Yes, It's Natural [Zaaacchhh ^^]

[Stella Pinyin]

Fast forward:

Yes, the food was a little bland, but the company was... talkative. Stella ended up laughing more then she had for months, and while she muttered under her breath in Mandarin as the waiters brought out what as most assuredly not chinese tea, everything was nice. The waiters and the other costumers had looked a little too long at the ghost white girl and her rather loud partner, but Zac had simply posed a few times and people got the picture. She'd had a brief disagreement with Zac about the bill, but he had pretended to agree then paid the minute she went to the bathroom.

"Thank you," Stella said quietly as the last of their plates were cleared away. "It was not bad. A bit, how did you say? Whitewashed?" The pale girl shrugged and took another sip of the slightly soapy tasting tea. "But america does not know how to use chilli like they do in Hong Kong." Her eyes had managed to partially adjust to the neon lights in the restaurant, but she still was looking over the table without properly focusing. "You, ah, do you always eat so fast?"

[Zachary LaRousse]

Indeed the dinner was quite the treat. True, Zac’s been at the said Chinese restaurant a couple of times and had arguably tasted better (may it be authentic Chinese food or the ‘whitewashed’ kind), but Stella’s company was actually entertaining. Well, by entertaining Zac meant ‘quiet enough to simply laugh at his jokes, ask a few innocent questions and actually showed enthusiasm to stick through their conversation’. It seems that Zac’s caught quite the catch with Stella. He’s finally found one of the few people living in the world stable and sane enough to willingly spend the evening listening to his stories. He made a mental note to invite the Chinese girl to a few more dinners and trips to town like this in the future.

“Whitewashed,” he nodded. The bill argument was quite unnecessary, but definitely not unexpected. He could understand the need to try and at least act willing to cover their meal when they’re with Zac, but in his mind, they all know that he’s going to pay for it anyway. He’s got no hard feelings against them hanging out with him just to get the freebies anyway; he’s used to it and actually likes it. Gives him a chance to show off, he says. (Though Stella can breathe easy that Zac doesn’t think she’s just hanging out with him for the free stuff. He says she’s much too innocent for that). “Lack of taste, lack of spices. Running joke among people that whites use less spices than all other races,” he nodded, quite content at his joke, “Meh. You’re in one of the good ones actually. I went to a Chinese restaurant in California once, orange chicken tasted like I’m eating cardboard boxes. Blegh.”

Oh gosh. How cute was she to ask such an innocent question. He forced himself not to pinch her cheeks right there and then. “Yeah. I have quite the stomach. Have to maintain this body you know,” he laughed, flexing his arms a bit to emphasize. “So Glowworm, do you want to go back to the dorms now or do you still want to explore town?” Nope, apparently Zac could care less that he’s walking around town with quite the glow stick beside him.

[Stella Pinyin]

Zac might not have cared, but Stella was not about to do something that would get any more unwanted attention. She needed to be inside at night, it had been drummed into her head from the minute her uncle had noticed she could shine. It wasn't safe. So, though she still wanted to explore, and let Zac tell her about his life and his father and his company (it was maybe a bit boring, but he was enjoying himself so Stella had smiled and laughed as any polite person would do) and have someone to talk to, she shook her head.

"We should go back," she said quietly, sighing. "It's late. It's not very safe, it's not..." she smiled apologetically, looking into her tea cup. The leaves were settling at the bottom; couldn't some people read the future in the shapes? Stella looked intently for a moment, then pushed the little china cup away. Just a blob, or a smudge. Slowly, her eyes still flickering slightly, Stella looked up and raised her almost transparent eyebrows. "Do you mind, I just don't... I'm not really sure of the way."

It was hard, Stella was starting to realise. Hard living outside a single, mapped out area where she couldn't memorise the steps it would take from her bed to the kitchen. So, while she tried very hard not to look helpless, it was not hard to tell Stella was hoping very much that Zac would at least point her in the right direction.

"Orange chicken is a Western attempt at Chinese food anyway," she added, smiling slightly.

[Zachary LaRousse]

“Aww,” cried Zac, arms unenergetically drooping to his side and face contorting into what he perceives as a cute, pleading face, complete with the eyelash batting and exaggerated duck-bill-pout. Not that he considered if Stella might’ve known what the concept of ‘cute’ is. For all he knew pleading is but inexistent in her rather sheltered life. “You serious Glowworm?” he chuckled, trying to see if he could convince her to stay one more time. He is definitely not in the mood to go back to the dump, not yet anyways. “Not even for an ice cream cone?”

