Private Roleplay Between ascadellia and musikfreakx.

What happens when a Guardian Angel falls for the one he's guarding?

Name: Markus Lowe
Age: Appears 21
Race: Guardian Angel
Info: He's got such a weakness to kids, and the puppy dog eyes. Use them on him and you'd have him giving you whatever he could, just to make you stop. Even if he's an angel, he's gotta have Some sort of skills to defend his friend and charge from all the mischief she drags him into. Always uses violence as a second resort. First resort is talking the way out of things. Last resort is just running the hell out of there. Not the most conventional way to solve things, but gets the job done.

Name: Arianna Sophia Dawns
Age: 21
Info: Arianna has always been a wild child. She constantly gets herself into trouble, not caring much about the consequences. She's been living on her own since she was eighteen, when her parents died in a crash that she miraculously lived through. She dreams of being a dancer, but at the moment she's just living life. Thankfully she has her best friend to protect her and keep her from getting herself killed.

A curse stopped at the tip of his tongue before he bit it, forcing himself to calm down. Markus Lowe, a six foot even brunette was currently on the look out for his dear friend and charge. He'd left her alone for less than an hour. How the hell she had managed to slip past his radar and get herself into trouble, was beyond him. He was on edge, that much was obvious to anyone that glanced at the male.

While she would put it as over protectiveness, the real reason was because it was his job. Assigned as her Guardian Angel from the day she was old enough to crawl, his sole purpose from that day until the day she died of old age was to protect her and keep her safe. If he failed to protect her from dying, he'd probably be stripped from his wings and sent to hell. Not something any guardian angel wanted. Ever since that day three years ago, he'd gotten even more grief over not being a proper guardian. It had been a bad day, but he had at least managed to protect her. Only her though.

None of that mattered however, since it seemed Arianna was bent on sending him to his doom much faster than he'd like. Stopping, he honed in on where she would be. Less than a minute passed before he was on the move again. She wasn't too far. Walking quickly, he headed towards her direction, hoping she wasn't in Too much trouble.

Arianna giggled quietly to herself as she snuck up the stairs of a closed building. Well, it was closing when she snuck in through the back, but now the lights were off and the doors were locked, except for the two she had pruposely made sure to leave open for herself. Now she made her way up the last few steps, taking them two at a time, and opened the door to the roof.

"Woah," the word escaped her light pink lips as an astonished whisper. The lights of New York City lit up around her like her own personal, closer to touch stars. She craned her head up, and for the first time in a while she could see the actual stars, sparkling like flecks of glitter against black construction paper.

It was chilly, already December, but she removed her coat anyways, leaving her in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a loose, white strapless top cut into light tiers/layers. The white brought out her golden skin and dark chocolate hair, which in turn made her crystalline blue irses pop. Her lips curled up into a smile and she welcome the slight chill that broke out over her body.

Arianna stepped closer to the edge, running her hand on the ledge of the roof, her long fingers sliding against the concrete slowly. For a second she thought of her best friend, Markus, and how much this would piss him off. He hated her getting herself into trouble or being put into any risk of danger, but she couldn't help it. She'd seen this in the movies, and when she had her chance she took it.

The brunette bomb shell removed her black heeled, short booties from her feet, leaving her feet bare and cold on the conrete of the roof. Her toe nails were painted a fierce red, which looked stunning since her toes just barely peeked out of the tips of her booties. Snow fell around her and she stuck out her tongue, catching it and grinning as it melted.

Stepping up, Arianna now stood on the edge of the building and held out her arms like Rose from Titanic. Her eyes lit up like fireworks and she was happy to note that no one below freaked out and thought she was going to kill herself. She was just starting to think about how far apart the roof tops were, and decided she'd try jumping one to the other one day. Just not tonight, and not from this high up. She was risky, but not stupid. She'd do it from closer to the ground, closer together buildings. Then Markus wouldn't be so ticked off at her.

Arianna's baby blue eyes fluttered shut as she felt the wind nip at her outstretched fingers and at her nose. she could practically feel the cold making her nose start to turn red and her cheeks start to pinken. She hummed quietly to herself, making sure her feet were firm on the roof ledge. She couldn't help but let out a happy laugh.

