"Okay, I knew applying for a job at the fireworks store wasn't the best idea, but I had no idea that this would happen" by @docxie
Lola didn't consider herself by any means short tempered. If anything, she'd say she was the "black sheep" of the family, considering she pretty much lacked that trait.
Which, in a family of dragonites, it definitely was saying something.
Now don't get me wrong, dragonites aren't bad people. They're your average Joes and Janes trying to make the best out of their lives, albeit dealing with other struggles. They need extra space in their homes for their hoards, and a couple more blankets in winter to keep warm. They're overprotective of their families, and a little harder to earn their trust from than you'd expect, but that's about it. Well, that and the magical-slash-emotional aspect of their powers, but it's not like they're stone cold born killers. They're just sensitive people who need a special kind of outlet when they feel overwhelmed.
There's been a wide spread of miss information over the last couple of decades, especially regarding the side of the lorei community that used to be presented as inherently evil on old tales. It's really no surprise that many lorei families keep their status of such a secret, mostly for protection -if not to spare themselves from bigotry. In that sense, the world hasn't really changed much.
The world hasn't changed much either in the economic sense.
Lola had applied to every single non-title-required job offer within a 30 minute walking distance of her apartment because she needed the extra cash while staying in campus during the summer. It was as simple as that.
When she got the call from Chispas Mágicas, she didn't think too much about it. Sure, she would have to be careful working around explosives, but not more or less than a human would.
Lola had never dealt with the sort of anger issues her dad, brothers or uncles and aunties had dealt with. She prided herself in the fact that she had quite the easygoing, chill and tranquil personality that would allow her to make friends anywhere she went and pass for human to the naked eye.
(Something none of her family members had achieved without great effort.)
Confident this summer job would be a piece of cake, she had walked into the store with a smile and the ease of someone ready to take the world by storm.
Alright, maybe she wasn't all that thrilled at working retail. She was just really glad she wouldn't have to ask for her parents to send her extra money. Plus she had some experience from helping out on her aunt Syl's clothing store, so she wasn't clueless on to how to deal with customer service or other stressed out student employees.
Still nothing could have prepared her for the whirlwind that was the evening shift.
It was, in many aspects in fact, a great shift. She could give herself the luxury to sleep in late. Costumers weren't all that recurrent between 4pm and 11pm. It was rare to get more than two sales with less than a two hour span, so most of the time she would spend doing inventory, filling the morning sales her coworkers forgot to in the books or simply lazing around with her phone.
But because of that same lack of sales in the latter hours, it meant there were less employees on shift as well. Which meant that she was stuck, five days a week for eight hours, with just one other coworker.
It wouldn't have been that much of a hassle had it not been that said coworker was Amber.
Amber had been sweet for about the first two hours they'd met. Everything afterwards, she'd simply become overwhelming.
Because Amber's sweetness stretched way past what could be considered normal.
It was one thing to be polite with the costumers because that was the company's policy, but the fact that the soft smile she addressed them with never faltered during the day simply didn't sit right on Lola's gut.
Amber would hum while checking the inventory, her little tune echoing all over the warehouse evenly for nearly an hour before fading out. She'd waltz through the rows of stacked up box of fireworks, twirling and jingling the endless rings on her ears. Lola was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to hear all of that.
She'd come in every day with a thermos full of tea and a paperbag filled with cinnamon pastries, and nag Lola until she'd have at least two outside of their break. They were always warm and sugary, and they tasted like nothing Lola had ever gotten from the local bakery.
But above all things, Amber talked and talked and talked. Alone, for the most part, but always expecting Lola to have been paying attention just to ask her opinion on the matter. She wasn't even mean when Lola admitted she hadn't been, Amber would patiently explain again; and after getting an answer, she'd launch herself into another long monologue Lola couldn't help but listen to -albeit sigltly dreading her full attention and intention to strike a conversation.
There wasn't anything wrong about the way Amber acted, but it all felt like too much. Like there was some underlying reason for the way she did the things she did, and it simply couldn't be something good for Lola. Some days she tried to avoid Amber throughout the shift if only to escape the feeling whatever that reason might have been, it had to do with her.
Especially on the days when Amber simply walked in and complimented her in that soft spoken tone as soon as she'd say 'hello'.
"Good Evening Lola! Oh my, that skirt is so pretty, you look so cute in it!"
"Hey there, Lola. Are those earrings new? They look lovely on you!"
"Lola! You look stunning today! Yellow is definitely your color!"
