Vincent carefully took a sip from the small glass he was handed and swished it around his mouth a little to see what it tasted like. He wasn't a huge wine enthusiast; he preferred just a cold, cheap beer. It had a very... unique flavour, like nothing he'd ever tasted before. He couldn't decide if he liked the taste or not, but then again, alcohol was alcohol. It was all the same. As long as it took him away from the world's suffocating grasp, he was content. He reached for another glass of wine, but thought twice about it and leaned back into his chair. As tempting as it was, he didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of the restaurant owners; he'd already embarrassed himself in front of Alexa when she'd found him drunk and half passed out on the side walk the other day.

Speaking of Alexa, as the night moved on, he'd noticed that one of the younger men at the table was making his move on his date... Iudicael, was it? He didn't appreciate that at all... not one bit. He stared at the man across the table, an annoyance bubbling inside of him.

Losing to the richer man, are we now Vincent? There it was again... that voice... the voice from his dream. Yes, that's right. It's me... Vincent... your other half. He thought he heard the voice chuckle darkly, but he could have been wrong. The women all seem to leave you, don't they? I mean, look at you... you're wearing a knock-off 'gold' tie for heaven's sake. You could barely pay for a meal here, you're lucky you got picked up by the owner. The voice was starting to get on his nerves. He could feel his hands clenching into fists involuntarily. You know... if you'd just let me---

Before the voice could finish its sentence, it was interrupted by the man, who called himself Njáll's, question. "I've been here for a while actually, so I'm not really sure why we haven't run into each other yet!" Vincent shrugged, taking a bite out of some of his food so that he'd stay sober a little while longer. It was delicious, he couldn't help, but take another bite. "This is delicious by the way." He said between mouthfuls of food. "So what about you? How long have you owned this restaurant? I don't think I've heard of it before. You see, it was Alexa who brought me here tonight." He smiled at her from across the table.

Alice noticed the discomfort of the two after she'd mentioned the restaurant and quickly spoke up. "Well, um... if you're not comfortable with that then..." she racked her brain for some ideas, "maybe there are some other grocery stores that haven't closed yet. Let's keep walking and see if we can find one." She turned around to face them again after taking a few steps, "say... are any of you two from around here? I'm not as familiar with this town as I was a few years ago..." she said quietly, hoping that maybe one of them would know of some other grocery stores.

Suddenly, as she passed the sparkling entrance of a busy, Italian restaurant, she felt a soft pounding start to form in her head and not before long, it was a painful, full-blown headache. "Agh..." she clutched her head, silently begging for it to go away. It's him. The woman's voice growled in her head. Alice's head hurt so much, it was almost as if the woman inside of her was fighting to escape. It's him! Let me out! The voice rang in her head. The pain was so sudden that it caused her to topple over. She leaned against the brick wall for support. "We... have to..." she breathed heavily, "get out of here." Alice forced her legs to move on down the sidewalk. The further she got away, the less pain she felt. All she was concerned about was finding a way to rid of the pounding, torturous headache.

Gilbert jumped to help support Alice. He looked at Mndy. "Maybe we should take her home" He stated before turning back to Alice. "Alice, what's wrong?" he asked in what he presumed to be a caring way. She started moving, and Gilbert moved with her just in case she decided to fall over again.

“Oh, good, then you can put that forward to something more useful to a college student,” Mother beamed, making Njáll appear absolutely pleasant, “and that does explain why you are not as tipsy as some of us here. Don’t worry, dear. Age limits are nonexistent in this building, so I do hope you enjoy the rest that we have coming. Admittedly, Blæc here did not want alcohol in the restaurant at all, but I could not do without. Plus, it generates lots of guests. If you fall on hard times, there are only three professions that you know will pay off: sex, alcohol and politics, so we are well safe from the economy.”

