Introspection

Chapter 7 - Simulation

"Martini's?" She mused. "An unexpected cocktail choice."

"I have an affinity for good coffee, and I heard this convention center gets its fruits from the local market, so the lemon drop should be on the sweeter side." He caught a glint of light out of the corner of his eye. Shifting his focus to it, Amy's bracelet dangled gingerly off her wrist as she shifted her chin in her palm when the bartender started shaking the cocktails. The gold reflected onto the soft smile spreading across her pink lips. He flicked his eyes back to hers in an attempt to ignore the spark that crept down his spine and into his tail.

"Local is always great, but personally I love when they're home-grown." She broke the eye-contact, a light flush on her muzzle which Shadow convinced himself was a reflection from her blouse.

"You garden?" His response came out quicker than he intended, but it earned him another small smile as she focused on a scuff in the wooden bar top.

"Y-yeah... I love it, actually. I have a friend tending to it while I'm—" She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "—on business."

Shadow resisted the urge to ask who the friend was or to press for details on what kind of business she meant. Reminding himself that this was a simulation, not some real-world mission they were on. He flicked the thought away with a subtle adjustment of his gloves and the shifting of the bag at his waist. The specifics didn't matter, but the way she spoke about her garden, that was real. "What kind of things do you grow?" he asked, careful to measure the interest in his voice. "Sorry if that's intrusive, I just remember struggling to take care of a succulent." He crossed his arms and tried to look nonchalant at the admittance to the botanical failure. Even if it was a lie, his curiosity was genuine, and she must've sensed it; her smile crinkled the edges of her eyes. She nodded enthusiastically, counting off the different fruits and herbs on her fingers. It was infectious, watching her giddily over-explain her hobby, even after their drinks were set before them.

"Strawberries are my favorite though." She finished with an airy sigh, there was a dreamy look in her eyes and Shadow imagined she'd have a similar expression when she busied herself in her garden.

"I'd like to taste them some time." Shadow mumbled thoughtlessly and the way the tips of Amy's ears went red had him questioning if he'd said what he thought, or something utterly inappropriate. "The strawberries! I mean." He stumbled over his own words, the need to clarify somehow making the entire thing more suggestive. The heat on his muzzle was undeniable now, compounded by the way her eyes widened, and she turned an impossibly dark shade of red.

"No-No! I know you meant my strawberries!" She jolted "The strawberries!" She corrected. He swore he was going through heart palpitations. He averted his eyes just as quickly as she snatched her martini glass and took a less than elegant swig.

"Who's tasting your strawberries, babe?" The honeyed sap of Xavier's voice dripped through the low hum of the bar, spilling into the space between them. The tenseness returned to Shadow's stiffened shoulders. He hadn't heard the owl approach, hadn't even sensed him, the realization made his quills bristle with a sharp crackle of chaos energy. How long had Xavier been watching?

The bird, out of his cadet tans and dark blues, was striking. Pristine plumage was deliberately styled to accent every feather. The white of his chest feathers serving as the perfect focal point, drawing the eye along the teal blue of his limbs. They led into the golden cuffs of his dark damask gloves and gold accented black leather knee-high boots. This stark contrast of black and gold was sharpened by the piercing gleam of his eyes, and with them, the predatory gaze that was locked onto Shadow with an interesting glint.