle. Then she simply lifted her fork, holding it like a miniature sword.

“En garde.”

Looking over her own menu, the wolf nodded once in acknowledgment of the other's small gratitude for pulling out the chair for her and vaguely listened to Jagara ordering the same drink as herself from the waiter, still primarily focused on reading the details of what was to offer where food was concerned. So many delicious meals, she could eat all of them at that moment as she slightly licked her lips at the thought of a nice, tasty, tender steak. Though she had never really been fond of picking any sort of appetizer as she thought them odd, not being a large enough portion to be a decent meal yet they filled up one's stomach to an extent that sometimes didn't allow one to fully appreciate and devour the main course. Therefore, she had skipped the starters and supported the leather bound menu in one hand, using her free fingers to turn over the laminated page, only to be met with a page of vegetarian options. She skimmed over the titles briefly but soon wrinkled her nose at them and quickly flicked back to the previous pages. It didn't seem to enter her mind that the candlelit setting was unusual; perhaps she didn't really think it was. Weirder things had happened between the two, after all. Once again the shifter's voice was heard, Callista lifting her gaze to meet the feline whom was still reading. From what she said the werewolf almost retorted with an angry remark at how Jagara would even dare to reveal her identity to the humans, as if she would be able to without Callista being dead. However, she realized that within the sentence there was in fact a compliment towards herself, so she calmed and resumed inspecting the menu with a nonchalant shrug in return and a mental smirk. "Thanks, I guess." She replied casually before looking up to find the waiter returning with their two beers, placing the glasses neatly on the wooden table before disappearing again.

The short-haired woman raised one olive skinned hand to place her glass near her mouth, lapping up the frothy surface of the drink so it didn't spill out and then she put it back on the table and glanced at the menu one more time before deciding what she wanted. As she went to close the menu she felt something lightly stab the back of her hand, so she shut it and put it down quickly, peering down to see Jagara had used a fork to poke her. Slowly she arched a brow and looked to the other, holding her icy gaze steadily in her own dark pits. Their eyes remained locked for a moment that seemed to extend longer than what time would normally be given to stare into one another's eyes, the pale playfulness of one and the impenetrable coals of the other colliding before a fluttering of lashes and a couple more prods of the fork distracted the wolf from the thoughts that had begun to stir. But as the feline bit her lip, Callista felt the foreign feeling within her yet again. She didn't know what it was, she only knew that she wanted to get as close to the shifter as she possibly could, and that she was quite intoxicated. There was probably a correlation there. So to relieve the silence and help develop the closeness between them, she decided to participate in this challenge to a mini battle. Whisking a piece of appropriate cutlery out of her paper napkin, she held it up before her. "En garde.", she repeated and halted; it was the kind of wait one initiates in hopes of catching the other off-guard. The she-wolf paused just long enough and smirked slyly while watching Jagara's hand and glancing once to her greyish irises. Then she launched her attack, her competitive side taking over as she aimed to clash against her opponent's weapon and disarm her.

Abandoning the awkward feelings that arose from the held gaze and the compliment, Jagara focused on the battle of cutlery that ensued. Unfortunately, Jagara had only basic skills with a sword, but she managed to hold against her opponent for a little while longer than one might expect. A swipe left, a jab under towards her palm, a couple of hastily dealt blocks and counter attacks… And yet, it was her silver fork that flew from her hand and onto the floor. With a sarcastic sigh of defeat, she blonde woman raised her hands and picked up her napkin, waving it as a white flag of surrender with her brow quirked and a playful smirk on her face. Her gaze locked with the darkened one of her companion once more, but this time quickly flickered towards her "sword” laying on the ground. Dipping her head in a polite excuse, she got up and stepped towards it before kneeling down gracefully to retrieve the silverware. Rising, she felt the stares of the pathetic human creatures around her who were judging the pair’s childish play. And, on cue, the scars on her knees began to itch. As perceptive of a creature as she was, she never bothered to notice what it was that made her jagged marks across her knees itch. In fact, she did not even know there was a psychological connection to it. Absent-mindedly, she sat down, placed the fork politely near the edge of the table, and slipped a hand to gently scratch at the patches of skin that plagued her. The other grasped the glass of beer, bringing it up to her lips.

