The Heat of Music

Before Dies Irae, Illya was just a normal girl of Magnolia. She worked as a waitress at a few inns, taverns, and restaurants, and she worked as a local idol, performing music at the town's many festivals. Then she learned she was a God Slayer, and she left for Fairy Tail. After Fairy Tail failed to be what the young girl had expected, she fled to Dies Irae, somewhere that pledge to rid the world of evil. Despite all of this action, and all of this intensity, Illya felt strangely alone. Commander West's constantly bitter voice left her with a strange feel of isolation in this island of like-minded people. Despite being the girl who had put on a brave face for the sake of others, she felt alone. She had hoped that Emma and William and Sage would provide at least some companionship, but they were often about on their own tasks. And so, it was much the same as back in Magnolia. It was just Illya and Yemaya. Of course, that all changed a week prior. A fellow guildmate, Benny, had taken Illya for a day within the capital of Fiore. And just two days prior, once again, she was asked out for a day of relaxation within Rose Garden, this time by the mysterious new-coming Demon Slayer, Kenzo. She had been one of the first people to greet him upon entering Dies Irae, and she felt that it was likely the case that he wished to thank her for her hospitality. That seemed reasonable enough to Illya, but there was no guarantee that it was the case.

Just as with Benny, Illya had come into Rose Garden a solid time before the appointed time that her and Kenzo were to meet, and she was merely waiting in the town square, plunking away at a summoned harp. As much as she yearned for the life of an idol, she also enjoyed the freedom and liberties that Dies Irae offered her. She could travel the world much more easily than when she was just a normal girl. This allowed her to see the sights and sounds of her homeland much more easily, and to fully bask in the glory of the beauty of Fiore. Crocus had its majestic architecture and the seemingly never-ending shower of cherry blossoms dancing through the skies. Rose Garden had a much more quaint appearance to it. The slow flow of magic emanating from each and every corner of the town, the naturalistic feel of each house, the light hum of nature itself floating in the calming breeze. Wearing a simple pink dress, Illya let the calm, soothing air of Rose Garden and its magical potency fill her spirits, simply becoming one with life. She was a common person in a life before, and now she seemed to have a return to that life of simplicity and ease, able to just be herself in a world where she could finally be happy. She had been so alone for so long, even being let down by the guild of her dreams, and now Dies Irae had proven to be a safe haven from those thoughts of loneliness. Nico, and Benny, and now Kenzo were friends. A wave of calm washed over the former idol's heart as she let her music take her away to another world.

The final notes of Illya's tune floated into the air, each final soft sound fluttering away as if it had the mind to leave this existence. The muffled sounds of reality finally poured into Illya's ears, the world of music having dissipated into dust. A few of the nearby townsfolk thanked Illya for her song, as she embarrassedly bowed, rubbing an absent hand on the back of her neck. This was what she was used to and, if possible, it was a life she wished to continue living. However, it seemed as if fate had a different plan, and she was instead thrust into a world of twists and turns she had so dreaded. However, this was what the world had planned for her, and far be it from the stubborn and willful Illya Pegasus to stand down from a challenge.

Her self-confidence boost was suddenly shattered by the calming and strangely familiar voice of her newest guildmate, Kenzo. His compliment to her was so simple, yet so touching to the soul. She had been complimented on her looks before, that was nothing new. She worked as an idol over the course of the past three years, after all. She was used to men lusting after her, telling her she had a pretty voice and an even prettier face, not to mention all the other men that would compliment her in...other, less wholesome ways. It was an unfortunate consequence, but one she had accepted. That was not even to mention some of the PR stunts her manager had her perform. The two times she was on the swimsuit edition of "Magnolia: Mistresses of Mystery," among other photo shoots were...embarrassing, for sure, but a way to pay rent. But something about this was different. There was a slightly more genuine feel to this compliment, a foreign feel to Illya, but there was the sentimentality of genuineness and the mild taste of truth in his voice.