Quickly making his way to the building, Markus pulled the black, fur trimmed jacket closer to his body. He hated the cold and he wasn't looking forward to the cold nights that came with winter. Dressed in a long sleeved white shirt, jacket and a pair of black boots, he wasn't risking a cold. Fighting down a shiver, hazel eyes looked up to the roof and was shocked to find the figure of a very familiar person. "Oh gosh, Ari... You're going to be the downfall of me." he muttered as he found an open door after checking them.

A small sigh of relief at being inside the building, Markus made his way up the stairs, three at a time. Once he reached the top and quietly opening the door, The brunette frowned and leaned against the door frame, watching her. He almost didn't want to interrupt her.

She really did know how to pick a spot. The view from up there was rather nice. However, his eyes scanned her body. No shoes, no coat. Not good considering she wasn't wearing socks or a proper shirt. Moving behind her, he took her hands with his and hugged her. Leaning down to her ear he muttered, "You know wasn't sure which view was better. You, or the city." His tone was a little on the joking side, but still held a sort of edge. "Should at least wear the coat."

Arianna nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt arms on her hands, then around her. She had been oblivious to the opening of the roof top door, too caught up in the view of the city. Thankfully, when she jumped, Markus held her tight and hugged her. She smiled at the familiar hold and smell of her best friend.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," she joked, but she smiled as he whispered in her ear. The compliment made her cheeks blush, but she turned her head down so she wouldn't see, thankful she was facing the other way. They had been best friends for years, since they were young. He had been there for her through everything. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about him... romantically. Sure, he was smoking hot and had every quality she wanted in a guy, but he was her best friend. You didn't date your best friend.

"Thanks Markus. But I'm pretty sure the city is better than little ole me," she teased and shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. She turned and hopped off of the ledge back onto the roof top, staring at him. "You look like a marshmallow," she said, laughing once more. Her laugh was enjoyable and infectious. It was true though, with his many layers, he resembled a giant sized marshmallow. While Arianna loved the cold, Markus hated it.

"Fine, fine. Only because if I don't you'll never leave me alone about it," she grumbled and rolled her eyes, picking up her discarded long black coat and pulling it on. Even though Arianna was tall for a girl, five foot nine, she still had to look up at Markus. Her figure was toned and lithe, while his was much larger considering he was well muscled. Still, he wasn't grotesquely large. She reached up, having to go on her tip toes, and gingerly wiped off a piece of snow from the edge of his eyelash. It melted on her finger, and her eyes flashed deviously. "Race you downstairs," she asked, hopping on her feet excitedly.

His grip was firm, having predicted her reacting in such a way. For all her ways, she was easy to scare at times. He held onto her a little longer, enjoying the body heat she provided. He really disliked the cold. "Ah, but I didn't. That's what counts, no?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he let her go.

Markus laughed, a little on the deep side, but still rich in a way. Filled someone up with a warm feeling at hearing him. He couldn't stay mad at her for very long. While he was someone close to her, he had to wonder what she might do if she ever found out the truth. "But I'm warm and toasty. Besides, the warmer a marshmallow, the better to enjoy one." he stated, a light grin on his face now. Poking her on the forehead, he shrugged. "As for the city, well.. At least I can keep track of the city better than I can you, sometimes. But, you're cuter." Maybe he was pushing the teasing too much. But he just couldn't seem to stop.

A smug smirk slid onto his face as he watched her put the coat back on. Still, he stared at the shoes before glancing at her, a silent request to put those on as well. Give an inch, take a mile sort of thing. "Race downstairs? Sure. But, if I win, you can't get into trouble for two days. If I lose, I don't know... I'll, wear something of your choice?" he asked, wondering what would be a good wager. She could decide it, if she won. It would be interesting to see the outcome. "No cheating."

Arianna laughed at her best friend, shaking her head. On the upside, he always seemed to be warm, which meant he gave great hugs. Her eyes widened as he poked her forehead. "Hey," she said and her brow furrowed at him. She briefly rubbed her forehead and tried to give him an annoyed look, but ended up laughing.

