Ready for A Slow Dance w/ A Stranger(Kate)

[Adrian]

Adrian frowned at her answer, regretting somewhat that he had decided to pull up something bad from her memory banks and spoil the good mood of the night, but he felt it was necessary. He really wanted to know everything about this girl, he wanted to take the good with the bad, even if it involved delving into her darker past a few times. He didn't bother to ask exactly who Hiroko was, it didn't matter, at least not for now.

Adrian was asked another question, a question with many answers. He thought about passing it, just because the most truthful answer contained things he wanted her to find out later... but, eh, forget it. For some reason, not answering a question she wanted to know just seemed beyond him.

"There are a few reasons. Mostly, the earthquakes back at 259 caused most people to leave. Another reason was that Moral Crest had sent my parents a personal invitiation for me to be at their school. Ohh, the Big Hanlons were so happy that, after being blacklisted for fighting at every private school, and most public schools thinking me too much a liability, with my money making me a target, for one to happily ask for me to attend with open arms, they just jumped at the chance."

Adrian paused, thinking about how he was gonna word his next reason. He finally decided to just go all out. No use hiding things from her, after all, she'd likely find out very soon at the party anyway.

"But I guess the most pressing reason was that I'm, well... somewhat indebted to someone. Maybe more than just indebted. I lost a bet to the Earth Dragon, Mathew Amtrum, and as a result I'm..." he frowned, not really much for talking about the situations surrounding his friendship with Mathew. "I'm bound to him, you could say. His word is law and all that. Since he was coming here, I was going to follow."

And yet, it was so much more than that. Far from a typical slave, Adrian was kept on a very long leash, and, by this point, would even consider Mathew a good friend, if not his only one. Either way, he didn't come here because Mathew was his friend, he came here because the Reapers needed him here. How much would Kate divulge from that snippet of information, Adrian wondered exactly.

"My question to you is related, but by no means the same question, so it should count. So far, do you prefer Moral Crest or 259 better? I realize it's too early to tell for sure, but first impressions are best impressions, and all that."

As Kate would answer, the waiter would come back with the Bloomin' Onion. Oh boy!

[Kate]

Kate could connect dots very fast, and very well when it came to gang things. Either Adrian was a Reaper (one she hadn't met yet) or he was going to become a Reaper. But knowing Mathew, he could also be put into another gang as a spy. The waiter put down the bloomin onion and Kate quickly grabbed a piece, and ate it straight. What was one of those odd looking things? It was an onion kind of put through a slicer, breaded, then deep fried. Yummy. Warning, gum needed afterward, if you can't actually brush your teeth for awhile.

"I like Moral Crest way more than 259..... 259 was where I was raped... where the last of my family died... and where there were more people than I preferred from my past popping up."

She took another bite of bloomin onion before asking him another question. Time to get the subject a little further away from the heavy hitters.

"Why is silver your favorite color?"

[Adrian]

Adrian stared at the fried.... thing in front of him. Kate had grabbed a piece and taken a bite without hesitation, popping it down like nobody's business. He watched her chew it, looking on rather concerned. She seemed to enjoy it, and didn't fall over dead after eating it, so it couldn't be all that bad. Regardless, it was just.... so... monstrous-looking.

Kate gave her answer, and Adrian frowned. He didn't realize that the question would have such far-reaching consequences, and was sad that she, yet again, had to drudge up such sad memories, when Adrian had barely had to scratch the surface of his so far. And so, Kate turned back the questioning to a more lighter tone, asking about his favorite color. Adrian thought about it a bit, and responded fairly quickly.

"Silver? I don't know, it's a regal color. Gold's too easy, and I don't really care for the color. Silver's just as worthwhile. It's sharp and decisive."

It was Adrian's turn to ask a question, but his focus was concentrated, by this point, much too heavily on the Bloomin' Onion in front of him.

"Okay, here's my question... exactly what the heck IS this thing?"

[Kate]

Kate grinned as he pointed to the Onion. There seemed to be a glint in her eye, like some evil witch or something. The girl licked her lips, and slowly bit into another bite before answering.

"It's an entire onion, sliced til just the bottom holds it together, battered, and deep fried. Served for your eating pleasure darling."