"O-oh!" Illya said, slightly taken off-guard. "Thanks, Kenzo! I only recently managed to get my stuff from my old home in Magnolia. I lived there for three years by myself. Well, it was me and Yemaya, to tell the truth, but she's not exactly able to provide much in terms of rent pay and all that, but still. I worked around the town for a while, doing stuff like waitressing and innkeeping and modelling and idoling and a bunch of stuff honestly, I had, like, no free-time for myself, but I still owned a house and was barely able to pay rent to the landlady, because she was suuuuuper mean and she kept hiking the prices up on me because she kept saying 'Oh, you can afford it anyways, doll, you're a hard worker.' But I still managed to keep up on my rent pay! Oh, and then one of my bosses told me that I have this magic that I've got now and that I should join Fairy Tail and I did because, I mean, of course I did, I mean I was a little girl in Magnolia, born and raised and lived there my entire life and then I joined and it ended up being a lot worse than I expected then I saw a flier for Dies Irae and how they're all about justice and eliminating dark guilds and all that, so I left Magnolia in a huff and came to Amber Island and...now I'm here!"

She blinked a few times, taking a small breath. "Aaaaand I just realized I basically gave you my life story without any provocation and you probably didn't wanna hear that from me because I mean why would you, you've probably got a waaay more interesting life than I've had because I'm just...well, I was just a normal girl, and you're this," she put on a deep imitation voice, "'Oh I'm this big and tough Demon Slayer that slays demons!' And then you just have...boring old me." She sighed, crossing her arms and pouting as she took a seat on the edge of the fountain she played near. "So! Um...why'd you ask me to hang out at Rose Garden, Kenzo?"

The outright declaration that he had an ulterior motive was, to say the least, a bit worrying to Illya. Generally even her most ravenous fans hit the fact they had ulterior motives with a thin veil of "just being fans." She was, in honesty, bouncing between a feel of worry and a feel of relief. Was it a better thing that he outright said that there was an ulterior motive? Or would she have been better off figuring it out on her own? She hated that this was the immediate feel she had towards it, but her time as an idol trained her to take nothing at face value.

His explanation for his reason and his ulterior motive, at least, did something to dissipate the fears she was holding in her heart for the brief time that she bore a haze over the situation. That said, the prospect of a date was not a foreign concept to her. Oftentimes at her autograph signings, men would ask her out on dates, and it was a weekly occurrence that at least one person would try to propose to her. But there was something different about this. Kenzo did not seem to bear any desire for fame or just a lust for her appearance. There was a genuine feel to his candor. Plus, this would be the first time that there had been a genuine offer from someone with anything more than a middling life of nothingness. Sure, a few high-end CEOs of companies had offered "spots in the lap of luxury," as they would put it, but it was denied each and every time.

"O-oh," she said, taken aback by the proposition. "Can't really say I was expecting something like this from someone as...um...how do I put this? I guess...someone as...stern? Serious? Oh, I dunno what I'm trying to say here!" A flush rushed across her face. "But...I guess this could be a good opportunity to sit back and do some relaxing! Yeah! Dies Irae gets really busy sometimes, y'know? Oh geez, especially with my schedule!" Before she continued speaking, a realization popped into her head. "Oh! Right! The reservation! I...uh...don't wanna pass you up on the opportunity, since you were nice enough to already make a reservation, so I guess I can talk on the way there.

"Right, so, my schedule. I think I've said this a few times in the past, or at least I think I have, but I'm not really all that good with the whole 'magic' thing quite yet. I didn't even know I could use magic until a few weeks back, and apparently Slayer magic is really difficult to come across, so there's only a few people that can really help me get better at that stuff, so...I have to wake up super early for Commander West's training. Okay, well, technically I don't have to, but someone recommended that I probably should, plus it really only feels right if I do such a thing because I don't really wanna be a liability to Dies Irae, but anyways, after training with Commander West, I go and get some food real quick and then, if she's not too busy, I go and get some Slayer training with Commander Sivvy to make sure that I can actually use the most of my abilities, but if she's not available, I try some training on my own, then I usually do a lap or two around Amber Island just so I can stay in tip-top shape! Oh, and if I only run one lap, then I head back to my room and keep on working on my idol stuff in case I ever get back to that job. Oh! That's right! I don't know if I've told you! I used to work as an idol back in Magnolia! I...uh...I might wanna eventually go back to doing that, but Dies Irae is the most important for me! Now, where was I? Oh! Right! After that, usually I go and get some more food since it's like, three in the afternoon at that point. Then I spend like an hour relaxing and all that stuff, but that's, like, the only free time I have, because after that it's back to more training and then I go and work on my instruments and singing or whatever I really feel like, then in for a quick dinner, then back to training and mini-concerts and by then I'm all tired but I still have to do some...uh...other work and then it's already time to sleep and-"

