Dinner with the girls (Invite)

[Alexandrea]

"If you are meant to have another cat, and I suspect that you are, the you only need wait and one will come into your life. I think Sof is just fine but if you think she is lonely for another cat? Just let her stay here when she isn't with you, Kiwi. The dogs can stay here too, if you like."

Alexandrea spoke in a rush, busy with cooking. One of her greatest passions. the bacon mat she had removed had been added back into the pan and was done perfectly. She added the green beans she had canned herself last yet after v draining the water and turned the heat off, letting the steam from the heat do the rest of the cooking. The timer went off on the oven and Alex pulled out the pork roast, golden brown on top and flipped it over again, after removing the oven bag so it would get the same colour on the other sides. The heat was turned to low and she got out the chucks of bread she had toasted before and set them out on the dinner table and then set out the homemade spinach dip and crab meat dip she had made hours before.

Kira and Charlie had been chatting as she worked on the meal and Alexandrea caught most of it, even pausing a few times to gush over the picture's on Charlie's phone of her fur baby. She had just set out the relish tray when she heard Charlie ask about a fish tank.

"Oh... no. I'm sorry. Not here. I do have one but I keep it in my store, in the 8th dimension mall. Have you ever been there?"

Alex began tossing the salad, and shaking the red wine vinaigrette dressing she had made, her instinct over promoting her business overtaken by her love of feeding people.

"Sit down and start the first course Ladies, the appetizers are out and ready and the second course will be right up!"

The table had been set with white linens and blood red place-mats, matching cloth napkins next to each plate with crystal glasses at each place setting and a pitcher of ice water set in the middle, slices of lemons and limes floating inside beside a vase of Calla Lilies.

"If anyone wants to start with anything else to drink, let me know. I have a Merlot ready to serve with the main course."

The timer went off and quickly Alex returned to the oven, opening it to baste the Pork Roast inside with it's own juices and trusting that her two friends would set down and begin to eat.

[Kira]

Kira smiles at Charlie, "It's nice to finally meet you too." she replies. She looks to the phone with interest, cats were such interesting creatures. The run a mock but then they can look so cute and innocent. She laughed, "I wouldn't trust Sof around a fish tank. As it is she tries fishing at the temple.." she said. She sighs, "She has no problems with water.." she added. It must be the breed. Though she's not fond of getting a full bath.

She watches as the cats run around the house. "She only has dogs to beat up on.." she said, maybe she should have Sof hang out here when she is busy then pick her up later when she's done for the night. She grins, "But a Savannah cat or Serval isn't just going to show up out of nowhere." she said, she enjoys her Serval form a lot which might be why she sometimes got distracted with mirrors, such a beautiful animal.

"Though I be happy with adopting a stray too." she added. She wasn't sure what Sof would do with a cat that was bigger than her, and she was a decent size cat but she wasn't fat, lean and tall, and long.

Kira raised an eyebrow. "How many courses are there? I've never ate much, even when I was human.." she said, course she had been living in a shelter. She never really had much in the way of meals back then, and after she was turned, she was kind of glad she didn't have to eat. Even once she was used to eating again, nothing overly fancy, she ate what she enjoyed which was pretty much Granny Smith apples with peanut butter. Chocolate and other sweets, and sour things. Chinese was good too.

She turned her attention to the appetizers, tasting it before pouring herself a glass of water. "Wonder if vampires fall asleep after a big meal like humans.." she mused. The food that she could smell, it seemed like enough to stuff someone and lull them to sleep afterwards, content with a full belly.

Sof started to meow again as she smelled the meat. Kira tossed some cat treats around the living room so they kitties had to hunt for them, keeping them distracted from the 'human' food.

[CharlotteC]

Charlie slipped her phone back into her pocket as she finally took in the amount of food that Alex was producing for them, it was a little mind boggling but at the same time it made her smile. It reminded her so much of thanksgiving back home, of course there though turkey, while of course was always the center piece, it was the seafood that ruled the table. That was Maine living, fish, lobster, clams, if it came from the sea it ended up on their tables. Especially since Swans Island was one of many port cities in Maine. She sighed at the thought of home but then was pulled out of her thoughts by Alex asking about the mall.

"No, I haven't, however, I think that Tempy once mentioned it to me. I don't know if it's just because he is used to me or that he lived here his entire life but he just takes the weird with a grain of salt." She said with a soft laugh and then moved over to the table, taking a seat and glancing up to notice the lemons and limes floating in the vase. Her eyes shifted a bit to Kira and then back to Alex as if silently asking about why their was fruit floating in the water. For all her smarts, MIT and all of that, a green thumb she had not.