The blonde plucked a piece and held it out for him. It was pretty easy to tell what she wanted him to do. Take it and eat it. There was a smirk dancing on her lips as she did so.

"What did you do to wide up... in debt to Mathew?"

There was no doubt in her voice of which Mathew she was talking about. Because of course, Mathew was a decently common name... but the way she said it... there could be no doubt. The girl knew the Mathew who had him on a leash. One eyebrow was raised as she waited for an answer.

[Adrian]

She explained the onion to him, and he nodded, trying to wrap his head around the idea of it. She plucked a piece off and held it out to him, and Adrian paused a minute. He wanted to explain to her that that thing was a heart attack on a plate, how the only thing worse could be fried fry batter deep friend in more fry batter, and that he normally didn't each that sort of crap.

Instead, he leaned into the table and snatched the onion from her fingertips with his teeth, grinning back at her as he did so.

He put the onion in his mouth, chewed it a bit, and swallowed. He blinked a few times, thinking about it. Quickly, he grabbed another piece and ate it even faster.

"Holy shit this is good," Adrian said, smiling as he ate yet another piece. However, his countenance dropped a bit when Kate furthered her questioning on his servitude to Mathew. It's not that he didn't like to talk about it, it was jsut that, as mentioned before, the whole thing seemed a lot weirder than it honestly had ended up being.

"Pretty simple, really. I picked a fight with him on my first day of school at 259." Adrian smirked, remembering that day like it was yesterday. "He made a bet with me, if I won, he would bow down and admit that I was superior to him, if I lost, I'd be his slave." He laughed, thinking now at how stupid he had been. Although, really, if he could go back, he'd probably do it all over again.

"So, he beat me, but not before I gave him a few good licks on top of it. I actually dislocated his knee, and from what I've figured about this guy, that's no easy feat." Adrian realized he was inadvertantly tooting his own horn, and tried to scale back a bit. "But, in the end, he broke one of my arms and my other hand, and I had to become his litle slave."

Adrian shrugged, trying the Onion dipped in the dip they provided with it. It was a different taste, but still pretty good.

"It's not so bad, though. At first he was shoving me around and trying to establish dominance, but... since then, we've learned to really respect each other. He's really not that bad of a guy."

Adrian knew that most people's opinions of Amtrum were much less favorable than his, and didn't know just how she would take to him calling him 'not that bad of a guy'. Adrian knew she was a Reaper, or at least highly suspected, but even some Reapers probably didn't care for the man.

"And just how, exactly, do YOU know Mathew, Kate? Through your best friend, or a little more directly?" Adrian lifted an eyebrow, popping another Onion piece in his mouth. He was starting to believe he was growing an addiction to the thing.

[Kate]

No, he wouldn't be wasted on another gang. Mathew would keep him to be recruited... or he was already in the gang. Kate didn't know everyone. Just Bastille, Mathew, Linda, and Damien. Other than that, the blonde had no idea who was who in the Reaper world. The blonde continued to eat the bloomin onion slowly, so that when their food showed up, she wouldn't be that full.

"The first time I met Mathew was back in New York. We were in rival gangs, and he was sent with a ton of thugs to beat the shit out of me. I hated him for awhile... He joined the cheer leading team I captained and made friends with the Coach. Soon I had to put up with him because he was co-captain. Bastard."

She laughed, with a good humored smile.

"We sort of became friends then, back when we were younger. Got drunk in a parking lot together, which was funny shit. But we had decent respect for each other... then I ran into him at 259, all grown up. To be honest, until I met you I had him pegged for..."

She trailed off, suddenly realizing where this was going. She coughed and smiled, changing topics very quickly. And straight onto an interesting little question.

"Are you a Reaper?"

That should distract him.

[Adrian]

~"...had him pegged for..."

Kate stopped suddenly, which genuinely piqued Adrian's interest. His brow furrowed somewhat, trying to make sense of what she had said. The way she had said it, it was as if she didn't want to divulge something he had thought...

Before she met me...? Hrm.

He was so lost in thought, he almost missed her next question, a very direct one at that. She spoke it, causing him to physically recoil a bit, moving backwards in surprise at her bluntness.