She cut herself off, realizing she had been talking for a while. "Ohmygosh! I'm soooo sorry! I kept talking more and more and more without letting you say anything? So how about you? What do you usually do for your day?"

Kenzo explaining his own routine was certainly a relief for Illya. She very much enjoyed learning about other people, whether that just be a fan or customer she sees once and then never again or someone with whom she would become a fellow comrade-in-arms with. It was oddly calming to the odd girl to be able to have at least somewhat of a semblance of other people leading normal lives. "Geez, that sounds like a lot of studying! I mean, you probably got a bunch of training from that...uh...demon you lived in a cave with, so I guess you don't really have much need for training, do ya? Oh well. Guess that's just where you and me differ. You're probably, like, really good with magic, and I'm just here, barely learning how to use a single spell." Her voice quietened down. "I don't really know if this whole 'magic' life is for me, but..."

She abruptly slapped her cheeks, mentally telling herself to stay calm. "Right! This is supposed to just be a relaxing time with a fellow friend, right?" She gave a smile as Kenzo introduced the restaurant. The name was slightly familiar: Jardin d'Oliviers. One of her former managers worked here in the past, if she recalled correctly. It was far from casual, yet not entirely fanciful either. Still, what it made up for in a lack of commitment to chain business or fancy, fine dining, it made up for with the presence that it had in the undeniably beautiful locale that was Rose Garden. "Thank you, Kenzo." Illya said with a smile as they entered the restaurant. As they were taken to their seats, Illya examined the room around her. There was a mix of both people bearing suits and ties as well as nothing more fancy that khakis and a polo. Was she dressed for the occasion? Was she too fancy? Too formal? Too casual? She took a deep breath to rid herself of those thoughts, subconsciously humming a tune to herself as she emptied her mind.

Somehow, upon reaching their tables on an outside patio, the weather seemed to shift ever more perfectly, likely as a result of some magical meddling from the shop owners. Illya took her seat as the menu was set down.

"It's so weird for me to come to a place like this, y'know?" she said, speaking to Kenzo yet simultaneously speaking to herself. "I mean...who'd've thunk that the little, immature girl with no knowledge on anything would end up here? I...I wanted to just be a normal girl. I mean, like everyone who lived in Magnolia, I wanted to join Fairy Tail, but...I wasn't imagining much from it. Now...I'm working for a group of vigilantes as a...God Slayer, was it?" She let out a slight laugh, leaving from her seat for a moment to hang over the railing and whistle to herself, completely immersing herself in her own world and forgetting about everything in her mind.

Illya being comforted by anyone other than the ever-fickle Yemaya was a strange thing to experience. She had always tried keeping a calm, smiling face in the face of all adversity, yet for some reason she seemed to let her guard down around Kenzo. She could not even fathom to guess a reason as to why this was the case. They were not too similar, were they? Kenzo knew how to use his magic - he had been training for years! - and Illya was some newbie pretending to be competent with her skills. Perhaps it was the kind words he said, but even then it was strange for Illya to comprehend.

"Thanks, Kenzo!" she said, turning her head and giving a smile. "But I should probably stop being all mopey and all that. After all, you invited me here and it wouldn't be all too gracious to make everything all sad, right?"

