Not looking for help

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[Wufei had so far managed to avoid having to deal with a waiter or waitress through sheer force of will. If he refused to look up or acknowledge them when they approached him, they had no choice but to pause and then continue about their business. The second menu should tell them all they needed to know — he had no need of a drink or any kind of conversation before Catalonia arrived and if he had, he would have told them the first time they had tried approaching his table.

He had brought one of the books recommended by one of his teachers last semester and was doing his best to focus on it. Unfortunately, he had actually started going backwards because he had forgotten what it was he had supposedly read earlier, and he tried to repress his frustration with calming thoughts of how nice it would be to have his own space again and be out of the grasp of his meddling, self-named "sister".]

Comments

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[a very I-should-have-known tone.]

You haven't decided yet.

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[An amused look in response.]

Am I that transparent?

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[He laughs]

Only after observing you for some time.

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[She laughs as well, faintly, shaking her head.] I see. I guess I should find ways to shake things up sometime in the near future, hmm? But in the meanwhile...

[She leans forward again, her gaze suddenly far more intense than before, with a spark in her eye that maybe shouldn't be there, but the odds of it being seen are low.] You should apologize to the waitress when she returns, for scaring her so terribly. [She's not smirking. Of course not.]

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[Wufei shook his head slowly, looking confused]

Mm. The food should be here soon. [He shook his head once more, dismissing the confusion and returning to a more normal, almost-blank expression]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[Her smirk turned into a grin as she sat back again, holding her tongue like a polite young lady as opposed to laughing out loud.]

Of course. In the meanwhile, was there anything else you wanted?

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[another headshake (this one much firmer)]

Not at the moment.

[]

[Wufei looked up when she came to the table and calmly watched her (frantically) placing the plates, waiting for the proper moment..]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[Dorothy nodded at the poor girl, though she couldn't help but be amused at how skittish she was... And then, she just waited...]

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[]

[Careful to look her straight in the eye]

I apologize for my behavior today. You did nothing to deserve it. [He had a strange feeling that wasn't exactly what he meant to say, but there was no taking it back once it had been said. He waited just long enough to see her blush and stammer out her acceptance of his apology before he turned his attention to his meal, effectively dismissing both his comment and her from his mind.]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[She focused on her drink, just so she wouldn't burst into laughter. She didn't want to give herself away that soon, after all.]

Surprising.

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[He looks up from checking over what was put on his reuben to give her a flat look, with just an edge of honest confusion]

What?

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[She imitated his look, though she couldn't keep her smirk entirely away.]

What?

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[add some suspicion to the mix]

What are you talking about?

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

Nothing of interest or consequence. Carry on.

[And she turned her attention to her food. Oh, but this was too easy...]

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[another few moments of suspicious looks and then he returned his attention to his food]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[She never actually looked at him, but she saw his expression out of the corner of her eye.]

You don't have to treat me like a criminal, Chang. I did nothing illegal.

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

That you will admit to. [Focusing on his sandwich right now, okay?]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

[A small laugh]

No, I've been careful to stay within the lines. Can't have it hurt my potential future, right?

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[It's anyone's guess just how serious he's being at this point]

Even when you were certain no one would know?

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

You can't even be sure of that. [And boy, did it sound like she'd had experience there.]

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

More common sense than I expected of you.

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I do try. [She gave him a smirk.] And you were so kind to the waitress, so why treat me so harshly?

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[He opened his mouth to respond, but realized.. he didn't have an excuse. So after an obvious break in what he was doing..]

You deserve the suspicion. [But why did the waitress deserve an apology? Something was off.. He returned to his sandwich, but slower than he had been, trying to think through what had happened.]

[warbeauty.livejournal.com]

Either you do know me too well, or my reputation just doesn't allow me any breathing room. [She shrugged a shoulder.]

[pridefulscholar.livejournal.com]

[Slowly he put the pieces together, and looked up at her with an expression mixed evenly with shock, suspicion, irritation, confusion, and just a tinge of awe. He spoke slowly, softly, and with precise enunciation.]

What did you do?