Lola sometimes wished she'd been just a bitch. Bitchy, she could deal with. This whatever it was, she couldn't. Not coming from a five feet two girl clad in fishnets and combat boots, arms covered in flowery tattoos, fingers full of rings and matching golden piercings on her ears and lip. The heavy contrast of that tough looking exterior and her innocent, lovely-dovey attitude didn't make her any less wary.
At first Lola believed she'd be ablee to go through the summer ignoring her, but in the past couple of weeks she'd realized she'd have to do something, as much as she didn't want to.
Lola never considered herself to be hot headed, but lately, she'd been catching spark. A lot.
She brushed it off when it first happened. It was understandable considering Amber had startled her out of her thoughts busting the employees lounge's door open without knowcking on one Friday she'd been particularly tired. Her coworker didn't seem to notice the buzzing of her skin, nor the fizzle of light bursting at the tip of her fingers. She had simply sat beside Lola with a wide smile and pulled her phone in front of her to show her a funny joke she thought she'd enjoy. Still, Lola had held her breath until she got up and went back to work, thankful for the costumer that walked in.
The next couple of times, being caught off guard hadn't been quite as excusable.
Amber's colorful commentaries and compliments had become more and more frequent, and she'd start sliping in a few mid conversation. More than once Lola had found herself half listening and suddenly flustered after registering Amber had just called her beautiful. Almost as a reflex, she'd have to excuse herself to go elsewhere in the store, as she felt the buzzing popped up again.
One day Amber brought in an old radio after a minor porwer shortage left the town without electricity for most of the afternoon, and she'd thought it would be a great idea to listen to some tunes to pass time. Lola was sure Amber had caught at least a glipmse of sparkes crackling by her hair when she tried to pull her into a fit of improvised dancing.
If she did, she never mentioned. But that didn't quite ease Lola's mind either.
Ever the diplomat she aspired to become, she gave some days of thought to her predicament and how to fix it, if possibly not hurting Amber's feelings in the process. Amber didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable she'd been making her feel, or how dangerous that could be for both of them for that matter; and she didn't seem ro have any intention of stopping it either.
As much as Lola hated having to come out as a Lorei to people she barely even knew, she realized she might had to.
And so came the day she decided it was time to have that dreadful talk.
She had planned it out to the smallest of details. She'd brought her own special blend of tea to sip through her break, in hopes of calming any arising nerves that might keep her from going through with it. She'd practiced in front of the mirror the night before.
Determined to get over with it, after tending to the last costumer and closing the register as per usual, she made her way to the back where Amber was stacking the last of the boxes that had come in shipping earlier that day. There was purpose in her steps, and resolution on her mind. She could do this, there was fire in her lungs and her will will was stronger than any iron alloy.
The moment she stood close, Amber had turned to her with a smile that only broadened when their eyes met.
And Lola had no idea what she was going to do.
She stood there stunned for a moment, trying to think of something in response, all of her previous ideas escaping her like balloons released into the sky.
She winced at her own words, biting her tongue for good measure. Great start, Lola.
Amber didn't seem fazed. "Like lollipop? You know, cause you're sweet!" She explained with a little shrug.
If Amber had been waiting for a response to that, she didn't get one. Unless you could count Lola blushing down to her neck and her eyes nearily popping out from how wide she opened them as one. Lola didn't think so.
It did seem to get a reaction out of Amber though, whose smile faltered just a tad. "Do you not like it?"
"No." The word escaped Lola's lips before she could help it, and the small flash of hurt in Amber's eyes make her regret it even more. "I mean, yes. I mean, wait-"
Lola stuttered before taking a deep breath and shutting up, looking up at the girl in front of her a moment later to find her smile back in place like it had never left at all.
"Is there something wrong Lola-"
"I need to talk to you." She cut Amber before she could bring the new pet name out again. She didn't seem to mind, turning to give Lola her full attention with a pleased expression. Lola tried not to think about how that was a face she made every time she was the one to start a conversation. "It's about this."
Lola let out a sigh, shaking off the nervousness crawling back up again on her skin. "About... about the nicknames, and the compliments, and how you seem to be always trying to get on my good side sharing your pastries and..."
And how you're all over me one way or another. She thought to helself.
Amber seemed confused. "Okay, what about all of that?" She accentuated the lightness of the question with a soft look. She admitted she'd been doing it, Lola realized, and again she didn't seem to mind her noticing it.
Feeling oddly comfortable witg that thought, Lola swallowed and carried on. "It has to stop, Amber. It's making me really uncomfortable, and it's not good for either of us here."
Now it was Amber's turn to look surprised. "I thought you enjoyed it! I'm so sorry, Lola."
