Throwing open the curtain with disdain, Bastian scowls at the entirety of

the stuttering flutter. He makes his way over to one of the large windows and

settles into the sill, curling up his legs and leaning his forehead against

the glass.

"The Fluttering Stutter" was not as populated as usual, in fact only one other patron was present when Portia arrived that night. Even though she had been on the road for quite some time, the satisfaction of entrapping Philippa still sent a warm tingling feeling through her body. As she settles in a comfortable niche at the end of the establishment, her petite hand glides into her traveling bag and gently caresses the chosen confinement of her cousin. A small smirk tugs at her lips before retracting her hand to wave down a waitress. "Would you be a dear and bring me a hot tea with extra sugar?" she asks quietly and gives the girl her sweetest smile. "Certainly, coming right up," the waitress responds and flutters quickly towards the bar to put in the order. Portia's emerald green eyes follow her every movement but shift to regard the other patron sitting at the window.

As the small server flutters through the bar, steaming tea upon her uplifted

tray, she catches Bastian's attention and he turns to her. Instinctually

she stops to address his possible needs. "Something to drink for

you, sweetie?" He looks at her silently, his gaze steady. "Hot tea. Extra

sugar." She looks at him quizzically for a moment, and nods. "Here, just

take this one." She sets the tea on the sill and flutters quickly out of view. Bastian turns back to the window sill, the unattended hot tea slowly losing steam.

Portia narrows her eyes as she sees what unfolds in front of her. That stupid little nothing of a waitress seemed to have forgotten that SHE ordered that precise tea first. Trying to keep her composure in tact, she probes the girls mind and quickly assesses that she was of a very weak mind but still "alive" enough to "play" with her pet Lana later. That would teach her a lesson or two, too bad she wouldn't be able to exactly learn from the experience. Portia takes a deep breath as she sees the waitress finally approaching with her order. "I apologize, we had to make a fresh pot of tea," she says with a rosy blush spreading over her cheeks. Liar! Portia's mask of sweetness doesn't waver as she says "Do not worry, I prefer fresh tea at any rate!" With a sigh of relief, the waitress nods and quickly makes her exit. Blowing off the hot steam, Portia glances over the rim of the cup and fixes her eyes back on the pixie at the window. Coincidence that he ordered the same? She thought not.

Sitting up, the pixie exhales loudly, accidentally kicking the now lukewarm

tea off the sill and clattering to the floor. The waitress hurries over,

pulling a wand from her apron. Bastian moves quickly, pulling an

indescribable object from the pouch at his side. With a flourish, the

waitress employs her mana to help the mess clean itself. Nothing happens.

Bastian hops off the sill, catching himself in hover, mid-air. Flying passed the confused waitress, he turns to her, his face a frown, and several curious things happen at once. An audible snap is heard as Bastian clicks his fingers. His other hand pockets the object. The waitress crumples

to the floor, and the hot tea has cleaned itself, it's mess, and set itself

on the discarded tray of the now limp pixie. The few patrons that had

recently entered carried on their hushed conversation ignorantly, almost intently, save one. Another? He turns towards the fae of the crimson

hair, his frown remaining. Tilting his head, he finally speaks. "I don't

believe we've met..."

An amused sparkle now appears in Portia's emerald eyes as she regards the pixie. "I believe you are right in your observation. I am certain I would remember you." What a curious pixie he was, Portia thinks to herself as she scans him from head toe. Not at all ashamed of her all too curious behavior, she adds "You wear more jewelry than my mother and that says a lot," she says sarcastically. Portia folds her arms in front of her and she cocks her head to the side. "So, do tell me. Who am I having the pleasure with?" She quickly glances at the limp pixie on the floor and rolls her eyes inwardly. There went Lana's dessert. What a pity.

Deviousness, epitomized in staunch grin, crosses Bastian's face. "M'lady, if

you do not already know, then now is certainly not the time." Nor the

place, for that matter. Although this is whom he was looking for, things

simply cannot come to fruition confined within these walls. Her power

is tangible, but her mind belies itself on such trivial matters. Bastian's

eyes glimmer. "T'was a pleasure, however I daresay though, perhaps your pet might like a bit of a lighter snack at this time of night?" His smirk, falls again to a frown and he turns

to go, albeit curiously serene.

Portia almost laughed at the audacity of this pixie in front of her. Almost. But alas, her cursed rage started to build up in her body and the amusement in her eyes make way for her true self. With eyes like a cat eying a bird, she blows a stray lock out of her porcelain features. It seemed he was graced with quite a bit of power himself as she carefully warded her mind from further invasion. She had to up the ante then, if that was his game. She could play too and play she most certainly would. "You shouldn't be concerned on what my pet needs or doesn't need and dare I say...it's not the smartest thing to present your cards up front. To have an ace in your hand can be key in certain situations and this wasn't the occasion by all means," she snorts. Clapping her hands together in a mocking fashion, she says" Bravo though for your little mind trick, bravo. What a cute carnival trick, you must have grown up with a "powerful" teacher," she mocks and adds "Oh and I am so so sorry that I am not aware of your precious name...I am just a small girl from a small town." Portia reaches for her mug and takes a sip. "Do not let me hold you back, have a good evening," she says in a dismissive tone.

His back to her, he stops. She parried. His head tilts to the side again,

his fist uncurling, and curling, and uncurling. "My dear...one Ace is but

a trivial thing. The other three are those you should be afraid of."

He turns to her and snaps. The downed waitress suddenly springs to

robotic life, fluttering in mid-air, her limbs hanging loosely. She

quickly advances on Portia, wielding her quill and parchment as weapons.

Portia smirks and two adorable dimples appear in her cheeks. He wasn't so composed after all, he almost seemed...a tiny bit flustered. Seeing that he animated the poor waitress’s  body to attack her was just proving her point. Delighted with a little challenge, Portia utters a quick spell and a translucent globe forms about her petite figure. The globe crackles and sends tiny flecks of electricity to those too close to her. There was no reason to conjure any "bigger" defenses, no need to attract too much attention in this town. Although, the patrons already found their way outside of the "Fluttering Stutter". Way to make an entrance and all because of this cocky pixie! "I thought you were on your way out? Can't take if someone has the last word, can't we?"

Ha. A grin flashes across the face of the pixie, if frozen in time,

an expression of insurmountable joy and delight. He blinks his eyes. She

is following in time, as though she knows the music herself. The end

shall surprise her less then. So be what must be. Without a word, he

turns again to go, this time moving quickly towards the door. As his

small frame passes through the curtains, he raises a hand, his golden ring flashing brightly. The waitress propels herself into the barrier, coming

to moments before entering the electric field. And she called them jewelry.

The curtains close behind him as the frightened screams of the waitress

fill the emptied room.

Lovely, just lovely. Portia tilts her head to the side as she watches the waitress slam into her globe. She could have dismissed it easily but she was so furious right now that she very much enjoyed the spectacle. It didn't take long for the poor girl to give a final jerk and fall to the ground. Suddenly a tiny head appears behind the bar and the cook watches her with fear filled eyes. "Oh come on! As if you haven't seen a scene like this!" she blasts at him and extends her hand to finish him off as well but at the last second she changes her tune and instead reaches into his mind to erase the entire evening. He wouldn't know what hit him the next day. Granted he'd have a headache but he could blame that on a drink too much. With a wave of her hand she finally dismisses her globe and hisses. That wasn't the last time she'd see that fool, oh no. This was just the beginning...