I Don't Bite

[Carmelita Volpez]

When she first got here, one of the very first things she had heard about was how magnificent a certain coffee shop called 'Cool Beans' had been. Although Carmelita was busying unpacking from her move, she was extremely curious and just itching to finally get out and find this famous shop to buy a drink from. Now she finally had a chance and took it, heading out with a swift goodbye to her cats Tia and Esmeralda.

She had to ask for directions only once from a kind old man before she eventually found it. And she had to say, it looked adorable and cozy. The seats looked extra comfortable and it seemed like a hot spot from the number of people inside. And then there were the drinks! Carmelita looked over the list of available drinks and pastries with a growing, appreciative smile. The rumors seemed to be true. But the true test would be when she actually got to drink and test the taste. Would it live up to her father's homemade drinks? Carmelita was eager to find out. 

So she waited in line for a while and eventually ordered a Café Au Lait just because they served it. When it was handed to her, steam puffing up from it, she smiled and breath it in a little. It smelled absolutely delicious. Eager all over again, she headed over to an empty table and set it down. But then she realized she didn't have napkins. Turning to remedy this, Carmelita did not see the other person behind her and bumped right into the figure. "Oh!" She exclaimed, at once feeling terrible as she heard a liquid splat on the ground. She had spilled whomever she bumped into's drink. "I am so, so sorry!" She apologized quickly. She should've looked before she walked. "Please, what did you order? I'll buy you a new one to make up for it."

[Erin Hackett]

Why was Erin even here? This was not a place that she went to, not even with friends unless they dragged her out. She didn't really like leaving the campus, let alone her room, and yet here she was at Cool Beans. Did she like black out and end up here or something? She had to think of how she got here and remember she had really been craving the new mint chocolate mocha that the place was selling for a limited time only. She had it before back when her father first dropped her off here and now that it was back she felt like it would have been wrong to get one.

She was still not on the best of terms with Quinn; mainly because she was waiting for him to actually act like he wanted to be her friend. Tim was busy and Erin didn't want to bother Alex after their trip together to Japan. She did wonder if Alex even liked her at all in that kind of way but she forced those thoughts out with thoughts about her drink. A drink that she had already ordered and planned to consume while she headed back to the school. Unfortunately she had been so caught up in it, that someone else who had not been paying attention ended up bumping into her.

The drink fell out of her hand, crashing to the ground, and making Erin feel like the world had just ended a little. Erin let out a sigh, not having it in her to get mad at the person because there were others around and she was not behind her computer. That and the fact then she actually looked at the destroyer of her drink, it was a pretty lady. "It...it's okay. I should have been watching where I was going too. Not that I was like staring at you or anything to cause the accident, I was looking at my drink. I swear...uh...hi." Erin said, talking fast before looking away and then quickly moved to clean up the spill or at least the parts she could.

"A uh...the mint chocolate mocha thing...but you don't have to get it for me...I can..." Erin muttered out as she avoided eye contact, already feeling herself blushing from more than just a pretty girl being before her. There was the main fact they were in a public place and some people had looked over because it was a spill. Talk about embarrassing.

[Carmelita Volpez]

When Carmelita bumped into the person, she noticed the little defeated sigh that escaped them. It only made her feel more guilty as the girl looked up at her. Right from the get-go, Carmelita could tell this girl was pretty nerdy, but pretty cute too. And oh my, was she getting a little flustered? From the way she quickly stammered out her words to reassure Carmelita it was ok, it was pretty obvious. As she bent down to clean the mess as much as she could, Carmelita couldn't help but smile. She was definitely getting this one a drink to replace the fallen one.

An employee came over to truly clean the mess up as the girl murmured the drink she had ordered. She seemed so embarrassed and so shy at the accident and at Carmelita, that the blonde felt the more feral, dominant side of her growl. But she ignored it of course and only smiled warmly at the girl. "No no, it's fine." She said with a clear Latina accent coloring her voice. "You can sit at my table while I get you a new one." She insisted, indicating her table before heading to the cashier again to get the girl a new fresh cup.

While Carmelita did indeed feel bad for the accident, she also was very curious about this girl. And she was so ridiculously why that Carmelita couldn't help but want to tease her just to see her stammer a little more. What was it with her a shy girls? Something about them just drove her crazy. But she snapped out of her thoughts on d it was her turn and ordered the drink the girl had had, grabbing her missing napkins as she waited for it to be prepared. Once it was, she took it and headed back to her table. "Here you go, and I'm sorry again. What's your name? Mines Carmelita." She introduced herself with a bright smile

[Erin Hackett]

How was one ever expected to not get flustered after running into an attractive female, when you pretty much crushed on every girl you saw? That and again Erin was not big on being out in public or in the eyes of the public unless it was a video game competition. This was not a competition, it was an accident and she felt pretty much like she would have died had the woman not been as kind as to offer her a drink. She honestly would have just run after the incident but having spent time with her friends, she was doing a little bit better at being around people. Still, it was all still worth of a small panic attack just waiting to happen.