Seeing that Stella’s mind is already made up on that issue, he promptly stood up, went over to the Chinese girl and helped her up. “Of course I’ll help you find your way home, silly,” he said, helping the girl stand up and giving the waitress to his side a flirty wink as they made it out the restaurant, “You want me to just leave you out here for the hyenas to come and prey at?” Sure he was a jerk, but he was also taught, day and night, about manners and all that etiquette stuff. And besides, he was human too, so he does feel some sort of compassion for the blind girl. He’s already warmed up to her, remember? Heaven be damned if he was going to leave her alone in town.

Then Stella made a joke. Or at least it was to Zac. He actually blinked twice and pinched himself (secretly) to make sure he was awake. “I didn’t know you had a sense of humor Glowworm,” he teased as he opened the door to his car and led her inside, “Or at least a lovable brand of wit. I like that. Remind me to bring you with me when I eat at supposedly Chinese restaurants so you can tell me which is originally Chinese and which isn’t.” Buckling up Stella’s seat for her (hopefully he isn’t babying her too much) then going to the other side and putting on his own, Zac then started his car and begun the not-so-long drive back to school.

[Stella Pinyin]

Like many Chinese people, Stella was mildly lactose intolerant. Ice cream was a no go. She laughed quietly though at the pout Zac was giving her and shook her head. "I'm very sorry, but I don't really like wondering around at night..." she shrugged, then refilled his tea cup then her own. "It is also very cold, not a good time for something with ice in it's name? Maybe when it is warm."

Was Stella suggesting she'd like to go into the town with Zac again sometimes soon? Maybe.... He was the first person she'd talked to since she started at Hammel. The girl liked company, and she had fewer options then most.

She paused for a moment, looking at Zac's hand in contemplation before letting him help her up. For someone who was not used to physical contact, Zac was a very good method of immersion therapy. He hadn't gotten in the least bit paler, her childhood self was happy. "I do not know what a hyena is but I will guess it is not nice." Stella shook her head, smiling. "Also, maybe something I will not find in this town?" It did not take a while to get that a lot of what Zac said was for the sake of exaggeration; even Stella was starting to get that.

A hand flew to her mouth as Stella tried to hide her smile again. She was not used to smiling so much... would it give her wrinkles? Her uncle said smiling a lot gave you wrinkles. But it was not something anyone had expected! "This will not take a long time, then. Not much chinese food in this town. I will cook, it is better." Stella couldn't really afford to pay for Zac's dinner, but she was going to feel like she owed him a meal until he let her make it up to him. Living in someone's debt was not enjoyable; one was enough. "And I can write a menu with no spelling mistakes."

It seemed a little out of character for the quiet girl to be critical but they really had managed to mangle one of the few things Stella knew she was good at was calligraphy; Chinese characters couldn't just be thrown around willy nilly. People noticed when she did it with english!

The prospect of cooking was already starting to blossom in Stella's mind. She might have to send away for some ingredients (she doubted they would have good bok choy in Vermont) but cooking was so enjoyable! When she was little, and even when her uncle had taken her to Hong Kong for a short trip, the smell of the markets and restaurants was wonderful, and seemed so familiar. She had wanted to eat the air.

It was really hard for Stella not to bat Zac's hand away and do her own seatbelt, but still, it was sweet. The car was warm and the seats were so clean she could smell the leather. "You, ah, have this car all the time?"

[Zachary LaRousse]

Should Zac learn of Stella’s (unfortunate) condition, despite it being relatively mild, he’d probably go a little more protective of the Chinese girl, whether she likes it or not. After all, rarely does Zac develop quite a ‘brotherly’ bond with someone (as he really doesn’t care much about the people around him) so it just follows that when he does, he has a tendency to go a little over the top. Just ask Eric or Anthony. And since Stella’s been all shades of fragile since the moment they’ve met (albinism, apparent blindness and extreme naiveté, to say the least), this additional ‘affliction’ will only tap the much hidden protective side more.

“Don’t be,” he smiled, ruffling the girl’s hair, “I’m just messing with you Glowworm.” Despite them being almost the same age, Zac simply doesn’t feel it, given how timid and innocent her answers are. It’s like he’s been given a freshman ward to take care of really. He gave her cheeks a light pinch as she filled his cup and politely took a sip, despite feeling that he can’t take anymore tea in his system anymore. “Fine. Ice cream cone in the summer. Your words, not mine. Would you pinky swear on that?” Zac asked, raising his pinky and looking straight at Stella. Stella shouldn’t be bothered about asking Zac to accompany her to town from time to time; rarely does he have anything to do really, and it would be a nice excuse to have a little shopping excursion in his part. “It’s a date then,” he winked.