Charlie laughed softly at Kira's mentioning that she never ate like this even as a human and nodded "The only time i ever ate this much food was either Thanksgiving and Christmas or Superbowl Sunday." She said with another soft laugh, glancing around to see where she wanted to start first. As she began to help herself to the appetizers she glanced back up at Kira. "Since being changed I haven't really had a need to eat much. I mean so far from what I have tested, I haven't had a problem with eating anything, though now things that would normally effect me, coffee, pot, sweets. I mean I taste it but no caffeine buzz, no trip, no sugar rush... it's kind of sad. I miss getting high." She added with a slight distance to her voice before she shook herself out of her thoughts and hopped back on track. "But I have yet to get tired from eating, unless I do it right before sunrise. No matter what I do I just can't stay up for those 12 hours. Do you guys have any problems like that? I mean with being up during the day or anything?"

[Alexandrea]

"How many courses?" Alex asked with a blank look on her face. "Um... I am not sure. What counts as a course? I made appetizers. salad, soup, a main dish with several sides and a couple desserts." She shrugged as she turned her attention back to the food.

"Why don't you tell m after we're done?" She tilted her head to look at Kiwi and give her a wink.

As her friends tasted the appatisers, Alexandrea served the salad. Small chilled plates were set beside each of thier place settings and then the lightly tossed plum tomato and basil salad was set down between the two.

"Don't fill up on the first few courses, I don't expect you guys to eat everything I made but I'd be upset f you didn't at least take a taste out of everything."

Salad set out, Alex took the soup bowls out of the warmer and then after giving the Pumkin Soup a brisk stir, ladled out a enough to make each bowl half full before setting one ach at the other woman's place on the table. "If you like what I made, you can alays have more later!"

The timer went off for the last time and Alex took the roast out of the oven to sit and finsih cooking before she carved it and then made sure the sides were done before taking a seat herself and eating her own salad.

Between mouthfulls she asked; "And please? Do tell me the truth about the food. Some of these are my own rescipes and I'd really appreciate any feedback, good or bad, so I can improve."

She had chuckled as Charlie had mentioned not eating like this even as a human unless if was a holiday but something the young woman had said had caught her attention and after she finished with her salad and before starting on her soup, Alexandrea looked at Charlie with interest.

"I can't speak for all Allurists but I think it was the same for Kira as with me... Kira? At first I couldn't handle eating or drinking anything besides blood. It took me time and practice to be able to enjoy all the things I eat and drink now."

The young Allurist went on to say how she couldn't stay awake during the daylight hours and Alex frowned, trying to think back. Then she nodded.

"I think that's pretty typical at first. My tolerance grew with time and once I had taken the path of the Killers and learned how to daywalk, it faded away to almost nothing. I still do get tired however, but only after I exhaust my self or have been up too long. Then I can sleep, if sleep is what we should call it, for just a few hours up to a few days f I have a lot of stressful emotions going on."


"It seems like we are all different. Even if we are on the same path. But there's nothing wrong with that. If everyone had like vanilla ice cream, then maybe no one would have thought up making some in chocolate."

[Kira]

Kira listened to Charlie, she didn't celebrate any of those holidays. She had no one back then. She just hardly ate, it was hard enough to get money to buy food and living in the shelter meant you didn't have to stash food either. Thinking back on it now, she wondered how she even managed to do so well in the cage fights without having the proper food in her system. She pushed the past aside which was making her frown more than normal and turned her attention back to the ladies in the room.

She wasn't sure about the courses, she never been anywhere they had courses so she wasn't sure what counted as one.

She nodded, "I took it slow with eating after being turned. At first I just didn't care, I didn't need to eat but then I started to miss eating apples." she said. Now she could afford trying any kind of food out so it was worth it being an allurist.

"I've always slept during the day...cause well, Lexy knows. I have a phobia of the sun. Even though I do have daywalker to try to not be so tired during those hours, hoping I could get some music work done. I'm still tired." Kira said, "I also got it just in case I did get caught outside, I wouldn't want to deeper my fear of the sun by a nasty burn." she wonder if she would ever overcome that fear. If only she could feel happy like she could feel being pissed off or that panic attack when the sun is coming and she isn't inside yet. She would be normal then right?

She turned her attention to the salad that was put in front of her. Could a vampire get full? She knew that's what Serenity had been trying to test with her but something always happened before that little experiment happened. Which most likely was a good thing.

She was no expert on food so everything so far tasted just fine.

[CharlotteC]

Charlie listened as the two women spoke of the way things had been for them when they were turned, at least when it came to food, all the while Charlie kept her chocolate eyes bouncing from Kira when she spoke to Alex, noting how she took care of this and that when it came to the different meals that she was preparing. And there was a lot of food. She smiled a bit at that and knew that even if she ate a bit of everything, there would still be enough food to feed a small army. She was sure that the women would have left overs for a while but she didn't know of course if the two of them were like that. Wanting to save the food for another day or if they were the kind to just toss it away. From what she could tell of the two of them, she highly doubted the latter.

