Another Year in Eternity

<div align=center>This was odd. Plain and simply the feeling she had in her chest assured her that things weren't right, yet her brain told her otherwise. In the upper dining room she sat at a table, legs kicked up against the surface while her chair dangerously waddled on to two legs as balance in her lean. The sound of a clock could be heard ticking, ushering each passing second forth loudly and clearly. It was quiet. Too quiet. Well, it wasn't like that a few moments prior. In fact her cell phone was buzzing, ringing, and overall being obnoxious. All the kids she failed to meet up with, all those hopes dashed because they couldn't get their petty fix in with her any longer. Just the other day did she resign her position as a freelance wish granter. Now she only worked for one person, and naturally her clients didn't like that at all. Being so accustomed to having their way did they screamed at her for not meeting up or understanding her species' position. It was all her fault and not theirs, and they couldn't are less the girl behind their whims or the date they happened to pester her.

Eh, no matter. At least she saw that her throwing arm was in good shape judging by the nice dent her phone made in the wall. Now there was even a nice little pot that hadn't been there before to cover it up.

And now? Silence. The invoker was elsewhere for the time being, in another room where she hadn't cared to join quite yet. For now her mind was trying to wrap around approaching this day, and how she was to tell him about it. She wasn't a very explicit person on many things, as she liked to keep people on their toes. Today would be no different.

So finally did she swing herself forward to allow the chair to ricochet back into its position. A plan formulated in her mind quite nicely, and already the first piece had been put in place. There was a cake on the kitchen counter that hadn't been there before. Had she checked whether or not it garnered attention? Not yet. But at this rate it probably wouldn't, so she needed to go to step two.

Without much of a thought she headed back downstairs, sliding down the banister nonchalantly until she got to the bottom. With that Loralei headed into the living area. She hadn't really scanned to see if he was here or not yet. Didn't matter. She'd be waiting. Approaching the back of a couch she flipped herself over it, landed with her feet in the air and her head on the couch. Luckily she had just enough coordination to not bang her head against the floor. The last thing she needed was a repeat of the beach incident.

So reclining in an eschewed fashion she whisked her hand in the air, in it appearing a balloon held down by a string. Playfully she tugged at it, bobbing the thing up and down slowly at first. Then faster. Fast enough to make noise, or at least draw attention. Normally now she'd go on about her day and go with the flow if by chance someone met up with her. Flagging down people wasn't her thing unless it was work related. But today?

Well, she wasn't about to spend her 21st birthday in solitude. </div>

<div align=center>Right on cue.
Faintly she could hear the sound of impending footsteps, and with that a smug smirk appeared on her face. She kept on bobbing the balloon up and down, as if doing it so much would summon him faster. Her eyes however kept on the blue latex orb though, watching it bounce up and down in the light. It wasn't until the invoker eclipsed the side of her vision that she looked onto anything but her new plaything.

Her gaze slowly went to his, and immediately she noticed he probably had to stop what he was doing to see what was causing the quiet ruckus. His arms were even folded too. Perfect. "The time of my life." She replied in a voice laden with sarcasm before sitting up, still bobbing the balloon even though he was already there. She moved to sitting on her knees in order to face him. "I've just hadn't had this much peace and quiet in god knows how long. Starting to freak me out a little bit, to be honest. Almost like I forgot what boredom felt like." It was true. Not being bombarded with tasks? She was expecting that to all be a trick of some sorts, that her duties were not over. Frankly though now that they were she found herself left to her own devices more. It was a bittersweet tradeoff, it seemed. At least she got to mess with Carl more. A cheeky little grin then appeared on her face as she continued her little game.