She twisted on her heel as she took her seat, checking out the menu. "Ooh! There's so much that I haven't been able to have! My managers never let me go out to eat anywhere, and I could never afford to go anywhere on my free time, because instruments are really expensive. Well, at least the ones I use are expensive." She shrugged, still scanning over the menu. "Although, speaking of, are you going to be paying for this all? 'Cuz I think I might indulge myself a little." A smile flashed across her face. "I've been seeing about getting a bit of a higher rank within Dies Irae. I mean, I'm still far from a good magic user, but certainly my talents can be of use, right? I've submitted my application to Commander West, and she's bringing it through to the Ambassadors I think, so I'm a bit nervous but also a bit excited, so...yeah I'm a biiiiiit hungry at the moment."

By the time the waiter came by, Illya still had not decided what she wanted to eat, so she merely settled for ordering one of their "specialty drinks:" a cocktail with some extra magic-imbued 'punch,' whatever that meant. "Though...I'm surprised that you still invited me after...that." Illya said as the waiter left. "I mean...you didn't seem all too happy after everything with Silk on our job. It's not really something I wanted people to know about, but...it's not something I'm going to just let sit and stagnate. He was a dark guild member. He deserved what he got. So I'm not going to apologize for it. Just...uh...thought I'd let you know." She smiled once more, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands.

It came as somewhat of a surprise, though mostly a relief to Illya that Kenzo seemed remarkably fine with the entire incident involving Silk. He was visibly upset in the moment, but now he seemed to have accepted it. "Of course I can respect that about you! I was honestly was a bit worried that I'd drive out one of the few people that's okay with me, but I'm sooo glad it's not that way!~~" She giggled slightly. Of course, at this point in time, it had been some time since the job, yet Illya could still remember it. Finally being able to show off her magical prowess, the satisfaction of catching a criminal, the lovely feel of exacting the vengeance of so many innocent people on him...

"Let's just get off that topic, huh? Sorry I brought it up, just was a bit...uncomfortable that someone saw that. Uh...what exactly do you do at something like this? Might sound a bit weird, since I've had all too many guys trying to ask me out for meals and I've always been busy so I've never been able to really go out and hang out with someone by myself without it being for business or signing up to be in a concert or something like that, but...uh...wait, where was I going with this? Well, anyways, I don't really have all too much experience with these kinds of one-on-one interactions, so I don't really know what to all do in a situation like this and whatnot, but...um..."

Her voice trailed off and she giggled slightly. "Honestly, it's kinda good to just...unwind. I've pretty much been busy-busy-busy for the past...well, honestly all of the past three years. If I wasn't waitressing, I was working at an inn, and if neither of those I was working dozens of other odd jobs, and when I was off of work I would be practicing for my idol work or other instrument stuff and then every so often I would have, y'know, stuff for idoling, whether it's a concert or a publicity thing or honestly whatever, then turns out I can use magic so now, instead of the waitressing and inn work and odd jobs, it's a bunch of physical training and it's exhausting and all that, so I guess I just...really like being able to just sit down and relax for once. So...uh...thanks for that!~~"

Channeling her inner idol, she gave a coy, playful wink, slightly sticking her tongue out in a teasing way. She returned to looking at her menu, a slight feel of smugness sitting in the back of her skull. The life of an idol strangely fit Illya. She was confident in her looks, even when returning to her life outside of idoling, but she knew how to fully embrace it if she felt it necessary. Her fans back in Magnolia adored her, especially when she teased as such. Even though it was simply Illya warping into her persona as the idol Magic☆Heart, there was a solemn sense of genuineness to it. Something about Kenzo made Illya act more natural. Perhaps it was that he had seen her as the vicious killer of dark guilds...

Illya shrugged, humming to herself lightly. She was enjoying her own headspace, for once in her life. She enjoyed letting her ears absorb the sounds of everything nearby. The elderly couple on their anniversary ordering the same meals, the little kids playing in the petals on the other half of town...Illya always found it oddly soothing to just take a time to tune out and listen to the world bustling around her.

"Ugh...there's so much good looking food here!" she blurted out, just as the waiter came by and asked if they were ready to order. "I think so! And I also think I'm gonna indulge myself a little if you're paying, Kenzo!" She flashed another coy wink at him. "Right, so, I'm gonna start off with a seafood parmigiana and a chicken alfredo, both with the extra soups. Ooh! And, if you guys have it, can I get another shrimp alfredo with dragon scale sprinklings on top?"