She began to help herself to the salad, but only took what could possibly be about 4 fork-fulls of it. Alex said that she would like it if they were able to taste everything that was made, so of course that meant smaller portions of everything. Something that she was fine with, plus, Alex said if they wanted more they could have it later, and of course, if Charlie could stomach eating the way she had when she was a human, she would probably be eating seconds of everything.

"I actually, since I have been turned, have been unable to tell a lie. Have you ever seen that movie with Jim Carry when his kid makes a wish so he can't tell a lie and he ends up writing 'Royal blue' all over his face because he was trying to say the pen was red?" She asked as she began to help her self to more of the food as Alex set it down, taking bites of the things that were on her plate between. "Well that was kind of like me. It got me in trouble a few times with some security guards a while back. Now instead of answering them, I just hit them with a knock out bomb and skip along on my merry way." She said with a laugh between taking bites of more food.

"But back to the subject of eating after the turn though, I was closer to how Kira was. It wasn't that I couldn't eat, it was just that I had no drive to eat. Of course when I started hanging out in the cafes, with all the lovely scents around me of coffee. I had to try. I never had a problem since. I think the first food I actually ate though was some cupcakes that a girl from the DoD sent me. I have a hell of a sweet tooth sometimes. Since then, especially with Rhett around, I usually try to make it a thing to eat at least once a day. He says it's freaky if I go a week without eating." She said with another soft laugh before she reached for her glass to take a sip then looked back between the girls.

"I've been burned before, a couple of times actually..." she said, pulling down her sleeves a little. The burn scars were subtle but there, though not nearly as noticeable as some of the others she had collected over her time as a vampire, most of them coming from when she had been gang banged by that team of bullies known as the Ty "I just got tired and passed out. Another thing Rhett has pointed out to me as being freaky, the fact that I could sleep through such a thing. He's tried to wake me up, or so he says, says that no matter what i wouldn't budge. That I actually looked dead to him." It made her smirk a bit because that was really the only time that Rhett really showed that he cared for her - in a brotherly way of course.

[Alexandrea]

Having only taken a few mouthfuls of the salad, Alexandrea set the small plate on the sideboard and turned her attention to her soup as the girls continued talking. She was paying attention but she was also testing the flavour and texture of the creamy roasted pumpkin soup at the same time. Satisfied that it was just perfect the way it was, Alex then sprinkled some crushed toasted peanuts on top and took another small mouthfull. She smiled at nodded at the bowel with the soup's garnish. "It's wonderful without anything else but you ladies must try it with the chopped nuts."

"I don't know about this movie, Charlie, but I have heard of others with such a curse. If it is a curse. I don't much care for lying myself. Even though I can always sweet talk my way past any guards that I run into once in a blue moon, I don't think of that as lying so much as just play acting. Maybe that's hypocritical but... any way. That's how I see it. And KO bombs are great but a smoke bomb can be a girl's best friend. I never leave home without them." It was true; even now at home Alexandrea had a couple in her pocket. One just never knew when a distraction could come in handy.

"I never bothered with making sure to eat once a day. Sometimes I go days or weeks and don't fancy the idea of food and some nights I'll eat every pint of Ben and Jerry's between here and Toronto. Just depends on my mood." Alex shook her head as she gave her own insight about the ritual of eating back to Charlotte. "But if it makes your friend, Rhett, more comfortable? Can't hurt. I have tea every afternoon with my staff at the shop. It's nice to have everyone take a break together and catch up on what's been going on that day with the store. "

The last of the buzzers went off and Alex got up to crave the Pork Roast, shooing a nosy Penny Valentine away just as the kitten was squishing up her little backside to take a jump up at the counter. "It's not for you!" Alexandrea said laughing but sent reassuring thoughts to her furry friend that leftovers would get shared. "I'm sorry you got burned, Charlie. I think almost all of us have at one time or another. I'm grateful all the time for the ability to walk in the daylight now. I still feel... I don't know, just better, at night but I can still function and I can even enjoy myself now that I am used to it. So long as I am at my best that is, physically and emotionally."

The meat sliced and arranged on a deep plate with the juices, Alex placed a gravy boat on a warmer beside the pork and covered both as she made sure the mashed potatoes and all the other sides were hot and ready with serving spoons beside each dish or pot. Getting out the dinner plates and handing Kira and Charlie each one, Alex pointed to the counter. "The table is too small we need a bigger one. Dinner is buffet style for the rest of the menu."

[Kira]

Kira didn't know the movie, which was no surprise. She didn't know many movies and shows. Not being able to lie sounded awful. People lied all the time, the most common one was saying one was fine when you really weren't. Or having to play nice with someone you much rather punch in the face.

She kept eating as she listened. She wondered what about being turned would change someone from being able to tell a lie. Then again, Kira was going through all sorts of changes that she didn't understand either.