He chuckled slightly upon hearing Stella speak in such formality once more. Despite hearing it a thousand times over the afternoon, he still can’t maintain such a straight face whenever she does such a thing. “You know you’re cute when you go all formal on me. Though it does make me feel like such a jerk,” he teased, nudging Stella slightly on the elbow as he drove. “Well, considering Hammel alone has a whole range of shifters around, I don’t think you encountering one is an impossibility,” nodded the prince with much conviction, “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks I can find one by tomorrow.” In fact, he already has a couple of students in mind, in case he decides to go on with his plan and show Stella a real life hyena.

She’s almost blind and yet she can cook? Awesome. “While I haven’t burned water, my skills in the kitchen are near null Glowworm,” he chuckled, pressing on the breaks as the stoplight turned red. Cedric, his caretaker back in the days, tried to teach him how to cook, but his untimely departure for Hammel coupled with his unwillingness to learn somehow impeded his progress. “I’ll definitely take you up on that offer. Or maybe,” he said, rubbing his chin as an idea formed in his head, “You can teach me how to cook. They say chicks dig guys who can create an awesome meal.” Why didn’t he think about that earlier really?

“This car? Nah, it’s new,” replied Zac, running his hands through the car’s interior, “Had the red one a couple of months ago. It became boring after a while, so I told Dad to ship the yellow one instead.” Like a typical rich kid, Zac has quite the fascination for luxury cars. “Sadly the school doesn’t have a designated parking space for students with cars (not many can afford it anyway), so every night I give this back to Pete, my caretaker in town.”

[Stella Pinyin]

Stella looked at Zac's pinkie for a moment, then tapped it lightly. "Is that what it is?" she asked, her practically transparent eyebrows furrowing with confusion. With a small, resolved smile she shook her head. ”You are messing with me often, I think. I will have to watch your words.” Not quiet how the saying goes but it was close, bless her. ”A date? That is a courting ritual,” Stella said slowly, the frown staring to come back. ”You’re courting me?”

The practically transparent skin over Stella’s eyelids seemed to have been replaced by lead. Leaning her head against the window, Stella let her eyes unfocused and watched the blur of passing lights and road in the dark. ”You’re not a jerk,” she said slowly, blinking slowly but batting Zac’s hand away gently as he nudged her. ”And I don’t want to loose one hundred dollars, my uncle would disapprove. You can have the african dog thing.”

It had been an extremely enlightening and tiring past few hours for a girl not used to much talk, and even less physical affection. Her mind was starting to slow down a little as she felt her eyelids continue to droop. ”I can teach you, but if the man is cooking then what does the woman do?” She asked distractedly, looking back at Zac as he drove. ”But we eat the food I cook, until you learn enough.” She’d learnt that lesson well enough when she was younger, and just starting to have cooking lessons. Food poisoning was never pleasant. In the past few few hours she had also learnt if she did not speak relatively plainly to Zac he would make fun of her for it. Still old habits died hard, and she added ”I am sure you will learn very quickly,” just to make sure she had not been offensive.

The concept of a caretaker was one Stella did not understand at first. ”A nanny?” she asked, hoping for clarification. ”Why do you need one of those?” Her eyes slid close again and she rubbed at them to try and shake the heaviness off. After the last few nights staying up and stargazing, she had some sleep catching up to do.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac simply laughed when he saw Stella’s confusion. Normally he’d be quite annoyed with such dumbness, but with Stella, it just makes her even more adorable. And yes, he’d probably mess around with her a bit more. “This one? Yup,” he smirked and waved his pinky, perfect prank forming in his mind, “You know where that came from? ‘Pinky’ is short for ‘picking finger’, don’t ask me how. You know, nose picking?” He even covered his nose with his free arm and put his pinky inside, twisting his wrist as if he’s really doing it. “Nice no?”

He laughed even louder when Stella accused him of courting her. They’ve only just met and he’s already courting her? Well, that would be possible, but Zac simply doesn’t see it. Nope, as far as he’s concerned, Stella’s a relatively fragile girl he needs to look out for, but not date. It would not really end well. But that doesn’t mean he won’t play along with it. “Oh my gosh, you’ve figured me all out,” he chuckled, subtly inserting a little bit of sarcasm in between. As the car went to a temporary stop he leaned closer, pouting his lips and saying, “So will you give me a kiss before we part then?” Poor Stella.

“Aww. Really? Thanks Stella.” Though Zac acted like he was just kidding about being touched, he really was. Considering how rude his opening statement to the girl was and how he teased her for the rest of the night, she still thought of him highly. From a guy who claims to be immune from all sorts of insults already, hearing someone compliment him like that was really refreshing. “Why would I want a hyena when I have my cute little Glowworm already?” said the Prince as he playfully poked Stella with his free hand.

