Vanilla Twilight -Open-

[a]

The soft winter breeze brushed across the frost covered city scene. The frost resembled as if someone had taken a white paint brush and lightly drew it across the concrete and buildings.

High above the city, a young woman stood, leaned against a balcony, tucked into a thick jacket. Long black hair was let loose and it cascaded down her back like a river of midnight. The soft breeze blew it back off of her face lightly, like the wind was kissing her face gently. The young woman let out a soft sigh, white fog tumbled out of her pink lips like smoke before it quickly vanished into the air.

Shade Sato shifted her arms against the cold metal railing of the balcony. This building was near where she worked, and she liked to get here early to watch the world around her slowly thaw and come to life. Some people could not see what was so attractive about this place. The building she was currently in was abandoned and the outside of most of the structures were graffiti scarred and any exposed metal had rust keeping around it like the way vines crept up a building. But to the girl standing in the frigid air, observing the world it was a peaceful place, the scars that others left on it only enhanced its beauty. Each broken window and graffittied wall had a flawed grace to it.

Shade pulled away from her cold railing now, turning away from the frost covered scene. The hum of cars began to vibrate through the empty buildings as people drove down the street and went to work. Shade stepped through a door way, the door for it had fallen off long ago, and she was back inside the abandoned office building. Dust had settled over everything, expect for her foot prints from where she had been visiting for the last couple days or so. She traveled slowly through the house, taking in the sight of everything scattered about. She could almost imagine what daily life might have been like here, whatever here might have used to be. An office? And apartment complex? It was hard to tell, there were very little things left here besides an old, worn out blue couch with a broken leg pushed off in the corner and some boxes, along with the litter of some people who had traveled through here, probably runaways, like herself, but instead of looking for a steady job, decided to roam the streets instead. One could only pray that they weren't six feet under in a coffin right now.

Shade followed her foot prints to a set of stairs. Placing one hand on the cold, wooden hand rail she took her first step on the stairs. She lingered there for a while before moving all of the way down. She really liked this place. It used to be something, before it was worn down and abused by others. If buildings could tell a story, this one would probably have a very sad one, but not an uncommon one. 'Once upon a time... I used to be filled with life. Now I'm dead on the inside.' The same story could also be applied to people in this world.

My name is Shade Sato. I used to be a happy girl. Now I don't know what to feel anymore. Shade smirked an empty, harsh smirk at herself at this thought. Comparing herself to a building? Now she's lost it. But maybe Shade had always been this way.

She walked the rest of the way out of the building, where she was met by the cold, nipping air and the buzz of traffic from streets on all sides of her. The little cafe that she worked at wasn't far from here, and she was never late for her job by any more then three or four minutes. The woman she worked for liked her, too. Said that 'she was a quiet; pretty girl who did her job nicely, and why couldn't the rest of the staff work like that?'. After that, she would go to her cheap, little motel room, pay the bill, the usually sleep. She didn't like being alone. She just didn't want to live with that monster that she called an uncle. The only thing that she regretted that she couldn't take the rest of her family with her.
And Kyo.

Kyo. That word sent a cold, but pleasant shiver down her spine. Just thinking about the orange haired boy with the daring smirk made her want to go crawling back to her old life, just so that she could be with him. But she had to chose between being happy with him for a few hours a day or so, or living by herself with the ability to make herself happy if she wanted. She could be beaten and controlled, or she could control her own life and get out of that constant state of fear that was her life. It really wasn’t too hard of a decision. She was free now. As free as a bird. She could do whatever she wanted, when she wanted, and the best thing it, she hadn’t been hit in a long time and the ugly yellow bruises were finally fading off of her skin. But it wasn’t like it was never there. Scars both metal and on her skin would always be there. Nobody can just simply walk out of a situation like that without some sort of damage. But still, leaving Kyo like that… some days she missed him so badly she thought that she couldn’t get out of bed to work. How pitiful was that? He was just a boy… she should be over him soon, but he had said that he loved her… and her the same. And after she just up and left without a word, right after what she had found out… it would probably make the poor boy think that it was his entire fault, though it wasn’t. She had planned on leaving her home for quite some time now. She just needed to find a place that would let her stay with them asking questions, same for a full time work place.

