Today was a very busy day at the Marislea. Though at the current moment the Mahjong table was empty and the Young Master had actually stepped away from the casino. This meant that his devious Djinn was left to bartend without supervision though he had been reassured that they could handle any mischief she would cause while he was away.

Jala stood with her back to the bar as she washed up some of the dishes. She looked radiant as always deciding on a pleasant yellow for her clothing. It shined brightly against the depth of color her dark skin had. Her long ash hair was in a stunning long braid with yellow flowers throughout and baby’s breath to accent the braids and flowers. She was humming lightly which was a good sign as that meant she was preoccupied and not causing trouble.

That was when he strolled into the casino. He had midnight waves down to his mid-back and dark blue eyes. He was Abedian much like Jala herself. He woke an open shirt and djinn pants. Gold anklets were at his feet and they matched the gold tattoos on the left side of his body. He instantly attracted the room’s eyes but his were squarely on Jala. He approached the bar and he could see the shiver go up Jaladhija’s back.

“Can I help you? Maybe a drink? Or food?? Or a kick in the ass?” Jaladhija turned her head to the Djinn.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you Jaladhija,” he spoke with an excited tone. “You had just vanished and I was so wo–” he tried to speak to her and was met with the towel she had been drying with hitting him square in the face. Her regular winced a bit as he slid his stool over a bit.

“Jala~ Can I have a refill before you continue? I feel like I’ll need it,” he spoke up as Jala moved but didn’t take her eyes off the visitor.

“Have I done something Jala?” The man was clueless as she made the regular’s drink and proceeded to chuck a glass at the man’s forehead.

As the Young Master was returning one of the game masters ran over to him. “I don’t know what’s going on but you might need to save someone! Jala is out of her mind!” That was when the Abedian screaming started and it was coming from the normally pleasant genie.

It was a rare moment for him to not be at his table in the riverboat casino, but Fuxing had his eyes on a trinket he had seen in the marketplace for the last week. Although he gave Jala freedom to do as she pleased (most of the time), the young man still stubbornly resisted when the djinn called him her master. As she was his elder, it left him conflicted when he had to rein in whatever shenanigans she had pulled while he wasn't looking. It was true she had caused him trouble to no end, however he wanted to be able to indulge her on his own terms for once. And that was where the coral hairpin came into place. In one of the import shops where the greatest amount of traffic from tourists gathered, it had caught his eye as he was passing it on his way to the Marsilea. It was a delicate and exquisite piece of jewelry, the pink blush of the coral pin being a perfect complement to her eyes. Set in the flowering whorls of the pin's body were immaculate, white pearls and teardrops of crystal. If she had her hair loose with only the locks by her ears pulled back and fastened by it, it would rival the stars set against the Ignius night sky. 

He asked the owner of the shop to place a hold on the item, as he intended to purchase it sometime at the end of this week. With that reservation made, Fuxing returned to the Marsilea only to be met by Orrin, the casino's resident card dealer. The man's eyes were frantic and he very urgently pulled him aside. "Bad news for you, mate. Someone's come in to see Jala. And this time I don't think it's going to end like the other ones–" Before he could finish, Orrin was cut off by a shriek followed by the sound of glass being smashed against the floor. Both Orrin and Fuxing looked on in terror as the normally flirtatious and composed djinn had just hurled another shot glass at the Abedian stranger's head. The patrons and game masters all winced as the glass shattered and screams in Abedian rang in their ears. Giving his fellow dealer a push, Orrin sent the young master into the maelstrom while he stayed back at a safe distance. 

The scene before him left Fuxing dumbfounded, even fearful. Even when they had confronted the horrors of her past, not once did Jaladhija ever rouse herself into a fury such as this. He had never seen her so enraged, so furious at anyone. But even the calmest of waters could turn tempestuous and boil over. Steeling himself, he took in a deep breath before raising his voice to intervene. "Jala, stop! What is going on here?" He eyed the man, glaring daggers at him before returning to his look of concern at what could have possibly made her so angered beyond words. The Karithian young man gripped his folded fan tightly as an uneasy tension hung in the air. 

Nishanth had never been rejected by anyone like he was by Jaladhija in that moment. “Please, Jala stop! LET ME GET A WORD IN!” He shouted back at her but glass after glass the now angry female Djinn was throwing. Her aim was on the mark and if it wasn’t the glass almost bounced and smacked him anyways.

When Jala realized that she was out of glasses she was frantically looking for the next thing to throw. Her regular quickly drank down his drink and offered up his glass. She took it, glared at the unwelcomed male Djinn, and pelted it at him.

Her chest was heaving by the time Fuxing came to stop her. “YOUUU,” Jala seethed out of her mouth. “YOU ARE UNWELCOMED IN MY PRESENCE!”

Nishanth reeled back and looked hurt almost, “Jala, please. This has to be a misunderstanding!”

“NO! YOU STOOD ME UP! YOU ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE! I SPENT FIVE HOURS BRUSHING MY HAIR FOR YOU! I MISSED VIHAAN FIRST STEPS FOR YOU!” Jala found a bottle of alcohol riled the contains and sprayed it in the male Djinn’s face. “I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear you. I don’t even want to know you are alive!”

“JALA! It was a misunderstanding!” Nishanth had his hands out in front of him as his face was in a shocked look.

“A misunderstanding?! YOU STUPID FOOL! I KNOW YOU WENT TO GO ON A DATE WITH NIMMI! I AM NO SECOND PLACE!” She screeched as she once more sprayed the man with the alcohol.

If there was one thing that he understood, it was that this stranger had shamed Jaladhija by failing to meet with her as he had promised. To make matters worse, it was due to seeing another woman too. The young master's disdain towards this man was now immeasurable, especially since he had shown such blatant disrespect to Jala. "Unforgivable!" He uttered, his tone that of a noble in the presence of injustice. While the froth of champagne splattered the floor, the tell-tale clack of a folding fan unfurling signaled what was about to take place. Pointing the fan in the Abedian man's direction, Fuxing shouted: "You heard her! You are a disgrace to your ancestors, your shamelessness knows no bounds! And since you no longer have any further business with her–GET OFF OF MY BOAT!!" With the flick of his wrist, all the windows and doors in the entire casino were flung open as a howling tempest poured in.

"NINE GATES OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!" In that instant, the air currents converged and blasted the male djinn out the Marsilea's front doors like a violent geyser. This time there was no sound of the man hitting the water, as it sent him sailing high and out of the river's reach. A collective sigh of relief escaped the staff and patrons, while a few servers were quick to clean up the damage. Unfortunately the casualties had been particularly high this time–as the bar's collection of glasses were all in pieces as a result of Jala's wrath. Rushing to her side, Fuxing anxiously asked her. "Are you alright? Who was that? How dare he do such a thing! The next time he shows his face, I'll have him sent flying out of the city!" That scoundrel! As if pledging himself to one woman wasn't enough, but he knowingly abandoned her to see another! Fuxing would not tolerate dishonor of any kind to Jala, no matter who they were.