nachetanya | Recollé Overflow Post

[ Continued from here ]

[ Oh wow, that's a lot of faith in her. But huh . . . ]

Does this count as a secret meeting?

Mm. It depends how much of this you want to keep secret.

[Lina has... very few preferences, though she thinks she can guess what level of secrecy Natalia might want to keep given the things that have happened tonight. she might be diametrically opposed to Lina, in that sense, as far as telling Clover goes.]

I always keep things at least a little confidential. [ She takes her drink, and she takes a little sip from it. Leaning back against the bar, she rocks it as she explains, ]

That's the rule about dates, isn't it? No names to other people until you're ready to call it dating. So something between friends is for us.

I like the way you think.

[and Lina's perfectly okay being wrong in this case. secrecy is much better than spite. after she says that, she takes another sip from her drink, but she's smiling past it.]

And thanks for reminding me to keep this at a... reasonable pace. You know? [given what she'd said earlier tonight and all.]

Well, if you want to fall head over heels for me before then, I'll take it.

[ She raises her glass, but then sips it down, finishing the glass and... ]

But you're welcome.

You keep drinking like that and we'll see who's falling head over heels, won't we?

[she's doing her own in moderation, but she has to admit she'd feel maybe a little awkward if she were the only one drinking.]

Do you want another?

Oh, I'd love one. But I can make my own this time, unless you insist!

[ Head over heels, huh...?

Hehehe. ]

Oh, by all means. [she gestures with her free hand and smiles.] That way you can make it as alcoholic as you want, instead of what I think it should be.

[which is very exciting. she tries to contain it with another drink.]

[ Well then!! She will get back to it and make her own next drink! That said, she glances at Lina as she's doing it. Hmmmm, ]

So you're thinking you're going to get me drunk?

I think you're going to get yourself drunk and I'm going to be along for the ride.

[she sounds so sure of herself even though she has absolutely nothing to back that up.]

Not that it takes you much alcohol to start doing things.

Does that mean you think I'm silly, or you think I'm a lightweight?

[ Heeeeh. ]

It means you hadn't even let the alcohol hit you before you were taking sexy pictures of yourself and sending them to me.

[but there's a bright, happy look on her face as she teases Natalia. after all, Lina hadn't been drunk at all.]

Well, you've got me there!

[ Time to blend! ... Blending for a bit before she finishes up and, ]

I guess I've moved fast too.

[while Natalia blends, Lina polishes off most of her drink in a protracted swig. it's not very graceful or ladylike, but it still tastes good and gives her an excuse to make a second for herself.]

I'd say you moved at exactly the right speed. [she starts walking around the bar area looking for the ingredients for her replacement drink while she talks.] I mean, I sent some back, didn't I?

You did! You did and those were very, very cute.

[ And hot? Probably hot.

... Definitely hot? But mostly cute, apparently. ]

I'm glad you thought so!

[she's not about to give Natalia a repeat performance, not remotely being prepared for it physically or emotionally, but as she mixes her drink up she does let herself be a little proud. her half of the talk continues over her shoulder.]

That's high praise coming from somebody as cute as you. It's hard to believe that conversation even happened sometimes. I really don't just go around flirting with everybody I meet, you know.

Lina, you were flirting with me the minute I offered to dhow you some of those animals out in the wilderness. You can't tell me that you're exclusive about it.

[ Or if she did, she'd doubt it and tbh feel a little bad for what a flirt she is. ]

Was I?

[oh, she can barely even get through that without giggling. of course she was. her drink's more or less done; all she needs is the garnish.]

Nobody else has reacted like you did before! You were always ready to flirt right back at me. I couldn't just stop.

[because then Natalia would've won.]

No one, seriously? I doubt that a little...

[ Lina's too cute for most people to resist, she's sure... ]

Well, I might be stretching the truth a little.

[just a tad. she's got an identical version of the Blue Hawaiian that Natalia made, only with a little bit more alcohol in it, and she takes a sip—and she nailed it. excellent.]

But you made it so much fun. That's the kind of thing that made me, um, move faster than usual with you. [she's not especially embarrassed by what she's saying, but her free hand goes up to idly curl a strand of her own hair all the same.] I knew I could talk to you about something serious, get it off my chest, and still smooth everything over with some dumb jokes or flirting.

You're kind of the whole package.

[ So she's special, huh? Lina doesn't just move this fast with everyone...? She's not sure what to make of that, but she leans back against the counter with her own drink, watching Lina go about things over here, her red eyes piercing the other as she considers.

... She was taken to be someone she could talk about with serious things, huh? It's true she had offered, but if she was honest, a lot of that was to get more dirt on Lina's sisters, a lot of it was her spite at Clover. But ... she did like the girl. A lot, actually. She keeps this to herself, and she shrugs, as if she was magnanimous. ]

A lot of my most special connections seem to come out of something like that, things being fun.

[certainly not this fast. it takes a special kind of person to get risque photos that early in the friendship, after all—but it helps, of course, that Natalia flirted back.]

You know how to have fun. And for people who aren't quite as good at it as you are, maybe it's a quality they really appreciate about you. Not that I'd be speaking from experience or anything.

[she gives Natalia an obviously fake sly look and hides her mouth behind her glass for a moment.]

You have a way of spicing things up. [another sip.]

Some people might call that me being silly or reckless!

[ It's said with her own little wink! But then, watching the other one sipping her drink, she smiles a bit wider. ]

But if you vibe on it, I can't deny I'm proud! Though I'm actually really bad with spicy foods.

[ FUN FACT ]

Are you?

[Lina will remember that.]

I'll keep that in mind if you ever decide you want to come over for dinner. I'd love to try my hand at cooking your favorite dish. Which is...?

[oh, she could not be anticipating this answer more.]

[ What a question. She laughs all the same though, considering... her favorite dish... ]

Mmm! That's a good question. It feels like it changes by the day... I think right now I've actually been on a Mediterranean kick!

[ There is a more sincere answer though, ones she grew up with back in the orchard. But even now, especially as she hadn't seen her family in a while... it feels weird to answer that. ]

Lina

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