Woah. She is mighty heavy on gender roles, isn’t she? [“Well, the woman could always make love to the guy after cooking a yummy meal for her. A prize of sorts, or something.” He snickered slightly as he found himself speaking a little too formal for his taste as well. Seems the girl’s already rubbing off him. “Until I learn enough? Why are you saying it like it’ll take forever? And I thought I was mean,” pouted the boy, looking hurt and broken, despite knowing full well that Stella isn’t really meaning anything bad from it. Heck, he highly doubts Stella could hurt a fly even if she wants to.

“I need someone to take care of my car,” he nodded, “And Dad insists on having an adult nearby who can help me whenever.” Stella’s drowsiness did not escape Zac, as he does turn to her from time to time while talking, her eye rubbing making him check the clock’s watch. Indeed it was getting rather late. “If you want to sleep, just close your eyes. It’ll take us a good 10 or so minutes before we arrive at Hammel. I’ll carry you to your room if you want to; it’s no hassle really.”

[Stella Pinyin]

Stella’s nose wrinkled, and she shook her head. ”That’s unhygienic,” she said, still obviously grossed out. ”Not nice, not nice at all!” Then he let the outside hand drop, showing the trick and she giggled, still pouting a little in disgust. ”Not a good thing to do, Zac. That’s where all the dirt in the air is trapped. Don’t eat dirt. You might be sick.”

Why he was laughing so loudly was a little lost on Stella, but she understood enough to feel like maybe she should be offended. It was not suprising; the girl was aware her condition would count out the idea of courting in her future and even if she could her first choice would not be Zac, but still, was it that funny? A tiny frown tugged down the corners of her mouth and she occupied herself by looking out the window again. Then he started going on again and she had to giggle once more. ”No,” she said primly. ”In television it says you never kiss on the first date.”

Stella had never kissed anyone, not really. She’d kissed her uncle on the cheek, every night before bed but that was it, really. And Zac looked too silly pouting like that to be asking about something as serious as books and movies made kisses out to be. In the semi-asleep state she was in, it was a dreamy thought.

Well, it seemed kissing wasn’t as far as he was going to go. Stella’s knowledge of love making was very basic; basically, one of those What’s happening to me books she’d been given when she hit puberty. It was still enough to make her blush when Zac mentioned it so casually. ”Don’t talk about that,” she murmured, hiding her face in her hands. All the blood was rushing to her burning face. She barely even heard what he said next as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

”M’not going to make you carry me,” Stella insisted even as her eyes started to slide shut again. ”Not again. Three times then,” but still, it was nice of him to offer and with eyes mostly shut she patted Zac’s knee. Staying awake was becoming futile.”Wake me up when we get back, please?”

[Zachary LaRousse]

“Who said I was going to eat dirt?” Zac laughed rather loudly. How he now wishes he had a camera installed inside his car, or at least he brought his own. Stella’s grossed out face was priceless; he seriously thinks it’ll make a good yearbook photo. Or at least one to display in the main hall for everyone to see. He gently patted Stella’s nose and added, “That’s why I pick my nose Glowworm, to make it clean.” He tilted his head up, trying to let Stella take a peek at his supposedly clean nostril. “I could clean yours if you want to,” he teased, index finger going circles around Stella’s face.

Oh. So she’s the prim and proper type, eh? Well, he isn’t really expecting anything less, given how sheltered the girl was. Her not having her first kiss yet doesn’t really surprise him much either, should he know of such a tidbit. “What a killjoy,” he pouted, his tone as if he was really hurt by Stella’s firm rejection. He gave her a look of mock disappointment. “You know, you shouldn’t believe anything television says. It’s not like Hammel has a danger room and a private jet just like the X-Men you know,” he winked, happy he found a hole in Stella’s logic. “And even if you protest, I can easily steal one you know,” added the Prince, leaning a bit closer to the girl, “Don’t act as if you won’t like it Glowworm, ‘cause I assure you, you would.”

Then she blushed when he talked about the whole sex-because-of-a-good-meal thing. He would’ve pushed further, but this being Stella, Zac decided to stop, at least for a bit. “Fine fine. I wouldn’t want you exploding to bits because of all the blushing you’re doing,” he nodded, “But it does bring color into your skin. You think I should do it more often?”

He simply smiled as Stella gently patted his knee and slowly fell asleep. “It’s not like you have a choice Glow-” Zac stopped midsentence, noting the girl who is now snoozing in his car. He gently lifted Stella’s arm from his knee and put it on hers, and tried to drive as gently as possible back to the Institute. Truly the girl’s experienced one heck of a day.

-xxx-

Parking in front of the dormitory buildings, he stood for a bit, admiring the glowing girl in his car. She wasn’t really joking about the whole glow-in-the-dark thing, he thought. He was about to wake her up, but seeing that she’s so peacefully asleep, he simply got out of the car and carried her off. Carrying her across the grounds wedding bride style, he asked gently, “Glowworm, where’s your room again?” He knew he forgot to ask Stella something earlier. How stupid really.