The brunette was glad her friend had eased up. Neither of them could stay mad at each other, even though she could get pretty pissed when it felt like he was hiding something, which it always seemed like he was. She had told him everything, literally everything. Even the things she hated admitting to herself. Well, mostly. There were some little things about her even she wouldn't tell him. Like how she was afraid of being left alone in life, and how she hated the thought of him ever leaving.

Stil, it seemed like he was hiding something bigger, something she should know. It irked her, but she left it. She didn't want to bring it up and let them get in a fight, but she made a mental note to drag it out of him somehow.

"Well, thank you," Arianna said and laughed happily at his compliment. She wanted to say something back, but the fact that she was blushing distracted her. She glanced at the floor for a moment and looked back, having been able to contain her blush. She would blame it on the cold if he asked.

She glanced at him deviously, then followed his eyes down to her shoes. She groaned and shook her head. "They hurt my feet," she said and nodded, picking them up and rolling her beautiful baby blue eyes. His bet made her glare at him. Of course that's what he would wager if she lost. "Fine. But you're also buying me pizza if you lose," she said defiantly. "Ready, set," before she said go, she took off, shouting the word behind her. She ran through the roof top door, slamming it shut behind her so it would cost Markus more time in opening. A loud laugh escaped her lips and she darted down the stairs, nearly tripping herself a multitude of times. She was pretty high up and beginning to lose energy from all of the stairs she had to run down. Still, her competitive nature pushed her through.

On the last few stairs, her foot slipped from beneath her and she hit the last stair hard on her butt. Groaning she stood and rubbed her butt before raising a hand in the air triumphantly, having reached the ground floor.

Of course he noticed her blush. Almost hearing the blood rushing up to her cheeks as he teased her. Frankly, it was adorable. The downside of being so close to a person. Normally most guardians stayed invisible. Just watching over them. However, he had done that for a few years and found it completely and utterly dull. Just watching, and watching, and watching. Where was the interaction? The fun? So one day he had taken on the form of his rather young self and introduced himself to Arianna. Luckily, they'd hit it off well enough.

The price to pay for being around the human assigned was harsh. No romance with them. It was forbidden and punishable with, also stripping of the wings. What was up with that punishment? Sneeze wrong and they take them away. Almost like they ran out of ideas. But, he knew that being emotionally attatched to someone made it a sort of weakness. it clouded the mind. He was always good at making sure that never happened as of now. He just sometimes had a hard time saying no to her.

Snorting, Markus shook his head. "Well that's why you should have worn more comfortable shoes." He stated, rolling his own eyes. He had no doubt that she was just using that as an excuse.

As she said what she wanted, he smirked. "Alright. That sounds fair" That was easy enough. He got ready to run, sure he was going to win this one. What he Didn't expect was he taking a lead already. "Ari!!" he yelled, almost laughing. Fine, if you want to play That way.. He smirked before he became his more, invisible and less corporal form as he ran through the door and ran after her. Becoming visible and more solid, his footsteps could be heard only a few feet away from her. At this rate, he wouldn't win. And she was tripping herself. The girl could break her neck!

A bold thought came to mind before Markus gave a coy grin to the girl ahead of him. Going to the railing of the stairs, he jumped off the last two flights of stairs and braced himself for the landing. He landed safely, facing away from the stairs. However, his feet stung from the impact. Hearing her land, he looked over to her and laughed. "You lost." he stated with a smug look.

Arianna heard the footfalls of heavy feet and glanced around her, groaning when she saw Markus. He always cheated. Sure, she had cheated too. But that didn't matter.

"Cheater! Deal's off," she said stubbornly and rubbed her butt. She stuck her chin up defiantly and glared at him. Now that she was on the ground floor, she realized they were in the building of a magazine corporation. The last employees had since left, but since they were in side there would be no problem getting out.

"Since you cheated, you can buy me pizza anyways," she called over her shoulder and unlocked the front door of the building. With the hustle and bustle of New York City, no one would care or even notice the odd sight of two people leaving a closed, supposed to be locked up building. As soon as she stepped outside, she wished she was wearing shoes. She leaned against the side of the building, waiting for Markus. he leaned over and pulled a shoe on. When she moved to switch feet, placing her already covered left foot down, the heel snapped under her. She nearly fell sideways, but just barely caught her self. "Just my luck," she grumbled to herself. Guess I'll be walking barefoot, she thought bitterly.

