Love is Magic, and Magic is Love

Dancing and Desperation

Adora smiles goofily. "Aww, you're being really sweet today."

"Don't push it."

--

"Have you tried this one?" I ask, pointing to a gaudy, hand-painted sign of a dancing cartoon duck.

"Dancing duck?" Adora asks, scanning over the menu next to the door. "Nope. But they do lots of meat, so it's all good."

"After you then, ma'am," I say, gesturing ahead.

Adora bursts into laughter, and puts on her best Brightmoon accent. "Not at all. Please, after you."

The wide wooden door suddenly bursts open, and a huge, muscular, blue-furred magicat bursts out. "Don't just stand there!" he bellows, beaming widely, holding his arms wide. "Come in, come in!"

"Wow, pushy much?" I say, frowning.

"Ah!" he claps his hands together. "So good to see one of my own. Catra, isn't it? And Adora! Etheria's new power couple, at my restaurant! I am truly blessed!"

"Power couple?" I say, frowning. I turn to Adora, only to find her eyes are wide, and gleaming with excitement.

"He's a magicat!" Adora says, clapping excitedly. "It's fate. Now we have to eat here."

"We're not that rare you know," I mumble.

"He's the second I've ever seen. Or third, if you count the time Bow got kidnapped by one in a pirate gang."

"Wait, what?" I ask, walking in behind her.

"Long story," she says, chuckling.

The large magicat ducks beneath the doorway, takes two leather-backed menus from a table just inside, and nods his head, handing them to us. "My name is Stan," he says, leading us further inside, towards a vacant table. "I own the place. I'm overjoyed that you've decided to dine here, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

"Like we had any choice," I mutter, sitting down opposite Adora.

We're in a large, circular room that's split into three sections. The outside ring has several tables, one of which we're sat at. In the dead center there's a bar, surrounded by several stools all around, and between the tables on the outside and the bar in the middle is a polished, wooden floor, surrounded by a silver bannister.

"What's that for?" I ask, pointing towrds the large, spacious flooring.

"Ah, the dance floor! We are a club too, yes? Will you be dancing later?"

"No."

"A magicat, not dancing? What a tragedy," he says, leaning over to Adora, whispering loudly, "We make the best, sexiest dancers, you know?"

"Well, I do now," she says, grinning from ear to ear.

I scowl. "Don't get any ideas."

Stan saunters away from our table, humming to himself, and I start to scan my fingertip down the menu.

Adora peers over the top of hers, raising an eyebrow. "You were more than happy to dance at the princess prom."

"Yes, because I was messing with you," I mutter, slowly batting my tail around. "Also, it wasn't a date."

"How does that make it any different?"

"I don't know," I say, twitching my ears. "It just does."

"Are you worried we'll end up making out in front of everyone again?" Adora asks, leaning forwards and resting her cheeks in her palms. "Because that was really, really hot," she says.