Blæc did have to concede to that and what Mother failed to mention, thankfully, was that they had two out of those three in this place, though he did not have to like it. He also did not like the fact that he was now feeling somewhat drunk himself, despite having no spirits in his system. He blinked a couple of times and rattled his head ever so casually to prevent drawing eyes, but Njáll’s orbs flicked over to him and Mother smiled slightly behind his hands, before refocusing back on Alexa. He, however, was just as observant as her, if not more so, and was not too far gone yet. He glowered, suspecting something in one of his glasses, but knowing it would not kill him, since she needed him to stay alive herself. What he could not figure out was why she did so, when he would be going to bed soon anyway.

Mother perked up to Vincent’s interest and beamed, “It was Blæc’s idea; always liked those old movies like the Godfather and black-and-white detective movies where Hollywood made the women swoon. He purchased it with his and his mother’s money about two years ago, the latter of whom I represent.” Blæc, being only sixteen, but looking quite older in that suit, could get by on most conversations with such numbers. However, revealing his preference of movies made him blush a little or perhaps it was whatever she put in his drink. “I do have to say that the romantic atmosphere is still working, if she brought you here,” Mother winked, emphasizing on Alexa’s intentions.

“It would be a little more so with candlelight,” Iudicael murmured, smiling lightly, “but not enough room on the table.” He glanced up to their individual chandelier and noted, “Although, I could see the appeal. The outside tables have candles, torches and flowers.” He slid his eyes back to Alexa and smiled childishly, patting her forearm, “I could show you.”

“It would be a little more so with you wearing a suit like everyone else. You are not exempt from the dress code,” Mother scolded tonelessly, “not that there is one.” Iudicael tugged the front of his shirt as if he had no idea that it was inappropriate and then shrugged, dropping it from his pinched fingers. The blond glowered with false indignation, “Blæc, don’t you think you could have ordered decently-sized tables?”

Blæc’s rolled his eyes and it made his head spin. He held onto it gently and encouraged himself to yawn, so it seemed like he merely needed to be excused. “I am not purchasing a table that belongs in a king’s castle. We are not passing plates and diseases from hand to hand like some buffet. These are more practical and safer.” She really was from another century or world altogether, if she thought it would be reasonable in this day and society.

Mother pursed Njáll’s lips in scoff, but turned his face to concern, “Son, if you are exhausted, we will move aside.” Blæc squinted his eyes and tilted his head to Iudicael with instructions to protect their newcomers from any danger. Iudicael made a pointed, playful joke about keeping his eyes on their female guest and Blæc nudged him to behave; she was only eighteen and had a beau. Isidoro and Mother scooted out of the booth, and Mother gripped her son’s arm. He tensed and she smiled, turning to their guests. “If you will excuse us, I will make sure he gets to bed safety. I can’t have him driving like this.”

Mindy quickly helped Alice to her other side. Looking at her pained eyes and the way she held her head, Mindy wondered if the girl was dehydrated and had a headache. "She said something about get out of here. Perhaps being outside in the sun so long has given her a headache. Let's go on in here. This place seems good and there is little some rest and good food won't cure after a long day under the sun." Inside of her otherwise helpful self, her inner ego cautioned her. "That was awfully sudden. Maybe her alter ego is upset about something. I agree though. Get off the street until we know what is going on. Hurry up or I'll take over and carry them both."

Vincent found himself grinning at Njáll's comment. Was there a reason Alexa has chosen such a romantic-themed restaurant? He remembered her mentioning that she loved the food here... yeah... maybe that was it. Whatever the case, the girl had good taste, and no, he wasn't talking about her taste in boys, though, he was pretty stunning himself. Vincent thought to himself, chuckling at his own compliment. He made a mental note that this was a restaurant that women liked; it might come in use later.

The young teen, named Blæc, got up to leave and Vincent only felt it was polite in this sort of atmosphere to stand up and shake his hand as he left. "Have a nice night man. Nice meeting you." He grinned and turned to face Njáll, also shaking his hand as well. "It was very nice meeting you both." He usually skipped the formalities, but heck, these were the owners of the restaurant; he wanted to get on their good sides. He sat back down in his seat as he watched them leave.

