Magical Neanderthal that I was, the implicit desire to explode everything in a near vicinity was oft more present than not. And in this particular circumstance? How the feeling was exacerbated, desiring to be exploited in the presence of this fae monarch and my regrettably public poof of a fae boyfriend. Who would even believe that, anyhow? The pink that adorned his outfit wasn't even a shade that would compliment anything in my wardrobe, and therefore it simply wouldn't work out. There. That was enough evidence, in my mind, to keep any public notions of my sexuality at bay though it was clear that the monarch might have believed otherwise, allowing both Azrael and I to feed into the misconception that was all too obvious in our current environment. With the hand of cards splayed between my fingers as a veritable distraction from any disgruntling thoughts related to the visibly gay fae-hunter seated nearby, I moved my attention as 'discretely' as possible from the depth of Azrael's gaze to the red and black of the cards awaiting command. It was with a sigh that I shut my eyes, reminding myself briefly that the telepath-king would have a better handle on my strategy than I would have liked, making the actual game difficult though my skill was built on practice alone and not marred with a magical component. Keeping my mind quiet and void of thoughts, I allowed a hand or two to be played before I felt the implicit desire to wreck havoc needling me, absolutely howling for my attention.

Oh, and havoc was waiting with open arms.

As the metal spike, crafted by my skillful hands, exceeded the restraints of the floor and found its way into the body of the fae king, it was with no doubts that Azrael had taken notice of what was coming. At times, my magic and my abilities were easily controlled, resting upon willful exertion of impulse control. And at others? How I despised my lack of ability to exert dominance over the magic that consumed me, but it was in those moments that my greatest feats were enacted. From earthquakes to tidal waves created by sheer force of earth movement to diamonds and jewels, to the fatal prowess of weaponry and bodies reanimated from the dead... I had whims that were fulfilled by the forces of nature, and not always at my consent. Highlighting the beginning of what would be a veritable display of chaos, light exuded from the hunter who had been forcibly guided away from the table, extracting a screech of discomfort from the very fae guiding him away. Satisfied that he had managed some sort of cover before the roof began to cave courtesy of my explicit directions, I took a deep breath to steady myself under the weight of the dramatic magic pouring from my veins. The display would have pleased me further had Azrael not been looming in the corner, muttering all kinds of angry nonsense directed towards me and my species but that was hardly of any concern as I began to play the part of puppeteer in the play that was unfolding in front of me much to the dismay of the patrons of the warehouse.

With terror stricken fairies swarming the room, the curtain that had shielded the high ball game I had been participating in allowing Azrael and I a path towards the door had all of the fucking fae not been running around like someone had chopped off a limb and they were attempting to find it. Chickens with their heads cut off didn't even begin to cover the scene that was playing out in front of us, though I had little time to observe said ridiculousness. Had I paused, surely I would have become victim to the disarray of debris falling from the ceiling in my general direction. It was without any consideration as to why I hadn't been decapitated yet that I felt the buzzing of a familiar kind of electricity pulsing through the air in a tight circle around me, alluding to the protection cast over me by a reluctant hunter who had begun to flee the scene of my desecration. The only visible trace Azrael left was a dwindling light in his wake as he proceeded to zoom out of the warehouse, led by my Shadow who seemed impervious to whatever peril I might have gotten myself into. I had little time to worry about their arrival outside of the warehouse as with a tidal wave of wood and metal, I was launched from my very place in the building that I had been exiting in a fairly rapid fashion, only to land gracelessly in the grass before springing to my reluctant feet, thankfully absent the uncomfortable buzzing that the shield had provided.