A worked came over to clean up the rest of the mess, and Erin yet again was about to make a run for it and assure the woman that she didn't need to get her anything. She would just have to get the courage to come here again to get her drink before they were no longer having the special offer. She really didn't want to miss it, but she really didn't want to have a panic attack here or end up using her power in front of possible normies. "O-okay..." Erin hesitantly responded as she gave a few small nods. Okay, so the plan for running was not going to happen any time soon with how the woman was basically not going to allow Erin to just leave without making up the drink to her.

Erin looked where she pointed before she moved to sit down. Why was the table shaking? Oh right, she was shaking it. Erin quickly kept her hands to herself and just let her leg shake as she looked around the place and worked on calming herself down. Slow deep breaths, in, and out. "Th-thank you and it was no big deal...just a limited time offer drink." Erin said, her voice trailing off as she figure that last bit was not needed and probably was not ideal when she was trying to assure the woman it was okay. "Hackett. Erin. Erin Hackett." Erin said, giving her name when the woman gave her. She was still used to giving her last name from all those years in Japan and the habit had yet to break.

"Nice to meet you Carmelita...does your drink have caramel in it? Heheh...bad joke...sorry." Erin said, trying to make a joke but felt like she felt so quickly went to drinking her drink. Which caused a brain freeze, that had her rubbing her head but she kept drinking for the sake of wanting her mouth to be full so she could not talk and make matters worse.

[Carmelita Volpez]

When Carmelita returned with the drink, it was hard not to notice how the table was shaking. The girl seemed very nervous to be around the blonde, and that only made Carmelita smile even wider as she handed the girl her drink. She seemed to ramble on a little, but Carmelita didn't mind. So it was a limited time offer drink? Well, that only made Carmelita even more glad that she had insisted upon buying the girl a new cup. And her name turned out to be Erin Hackett.

"It's nice to meet you too, Erin. Although I wish it had been under better circumstances." She added with a bit of a giggle as she retook her seat. And was that a little joke on her name? Erin was apologizing for it, but Carmelita laughed. The irony was that she actually normally did get a drink with caramel in it. She loved her sweets, and would never deny that. "Actually, it normally does." She said with a grin. "I just wanted to try out something different today." She added as she sipped her drink. Ooooo that was lovely. Her lips curled slightly at the taste before she looked back up at Erin.

"So, do you come here very often?" She asked, deciding to make some small talk just for fun.

[Erin Hackett]

The other female, the woman by the name of Carmelita was smiling at her when she handed over the drink. Why was she smiling so much? She probably was just one of those people who were just really nice and friendly with everyone she met. Clearly she had to be with how she had so kindly wanted to get Erin a drink. Erin wanted to grab the drink and go but the woman had invited her to the table and it would have seemed rude to take the drink, say bye, and then just leave. So she remained at the table, sucking down her drink and causing herself to get a brain freeze.

The drink itself was very good, so she was not complaining but she was rubbing her head as she tried to play off the she had a brain freeze in the first place. "It's chill, not the first time someone had bumped into me and caused me to drop my drink." Erin said with a nervous laugh. Okay, so that was a lie, because this was the first time since Erin didn't really get out that much and avoided a place with all these people. Still, this beautiful caramel of a woman didn't need to know that since that would likely make her sad and not happy. "Oh...I see. Well guess it was not all that bad of a joke...maybe." Erin said as she slowly started to slide down in her chair.

She still felt that the joke was bad and that she should just slide on out of here to avoid making things award or painful for the other woman. "What did you get?" Erin asked, trying to change the subject away from the caramel joke. Erin was not sure if the woman was trying to do the same thing by the question she asked, but Erin would go with it thankfully. "No, not at all. At least not at this hour and I leave as soon as I get my drink." Erin said, rubbing her head some more and having to take a break before she made the brain freeze worse and it affect her power in some way.

[Carmelita Volpez]

Erin seemed so nervous around Carmelita, the blonde had to refrain from giggling to herself in amusement. Or, worse yet, starting to play with the young girl. Carmelita really shoved down that watching, prowling feline side of herself and reigned in control. She did not want to start of the day trying to seduce someone. Besides, she had far too much work later for the effort. So she'd settle on chatting with the young girl. She did seem interesting, and all too fun to tease a little.

