Japanese Garden and Japanese Tea house

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

She blinked, almost pouting at his immediate response. So, he didn't like her? Or... was he just afraid of being hurt? Before she could respond, the rest of their food was delivered. When he finally finished speaking, she sat up straight, set her chopsticks down, and looked him right in the eye. "Eric, let me straighten some things out for you before this carries on too far and someone gets too confused. That someone being my stupid self, of course."

Clasping her hands on her lap, she leaned forward slightly, her direct gaze on him. "I would never leave you, unless you asked me too, and with my poor sense of judgement, I would find it hard to do so anyway. As long as I feel like you need me, I will remain your obedient student. That other girl is not me. Unless she grew up in Hungary and was kicked out of a dancing academy for being unable to keep a beat, then you can't compare her to me. You are probably the greatest teacher I have ever had, and I wouldn't toss you away for anything less than my own brilliant father, who is an angel now and didn't have much patience for me anyway." She paused to further collect her thoughts, then continued.

"Also, when I call you cute, I don't mean your silly appearance. You're more to me than just a pretty face, Teacher. You have a very cute personality, and I enjoy being around you because it makes me happy. It made me happy before I ever saw your face, and while I admit that you are very handsome, you aren't the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes upon, nor even the cutest. But you're my teacher, and that earns you extra points in my book."

Finally leaning back, she slightly bowed her head, voice softening. "I don't like you because you're handsome or cute, though. I like you because you're kind and honest, and you love your brothers, even though they irritate you sometimes. I like you because you're patient with me when I don't get a song right, and because you are always quick to praise when you feel it is deserved. You don't sugar coat what I've done wrong; you call me out on my fault and help me to improve. Even when I've been a complete idiot, you try your best to be patient and wait for my brain to reenter my head. I like you because you make me want to be not only a better artist, but a better person. You could be just a normal human with a crooked nose, gigantic coke-bottle glasses, and the worst acne known to man, and I would still feel the same way."

After a couple of minutes, Ophelia finally pried her eyes from the edge of the table to look up at him. "I don't expect a date, or a hand to be held, and definitely not a goodnight kiss, but I would like to enjoy a meal with you without hearing you shoot down what I feel for you as temporary or an effect of a curse. I may not be very smart, Eric, but I'm not stupid. I know when I truly care about someone. We're friends, Eric. Teacher and student, yes, but still friends. Or at least, I count you as one. Whether you count me as one is entirely up to you. Now then, let's eat before I embarrass myself in front of you much more. I think I've been an idiot before you enough times in one day." Lifting her chopsticks (and taking a moment to remember how to hold them), Ophelia surveyed the foods and settled on a small bowl of niku udon, somehow managing to pick up a piece of beef.

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXxFixing to open his mouth to argue his point, the phantom just opted for popping a piece of broccoli into his mouth and smiling lightly at the girl sitting across from him. "Right. Let us enjoy this delicious food and not worry about the finer details or other silly little things. Whatever will be, will be," his voice hummed smoothly although he'd never opened his mouth to say it aloud. It was as he'd said, not having to actually say something in order for him to actually speak to someone. All he needed was to make certain types of sound waves by shifting the molecules in the air surrounding him. Besides, it'd be a really irritating kind of argument if he dragged it out as he wasn't exactly sure how to even explain these kinds of things. He doubted even music could clarify these worries hidden behind a light, gentle yet mischievous smile.

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

Putting the beef into her mouth and chewing slowly, the young woman ate silently, blushing lightly from her tirade. How could she be so stupid, revealing her feelings for him so suddenly? And she didn't even really reveal her feelings! She told him that she liked him, but didn't specify if she liked him as a friend or not! With a decided nod, she started for another piece of beef. "I was invited to Paris to study under the great chefs for several weeks," she said, lifting the beef and not looking at him. "I don't really want to go that much, since cooking isn't really something I want to grow up and do, but it's not like I'm being asked anywhere else." With a sigh, she popped the food into her mouth and chewed for a bit, swallowing and looking out the window. "Funny enough, something in me keeps saying that I won't live long enough to make it, so why bother?"