"I didn't bother you, did I?" She asked in fake innocence, tilting her head a bit in curiosity. Of course, that was her every intention in the first place. Maybe something like this would let him take a hint easier. Or maybe she had to be a bit more explicit. Either way all of this was a test on his part, for she wanted to see how he'd respond to all of this. "Didn't figure I would. It is kinda a lazy day... Not like anything's important going on." Yeah. Totally not at all. But just for clarification to see if he had any plan, she inquired further with a small "Right?"</div>

<div align=center>With the declaration that she hadn't interrupted anything Loralei grinned, even though she believed the opposite. "Good." She stated. Now that she had his undivided attention, she knew that at least they'd get somewhere in terms of recognizing the importance of the day. Well, important to her at least. She then shrugged. "No real reason I guess..." It was a lie, of course. But she'd let him in on that soon. He then approached her, and to that she sat more properly. Still, she looked to face him, nodding her head at his second question. "Kinda. Like I said I'm not used to entertaining myself and not others. It's been awhile, to say the least." Not like she was a dependent person. But without the thoughts of due dates and checklists clouding her mid se almost didn't know what to do with herself. That didn't matter now, though. She had more important things on her mind for today at least and she could worry more about the technicalities of her position later.

Loralei glanced up at her balloon, before releasing it and it in turn disappearing in mid-air. She didn't really need it to convey her point anymore, as she would address him properly with a bit of a hint. "Okay so I lied. I do have a reason." She stated, crossing her legs as she looked up at him hopefully. He hated liars. She knew that. But it was all in good fun, not like she was explicitly trying to deceive him. "Say, you know what today is?" She didn't expect him to. Not like she told him before. Still she wanted to see how long it would take for him to catch on. Hopefully not too long.</div>

<div align=center>With his comment a chuckle did too sound from her as she scooted a bit to allow him to side by her. "No one. Hell, it's in my job description for me to provide any task you want completed. All ya gotta do is ask. Nicely would be just peachy." It's not like she was physically capable of refusing a request under a selected 'master'. And as much as she didn't like adorning him with the demeaning term, she had to at least not be as terribly stubborn anymore. Then again, she was who she was, and she'd study her rule guidelines for hours if it meant she could loophole her way out of a sticky situation. With that she leaned in briefly to press a kiss to the side of his face, before noticing he was displeased by her pointless fib. "Aw, I wouldn't do it if it were terribly important. Unless it were life or death or some extreme case like that. So don't worry." She assured, hoping that was a good enough apology for him. She knew his strong distaste in dishonesty, though unfortunately that was a major characteristic in her species. She had to be careful if she wanted to stay on his relatively good side.

But what came next turned her somewhat supportive tone to a defeated one, as her palm smacked her own forehead hard enough to almost leave a mark. She sighed. "Ah for Christ's sake..." Well, she tried. But the Invoker hadn't gotten it. The cake, the balloon, and her oddly upbeat attitude was pointing to something. And playing the guessing game wasn't working. Time to cut to the chase. Grumbling, she leaned back against the couch, folding her arms and huffing a bit. "Yea, it's just Sunday. Not like it's my birthday or anything like that. " Well, so much for being discreet. Now, what he'd make of it was up to him. If nothing... Well, at least she tried.</div>

<div align=center>Soon enough that soured demeanor shifted to something more upbeat after he finally recognized what she was hunting at. Maybe she should improve her hinting skills. Something to keep in mind next time. Still it appeared he had an excuse, for she was equally as shocked as him when she heard that he hadn't had one in years. Or, at least a celebration for it. "Really? Damn." Then again, who would he have had to celebrate with him? It was sort of a sad thought, one in which she really didn't want to dwell on. Maybe that was something she could get back to him later. In form of a surprise, because it was always amusing for her to catch someone off guard. For now though she focused on today's date, and making the most of it for the first time in years.

"Thanks though." She gratified nonchalantly after he found the proper term of address. She was taken off guard, really, that he'd actually mustered a response. "I honestly expected you to not care. Don't know why I haven't gotten used to your little surprises yet. Good or bad as they might be." He was certainly a hard guy to read. Carl though had been getting seemingly more genuine with all of this, and her less suspicious. She'd roll with the punches she decided regardless of what they might be. After all, he was the keeper of her power now. No sense being wary at every turn at this point.

Naturally did when he offered to do something nice she went along more willingly, especially considering her plans were scarce for today outside of running a few mundane errands. "Well, I don't have any plans, sooo~" She trailed off, thinking. "We can do whatever. Unless you have anything you want in specific. Whatever it is it'll sure as hell be better than getting yelled at by punks who think they're all that and a bag of chips. Glad that's over with." She shrugged before scooting closer as he did to her. "So yeah, up to you. But-" His next question was expected, but it gave her a questionable idea. She grinned almost evilly.

