Tatiana smiled up at the waitress who came to take their order, feeling a stab of second-hand embarrassment when she overheard Rhonda’s comment. It was directed at Marcus, but still she had to wonder if the woman was secretly off-put by her order too. “The cons only come once a month, Marcus. Seems to me like the pros - you take care of daily.” She muttered back to him, hoping not to be overheard, least someone thought the big, burly man across from her got periods. The witch reached for her glass gratefully when he topped it up, despite not being an avid drinker. The buzz it gave her seemed to take her mind off of the awkwardness between them.
“Sometimes… N-not really.” She answered him quickly. “Ari- my grandmother wasn’t big on it. I used to get in trouble if she caught me using magic for kicks… Big trouble.” Tatiana emphasized, before swallowing another mouthful of wine. “I used to try it mostly in highschool… Droughts to take care of my nerves before presentations, spells to make me… L-look better… Or… Or just make me invisible.” - Funny, that. She’d been invisible enough in highschool as it was. “And- and sometimes I’d use them against people I didn’t like. Bullies.” She clarified quickly. “B- but only small things; making their stuff disappear, making them slip on the stairs… The stupid kind of stuff you see in movies.” Tatiana shrugged, embarrassed that she’d admitted all this to Marcus of all people. Anything to kill the awkward silence though. She drank some more before setting her glass down reluctantly and following her hands in her lap.
“The, uh… My girls. They’re good.” The Supreme added shortly, before deciding she didn’t want to talk about her Coven. Too close to the topic of Alaina… Too close to home.
The moment the ill-thought out question had left his mouth, Marcus was overcome by an urge to kick himself in the shin. Her vague response about her coven made him cringe. The last thing he wanted was to step all over the nerves that were still sensitive about the loss of Alaina. In a bid to steer the mood in a lighter direction he dawned an amused grin. “Your girls. Spoken like a real Madam.” It wasn’t far off, he supposed. Tatiana’s coven was possibly the closest thing this town had akin to a harem. Only it was one that consisted of powerful witches. And to his surprise, the good kind too. Well meaning girls who upheld the morals of their coven. He could still recall the way Elizabeth had dared to stand up to Nicolas at the Carnival. She had also been the straw that had broke the camel’s back that day. For all the reasons that both he and Tati were keen on avoiding as far as conversation topics go.
“It’s a shame that your grandmother discouraged you from more actively using and experimenting with magic. If it were me, I’d exploit it in all sorts of ways. Then again, I get the feeling that Arianne wouldn’t like me.” He guessed. He may not have known the previous Matriarch of the Arcadia coven, but he got the sense that alliance between his wolf pack and the witches would’ve been a lot more shakier if she were still alive.
Across the room, Rhonda was sauntering towards them, two porcelain white platters in each hand. Both of which she placed on the table with an elegant flourish unfitting of the meaty dish. Along with a set of bibs -- each monogrammed with the saloon’s logo. “You’re gonna need those.” The waitress muttered, inclining her head towards the bibs. “Lord knows why the two o’ you chose this joint fer a date. But since yer here, at least try and keep it classy. You hear me Foster?” To the alpha she gave reproachful look she meant in jest. To Tatiana, she sent a wink before leaving them both with their main course.
Marcus set the bib aside--since he was no rookie and picked up a morsel. “You need an invitation doc? Or you gunna dig in?”
