𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓪𝓶𝓷𝓮𝓭

𝓡𝓾𝓷

Mal had managed to fake her way through the picnic so far. She had pretended that she had made the picnic, that it wasn't magical food, that she had taken the time and didn't send her brother into a regeneration sleep that Chole nearly cursed her out for. "Would you like a hors d'oeuvre?" She asked Hayden going to feed him one. 

"Yes, please," he grinned biting into it. "Mmm! This is the best thing I've ever had."

"So, you like it?" She asked hoping the little guilt she felt wasn't clear on her face. 

He nodded, stuffing his face, "I more than like it. I, uh... mmm-- so like it. Is this Beef ragout?" she nodded, "This is amazing." 

She smiled, "Did I surprise you." She asked taking a bite of something herself. 

He nodded and finished chewing, "Oh, yeah, you surprised me. Everything's been so crazy lately I was gonna tell you to forget the picnic and we could go out to eat instead," she paled a little. "I didn't want to put more on you." Hadie was in his regeneration sleep for nothing, she had pushed him to his limit and for what? Something Hayden was willing to call off. She was angry, but not at herself like she should be. At Hayden for not telling her sooner, even if he had no indication that she was having trouble. He didn't know she needed a break because she had claimed she still had the picnic ready. If she had told him she wasn't ready he would have called it all off. but Mal didn't see this, she only saw a waist of magic, energy and time and none of it as her own. She had no right to be upset. She masked her anger well thankfully. "This is every single dish that was at my mother's welcome home ball. What did it take you? Like three days?" 

She froze for a moment then let out a loathing giggling, what she was loathing at the moment? She wasn't sure, "You know, don't even ask me." 

He slipped his hand into hers, "It means a lot that you stopped and did all this for me. Especially with all the craziness you've been put through." He kissed her hand, his ring. "I've missed you. We don't get much time to be just us anymore," he said slipping his hand into hers. 

"I know." 

"Ben told me he and Holly were planning a trip to Triulia in a few weeks. Maybe we should do the same, figure out something for the two of us to get away from everyone and all out responsibilities." 

She raised an eyebrow "would we be allowed to?" Ben was king, even if he was only 17, he could pull the king card and get him and holly off campus for a week. Could Hayden do the same?

"Oh yea, just because Ulstead has been unified with Auradon for over 2 decades it still holds influence and power in the courts. Plus, with Bens backing I can get away with anything," he winks making her laugh. He went to go bite into another hors d'oeuvre and dropped some on his shirt, he just laughed, "Gods I'm a disaster?" he laughed. She laughed with him, "Do you have a-- Do you have a napkin or something?" 

She's smiled, and pulled the picnic basket towards her, "I do, I packed some." Hadie had packed that basket for her, but she was sure she had seen some when she grabbed it earlier. She rummaged through the basket. "I think I stowed them away," Hayden stood up so he could look in the basket, "I can grab them." 

He pulled out her spell book, she mentally cursed out her brother for throwing that into the basket. She didn't even know it was in there. 

Hayden looked at her oddly, "why is this in here?" 

She pushed her hair back and lied swiftly waving a hand like it was nothing. "I asked Hadie to put the drinks in the basket earlier, he must have thrown that in, in case it rained or something." He looked at the bookmarks and opened the book to those pages. Her eyes widened, "I wouldn't-"