Chapter Text
- Come on, Pomni, open up. – A very tired-looking redhead was banging on a wooden door. She was dressed quite elegantly in a simple black dress which complimented her figure quite well. Her fiery hair was up in a bun, barely tamed by the woman but smartly styled. Said woman was starting to get pissed off at her friend. They had to leave now, or not at all with how late they'd show up. They couldn't even catch a cab because of course it was Friday night. She was about to bang on the door a second time until it screeched open and Pomni was standing there in all her 5’4 glory.
- I told you. – she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm the headache starting to form. – You didn’t have to wait for me. I was held up at work and I was gonna be late regardless. It wasn’t necessary to drag you down with me Ragatha. Plus, I have it all… – She looked even smaller, swallowed by a suit that almost fit her, ashamed. Ragatha didn’t want to be the cause of that state, so she quickly intervened, drowning out whatever Pomni was going to say.
- No, no, it’s fine, I didn’t mean to sound frustrated. – Ragatha reached for her elbow and looked into her eyes. – I wanted to wait for you. – She gave a reassuring squeeze before taking the other by the hand. – Better to show up late together than leave you all alone anyway! Come on, let’s catch a ride if we can! – And so they sprinted down the stairs.
It was their monthly indulgence night. Their friend group would pick a fancy restaurant, order outrageously overpriced cocktails, and end the evening at some random fast-food chain. A “slice of life,” as Gangle would call it - a moment to take their minds off everything. It was traditions like these that made the woman truly appreciate her job. Connecting with humans on such an intimate level truly made her feel alive. Immortal beings often forgot the worth of simple pleasures, and the chaotic circus that was her friend group never failed to remind her.
They left the apartment building in a hurry. Ragatha tried calling for a taxi through several apps, but no one wanted to take their order, which made sense but didnt't stop her from getting frustrated. She really didn’t want to have to walk in heels all the way to the other side of town. She tried flagging a few down but got flipped off by angry people in the passenger seats - which, like, rude, have some manners - until a black BMW turned the corner. She couldn’t see through the blacked-out front window (wasn’t that illegal), but the driver obviously noticed her and started honking, coming to a sudden stop right in front of the redhead. What a creep! She wasn’t gonna ride with someone who had the audacity to catcall two women like that. However what she was gonna do was give him a piece of her mind. When she was about to knock on the window, it started rolling down, exposing an all-too-familiar face. Her words died in her throat as a lump started to form, and an expression of bewilderment took place upon her pretty face. The signature smug smile, yellow eyes, and purple locks. It was HIM. God, why was it him? No, like, seriously, God, why was it him? she asked internally. Anyone - Hell could’ve sent anyone, alas HE was here.
- So, what can I do for you dolls? – That devilish grin on his stupid face, Ragatha so desperately wanted to wipe off.
- Oh, Jax, hello, thanks, you’re a lifesaver. – Pomni said, gently pushing Ragatha away from the door so she could take the seat next to him.
Ragatha was standing there confused and deeply aggravated.
- Ragatha, this is my new colleague Jax. He transferred to my department around a week ago. I called on him because I knew I’d need a ride to get there, if you had left earlier, besides he needs to meet new people, so why not? – When she saw the look Ragatha was shooting her, she stuttered out – Right? Plus, we need this, you don’t want to be late? – Pomni pleaded with her big brown eyes, and Ragatha really couldn’t say no even if she truly wanted to.
- Yeah, come on, Raggs, I can call you that, right? You wouldn’t want to disappoint your friends and show up last. – He mocked her. He had the absolute audacity to make fun of her when she was standing right there.
- Please refrain from referring to me in such a way. – She climbed into the backseat of the car and extended her hand toward Jax. – Delightful to meet you. Jack, was it? – She tried imitating his condescending expression as they shook hands.
- Whatever you want it to be, dollface. – He did an over-exaggerated wink before turning back to the wheel.
She sat back down with a sigh and started admiring the vehicle. It was a luxury car, obviously - a leather-salon jeep. It probably cost a person’s yearly salary and a bit more on top. God, he made her sick. But she had to put on the million-dollar smile and smile her way through this mess too.
She smoothed out her hair and decided now was a good time to focus on something else. There was no reason to dread Jax when he was already here. So Ragatha settled on refreshing her lipstick. If she was on the verge of an emotional crisis (which she wasn’t), she would make sure she looked good. She took out a little hand mirror and a cherry-colored balm, making the mistake of lifting her head, momentarily locking eyes with the demon looking at her through the rearview mirror. She scoffed and went back to carefully applying the lipstick. Unfortunately for her, that’s when the car came to a sudden halt and she was slammed into the back of Pomni’s seat. The woman gasped and turned around to see if Ragatha was okay, while Jax took one good look at the redhead, who had a line trailing from the corner of her lip to her ear, and started cackling.
- Yeah, yeah, sorry, Doll. The light turned red at the last moment, I had to stop. Rules are rules. – He shrugged, turning back to the wheel, practically painting a picture of innocence as he started the car again. Her eye twitched. She was going to tear him limb from limb. Pomni passed her a napkin with an apologetic look, mouthing just a bit more. Oh, if only she knew it wouldn’t be just a bit. This was a tiny personal hell forming for her, and Pomni didn’t even know the half of it.
The rest of the car ride was as peaceful as it could get with him there, throwing an occasional backhanded compliment or remark at her while maintatining a somewhat civil persona with Pomni. They chattered about work. Her new “colleague” - what a load of bull that was. She had to remind herself that not too long ago she had introduced herself as Pomni’s new “roommate.” A small smile plastered itself on the redhead’s face while fondly recalling the memory of how they’d met. It was Pomni’s last year of university, and she was starting to question if she even wanted to be an accountant. So extremely sleep-deprived and violently caffeinated, with no will to live left, the girl had opened the door to sunshine on legs, and the rest was history - or so she thought. But if Jax was here, that meant she wasn’t doing the stellar job she prided herself on.
Well, no. This was no time to mope. She just had to put in 150% effort. If that’s all it took, she would gladly do it. For Pomni. Yeah, she had to. And there was no way he could get to the other so fast - she had some time to devise a plan, a strategy, a way to drive the man as far away as possible. Yeah, she was chill. She had just managed to calm the storm brewing in her mind till she heard it. A laugh. She turned in an almost comical way toward the sound, perpetual fear and anguish settling on her face as she observed the woman in the front seat, who was sheepishly laughing at whatever sweet nonsense Jax had just said. Well… maybe nothing would be fine.