Shade made her way down the street. Frost had pretty much all but melted but in the shadows of the large buildings. Thinking about her orange haired… lover, I suppose you can call him, she was foolishly keeping an eye out for him, though she knew that it would do no use. He probably didn’t want to see her now, and she would probably get nervous if she did see him, probably would duck her head and keep on walking as if she had never seen him. Shade felt like her head was being ripped apart.
I want to see him… but I don’t… I want to see him… but I don’t. Shade frowned deeply at herself as the back and forth of her own thinking went on up in her head.
Ugh, what am I? Bipolar? Get a grip, Shade. She told herself sternly. She wrapped her arms around her small torso tightly to preserve body heat as the deep frown was still set on her olive toned face. She set at a faster pace, wanting to get to the café quicker now.

Upon approaching the small little café that she worked at, she pulled open the door and stepped inside the welcoming warmth of the building. She smiled to herself, trying to cheer up a bit. Thinking about Kyo had somewhat upset her, though it really didn’t take much to get poor Shade rattled up…. That was something that she was working on.

She went to the back room to hang up her coat and put on the light blue apron all staff wore. As she stepped into the back, another girl was there. She mumbled a small ‘hi’ and Shade returned it before the older girl left. Shade placed her coat on a hanger and picked up her apron. Fishing into her pocket, she pulled out a ponytail holder and quickly threw her hair up, the remaining, smaller strands fell around her face and sweetly framed it. It was a different look for girl, but this was a different life for her, after all.

She placed her notepad and pen into her pocket, for taking up orders, before stepping back into the humble little café. It was a nice place, small and smelling like a bakery. With a slightly old and worn look, but very nice. Old pictures and mementos hung on walls along with other keep sakes. What can I say? Shade liked the worn out look.

And now she waited for the first customers of the day.

And this was Shade’s new life.

So why was she still thinking about her old one?

The stars lean down to kiss you,
And I lie awake I miss you,
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere.
Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly,
But I'll miss your arms around me
I'll send a postcard to you dear,
Cause I wish you were here.
-Vanilla Twilight

((I needed a thread on here. I suppose this is a better look into the mind of Shade. LoL.))

[X]

((Mind if I have Kyo find her? Or not yet? LoL))

[Grr]

((O.o, wow, Plat. BIG post, and great description.))

Zen and Yui where walking outside, Yui riding on Zen's back, trying to find a place to get warm. Yui, being the little girl that she was, wanted to play in the snow, but Zen knew that if they didn't find somewhere to find warmth, they possibly would die on the streets. While Zen was walking, Yui looked at the cafe, and said, "Zen, what about there? Maybe they have free cookie samples." Zen looked at the cafe, and, knowing that they might be kicked out as soon as they went in, decided that it might be a place of temperary rest and warmth. Zen walked inside, Yui still on his back. The bell rang on the door as Zen opened it.

((=shrugs= Hope this will work for you.))

[Dante]

The urge to hit something, or someone was strong today, as was the need to impress someone, anyone. That wasn’t exactly rare for him, although he did go out of his way to alienate himself from people; it didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy tormenting them before they made him angry. Anger was a powerful emotion; a weapon if you know how to use it, something that could be used not only to crush someone, but also control them, to bring them crawling back on their knees. And to see someone shattered beyond repair, or simply standing on the edge, sometimes the pull was too great to resist. Society had done him no favors, why should he do them any? Especially those in uniform, those that worked for the government, they needed to be put in their place. Thos uptight little bastards who thought they could control him by sending him to the loony bin, well now, they had been dead wrong, hadn’t they? He was still walking the streets, and wherever they had sent him…Let’s just say he was quite proud of that piece of work, they were going to be rounding up loonies for years. They would never find him here, that was the only thing he could be sure of here.

Unfortunately though, the street was as abandoned, just as it was on any school day.
School.
Since when did the school care about him? Just a problem child, as they called him. Oh, the counselors, they were incredibly amusing some days. With all the ‘how does that make you feel’ junk. As if they honestly expected him to answer that! They didn’t want to know his thoughts, or feelings even. It was all part of their job, as he had explained to anyone who asked. But that wasn’t the real reason he was skipping; mostly it was just because they had told him he couldn’t skip anymore. Guess what? Here he was, skipping, and they couldn’t do anything about it. Anything! That was the best part, while they were locked down in testing, here he was, enjoying himself, somewhat. His sister had decided to go to school after what had happened this morning, so he was alone in the dark alleys. For a normal person, that would have been very disturbing, but whoever said Dominic was normal, obviously hadn’t ever met the high schooler. Or heard of his reputation; but someone this far down really didn’t actually know of him, he hoped. He needed the entertainment.

