Star-crossed, duty bound. (OnexOne, Nivansrywyllian & Watase Yu)

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Ariella would nod gently at the mention of going to the pub. A drink sounded good about know. Or perhaps multiple drinks. To many death and blood filled memories from the night before still swimming freshly in her mind. It made her want to curl up into a ball and hide until the memories were gone. Her uncle was dead and she had killed three people. It made her insides squirm just thinking about it.

Thankfully the sudden warmth from the pub pulled her from these thoughts. Ariella scolded herself from dwelling on them. 'What's done is done ...' Ariella thought to herself as she looked around the rather homey pub. A few magi here and there quickly caught her eye, making her relax even more as she followed Draylan and the waitress to their booth. Thankful that their booth was along the back and out of the way, Ariella sank into the seat across from him.

Pulling the second menu in front of her, Ariella would glance to the waitress. "A Presbyterian, please." She would say with a soft smile, the waitress jotting down their drink order with that same warm smile before hurrying off to get them. "Thank you, Draylan." Ariella would say with a genuine smile before turning her focus to the menu in front of her. She needed food. That apple hadn't held her over as well as she had hoped it would. "How is Eddwynn? I hope that knock on the head didn't do to much damage." Ariella would ask, genuine concern lilting through her voice as she glanced up from her menu.
 
Draylan lifted his eyes from the menu at the question of his brother's health, surprised. That she cared what any of his family was doing, or how their health fared was something of a shock. He'd been conditioned for years that her ilk were cold, and dispassionate. Uncaring for the McKay's in any capacity.

"Um," He was so eloquent. "Edd's going to be fine, the doctors say. He's concussed, but there wasn't any bleeding in the brain. They had some corpomancers at the hospital, and they're just holding him overnight to make sure there aren't any complications." He rolled his shoulder in a shrug. "It's almost never anything worse than they anticipate at the outset with knocks like he took, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

He turned his eyes back to the menu. "Stew sounds good." He admitted. "And uh... Your dress looks very pretty." Draylan was admittedly self-conscious about his rather rumpled attire. "How'd your family fare? I uh... I'm sorry I couldn't save your uncle."
 
Ariella was different from most her family. It has been long told of a feud between the McKay's and Lightwater's, however Ariella never quite understood why. As she grew up, she decided to not hold a grudge against someone she knew nothing about, the McKay's included. Though the head of the McKay household was cold towards her, Draylan and Edd were never warm towards her over the years, they weren't cruel either. So, Ariella would always show respect to the younger McKay's.

"I am glad to hear that he'll have a full recovery." Ariella would say with a warm smile. "It's not bad to be careful in such situations. Besides, I'm sure Edd is in heaven with all those pretty nurses looking after him." She would muse with a chuckle as she began to genuinely look over the menu. At the mention of stew, Ariella couldn't help but agree. Something warm and hearty did sound good at the moment. "I may just do the same actually. Stew sounds delightful." As Draylan complimented her dress, she would blink gently in surprise. He had never complimented her like that before.

She could tell he felt a bit self-conscious, which made her smile gently. "And you look quite handsome yourself, rumples and all. You actually look comfortable for a change, which I like. Not so forced. You should more often ..." Ariella would muse with a warm smile as she set down her menu. At the mention of her uncle, her gaze would soften and her smile wane some. "Not your fault. He was gone by the time I had gotten off the floor. Not much you could have done, but I appreciate it. The only other family in attendance was Audrey and her pairing Ben, a bit shaken, but fine. And the rest of yours? I believe I saw you with your uncle when we arrived ..." She would ask, her hands clasping gently as the waitress returned with their drinks and to take their orders.
 
Draylan smiled up at the waitress as she arrived to take their orders. "Stew," He said, briefly. "Beef, if you'd please. Thanks." He took his whiskey with a grateful nod. "Uncle's fine. A little tired, but fine. He spearheaded most of the healing, after the violence stopped."