Arianna leaned over and looked through the building at Markus. He had been more distant lately, which broke her heart. Sure, she had a few girl friends, but she'd known Markus for forever. They'd stuck together, even when she had moved from North Carolina, when her parents died, to New York City. It seemed like he tried to not get too personal or emotional, which both annoyed and saddened her.

"Are you coming, cheater," she shouted as she pulled back and ran a hand through her long hair. Two days ago she had been dumped by her boyfriend, but she hadn't yet told Markus. Usually she would've told him the instant, but she personally avoided the subject now.

Markus looked at her in disbelief. "You cheated first!! So, I win by default And because I got here first." he said, pointing at her. "You go a day without trouble if I buy you pizza!" No way was he going to let her off so easily.

Following after her, he sighed as he looked around. Nothing bad today it seemed. Holding her shoulder to help her balance, he raised an eyebrow at her now broken heel. A light chuckle escaped before he picked her up, bridal style. "Cheater huh? Takes one to know one. Maybe new shoes first?" He muttered in question down to the blue eyed woman. Not even caring for any stares he was given, Markus headed off, down the sidewalk to a store.

It was almost amusing how even with all his looks and manners, he never had gotten a girlfriend. Most came to believe he prefered men for a time, but even then. He was never with anyone. There wasn't time to be in a relationship for him. It wasn't practical. Sure, he went on some dates to appear normal and he couldn't help but to flirt with girls if they were cute or interested, but the man never actually commited to anyone. Too many risks and too many complications.

He had, however made sure that Arianna had had at least somewhat decent men for boyfriends. He couldn't do much in that aspect. Just make sure they never tried to hurt her in a physical way. "You seem to be having bad luck these days, have you broken a mirror?" He asked after a moment, smiling down at her. "What is on your list for Christmas?" He assumed she would spend it with her boyfriend.

Arianna shrugged her shoulders. "Two wrongs don't make a right, Mr. Lowe," she teased and tried to frown at him unhappily. However she laughed, dimples producing on each sides of her mouth. She raised an eyebrow as he tried to bargain with her. "Fine. But. You have to keep me entertained, otherwise I'll have to break our deal," she replied. On a normal occassion she wouldn't back down and would refuse to agree to chilling for a day, but she was immensely hungry and she could hear a delicious, cheese covered pizza slice calling her name from somewhere in the city.

The brunette grumbled something under her breath, barely audible and incoherent. She carried her shoes in one hand and walked side by side with Markus, glaring up at him from under her eyelashes. They walked to a nearby shoe sotre and she stepped in, feeling the warmth and smelling peppermint.

She glanced at Markus and raised an eyebrow. It seemed like she had broken a mirror, with her luck. She had gotten rejected from one of the dance schools she had applied to, found her boyfriend cheating on her, and now her favorite shoes had broken.

"You're supposed to be my good luck charm. So start working," she said and nudged him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. "Eh. I dunno really. A nice, good guy," the last part was more quiet, so he wouldn't hear. It was almost a sad whisper. She sighed and heard a voice speak up.

"We're closing," a somewhat elderly voice spoke. Arianna glanced at her and grinned sincerely.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just broke my heels and I just need a quick pair of shoes. I promise it'll be quick," she pleaded, smiling at the curly white haired woman behind the counter.

"Fine. Make it snappy," the woman said seriously, but offered a warm smile to Arianna. Arianna darted down an aisle, size six and a half womens, looking for a quick pair of cute shoes. She had small feet, but it wasn't a bad thing. It actually came in handy when she danced.

A minute later she grabbed a pair of black, studded flats, quickly trying them on. They looked almost harsh with their small spikes, but they had a cute bow at the tips which made them look softer. Seeing they fit, she ran to the front and paid for her shoes. She pulled them on, using Markus for support. "What do you want for Christmas," she asked, pulling on her left shoe.

"Ah but one right and one wrong also don't make a right. Just leaves you divided." Giving a nod at her challenge, he smirked. "Done." He was sure they would be able to have some fun without causing havok among the city.