This morning…
The thought was a rough whisper across the already fragile mind of Dominic, one filled with hate, anger, and undiluted pain. Baring his teeth slightly, then sudden surge of recent memory wasn’t quite enough to make him stop walking down the empty street, but it was enough to distract him from school. Today hadn’t started out as a bad day, rather than his gory clothes he had been wearing normal clothes, and in a semi good mood, no need to pull out anything. And that was exactly when mother had decided to pay a visit, dragging along the stepfather.
Reese.
Anger flashed suddenly, like a wildfire really, through Dominic. He hated that man, if you could even call him that. It was as though his very presence, especially when he was in uniform like that, brought back one of his lost memories; and for a while, it had been there, tugging at his mind, begging to be released. He hadn’t let it come though, instead, he had focused his hatred on Reese and his mom, and before long, stormed out, saying things that were sharp enough to physically cut someone almost, and garbed in what he was currently wearing.

It was a dark outfit, and that was understating it. Standing up, Dom looked fairly normal at first, mischevious slanted face, gorgeous and soft to the touch red brown hair that came down enough to cover his grey eyes. But then you moved down to his neck, and your gaze pretty much froze. Usually he wore a light green collar, but this day he wore his favorite out of the bunch. Spines, fake but done with vivid detail, were circled around his neck, on the inside of his color, so they brushed against his neck, occasionally leaving scratches. The outside of the color, something was written, but the font and the dark red color against the black material of the collar made it nearly impossible to read. And what it said really wasn’t too appropriate for young people anyway. Moving down past the color was a shirt of similar design; probably from the same store, hugged his form slightly, though it wasn’t tight like the shirts girls wore. It’s design was simple. Pure black, the shirt featured a pair of glowing, slanted eyes, as well as a very toothy grin, with Disturbed scrawled across the back, as well as some show dates. Even though it was cooler out, today there was no jacket for Dominic, he hadn’t bothered to grab one on his way out. His pants, surprisingly enough, broke the pattern. They were stonewashed, and fashionably ripped in all the right places. He wore them in the current style, thankfully though his shirt was long enough to cover what the pants didn’t.

Not his best outfit, but it still worked.

The soft sound of a person made him freeze, jumping into the shadows, grey eyes narrowed dangerously. It had surprised him, and that was rare enough to make him agitated. This actually wasn’t saying much, sadly. Dominic, emotion wise, lived in a world of black and grey; either depression or agitation. His favorite was agitation, but he couldn’t fight the pull of depression right now. Sighing slightly, breath a plume of white in the cold, he only shook his head, before glancing around the corner, just in time to see someone that was..Hunchbacked it appeared to be, enter the store. As soon as the hump talked though, it became evident that it was a child, not a lump of flesh. As the door opened, the rush of warmth was like a wave, reaching even where Dominic had chosen to hide, behind a frozen brick wall, in the last alley before the store. As soon as the door closed, Dominic made his move, going to go in after them. He lived in a world of no regrets, and his reckless impulses were never questioned, just followed. Otherwise he would have died a long time ago, when he had first skipped in the middle of winter. Things weren’t quite as bad as that had been.

Snow had started again, and as he finally reached the building, a light snow covered the auburn haired man, although he didn’t really feel the cold. Stepping in after the strange street kids, Dominic stopped, and carefully brushed the snow off of himself, and at the same time, surveying the scene. He and the strange street kids were the only ones there, there was no one in government uniform. Slowly, Dominic felt himself unwind, and with his unwinding, all his superficial charm came back. Casually brushing his hair out of his light grey eyes, he looked up in a quiet manner, and nodded softly to Shade, a silent greeting. It was going to be interesting, to see what happened here. For some reason, people always felt sympathy for him when he wore his dark clothes, as though they thought they could heal him slightly. As if. How he hated pity, it was a weak and worthless emotion. Rubbing his arms thoughtfully, his body had been cold even if his mind hadn’t been; Dominic took a chair under the heating vent, and pulled over the newspaper, just wanting to look busy. And of course, with he casually scanning the newspaper, he could keep an eye on everything from his chair, was protected by the wall, and looked depressed, seeking a place to get away. It couldn’t have been a better spot, and now, it was just time to play his cards.

[Idea! What if Shade flirted, without knowing it, with Dominic, and then Kyo came in and found out? Just to create some drama. xP]
[/blockquote]

[a]

((Sure, you can have Kyo come in. XD Thanks Grr. ^^ And that's an awesome idea, Dante. x33 Now I have to try and make my post half as good as yours. Eheh... ^^'))

Shade looked up at the light tinkling of the brass bell that hung above the door that signaled whenever someone came in or left.