"I'm twenty one. You know what that means, right?" Would he? That remained to be seen. And whether or not he'd accept the suggestion was entirely up to him. </div>

<div align=center>"Well, you've just been the one at the head of these dates or whatever. Just thought I'd switch things up regardless of whatever we do. Give you a break or something." She figured, as if she wasn't sure the exact reason herself. Was his well-being the forethought of her decision? Well... "Either that or a bad force of habit." It was though, going along with any plans thrown out there. Even if she didn't like them by nature her will was with whoever held that little teapot of hers. Fortunately though the current holder didn't seem pressed one way or the other in terms of anything. Thank God.

Upon his congratulations she grinned faintly."Made it this far." She commented, before recalling just why the age was important in the context of what she was. "If I remember right my old mentor said I'm not gonna age physically beyond this point for however long I walk the earth... So yeah. Glad I don't have to worry about getting older past this point." Congrats indeed in her mind. There of course were some drawbacks in looking young for the rest of eternity, as she suspected for the invoker. "Damn shame I won't be getting any taller though." She remarked in a bit of a grumble. Sad but true, she'd have to remain an average yet petite size for the rest of eternity. Thinking of such permanence however made her realize just how intimidating all of this seemed to be. But tangents aside, she had more things to focus on. Like schooling Carl in the ways of the modern birthday.

This time though Loralei held a sort of patience in helping him get the gist. It had clearly been eons since he'd gone through any of this. Much like the idea of dating, such things she saw were second nature were foreign to him. "Things have changed no doubt. Don't have to be old as dirt to know that." A little jarring, but all in good fun. She leaned back against the couch as she looked on to him at her close distance. Any sarcasm had evaporated for a few brief moments as she continued. "Why don't you change that then? Make some shit up. At least give yourself a day or something to recognize that you've made it past another year, not just the 'greatness' you emanate on a daily basis. Just because you're ancient doesn't mean it doesn't matter or anything. Who knows what can happen tomorrow." Her quieter tone was joined with a huff of her shoulders as if to brush off what she said. "Not like you're likely to run into a bad enough day like that. Bet they all do start all melting together after awhile though, huh?" How could individual days matter when they're infinite in number. And so was the sad truth of immortality. How unfortunate.

Shaking her head off the thought she figured going to deep right now as pointless. So she merely answered the question while proudly displaying a troublesome grin. [color=06c0d0]"Drinking, clubbing, doing dumb stuff because I can... Generally doing things that were illegal twenty four hours ago for me but are now free for all."[/color] She lessened her mischievousness then. [color=06c0d0]"Seriously doubt you're into any of that though. Besides give me too much freedom and I'll go mad with power or something."[/color]Her slightly defeated tone perked up with a bit of hope as she then realized one thing- he was already there himself. In a more teasing tone she almost dared the invoker. [color=06c0d0]"Even if not that we still could have a little fun, cause a little trouble. Stir stuff up. Might as well make this day memorable, right?"[/color] It was worth a shit anyhow. </div>

<div align=center>Hearing at what he had to say, Loralei sighed and figured that he had a point, at least for himself. Then again, both of their carefree mindsets seemed to function at different levels. Despite the fact she was immortal now and didn't care what mortals thought of her she still felt to a point life was fragile. Maybe though that was because she had a glaring weakness that could turn her from vibrant and alive to deceased in a matter of seconds. So perhaps he was right, but in reverting a bit back into her old ways she didn't care to admit this. She looked down. "Up to you. Can't say I blame you though." Lori, after all, was young and naive. Time would probably lend a hand in altering her perspective.

When he did mention however letting her decide her mind drew a blank for a few as she tried to figure out herself what she wanted out of today. She honestly wasn't used to anything like this, unless she was doing it on her own. Even with past partners of sorts she usually was just dragged along for the ride, apathetic to the outcome. They were the ones trying to get something out of her. Carl wasn't. At least not to her knowledge. Still he was giving her more of an opportunity than she had before, a fact that made her beam. But before she could properly answer his question, her attention snapped distractedly to the sudden fire that had formed from him.