Carmelita could tell it was a blatant lie. Not only from the nervous laughter, but just from the girl's body language. She looked entirely too uncomfortable (even more so) as she spoke the words. But Carmelita didn't say anything but smiled faintly instead. Erin was probably just trying to make her feel a little less guilty, which was fine. So she simply moved on. However, the next thing Erin said made her slide down in her seat a little. She really must've been embarrassed by that joke. Carmelita couldn't stop the slight giggle that escaped her this time. "Don't worry, I've made my fair share of terrible puns and jokes." She assured the girl before taking another sip from her drink and moving on from the subject.

"Oh! Café Au Lait." She answered, noticing how Erin seemed to change the subject purposefully but going along with it. "I decided on a whim to get it. My father loved making coffee and such back home, so I decided 'why not?." She answered truthfully before taking another drink from her cup. She listened as Erin spoke and slightly raised an eyebrow. It didn't surprise her that much that the girl wasn't a social butterfly. She seemed like an introvert. Carmelita was very good at spotting those out. "Not a fan of public places?" She inquired with a slight smirk

[Erin Hackett]

The sexy lady; Carmelita, assured her that it was fine. That made Erin feel a little better and even sit up in her seat, if only a little bit. It was still a bad joke in Erin's taste but perhaps if she had charisma and tossed in a witty smile then she would have felt more confident about it and got a complement from it. Oh Erin, you are such a tease. How are you so funny? I love it. Erin thought to herself, already picturing it going down like that if she had it in her to behave in such a way. Only in her dreams or if there was a screen between her and the person sitting across from her; who she was doing her best to not stare at.

Especially not stare at anything that went past her neck, but it was tempting to want to get a good look at everything in front of her. However; she had manners and also didn't want to go through a panic attack if caught checking the woman out. "Leet." Erin simply responded, feeling like she need to say something instead of sort of sitting there and slightly staring. the brain freeze was at least going away which meant she could go back to the tactic of keeping her mouth busy so she would not say anything to mess things up or make them awkward. "Sounds fancy." Erin responded when the woman voice what kind of drink she got. Erin then listened as the other female talked about her father making coffee and how she just got it on a whim.

There was nothing wrong with getting things on a whim so long as you ended up liking whatever it was later on. Then the question came, along with a smirk that had Erin looking away and quickly sipping on her drink again. Her head nodded several times before she figured that she probably should actually say something. "No...too many people and potential events occurring out of my control, but not that I hate this or anything. This is nice. You are nice. You do this often?" Erin quickly started to ramble at the end when she felt like she possibly might have made the woman feel like she didn't want to be there. She didn't, but not because of the woman, more so because the environment was not really her place to hang out.

[Carmelita Volpez]

Erin sat up a little more when Carmelita assured her that the joke wasn't that bad. It made the blonde smile even more, glad Erin was relaxing just a little more. Honestly, Carmelita didn't bite. At least, not people she just met and liked. Erin seemed sweet, so she was free from Carmelita's dangerous side. But not from her teasing. She nodded in agreement when Erin said her drink sounded fancy. "It definitely does. I think that's what made me try it, to be honest." She admitted with a shrug before taking another sip from her fancy drink.

It was hard not to notice how hard Erin was trying not to stare. It was very cute, and made the lioness purr slightly within her. But again, Carmelita withheld her more feral urges. She focused her attention on listening to Erin speak. Ah, so she was more adverse to what could happen and just the sheer amount of people. That was understandable, really. And as she rambled, Carmelita's smile only grew. Really, this girl was adorable. Carmelita was tempted to just give the girl a hug, but Carmelita had a feeling Erin might die of heart attack. "Well, I'm still fairly new to the town, but I do like this place. I think I'll come her more often in the future." She said. Then she raised an eyebrow at Erin. "And you? What do you do if public places aren't your thing?"

[Erin Hackett]

"So you like the taste of fancy things? A girl with expensive taste?" Erin asked, blushing a little as her mind went south. So does she like wealthy people? I'm wealthy? I'm probably too young for her. What would it be like to be with an older woman? They probably have a lot of experience. Focus Erin! Erin scolded herself when she started to let her mind wonder a bit too far in terms of what Carmelita. She had such a Spanish name, or well of that whole Spanish speaking area name sort of thing but Erin didn't know if the woman was Spanish, Dominican, Cuba, or whatever the other very many other Spanish speaking countries.

