Nox Inferno

Chapter 37: A Date?

I smiled when Melody approached, “You were going to leave me.” She said with a pout while Harry and Sebastian just rolled their eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized as I slung an arm around her shoulders.

“You have to buy me a moon berry popsicle.” Melody said with a grin.

“What are they?” I asked when we approached a brightly lit street.

Alvina gasped dramatically, “How can you not know!”

“They are only the best popsicles in the entire mortal realm!” Zephyr exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes at their theatrics. They really are two peas from the same pod. I wish they would see what an excellent couple they would make.

“We are heading to the food section first.” Lamina declared.

I giggled and nodded, “Isn’t it to cold to have a popsicle. It’s the beginning of October for Pete’s sake.”

“How can you be a fire elemental, and not stand the cold!” Alistair chastised.

“I’m not cold.” I protested just as a sudden gust of wind whipped around us causing me to shiver.

“Yeah. If you say so.” Kai said mockingly while taking off his jacket and placing it on my shoulders.

I slipped my arms into the sleeves. The jacket was big on me and I had to roll the sleeves a couple times to see my hands.

Alvina began clapping, “Another point goes to Kai for being so smooth.”

“He wasn’t trying anything.” Clementine defended, “He was being considerate.” She said in a dream like tone.

“Sure. If you say so.” I think it was Harry who said that.

“I do.” She glowered at Harry.

After several moments of awkward silence. I broke it by saying. “Does anyone know where the food booth is? I’m hungry.” I rubbed my belly.

“I know where it is!” Clementine grinned while patting her nose, “Wolf’s nose knows.”

She sped up; I was jogging to keep up with her. Everything passed by us as we weaved through the streets. I didn’t have time to see many of the stalls, but I vaguely remember them to be colorful.

“We have arrived to our destination.” Clementine said monotonously like a gps navigation system.

“Aw we missed all the cute little stall. I wanted to buy a necklace!” Melody complained.

“Let’s get food first, then we can walk around.” Kai said, noticing Clementine fuming with anger.

I wonder why she is so worked up. I don’t think I have ever seen her this way before.

“It’s the full moon.” Nyra explained and I looked up. Sure enough, a glistening white moon gleamed down at us. “She doesn’t have much control over her emotions. I wouldn’t push her to far today.”

“What are you getting?” Kai said softly, startling me from my thoughts.

“I don’t know.” I took a deep breath. The air filled with so many pleasant aroma’s my stomach lashed out furiously. I need to stop forgetting to eat, I’m going to work myself into starvation.

“I think I know what you will like.” Kai said and grabbed my hand. We were separating from the rest of group.

“Let’s all meet back here when we get our food!” Alvina shouted.

“Okay!” I yelled back at her, hoping she would hear me.

“You know if you keep grabbing my hand all the time. Clementine might start to think you like me.” I teased.

He didn’t respond but only tightened his grip further on my hand. Probably assuming I was going to get lost in the crowd.

“Here.” He grumbled as we approached a small black, white, and red booth. Compared to the other booths nearby, it looked run down.

“What is it?” I asked looking for the person manning the booth.

“It’s Firestorm.” He said with a smile. I looked up at the small sign and remembered when I first entered the restaurant.

“Hello.” A cheerful voice said.

“Hello.” A deeper voice added.

I smiled at the familiar duo, “Hello Dean Charles and Miss. Adonia.”

“Well if it isn’t the newest Nox Knight.” Dean Charles pulled me into a hug.

“What brings you two by? Are you on a date?” Adonia wiggled her eyebrows.

“I wanted to buy her an Inferno Bliss shake with a Night River.” Kai said while winking at Adonia.

Did he just silently just say we where on a date. It’s not like I mind but don’t dates usually have. I don’t know, more pizzazz.

“How would you know?” Nyra snorted, “You’ve never been on a date.”

“Yeah but sometimes in my book there are dates. Usually the guy would take the girl to his special spot. Then say ‘this is my special spot. I come here when I need to think or want to be alone. You are the first person I have brought here.’ Or something just as cheesy and cute.” I thought back to my favorite book.