The seating arrangement was truly bothersome to Vincent as he watched Iudicael flirt with his date. Why had they placed such a flirtatious man in such close proximity to his date? He took his wine glass and tipped it into his mouth, bottoms up, before placing it roughly back onto the table. He felt the soothing liquid slide down his throat which would soon be followed by that ever so relaxing feeling.

"So Alexa," he spoke up, interrupting whatever conversation was going on between the two, "why did such a charming young woman like you decide to move here?" His eyes didn't waver as he looked into her turquoise-blue eyes.

"No... I'm fine," Alice said as she massaged the area where the headache was quickly fading, "sorry about that." Her face went pink from embarrassment. She was their host, and yet here she was hunching over in pain and causing them to worry about her. She wished she could protect others rather than being the cause of trouble all the time. She looked back at the restaurant, all of its dazzling entirety still in view. It was weird... they weren't that far from the restaurant, yet her headache was completely gone now. Something about that restaurant, or someone in the restaurant, wasn't quite right. She really wanted to find out, but she didn't want to go back there.

"I think... she wanted to escape for some reason. She was yelling things in my head like 'It's him! Let me out!'. It felt like she was attacking the walls of my skull." She took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. I'm fine now." She forced a small smile, and hid her shaky hands behind her back. To tell the truth, the past incident had scared Alice. She'd never felt anything like it before. Sure, she'd had headaches before, but they were nothing like this one. She'd felt like her head was going to explode, and the fear of losing her body to that woman was even more frightening. "Anyways, I think I see a supermarket up ahead. The lights are still on. Maybe it's open 24-hours." She pointed at the fluorescent sign.

The hatter's presence was quite smug, Gilbert didn't know why, but he was incredibly wary of Alice. What was so wrn with that restaurant that her alter ego would go to such extremes... The hatter had never done that to Gilbert before, probably because he could only come out when Glbert was asleep or willing to let him out. Gilbert still kept a careful hand on Alice's back, close to her waist, just in case she went to topple of again. His other hand was ready to catch her.

"Heee Heee. Heee Heee. This looks like fun!" The hatter floated above Gilbert's head. The hatter had grown up with Gilbert in that small, chokingly boring town, so meeting two other alter egos was inexplicably fun. He raised his head a little, narrowing his eyes, looking down at his nose. He made a grabbing motion at the girls, and grinned. Soon he would use them like his little puppets, to realise his dream. His grin widened, getting more psychotic. They'd make the perfect sacrifices.

Alexa smiled hearing that she could put her hard earned money to use and whole-heartedly agreed. She could spend the money and treat herself to something nice, maybe some new paintbrushes, or perhaps new canvas. . . She was pulled from her thoughts as the talking went on, and she did her best to keep up with it. Looking to the young man that looked like he was a bit drunk she then was pulled back out of her thoughts as Iudicael offered to show her a more private table. Blushing sheepishly she smiled gently. "No thank you." she said softly, the voice inside her head laughing. Trying not to look at the attractive male trying to get closer to her by the second she ate another bit of food. Smiling at him lightly she tried to ignore the fact that everyone was now focased on her, and then the boy got up. Mentally sighing in relief, the brunette wiped her mouth gently, and subconsciously grabbed the wine and took a big gulp. Shocked as the alcohol burned her throat she coughed and quickly took a drink of water. Shaking her head she then straightened herself up and looked to Vincent. Seeing him gulp down the wine, she could only pray that he wasnt getting drunk. She was Not going to have him puke on her dress or shoes, or her for a matter of fact. Hearing the question startled her, meeting his eyes with her own. "Truthfully, I moved here to be an artist. I want to major in movie animation, and do studio art on the side..." she said softly, her cheeks getting warm once more. It was slightly weird talking about why she chose here... She wanted to get away from home, get away from that place filled with so many painful memories, and she had wanted to come here, live life for herself. Plus they gave her the best scholarships.