Tugging the jacket closer to himself as the snow picked up, he forced himself to not shiver. Sensing her glare, he simply smiled at her. "Be nice to the one paying for food." Reachiing in his jacket for the wallet, he was relieved to find it still there. He'd worried that the run earlier might have displaced the thing.

"I bring normal luck to you. The good luck only works when I get a kiss." He teased, watching her to see her reaction. His eyes turned a lighter shade in the light as they normally did when he was feeling happy. Darkening only when he was troubled, they usually stayed neutral for the most part. He held the door open for her and let her walk in.

Letting the warmth of the room embrace him, he smiled at the scent. "Smells nice." They'd have to buy a large pizza. Maybe hot cocoa. He smiled at the woman as he waited for Arianna to pick out a pair. "Thank you." he said to the woman when his friend was gone to find shoes. The other pair, he glanced down at since he'd taken them before she had darted off. To fix, or not to fix. That was the question. She did love the shoes.

The tall male had to think on what she'd whispered. Something about a good guy. Automatically, he was concerned. Something might have happened between her and her last boyfriend. Or, ex? That wasn't good. Especially since he hadn't been told yet.

"Nice shoes." He said, smiling a little. Finally, sensible ones that she would be able to walk in. The only thing was that she didn't let him pay. Letting her use him as support, he shrugged. "Not sure. You know I don't really care much for gifts." He was rich and he never spent much on himself. He never saw the need to, besides the basics. Any money was given to her, both with and without her knowing it. "Maybe, some gloves."

As Arianna pulled on her shoes, she mocked his divided comment in a high pitched, nasal tone, even though they both knew he didn't talk like that. Arianna could definitely be like one of the guys, and though she loved clothes, she didn't act like a girly girl. She didn't carry huge Prada purses or wear a bunch of makeup. She enjoyed a good beer and refrained from watching chick flicks, except for the occasional rewatching of The Notebook. She couldn't help that it was her favorite love story movie.

Arianna quit her mocking tone when Markus brought in pizza. That jerk, to use food to taunt her. She finished pulling on her shoes and looked up at him. Even though she was tall, she still had to tilt her head just a bit to peer at him. Her blue eyes peered into his, and she noted how they had lightened. For a second she felt like she was getting lost, but she cleared her throat.

"Thank you," she said with a smile and looked at her shoes, wiggling her toes in them a bit. "That's the problem with you guys. You say you don't want gifts but you really do, and then us girls obsess over what to get you. Thankfully I only have you and my bro to worry about." Once more her last sentence was quieter. She rolled her shoulders and waved at the woman. "Merry Christmas," she shouted as she opened the door. She had noted how he always opened doors for her. Even though his gentlemanly manner could annoy her, it always earned him extra brownie points.

"Good. I'll get you gloves," her voice was warm and happy, like melted chocolate. "So I'm guessing pizza at my place. Comedies," she asked happily. Even though it was full on night now, the streets were still crowded. The bright lights brought a smile on her face and she gazed up at a nearby billboard for Wicked. Her heart panged a bit as she silently wished she'd be in one of those plays one day, dancing and singing and acting.

It looked like another Christmas they'd be spending together. She always wondered why he never had a girl with him. Well, besides her. She'd even set him up on a few dates, but afterwards he'd come up with a nonchalant reason it wouldn't work. She shivered slightly to herself, thinking about when she'd walked in with Alex, her now ex, with some blond bimbo.

He laughed as Arianna stopped cold in her taunting. He knew that would have worked to make her stop. It always worked. Thinking on her words, Markus shrugged. "Well, we guys like for girls to surprise us. No good just telling you what we want. That way, we already know what we're getting." Actually, he still had to pick her gift out. He had an idea though.

He liked getting surprised, it happened so rare. He waved at the woman and smiled, nudging her out the door first as he took over the door holding. One of the good things about the city was, the pizza was usually very good. Christmas plans were the same as usual. Maybe he should bring over some games to spice it up some more. Or, actually go out and party like everyone else. "Comedies, action, pizza, popcorn. What more could we want?" he asked, smirking as they moved along the street. "I want my kiss though. I prefer the caramel ones." Of course he'd been talking about the Hershey's Kisses. Those were some of his favorite treats. Anything with caramel in it was a plus.