“You need a harsh dose of reality. That stuff doesn’t happen in real life.” Nyra snorted.

“Here you go.” Kai handed me the ruby red milkshake and grey pasta, the only difference was it was wrapped in a white shell, “It’s the same thing. It was made to be thicker so you can walk round without it spilling everywhere.” Kai explained noticing my reaction

“Thank you.” I took a bite and slurped down a bit of the milkshake. I let out an, ‘ah’ sound. Just like I remember it.

“It was nice seeing you both again. I promise you; we will visit the restaurant more often.” Kai waved at the couple.

“You better.” Adonia grinned and waved at us.

“Aren’t you eating anything?” I asked noticing the lack of food in his hands.

“I’m not that hungry.” He said.

I handed him my Night River wrap, “At least take a bite out of it.”

He grabbed my hand with the wrap and brought it up to his mouth. Slowly he took a bite out of it. He reached for my other hand and brought it closer to him and took a sip of my shake.

“Seriously, where is Kai getting these moves from. Did he read the same cheesy books as you did?” Nyra snorted.

“Shut up.” I thought back to her with a growl. She shifted from my lower back to my stomach.

“You realize he never answered if you where on a date.” She pointed out.

I scoffed out loud which I tried to hide as a cough, “Why would a date be so crowded? It’s group hang-out.”

“You invited them. He asked you.” Nyra shot back.

“No he didn’t” I thought about our conversation, “Right?”

“Stop talking to me. At this rate we are on more of a date than you and him.”, Nyra cut off our link.

I laughed out loud drawing Kai’s attention, “So your twenty-six. Tell me about that.”

“What the hell was that?!?” Nyra opened back the link, “You can’t be this bad a talking. You do it all the time.”

Kai rubbed the back of his neck, “Look at this” Kai pointed to a booth.

On the gray and white was a red sign. Eat twenty stardust cakes, win a life size teddy bear. Next to the sign laid a giant brown teddy bear with a red ribbon on its neck.

“I would like to enter.” Kai announced to the small greenish looking man inside the booth.

The man pointed to an empty seat and in a straggly voice he said, “Sit there.”

Kai winked at me, “I’m going to win you the teddy bear.”

“Still doesn’t seem like a date to you?” Nyra asked.

“What happened to not talking to me.” I said softly as Kai took a seat.

The green man placed twenty giant cakes in front of him. The cakes looked like they where made for freakishly large people. Each one was at least three feet and height and at least double in width. How can anyone eat that, let alone twenty?

The man hit a timer and yelled, “Go.”

As the words flew out of the man’s mouth, Kai used his hands as scoops. He shoveled mouthfuls at a time into his mouth. He finished the first one in a matter of minutes. How was that possible?

He went on to eat ten. Then fifteen. He only had five more to go. But with each mouthful he began to slow down.

, “Go Kai!” I shouted and waved my hands up in the air. He grinned at me through his blue smeared face.

Then he stood up from the chair and shifted into a fox. My jaw flew open as he guzzled down the next five cakes. He ate twenty cakes! He shifted back into human form, but he was now wearing the Nox Uniform.

“Winner!” The straggly green man announced and handed Kai the bear and a breath mint.

Kai handed them both to me before making a beeline towards the edge of the tent. He then proceeded to vomit out everything he just eaten.

I rubbed his back, “That was amazing.” When he hand nothing left to vomit out , he wiped the side of his mouth.

I handed him the breath mint, “Thank you.” He said quietly.

“I just have one question.” I said as something flashed in Kai’s eyes, “Do you always wear your uniform underneath your clothes?”

Kai barked out a laugh. Did it come out funny? I generally wanted to know, “Yes. For emergencies like this one.”

I laughed and hugged the giant bear tightly, “We should probably head back to the others, though.”

Kai shook his head, “You are right. They may start to think I kidnapped you.”

“If you did, I would never hear the end of it from Alvina.” I retorted as we walked back to the group.