I was not unaware of the dissatisfied gaze emanating from Azrael's fiendishly golden eyes as they rested on my bedraggled figure. The expanse of magic had done wear on my body, mind, and status as a living being but with a gentle coaxing I was able to stand upright and allow a cigarette to find its way to my lips, the smoke penetrating my lungs in a familiar, calming fashion. Once successfully having lowered my heartrate, I exhaled shortly as if animating my evident ingratiating boredom with Azrael's heavy gaze, wordlessly admonishing his lack of amusement with theatrics. There were points when I would agree with him that such displays unnecessary, but here...? Now? The king had been alerting his guards and the soldiers that were stationed in the warehouse that I had noticed upon entrance. He was going to harm both of us regardless of whether I won fairly or not; this fact surely wasn't lost on the hunter beside me. With a rising tension almost tangible inside the warehouse, I felt it prudent to act whether or not Azrael wanted an exhibition. Sometimes fireworks were necessary even if only to illuminate a small island of land. The parcel of land illuminated by my literal magic show now stood as an illusion, woven to see a warehouse condemned by a small notice posted on the door. The building would vanish by morning, a side effect of the illusion allowing it to look as if a construction company had played a part in it's destruction. Little would anyone know of our involvement, a fact that would please Azrael even if the words didn't surface on his tongue.

"I'm well aware that it was a hallucinogen. I drank the whole thing, but they don't work. The properties of the compounds in it disintegrate with my blood because of their makeup."

My explanation probably didn't matter to Azrael as his words were a petty jaunt at my intelligence, wondering if I knew what was in the drink he'd procured for me or not. Without a moment's notice or time to duck away from his impending touch, I found myself supported by the hood of a car that I hadn't noticed before â€" probably a side effect of the wave of exhaustion that had washed over me unbidden. It was with a gritting of my jaw did I find myself subject to listening to the eulogy that Azrael saw fit to admonish my efforts with, and said words saw my tongue run over my lips in irritation.

"It can be literally impossible to control once I've opened fire," I drawled, allowing my words to be deliberate and generally nonviolent. "Controlling it takes more effort than actually using the magic. Look, the king had alerted the guards. I wasn't going to win the hand, he was cheating... It seemed prudent to end the charade and get the fuck out of there." I stared blankly at Azrael when he gained a surprised tone in his voice, attempting to get me to look down at my arm. As before with the fucking rock, there was a secret agenda in his manipulative utterance, one that I saw fit to narrow my eyes at and simply allow whatever was to come unfold. The piercing of the needle into my arm with a supposed antidote saw only a sigh, as the familiar feeling of the needle was almost welcome as a psychosomatic relief. I nodded in kind to his explanation, feeling warmth spreading to my extremities as the antidote began to heal whatever bruises and wounds I had accrued in my display of destruction. It was quietly that I stood and began to follow Azrael down the street, allowing a distant tide of thoughts to corrupt my attention and allow me to step away from whatever discomfort I felt in the presence of the dim glow exuding from the body of the man in front of me.

The café looming ahead was dimly light, something I definitely appreciated as the throb in my temples began to dissipate. It was assumed that Azrael frequented the building as he stepped in and was greeted with a high pitched feminine squawk that saw a scowl organize my features and a hand gently find my forehead as the young woman graced us with her presence. Only after her greeting that sounded too familiar did a smirk wind its way over my lips, meeting my eyes with a wry glint. As her attention turned from Azrael to myself, I found my eyebrows knitting together in displeasure as her arms wrapped around me and announced my title as 'friend' to the hunter. My arms remained at my sides, morphing me into some kind of stiff ironing board that was not particularly warm or welcoming to her gesture.

"That is entirely fitting for our relationship."

After shaking off the embrace of the young woman, I followed Azrael to a table that was away from the door and away from the stronger lights. Seating myself across from him, I slumped casually in the chair as if I had been to the café hundreds of times, comfortable in my surroundings. The announcement of 'tea time' only reminded me of the foreignness that the hunter possessed, in a like manner to my own. Tea was welcome, especially as it was something fairly native to my own country due to European influence. With a intrigued glance did I lift the cup to my lips, taking a welcome sip before finding my eyebrows raising in gentle surprise at the compliment that begrudgingly fell from the hunter's lips.

"Oh, just say it. You liked watching him get skewered like a shishkabob," I taunted, the wry grin finding itself marking my lips once more. "I know it pains you to compliment me, but I appreciate the gesture, even if I like seeing you uncomfortable as much as I like you paying homage where it's due."