Markus noticed her look at the poster for the Wicked play. He wished he could have just given her the chance to get into the school of her choice, but.. Can't meddle that much. He shook his head, glancing up at the snowy sky. "It's actually nice outside, even with it snowing. Cold isn't so bad anymore." In a way, he was trying to cheer her up. Ushering her inside the store, they were met with the smell of freshly baked pizza.

Arianna's hands were in her coat pockets as she started at the green, white, and black sign. For a second, she forgot she was with Markus. His voice brought her out of her daydream of being on the big stage. "Huh?" She asked before realizing what he had said. "Guess I need to surprise you then. No gloves," she teased and rolled her eyes. She slowly tore herself away from the sign and began walking down the street, the crowd thankfully thinning out.

His comment made her laugh. Their Christmases were usually the same, but maybe she could convince him to go to a party with her. "Uh huh. Your kiss. I caught that comment earlier," she chided, rolling her eyes, and made a 'tsk, ts, tsk' noise. She let him lead her into the, for the most part, empty pizza place. The smell of cheese and dough floated over to her nose, waking up her sense of smell. Her nose instantly warmed in the toasty pizza shop. One thing she loved about New York was the delicious variety of foods. Even if the people could be rude, the food made up for it.

Arianna let out a light laugh, which sounded like beautiful silver windchimes. "You? Actually liking the cold? Has the world come to an end," she put her arms out around her in an 'I don't know' manner and shrugged, getting an incredulous expression on her face. She glanced behind her, out of the window of the pizza place. Her eyes rested thoughtfully on the falling snow flakes, ignoring the bustling pople. The snow was so beautiful, and tonight almost felt like it had a sad manner to it. Maybe it was just her. "Yeah. It is beautiful."

"Sounds like a good plan for tonight. But maybe we should spice up Christmas night this year. It's three days away! And a friend invited me to a party. Wanna be my plus one," she asked, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. Her light pink lips pulled into a pout, her eyes wide and sparkling up at him. For a second she thought of his kiss comment. When they were younger, as teens, she had had the most enormous crush on him. Three years later, she had learned to push past that. He had never acted as if they were anything more than best friends, and she wouldn't risk losing that. Even if from time to time she wished they'd take that risk. Get a grip Ari, she thought to herse and pouted further to intensify her puppy dog look.

Markus glanced over at the sign curiously yet again. The tickets were sold out. The last play would be that week. Maybe he would work something out. Arianna, had yet to see it. Or at least as far as he remembered. While he couldn't get her on stage, he could at the very least let her watch it.

"No gloves? Alright then I guess. My hands shall be forever cold. I'll use your hands or my jacket to keep them warm." Even if he could just go and buy the gloves himself, it was too funny to tease. Once he led her inside, they found a seat near one of the windows. "Ah, shut it. If the world has come to an end, I want to move to miami. Beach all around and we can go swimming whenever we want." That, oddly gave him another idea. "Well, how about ice skating tomorrow?" he asked, smiling at her.

The smile dropped however, when she started giving him the puppy dog eyes. "That... is low." He muttered. The way her eyes sparkled like that almost made him want to hold her close. "Plus one for a party?" Markus asked, making a face as he pretended to consider it. He thought about wanting to go as her date but she would probably think it too forward. Especially if Alex and her had broken up earlier.

"Agh, alright, alright! I'll go with you, so spare me the eyes!" A light nudge moved her in order to get her to stop. She knew he couldn't resist that face. Every time he saw it, he caved in less than five minutes. "When is this party? And, what do you want for the pizza? Usual?" he asked, taking the jacket off considering it was warm and toasty in there.

Arianna sighed as they sat in the booth. Her mind still wondered on Wicked. She had read the book that was about it, had listened to all the music for it. Every time it was on Broadway though, she never had a chance to see it. She'd seen a few other shows on Broadway, like The Drowsy Chaperone, Avenue Que, and more. She'd loved Broadway since she was a young teen. When she was a freshman she decided it was everything she wanted to be on Broadway, or at least have one of her three passions (dancing, singing, or acting). Right now she was working an easy job as a waitress, applying for colleges and waiting to get into her dream school: Julliard.