First two children walked in. They looked cold and hungry to Shade.
Poor things. I'll let them warm up first. Shade thought. She doubted that they had any money to buy any meal... but she would probably give them a little money if she confirmed the fact that they had no place to go.

After that, a tall teenager walked in. Shade's green eyes connected with his light gray ones and she offered a ghost of a smile in greeting to him. Fishing out a menu from under the counter, she got up off of the stool that she was currently perched on. The short girl’s feet didn’t exactly touch the ground, and she had to slide down before her converse clad feet hit the down softly. She made her way over to Dominic and placed the menu next to him on the table.
“Hey. I’m Shade. I’ll be your server.” She said to him. “Would you like something to drink?” She went over the mandatory words; something that she had said so many times it was probably burned into her head. The owner drilled into their heads to look cheerfully as well, so Shade attempted a small smile toward the auburn haired man. She noticed the depressed expression on his face, but said nothing. Why should she? She had her own problems to worry about… then again, she shouldn’t been so self centered. She wasn’t the only one with problems…

She cast a glance at the snowy city out the window. So it was snowing again… she had made it just on time, her jacket was thick, but not really think enough to ward out the snow. The cold didn’t bother her as much as it her cousin, Kiyoshi, but she still liked to be warm.

“I can come back in a second if you want to wait for a bit.” She told him, her eyes traveled down to his neck and did a double take. Crap, didn’t that thing hurt? And she thought her family was the only ones who insisted on wear jewelry like that. Namely her father’s brothers… Guess not. Wear would anyone go to buy something like that anyways? Maybe he made it… she didn’t know. She waited for him to tell her what he wanted to drink or come back later, and then she would move onto the kids. She brought her dark hand up to her face and pushed her bangs out of her green eyes. It was odd how Shade still managed to stay so dark in even in the winter. A lot of people suspected spray tans or tanning beds, but to be honest Shade would rather not look orange and she the thought of being locked inside something didn’t appeal to her, either. She was naturally dark, I suppose. Just go look at the rest of her family.

((Bleh.))

[Grr]

Zen set Yui down so that she can walk to a table. They were about to sit at the table that was under the heating vent, but a high schooler got there first. Not wanting to bother him, or even get to know him, Zen gently grabbed Yui's hand and led her to a table that was in the far back of the cafe. Zen was glad that they weren't immidately kicked out, but Yui tugged on his sleeve, "Zen, aren't we going to ask if they free cookies?" Zen shook his head, and set Yui on a seat, then sat across from her. After Yui settled down, they sat quietly in the warm building.

((I feel inferior to your posts, T.T))

[Dante]

does strange things to a person; especially when they come out of the cold. As soon as he started getting warm, Dominic noticed something that was going to bother him to no end; his socks were wet. There were very few articles of clothing that were worse when wet when socks; aside from underwear that is. Maybe it hadn’t been wisest to wear his oldest pair of shoes today; the ones with the holes in the sides, but he hadn’t expected it to snow again. Following impulses was going to get him killed one day; as even now, under the heat, Dominic found that he couldn’t feel his toes, or any part of his foot. Before he could do anything really though, the two strangers came up, obviously having been set on the seat that he had easily taken. Looking up, cold light grey eyes scanned them over, not exactly inviting. He was a loner in all aspects; if they tried to force him out of this spot, there was going to be trouble. Almost as though they understood that, at least the older one did, the guy turned away, taking a seat in the way back, as far away from Dominic as possible, and providing an excellent viewing point, just in case they did prove to be a threat.

Returning his glance back the newspaper, there seemed to be nothing interesting today. Just the typical rubbish that people decided would be acceptable to print out, just for the sake of it. Feeling his hands clench slightly at the pictures of the uniformed people, the soft tread of Converse was almost missed, but Dominic found he just had enough time to unclench his fists and smooth his face into a somewhat reserved look as he watched Shade approach him, and repeat the required words, attempting to be cheerful. He knew her, somewhat. Fifteen, almost sixteen, freshman, and seemed to be working on the day off for all the other grades. Flashing a slight smile; just as ghostly as hers had been, Dominic folded his paper with semi-absent certainty, folding down the creases just as he had done in the past; back when he had had a paper route, before everything had been shattered for him, although like with everything else, he could not recall it. Darby was the only one who had really ever shown having any recollection of the past, and she wouldn’t tell him anything, typical of her.