Draylan shrugged again, withholding the protest at the compliment. He didn't tend to take them very well, but he was trying to be gracious. "Maybe it's best not to ruin dinner with tragedy." He suggested, one corner of his mouth hiking skyward in a slanted smile. "But we've got time, and company. Maybe we should learn a bit about each other. Considering we're essentially strangers, I mean. Beyond names."

He cleared his throat.

"So questions..." He trailed off, his eyes flicking away from the girl across from him. "What... What do you like to do? For fun, I mean. And your school of magic doesn't count."
 
As the waitress looked to Ariella once she had jotted down Draylan's order, Ariella would smile. "The same, if you would please." Ariella would say with a smile before the waitress hurried away. Looking back to Draylan, she would listen intently as he explained about his uncle. "I'm glad he was fine. You and your uncle did a wonderful thing, stepping up to help all those people." She would say with a respectful bow of her head.

Ariella would match his smile as she nodded gently. "I suppose." She would say as she relaxed more into her seat. "Perhaps we should. I've always wanted to actually learn a bit more about you ..." She would admit, a gentle blush coloring her cheeks for a moment before she lifted her cocktail to her lips. Once he asked his question, Ariella would arch an eyebrow. What did she like to do for fun? "Conjuration tends to take up the majority of my time ... Learning new runes for new beings to conjure. Creating quicker, more efficient conjuring techniques ..." Ariella would begin with a soft chuckle.

Mulling over his question for a moment longer, Ariella would smile again. "However, I do love to draw in my spare time. I use to hide in the gardens when I was a child to avoid lessons so I could draw. Music, also. Mother taught me at a young age how to play the piano. Before she passed away that is. Audrey couldn't have been more than five, so I was about ten I believe." Ariella would muse thoughtfully before smiling. "How about you, Draylan? Your school of magic doesn't count either."
 
Draylan hummed ponderously. Really his greatest joy happened to be the potions he worked. It was his lesiure, his source of relaxation. "I'm afraid I'm not quite as talented as you are." He admitted. "All of my talents lay in my magic. I suppose if I couldn't be working potions, I'd be..." He colored. He was an insufferable nerd.

"Playing board games. Not kids stuff," He added quickly. "Like chess, or Chinese checkers. Tablut. Sometimes card games. But those mostly need people to play with. So I keep to my potions." He cleared his throat. "Boring stuff." He needed to stop talking about his geeky habits. "I never knew you were musically inclined. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket if you handed it to me, I'm afraid." He admitted, that wry smile of his spreading across his face.

"What was it like for you after we were-" He paused, his voice catching. "After we were-" it was always so difficult to say. "Betrothed."
 
Ariella would listen carefully, her hands wrapped idly around her drink as it rested on the table. His slipped in compliment made her color some. She didn't see herself as talented. At the mention of board games, an eyebrow would arch slightly before she smiled. "I would have never guessed that you like chess." She would begin. "I rather like chess and Chinese checkers. Even the occasional card game. My family aren't as into them though, so I rarely get to play. Perhaps we will have to play sometime, though I'm sure you'll beat me. I'm not very good." Ariella would say with a laugh.

So they did have some things in common. The realization hit her a little harder than she expected. She was actually surprised that they were genuinely curious about one another. At the mention of her being musically inclined, Ariella would shrug her shoulders gently. "I generally play alone or with Audrey. Only when father isn't home. He hasn't liked music the same since more passed. Perhaps I will have to play for you sometime. If you'd like." Ariella would say with a nod. "So it isn't common knowledge that I play, so don't feel to bad." She would finish with a chuckle.

As Draylan asked his next question, she would glance to her drink for a moment. "Father wasn't very pleased. Down right angry if I'm honest. If he had his wish, our betrothal would have been stopped." She would begin with a light frown. "I have always been more neutral, I guess. I never quite understood the feud between our families. And I knew nothing about you other than your father seemed to be just as angry, if not more so than mine about it." She would say with a sheepish laugh. "I guess it has been an awkward, neutral situation for me. I am neither for nor against it." Ariella would finish, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from rambling on. "How about for you?"
 
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