"Why yes, you caught me. I am the spirit of the dead, carrying lost souls to their eternal punishment." A sarcastic smirk crossed his features. "And yes, yes I am, just like you. Why else do you think Amtrum put me in his servitude? Just another soldier, Kate, just another soldier. Although, this is definitely a curious case. You know what I'm doing, I'm bound to be a member. But you... why are you a Reaper, Kate?"

Another raised eyebrow, and another onion peel popped into his mouth. Things were quickly starting to escalate from interesting, to very much so.

[Kate]

She grinned at his first set of comments, then smiled at the second. Already in the gang, more than likely before she had even shown up. What would that change? Nothing at all. She lifted a finger and waved it side to side with a wink.

"Can't ask a question I just asked. Remember the rules? I'll be nice and answer, but you have to ask another before I do."

She laughed, enjoying herself. She had relaxed the instant he had said yes. Why? She couldn't have.... Well might as well admit it to herself right? She couldn't have been together, been with him if he hadn't been a Reaper. Kate took that shit serious, more so than most people. It was then that the waiter showed up with the food, sliding plates in front of each blonde. Kate waited til he was gone before answering.

"Yes Adrian. I am. I was jumped in right before the transfer. All those damned pennies... you must have missed it."

[Adrian]

Adrian shook his head vigorously, raising his own finger to point at her wagging one, as if contending the fact that she was using a finger to express herself as well.

"Nuh uh uh, Kate, not so fast. You asked if I WAS a Reaper. I asked you WHY you were. So, really-"

Adrian shut up quickly as the food came in. For one thing, he rarely liked talking while the waiter brought in the food, he felt it was rude, and furthermore, he wouldn't be talking about Reaper business when he could be easily overheard. The waiter put the massive steak in front of him, and Adrian's mouth watered.

"So, really," he said, talking while working the knife over his steak. "The pennies bit, Mathew told me about that. Must have been rough on you. You're lucky I wasn't there, I had every intention of throwing more pennies into the fray to whoever had the 'pleasure' of that jumping in."

Adrian smirked, thinking back on it. He had even paid more money than he probably should have to have a special set of pennies minted that actually had HIS face on the front instead of Lincoln's.

"But, back to my real question. What brings you to joining the Reapers? This is what I'm most curious about."

[Kate]

"When I met up with Mathew... it was my first day back to Cali. I hadn't a care in the world really. Everyone I cared about was dead or dead to me. All I wanted... was fun."

She chuckled and began to cut up her steak. Kate was one of those who cut every piece of her steak up first, then ate the parts. No point fussing with it while you ate, just caused more problems for everyone.

"So he hunted me down on the beach, and recruited me. Promising all the fun I could ever want, and sealing it with a kiss. So I agreed. I actually love to have fun, because when I was younger I was so damned prim and proper with a stick up my ass that I never had any fun."

She chuckled and took a bite of her mashed potatoes. Those things were pretty much heaven. She smiled at him, hoping that would be an explanation.

"Do you like to go dancing?"

[Adrian]

A kiss, huh?

Adrian felt a flash of jealousy, this time much more realized than the simple ones he had whenever another guy looked at Kate, or when she spoke of other people in her past, because this time, the object of his jealousy not only had a face, but a name, and was close to him. He knew of Mathew's lady-killing ways, and the thought that he may have been trying his shtick on Kate almost left him without an appetite. He did his best to not think about it. It was before they'd met, before that day not too long ago in the abandoned classroom. Even so, it didn't help too much. His face fell somewhat, but he tried not to let it show too much, especially since she had another question to ask of him. She took a bite of her potatoes, and Adrian decided to do the same. Man, these were good too!

"Dancing? I'll be honest, I haven't done much of it. I'm not opposed to the idea, however. I'd love to try it out."

Adrian shrugged and cut another slice of steak. Personally, he liked to cut his meat as he ate it. That way, he could suit himself in the moment he was in. If he wanted a larger piece, he could cut one. If he only felt like eating a smaller piece, that was also attainable. He popped the moist meat into his mouth and chewed, marveling at how tender it was, even cooked medium-well. After swallowing it down, Adrian shot out his own question.

"Do you have any secret fantasies?"

He grinned. He never specified exactly what he meant by 'fantasy', but he wouldn't be surprised if Kate took it to be something sexual. Although, if she went a completely different route, he also wouldn't be too surprised. For one, he didn't know her THAT well just yet, and for two, she certainly struck him as the unpredictable type.