”Enjoying the day off from school, Shade?”
Dominic asked softly, knowing she wouldn’t know him, but the casual reference to school would reveal that he was probably skipping, as were a lot of teenagers his age today. He was just the only one who had wandered downtown. He was watching her in his silent way; that had been the way his charm had taken him so far it seemed, and watched when she hit the collar. The smile wasn’t so ghosted as he watched her do a double take, and he shook his head slightly; the answer to the unspoken question in her gaze. Picking up the menu, he scanned through the choices, before settling on just coffee. He would add half and half on his own; it was a delicate balance between coffee and half and half that had taken him months of practice to perfect.

”I’ll just have a cup of regular coffee.”
Dominic said softly, rubbing his arm in absently; he was in short sleeves, and with no jacket, something hot sounded really good to him right now. His work was at an all time high, and he had plenty of money for his own drink, and a little more, if he chose. Gently flipping the menu closed, he handed it to her, carefully keeping his cold fingers from touching her. As he once more met her eyes, curiosity sparked slightly, and it was obvious he wanted to ask something, but in a great show of control, he kept his mouth shut. As he heard a comment from the back of the café though, he grimly shook his head, and said softly.

”And some cookies for the ones in the back. Just don’t tell them it was from me.” Opening his wallet, Dominic withdrew a twenty, and handed it to Shade, his usual ghost smile back. Before she could do anything though, he held up his hand, shaking his head.

”You can keep the change as well.”
Dominic said quietly, knowing there was no chance of him being overheard by the two in the back. One had to admit, when he wanted to, he could be a nice guy, even if his charm tended to be superficial. Not that anyone really knew that, and those who did, wouldn’t think it to be true, for he was being a gentleman. For the moment, that is.

[/size] [/blockquote]

[X]

He was on his morning jog, even though school had started a while ago. He'd left a note at home saying he'd probably be late. His breath came out of his mouth and nose in clouds ad he ran through town. He didn't come out here often, but he wanted to draw this out as long as possible. In all honesty, he didn't feel like going to school today. Not at all. Ever since Shade had up and disappeared, he had felt like just sitting around in his room all day. He didn't want to go to school, but he kept it up for Tohru's sake. But today he just wanted to skip it entirely. He didn't care for school, anyway.
Besides, when he went to school, he always looked for her, and sometimes would think he saw her, though it was just turn out to be a different raven-haired girl whose skin wasn't dark enough. He always had his hopes up, thinking she'd be there, and then she wouldn't. He was seriously tired of it. No, he wasn't gonna drop out. He just needed a break from it all. Not too many people were out here, which kept him from scanning the surroundings, trying to find her.

He cursed under his breath when it started snowing, and zipped his jacket up further. He was entering the 'bad side' of Tokyo, where there was graffiti all over the place. He watched the sidewalk for ice. It had rained last night, and the last thing he wanted was to slip and break a bone of some sort.

He finally stopped for a bit and waited. Despite himself, he looked around. No, there wasn't anybody.
Get a hold of yourself, he thought. You aren't gonna see her.
He shook himself internally. The flakes grew larger, but as he ran some more, he started getting really hot. He pulled off his coat, carrying it under his arm as he continued running, in a t-shirt and dark jeans.
The t-shirt was a pale yellow-green color, with a black lizard on it. His beads shook on his wrist, making little tapping sounds against each other every now and then.

He thought about dropping the coat. He could always buy a new one. But he held onto it--he might need it later, and he didn't have any money on him righ tnow. He saw a cafe ahead. He was kind of hungry and his stomach had been growling, but he decided against going in. He glanced in the window as he jogged past. There weren't many people in there. Three or so, and a waitress that looked like Shade. He went on.

Wait, Shade?

He turned around and walked back, pulling his jacket back on. He just stood out there for a minute.
It was Shade. He wondered if he was seeing things. But no, it had to be her. He walked in the door, glancing up as the bell rang, and then looked straight ahead. Should he walk over there? No. He stepped away from the door, but didn't sit anywhere, just watched Shade and the person she was talking to. Finally he approached, but kept a distance.

"Yo," he said, watching her with his scarlet, cat-like eyes.

