The New Town Drunk

[Annabelle Ventus]

"No no, I do understand that. Well, until just today, her and I were rather open with each other....it's funny how we both have guys after us..but for different reasons, but that is beside the point of this conversation." She started then heard his comment about her not having any bad aspects and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, that is not true...I have quite a few bad aspects..you just let the good things about me out way the bad, and I'm very grateful for that. Also, I'm very glad it was just me hearing that comment, because Adam would have been all over that last comment...sometimes that man..." She said and had a slight pout.

When Nate had offered her another bite, she happily excepted it and listened to him talk about visiting Italy again as she swallowed.

"Could I ask you a favor? If you go back to Italy..can I come with you? I-I always wanted to see where my family came from..though I don't know which part of Italy you are from..might be a long ways from where I'll be wanting to go.." Belle laughed.

[Nate Brightmore]

"If you have bad qualities, then I haven't noticed them.. you're always my guardian angel," Nate said, reaching up and moving some of Annabelle's hair from her face. But when Belle mentioned Adam, Nate let out a little groan, "Don't remind me of that person.. you know, for a little while when we first moved here, I worried about Neah falling for him. I think that I'd die, imagine having him as a brother.. thankfully he seems to be quite taken with that girl that he met."

When Annabelle asked if Nate would take her to Italy with him when/if he returned, Nate looked down at the plate of spaghetti for a moment. He paused as he thought, then looked up at her, "I will move both Heaven and Earth to take you whereever you'd want to go. Where is your family from?" He asked.

[Annabelle Ventus]

"Guardian angel huh? I guess that makes since since I have you one of my feathers to keep." She smiled, talking about her father's necklace, and smiled as Nate moved some hair out of her face. She however frowned the slightest as he mentioned not to mention Adam.

"I'm sorry, if it makes you feel any better, I don't like him much either.." She smiled then watched Nate look down at the spaghetti when she asked if he would take her to Italy with him if he went again. Maybe she shouldn't have asked? However, when he had added the statement in that he would take her where ever she wanted to go, she hugged him.

"You are too sweet to me...and...hehe..." She commented then moved away from the hug. "My family is from Rome." She commented, rubbing the back of her head.

[Nate Brightmore]

"Adam's an okay guy, don't get me wrong.. but sometimes he can be... a little too much. Neah likes him a lot though, she is much better at making friends that I am." He said.

He hugged her back when she hugged him. "Oh, I've been there.. Neah and I were born in Verona." He said, "Italy is beautiful."

He looked down at the plate of spaghetti and realized that he was almost done with it. There was only one last bite. He wrapped the noodles around his fork and held it up to Belle.

[Annabelle Ventus]

"No, I agree...and she is a really nice girl...you must be so proud of your sister." Annabelle smiled and then her mouth made an "o" when Nate said he had been to Rome before. "What was it like? And Verona you say? I heard that Verona is beautiful..." She said in a very amused tone of voice.

She then saw Nate notice that there was only one last bite of spaghetti and shook her head. "I know you are trying to be a gentleman..but please, I made this for you, so please, have the last bite." She smiled.

[Nate Brightmore]

"I was really young when we went, but from what I remember, it was really pretty. The buildings are beautiful.." he said, "but I do remember our visits to Venice. We use to go there all the time because Neah loved riding on the Gondalas." He said, remembering all the times when they were little and Neah would always give him puppy dog eyes when he said no about riding them, and she always got him to go.

"Alright..." Nate said and took the bite, "thanks again for dinner, it was really delicious. I'll have Neah cook something sometime and bring it with me, maybe we'll have our own little picnic away from anywhere that anyone could find us.. just the two of us.." he said.

[Annabelle Ventus]

".... Gondolas?" Annabelle asked him in a confused tone of voice. "I guess gondolas to me are what bumper cars are to you...do you mind explaining what that is?" She said and laughed nervously then found herself smiling as Nate took the last bite and more so when he said he would bring over some of Neah's cooking sometimes. "That would be great! I bet it will be great, if not better then my cooking." She commented and then when she heard the last bit of his plan, with them having a picnic away from the rest of the group sometime, should couldn't help but go from a wide smile, to a small, shy smile.

"I...I would love that..I still feel bad for wanting you to myself.." Belle said, rubbing her arm in the process.

[Nate Brightmore]

"A gondola is a boat, it kind of looks like a huge floating banana with the points pointing upward.. there's a person that directs it while two people enjoy the ride. I didn't like them because I would have felt more comfortable driving it myself." He said.

Nate took Belle's hand that was rubbing her arm, and kissed the fingers. "You don't have to feel bad for that, I'm always wanting you all to myself as well.. sometimes it's nice to get away from all the distractions and just be able to focus all of my attention on you." He said.