"It's okay, Ambs." She assured, letting out the remains of a breath she'd sort of been holding in of a while. "I figured you hadn't noticed, but I just really couldn't let you keep it up. I mean, seriously, it's not safe for us."
Amber's brows pinched at that. "You said that already. You mean because we work together?"
"What? No, Ambs." Lola huffed a little laugh. "I'm- It makes me... look," she started a little caught off by the fact she didn't think she'd have to go through this part so quickly. "Please don't freak out on me, alright? I'm sort of... not your regular girl."
God that sounded bad for so many reasons.
A little smirk curved Amber's lips, the little ring there catching light with the movement. "I mean I had figured that out a while ago. You're seriously cute." She teased.
"Ambs." Lola threatened, to which Amber merely responded with a giggle and a mumbled 'sorry'. "I mean it. I'm- well, for starters, I'm a Lorei."
Lola paused, scanning Amber's face cautiously for any sign of a negative response in her features. Her face remained impassive for a few seconds before she responded. "Yeah, I know."
"Yeah, you know..." Another huff of air left Lola's lungs. And then she caught on the answer. "Wait. What?"
Amber's cheeky smile remained where it was. "I mean it's pretty obvious? You sparkle every now and then? Don't dragonites often do that when they're like, really happy?" Amber wiggled her fingers in a little gesture at that last part.
Lola simply stared at her dumbfounded. And then, the anger kicked in. "Uh, no. That literally only happens when we're under great amounts of stress," she mockingly copied Amber's little gesture. "Where the hell did you even get that from?"
Amber blinked with big eyes, taken aback from Lola's outburst and the sardonity in her tone. "You just looked really pretty when it happened, so I assumed..."
"Oh, so you assumed it was a good thing?" Although the question was clearly rethorical, Lola caught Amber nodding innocently. It only derailed her a bit more. "Wait, so, all of this time you've been making me nervous on purpose?"
"Nervous? I thought you said I was making you uncomfortable." Amber retorted.
"It's the same damn thing! You come around being all sacarine sweet and making me blush and feeling weird and it's not cool, Ambs!"
Amber's surprise had faded for a second, giving place to a mischievous expression. "Why not?"
Lola groned at that. "Because I feel like the minute I let my guard down at that, something bad is gonna happen."
"Because I like making you blush?"
If you asked Lola what happened then, she'd look down to the floor ashamed and stay silent.
If you asked Amber what happened then, she'd tell you Lola had looked really cute before she screamed in frustration.
If you asked any passerby around the area, they'd tell you they heard one loud noise comming from the store, before a thousand colorful explosions flooded the place, a few escaping through the front where the windows had shattered.
Amber did apologize properly to Lola afterwards. Of course, it took a lot of nasty glares on her direction, and she had sputtered it out between giggles as they waited for the firetruck to arrive on the curb.
"Okay, I knew applying for a job at the fireworks store wasn't the best idea, but I had no idea that this would happen."
Lola grunted. "Where you counting on this?"
"Not really like this." Amber tried to soften the blow, rubbing on her now ex (because they sure as hell weren't getting hired back) coworker's shoulders as some stray sparks still fizzled around. "Not gonna lie, I was kind of hopping you'd set a couple of those things off all summer."
Lola gave her an exhasperated look. "You're the worst."
"I'm sorry! I didn't think it'd be that bad."
"I mean, yeah. But it was really pretty too." She reasoned, giving her a hopeful smile. "All those starlight trails running around the store, crashing around and making new blooms."
Lola rolled her eyes. "It's all gunpowder, Ambs."
"You can admit it was sort of magical."
Lola hugged her legs tighter, hiding her face on her knees.
After a minute that felt more like an hour, Amber let go of a breath and scooted closer to Lola.
"I am sorry, though. I knew you could get like that around me. That's why I tried to make it a little better with all the compliments." She explained, sounding truly remorseful.
Lola looked up and back at her. "What?"
Amber gave her a sad smile. "Fae," she said, pointing at herself. "I know 'nites can get weirded out around us. Thousand year wars and fucked up genetic defense mechanisms, yada yada yada. It does go both ways, if it makes you feel any better."
Lola stood up a bit straighter at that. "I never would have guessed it."
"Well, yeah." Amber shrugged. "Guess I thought you were beautiful more than I feared you'd carbonize me."
A shiver ran down Lola's skin at the sound of those words, and funny feeling blistered underneath her palms when Amber laughed just a bit.
But somehow, it didn't really feel out of place then.
Maybe it was because if anything could have blown up at that, it already had fifteen minutes ago.
Maybe it was because by then she had no doubt, there was no underlying reason for Amber to say anything she ever had, other than because she had meant them.
