Jia Li Adlar’s dark brows smoothed slightly, and she almost smiled, but she didn’t. The corners of her lips didn’t even flinch. Smiling at his PETA remark would only encourage him, and she wasn’t the sort to condone the terrorizing of any living thing.
Then he began spouting off about the squirrel and an emperor, and she was really confused until she heard the word “Jedi.” Of course… he was making Star Wars references. She had only seen the first three of those made. She’d heard such terrible things about the next three to be made that it didn’t seem worth it to watch them when she had only liked the original ones a little.
Then her stomach began to feel uneasy. Damn it… This was why she didn’t eat meat. She shouldn’t have had that chicken. She should have gone with the vegetable stir fry. Meat just didn’t agree with her. Note to self… don’t eat any more meat for a decade… She thought miserably. Having this guy spout movie references at her, mocking her, really didn’t help the situation.
A guy like this who would throw lightning at small animals was unstable. He could hurt her next, and he would probably laugh maniacally while doing it. Maybe if she appeared strong enough to hold her own, he wouldn’t take pleasure in hurting her? His story wasn’t very amusing regardless. “Fear can be psychologically damaging to any creature. I’m sure even you have to have been afraid at some point. It’s not a very pleasant experience. Maybe your fear is what motivates you to frighten small creatures, to bring them to your level?” Her voice was unforgiving just as her eyes were.
Then he began talking about a power he couldn’t control, how he had to let it out. As he spoke, he actually did look kind of scared, but Jia Li suspected it was false. Maybe it was just a hope that it was false? As he walked toward her, his voice began rising as if in preparation for something that was building. The air didn’t feel any differently, though. Wouldn’t there be an electrical charge before the lightning let loose?
She realized she really didn’t know, and that frightened her. Her heart began to pound harder, but she stayed her ground. Would he really hurt a stranger? How could she even ask herself that? If he wouldn’t hesitate to terrify a squirrel, he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to her. The dryad really wasn’t the trusting sort. She had been hurt in the past, and she wouldn’t let it happen again.
When he shouted and jerked forward, she leapt to the side, her glare diminished by a shocked look. However, there was nothing, and now this stranger was laughing at her. Jia Li’s cheeks turned rosy as heat flushed them. What he had done was just a joke for his amusement. “Har, har.” She growled sarcastically.
“Right… When rabid squirrels jump at you from the tree tops, you’ll know they have decent memories.” Okay, yes. That was a joke, and her voice was almost a little softer, but she was still angry with him. He was clearly a complete asshole. There was no other way around it. He had even called her “Sugar Thighs?” Who called another person something like that?
“You’re right. Animals aren’t people. Our mentalities are what set us apart from them. You say animals aren’t people, so I should expect them to do humanoid things, yet you think you have free reign to mistreat small animals because it occurs in nature. I guess that makes you a hypocrite?” Her glare broke, and a sardonic smile fell over her lips.