And of course to match the flames his proposal was equally as risky. She would have found amusement in the fact at what made him entertained was the polar opposite of what would be hers, if it hadn't been for the fact he was probably very serious. She scooted back from him a bit, slowly raising her hand to rest on the arm controlling the element. "Uh, no. In fact why don't we leave the genocide out of it, Hm?" Last thing she needed to remember for her birthday was a body count. Besides, her own powers were useless in this sense. So a safer alternative it was. "I just had in mind getting revenge on the punks who've tricked me into serving them. Non-lethally, of course. But enough to shake 'em up a little." She shrugged. "That or just go get drunk downtown. Either way nothing terribly over the top. Don't want to drag you into something you'll end up hating." Glancing over to him, she grinned almost maniacally. "Figure you'd be partial to the idea of vengeance yourself."</div>

<div align=center>Good, now they were getting somewhere. That grin returned back to her face as it was agreed that there wouldn't be any murders tonight. Not purposefully, anyway. Besides if anything did go wrong a trip to the bar might be in order to drown out whatever it may be. Was it a good idea to get the invoker on her level like that? Who knew. It'd be an interesting experiment, anyway.

But back to the present. She had to think of a plan of action in asserting her revenge. Boy, did she have a whole bunch of vengeance backed up in her mind. Delivering that the fun way would be a night well spent, not to mention that she could show him she was more than just a crafty sort of pacifist. Her magic wasn't just for protecting herself and catering to others. "Well, it depends. I usually end up knowing a dark secret or two from what I've picked up working with them. There was a guy who constantly disrespected me, but I found out he was terrified of spiders. What did I do? Filled his goddamn bed with tarantulas. Scared the shit outta him to say the least." With that she let out a little chuckle as if savoring the memory. It was something possible to recreate in a higher altitude, for now that Carl was present they could possibly pull off something better and less basic. She looked to him now as he did the same with her, clear that both of them were on the same page in what could happen.

Loralei scooted back in. She tapped on her chin as if she were deep in thought. "Ya know, now that you mention it.." She began, in refernece to both jealousy and a target. "Ex boyfriend of mine has been on my hit list for awhile. He's a lyin son of a bitch- only dated me for my magic. He told me that I was special and all that nonsense but really the bastard have seven girls on the side. Seven." Was there still bitterness about this? Probably. Why else would she tell him about it? Shrugging, she looked upon him. "I've been wanting to get back at him for the longest time... But never could figure out how. You're the master of getting people to their knees here. I'm up for anything that won't kill him." Put him in the hospital? Eh... She'll see how it'll all work out. "He still calls me wanting my magic, as if he thinks I'm still tied to his sorry ass. Should we go explain to him that I have a new master now?'</div>

<div align=center>With all this freedom came the inevitable questionable decision. While it was her birthday and her first chance of getting even with a long-since buried bygone, she did have to keep in mind what was allowed and what wasn't. This guy couldn't get badly hurt. Physically anyway. His emotions were game though. Maybe it would teach him a lesson then in messing around with people just for their power. Perhaps that was a service than? Morality was up to judge.

Still Carl would be helping, and the genie didn't want him to be involved in any sort of mess she could create that he wanted nothing to do with. Besides things would have gotten ugly if she went in alone. Now it would just be for amusement. His comment on his weakness even lifted the dark mood from before and drove her from that edge a bit further. "For now." She almost ominously said, a chuckle following suit. Of course, it wasn't serious. Besides, pranking a guy who let her do whatever she wanted around his own house for free was a pretty sweet deal to go and try breaking up like that. And... Well, there were other things too preventing her from getting vengeance on the invoker. At least on her current planned magnitude, anyway.

Back to the plan. Already Loralei was thrilled, and had a mind full of schemes. What they had so far seemed good enough to work a lot off of. The genie then straightened up, a grin plastered on her face. "Perfect. That'll be enough to teach him a lesson." She commented, "Oh, and do what you want with him... He needs a taste of his own medicine anyway." Or poison. Whatever suited. And with that she was ready to go. His last instruction had her concentrating as he prompted her to lead the way. Fortunately, transportation might not be an issue.