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXx"Not while I'm your teacher. I cannot follow you if you go and when you return, I may be gone along with my brothers. That is my only comment on that subject. Whether you go, however, is your decision to make as it is your life," Eric responded calmly while never letting his smile falter. He then picked up a chunk of beef along with some noodles only to quickly slip it into his mouth and begin chewing while somewhat fidgeting with some of the chicken with his chopsticks. After swallowing, he gave a slight shake of the head. "You're still young so I don't see how you'd say such a thing. I mean, yes, humans live a little past a century old if they're lucky, but that doesn't mean you can just give up. Plenty of humans have accomplished many feats, with the aid of other species without their knowledge of course, but your species is still young as well. You're still a species that is learning just as you are a young woman learning to go through life's obstacles."

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

With a sigh, the young woman shifted through the broth and stared at it. "I don't like cooking much, anyway. I just... I can't go. And don't call me young!" Stuffing the meat into her mouth, she chewed furiously and swallowed roughly. Looking back to him, she crossed her arms. "I just... I don't want to have wasted my short time on this Earth doing nothing, but I love being your student too much to give up. I guess... it can wait."

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXx"I enjoy cooking personally. It's fun coming up with new recipes after all. And you are a young woman. It's not like there's much else you can call yourself based on general age other than young, middle-aged and old. Besides that, compared to you, I'm pretty old so I've earned the right to call those at your age young ladies and young men," Eric snickered lightly while picking up an egg roll and taking a bite out of it. It was probably his favorite way of eating cabbage after all. It sure as heck tasted better than most other ways of eating it. Swallowing, he directed his chopsticks at Ophelia and took in a quick breath. "You better not be saying music isn't really doing much of anything with your life. I mean, yes, there's a million people who sing and play instruments, but they don't understand real music. Seriously. What the frick is up with that Skrillex guy? I'd rather listen to a dog whining or a creek running through the woods than that crap. What makes it worse is that his crapfest is a subgenre of a subgenre in music! Then there's that Nikki Minaj with that creepy voice she uses called Roman or something... Eh. Heebie-jeebies just talking about their "art". Anyhoo, by the time I'm done teaching you, you will be extraordinary at what you do and have many people asking for you to perform for them. Patience is necessary to achieve great things in life. For some it may take decades. For others, it only take a few years. Either way, you'll still have to practice every day."

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

"And what do I do when I don't have you anymore?" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and staring hard at him. "What do I do if you leave for your homeland and leave me here on my own? It's not like I can follow you. I'll be stuck here, waiting forever for you to come back to me." She uncrossed her arms, clasping her hands on her lap and leaning forward a bit. "Even if you don't leave until after I've learned all I can, I can't do anything without you." She ducked her head further, sighing. "I don't... I don't want you to go."

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXx"You could be a famous musician and return life to music. You could go learn to cook like a professional master chef. Then there's the option of modeling... Professional dancer for those music videos. There's many options for you, it's just you haven't noticed them yet. And I never said you couldn't come with me wherever I go. Besides that, I doubt you'll still be alive by the time we find our aunt to help us with Tori's contagion so you won't really have much to worry about with the war. This is based upon how long we've been looking for her already with no success of even finding a trace of her, of course, but you get my point. You'd just have to get used to breaking down into a kajillion little unseen particles as it is how we travel more often than not," Eric retorted without the slightest bit of hesitation. It was almost as if he'd already known she'd ask such questions. Part of him had, of course, but that wasn't exactly necessary for Ophelia to know. This was just part of life and that was something, along with how phantoms functioned, she would have to try to understand.

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

"Oh great. That means you're going to watch me grow old and die." Sweatdropping, the pinkette ran a hand through her hair nervously and smiled softly. "Sorry about being a drama queen. You can't blame me for being scared of losing my teacher, though." After her strange nerves were calmed, she reset her focus on the food and looked it over. "So, what all kinds of sushi do we have here?"

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXx"It happens, Ophelia. Death is as natural as life itself. There are others much older than I am who've seen human friends age and die. Examples would be Vańa, Viaresu and Koail. I mean, even now Koail has an on and off relationship with a human girl. I wondered for the longest time how he can so calmly face the imminent end of her leaving this world long before him, but I've come to understand how he does it. It's not exactly something easily expressed with words, but if I were to try, I'd say Forever by Papa Roach and Forever May Not Be Long Enough by Alan Silvestri from Live would be the best attempt. What's funny is Koail wrote both of them and gave them to the humans," Eric smiled lightly in response at the pinkette speaking of him watching her age and die. Taking in a slow, deep breath, he shook off that heavy weight of sadness building in his chest. It'd be depressing teaching her only for her to leave the world so early in life, but it was inevitable. She was still human after all. Pointing at each of the different sushi, he began telling her about each one.

xXxXx"This one has celery and salmon in it... That one to the right of your hand has a mixture of various kinds of seafood like lobster and crab mixed together with cream cheese... This one has mushrooms and... Salmon? I think that's salmon... Or is it flounder? All of them have sushi and sticky white rice in them too. I think it'd be better to ask Vańa what all he puts in his sushi as he'd know better since he gave his recipes to these folk."