She was tempted to ask but didn't know if that was personal or not. Erin at least managed to talk to the woman, even if she was freaking out on the inside. Plus there was that whole rambling issue too but it didn't seem to bother Carmelita. Part of Erin wanted to say her name out load, a few times just so she could practice rolling the R. Or more so she liked the whole 'ita' part and wanted to say that a few times. If she had been given a hug, she probably would have melted a little and possible used her power. So thankfully that didn't happen and they both were in their seats and just talking in a way.

"Oh, well welcome to the area. Even if I don't think I'm the best to welcome you too such a place. Been here a few months but I'm not even from this country." Erin quickly said, blushing more and then went back to downing her drink. Talking sucked. Could they text? There was a question about what she did since public places where not her thing. Erin's mind being in the gutter she almost let slip out what she did 'do' but thankfully a shake of the head and she was able to keep that private matter a secret. "I uh...I game. Computer, consoles, handhelds. I build computers and mess around with tec here and there. Nothing special." Erin said, trying to downplay what she did even if she talked like it was kind of a big deal mixed in with some nerves.

[Carmelita Volpez]

One of Carmelita's eyebrows shot up and she smirked at the question. Expensive taste? Oh, that almost seemed like a flirt. It probably wasn't, but the potential to retort with a flirt was too perfect for Carmelita not to. "When it suits me. Fancy is nice, but homemade is nice too. In all honesty, I just really have a taste for anything sweet." She said, flicking her gaze up to Erin's with a little hint of a smolder and a sly smirk before hiding her expression by taking another sip of her drink. When she looked up again, she was back to normally smiling.

She liked Erin's name because it was so simple. And it could work as a boy's name as equally as a girl's for some reason Carmelita loved names like those. They just seemed handy or clever on the part of jus parent. There wouldn't be a huge fuss if the child wasn't the expected gender.

"Well, thank you for your welcome. I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad I met you." She said honestly with a warm smile. She seemed a little surprised when Erin said she wasn't from the country. "Where are you from? I'm from Mexico myself." She confessed with a shrug. It was a bit obvious she was Spanish, but Carmelita realized that there were many Spanish speaking countries out there. Erin wouldn't know where exactly she was from. But Carmelita put that aside as she listened to Erin answer her question. Yes there was a potential innuendo there, but Carmelita doubted Erin would mention it. She might think about it though.

"Really? That's really impressive actually." Carmelita said, smiling. "And what games do you play?" Carmelita herself wasn't much of a gamer, but She had a few friends who had been and had even managed to get her into playing every once in awhile

[Erin Hackett]

Oh, what Erin had said was meant to be a flirt. However; Erin could not actually flirt with someone without the aid of technology or having something in her system which would bring out her true bold self. Had she said it in the right tone of voice, then it would have been easy enough for it to be a flirt, but she would not dare do such a thing face to face. So the question came out more on the innocent side, which was probably for the best. Erin was not sure if she could handle someone flirting with her face to face; like actually flirting with her. She would likely pass out or end up using her power and no one wanted that.

At least Erin didn't want that to happen, especially not in a place like this. Erin listened as Carmelita spoke of how fancy was not always to her liking and that she general just liked sweet things. There was a look there that could have had a hidden meaning to it if you paid attention or thought that way. If there was no hidden meaning; well it didn't matter, because Erin was so thinking that there was something meant behind that look. Her mind already wondering as she started to blush again. Just great, she just needed to turn as red as her hair so she could hide behind it.

Carmelita thanked her for the welcome to the area and even told her where she was from while asking Erin where she was from. That was only fair. Had they been on the computer, Erin would have said something flirty in Spanish but they were not. Instead she just smirked a little at how she was picturing it going down in her head before she realized she didn't say anything yet. "Oh! I'm from Japan. Born somewhere in the USA, but mostly raised in Japan, have dual citizenship even." Erin quickly informed her, and then quickly took another drink. Damn, it was all gone. Well, that was what happened when you were busy trying to keep your mouth full so you didn't have to talk.

Now she didn't even recall what it tasted like because she was so wrapped up in just drinking it. Part of her wanted to cry for that failure on her part and no doubt in a few minutes she was going to have to pee like a race horse. Erin had to blink a few times as if her brain was processing what the woman just said. Did she actually just say that? Erin would have chocked if she had anything to choke on. "You...you really think that is impressive?" Erin asked, unable to help having doubts. "I uh...mostly JRPGs, MMOs, some shooters, fighters, RPGs in general." Erin then added in response to the other question.