"Did you tell the guard you were stealing stuff?" she asked curiously. She had done that once, just because she was tired and upset that she was found by a guard. When she realized what she had said, she flashed a smile and walked out without being stopped. She was sure her allurist ways had something to do with it.

Back to the topic of eating, Kira just really didn't eat. Sometimes she would crave something, like Granny Smith apples with peanut butter. Sometimes sour things like candy. "Hmm, guess I have a sweet tooth." she said, thinking back how she got chocolate from David's thrall. "Guess that's why that Nimrod guy likes me. Give him the Star Burst flavors I don't want." she said.

Kira watched as the young kitty wanted the food which soon brought the interest of Sof. "Maybe we should have given them some soft before we ate to keep them distracted." she said with a smirk.

She knew of a lot of vampires who have gotten burned by the sun, she must have been one of the very few rare ones that didn't. But having a fear of the sun sure helped with that.

She wasn't sure if she looked dead when she was asleep, she didn't think so as her thrall woke her a few times because of dreams. She did sleep deeply sometimes.

Kira looked around, she suppose they could expand into the living room to have more room for a bigger table. But since it normally was just two people here, she never thought of it before.

She got up with a plate to fill it with food, as she sat back down, Sof meowed impatiently. Kira tried to distracted with balancing a ball of light in her hand, waving it around and Sof chased around the shadows it cast on the ground while she ate with the other hand.

[CharlotteC]

Charlie nodded a little as Alex told her that she didn't much care for lying and she couldn't blame the woman. Hell, the reason she had come to this city had been because of a lie. Or rather, the lies of others. She had to assume that it was her thoughts at the time of her turning that brought out this particular 'curse'. It had only been bad at certain times, times like as Kira spoke came to mind. "I usually dislike lies as well, but Kira brings up a time when it isn't very good to be telling the truth. And yes," she started and turned her gaze from Alex to Kira, "I did tell him i was stealing. Though I had to laugh when a few of the times I told them that and the guy just laughed it off and let me go with little trouble. I guess they figured that the truth was too silly to be real."

She had continued to eat until the buzzer had gone off and Alex had left the table to get the rest of the food out of the oven. The smells were to die for and Charlie couldn't help but take the deepest breath, pulling in the scents of the foods, suddenly being reminded of all the family dinners she had been to with her family and all the ones that she would no longer be able to attend because there was no way to lie to her family, there was no way to keep them in her life given the way she left and the way she was now. For a moment, her face fell as she thought of her family but then as Kira and Alex began speaking again, breaking her out of her thoughts, she smiled and let the rest of the sadder thoughts move to the back burner for now.

Charlie took her plate and glanced around the table as Alex mentioned that the table was too small and that they would need to get a bigger one. "Have you ever thought of one of those tables that have the leaves that you can add when you need a larger table and take away when you just need something smaller and more intimate?" She asked while she allowed Kira to pick out her food first and then began to get some food herself, making sure that she got a little of everything before she was once again making her way to the table. Once she sat down again,she looked to Kira and nodded to her hand "How do you do that?" She asked before she picked up her fork and began to dig in once again. "This food is to die for Alex." She added in quickly.

[Alexandrea]

Alexandrea laughed, nodding her head up and down. "I'm sure that was the case, Charlie. Why would anyone who was really stealing, admit to it?" The blonde chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "I actually told one once that I was batman and he just laughed and let me go. Maybe he thought it was a prank or I was some cosplayer... who knows."

"Aww. Nimmy." Alex said softly with a shake of her head. "He is as sweet as the candy he eats." Alexandrea's own plate now filled, she joined the rest at the table."Where's he been at lately anyway? I haven't seen him in months. Have either of you?"

Briefly concerned, the Allurist quickly spoke into her thrall's mind. *Morgan, keep an eye out for Nimrod for me? Just want to check in on him.* Morgan would know the usual places to check for the Blood Thief and Alex knew the young woman would find their friend and get back to her.

She went quiet, taking a few small bite of her food, but continued to pay attention to her friends. Setting down her cutlery after taking a sample of everything, Alex gave herself a short nod as she found no fault with the taste.

But everyone's focus was more on the table it's self, than what was on it. At least that was what Alexandrea was first thinking as both of the other women's eye looked at it and not the food.

"Well... adding a leaf or two would add to the table. But not to the room." Alex gave Charlotte a playful wink and a huge grin. "There would be more room on the table, true. But there would not be any room for anyone to sit around it."

Her mood peaked up another notch when Charlotte complimented her cooking and the normally chipper blonde sat up even straighter, almost bouncing her her seat. "Thank you!!!" Alex gushed at Charlie, "Was there anything in particular you liked better than the rest? What did you like the least? Can I get you seconds of anything?"