She flashed a smile as she handed her menu over, and, after Kenzo ordered, Illya had already thought of something new to do. "Right! So some of my bosses and my manager always said that a great way to get to know people quick and easy is to try to read them just off of their appearances, so how about we try something like that? I'll start with...you!"

She leaned forwards on the table, trying to examine Kenzo, no matter how strange it looked. Illya looked strange anyways, right? "Alright! I think I got something, though it might be a bit cheating since I already know you a bit buuuuuut I'm gonna try to remove all of my former biases towards what I know! Right! So, obviously you're pretty well-dressed, though it doesn't really seem like it's for the idea of showing off a bunch of wealth, but rather it's to try to make an impression of yourself and show off an air of classiness. Of course, that classiness is almost...betrayed, I guess? Eh, it's fine, dunno how to really say it, but there's some obvious muscles there, which signifies a care about physical appearance, though not to the point of really gloating about it. Like, you're strong, sure, but you don't really wanna show that off to the world because it feels a bit fake, right? I mean, if you look at the clothes, while they're certainly nice, there's some trickery to it. They look fancy but aren't too much, if that makes sense? Anyways, while the clothing certainly are effective at giving an insight, there's also the matter of face and mannerisms! And both of them give off this 'Ooh look at me I'm so tough' vibe!" At her saying this, she poorly made an attempt to mimic his voice. "But even with that toughness there's this sorta feeling like it's a gentle toughness. Keeps good manners, if they fight, they fight with honor, and they really hold themselves in high regard."

She flashed a smile. "How'd you think I do? Oh, right, and if you wanna you can try to do the same thing for me. I might not quite be as easy to read as you though!~~" Instinctively from her time as an idol, she quickly flared her hands into the shape of a heart, though she quickly caught on to this. "W-wait, wait wait wait wait wait wait waaaaaaaaait! I didn't mean it like that we're just friends, it's just that..." She took a deep breath before listing out a series of words almost too quick to comprehend. "I just get so used to doing things from back when I was an idol and a bunch of my fans really loved when I would do that and so my managers told me to do that more!"

Date. For some reason, it had not quite sunk into Illya's mind that this is what this was, in all technicality. She had just thought this was a moment to get to know a fellow guildmate and-

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!!! I-I didn't know that this supposed to be a date! I just...I thought...but..." Her face went extremely flush, redder than a tomato. "I mean it's not like I don't like you or anything, but it's just...I dunno...I kinda still wanna see what my options are, especially 'cuz this would be the first time that I'd be getting into a relationship, or at least a real one. I mean, there was that time two years back when I was first starting to idol when my managers said that I should pretend to date some other up-and-coming idol or boy band leader or something like that, but that was just for the on-screen stuff! I...we...we never even held hands or...or went on dates and..."

Suddenly she felt a burst of confidence and strangely bubbling rage, throwing a slap across the table into his face. She pouted and turned away. "I-It's your fault for getting slapped, okay!"

She sighed, regaining her composure before beginning her assessment game. Waiting for Kenzo's reaction to her own assessment filled her with a bit of pride, if she was to be honest. Hearing how accurate she was gave her somewhat of a swelled head, but she quickly and quietly banished those thoughts with a satisfied harrumph. She was, honestly, curious as to how Kenzo would assess her appearance.

It seemed like, just as Illya had done, there was a bit of cheating due to the prior knowledge. As he finished his much more curt and watered-down assessment, it was Illya's turn to respond. "I dunno, maybe you're actually right, but it feels a biiiit like cheating if you already know them, but I guess that's a bit of my fault, huh? Aaanyways, guess I was right about something, huh? Told ya I'd be a bit harder to read." She coyly winked. "Honestly, that whole 'haunted by a terrible and scaaaaary past'" she made a mocking voice at those words. "thing kinda isn't too much true. I don't honestly know what happened in my past. All I know is what the weird note told me and the past three years. I mean, yeah, I try to distract my audience, that's what an idol does! That's why I don't just sit back behind in a studio and record a bunch of songs and singing stuff, but instead I go out and about in the world and let people see what I am, which is something for their entertainment. Don't get me wrong, put like that, it sounds kiiiiiiiinda sleazy, but I love it! Honestly, my mannerisms aren't really affected by anything. Well, usually at least. I mean sometimes I'll act a bit...flirty, I guess? because that's what the fans like. The more fans you have, the more fame you get, and the more fame, and then you can go and live your life as peacefully as you want! I mean, yeah the money's cool, and I can use it to buy instruments, but honestly I just do the job mostly because I love it and I want to have fun with my career, so if I gotta cheat a bit with my personality, oh well!"