[Carmelita Volpez]

Carmelita had never had trouble flirting, which had been obvious from the very start. Maybe it just had to do with how easily Mariana had done it or the confidence Carmelita had in herself as a child that had continued to the present. The Volpez were not a family that acted skittish or shy around others. They were a strong family that had a lot of love to give, but they also weren't one to cross. If you messed with one Volpez, you had to deal with all of them. Carmelita had never had the fear of doubting herself because she had a lot of support. That gave her confidence enough to live out her playful flirty nature to its fullest without contstraint.

Erin no doubt got a little of what Carmelita had implied, judging from the blush she sported. It made Carmelita smirk again and once again refrain from leaning over the table to hug the girl. Calm Carmelita, calm... she thought as she noticed Erin smirk a little, seeming lost in thought. When she came back from wherever she had gone, Carmelita smiled at her answer. "Japan? What's it like there?" She asked curiously. She had never been, and could only imagine what the place would be like to be honest. But then Carmelita noticed that Erin had gone through her whole drink and giggled a little at the crestfallen expression that passed over the girl's face. "You really liked that drink." She teased.

The surprise and befuddlement on the young girl's face was obvious, and Carmelita smiled warmly when she didn't seem to believe what she did was impressive. "Of course! Anyone who knows their way around technology well is impressive, Erin. It takes skill to do it." Carmelita said. With how technology was really taking over a lot of the things people did in everyday life, anyone who knew how to work with the stuff on a higher level was impressive. That kind of skill was useful to have in this day and age. But Carmelita pulled herself from those thoughts to listen to Erin. Carmelita didn't know many games or types, but she was certainly familiar with shooters. "My friends used to get me to join in tournaments with them. They were shooters though." She admitted with a shrug.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin was doing her best to not let her imagination go to crazy with the whole daydreaming about the woman sitting across from her. She had that problem where if she thought on it too much or let it go too far then she would start saying things that were on her mind. That would be bad; very bad, especially because they were in public. Just the reminded of them being in public made Erin want to vanish or go somewhere a little less public, like the bathroom. No, no that sounded like it would be planned to lead to something naughty hidden away from others. As if. Erin thought to herself, knowing there was no way she would be able to do such a thing.

What was Japan like? "Well...it really all depends where you go. There are some places that still have the traditional houses from years ago, even with how they tend the land. Then you have huge places like Tokyo which is super crowded, busy, but has all the latest technology." Erin informed her. She was tempted to go into even more detail but she didn't want to talk the woman's ear off. That and well they were still in a very public place so it was already taking a lot to try and just focus on Carmelita in order to talk to her.

Erin blushed even more when Carmelita pointed out that she really liked her drink. Erin was unable to say anything back on it and just nodded her head yes several times on the matter. No way could she admit that she had downed it mostly so she would not have to talk. That would seem rude, even if Erin would not have meant it in a rude way. The older woman pointed out that she really did find them interesting and how not just anyone could have those skills. That was true and it was certainly making Erin feel like 'all that and a bag of chips' right about now as she smiled. "It does take skill." Erin said, sounding a bit confident as she said it.

Oh, so she had friends that were into shooter and let her play? At the competition level, even? Wow, she had to be pretty good or it was one of those typical ploys were you got a hot girl on your tear to bring in the views. That was also a possibility. "Shooters are cool. They get a bit repetitive and you always have to deal with those underage boys raging, when they should not even be playing the game but they are fun for the sake of what you can do in them." Erin responded, feeling like it was a bit easier to talk now. "Maybe you can play a shooter with me sometime." Erin said, half joking, but she said it. Woo!

[Carmelita Volpez]

Carmelita listened intently to Erin as she spoke about Japan. Carmelita was pretty interested in the older, traditional part of Japan, but she figured that the busier parts could be interesting as well. "If you don't mind me asking, which did you grow up in?" Carmelita questioned. Either one would be pretty interesting, although Carmelita had a feeling it would be more modern. But she could be wrong.

There she went blushing again. It really did make her look cute, which would make Carmelita smile even more. The blonde had a feeling that Erin's speed with drinking her drink had something to do with having an excuse not to talk. She definitely seemed nervous. Although, she did seem to gain a little confidence after Carmelita complimented her. The blonde simply nodded at Erin's statement, smiling as she sipped her own drink.

Truth be told, Carmelita had initially been invited just because she was a pretty face. But she soon proved herself to actually be pretty good. She didn't play a ton, but she was a decently fast learner. She laughed at Erin's statement and nodded. "Very true. They can be extremely annoying sometimes, but also fun to mess with, to be honest." Carmelita admitted with a grin. Then there was the offer to play, and Carmelita raised an eyebrow as she smirked. Now that sounded fun. "...I think I'd like that." Carmelita decided, taking a sip of her drink. Honestly, she thought it would be fun to try it again.