After a few long moments, the waiter came by and requested their order. Jagara glanced to Callista, pausing for a moment before she asked, “I think it would be best to skip straight to the main course, yes? I’ve eaten recently, so I’m not that hungry.” By recently, she meant a day ago, but she ate a leopard’s portion of a deer. She would hunt again in a few days, so for now just one course of meat would do. Looking back to the gentleman, she calmly proceeded to order, “I would like to have your Lamb Chop… Medium; pink at the center.” The auxiliary smiled gently, her attention turning back to Callista. Her mind otherwise unoccupied, she tried to sort out the strange feeling in her chest, but she failed. Jagara simply blamed the alcohol, taking another sip of the horribly wonderful drink that slowly made her thoughts fuzzier and fuzzier. As she watched her friend place her order, she could not help but feel a silent purr vibrate her throat, certainly unnoticeable to others. But she noticed it herself, and thinking frantically that others might hear if it progressed, she took another large chug of her drink to silence it.

It had been a long time since Callista had duelled with a weapon, even if the weapon was so tiny and useless as a fork. And as childish as it would seem, she found herself fond of this play and the pretence of suspense as the two females clashed and made successful jabs at each other's skin. There would be no fatalities in this war, however, which also meant there would not be any heroic tales of bravery to go down in history. Unfortunate. Her feline companion was far more skilled than expected, fighting back with as much gusto as was given, but in the end the wolf was triumphant. With all her training throughout the years for the various occupations she had held of which many had involved weapons, and the added powers of being the immortal she was, it was not too much of a surprise to see who the winner was. The sound of victory was not in cheers or bellowing horns but instead the clanging of the silver dropping onto the ground. Jagara played along with acting the part of the losing party and held up her hands as well as waving her napkin of surrender, though an almost teasing smile was on her lips. The werewolf smirked and shrugged her shoulders back, cracking the joints in her fingers as she stared to the other's eyes. "Wise choice, Miss Jagara." Spoke the beastly humanoid calmly, with an exaggerated air of superiority. She watched on as the shifter quickly and eloquently dismissed herself from the table and crouched down to fetch her fallen fork. In every way Jagara moved, it seemed so easy, so free and flowing but with a suggestion of deeper intention, that she was not innocent and harmless. To someone knowledgeable about animals, or was partly one, there was no mistaking the feline grace. It was enthralling. The beta didn't notice the spectators who had watched, of which there were few due to the pair being seated in a corner, until she felt Jagara's discomfort when she stood again and looked about her. Twirling her fork between her fingers as she had been the whole time, she glared at one man and discretely motioned with the cutlery for him to look away and mind his own business, assisted with a dark glare. Silently she looked back to Jagara, her gaze falling to the blonde's exposed legs as she returned to the table. It was alright to admire the female's beauty if she kept the thoughts to herself. Once her friend was seated again she lifted her brown orbs to meet the other's stormy ones.

She waited for the auxiliary to finish her sip of beer until she would raise a question she had, but then the waiter interfered when he approached to take their order. After seeming quite inattentive earlier in the day she decided to be courteous and let the other woman order first, nodding that she agreed to go straight into main courses. There was a stock of food back at her den that she had prepared and couldn't waste so having a big meal wasn't necessary at the moment anyhow. Following Jagara's order, she chose herb-crusted pork loin with cider gravy for herself, specifying that it not be cooked too long. With a thanks she handed both her own and the feline's menu to the waiter, unaware of her friend observing her and purring at what she saw. Once the male had left, Callista looked to the leopardess who was gulping down some of the alcohol of hers. She gripped her own glass, thinking for a moment. She was glad to have come out with Jagara, to have learned more about her life and her personality, but there were certainly more things to find out. She genuinely wanted to know more about the beauty before her. The beta took a couple of large sips from her glass, now noticing that there was some fake icy eyeball floating in the liquid. A nice touch, she supposed, but she had almost swallowed it. It made her wonder what they would decorate her plate of food with. Putting down her beer, she licked the small bit of froth from around her mouth and ran her free hand through her hair. "I noticed that you have some aged scars on your knees. They don't look like they were made by a clean, sharp blade or anything like that. What caused them?" Her head tilted slightly with her question and she listened for a response while folding her napkin over her lap.