Mindy cheerfully walked beside them. Alice seemed fine now and Gilbert wasn't so aloof anymore. Despite the scary moment back there, it had brought them closer together. Seeing an ice cream stand ahead, she cheerfully skipped ahead of them and turned around smiling with her hands clasped behind her. "Who wants some ice cream? It would make a nice snack and also keep us until we can find a store to get some groceries in." She gave them her most charming smile and waited for their agreement. She wanted to do something nice for them.

Gilbert couldn't help but smile a little, remembering how good the ice cream had tasted. But deep inside he found it strange. He hadn't done anything nice for them, yet they were doing such nice things for him, giving up their money. When he thought about how his village would react he felt sick to his stomach. "Uh, its fine. TO be truthful, I don't understand why you girls are doing this. I'm not worth any of this." He sounded like the villagers, but what else could he say... He'd been brought up that way.

Mindy blinked. Worthy? That was an interesting way to put it. Replacing her surprised and questioning look with a big grin she responded cheerfully, "Silly. I didn't hold a contest. I'm not buying because your worthy. I'm buying because your you. Gilbert. And Alice. My friends that I am eager to get to know better. That is enough for me for now. Now what flavors would you two like?"

Gilbert's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened. No one had said that to him before, yet it had been what he what been dying to hear, instead of being called a demon. He felt pink rise to his cheeks, and he looked away, wishing that his fringe would've been able to hide his entire face, as it got swallowed up into an unexplainable warmth. These girls... Accepted him so easily... He let the blush drain from his face. Would they be treating him so well, if they knew his secret. Gilbert mentally shook himself, it wasn't as if they were going to find out anyway. He set his gaze back to Mindy. "Um, is there a mango and banana? Or either?" Gilbert had wanted to try those flavor as well, but his lack of money hand not allowed him to.

Mindy nodded happily. "One three scoop cone with mango, mango and banana, and banana scoops. How about you Alice?" She turned to the young girl and looked at her with a bright smile.

"Really?" Vincent moved his face a little closer to Alexa's. "Maybe you should try modelling instead. You have the perfect facial structure..." he paused to give her a once over before finishing his sentence, "and not to mention the perfect body." He winked teasingly and leaned back to his previous position, resting his ankle on his other leg. "I'm just teasing you," he chuckled, "that sounds really cool. I might not seem like the type of guy, but I really do enjoy a nice cartoon every once in a while." He actually really enjoyed 3D-animated movies and watched them more than just on 'rare' occasions, but he wasn't going to admit that. He had a reputation to protect.

He glanced out the window and saw that the sky was getting darker with every passing minute. He then glanced at his now empty plate which had once been stacked with food. He had to admit, the food here was excellent. He patted his firm stomach with content, eyeing the dessert that was currently making its way towards their table.

Alice smiled when she saw Gilbert blush at Mindy's kind words. She'd started to get a feeling that Gilbert's past wasn't a very comforting one. Perhaps it was full of rejection and exclusion like hers had been? It would be nice if she had someone to relate to. "Don't say that Gilbert. You're just as worthy as anyone else on this planet," she realized that she had involuntarily grabbed his hands in an attempt to cheer him up, and quickly dropped them, her cheeks turning pink, "besides. I'm not only doing this for you guys... but for me also. I like... the company." She didn't remember when was the last time she'd ever hung out with other people. It was nice having people to talk to. They barely knew her yet their reaction to the earlier incident had shown that they cared, if even a little, about her.

She turned back to Mindy. "U-um... I'm not sure... what do you recommend?" She definitely did not want to confess to them that she'd never even tried ice-cream before. She'd heard it was cold, sweet, and melted at the touch, but wondered what it would really taste like.

Alexa blushed deeply in surprise as Vincent said she should model. She honestly had been asked to model for art class, and she had finally since the teacher hadn't found anyone to do the job instead. She had gotten to keep the clothes, and it was something she didn't know if she could do. Too many heals, not enough eating. "Thank you." she said softly and fingered the edge of the table cloth. This was just getting more and more awkword by the minuet. With one man hanging on her shoulders and the other she might have to drag to his apartment. Again. This night was turning out to be much more different then she had thought it was going to be.

