The Apartment, New York, Monday

[seveninchmotto]

At her core, Isabelle didn't much identify as American. If anything, she was a New Yorker, but a nationality? She didn't really have one. She was a Shadowhunter, first and foremost. And they had their own holidays and traditions. They didn't tend to get too tangled up in the traditions of wherever they were stationed. No matter if they lived there their entire lives – they were always set apart, somehow. It was a Shadow World thing.

But still, Isabelle was looking forward to some fireworks tonight, later. Something special and pretty. It might not have been her holiday, but she could still enjoy certain parts of it. Besides, it seemed like a good reward for the hard work she'd gotten through today by cleaning the apartment!

Which was to say, cleaning two closets in the bedroom, which she was finishing up now. She could do more cleaning tomorrow. If nothing more interesting popped up, and if she remembered.

[ooc: NFB but open!]

Comments

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle gave him what she hoped was an enigmatic smile.

"Could be."

[flickofthewrist]

"Damn, guess I should have stabbed you instead of being an ass to you," Flick lamented. "I could have saved so much time!"

[seveninchmotto]

"You did what worked for you," she replied, shrugging and throwing him another smile. "Still got me in the end, even without an attempted stabbing. Isn't that what mattered? Besides, I don't think you were an ass to me to attract me."

[flickofthewrist]

"No, I was an ass to you because you were an ass," Flick drawled, smirking. "And you deserved it."

[seveninchmotto]

"Me? I was an angel."

Not really, but it was fun to claim that. She was batting her eyelashes at him and everything, while she swung their hands.

"I was perfectly fine, I don't know what gave you the idea that I was an ass, of all things."

[flickofthewrist]

"You have angel blood but that does not make you angelic," Flick said with a quick shake of his head. "You were -- are -- a menace in high heels."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle smirked. "So, I'm exactly the same as I always was." She had no problem with that. It was great to be a menace, in high heels or otherwise. "You're different, though."

[flickofthewrist]

"Am not," he argued for the sake of arguing. "I'm the same as I've always been."

[seveninchmotto]

"You used to be unhappy," she retorted easily. "You used to be unhappy, and self-destructive, and angry."

[flickofthewrist]

"And?" Flick squeezed her hand and glanced over. "You saying I'm not now?"

[seveninchmotto]

"Yes." She nodded. "You've gone soft."

[flickofthewrist]

"I have not!" Flick protested. "Take it back or you will never see the soft or hard sides of me again."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle laughed. That was how very seriously she was taking his claim.

She shook her head as she led him round a corner onto the street Taki's was on. "But I love all sides of you! And you are definitely softer than you were when we met, Jon. A lot softer."

[flickofthewrist]

"Well, there's not as much shit to worry about now," Flick said, thinking back to the school and his brother and just everything. "Less people want to kill me."

[seveninchmotto]

"And I don't necessarily think you're going to die young anymore."

Sometimes she thought back to the time she hadn't been sure he'd make it to graduation.

[flickofthewrist]

"Let's hope that holds true," Flick said because he remembered her saying that Shadowhunters tended to die fairly young as well. He'd rather not have that happen.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle knew what he was thinking. "Dying a hero's death is still different from dying because you simply don't care enough not to get hurt," she said. They were at the entrance to Taki's, now; she nodded at the bouncer, stepped up to the door so she could hold it open for the both of them. "Still, I don't want you to die, either."

[flickofthewrist]

"I cared about things back then," Flick argued quietly. He just hadn't cared about himself. He'd cared about his brothers and all the people stuck in Mandel Academy. "My priorities were different."

[seveninchmotto]

"I didn't mean you didn't care about things," she replied, as they entered. Taki's was the same as ever. "I meant you didn't care about yourself. It didn't seem to matter whether you got hurt, as long as you did what you had to."

[flickofthewrist]

"Let's stop talking about my past," Flick said, glancing around and taking a breath. "Find us a seat and let's eat."

He grinned at his rhyme.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle had a few thoughts still she could have shared. But, he'd requested not to, so she wouldn't.

Instead, she led him to a booth at the back, nodding at one of the faerie waitresses on the way so she'd come take their orders soon.

[flickofthewrist]

Flick slid into the booth and leaned back, draping an arm over the back. He sighed and glanced around, taking in the very unusual clientele before he looked back at Isabelle and smiled.

[seveninchmotto]

It was the usual unusual crowd. Though not very many people were there, today – the 4th of July wasn't huge in the Shadow World, but many Downworlders had reason to be in mundie crowds during the holiday.

Isabelle took her seat by him and picked up a menu. "Anything in particular you're in the mood for?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Food," Flick said with a smirk. "Other than that, anything. Are you gonna order the same thing you had last time we came here?"

[seveninchmotto]

"Possibly," she said, the menu open on the usual diner part of it. No need for animal blood, thanks. "If it was the smoothie? I'm not sure I remember."

She came here a lot, while he wasn't in town.