Once the waiter walked off and she had silenced the purr that rose in her throat, the feline’s eyes darted down in search for something to do with her hands. For one reason or another, she was on edge. Normally, Jagara would easily remain calm in the most strange and thrilling and terrifying experiences, but yet the idea that Callista might hear or feel or otherwise sense her body displaying attraction against her will. Most of it, she blamed again on the alcohol: both her nervousness and the reaction. She’d heard many stories of women getting drunk at bars and making out with their other female friends. This probably was, no, she decided, it had to be a similar situation. Everything is attractive when you can’t think straight. But then again, these thoughts, in and of themselves, were anything but straight. And in reality, Jagara was indeed quite drunk, but not as drunk as she convinced herself to be…

The Auxiliary picked up her napkin, which she had used only minutes ago as a flag of surrender. Turning it to the side of the table, she flapped it straight, folded it once, and draped it daintily across her lap whilst taking a rather deep but carefully silent breath. Giving herself more to do, she straightened out all of the little folds and creases with the palm of her hands. Feeling calmer, she smiled a little and looked back up to her companion, pleased with herself. Jagara watched the canine lick the froth from her lip, chuckling softly, and then admired the way she combed through her hair with her fingers… But after the question, the joyful smile was swept clean off of her face. Her stormy eyes darkened, but she figured she should answer. Callista was kind of her friend, after all. Pushing through her psychological reluctance, she tried to begin, but her voice fell short in a stammer. Gulping, she picked up her knife and began to twirl it between her fingers, gaze concentrating on the shining metal as she tried again. “They’re from glass... A-and you’re right, they’re rather old, well over two centuries. I got them from uhm… from falling to my knees in a market square in a w-w-wail of agony. I-I’d seen the pelt of Azeroth, my mate, dangling from a hunter’s pole like a banner. His pelt… Even with the blood it shone like g-g-golden thread.” The alcohol made her more emotional than usual, for she would usually be able to tell the tale with little vocal issues. Now, she almost couldn’t utter the words, and when they came out, they were hoarse and quiet, and she stuttered in nearly every line. She gripped the knife, stopping it from spinning, and pressed the tip of the blade against the table, looking at the edge. Breathing deeply and rhythmically, she sighed, becoming a little calmer, “I’d like to avoid the topic right now.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Jagara’s brows furrowed as she tried to shove the thoughts of Azeroth and Aruin out of her mind. They had caused her enough trouble tonight…
A good ten minutes later, their plates of food arrived.

Finished with folding her napkin over her nap, she reached again for her beer and took a gulp, awaiting the answer from Jagara. Scars could be the result of several things, insignificant accidents or conversely they were physical representations of scars that lay much deeper, within the mind. In this case, the she-wolf honestly hoped, somewhere in a part of her that cared for the feline, that she had not questioned about a matter or event which did hold such awful memories. It would be uncomfortable and difficult for the auxiliary to recall the story behind the small flaws on her knees, and almost equally so for Callista to witness. Earlier she had also sensed unease from the shifter, as canines could, but the reason to why she couldn't exactly deduce unless she was still under the impression that people on other tables were staring at them, though nobody was. Perhaps it was just how alcohol affected her, Callista wouldn't really know as she'd never seen Jagara intoxicated before but she knew the substance could make people's emotions run high. It was strange whatever way one looked at it, as the cat lady was usually so collected and calm but she had seemed quite troubled as she'd fiddled with her napkin, that it almost made the wolf uneasy knowing that the other was so. She had quietly ignored it as her companion had been busy smoothing the napkin on her lap, but still been curious when she had received a small smile from the other, when clearly she was not quite okay. She had returned a quick smile on the corner of her lips anyhow. Now though, just a few seconds later, the smile was quick to disappear from her lips. She saw the change in her grey-blue eyes, so suddenly become gloomy and rough like the winds within the harshest storms. It was as she had feared. There was some deep emotional upset behind those scars.