((Bleh. I really wanted to post so I didn't wait for Shade to accidentally flirt. LoL))

[a]

Okay, so he knew her name.
Kinda scary… She thought to herself, but figured that it must be some guy at school. She doubted that he could be like… a stalker or anything. But then again, you never know…

She smiled down at the light haired man, though she wasn’t much taller than him when he was sitting down.
“I hardly go to school anymore.” She told him, taking the menu out of his hands and placing it into the over sized pockets of her blue waitress apron. Just regular coffee, no need to really write that down. She could remember it.
“I guess you decided to skip too.” She said with a light smirk playing on her light pink, glossed lips. Shade watched him intently for a moment with her green eyes, catching the silent answer to her somewhat-silent question. This man was incredibly observant, it seemed.

Shade nodded once at his request for the cookies for the two in the back. When he said, ‘keep the change’ she smiled again. She crossed potential stalker off of her mental list and she now figured he was just a kid at school who had seen her around.
“Okay. Thanks.” She said to him, turning around and treading lightly back over to behind the counter, where she poured him a hot cup of coffee placed some sugar cookies in a paper bag for the two in the back. She walk by Dominic’s table and placed the coffee next to him, before taking the bag back to the two.

“Here. On the house.” She told with a soft smile, before she walked back over to Dominic’s table.

“Aren’t you cold?” She questioned him when she returned. “I have a coat in the back you can borrow… but I’m not sure if you would be so keen on the idea of wearing a girl’s coat.” She said with a small, little giggling laugh.
“By the way, I don’t think I caught your name. You obviously know mine.” She told him, sobering up from her small little laugh. She hadn’t laughed since who-knows-when, and it felt good, actually.

She didn’t look up when the brass bell twinkled again, announcing some ones arrival into the humble little café, She tucked her hair behind her ear again, wishing that she had a bobby pin to get the annoying strands of hair out of her face, oblivious to the fact that the loose strands made her soft, round face look incredibly cute. But ‘cute’ was never really a look she was ever going for. In fact, she could really care less about how she looked. She didn’t even know why she still bothered to put any make up at all in the mornings, since no one she really cared about was going to see it. Kyo was really the ever the only boy she attempted to look nice for. And he wasn’t here now so why bother?

But when footsteps came closer to her, she turned, about to say to the customer ‘I’ll be there in a minute’. But when she heard the familiar husky voice she almost looked shell shocked for a moment, but she quickly recuperated.
How did he find me…? Was what she wanted to ask him, but right now she couldn’t figure out how to work her voice box, so for a moment she just stood, blinking and looking mildly surprised.

“… Hi, Kyo.” She said to him finally, her voice going soft. She looking down at the linoleum floor and scuffed at it lightly with her foot.
Fancy seeing you here… She thought lightly to herself, another small smirk playing on her lips at this thought, but it soon faded.
I’m sorry Kyo… it wasn’t you, I swear. Don’t think that it’s your fault. She wanted to tell him now, but she kept her lips sealed. Now was not the time to talk about this, in front of a complete stranger, in a café.

Thinking back, Shade hadn’t seen him since that day she found about his secret… Poor boy.

Shade looked him up and down. Since winter had set in, his skin had gotten paler, his hair a little darker. She just drank in the sight of him for a moment, looking him over with her jewel toned eyes. She felt almost as if she had been deprived of something now that she saw him. She had missed him much more then she realized. She had ignored her thoughts, but now they came back tenfold and she just wanted to throw herself on him.

She restrained from doing so, however.

[Grr]

When the waitress came by with the bag, both Yui and Zen were surprised. "Thanks lady," Yui said loudly, in a childish way. Zen took the bag and opened it. There where about 8 cookies in it. He gave Yui one for now. Yui nibbed on the cokkie while Zen took one out for himself.

[Dante]

Grinning slightly, Dominic shrugged slightly, shaking his head in a rather amused fashion. His school patterns were so irregular, that he didn’t bother trying to keep track with when he went and when he didn’t. It was mostly the test days that he skipped though these days.
”It is rare for me to actually go to school. This is just the first time I’ve wandered this far downtown.” Dominic said with a smile, before shrugging slightly.
”And today started out bad, so I decided it’d be easier not to go.” He said quiet matter of fact; why try to deny the obvious? His tone though, was more so closed, not really wanting to answer any questions on the subject. For a moment he was silent, brooding almost, before giving a slight shake, and returning his gaze back to Shade’s, though there was a faint shadow in them now, but it was just like a fleeting image, there one moment, and gone the next, a useful tool when one didn’t want to be read; when one was often on their own. It was also like a branding though, proclaiming that he was one who usually kept things to himself, not really opening up to many despite his attitude.