At last the puppy dog eyes worked. She did a quick fist pumped and grinned at him. Under the booth their knees touched, and she didn’t mind. It seemed like is warmth spread through her knees and traveled up her thigh, warming her easily. Don't think like that, don't notice those things, she scolded herself. He'd made it clear he only wanted to be friends, right?

“Hey. It’s as low as using food to taunt me,” she retorted and stuck out her tongue. Her eyes crinkled up a bit as she smiled, flashing her pearly whites. “Yay!” She shouted a little too loud and offered an apologetic grin and shrug gesture at the slightly annoyed looks she got. Some of the smiled back, and others simply just rolled their eyes and looked away, continuing with whatever they had been doing before. She saw one of the cooks in the back, and he shot her a thumbs up. Though New York City was crowded and immense, Markus and she were in there so often he had learned to recognize their faces. Arianna returned the gesture and turned back to Markus, running her fingers through her hair.

“Christmas Eve! Tomorrow night! There’s another on Christmas too.” Arianna grinned and nudged his foot under the table playfully. Being with Markus cheered her up from her rundown with Alex.

Arianna laughed at his gloves comment. He was always one to continuously tease her, but it never got on her nerves. When she was feeling down it brought her moods up, just like it did now. “Your hands are humongous compared to mine. But we can make it work,” she teased and held up her hands, which she had had in between her knees. Even though she had long fingers, Markus’s hands were still bigger than hers.

“Yeah! Extra cheese! And pepperoni,” she sang happily, removing her own coat. She rolled her shoulders to ease them up, then cracked her knuckles. “Ice skating sounds awesome! I beat you’ll fall on your ass,” she teased and winked at him.

Markus stuck his tongue at her, childish but perfect to express his feeling at the moment. "No, puppy dog eyes are lower." Denial at its finest but soon he just laughed. "Silly one." He smiled at the others that stared before nodding. Some who had seen them before just shrugged it off. It was a regular thing for them, sometimes with their spazziness.

"Tomorrow?" he asked in surprise. That didn't leave much time to get things done. He had to get new clothes and her gift. "Christmas too? Will we be going to both?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Nudging her knee, the brunnette smirked. "Pick one. I keep you for myself one night though." Two parties seemed like too much.

Taking her hands with his, he tilted his head. They were bigger, but hers were more slender. Wrapping his fingers around her hand, hazel eyes glanced down at her and a light smirk appeared. "I might be the gloves instead." Kissing her knuckles before letting them go, he stood. "I bet I'll stay standing an hour." It was settled. They were going skating.

Ruffling Ariannas hair, he headed over to order their pizza. A large, extra cheese, pepperoni and ham pizza. Sure it seemed like a lot, but they liked to eat.

Arianna laughed at Markus, who looked like a kid poking his tongue out at her comically. She returned the gesture, shaking her head. “First stage to acceptance is denial,” her voice was a teasing sing song as she breathed in the all familiar smell of the pizza joint. Another good thing about NYC was the different amount of smells. Arianna could never get enough of it. There were so many things she loved about NYC. She just thanked whatever mighty power there was that she had someone with her to keep her sane.

“Well, since you’re set on kidnapping me for a night, we’ll just go tomorrow. That way we have Christmas together,” she decided, nodding her head for extra measure. A small part of her wanted him to be her date to the party. She was actually content with spending Christmas with Markus again. Occasionally her brother would join them, but he was busy with the girl he was seeing. They'd probably just call or Skype. Once again, Arianna knew she didn't mind so much. Spending time with Markus was fun. Speaking of that, she still had to get his gift. Maybe ice skating lessons if her prediction for tomorrow turned out as expected; Markus fumbling on his ice skates and falling flat on his butt.

Markus’s hands engulfed hers, and she squeezed her toes subtly under the table to fight off her blush. Her blue eyes looked into his hazel ones. However she couldn’t fight the blush when he kissed her knuckles. She let a few strands of hair fall over her cheeks as she shook her head to conceal the fire that lit up her high cheekbones. “It’s a bet,” she called as he stood up and went to place their order.