[Annabelle Ventus]

"Oh...wait...drive? You can drive a boat?" Belle asked in a confused tone. "Sorry..and this is going to sound strange..but I have never seen a boat in my life..other then the stories my father use to read me..but those had oars..." She smiled at him, rather embarrassed for being so clueless.

When Nate took her hand that she was rubbing her arm with and kissed her fingers, she smiled more, but shyly, and actually got slightly closer to him as he spoke. "You really don't think that is a bad thing? ...And you do?" She said, looking him directly in the eyes.

[Nate Brightmore]

"Not driving as in the sense of driving a car, the man that is in charge of directing the boat uses a long paddle to guide the boat. It's much like the oars that you just spoke of." He said, trying to think of a better way to describe it.

"No, how could wanting to spend time with the person you love be a bad thing? And yes.. being alone with you, without worrying about what someone will say or do.. it's one of my greatest desires." He said, and kissed her fingers once more, his eyes never leaving hers.

[Bladen Thorne]

Bladen turned back to where Belle lived. She was a lot more interesting to be around then those old fogies. He chuckled.

Stepping up to the door again, he debated on whether or not he should knock. He usually didn't knock. He just...appeared. Then again, he kind of liked the blonde sorceress, so he wanted to be nice, but if he was nice to her, that could be a little weird for him. He hasn't been nice to anyone for a few centuries...

Meh, why not knock? He was bored. He lifted his hand to the door and knocked three times, put his hand back down, lifted it again, and then knocked four times. He wondered if that was how you were suppose to do it. It had been so long since he'd knocked on a door...

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle couldn't stop smiling at all the things Nate was saying. From the new thing she was learning about boats to Nate actually saying that he felt the same way. She was so entranced in that, she didn't hear the door knocks, well, not till the fourth one that is. She then looked towards the door and smiled.

"I'll be right back..I can't just leave someone to stand at the door." She smiled, standing up and walking to the door, opening it and she smiled.

"Bladen! What are you doing back? I thought you were going to go find Ala.." She asked in a curious tone.

[Bladen Thorne]

Bladen had that grin on his face again, "I was," he paused, "But I got bored halfway there," he chuckled as he looked past her, "May I come in?" he didn't wait for an answer, he just walked past her.

He inhaled, "Ah, the air reeks of love and...pasta?" he clucked his tongue and looked at Belle, "Now, we haven't had a puppy moment, have we?" he of course was making a bad reference to the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp. No one would guess that Bladen saw the movie. He did. It was on a whim though. He did a lot of things on a whim. This social visit, for example, was a whim.

He finally noticed Nate, "Heh...this is why my senses are overwhelmed with romantic emotions," thank food that she wasn't watching one of those...what were they called...chicken flics that women were so fond of these days, "haha ohohoho..." he raised an eyebrow at Belle, "'Scuse me," his cockney slipped through slightly, "Dear ol' Blade wa'n't interrupting a little rendezvous between lovers now, was I?" he did not look or sound ashamed. Frankly, he sounded and appeared to be delighted at the thought.

[Nate Brightmore]

Nate watched Belle go to the door, and sat back while he waited for her. When he heard Bladen's voice and the bit of their conversation, he figured that Bladen must be an old friend of Ala's. He already sensed that Bladen was a vampire, but so was Ala so it made sense that they'd be friends.. right?

He thought he should be more polite like Neah, and so he stood up and walked toward the door and stood beside Belle. He offered a slight smile to Bladen, "We were just finishing eatting, and it was delicious." He said, saying the last part while he looked down at Belle and smiled. Then he looked back at Bladen, "I'm Nate, and you must be a friend of Alavda's?" He asked.

[Annabelle Ventus]

"And I was more entertaining then walking out by oneself..that's good to know." Belle smiled then laughed at Bladen's comment on love, pasta, and lady and the tramp. "No...I didn't have two singing Italian men here...so that couldn't happen.." She continued to giggle as she noticed Nate walking towards her and standing by her. She finally calmed down and smiled back up at him when he complimented her cooking again and then looked back at Bladen at his last comment, that was in his interesting cockney accent and blushed slightly.

"Oh..um...we are kind of use to it...OH and Nate, this is Bladen...you.." She thought for a moment. Where Ala and he really friends? Or was he more friends with Thomas....Nate wouldn't know who Thomas was, so she just nodded her head.

"Yes, he is friends with Ala. He was actually here earlier for that reason....well...and others...but I would rather not get into that." She smiled back and poked Bladen's side.

"By the way...if I notice Nate's emotions go out of whack...don't expect to stay in the house long..." She whispered to Bladen.