Standing up, she peered down at the man. "Knowing him he's at the bar around this place. He's always there, picking up anything with a set of boobs. So that's our best bet." Besides, she met him at first there as well. Too bad it didn't last. She held out a hand for him to help himself up. "C'mon. We've got a lot to do." With that she headed towards the door. Would their plan work? Only time could tell. Even then there was always step B- putting a very pissed off genie in the same room as her 'roommate' invoker who lived with said genie. Perhaps they'd prove to be a force to be reckoned with. At least to the unfortunate soul, anyway.

——-

After only about a five minute trek, a tiny bar revealed itself amongst the crammed apartment buildings. Discreetly she entered, letting the invoker in first. It was crowded tonight, and hard to distinguish what was what. Except...

There he was. Pulled up to a counter, drinking from a beer bottle. A random chick was situated next to him, running her mouth a mile a minute. The disinterested, dark haired, arguably good looking young man was at it again.

Not this time.

She nudged Carl gently with her elbow. "Lucky us. There the asshole is." She whispered, discreetly staring at the ex. She looked back up to Carl, that same sideways-cocked smirk evident on her overly pleased face. "Shall we?"</div>

<div align=center>In silence, Loralei allowed Carl to take the lead in initiating the vengeance. As he trekked forth though she couldn’t help but to wonder whether or not this was the smart choice to be making. After all, most of the drama between her and the scumbag-of-a-man were of the past. She had gotten over it, but the constant reminders that he still was using her even though she knew the truth of his nature was enough to drive her over the edge. Though pleased Carl was along for the ride, she couldn’t help but to believe herself as a hypocrite. Her initial reactions with the invoker himself weren’t exactly of the positive variety, for his old manipulation was ignored unlike this guy. If that was the case, what did all of this mean, and why was he different?

That was something she was still trying to figure out.

Nonetheless being in his company held a different meaning than it had over a month ago, as indescribable as it was. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same about her ex, whom Carl had now approached. She couldn’t help but to sneer. Oh, how glorious this would be. She leaned against the bar counter behind Carl, letting him speak first. She was quiet, minus the first question. Loralei shrugged her shoulders. ”I dunno, he was kinda cute when I first met him. What a keeper he turned out to be. Now I just feel sorry for whatever broad falls for the same thing.” Too bad that already seemed to happen. Oh well, the poor girl wouldn’t be duped for long. Loralei's tone was kept in a whisper at this time, fading into obscurity as she was greeted by the cretin himself. And instantly, it was clear by the solid grimace on her face that the good feelings were not mutual.

Slowly those hands placed firmly at her hips migrated to folding across her chest. Before a biting remark of sarcasm could be uttered to the man Carl had intervened, taking control of the situation. With this the genie relaxed again, knowing that the situation could be taken care of quickly. If not… Well, she certainly had a few words to say herself. Unfortunately it seemed that she was still the holder of the ex’s attention, instead of the guy who could take him down in just a few seconds. Ah, just as smart as he was the day they broke up. Good to see things haven’t changed. What did surprise her though was how intent he was in establishing mutual hatred. He really was helping out her in something that she's put up for awhile. Even if he was just basically calling him an awful person. But hey, that was what she wanted to say anyway. How... Nice.

Seeing as though physical force wasn't going to get it through to the ex that the invoker was the one addressing him, she supposed she would have to speak up. So in taking a position beside Carl, Lori did just that. "This 'chump' you're so kindly referring to is my new... Master." Her tongue almost slipped there, on that 'b' word she wasn't going to use. "And if you had half the mind to remember anything I've told you you'd know what that means for you. I'm not here to do you anymore solids. In fact, I'm going to tell you the same thing I said when I dumped your sorry ass- it's over." Oh, she wasn't happy. Not at all. Calming down a bit, she shook her head, a small grin forming. "You've made your three wishes. After that, I really don't have to do anything for you, sorry. I'm sure though one of the fifteen dozen other women you keep on the side can help you out a bit, though." Just then the girl accompanying the ex looked up, her face contorting in disgust. Loralei looked over. "That's right honey, you're looking at the biggest cheat this side of Manta Carlos." As soon as the assertion came out, so did her prediction. The random stranger stood up and walked away, hastily taking her things with her. Excellent. Casually then Loralei walked over to the now vacant seat, sitting down daintily before looking onto Carl. She tilted her head, smiling just a tiny bit. "You were saying?"</div>