The embarrassment faded when he ruffled her hair and she groaned. Casting him a death glare as she soothed out her hair, she watched him go to the counter. A happy smile gently tugged up at the corner of her lips and she drew slow, small circles on the table top.

Markus smiled at the idea of the two of them spending Christmas together yet again. That was, yet again, fine by him. "Alright then." he said. He had never actually skated before, so it would be a rather interesting. Hopefully he was able to stay up and not make a fool out of himself.

He hadn't missed her blush. The way she tried to hide it. Maybe he was getting too close for safety. But he'd passed that years ago. Now all he had to do was try his best to keep a safe distance away. Just to be her friend and nothing more. Damn hard to do with the way he acted around her. As he asked for two hot chocolates and placed his order, he was surprised to find that the pizza was already in the works. Not too surprising since they always got the same pizza. "Thanks, Mel." he said, smiling at the woman as he paid and grabbed the mugs.

Making his way back to Arianna, he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Good thing you don't have a knife in that hand, otherwise the table would be finished. Order will be up in half an hour, but I brought drinks to warm us up." he offered, holding hers and placing it in front of her as he sat down. Blowing lightly in his mug, he took a sip. "So what time shall I pick you up tomorrow?" he asked.

Arianna watched him get up and go to the counter, talking to the cashier. Her eyes slowly wandered down until they reached his butt. Her head tilted a bit. Not bad, she thought to herself. Immediately she glanced away, shocked at herself. She grumbled a bit. Don’t think like that, she scolded herself mentally. It seemed like she always had to scold herself to not think about Markus like that. Best friends going into a relationship never really worked out. Then again, someone had told her that a guy and girl can’t really be best friends; they’ll eventually end up falling for each other. She wished.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she glanced up and grinned at the mug of hot chocolate held in front of her. She grabbed it and took a sip, forgetting that it was hot. She immediately gasped and hastily set the cup down. “Shit,” she mumbled and felt the pain of her scorched tongue.

“You know me, carrying around a knife,” she joked once her tongue had stopped throbbing as much. “Was just thinking,” she explained. Her fingers still held on to the mug, letting it warm her. She thought about his question for a second, churning it over in her mind.

“Let’s go early. About eleven maybe? That way we can go ice skating for a while and then we still have time to get ready for the party,” she finally answered, a satisfied smile crossing her lips. She looked down at her mug of hot chocolate tentatively and raised it to her mouth, blowing on it. After reassuring herself she had somewhat cooled it, she pressed the mug to her soft pink lips and took a slow, careful sip. She was grateful her tongue hadn’t been scorched again due to her own lack of thinking.

With that she felt her iPhone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out. It was from her ex boyfriend. She read it over, frowning. "I hope we can still be friends". She scoffed out loud and rolled her eyes. Not bothering to reply, she slipped it into her pocket and looked back at Markus, taking in his strong jawline.

Nik had tried cooling down the hot chocolate, knowing that they'd be very hot due to the steam coming out from the top. He hadn't actually expected her to take a sip so quickly. Wincing, the angel waited seconds before her reaction came as expected. He leaned down and frowned, looking concerned. "Should have warned you.. But.. " His eyes meeting her blue ones a moment later, he smirked, about to say something before rethinking and swallowing down his comment. "Be more careful." he stated, instead of saying something else.

If he'd asked if she wanted him to kiss her injury, well... That would have been too pushy or, suggestive. "Thinking about what?" he asked, smiling as he blew a little on his drink and taking a sip. Maybe he would need a few days off to stop thinking about his charge in such ways. Wistful thinking. He needed some air. Even if it was snowing, he could hope that the night would be a bit kinder.

The time was good. "Perfect. Enough time for you to prepare your girlish outfit." he teased. He would, of course have to stay around her the whole time. Even if she didn't know it. He would be invisible to her. He normally stayed close enough so that he could make sure she was safe. The last few days however, had been hecktic with all the holiday rushes and things. He still had to get her her gift. That would take all night. Longer maybe. He'd have to call in favors.

He was almost lost in his train of thoughts, staring down at his hot chocolate for a few minutes. The shift of movement brought him out of it. Blinking, Nik glanced over to Arianna. "Who was that? Ex?" he asked, offering a smirk.