[Kate]

Wait what? Secret fantasy? Shit. Well, most of her fantasies in the bedroom had already been played out with other men. She could go any where in the world she wanted... and have everything she wanted at the drop of a pin... except. Kate blushed bright red, her emerald eyes suddenly on her food. Hands steady on the fork and napkin. Should she pass? But there might be more important information to be asked?!!

"Uhmm... fuck you Adrian. I... I've always dreamed about being a mom. Being a wife. Having a family..."

At least she didn't totally loose it and blush from head to toe. Instead she shoved a piece of steak in her mouth and chewed without tasting. He had to go and ask a question like that!!! Fucker.

"Whats the thing you regret most in your life?"

Tit for tat bitch.

[Adrian]

Awwwww....

Adrian's smile at her reply was not in any mocking, or amused at all. The smile he gave was a genuine, warm, understanding smile. For a girl that seemed so ephemeral, so spur-of-the-moment, to have a fantasy so steeped in normalcy, it was... touching, to say the least. He reached across the table again, his hand taking hers and holding it, if only for a moment. He had been genuinely touched by her answer.

"Kate..." He had nothing he really wanted to say. He just wanted to hear the way her name sounded on his lips. He smiled, and she asked him another probing question.

"Oooh, going back to the heavy ones, eh?" Adrian smiled and cut off a small piece of steak to mull over while he thought about it. It was a hard question to answer, mostly because Adrian, who prided himself on always being as in control of his life as he wanted to be, usually didn't jump into things without thinking about them.

"Well, for one, I regret not eating at this place anytime before now," Adrian said with a smirk, taking a small bite of the potatoes in front of him.

"No, one of my biggest regrets, honestly, is the way I treat some people, sometimes. You probably haven't noticed, but sometimes I put on airs and act like, because I have money, I'm better than everyone else." He smirked at the thought, she had to have, he basically flaunted his cash everywhere he went. "It's just a screen, usually. I don't want people hanging around me who are just looking for a friend with cash to burn, and conversely, I don't want someone who's going to judge me as some stuck-up bastard just because I'm wealthy. So I lay on the arrogant prick act pretty thick when I first meet most people to gauge their reactions... but sometimes, when they reveal themselves to be that second type," Adrian thought back to 259 and that girl, Helter Skelter, who Adrian had immediately been at odds with from the moment they met, "I take it a bit too far. I guess I really am that arrogant prick with money sometimes, after all."

Adrian smiled, but just a bit. He took another bite of steak.

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

[Kate]

Well, wasn't that an interesting answer? Truth be told, she had yet to see him act much of a prick. In fact he had seemed rather normal in her eyes. The blonde smiled at him, squeezing his fingers before returning to her food. There was still a bit of a blush on her pale cheeks, not exactly all the way gone. They weren't even dating, Kate did not want to give him ideas about further down the road when they hadn't even started on the path.

"I listen to a lot of things, to be honest. Punk rock, techno, rap, what the fuck ever. Though I really, REALLY dislike country. It depends on my mood and what I'm doing. Most of the time punk rock and techno are the norm. Some hip hop, pop, whatever..."

She swept some steak through the potatoes and took the bite. Such a good combo of perfectly cooked slab of meat and creamy potatoes.

"What would your last meal be?"

A twist on the question of "what's your favorite dish?" Why? Girls liked to know what their guys liked. Even if they weren't dating, Kate wanted to know what to make him.

[Adrian]

"Oh, a steak like this, no doubt," Adrian said, not even joking this time.

"I've eaten all sorts of things, Kate. Back home, at our mansion, we had personal chefs from all over the globe, they made us the best of the best of their culture's cuisines. But no matter what I've eaten, nothing can ever beat the taste of a good, well-made steak and potatoes. Add some greens to that to make a square meal, and.... Mmmmm," Adrian stopped, thinking about how good it would taste, and realizing the very thing was on his plate. He had a piece of steak already cut, and he popped it in his mouth.

"That's all I'd need. For a rich little bastard, I can have simple tastes... SOMETIMES," he accentuated, laughing a bit.

"Alright, same vein as my last question. Movies. What kinds do you enjoy the most?"