His hands still felt quite warm after the Alice's touch. Gilbert felt his cheeks start to blush again, but he slapped them, which stopped the blush short. Had he been asked, he would've suggested the mint ice cream, but he wasn't an expert so he left the recommendation to Mindy.

Mindy thought for a moment, then with a quick smile and wink she grabbed each of their hands and tugged gently. Pulling them towards the ice cream stand, she let go and ran ahead. Reaching the stand, she looked inside at the elderly gentleman standing there. She gave him a happy grin that he felt required, and refreshed, to return. "I would like an ice cream three scoop cone with mango, mango and banana, and banana scoops for my friend. He likes all three. And for the lovely lady beside him I would like to get her a three scoop cone with a vanilla scoop, a strawberry scoop, and a chocolate mint scoop. And for me, I would absolutely love a chocolate chip mint three scoop cone." She beamed up at the good-hearted old fellow who good-naturedly began getting the cones ready. She didn't notice the two shadows around the corner listening to her. It was the same two who had bullied her earlier, stalked her, and fought with Gilbert and Alice. They were so intent on Mindy that they didn't see Alice and Gilbert walking up.

Léonie directed a several men in removing the used dishes and setting down the large platter with their own plates. She glanced at Isidoro in question as to where the owners had gone, but he gave a careless shrug. Glowering, she walked away silently, aside from the her agitated footfalls. Isidoro felt like he might do the same, watching the men across the table buttering up the little woman. He did not know if Iudicael was too stupid to see that she and Vincent were on a date, too frisky for his own good or flat out uncaring about it all. Isidoro gulped down another glassful.

“Shouldn’t you taste that before it goes down?” Iudicael laughed lightly, leaning back. Isidoro rolled his eyes and held an arm out for their waiter to pour into his cup. With another shake of his redhead, Iudicael turned again toward Alexa. “While he may be joking, he is right; modeling may be for you. You have probably already been asked to do such, I’m sure,” he smiled and took a sip. “As a matter of fact, I do some painting and sculpting every so often.”

Their Spaniard started with a face at his companion and Iudicael pointed a finger at him without even glancing up, “That is exactly why I never told you before, but I would love to show…Alexa my skills. I’ve never been good at the electrical arts, but I do have quite a collection of other creations. I also have plenty of material, if you ever want to have a partner to compare strokes, if you partake in that activity,” he said in a pleasant tone, but his gaze and smile had just enough interest in her from his side profile for her to see. “Maybe I could see yours sometime, too, if you ever have free time for either,” he suggested openly.

Isidoro could only take so much, so he distracted the course of the conversation by surprisingly speaking up, “I better go with those two to make sure they make it home safe. They should not be driving.” He looked at each of them and then their tray of sweets with an admission of, “I’m not too much of a sugar person anyway.” He pulled himself up and rolled his massive shoulders, rolling his neck until it popped before bowing to them and snagging an unopened bottle on his way to their kitchen. His car was left in the front, so he clearly did not believe he should be driving either.

Their remaining tablemate grinned, “Well, everyone seems to be vanishing and we have not finished yet. I apologize; it’s an odd night. Maybe we can reschedule the two of you to visit us again soon?” he offered with a similar gesture. “It would be my treat and, despite what has been said, I am an excellent cook. As far as I am concerned, everything is an art and a science.”

Alexansuddenly found herself a kindred spirit when Iudicael started taking about painting and sculpting. "I love painting and sculpting, as well as many other traditional arts. The electrical arts also are wonderful because I have always wanted one of my creations to leap from the page and start moving as though it was alive!" she said exubberantly, happy to see that a male who wasn't gay and was into art made her that much more interested now.