Smiling slightly, not as ghosted as before, Dominic turned his attention to the figure outside, watching it with some curiosity; joggers were rare down here. Many people were afraid of the graffiti covered walls, of the brutal gang murders that occurred from time to time. In all honesty, this was like a second home to Dominic; it was a world he could understand, a world where he didn’t have to hide himself from. Maybe that explained why agitation earlier was impossible; it was impossible to be angry in a place that seemed to be home as this place did. As Shade came back though, his attention on the jogger, who had stopped quite suddenly and seemed on the verge of entering flicked away, and he gratefully took the coffee.
”Thank you.” He said softly, as he added half and half, before taking a drink, feeling the warmth course through his being, and even, yes, into his toes. It seemed that skipping school hadn’t been a bad thing; he was for once feeling semi-relaxed, not as on edge as he usually was, or as hot tempered. A real rare thing for him, seeing as everywhere else he was simply a hot wire, waiting for the unfortunate person to step on him, daring someone too.

As Shade returned, business was slow today thanks to the cold, the image of him wearing a girl’s coat made him laugh quietly, as he shook his head. His laughter, true laughter, was rare, and it had somewhat of a haunting melody to it, making one want to hear more of it, when even at the same time, it was faintly, well, haunting. As though he had seen too much, and in the rebound, had lost everything he had once held dear.
”Ah, no thanks.” Dominic said, grey eyes glittering faintly with amusement. The image of him in a girl’s coat, a green one none the less, had made him laugh, and with that, he felt his mood lighten up, in almost a joking mood really. He was quick to sober though, as Shade had been. There had been a flash or relief in her eyes though as she had laughed, as though it had been a long time since she actually had, something he could really understand. It had been…ages, since he had been able to laugh freely. This was the most normal he had felt in ages, and that was big coming from the one who was constantly called insane by everyone he talked too.

”I assure you, I’m not a stalker. You told me your name when you first came to the table.” Dominic said with a faint trace of amusement; he hadn’t missed the look in her eyes. Truth was though, he had already known her name, and he knew the names of a lot of people who skipped as he did. The principal was always talking about this person and that person, and once you have a name, it isn’t hard to guess it to a face. It had only been recently that they had stopped caring about what he did; they finally understood that in all honesty, Dominic didn’t care about school, or even preparing for a future. While everyone else had these great plans for the future, he had never been able to formulate any. He had always chalked it off to his reckless impulsive side though, he could die any day, be it a freak accident or actual killing, so he didn’t really need a plan for the future, not when life and death were so uncertain, what was the point?
”I’m Dominic.” The auburn haired boy said quietly, gaze somber once more as he met Shade’s gaze. He was well known, at least, for skipping, at least, if someone knew one of the many nicknames he had. He had a lot though, and it was impossible to really tie one to him, mostly because nobody really knew what he looked like, they just knew a name, and a reputation. His last name was one that had never been revealed, so it could quite easily be a different Dominic that had all the rumors spread around school about him. And that was exactly what he was counting on.

As the stranger spoke, Dominic looked up, and felt a flash of realization, from some deep part of his mind, a part that didn’t speak very often.
Kyo Sohma. Cat of the Zodiac.
He didn’t know how he knew that, for whenever he had actually was cursed it was with his multi-personality Vladimir that attended all the Zodiac meetings, one that he was unaware to the highest degree. One thing that saved him though, was that Val had also gone by Dominic at first, making his own name only a while ago, so everyone was still used to calling him Dominic, not Vladimir. Shade though, seemed as though she was about to fall into a heap, the first time so far that he had seen her awkward. Any relaxation he felt was gone, though it was hidden well behind the cool mask that Dominic had thrown up against this…unexpected obstacle. Shade was holding something back though, something that his mind once more supplied. Val was closer to the surface than usual, and someone was going down soon, unless he backed off. The two couldn’t exist at the same time, this wasn’t an alter ego. For the moment though, thankfully, there was only information streaming across his razor sharp mind.

She is afraid of revealing the curse to a stranger. Acknowledge the fact that you know what Kyo is, and you should be fine. His mind whispered faintly, before settling back in, leaving Dominic alone, just as he had always been.

”Cat. Didn’t think I’d ever see you here.”
Dominic said mildly, watching Kyo in a nonchalant manner, though he was in truth a lot sharper then he let on; watching every reaction that was given. This could be a rather interesting moment, he knew. And since boredom was his one phobia, it was best if he went along with it. At least, that is what he told himself.

