Render Me Starless

♛ | Chapter 6 - "spilling the celestial tea"

"You should eat something."

"Not hungry," I mumble as I sit down at the dining table. We hadn't spoken a word as we walked back to the castle. It had been such a long walk. A long fucking walk.

"Eat something," Orion says again, this time his voice more firm.

At his tone, I look up, narrowing my eyes. I give him a defiant glare, not submitting to the Stick. With my pride brutally butchered, I refuse his codling demands. My stomach decides to rebel against me though as it lets out a loud gurgle, demanding to be fed. My hand automatically goes to my stomach, my eyes catching Orion's pointed look.
I ignore it, leaning against the stupidly grand chair.

We sat in what appeared to be a dining room. A large mahogany table seemed to stretch on for miles, beautifully decorated with candles and flowers in a line going through the middle. Orion and I sit on opposite ends of the table, glaring at each other. It was quiet, save for the light noises of people placing plates of food on the table.
Waiters or servants? I didn't know.

His eyes drill into me as I survey the room. "You don't have to fight against everything I say, Maria." His voice carries smoothly over, not needing to raise his voice with the distance.

"It keeps things interesting," I say. "And me sane," I add. It was true. Save for running away, the idea of defying Orion gave me the illusion of some sort of control in my life.
"Not eating won't help with your sanity," he retorts, surprising me with how well he heard my mumble.

I finally look up at him, peering over the stacks of food. His plate was untouched by any of the divine cuisine. The aroma of the food was chopping up my resolve to not eat. He was right, I knew his was. I just hated that he always was.
Did the man get anything wrong?

I meet his stare from across the abnormally long table. He raises an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the food. Eat.
I give in finally, my stomach crying out in victory.
My plate ends with an impressive pile, a pretty waitress coming in and serving tea. I take a bite of what looks like lasagne and instantly shove another spoonful into my mouth. It was so good.
The clanking of dishes tells me that Orion has finally decided to fill his own plate.

I let myself devour majority of the food before the familiar all consuming feeling of bickering questions take over. "Is my mother a mage?"

He looks up, pausing. It takes him a second to respond, "yes."
"Does that make me a mage?"
He puts his fork down, "no."
His response makes me frown and causes my eyebrows to raise. I put my own fork down, "how does that even work?"

"Keep eating, Maria." Stick says, eyeing my plate.
I pick the fork back up, plopping a piece of potato in my mouth, "happy?" He doesn't react to my sarcastic jab. "Am I human?"

"Yes."
"How?" The smell of the food and candles together was starting to be slightly nauseating.
"How what?"

I knew he was toying with me or at least avoiding answering. He knew exactly what I meant. I stab my fork into another potato, "how am I human if my mother isn't?" It doesn't make sense to me. Nothing did.

"You're a special case."

I scowl. "Listen, If this is your subtle way of calling me mental or psychotic, you can shove that fork up your fucking ass," I growl out. "It's not like you don't already have something lodged right up there," I mutter, my nickname for him surfacing. "Stupid fucking stick."

I plop the potato in my mouth, matching his glare with my own.

My glare only falters when black smoke appears from no where, wrapping around Orion's form in a loving embrace.With my eyes wide, half of the potato falls out of mouth as Orion is wrapped wholly within the smoke.
I blink and he and his smoke is gone.
Literally disappears. I gape at the empty seat.