As soon as Jagara began to speak her explanation for the scars it was immediately painful to see. The blonde female simply couldn't get her words out without stuttering. Anyone else might have told it was okay and she didn't have to continue, but Callista waited, calmly watching on with her dark eyes and willing her to continue talking, but patiently so that she could take the time to control her thoughts and lips to operate in a smooth synchronised fashion. The wolf flicked her eyes to the knife that Jagara began to play with as the feline slowly began to form her words together, looking at how the metal glinted beneath the light as it was twirled about while she listened to the other's quiet and strained voice and faintly the fire crackling a few feet away from them. Normally stammers annoyed her, but this time she did not mind. As the short tale unfolded she could imagine the scene in her head, and seeing the shifter in that much emotional pain and going through something like that, well it bothered her. The cold stare in her eyes that was usually there had melted some when she turned her gaze back to her friend. At least Jagara wasn't crying, she wasn't good at coping with crying. But she knew she should end the subject there, she knew enough about it now anyway. Nodding, she spoke in a lowered and softer tone to usual. "I understand." Her brows furrowed slightly as the other closed her eyes, and she knew she was struggling with the memory of her deceased mate but she knew not what to do to help her. Situations like this, dealing with feelings, were not her forte. She looked to the knife that was now lightly stabbing the wooden table, and thinking that her friend may damage the furniture or accidentally herself, she reached out and gently pried the silver cutlery from the pale hand and placed it down. For a few moments then she was still, not knowing what to say, or if she should even say anything. In the absence of words, she took the initiative to show reassurance with actions, without much thought then taking Jagara's hand to be clasped softly by her own steady fingers. By comparison the other was cold, but it was pleasant to the werewolf. Looking down at the hand she cradled in her own, she was shocked by her own action. In fact, she was almost in awe like a child achieving something for the first time, staring at the light skin and slowly her tanned thumb began to stroke the back of the other's hand. Caressing the skin, it was so odd to her, she had not held someone's hand before nor shown sympathy like this. Yet she continued and pulled her eyes away to look to Jagara, soundlessly letting her know she'd be okay, or that Callista herself would make sure she was. She wasn't entirely sure which. But she offered a slightly nervous smile, and then went on for several minutes talking about some funny stories about work and her dog, so then Jagara didn't have to speak while she was upset and could just listen. Then the food arrived and suddenly she remembered about her hand and was quick to let go of the other's, muttering a thanks to the waiter and ordering another drink which he brought over straight away. She started cutting up her meat and eating, sipping her dink in between. A content groan left her throat as she chewed, savoring the taste of the succulent pork. After swallowing she glanced up to the other woman, her spiked hair beginning to lose its sharpness by now. "It's been a pleasure being with you tonight, and I thank you for inviting me out. I hope you have enjoyed it too, I apologize if I ruined it for you at all. Would you perhaps like to meet with me again?" Her brown eyes didn't give much away, but she was internally hopeful Jagara would say yes.

Unable to speak, Jagara was comforted by the fact that she no longer had to. Feeling her hand being deprived of the knife and then surrounded by warmth, the blonde woman stared blankly at the display of sympathy and friendly support. It brought a sought smile to her almost pouting lips, that strong hold of Callista’s hand. After a few moments, the stormy blue gaze flickered up to meet the secure, dark one as the other began to speak. This gave Jagara time to breathe and relax while listening interestedly to the small stories the werewolf shared. Minute after minute, the sadness seeped out of her, being immediately replaced by levity and humorous joy as the other continued to talk for the two of them. Every time she laughed, it grew ever so slightly. First it was a giggle, then a chuckle, and then finally a heartier but still controlled laughter. And every time she did laugh, a squeeze was given to the warm hand of her companion in a silent display of gratitude. Memories of Azeroth and her scars flew away as the images of Kharma and Callista danced upon the center stage of her imagination. It was truly a wonderful sight, and even more so, a genuine relief.

Once the food arrived, the olive-skinned hand rapidly abandoned her own, which Jagara withdrew with a slight dissatisfaction. Though it would be impractical to eat whilst holding hands, the feline had grown to like the sensation of their skin touching. It felt pleasant and secure, kind of like home. As she began to eat, Jagara would glance over at her friend occasionally. What about her made her seem like home? She seemed to be the exact opposite of it, and yet, there was something in her that just made sense to the shifter. Callista would make a wonderful friend indeed, she decided. In between bites, they exchanged smaller, meaningless conversations which simply filled the silence of their table. It did not take long for either of them to finish, and shortly afterwards, a split check was given to them. Jagara signed off on her card before rising to give Callista a warm hug before leaving. It was pretty late, after all, and both of them had things to be done tomorrow. Wrapping her arms around the equally lithe woman, the cat whispered into her ear, “Thanks for the night, Cal, and thank you for understanding. I hope we can do this again sometime.” Without waiting for a response, Jagara pulled back with a satisfied smirk and headed out towards the exit to go on her own path home, disappearing into the night.