[/blockquote]

[X]

When Shade greeted him, he nodded, mouth a tight line. He wasn’t mad, no. But there was a lot he wanted to say. And he couldn’t say that here. He vaguely recognized the guy at the table, but he wasn’t sure from where. Maybe at school, sometime in the past.
I should have known she wouldn’t be able to handle the fact that a monster loved her, he thought bitterly. He wasn’t sure if any woman could handle that. Even the strongest, like Shade. It didn’t matter if she was strong, it was probably impossible for most to deal with what he was. Tohru could stand him, but… he didn’t love her as much as he had used to think.
My own mother couldn’t take it, why should Shade be able to? He sighed internally, and shook his head slightly.
”You… look a little different,” he murmured quietly to her, cat-like eyes gazing at her midnight hair. He loved the way it looked and how the shorter strands framed her face. Then again, he’d probably find her beautiful if she shaved her head. Her looks really didn’t matter, anyway. ”I need to talk to you when you’re not as busy.”

He sighed quietly. Before he’d entered, he’d heard her talking to the guy at the table. He wondered if they already knew each other, or if this was their first meeting. It almost sounded like she’d been flirting, or something. Then again, Shade didn’t exactly seem like the kind of girl to flirt. She seemed serious.

Kyo visibly jerked when the guy referred to him as ‘Cat’.
”Wh—” He shook his head. Now he remembered why the guy looked familiar. ”Oh. Dominic,” he said, watching the dragon with his scarlet eyes. ”Guess I didn’t expect to see you here either.”

((*dies*))

[a]

Shade had just been laughing with Dominic, everything seemed fine untill he came it.

"Heh. Really? Didn't do anythig." Said Shade, trying to keep this as casual as ever, as if they had just me up yesterday. She tucked the short strands behind her ears again and cast her gaze down on the floor. "Sure, I'll talk when I'm not so busy." She told him, scuffing at the ground with her converse again.

When Dominic mentioned knowing Kyo, she looked up again. Those two... knew each other? Apparently he knew about the curse too, and knew that she knew, or just didn't care.

She lifted one eyebrow and looked between Dominic to Kyo, then back to Dominic, her greens eyes lingered on the two old men for no longer then a second or two.
"So I take you two know each other." She said to them.

((Congrats, your fail was so epic, your brain exploded! ::brain explodes:

[X]

Kyo watched her. “Yeah… we’re cousins,” he replied simply, still looking at Dominic for a moment. He didn’t know the boy well, just heard rumors. But he really didn’t care about the guy’s mental state. What did it matter to him, anyway. Dominic seemed to be getting along just fine, so he didn’t worry about it.

He watched Shade longer, wanting to point out that she was wearing make-up and had actually put her head into a pony tail, something he didn’t exactly see her do with her hair before. But he said nothing. He was kind of bothered that she seemed so okay with seeing him after what felt like years, even though it had been just a few weeks. Did she really not care at all? It sure seemed like it.

“I’ll just wait at a table until you have time,” he told her, voice almost cold before walking away and sitting at a table near one of the windows in the little café so he could watch the snow. He flipped open the menu. He was pretty hungry anyway.

((Oh. My. Gosh. =explodes=))

[a]

Shade nodded oncce when Kyo informed her that the two were cousins.

"Oh, I see." She said to him, dropping her green eyed gaze back to the floor for the umpteenth time since Kyo had made his presence known in the cafe. She didn't know what else to say, but what could she say? Nothing really besides, 'I'm sorry' but that could be saved for later. He would be waiting.

When Kyo's cold words left his mouth and he turned to another booth, Shade didn't move, although the words did sting slightly. But that was just Kyo, she had to remind herself. That's how Kyo dealed with things. He could be as cold as he wanted towards her, it was her fault. To be quite honest though, she half expected to get slapped or something. That's how it would have went at home, maybe a bit more. It really depened on how he felt at the time when he decided to hit hurt. He of course, being that monster she lived with. Or rather, used to live with. He was her uncle, thought she had no idea why her mother didn't kick him out of her house, but then again, her mother's logic was twisted. People might think she was smart, but Kira's mind pretty much went 'I'll turn my cheek now, but later I'll stab you in the stomach and twist the knife', or something like that. But her mother was afraid of being ignored, so this was attention for her, him beating her, attention from only him though. Kira was be ashamed if others found out she was really so weak and shallow.

Shade looked over at Dominic now.
"Sorry 'bout that." She murmured to him, before going back into waitress mode, but dropping to false cheerfulness. She had never been good at the whole smiley part, anyways.
"Is there something else I can get you?"