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

Ophelia listened in silence, thoughts rushing through her mind. Eric was going to watch her die one day, and she would have nothing to show for it! Not even the thing she wanted most...

Wait, gave them to the humans? That sounds a little like when Old Man Dante would brag about giving fire to the first- WAIT. That's it! "I've got it!" she exclaimed, partially standing and setting her hands flat on the table. "Eric, I know how to prolong the end of my life. I mean, sure, it would be an eternity's worth of a commitment, but anything's better than that brooding hand of death hanging over my shoulder!" She searched her person for her cell phone, grimacing when she realized that Eric probably still had it. "Um... I need my phone back."

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXxHaving taken in that last bite of his egg roll, Eric was back to being very calm about things. Whatever was awaiting them in the future was awaiting them in the-. At Ophelia getting hyped up about something, he jumped slightly as it was so very unexpected. "No," he stated without the slightest bit of hesitation after having swallowed. He then followed this by taking a swig of his tea then setting his hands together contemplatively in front of him.

xXxXx"I've lived long enough to know that tone and it usually ends up with a bad decision being made. I don't want you doing something stupid so I'm not handing your phone over until you talk this idea over with me," he clarified just as calmly as before.

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Mayah Playah

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

"But it's not a stupid decision! I've been putting it off for years anyway," she said, sitting back down and crossing her arms. "And it wouldn't take my attention too far away from music, so I'd be able to take lessons from you, and I'd certainly be able to pretty do as I did before. I'd only... you know, be married." Ophelia ran a hand through her hair, eyes trained on him. "My father was friends with the Riders of the Apocalypse, and if you marry one, or even an Heir, then you become immortal. One proposed to me a while ago after my father died, to give me a sense of protection, but I told him to give me time to grow up more and find my own way. Technically, the offer still stands, and I'm almost eighteen now, so it's entirely my decision."

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river

 

[Dantes_river]

Mayah Playah

“ Sιηg σηcє αgαιη ωιтн мє, συя sтяαηgє δυєт.
мч ρσωєя σvєя чσυ gяσωs sтяσηgєя чєт.
αηδ тнσυgн чσυ тυяη ғяσм мє тσ gℓαηcє вєнιηδ,
тнє ρнαηтσм σғ тнє σρєяα ιs тнєяє ιηsιδє чσυя мιηδ... ”

xXxXxEric “Phantom” Phantomen
☆ XXϮяαηscєηδιηg ϮιмєXX
☆ XXєтєяηαℓ ℓιғєXX

xXxXx"And I stand by the statement of stupid decisions being made. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I would rather let Tori eat you than let you get involved any further than you are now with their type of business. I don't give a rat's backside how great the idea of immortality sounds; it doesn't exist," Eric retorted while pouring himself another cup of tea. Pulling her cellphone out of his pocket, he set it on the table in front of the girl as if now offering her the choice of making that call or not. He wasn't her babysitter. If she wanted to go all out on achieving a better future for herself, he wasn't going to stop her. The dark haired phantom gave her his opinion and she was going to have to make her own decision.

XXX

☆ XXϮнє Sтσяч ηєvєя єηδsXX
☆ XXℓσvє ηєvєя διєsXX

{( OutOfChristine'sMind ;; ~ )}

 

[Mayah Playah]

Ophelia Incendia

Theme song

Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide

She bit her lip and stared at the phone, clenching her fists. Was... was it really that bad an idea? She knew Augustus very well, he was an old family friend, and he'd offered so much to her. He'd wanted to protect her, and even mentor her. But... could she ever marry him? Reaching out, Ophelia took the phone and tucked it into her pocket, looking at the table. "I... I'll think about it..."

When you're lost inside, I will be there to find you

Dantes_river