Hearing of his love to cook, and the offer to see and compare art made her feel lighter then a feather. Was this really happening? It had to be a dream, though she prayed it wouldn't be. "I would love to have you come by my art studio. I work in my own rented studio down at the college. So do you prefer more realistic art, human art, or abstract? I'm more of a human/realistic." she commented, so happy to finally be in a non-awkward conversation. When he offered for another dinner date she blushed gently, adjusting her glasses. "i would love to eat again together. This has been a lovely and unexpected night." the brunette replied happily.

Vincent felt something spark inside of him, some sort of irritation and annoyance. This rich kid didn't know when to stop, did he? And right in front of him... it was appalling. Then again... he was smart, charming, and artistic at that. There was no way Vincent could compare to that. Alexa deserved better than a cheap, poor drunk like himself. Besides, there were plenty of women in this town that he could choose from. But... none of them had ever come back for him like Alexa had.

He was feeling light-headed and his vision started to flicker between clear and blurry. Was he drunk? Impossible. He'd only had a few glasses. He had a higher alcohol tolerance than that...

He glanced down and thought he saw his clothes change to a completely black outfit for a split second. Was he imagining things? Wait. There it was again! "Excuse me for a moment." He muttered, unsure whether they'd even heard him or not as they were absorbed in their own, passionate conversation.

He made his way to the men's room and leaned against the counter, staring at his own reflection. Then he witnessed the most frightening thing he'd ever seen. His reflection was not him... but rather that man... from his dream. He widened his eyes, blinking in disbelief.

"That's right Vincent. I'm back." The man grinned at him in the mirror. "I'll be taking control of your perfect body in less than a minute. Your guard has finally been lowered enough for me to break through. You'd best be getting out of here before your little date and her... shall I say... new love interest are ripped to pieces."

"Who are you?! You're not me. I'M me!" Vincent flipped the tap on at full speed and splashed his face with cold water, trying to wake himself up from this nightmare. He looked up and saw his own reflection in the mirror and sighed in relief.

"I'm serious about what I said, dear Vincent." The voice rang in his ears and he saw his image flicker back and forth between him and the man.

What the hell! Vincent burst through the door, back into the restaurant's quiet atmosphere and feeling himself start to grow angry. Why was he getting angry? Something was really wrong with him. What was going on? He rushed back to the table and grabbed his things. "Sorry Alexa, I've got to go. It's been great." He tried smiling at her, but it was like something was restricting him from doing so. "Sorry for leaving you like this. I'm sure... Iudicael can escort you home safely." He forced himself not to grimace at his name. "I guess I'll... see you later." He mumbled, his head starting to feel heavy and everything start to spin around him. He hurriedly stumbled out the restaurant and booked it down the sidewalk, trying to get as far away as possible. Something was happening to him... and he didn't want anyone in harm's way when it happened.

He made it about a block away before he felt a sharp pain arch throughout his body and his vision went black. He hadn't passed out... he just couldn't see a thing. He could hear perfectly fine. I've taken over your body Vincent... you won't have any control over it for the next few hours. The voice laughed at him. Suddenly, Vincent's vision became clear again... but something was different... He saw everything and heard everything clearly, but he couldn't move a muscle... and yet... he was moving? What in the hell?

When Mindy handed her the ice-cream cone, she immediately took a giant lick and felt a tingly sensation throughout her body. It was cold, VERY cold, and it seemed to melt on her tongue and then dissolve away. "Amazing!" She couldn't stop herself from eating more of it and she smiled. "Wow, this is so good Mindy! Thanks!" Alice couldn't help, but feel like a little girl again. She laughed to herself. She couldn't believe this was her first time ever trying ice-cream and she was already seventeen.

She suddenly felt a chill go down her spine and spin around. She found herself staring at a dark alley covered and concealed in the shadows. She stopped enjoying her cone and stared for a moment, but shook her head. There was nothing there. She was worried about nothing. She turned back and continued to lick her ice-cream, but she couldn't shake the weird feeling inside her chest. She didn't want to worry them over nothing.