She hummed to herself softly, but there was an obvious confidence in it. "Told ya I'm a hard one to read, huh? I always like playing this game, because usually I do pretty well with my own assessments and it's fun seeing how other people think of me. Maybe it's 'cuz you already know me a bit, but this one was definitely one of the more unique ones." She twirled her finger around the lip of her cocktail glass, a mild sense of lightheadedness flushing over her consciousness as she attempted to match the pitch of the hum. "Probably the most unique, I gotta say. I've gotten all sorts of ranges. One guy thought I flunked out of grade school, which is why I turned to idoling and, as he put it..." She prepared to make the most obnoxious, nerdy voice possible. "'You're just some feeeeeemmmaaaalllle that wants to take advantage of good men like me who so graaaaaaaciously fund your slutty ways!'" She burst out laughing at remembering the larger man with the unkempt facial hair and the stupid hat. "That was one of the more...interesting ones. Then there was the other guy, really scrawny dude, who said something like-" Once more, a mocking voice. "'Y-You're the g-greatest, m-most wonderful woman in the entire world! I-I bet you'd b-be a great wife!'" She smirked at that one. It was not as fun to make fun of that one, since it was not as outlandish as the other. "Most of them were like 'I dunno you're probably normal, just like everyone else, just a little bit quirky.' But sometimes you get those outlandish ones. One asked if I was a 'freak in bed.' Ha! I dunno what that even means. But yeah, this is definitely a bit more fun. Just two friends from the same guild chilling out and having a tasty meal together. We should do this more often."

She flashed a smile at Kenzo, not even knowing herself whether it was a real smile or a fake one.

Illya laid her head down on the table, still waiting for the food. Somehow it simultaneously felt like an eternity and yet no time at all. Her head was spinning and her heart was pounding, but she was not sure if it was because of the drink or the strange attitude Kenzo was having. Heat pushed to her face, bubbling and bubbling, her face likely becoming a similar pink to her hair.  Kenzo was acting weird, right? Or was it just her? She downed some more of her drink. "This is some really tasty stuff, gotta say. You should try some, Kenzo! J-just not from my glass. That'd be weird. And unsanitary. Plus I'm gonna need a refill. Soooooooooo glad you're paying for all of this, huh?" She giggled, purposefully raising the end of her laugh's pitch to give off a cuter vibe. ”Heya! Can one of you looooooovely guys care to get me another one-a these? It was a... uh..... one of them speeeeecialty drinks, yeeeaahh? The ones with the magic-imbued punch or whatever.” She dangled the cup in front of her face as a waiter came by. ”Ooooh you’re suuuuch a doll! Oh, and can ya get one for my good buddy here? Just, like, put it on the bill. He’s payin for it anyways, so I might as well treat him!” She giggled, giving the waiter a slightly flirty wink.

In honesty, Illya felt as if she had lost control of what she was doing. She knew the drink was alcoholic. She tasted it from the very first sip, but she disregarded the consequences and continued to drink. It seemed as though her body was not one meant for alcohol. All of the music training likely did not help, but the primary factor was the idol training she always did. All the moving around gave her a fast metabolism, so the thin girl had less weight to get drunk on. It was an interesting experiment she had undertaken. How would she react to alcohol? Well, apparently the answer was an extreme version of her idol persona. She saw everyone in the entire restaurant even close to her age as a potential fling, it seemed. From the attractive, blond waiter who delivered the drinks, to that cute hostess with the tight-fitting dress, to the man sitting across the table from her. Why was everyone in Fiore so hot?

