Operation Impressing Stella: Attempt 1

[Stella]

His foot was touching hers again. It made her tingle a little all over. Could this night get any better?

"You're spoiling me, you know. If you're not careful I might start acting like Brooke" she joked with him thinking back to the ball.

"No," she shook her head with a rueful little smile, "I could never be that crazy"

[raydensharpola]

"Heh Brooke." He rolled his eyes thinking about the snobby girl. "She probably has issues of her own. She's like the female version of me before transformation." He shook his head. "I owe it all to you that I've discarded that kind of meaningless life...so spoiling you is the least I can do." He said, looking down and playing with his lobster.

[Stella]

The way he as looking down at his plate playing with his food was just adorable. It made her want to lean over and kiss him. Hell if they had been anywhere else she might have.

"I guess we all have our issues" Stella said softly wondering to herself if he really could ever be like Brooke was. For some reason she just couldn't see it. But he said so it must mean it was true.

"My life wasn't that great before you came along either... so I owe you a lot too." Her lips trembled a little as she spoke realizing the truth of her words. It was amazing how much more open she had become in the time they had found each other.

[raydensharpola]

"I guess that makes us even." He finally lifted his head to smile at her, sending a piece of lobster to his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, quickly finishing his lobster so that the waiter could serve his third course. "It's actually better this way. None of us would feel guilty for owing the other person too much. It's not healthy that way."

[Stella]

They were both intent on eating their food for a few minutes and she found herself enjoying the comfortable silence. His foot still rested agaisnt hers but she longed for more contact. Right then she decided on their next date she would take him somewhere that it wouldn't matter if the sat next to each other and hugged a little as they ate. She knew a perfect little pizza place in Balamb...

"So how long have you been on Team Trinity?" she asked with a little smirk, "are they always so... abusive to each other?"

[raydensharpola]

Rayden smirked at the mention of Team Trinity.

"Oh I only joined during the Rhirawen Ruby Quest, so that's only a day earlier than you." He shrugged. "And you can't believe the number of fights that go on between them. Sometimes I wonder how they could've retrieved the three gems when they're constantly at unrest with each other." He looked across at Stella, grinning at her interested face. "Maybe the only normal ones are us." He paused when the waiter set down the Chicken with Truffles before him, then continued. "Do you think any of them would hook up like us?"

[Stella]

"I supose that depends on if the girls think any of the guys are worth their time" Stella responded watching him tuck into his next dish. She shook her head a little and took another bite of her lobster.

"The best of you all is taken" she said nodding a little obviously talking about him, "But I guess Zacke or Jax doesn't seem to bad"

"I don't know about the others though... don't really know them" She shrugged and took the last bite of her lobster before pushing it away.

[raydensharpola]

Rayden tried to eat as fast as he could. Stella's lobster was disappearing fast, if he took too long to finish she might have to stare at him eat while waiting for him to finish. It was never a good idea to keep a lady waiting.

He raised his head and smirked at her compliment.

"But of course, only the best would be good enough for the best." He winked at her, returning the compliment in a smooth tone.

"That reminds me..." He stopped chewing for a while. "I never got around to asking you what you were doing at Stardusts' table. When did they two of you suddenly become on speaking terms?" He asked, an interested grin on her face.

[Stella]

He was really gobbling down his food now. Must have been looking forward to desert. Actually she was too.

"She spoke to me a few times during the mission" Stella said with a little smirk, "I like to try and be friends with anyone. I don't plan on taking a side in any of the teams little feuds, everyone's been pretty nice to me so far."

"As for at the ball, I was asking Stardust to dance. It's a shame she didn't have time to answer" she finally responded to his question with a naughty grin.

[raydensharpola]

"Dance?" He raised an eyebrow, a laugh coming from the back of his throat. "Why would you ask for a dance from that Stardust? Aren't you afraid of getting your head bitten off? Or worse...judging from what he did to Blaze." He smirked, pushing the last bite of chicken into his mouth.

[Stella]

"Don't choke" she said watching him gobble down his chicken at a rapid pace.

"Asking her to dance was just a good excuse for calling her Celestial Ashes. Hady owes me 50 gil because of it" She finished the last bite of her lobster with a happy little noise. It had been such a good dish.

"But I made the bet before I realized Stardust was the round house kicking kind. I mean I got from the missions that she wasn't the nicest girl but I didn't think calling her a cute name like Celestial Ashes would piss her off. I hope she's not angry at me" Stella rambled on a bit before she realized that she was and made herself stop. Boys never liked girls that talked too much.

[raydensharpola]

"I'm not." He said, pushing his plate away. "If you've seen how I inhale food, this is considered rather civil already. But thanks for you concern love." He gestured at the waiter to clear their plates and serve their dessert.

"Well I guess she isn't really that mad at you. Or you would certainly have the battle wounds to show for it." He lifted his eyes to her mouth, loving the way her lips moved when she spoke. Heck, he loved her lips however they were, moving or still. They were incredibly sexy lips. He suddenly felt an urge to kiss them.

"I wonder who that guy with her was...I swear I've seen him on one of those Team Trinity posters before."

[Stella]

"His name is Reese" Stella said anxiously waiting desert. Where was that waiter?

"I looked it up online after the ball" she said with a little shrug, "got tired of not knowing people's names. Couldn't find out much more about him then that. You'd be surprised how many 'Team Trinity' web pages there are out there, there's this one guy Melvin or something that is seriously obsessed"

"You should see some of your fan girl's pages about you..." she teased.

[raydensharpola]

"Meh." Rayden waved dismissively at the mention of his fangirls. "They've probably taken those down by now, after that huge announcement." He grinned at Stella. "Those few left probably have paparrazi pictures taken of me in the locker room." He lifted his eyebrows suggestively. "If that's what you're interested in you can always ask from the person himself."

The waiter chose to present them with desert during the tiny lull in their conversation, the creme brulee looking positively mouth-watering presented in their little souffle cups topped with blueberries and an ornate decoration.

Rayden nodded at the waiter discreetly, leaning back to smirk mysteriously at Stella while watching her eat the dessert.

[Stella]

She was just about to make a witty retort when the waiter appeared and with a flourish presented them the tiny deserts. They looked so cute in their little white cups almost too cute to eat. But at the same time they smelled delicious and were making her mouth water.

Glancing up at him as she picked her spoon up off the table she noticed that he was eating. Not eating?... something must be wrong... He had this smirk on his lips that made her heart flutter. But he had said on their first date that he enjoyed watching her eat and maybe this was just one of those moments.

Carefully she dipped her spoon into the little desert to try it.