“I draw what I see of people,” Iudicael murmured with a wink and then shrugged. “So both the look of it and the material I use, it would be decided by that. A lot of sculptors did that in the past, using different materials for a certain mood they were attempting to capture in a scene. I don’t think the one on my mind ever lowered himself to clay, but it is a frequent guest in my home as I hope you will be. I would just love the company.” His sentence never trailed when Vincent excused himself to the restroom; he never even graced it with a glance and even distracted Alexa further with stories of artistry he had viewed personally in other countries, with some an added touch of gestures and fingertips.

At Vincent’s return and request, the redhead tilted his head up with a look of concern that extended after he exited the building. “I have no problem with walking you home, believe me,” Iudicael stated with a bright smile and flirting tone, before it fell back into sympathy, “but should I go catch him? He seems a bit distressed and, if it was the idea of me cooking that made him sick to his stomach, I can always order take-out,” he offered with open hands. He stood up and laid a hand on hers. “Just stay put for me, okay? Enjoy the dessert and I’ll be right back,” he assured, walking after Vincent.

He made it outside and bended around the bushy gates, following just far enough to see the man’s form in the door. Iudicael paused as he made it across the street, standing inside the groove of a doorway completely out of view of the restaurant, but not from Vincent. He smiled when the other’s body bowed backwards before resuming his trek. That was easy to draw out. He should be trying to make alter-egos at this pace. The idea struck a chord in the back of his mind, literally, as Mother connected with him.

Listening to her with closed eyes, he conversed quietly in the recesses of a psychic link to go over their plan, his interesting new idea and simply to pass the time. He needed that to make it appear as if he and Vincent had discussed things long and hard, trying to draw the other back inside, and that was exactly what he told to Alexa as he reentered and rejoined her at the table. “He told me that it was something too important to wait until tomorrow, but gladly it was not over my cooking,” he soothed with a joke. His eyes glowed warmly at her before he perused the food, “Let’s not let this go to waste. I will drive you home, if it gets late.” It would probably be even necessary, if she became drunk on desserts, considering the rum cake and unremitting deliverance of wine.

---------- Post added 05-21-2012 at 08:37 AM ----------

Mother assisted Blæc into the vehicle with the help of their driver before she slipped in on the other side, buckling herself and her son up. Leaning over to do so, she cast him a smile and he responded with a sour expression, tilting back against the window slightly. She scolded him playfully about getting drunk and not making it easy on Njáll to fix the safety belt, before she settled back. They rode in silence for most of the way before she glimpsed over at the window, which prevented sound from exchanging between chauffeur and riders, go up, leaving the space to themselves to chat. Blæc rubbed his eyes in annoyance, being the one to adjust their privacy level, as he thought on how to approach the matter. Mother took that chance away from him with a sweet inquiry, “What is on your mind, Blæc?”

“Repeat that for yourself,” he muttered grumpily, propping his elbow on the edge of his door. “Why did you want me out of there? I assumed you were going to do something, but you’re right here. I would think that you were attempting an act against me, but you did not appear until those two arrived and, unless they are very good actors whom I have never seen around before to be rehearsed, it definitely concerns their presence.” He cut his eyes over at her and added, “Which leaves me to the confusing point of who is doing your dirty work right now. Is Isidoro about to kill them; are they agents?”

She puffed out a laugh from Njáll’s nose and shook her head, “No, no, they are merely being interviewed. I can’t let you hang around with just anyone. What kind of neglectful momma would I be to not care what friends you have?” The question lingered in that affirmative, yet teasing way, as if she were mocking the position of a parent. The idea of staying at home certainly did not appeal to her, though she had always tucked him in, which he guessed she planned to do tonight. Although he did have something to say about irresponsible sires, truth told.