She passed the extra drink to Kenzo. ”C’mooooonnn, K! Drink up! It tastes really, really good! Like... uh... I dunno, some kinda fruity thing or whatever. Doesn’t matter!” She took a swig from the cocktail glass, disregarding the proper etiquette. She was just enjoying life right now. ”When... when’s the food gonna get here? I’m really hungry. Ooh, maybe they have like chips or breadsticks or...” She gasped. ”Oh my god, what if they have garlic bread? Ooh, I just gotta indulge! I don’t get opportunities like this often! Oh, but I guess we should toast! To two God Slayers!” She attempted to toast, not getting the glass far enough before returning it for another drink. She set the glass, as well as the side of her head, on the table, sighing. She looked up with a mischievous grin and a completely red face, a band of bright pink laying itself across her cheeks and nose. She was certainly enjoying her time, at the very least.

When the next round of drinks came by, Illya was prepared to take another swig of her own drink when Kenzo grabbed the glass and set it ablaze, removing all of the tasty fruit juice inside. "Whaaaaat?" Illya cried, reaching out for the drink glass and seeing it empty. "Why would you do that? C'moonnn I'm just trying to sit back and relax!" A light flashed on in her mind. "Ooooh, I know what'll get you to let me keep having a bit of fun~~" She leaned over the table and quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, returning to her seat and calling for yet another drink. "You're the one that asked for this to be a date, riiight? Isn't it a bit rude to ask someone on a date and then not indulge them?" She giggled. "It's completely harmless, Kenzo-chan~~! She put as much cutesy emphasis on the -chan as possible. Her managers back when she was idoling always told her to try to be as cutesy as possible, and when she did, it always worked. Of course, there was always a first time for everything, but Kenzo seemed attracted to her, so going the extra mile and delivering a quick kiss on the cheek had to have helped, right.

"Pluuuusss I don't think you have any right to order me around, Kenzo-chan~~. I'm higher rank than you, after all!" she giggled. "Waaiiiitteer! Don't listen to him, he's just being a lame-o! C'mon, you can give me some more of those! They're really tasty, y'know?" She flashed a smile. "I miiiigghhht even give you a liiiittle somethin' special if you do!" She giggled as the waiter walked away. She turned to Kenzo again. "Y'know...I dunno why I'm saying this, but you're actually kiinnndaa cute, y'know? Maybe I could tell you a biiiit more about it if you let me have some more of those drinks?" She fluttered her eyelashes in an attempt to look as cutesy as possible.

Illya pouted at Kenzo's retort. He was not playing along, and that slightly frustrated the pink-haired beauty. "Aww c'mon, Kenzo. You're the one that asked me here, riiiiiiiiight?" She smirked, taking off the sweater she had on, leaving her with just the thin pink dress she had underneath. She leaned back in her chair, singing to herself lightly in an attempt to ward away the tipsiness. Though there was yet a lightheadedness, Illya had enough of her wits to think rationally. "You're a bit smarter than I thought. W-with people, that is! I-I knew you were smart, it just seemed like you were really bad with people and it kinda surprised me that you-" She slapped her cheeks. "Anyways, as I was saying, you surprised me a bit there. I admit that I don't really act the smartest, but I'm pretty smart myself. This brain doesn't just hold words and music, Kenzo-chan~~. I'm good at reading people. All of my jobs had to do with that, and I'm good at not getting duped out of my tips. I mean, this isn't really exactly the same, since it's not a tip and instead it's a meal that you're already paying for, so it's whatever, but that's just getting sidetracked. It's definitely a bit more difficult if you're not falling for my cuteness, but... maybe I can offer more? Of course, if I were to do that, I'd need more on the table than just alcohol. I'm sure we could come to an arrangement. After all, I do recall you did say you think I'm lovely, and I'd be happy to oblige for someone as strong as you."