“At this point, you would smothering me with affection,” he retorted sarcastically when they made it home and unlocked the door, “and not the kind a child enjoys.” He shoved open the door without his servantman’s help and lodged on a hand as he gripped the door to prevent face-planting into the pavement. Mother instantly appeared and gripped his arm, dragging him out alone until the driver rushed to aid, before they got him onto his own two, if wobbly, legs. They managed to get him to the bed and shift the sheets to cover him after removing his shooes. He growled after the landing, “Oh, I swear that if I received a shot of that street drug, I am going to do more than avoid.” Mother’s expression twitched Njáll’s eyebrow on an otherwise serene face and Blæc’s fingers clenched the mattress.

Gilbert noticed that Alice seemed to have the same feeling, thoug have appeared to notice the cause. Gilbert had noticed though, the two boys from before, though he'd figured that it was no use engaging in a fight, unless they started.
The flavours he'd been given were just as good a the ones he had before. Was there even a bad flavor in icecream. It melted from the cone, covering his fingers in its sticky mess. Sighing, he licked it off. Now his fingers smelt weird, not that he was smelling them. "Thanks mindy" he took another lick. "Thanks a lot" He thought for a moment. "I feel as if it's my turn to do something for our little group, but.. I don't know what to do..."

Mindy grinned and suggested, "Just be there for us?" She was about to say something else when a dark shadow came in knocking her down. At that same moment another figure leaped forward at Gilbert to knock him down as well. It all happened so quickly. She lay stunned and could only register two things. One, she was still holding her cone. Two, a voice inside of her roaring to life. "Oh no he didn't! She felt her body, even while pinned under the guy, start to shift and change.

Alexa found herself more then intrigued as Iudicael began tales of his artistic adventures around the globe, her eyes wide with amazement, and her mind well distracted. When Vincent returned from the bathroom, the brunette was startled, and made a move to stand as he hurried out the door. His name almost escaped her lips, but she then felt a hand upon her own. Looking down at the hand she then looked threw her glasses to Iudicael. He spoke of getting Vincent, though she would have preferred to do so herself, she decided that if her date was drunk, that man talk might be the best.

Suddenly the girl found herself all alone at the table, and felt very small. Nibbling nervously at the cake, she noticed the eyes of the other diners flickering to her alot. Reaching for her glass of water, she hadn't realized that she had grabbed for the wine, and took a gulp. Making a face the girl shook her head and her nose crinkled up. You're so funny! You can't even handle wine! the voice mocked playfully. Shaking her head the brunette fiddled around with things, trying to pass the minutes which seemed to be hours. She looked up everytime someone entered the door, but she was getting very worried at this point.

When Iudicael returned she smiled greatfully and then giggled softly at his joke. It was good to see that he could keep this conversation upbeat and light. Eating the dessert more confidently now, her head seemed to be getting a bit lighter and lighter. "After dessert what should we do?" she said lightly, staring into his eyes. She decided he had pretty eyes, like Vincent. She loved men with pretty eyes, it was something she loved capturing in her art as well.

Gilbert sidestepped the attacker just, getting his icecream knocked out of his hand. He stared ongoing,y at the cold treat before defending himself once again. Mindy looked like she was getting capable, but mindy in the other hand, Gilbert moved closer to mindy, ready to defend when ever. The people orotund the group started to gasp, either running or creating a large circle outruns the fight, some even started to get their phones out to tape or call people. Gilbert knitted his eyebrows together in a frown. Sorry hatter, you aren't coming out this time.

Mindy looked up at the guy holding her down as her insides started shifting. He grinned at her and muttered, "You taunted us all day at the beach with that body of yours. You acted our superior with that nice girl attitude of yours. You know what I do to naughty girls like you? I put you in your place." Then his eyes grew wide. The girl pinned beneath him transformed. Her body took on the perfect mature shape of a model. She gained a few inches and her pink wavy hair turned silver and straight.

Mindy, the inner warrior, smiled up at him. The innocent lady locked up safely inside where she couldn't be hurt. "Allow me. I will put you in YOUR PLACE!" She pulled her knees to her chest, moved her feet against his waist, and kicked him up and over. He landed with a whump behind her. She quickly crouched up and glared at him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Gilbert had sidestepped the other idiot.