She giggled, rocking forwards in her chair, to set her elbows down on the table. The food was soon to be on its way. She had heard the chefs call the order out some few minutes ago. "But considering how 'honorable' you are, I guess that probably won't work, huh?" She smirked, leaning forwards slightly to expose the cut of her dress to the man sitting across from her. "So I guess I'll play your little game. If you think of this like chess, you'd probably think you have me in check, huh?" A glint of focus flashed in her eyes. She did not like having to focus. It was draining and boring, but she felt a strange stimulation from Kenzo. "Well, I'm definitely not in the best position, huh? I don't think this is anywhere near check, though. I've got a lot more up my sleeve than you might realize. One of the first rules that my managers and trainers taught me was to make sure that you always keep something hidden, and they wanted to make sure that I seemed as aloof and dumb as possible. I'm a pretty convincing actor, huh? Although, to be honest, a lot of the time it's not really acting, I mean I've been trying to keep the same personality for, like, three years, so it's kinda become the norm but I'm honestly not that dumb. Though, I suppose my idol nature makes me act dumb some times and-" She shook her head. "Sorry, getting sidetracked again. We're playing a game, and I gotta focus on the game. I kinda hope that you noticed that I'm a bit more than meets the eye from our first little game that we played, but I think now I gotta get into serious mode, Kenzo. You know how good my hearing is, and I can hear some...interesting things in there. You said earlier how you've killed people with your demon mentor guy, right? Well...something tells me that's not the only time. I certainly heard some interesting things in that little mind of yours. Don't worry, I don't usually dig into people's minds. Just people I find interesting. But if I were to, say, put a criminal case against you, well..."

She gave a devilish smirk as the food finally arrived. Everything she and Kenzo had ordered, splayed out before them as Illya quickly began to dig in to her seafood parmigiana, enjoying each bite of it. "Oh, yeah, we should probably drop the subject. I stillll want some more drinks, though." She called aside a waiter. "You mind getting me some more of those lovely cocktails? You wouldn't wanna turn down a poor, parched girl like me, would you?" She stretched as she said this, trying to use the most of her looks to her advantage as the waiter left. Illya smiled at Kenzo. "Oh, don't quite know what your thought was, buuuuut I guess you can get away with this not being guild business." She shuddered. "I'd hate to see Commander West's reactions to some of the things we've talked about if it were on guild business. She'd probably make me recite phrases again or run laps or..." She shivered once more as she continued to eat.

The rumblings that suddenly burst into the surrounding area shocked Illya, who was already halfway through her first entree. Kenzo spoke on his past ever so briefly, the death of his first love, and atonement. "So... that wasn't just a nightmare, huh?" A grim tone came to Illya's voice. "I... I had hoped it was just a nightmare. Some false memory. I... I don't really know what to say. To think, the first man I ever truly liked was some... some filthy, disgusting, scum of the earth criminal. I..." she sighed. "You're unlike any criminal I've ever met, Kenzo. Every single one of them has been reprehensible swine that have deserved to die. Every. Last. One of them. But you?" She fidgeted. "Dammit! Why are you making this difficult!" She tossed down her chopsticks in frustration.

Finally, a realization came to her head. She noticed Kenzo's eyes closed in a quiet reverence, or... well, something like that. She knew what she had to do. Her fist clenched, she reached over the table and...

...she flicked him in the forehead and smiled as cutsily as possible. "I think I know why you seem different from the rest of the criminal scum. I don't really know what happened, since I wasn't really there, but...from what it sounds like, her death was an accident, right?" She reclined back in her chair and took a spoonful of soup. "I...I still can't forgive murder, especially by those you should trust. Loves, family, friends...murder of those people is the worst thing possible. But..." She finished off the rest of her first plate of food, wolfing it down like a beast that had not eaten in weeks before defiantly crossing her arms and looking away. "I'm making an exception for you because you know the worst of me, too. You're forgiven just this once, got it? Do any more crime-y things and I'm not gonna hesitate." She cracked a smile, unable to keep her serious nature. "Plus, you're cute as well." She turned to her soup once more. "Fine. We'll keep this date going on. No more being sad, 'kay?" She winked, leaning forwards slightly to continue her attempts to woo him to working for her with her looks, despite likely knowing it would not work. "Waiiiiiiiiiiterrrrrrrrr, two more drinks!"